A Murder Is Announced

‘What’s it called?’ asked Patrick. ‘What the Butler Saw?’
‘Well, it easily might be…As a matter of I’ve called itElephants Do Forget. What’s more, it’s been accepted and it’s going to be produced!’
‘Elephants Do Forget,’ murmured Bunch. ‘I thought they didn’t?’
The Rev. Julian Harmon gave a guilty start.
‘My goodness. I’ve been so interested. Mysermon!’
‘Detective stories again,’ said Bunch. ‘Real-life ones this time.’
‘You might preach on Thou Shall Do No Murder,’ suggested Patrick.
‘No,’ said Julian Harmon quietly. ‘I shan’t take that as my text.’
‘No,’ said Bunch. ‘You’re quite right, Julian. I know a much nicer text, a happy text.’ She quoted in a fresh voice, ‘For lo the Spring is here and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in the Land-I haven’t got it quite right-but you know the one I mean. Though why aturtle I can’t think. I shouldn’t think turtles have got nice voices at all.’
‘The word turtle,’ explained the Rev. Julian Harmon, ‘is not very happily translated. It doesn’t mean a reptile but the turtle dove. The Hebrew word in the original is-’
Bunch interrupted him by giving him a hug and saying:
‘I know one thing-Youthink that the Ahasuerus of the Bible is Artaxerxes the Second, but between you and me it was Artaxerxes the Third.’
As always, Julian Harmon wondered why his wife should think that story so particularly funny.
‘Tiglath Pileser wants to go and help you,’ said Bunch. ‘He ought to be a very proud cat.He showed us how the lights fused.’