Strong Poison: Chapter 14 - Miss Murchison and the Wrayburn Deed Box

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Chapter 14 Mr Norman Urquhart glanced at the clock which stood at 4.15 and called through the open door.

Norman Urquhart (0:08)

Are those affidavits nearly ready, Miss Murchison?

SPEAKER_1 (0:13)

I am just on the last page, Mr Urquhart.

Norman Urquhart (0:15)

Bring them in as soon as you've finished. They ought to go round to Hanson's tonight.

SPEAKER_1 (0:21)

Yes, Mr Urquhart. Miss Murchison galloped noisily over the keys, slamming the shift lever over with unnecessary violence and causing Mr Pond once more to regret the intrusion of female clerks. She completed her page, ornamented the foot of it with a rattling row of fancy lines and dots, threw over the release, spun the roller, twitching the fool's cap sheets from under it in vicious haste, flung the carbons into the basket, shuffled the copies into order, slapped them vigorously on all four edges to bring them into symmetry and bounced with them into the inner office. I haven't had time to read them through, she announced. Very well, said Mr Urquhart.

Miss Murchison retired, shutting the door after her. She gathered her belongings together, took out a hand mirror and unashamedly powdered her rather large nose, stuffed a handful of odds and ends into a bulging handbag, pushed some papers under her typewriter cover ready for the next day, jerked her hat from the peg and crammed it on her head, tucking wisps of hair underneath it with vigorous and impatient fingers.

Mr Urquhart's bell rang twice. Oh bother, said Miss Murchison with heightened colour. She snatched the hat off again and answered the summons.

Norman Urquhart (1:28)

Miss Murchison?

SPEAKER_1 (1:29)

said Mr Urquhart with an expression of considerable annoyance.

Norman Urquhart (1:32)

Do you know that you have left out a whole paragraph on the first page of this?

SPEAKER_1 (1:38)

Miss Murchison flushed still more deeply. Oh, have I? I'm very sorry.

Mr Urquhart held up a document resembling in bulk that famous one of which it was said that there was not truth enough in the world to fill so long an affidavit.

Norman Urquhart (1:52)

It is very annoying, he said. It is the longest and most important of the three and is urgently required first thing tomorrow morning.

SPEAKER_1 (2:03)

I can't think how I could have made such a silly mistake, muttered Miss Murchison. I will stay on this evening and retype it.

Norman Urquhart (2:10)

I'm afraid you will have to. It is unfortunate as I shall not be able to look it through myself, but there is nothing else to be done.

Please check it carefully this time and see that Hanson's have it before ten o'clock tomorrow.

SPEAKER_1 (2:24)

Yes, Mr. Urquhart. I will be extremely careful. I'm very sorry indeed. I will make sure that it is quite correct and take it round myself.

Norman Urquhart (2:32)

Very well, that will do, said Mr. Urquhart. Don't let it happen again.

SPEAKER_1 (2:37)

Miss Murchison picked up the papers and came out looking flustered. She dragged the cover off the typewriter with much sound and fury, jerked out the desk drawers till they slammed against the drawstops, shook the top sheet, carbons and flimsies together as a terrier shakes a rat, and attacked the machine tempestuously.

Mr Pond, who had just locked his desk and was winding a silk scarf about his throat, looked at her in mild astonishment. Have you some more typing to do tonight, Miss Murchison? Got to do the whole bally thing again, said Miss Murchison. Left out a paragraph on page one, it would be page one, of course, and he wants the tripe round at Hanson's by ten o'clock.

Mr Pond groaned slightly and shook his head.

Those machines make you careless, he reproved her. In the old days, Clarks thought twice about making foolish mistakes, when it meant copying the whole document out again by hand.

Glad I didn't live then, said Miss Murchison shortly. One might as well have been a galley slave. And we didn't knock off at half-past-four either, said Mr Pond. We worked in those days. You may have worked longer, said Miss Murchison, but you didn't get through as much in the time. We worked accurately and neatly, said Mr Pond with emphasis, as Miss Murchison irritably disentangled two keys which had jammed together under her hasty touch.

Mr Urquhart's door opened, and the retort on the typist's lips was silenced. He said good night and went out. Mr Pond followed him. I suppose you will have finished before the cleaner goes, Miss Murchison, he said. If not, please remember to extinguish the light and to hand the key to Mrs Hodges in the basement. Yes, Mr Pond, good night. Good night. His steps pattered through the entrance, sounded again loudly as he passed the window and died away in the direction of Brownlow Street.