“Mrs. Crowl surveyed Denzil Cantercot so stonily and cut him his beef so savagely that he said grace when the dinner was over. Peter fed his metaphysical genius on tomatoes. He was tolerant enough to allow his family to follow their Fads; but no savory smells ever tempted him to be false to his vegetable loves. Besides, meat might have reminded him too much of his work. There is nothing like leather, but Bow beefsteaks occasionally come very near it.” (p. 34)
“Denzil Cantercot sat in his fur overcoat at the open window, looking at the landscape in water colors. He smoked an after-dinner cigarette, and spoke of the Beautiful. Crowl was with him. They were in the first floor front, Crowl's bedroom, which, from its view of the Mile End Road, was livelier than the parlor with its outlook on the backyard. Mrs. Crowl was an anti-tobacconist as regards the best bedroom; but Peter did not like to put the poet or his cigarette out. He felt there was something in common between smoke and poetry, over and above their being both Fads.” (p. 47)
“Mrs. Drabdump shrank from accepting Wimp's attentions, not so much perhaps because he was a man as because he was a gentleman. Mrs. Drabdump liked to see the fine folks keep their place, and not contaminate their skirts by contact with the lower castes. ‘It's set wet, it'll rain right into the new year,’ she announced. ‘And they say a bad beginnin' makes a worse endin'.’ Mrs. Drabdump was one of those persons who give you the idea that they just missed being born barometers. …Haunted rooms—or rooms that ought to be haunted if the ghosts of those murdered in them had any self-respect—are supposed to fetch a lower rent in the market.” (p. 53)
Slowly, you learn a lot of things about the people who had associated with the murder victim, but it feels as if no one is getting closer to envisioning how the murder was done or who had done it. Eventually, there’s an arrest and a trial and a surprise ending, but I won’t say any more than that.
7 comments:
How fun to read an early early locked room mystery. I am surprised it had humor in it, but that's fun!
Thanks for the shoutout! Sounds like your sense was pretty similar to mine. I just now put up my review here: http://reesewarner.blogspot.com/2023/09/israel-zangwills-big-bow-mystery.html
Thanks for the shoutout! Sounds like your sense was pretty similar to mine. I just posted my review & then came and read yours.
That is a visit back over time!
I bet this was interesting read. I imagine there is a lot of time related differences when compared to modern mysteries. hugs-Erika
This sounds interesting. I've always been intrigued by locked room mysteries -- and rarely figure them out!
Interesting, bet you learn a bit of history, too.
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