The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side

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‘You know what I mean,’ Mrs Bantry went on as Miss Marple showed some slight signs of protesting. ‘Did he remind you of Major Smith or Bertie Jones or someone you’ve known years ago who did poison a wife, or tried to?’

‘No,’ said Miss Marple, ‘he didn’t remind me of anyone I know.’ She added, ‘But she did.’

‘Who—Mrs Badcock?’

‘Yes,’ said Miss Marple, ‘she reminded me of someone called Alison Wilde.’

‘And what was Alison Wilde like?’

‘She didn’t know at all,’ said Miss Marple slowly, ‘what the world was like. She didn’t know what people were like. She’d never thought about them. And so, you see, she couldn’t guard against things happening to her.’

‘I don’t really think I understand a word of what you’re saying,’ said Mrs Bantry.

‘It’s very difficult to explain exactly,’ said Miss Marple, apologetically. ‘It comes really from being self-centred, and I don’t mean selfish by that,’ she added. ‘You can be kind and unselfish and even thoughtful. But if you’re like Alison Wilde, you never really know what you may be doing. And so you never know what may happen to you.’