HP30-HickoryDickoryDock

AgathaChristie

Chapter1

HerculePoirotfrowned.

"MissLemon,"hesaid.

"Yes,Mr.Poirot?"

"Therearethreemistakesinthisletter."

His voice held incredulity. For Miss Lemon, that hideous and efficient woman, never made mistakes.
Shewasneverill,nevertired,neverupset,neverinaccurate.Forallpracticalpurposes,thatistosay,she
wasnotawomanatall.Shewasamachine-theperfectsecretary.Shekneweverything,shecopedwith
everything.SheranHerculePoirot'slifeforhim,sothatit,too,functionedlikeamachine.Orderand
method had been Hercule Poirot's watchwords from many years ago. With George, his perfect
manservant, and Miss Lemon, his perfect secretary, order and method ruled supreme in his life. Now
thatcrumpetswerebakedsquareaswellasround,hehadnothingaboutwhichtocomplain.

And yet, this morning Miss Lemon had made three mistakes in typing a perfectly simple letter, and
moreover,hadnotevennoticedthosemistakes.Thestarsstoodstillintheircourses!

HerculePoirotheldouttheoffendingdocument.Hewasnotannoyed,hewasmerelybewildered.This
wasoneofthethingsthatcouldnothappen-butithadhappened!

MissLemontooktheletter.Shelookedatit.Forthefirsttimeinhislife,Poirotsawherblush;adeep
uglyunbecomingflushthatdyedherfacerightuptotherootsofherstronggrizzledhair.

"Oh,dear,"shesaid."Ican'tthinkhow-atleast,Ican.It'sbecauseofmysister."

"Yoursister?"

Anothershock.PoirothadneverconceivedofMissLemon'shavingasister.Or,forthatmatter,havinga
father, mother or even grandparents. Miss Lemon, somehow, was so completely machine made - a
precisioninstrument,sotospeak-thattothinkofherhavingaffections,oranxieties,orfamilyworries,
seemedquiteludicrous.ItwaswellknownthatthewholeofMissLemon'sheartandmindwasgiven,
whenshewasnotonduty,totheperfectionofanewfilingsystemwhichwastobepatentedandbear
hername.

"Yoursister?"HerculePoirotrepeated,therefore,withanincredulousnoteinhisvoice.

MissLemonnoddedavigorousassent.

"Yes,"shesaid."Idon'tthinkI'veevermentionedhertoyou.Practicallyallherlifehasbeenspentin
Singapore.Herhusbandwasintherubberbusinessthere."

Hercule Poirot nodded understandingly. It seemed to him appropriate that Miss Lemon's sister should
havespentmostofherlifeinSingapore.ThatwaswhatplaceslikeSingaporewerefor.Thesistersof
womenlikeMissLemonmarriedmeninbusinessinSingapore,sothattheMissLemonsofthisworld
coulddevotethemselveswithmachine-likeefficiencytotheiremployers'affairs(andofcoursetothe
inventionoffilingsystemsintheirmomentsofrelaxation).

"Icomprehend,"hesaid."Proceed."

MissLemonproceeded.

"Shewasleftawidowfouryearsago.Nochildren.Imanagedtogetherfixedupinaverynicelittleflat
at quite a reasonable rent -" (of course Miss Lemon would manage to do just that almost impossible
thing.)

"Sheisreasonablyoff-thoughmoneydoesn'tgoasfarasitdid,buthertastesaren'texpensiveandshe
hasenoughtobequitecomfortableifsheiscareful."

MissLemonpausedandthencontinued:

"Butthetruthis,ofcourse,shewaslonely.ShehadneverlivedinEnglandandshe'dgotnooldfriends
orcroniesandofcourseshehadalotoftimeonherhands.Anyway,shetoldmeaboutsixmonthsago
thatshewasthinkingoftakingupthisjob."

"Job?"

"Warden,Ithinktheycallit-orMatronofaHostelforStudents.Itwasownedbyawomanwhowas
partly Greek and she wanted someone to run it for her. Manage the catering and see that things went
smoothly.It'sanoldfashionedroomyhouse-inHickoryRoad,ifyouknowwherethatis-"

Poirotdidnot.

"Itusedtobequiteasuperiorneighbourhoodonce,andthehousesarewellbuilt.Mysisterwastohave
veryniceaccommodation,bedroomandsittingroomandatinybathkitchenetteofherown-"

Miss Lemon paused. Poirot made an encouraging noise. So far this did not seem at all like a tale of
disaster.

"Iwasn'tanytoosureaboutitmyself,butIsawtheforceofmysister'sarguments.She'sneverbeenone
tositwithherhandscrossedalldaylongandshe'saverypracticalwomanandgoodatrunningthings-
andofcourseitwasn'tasthoughshewerethinkingofputtingmoneyintoitoranythinglikethat.Itwas
formerlyasalariedpositionwithahighsalary,butshedidn'tneedthat,andtherewasnohardphysical
work.She'salwaysbeenfondofyoungpeopleandgoodwiththem,andhavinglivedintheEastsolong
she understands racial differences and people's susceptibilities. Because these students at the Hostel
wereofallnationalities;mostlyEnglish,butsomeofthemactuallyareblack,Ibelieve."

"Naturally,"saidHerculePoirot.

"Half the nurses in our hospitals seem to be black nowadays," said Miss Lemon, doubtfully, "and I
understandmuchpleasanterandmoreattentivethantheEnglishones.Butthat'sneitherherenorthere.
Wetalkedtheschemeoverandfinallymysistermovedin.NeithershenorIcaredverymuchforthe
proprietress, Mrs. Nicoletis, a woman of very uncertain temper, sometimes charming and sometimes,
I'msorrytosay,quitethereverse-andbothcheese-paringandimpractical.Still,naturally,ifshe'dbeen
a thoroughly competent woman, she wouldn't have needed any assistance. My sister is not one to let
people'stantrumsandvagariesworryher.Shecanholdherownwithanyoneandsheneverstandsany
nonsense."

Poirotnodded.HefeltavagueresemblancetoMissLemonshowinginthisaccountofMissLemon's
sister.MissLemonsoftenedasitwere,bymarriageandtheclimateofSingapore,butawomanwiththe
samehardcoreofsense.

"Soyoursistertookthejob?"heasked.

"Yes,shemovedinto26HickoryRoadaboutsixmonthsago.Onthewhole,shelikedherworkthere
andfounditinteresting."

HerculePoirotlistened.SofartheadventuresofMissLemon'ssisterhadbeendisappointinglytame.

"Butforsometimenowshe'sbeenbadlyworried.Verybadlyworried."

"Why?"

"Well,yousee,Mr.Poirot,shedoesn'tlikethethingsthataregoingon."

"Therearestudentsthereofbothsexes?"Poirotinquireddelicately.

"Ohno,Mr.Poirot,Idon'tmeanthat!Oneisalwayspreparedfordifficultiesofthatkind,oneexpects
them!No,yousee,thingshavebeendisappearing."

"Disappearing?"

"Yes.Andsuchoddthings...Andallinratheranunnaturalway."

"Whenyousaythingshavebeendisappearing,youmeanthingshavebeenstolen?"

"Yes."

"Havethepolicebeencalledin?"

"No.Notyet.Mysisterhopesthatitmaynotbenecessary.Sheisfondoftheseyoungpeople-ofsome
ofthem,thatis-andshewouldverymuchprefertostraightenthingsoutbyherself."

"Yes,"saidPoirotthoughtfully."Icanquiteseethat.Butthatdoesnotexplain,ifImaysayso,yourown

anxietywhichItaketobeareflexofyoursister'sanxiety."

"Idon'tlikethesituation,Mr.Poirot.Idon'tlikeitatall.Icannothelpfeelingthatsomethingisgoing
on which I do not understand. No ordinary explanation seems quite to cover the facts - and I really
cannotimaginewhatotherexplanationtherecanbe."

Poirotnoddedthoughtfully.

Miss Lemon's Heel of Achilles had always been her imagination. She had none. On questions of fact
shewasinvincible.Onquestionsofsurmise,shewaslost.NotforherthestateofmindofCortes'men
uponthepeakofDarien.

"Notordinarypettythieving?Akleptomaniac,perhaps?"

"I do not think so. I read up the subject," said the conscientious Miss Lemon, "in the Encyclopedia
Britannicaandinamedicalwork.ButIwasnotconvinced."

HerculePoirotwassilentforaminuteandahalf.

DidhewishtoembroilhimselfinthetroublesofMissLemon'ssisterandthepassionsandgrievances
ofapolyglotHostel?ButitwasveryannoyingandinconvenienttohaveMissLemonmakingmistakes
intypinghisletters.Hetoldhimselfthatifheweretoembroilhimselfinthematter,thatwouldbethe
reason.

He did not admit to himself that he had been rather bored of late and that the very triviality of the
businessattractedhim.

"Theparsleysinkingintothebutteronahotday,"hemurmuredtohimself.

"Parsley?Butter?"MissLemonlookedstartled.

"Aquotationfromoneofyourclassics,"hesaid."Youareacquainted,nodoubt,withtheAdventures,to
saynothingoftheExploits,ofSherlockHolmes."

"YoumeantheseBakerStreetsocietiesandallthat,"saidMissLemon."Grownmenbeingsosilly!But

there,that'smenallover.Likethemodelrailwaystheygoonplayingwith.Ican'tsayI'veeverhadtime
to read any of the stories. When I do get time for reading, which isn't often, I prefer an improving
book."

HerculePoirotbowedhisheadgracefully.

"Howwoulditbe,MissLemon,ifyouweretoinviteyoursisterhereforsomesuitablerefreshment-
afternoontea,perhaps?Imightbeabletobeofsomeslightassistancetoher."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Poirot. Really very kind indeed. My sister is always free in the
afternoons."

"Thenshallwesaytomorrow,ifyoucanarrangeit?"

And in due course, the faithful George was instructed to provide a meal of square crumpets richly
buttered,symmetricalsandwiches,andothersuitablecomponentsofalavishEnglishafternoontea.

Chapter2

MissLemon'ssister,whosenamewasMrs.Hubbard,hadadefiniteresemblancetohersister.Shewasa
gooddealyellowerofskin,shewasplumper,herhairwasmorefrivolouslydone,andshewaslessbrisk
inmanner,buttheeyesthatlookedoutofaroundandamiablecountenancewerethesameshrewdeyes
thatgleamedthroughMissLemon's.

"Thisisverykindofyou,I'msure,Mr.Poirot,"shesaid."Verykind.Andsuchadelicioustea,too.I'm
sure I've eaten far more than I should - well perhaps just one more sandwich - tea? Well, just half a
cup."

"First,"saidPoirot,"wemaketherepast-andafterwardswegetdowntobusiness."

Hesmiledatheramiablyandtwirledhismoustaches,andMrs.Hubbardsaid,

"Youknow,you'reexactlylikeIpicturedyoufromFelicity'sdescription."

Afteramoment'sstartledrealizationthatFelicitywasthesevereMissLemon'sChristianname,Poirot

repliedthatheshouldhaveexpectednoless,givenMissLemon'sefficiency.

"Ofcourse,"saidMrs.Hubbardabsentlytakingasecondsandwich,"Felicityhasnevercaredforpeople.
Ido.That'swhyI'msoworried."

"Canyouexplaintomeexactlywhatdoesworryyou?"

"YesIcan.Itwouldbenaturalenoughformoneytobetaken-smallsumshereandthere.Andifitwere
jewelrythat'squitestraightforwardtoo-atleast,Idon'tmeanstraightforward,quitetheopposite-butit
wouldfitin-withkleptomaniaordishonesty.ButI'lljustreadyoualistofthethingsthathavebeen
taken,thatI'veputdownonpaper."

Mrs.Hubbardopenedherbagandtookoutasmallnotebook.

Eveningshoe(oneofanewpair)

Bracelet(costumejewelry)

Diamondring(foundinplateofsoup)

Powdercompact

Lipstick

Stethoscope

Ear-rings

Cigarettelighter

Oldflanneltrousers

Electriclightbulbs

Boxofchocolates

Silkscarf(foundcuttopieces)

Rucksack(ditto)

Boracicpowder

Bathsalts

Cookerybook

HerculePoirotdrewinalongdeepbreath.

"Remarkable,"hesaid,"andquite-quitefascinating."

Hewasentranced.HelookedfromtheseveredisapprovingfaceofMissLemontothekindly,distressed
faceofMrs.Hubbard.

"Icongratulateyou,"hesaid,warmly,tothelatter.

Shelookedstartled.

"Butwhy,Mr.Poirot?"

"Icongratulateyouonhavingsuchauniqueandbeautifulproblem."

"Well,perhapsitmakessensetoyou,Mr.Poirot,but-"

"It does not make sense at all. It reminds me of nothing so much as a round game I was recently
persuadedtoplaybysomeyoungfriendsduringtheChristmasseason.Itwascalled,Iunderstand,the
Three Horned Lady. Each person in turn uttered the following phrase, 'I went to Paris and bought...'

addingsomearticle.Thenextpersonrepeatedthatandaddedafurtherarticleandtheobjectofthegame
wastomemorizeintheirproperorderthearticlesthusenumerated,someofthemImaysay,ofamost
monstrousandridiculousnature.Apieceofsoap,awhiteelephant,agate-leggedtableandaMuscovy
duck were, I remember, some of the items. The difficulty of the memorization lay, of course, in the
totallyunrelatednatureoftheobjects-thelackofsequence,sotospeak.Asinthelistyouhavejust
shownme.Bythetimethat,say,twelveobjectshadbeenmentioned,toenumeratethemintheirproper
order became almost impossible. A failure to do so resulted in a paper horn being handed to the
competitorandheorshehadtocontinuetherecitationnexttimeintheterms,'I,aonehornedlady,went
toParis,'etc.Afterthreehorns,hadbeenacquired,retirementwascompulsory,thelastleftinwasthe
winner."

"I'msureyouwerethewinner,Mr.Poirot,"saidMissLemonwiththefaithofaloyalemployee.

Poirotbeamed.

"Thatwas,infact,so,"hesaid."Toeventhemosthaphazardassemblyofobjectsonecanbringorder,
andwithalittleingenuity,sequence,sotospeak.Thatis:onesaystooneselfmentally'Withapieceof
soapIwashthedirtfromalargewhitemarbleelephantwhichstandsonagate-leggedtable!-andso
on.

Mrs.Hubbardsaidrespectfully,

"PerhapsyoucoulddothesamethingwiththelistofthingsI'vegivenyou."

"UndoubtedlyIcould.Aladywithherrightshoeon,putsabraceletonherleftarm.Shethenputson
powderandlipstickandgoesdowntodinneranddropsherringinthesoup,andsoon-Icouldthus
commit your list to memory - but it is not that that we are seeking. Why was such a haphazard
collectionofthingsstolen?Isthereanysystembehindit?Somefixedideaofanykind?Wehavehere
primarilyaprocessofanalysis.Thefirstthingtodoistostudythelistofobjectsverycarefully."

TherewasasilencewhilstPoirotappliedhimselftostudy.Mrs.Hubbardwatchedhimwiththewrapped
attention of a small boy watching a conjuror, waiting hopefully for a rabbit or at least streams of
colouredribbonstoappear.MissLemon,unimpressed,withdrewinconsiderationofthefinerpointsof
herfilingsystem.

WhenPoirotfinallyspoke,Mrs.Hubbardjumped.

"Thefirstthingthatstrikesmeisthis,"saidPoirot."Ofallthesethingsthatdisappeared,mostofthem

were of small value (some quite negligible) with the exception of two - a stethoscope and a diamond
ring. Leaving the stethoscope aside for a moment, I should like to concentrate on the ring. You say a
valuablering-howvaluable?"

"Well,Icouldn'tsayexactly,Mr.Poirot.Itwasasolitairediamond,withaclusterofsmalldiamondstop
andbottom.IthadbeenMissLane'smother'sengagementring,Iunderstand.Shewasmostupsetwhen
itwasmissing,andwewereallrelievedwhenitturnedupthesameeveninginMissHobhouse'splate
ofsoup.Justanastypracticaljoke,wethought."

"Andsoitmayhavebeen.ButImyselfconsiderthatitstheftandreturnaresignificant.Ifalipstick,or
a powder compact or a book are missing - it is not sufficient to make you call in the police. But a
valuablediamondringisdifferent.Thereiseverychancethatthepolicewillbecalledin.Sotheringis
returned."

"Butwhytakeitifyou'regoingtoreturnit?"saidMissLemon,frowning.

"Why indeed," said Poirot. "But for the moment we will leave the questions. I am engaged now on
classifyingthesethefts,andIamtakingtheringfirst.WhoisthisMissLanefromwhomitwasstolen?"

"Patricia Lane? She's a very nice girl. Going in for a what-do-you-call-it, a diploma in history or
archeologyorsomething."

"Welloff?"

"Oh,no.She'sgotalittlemoneyofherown,butshe'sverycarefulalways.Thering,asIsay,belonged
tohermother.Shehasoneortwobitsofjewelrybutshedoesn'thavemanynewclothes,andshe'sgiven
upsmokinglately."

"Whatisshelike?Describehertomeinyourownwords."

"Well,she'ssortofbetwixtandbetweenincolouring.Ratherwashedoutlooking.Quietandladylike,
butnotmuchspiritsorlifetoher.Whatyou'dcallrathera-well,anearnesttypeofgirl."

"AndtheringturnedupagaininMissHobhouse'splateofsoup.WhoisMissHobhouse?"

"ValèrieHobhouse?She'sacleverdarkgirlwithratherasarcasticwayoftalking.Sheworksinabeauty

parlour.SabrinaFair-Isupposeyouhaveheardofit."

"Arethesetwogirlsfriendly?"

Mrs.Hubbardconsidered.

"I should say so - yes. They don't have much to do with each other. Patricia gets on well with
everybody,Ishouldsay,withoutbeingparticularlypopularoranythinglikethat.ValèrieHobhousehas
herenemies,hertonguebeingwhatitis-butshe'sgotquiteafollowingtoo,IfyouknowwhatImean."

"IthinkIknow,"saidPoirot.

SoPatriciaLanewasnicebutdull,andValèrieHobhousehadpersonality.Heresumedhisstudyofthe
listofthefts.

"What is so intriguing is all the different categories represented here. There are the small trifles that
wouldtemptagirlwhowasbothvainandhardup,thelipstick,thecostumejewelry,apowdercompact
-bathsalts-theboxofchocolates,perhaps.Thenwehavethestethoscope,amorelikelytheftforaman
whowouldknowjustwheretosellitorpawnit.Whodiditbelongto?"

"ItbelongedtoMr.Bateson-he'sabigfriendlyyoungman."

"Amedicalstudent?"

"Yes."

"Washeveryangry?"

"Hewasabsolutelylivid,Mr.Poirot.He'sgotoneofthoseflaringuptempers-sayanythingatthetime,
butit'ssoonover.He'snotthesortwho'dtakekindlytohavinghisthingspinched."

"Doesanyone?"

"Well,there'sMr.GopalRam,oneofourIndianstudents.Hesmilesateverything.Hewaveshishand

andsaysmaterialpossessionsdonotmatter."

"Hasanythingbeenstolenfromhim?"

"No."

"Ah!Whodidtheflanneltrousersbelongto?"

"Mr.McNabb.Veryoldtheywere,andanyoneelsewouldsaytheyweredonefor,butMr.McNabbis
veryattachedtohisoldclothesandheneverthrowsanythingaway."

"So we have come to the things that it would seem were not worth stealing - old flannel trousers,
electric light bulbs, boracic powder, bath salts - a cookery book. They may be important, more likely
theyarenot.Theboracicwasprobablyremovedbyerror,someonemayhaveremovedadeadbulband
intendedtoreplaceit,butforgot-thecookerybookmayhavebeenborrowedandnotreturned.Some
charwomanmayhavetakenawaythetrousers."

"Weemploytwoveryreliablecleaningwomen.I'msuretheywouldneitherofthemhavedonesucha
thingwithoutaskingfirst."

"Youmayberight.Thenthereistheeveningshoe,oneofanewpair,Iunderstand?Whodotheybelong
to?"

"SallyFinch.She'sanAmericangirlstudyingoverhereonaFulbrightscholarship."

"Areyousurethattheshoehasnotsimplybeenmislaid?Icannotconceivewhatuseoneshoecouldbe
toanyone."

"Itwasn'tmislaid,Mr.Poirot.Weallhadaterrifichunt.YouseeMissFinchwasgoingouttoapartyin
whatshecalls'formaldress'-eveningdresstous-andtheshoeswerereallyvital-theywereheronly
goodones."

"Itcausedherinconvenience-andannoyance,yes...yes,Iwonder.Perhapsthereissomethingthere..."

Hewassilentforamomentortwoandthenwenton.

"Andtherearetwomoreitems-arucksackcuttopiecesandasilkscarfinthesamestate.Herewehave
somethingthatisneithervanity,norprofit-insteadwehavesomethingthatisdeliberatelyvindictive.
Whodidtherucksackbelongto?"

"Nearlyallthestudentshaverucksacks-theyallhitchhikealot,youknow.Andagreatmanyofthe
rucksacks are the same - bought at the same place, so it's hard to identify one from the other. But it
seemsfairlycertainthatthisonebelongedtoLeonardBatesonorColinMcNabb."

"Andthesilkscarfthatwasalsocutabout.Towhomdidthatbelong?"

"ToValèrieHobhouse.ShehaditasaChristmaspresent-itwasemeraldgreenandreallygoodquality."

"MissHobhouse...Isee."

Poirotclosedhiseyes.Whatheperceivedmentallywasakaleidoscope,nomore,noless.

Pieces of cut up scarves and rucksacks, cookery books, lipsticks, bath salts; names and thumbnail
sketchesofoddstudents.Nowherewastherecohesionorform.Unrelatedincidentsandpeoplewhirled
round in space. But Poirot knew quite well that somehow and somewhere there must be a pattern.
Possiblyseveralpatterns.Possiblyeachtimeoneshookthekaleidoscopeonegotadifferentpattern...
Butoneofthepatternswouldbetherightpattern.Thequestionwaswheretostart...

Heopenedhiseyes.

"Thisisamatterthatneedssomereflection.Agooddealofreflection."

"Oh,I'msureitdoes,Mr.Poirot,"assentedMrs.Hubbardeagerly."AndI'msureIdidn'twanttotrouble
you-"

"You are not troubling me. I am intrigued. But whilst I am reflecting, we might make a start on the
practicalside.Astart...Theshoe,theeveningshoe...yes,wemightmakeastartthere,MissLemon."

"Yes,Mr.Poirot?"MissLemonbanishedfilingfromherthoughts,satevenmoreupright,andreached
automaticallyforpadandpencil.

"Mrs.Hubbardwillobtainforyou,perhaps,theremainingshoe.ThengotoBakerStreetstation,tothe
lostpropertydepartment.Thelossoccurred-when?"

Mrs.Hubbardconsidered.

"Well,Ican'trememberexactlynow,Mr.Poirot.Perhapstwomonthsago.Ican'tgetnearerthanthat.
ButIcouldfindoutfromSallyFinchthedateoftheparty."

"Yes.Well-"HeturnedoncemoretoMissLemon."Youcanbealittlevague.Youwillsayyoulefta
shoeinanInnerCircletrain-thatisthemostlikely-oryoumayhaveleftitinsomeothertrain.Or
possiblyabus.HowmanybusesservetheneighbourhoodofHickoryRoad?"

"Twoonly,Mr.Poirot."

"Good.IfyougetnoresultsfromBakerStreet,tryScotlandYardandsayitwasleftinataxi."

"Lambeth,"correctedMissLemonefficiently.

Poirotwavedahand.

"Youalwaysknowthesethings."

"Butwhydoyouthink-"beganMrs.Hubbard.

Poirotinterruptedher.

"Letusseefirstwhatresultsweget.Then,iftheyarenegativeorpositive,youandI,MissHubbard,
mustconsultagain.YouwilltellmethenthosethingswhichitisnecessarythatIshouldknow."

"IreallythinkI'vetoldyoueverythingIcan."

"No,no.Idisagree.Herewehaveyoungpeopleherdedtogether,ofvaryingtemperaments,ofdifferent
sexes.AlovesB,butBlovesC,andDandEareatdaggersdrawnbecauseofAperhaps.Itisallthat

thatIneedtoknow.Theinterplayofhumanemotions.Thequarrels,thejealousies,thefriendships,the
maliceandalluncharitableness."

"I'msure,"saidMrs.Hubbard,uncomfortably,"Idon'tknowanythingaboutthatsortofthing.Idon't
mixatall.Ijustruntheplaceandseetothecateringandallthat."

"Butyouareinterestedinpeople.Youhavetoldmeso.Youlikeyoungpeople.Youtookthispost,not
because it was of much interest financially, but because it would bring you in contact with human
problems. There will be those of the students that you like and some that you do not like so well, or
indeedatall,perhaps.Youwilltellme-yes,youwilltellme!Becauseyouareworried-notaboutwhat
hasbeenhappening-youcouldgotothepoliceaboutthat-"

"Mrs.Nicoletiswouldn'tliketohavethepolicein,Iassureyou."

Poirotswepton,disregardingtheinterruption.

"No,youareworriedaboutsomeone-someonewhoyouthinkmayhavebeenresponsibleoratleast
mixedupinthis.Someone,therefore,thatyoulike."

"Really,Mr.Poirot."

"Yes,really.AndIthinkyouarerighttobeworried.Forthatsilkscarfcuttopieces,itisnotnice.And
theslashedrucksack,thatalsoisnotnice.Fortherestitseemschildishness-andyet-Iamnotsure.
No,Iamnotsureatall!"

Chapter3

Hurrying a little as she went up the steps, Mrs. Hubbard inserted her latch key into the door of 26
HickoryRoad.Justasthedooropened,abigyoungmanwithfieryredhairranupthestepsbehindher.

"Hullo,Ma,"hesaid,forinsuchfashiondidLenBatesonusuallyaddressher.Hewasafriendlysoul,
with a cockney accent and mercifully free from any kind of inferiority complex. "Been out
gallivanting?"

"I'vebeenouttotea,Mr.Bateson.Don'tdelaymenow,I'mlate."

"Icutupalovelycorpsetoday,"saidLen."Smashing!"

"Don't be so horrid, you nasty boy. A lovely corpse, indeed! The idea. You make me feel quite
squeamish."

LenBatesonlaughed,andthehallechoedthesoundinagreatHaha.

"NothingtoCelia,"hesaid."IwentalongtotheDispensary.'Cometotellyouaboutacorpse,'Isaid.
ShewentaswhiteasasheetandIthoughtshewasgoingtopassout.Whatdoyouthinkofthat,Mother
Hubbard?"

"Idon'twonderatit,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Theidea!Celiaprobablythoughtyoumeantarealone."

"Whatdoyoumean-arealone?whatdoyouthinkourcorpsesare?Synthetic?"

Athinyoungmanwithlonguntidyhairstrolledoutofaroomontheright,saidinawaspishway:

"Oh,it'sonlyyou.Ithoughtitwasatleastaposseofstrongmen.Thevoiceisbutthevoiceofoneman,
butthevolumeisasthevolumeoften."

"Hopeitdoesn'tgetonyournerves,I'msure."

"Notmorethanusual,"saidNigelChapmanandwentbackagain.

"Ourdelicateflower,"saidLen.

"Nowdon'tyoutwoscrap,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Goodtemper,that'swhatIlike,andabitofgiveand
take."

Thebigyoungmangrinneddownatheraffectionately.

"Idon'tmindourNigel,Ma,"hesaid.

Agirlcomingdownthestairsatthatmomentsaid:

"Oh,Mrs.Hubbard,Mrs.Nicoletisisinherroomandsaidshewouldliketoseeyouassoonasyougot
back."

Mrs. Hubbard sighed and started up the stairs. The tall dark girl who had given the message stood
againstthewalltoletherpass.

LenBateson,divestinghimselfofhismackintosh,said,

"What'sup,Valèrie?ComplaintsofourbehaviortobepassedonbyMotherHubbardinduecourse?"

Thegirlshruggedherthinelegantshoulders.Shecamedownthestairsandacrossthehall.

"Thisplacegetsmorelikeamadhouseeveryday,"shesaidoverhershoulder.

Shewentthroughthedoorattherightasshespoke.Shemovedwiththatinsolenteffortlessgracethatis
commontothosewhohavebeenprofessionalmannequins.

26HickoryRoadwasinrealitytwohouses,24and26semi-detached.Theyhadbeenthrownintoone
on the ground floor, so that there was both a communal sitting room and a large dining room on the
groundfloor,aswellastwocloakroomsandasmallofficetowardsthebackofthehouse.Twoseparate
staircases led to the floors above which remained detached. The girls occupied bedrooms in the right
handsideofthehouse,andthemenontheother,theoriginalNo.24.

Mrs.Hubbardwentupstairslooseningthecollarofhercoat.Shesighedassheturnedinthedirectionof
Mrs.Nicoletis'sroom.

"Inoneofherstatesagain,Isuppose,"shemuttered.

Shetappedonthedoorandentered.

Mrs.Nicoletis'ssittingroomwaskeptveryhot.Thebigelectricfirehadallitsbarsturnedonandthe
window was tightly shut. Mrs. Nicoletis was sitting smoking on a sofa surrounded by a lot of rather
dirtysilkandvelvetsofacushions.Shewasabigdarkwomanstillgoodlooking,withabadtempered

mouthandenormousbrowneyes.

"Ah!Sothereyouare,"Mrs.Nicoletismadeitsoundlikeanaccusation.

Mrs.Hubbard,truetoherLemonblood,wasunperturbed.

"Yes,"shesaidtartly,"I'mhere.Iwastoldyouwantedtoseemespecially."

"Yes,indeedIdo.Itismonstrous,noless,monstrous!"

"What'smonstrous?"

"Thesebills!Youraccounts!"Mrs.Nicoletisproducedasheafofpapersfrombeneathacushioninthe
mannerofasuccessfulconjurer.

"Whatarewefeedingthesemiserablestudentson?Foiegrasandquails?IsthistheRitz?Whodothey
thinktheyare,thesestudents?"

"Young people with a healthy appetite," said Mrs. Hubbard. "They get a good breakfast and a decent
eveningmeal-plainfoodbutnourishing.Itallworksoutveryeconomically."

"Economically?Economically?Youdaretosaythattome?WhenIambeingruined?"

"Youmakeaverysubstantialprofit,Mrs.Nicoletis,outofthisplace.Forstudents,theratesareonthe
highside."

"ButamInotalwaysfull?DoIeverhaveavacancythatisnotappliedforthreetimesover?AmInot
sentstudentsbytheBritishCouncil,byLondonUniversityLodgingBoard-bytheEmbassies-bythe
FrenchLycée?Arenottherealwaysthreeapplicationsforeveryvacancy?"

"That's very largely because the meals here are appetizing and sufficient. Young people must be
properlyfed."

"Bah!These totals arescandalous. It isthat Italian cook andher husband. Theyswindle you over the

food."

"Ohno,theydon't,Mrs.Nicoletis.Icanassureyouthatnoforeignerisgoingtoputanythingoveron
me."

"Thenitisyouyourself-youwhoarerobbingme."

Mrs.Hubbardremainedunperturbed.

"Ican'tallowyoutosaythingslikethat,"shesaidinthevoiceanoldfashionedNannymighthaveused
toaparticularlytruculentcharge."Itisn'tanicethingtodo,andoneofthesedaysitwilllandyouin
trouble."

"Ahid!"Mrs.Nicoletisthrewthesheafofbillsdramaticallyupintheairwhencetheyflutteredtothe
groundinalldirections.Mrs.Hubbardbentandpickedthemup,pursingherlips.

"You enrage me," shouted her employer. "I daresay," said Mrs. Hubbard, "but it's bad for you, you
know,gettingallworkedup.Tempersarebadforthebloodpressure."

"Youadmitthatthesetotalsarehigherthanthoseoflastweek?"

"Ofcoursetheyare.There'sbeensomeverygoodcutpricestuffgoingatLampson'sStores.I'vetaken
advantageofit.Nextweek'stotalwillbebelowaverage."

Mrs.Nicoletislookedsulky.

"Youexplaineverythingsoplausibly."

"There,"MrsHubbardputthebillsinaneatpileonthetable."Anythingelse?"

"The American girl, Sally Finch, she talks of leaving - I do not want her to go. She is a Fulbright
scholar.ShewillbringhereotherFulbrightscholars.Shemustnotleave."

"What'sherreasonforleaving?"

Mrs.Nicoletishumpedmonumentalshoulders.

"HowcanIremember?Itwasnotgenuine.Icouldtellthat.Ialwaysknow."

Mrs.Hubbardnoddedthoughtfully.ShewasinclinedtobelieveMrs.Nicoletisonthatpoint.

"Sallyhasn'tsaidanythingtome,"shesaid.

"Butyouwilltalktoher?"

"Yes,ofcourse."

"And if it is these coloured students, these Indians, these Negresses - then they can all go, you
understand?Thecolourbar,itmeanseverythingtotheseAmericans,andformeitistheAmericansthat
matter-asforthesecolouredones-scram!"

Shemadeadramaticgesture.

"NotwhileI'mincharge,"saidMrs.Hubbardcoldly."Andanyway,you'rewrong.There'snofeelingof
thatsorthereamongstthestudents,andSallycertainlyisn'tlikethat.SheandMr.Akibombohavelunch
togetherquiteoften,andnobodycouldbeblackerthanheis."

"ThenitisCommunists-youknowwhattheAmericansareaboutCommunists.NigelChapmannow-
heisaCommunist."

"Idoubtit."

"Yes,Yes.Youshouldhaveheardwhathewassayingtheotherevening."

"Nigelwillsayanythingtoannoypeople.Heisverytiresomethatway."

"Youknowthemallsowell.DearMrs.Hubbard,youarewonderful!Isaytomyselfagainandagain
'What should I do without Mrs. Hubbard?' I rely on you utterly. You are a wonderful, wonderful

woman."

"Afterthepowder,thejam,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Whatisthat?"

"Don'tworry.I'lldowhatIcan."

Shelefttheroomcuttingshortagushingspeechofthanks.

Muttering to herself "Wasting my time - what a maddening woman she is!" she hurried along the
passageandintoherownsittingroom.

But there was to be no peace for Mrs. Hubbard as yet. A tall figure rose to her feet as Mrs. Hubbard
enteredandsaid,

"Ishouldbegladtospeaktoyouforafewminutes,please."

"Ofcourse,Elizabeth."

Mrs. Hubbard was rather surprised. Elizabeth Johnston was a girl from the West Indies who was
studyinglaw.Shewasahardworker,ambitious,whokeptverymuchtoherself.Shehadalwaysseemed
particularly well balanced and competent, and Mrs. Hubbard had always regarded her as one of the
mostsatisfactorystudentsintheHostel.

Shewasperfectlycontrollednow,butMrs.Hubbardcaughttheslighttremorinhervoicealthoughthe
darkfeatureswerequiteimpassive.

"Issomethingthematter?"

"Yes.Willyoucomewithmetomyroom,please?"

"Justamoment."Mrs.Hubbardthrewoffhercoatandglovesandthenfollowedthegirloutoftheroom
and up the next flight of stairs. The girl had a room on the top floor. She opened the door and went

acrosstoatablenearthewindow.

"Herearethenotesofmywork,"shesaid."Thisrepresentsseveralmonthsofhardstudy.Youseewhat
hasbeendone?"

Mrs.Hubbardcaughtherbreathwithaslightgasp.

Inkhadbeenspilledonthetable.Ithadrunalloverthepapers,soakingthemthrough.Mrs.Hubbard
toucheditwithherfingertip.Itwasstillwet.

Shesaid,knowingthequestiontobefoolishassheaskedit,

"Youdidn'tspilltheinkyourself?"

"No.ItwasdonewhilstIwasout."

"Mrs.Biggs,doyouthink?"

Mrs.Biggswasthecleaningwomanwholookedafterthetopfloorbedrooms.

"ItwasnotMrs.Biggs.Itwasnotevenmyownink.Thatishereontheshelfbymybed.Ithasnotbeen
touched.Itwasdonebysomeonewhobroughtinkhereanddiditdeliberately."

Mrs.Hubbardwasshocked.

"Whataverywicked-andcruelthingtodo."

"Yes,itisabadthing."

Thegirlspokequitequietly,butMrs.Hubbarddidnotmakethemistakeofunderratingherfeelings.

"Well,Elizabeth,Ihardlyknowwhattosay.Iamshocked,badlyshocked,andIshalldomyutmostto
findoutwhodidthiswickedmaliciousthing.You'venoideasyourselfastothat?"

Thegirlrepliedatonce.

"Thisisgreenink,yousawthat."

"Yes,Inoticedthat."

"Itisnotverycommon,thisgreenink.Iknowonepersonherewhousesit.NigelChapman."

"Nigel?DoyouthinkNigelwoulddoathinglikethat?"

"Ishouldnothavethoughtso-no.Buthewriteshislettersandhisnoteswithgreenink."

"Ishallhavetoaskalotofquestions.I'mverysorry,Elizabeth,thatsuchathingshouldhappeninthis
houseandIcanonlytellyouthatIshalldomybesttogettothebottomofit."

"Thankyou,Mrs.Hubbard.Therehavebeen-otherthings,havetherenot?"

"Yes-er-yes."

Mrs.Hubbardlefttheroomandstartedtowardsthestairs.Butshestoppedsuddenlybeforeproceeding
downandinsteadwentalongthepassagetoadoorattheendofthecorridor.Sheknockedandthevoice
ofMissSallyFinchbidherenter.

TheroomwasapleasantoneandSallyFinchherself,acheerfulredhead,wasapleasantperson.

Shewaswritingonapadandlookedupwithabulgingcheek.Sheheldoutanopenboxofsweetsand
saidindistinctly,

"Candyfromhome.Havesome."

"Thankyou,Sally.Notjustnow.I'mratherupset."

Shepaused."Haveyouheardwhat'shappenedtoElizabethJohnston?"

"What'shappenedtoBlackBess?"

Thenicknamewasanaffectionateoneandhadbeenacceptedassuchbythegirlherself.

Mrs.Hubbarddescribedwhathadhappened.

Sallyshowedeverysignofsympatheticanger.

"I'll say that's a mean thing to do. I wouldn't believe anyone would do a thing like that to our Bess.
Everybodylikesher.She'squietanddoesn'tgetaroundmuch,orjoinin,butI'msurethere'snoonewho
dislikesher."

"That'swhatIshouldhavesaid."

"Well-it'sallofapiece,isn'tit,withtheotherthings.That'swhy-"

"That'swhywhat?"Mrs.Hubbardaskedasthegirlstoppedabruptly.

Sallysaidslowly,

"That'swhyI'mgettingoutofhere.DidMrs.Nicktellyou?"

"Yes.Shewasveryupsetaboutit.Seemedtothinkyouhadn'tgivenhertherealreason."

"Well,Ididn't.Nopointinmakinghergoupinsmoke.Youknowwhatshe'slike.Butthat'sthereason,
rightenough.Ijustdon'tlikewhat'sgoingonhere.Itwasoddlosingmyshoe,andthenValèrie'sscarf
beingallcuttobits-andLen'srucksack...itwasn'tsomuchthingsbeingpinched-afterall,thatmay
happenanytime-it'snotnicebutit'sroughlynormal-butthisotherisn't."

Shepausedforamoment,smiling,andthensuddenlygrinned.

"Akibombo'sscared,"shesaid."He'salwaysverysuperiorandcivilised-butthere'sagoodoldWest
AfricanbeliefinMagicveryclosetothesurface."

"Tchah!"saidMrs.Hubbardcrossly."I'venopatiencewithsuperstitiousnonsense.Justsomeordinary
humanbeingsmakinganuisanceofthemselves.That'sallthereistoit."

Sally'smouthcurvedupinawidecat-likegrin.

"Theemphasis,"shesaid,"isonordinary.I'veasortoffeelingthatthere'sapersoninthishousewho
isn'tordinary!"

Mrs.Hubbardwentondownthestairs.Sheturnedintothestudents'commonroomonthegroundfloor.
There were four people in the room. Valèrie Hobhouse, prone on a sofa with her narrow, elegant feet
stuckupoverthearmofit;NigelChapmansittingatatablewithaheavybookopeninfrontofhim;
PatriciaLaneleaningagainstthemantelpieceandagirlinamackintoshwhohadjustcomeinandwho
waspullingoffawoollycapasMrs.Hubbardentered.Shewasastocky,fairgirlwithbrowneyesset
wideapartandamouththatwasusuallyjustalittleopensothatsheseemedperpetuallystartled.

Valèrie,removingacigarettefromhermouth,saidinalazydrawlingvoice:

"Hullo,Ma,haveyouadministeredsoothingsyruptotheolddevil,ourreveredproprietress?"

PatriciaLanesaid:

"Hasshebeenonthewarpath?"

"Andhow!"saidValèrieandchuckled.

"Somethingveryunpleasanthashappened,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Nigel,Iwantyoutohelpme."

"Me, Ma'am?" Nigel looked up at her and shut his book. His thin, malicious face was suddenly
illuminedbyamischievousbutsurprisinglysweetsmile."WhathaveIdone?"

"Nothing, I hope," said Mrs. Hubbard. "But ink has been deliberately and maliciously spilt all over
ElizabethJohnston'snotesandit'sgreenink.Youwritewithgreenink,Nigel."

Hestaredather,hissmiledisappearing.

"Yes,Iusegreenink."

"Horrid stuff," said Patricia. "I wish you wouldn't, Nigel. I've always told you I think it's horribly
affectedofyou."

"Ilikebeingaffected,"saidNigel."Lilacinkwouldbeevenbetter,Ithink.Imusttryandgetsome.But
areyouserious,Mum?Aboutthesabotage,Imean?"

"Yes,Iamserious.Wasityourdoing,Nigel?"

"No,ofcoursenot.Ilikeannoyingpeople,asyouknow,butI'dneverdoafilthytricklikethat-and
certainlynottoBlackBesswhomindsherownbusinessinawaythat'sanexampletosomepeopleI
couldmention.Whereisthatinkofmine?Ifilledmypenyesterdayevening,Iremember.Iusuallykeep
itontheshelfoverthere."

Hesprangupandwentacrosstheroom.

"Hereitis."Hepickedthebottleup,thenwhistled."You'reright.Thebottle'snearlyempty.Itshouldbe
practicallyfull."

Thegirlinamackintoshgavealittlegasp.

"Ohdear,"shesaid."Ohdear.Idon'tlikeit-"

Nigelwheeledatheraccusingly.

"Haveyougotanalibi,Celia?"hesaidmenacingly.Thegirlgaveagasp.

"Ididn'tdoit.Ireallydidn'tdoit.Anyway,I'vebeenattheHospitalallday.Icouldn't-"

"Now,Nigel,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Don'tteaseCelia."

PatriciaLanesaidangrily,

"Idon'tseewhyNigelshouldbesuspected.Justbecausehisinkwastaken-"

Valèriesaidcattishly,

"That'sright,darling,defendyouryoung."

"Butit'ssounfair-"

"ButreallyIdidn'thaveanythingtodowithit,"Celiaprotestedearnestly.

"Nobodythinksyoudid,infant,"saidValèrieimpatiently."Allthesame,youknow,"hereyesmetMrs.
Hubbard'sandexchangedaglance,"allthisisgettingbeyondajoke.Somethingwillhavetobedone
aboutit."

"Somethingisgoingtobedone,"saidMrs.Hubbardgrimly.

Chapter4

"Hereyouare,Mr.Poirot."

Miss Lemon laid a small brown paper parcel before Poirot. He removed the paper and looked
appraisinglyatawellcutsilvereveningshoe.

"ItwasatBakerStreet,justasyousaid."

"Thathassavedustrouble,"saidPoirot."Alsoitconfirmsmyideas."

"Quite,"saidMissLemonwhowassublimelyincuriousbynature.

Shewas,however,susceptibletotheclaimsoffamilyaffection.Shesaid,

"Ifitisnottroublingyoutoomuch,Mr.Poirot,Ireceivedaletterfrommysister.Therehavebeensome
newdevelopments."

"YoupermitthatIreadit?"

Shehandedittohimandafterreadingit,hedirectedMissLemontogethersisteronthetelephone.

PresentlyMissLemonindicatedthattheconnectionhadbeenobtained.Poirottookthereceiver.

"Mrs.Hubbard?"

"Ohyes,Mr.Poirot.Sokindofyoutoringmeupsopromptly.Iwasreallyvery-"

Poirotinterruptedher.

"Whereareyouspeakingfrom?"

"Why-from26HickoryRoad,ofcourse.OhIseewhatyoumean.Iaminmyownsittingroom."

"Thereisanextension?"

"Thisistheextension.Themainphoneisdownstairsinthehall."

"Whoisinthehousewhomightlistenin?"

"All the students are out at this time of day. The cook is out marketing. Geronimo, her husband,
understandsverylittleEnglish.Thereisacleaningwoman,butsheisdeafandI'mquitesurewouldn't
bothertolistenin."

"Very good, then. I can speak freely. Do you occasionally have lectures in the evening, or films?
Entertainmentsofsomekind?"

"We do have lectures occasionally. Miss Baltrout, the explorer, came not long ago, with her coloured
transparencies. And we had an appeal for Far Eastern Missions, though I am afraid quite a lot of the
studentswentoutthatnight."

"Ah.Then this eveningyou will haveprevailed on M. HerculePoirot, the employerof your sister, to
comeanddiscoursetoyourstudentsonthemoreinterestingofmycases."

"Thatwillbeverynice,I'msure,butdoyouthink-"

"Itisnotaquestionofthinking.Iamsure!"

Thatevening,studentsenteringtheCommonRoomfoundanoticetackedupontheBoardwhichstood
justinsidethedoor.

M.HerculePoirot,thecelebratedprivatedetective,haskindlyconsentedtogiveatalkthiseveningon
thetheoryandpracticeofsuccessfuldetection,withanaccountofcertaincelebratedcriminalcases.

Returningstudentsmadevariedcommentsonthis.

"Who'sthisprivateEye?"

"Neverheardofhim."

"Oh,Ihave.Therewasamanwhowascondemnedtodeathforthemurderofacharwomanandthis
detectivegothimoffatthelastmomentbyfindingtherealperson."

"Soundscrumbytome."

"Ithinkitmightberatherfun."

"Colinoughttoenjoyit.He'smadoncriminalpsychology."

"Iwouldnotputitpreciselylikethat,butI'llnotdenythatamanwhohasbeencloselyacquaintedwith

criminalsmightbeinterestingtointerrogate."

DinnerwasatseventhirtyandmostofthestudentswerealreadyseatedwhenMrs.Hubbardcamedown
from her sitting room (where sherry had been served to the distinguished guest) followed by a small
elderly man with suspiciously black hair and a mustache of ferocious proportions which he twirled
contentedly.

"Thesearesomeofourstudents,Mr.Poirot.ThisisM.HerculePoirotwhoiskindlygoingtotalktous
afterdinner."

SalutationswereexchangedandPoirotsatdownbyMrs.Hubbardandbusiedhimselfwithkeepinghis
moustachesoutoftheexcellentminestronewhichwasservedbyasmallactiveItalianmanservantfrom
abigtureen.

Thiswasfollowedbyapipinghotdishofspaghettiandmeatballsanditwasthenthatagirlsittingon
Poirot'srightspokeshylytohim.

"DoesMrs.Hubbard'ssisterreallyworkforyou?"

Poirotturnedtoher.

"Butyesindeed.MissLemonhasbeenmysecretaryformanyyears.Sheisthemostefficientwoman
thateverlived.Iamsometimesafraidofher."

"Oh.Isee.Iwondered-"

"Nowwhatdidyouwonder,Mademoiselle?"

Hesmileduponherinpaternalfashion,makingamentalnoteashedidso.

"Pretty,worried,nottooquickmentally,frightened..."

Hesaid,

"MayIknowyournameandwhatitisyouarestudying?"

"CeliaAustin.Idon'tstudy.I'madispenseratSt.Catherine'sHospital."

"Ah,thatisinterestingwork?"

"Well,Idon'tknowitis."Shesoundedratheruncertain.

"Andtheseothers?Canyoutellmesomethingaboutthem,perhaps?IunderstoodthiswasaHomefor
ForeignStudents,buttheseseemmostlytobeEnglish."

"Some of the foreign ones are out. Mr. Chandra Lal and Mr. Gopal Ram - they're Indians - and Miss
Reinjeerwho'sDutch-andMr.AhmedAliwho'sEgyptianandfrightfullypolitical!"

"Andthosewhoarehere?Tellmeaboutthese."

"Well,sittingonMrs.Hubbard'sleftisNigelChapman.He'sstudyingMediaevalHistoryandItalianat
LondonUniversity.Thenthere'sPatriciaLane,nexttohim,withthespectacles.She'stakingadiploma
in Archaeology. The big red-headed boy is Len Bateson, he's a medical and the dark girl is Valèrie
Hobhouse,she'sinaBeautyShop.NexttoherisColinMcNabb,he'sdoingapostgraduatecoursein
psychiatry."

TherewasafaintchangeinhervoiceasshedescribedColin.Poirotglancedkeenlyatherandsawthat
thecolourhadcomeupinherface.

Hesaidtohimself,

'So-sheisinloveandshecannoteasilyconcealthefact.'

HenoticedthatyoungMcNabbneverseemedtolookatheracrossthetable,beingfartoomuchtaken
upwithhisconversationwithalaughingred-headedgirlbesidehim.

"That'sSallyFinch.She'sAmerican-overhereonaFulbright.Thenthere'sGenevièveMaricaud.She's
doingEnglish,andsoisRenéHallewhositsnexttoher.ThesmallfairgirlisJeanTomlinson-she'sat
St.Catherine'stoo.She'saphysiotherapist.TheblackmanisAkibombo-hecomesfromWestAfrica

and he's frightfully nice. Then there's Elizabeth Johnston, she's from Jamaica and she's studying law.
NexttousonwyrightaretwoTurkishstudentswhocameaboutaweekago.Theyknowhardlyany
English."

"Thankyou.Anddoyouallgetonwelltogether?Ordoyouhavequarrels?"

Thelightnessofhistonerobbedthewordsofseriousness.

Celiasaid,

"Oh,we'realltoobusyreallytohavefights,although-"

"Althoughwhat,MissAustin?"

"Well - Nigel - next to Mrs. Hubbard. He likes stirring people up and making them angry. And Len
Batesongetsangry.Hegetswildwithragesometimes.Buthe'sverysweetreally."

"AndColinMcNabb-doeshetoogetannoyed?"

"Ohno.Colinjustraiseshiseyebrowsandlooksamused."

"Isee.Andtheyoungladies,doyouhaveyourquarrels?"

"Ohno,weallgetonverywell.Genevièvehasfeelingssometimes.IthinkFrenchpeopleareinclined
tobetouchy-ohImean-I'msorry-"

Celiawasthepictureofconfusion.

"Me, I am Belgian," said Poirot solemnly. He went on quickly, before Celia could recover control of
herself.

"Whatdidyoumeanjustnow,MissAustin,whenyousaidyouwondered.Youwondered-what?"

Shecrumbledherbreadnervously.

"Oh that - nothing - nothing really - just, there have been some silly practical jokes lately - I thought
Mrs.Hubbard-Butreally,itwassillyofme.Ididn'tmeananything."

Poirotdidnotpressher.HeturnedawaytoMrs.Hubbardandwaspresentlyengagedinathreecornered
conversationwithherandwithNigelChapmanwhointroducedthecontroversialchallengethatcrime
wasaformofcreativeart-andthatthemisfitsofsocietywerereallythepolicewhoonlyenteredthat
profession because of their secret sadism. Poirot was amused to note that the anxious looking young
woman in spectacles of about thirty-five who sat beside him tried desperately to explain away his
remarksasfastashemadethem.Nigel,however,tookabsolutelynonoticeofher.

Mrs.Hubbardlookedbenignantlyamused.

"Allyouyoungpeoplenowadaysthinkofnothingbutpoliticsandpsychology,"shesaid."WhenIwasa
girlweweremuchmorelight-hearted.Wedanced.IfyourolledbackthecarpetintheCommonRoom
there'squiteagoodfloor,andyoucoulddancetothewireless,butyouneverdo."

Celialaughedandsaidwithatingeofmalice,

"But you used to dance, Nigel. I've danced with you myself once, though I don't expect you to
remember."

"You'vedancedwithme,"saidNigelincredulously."Where?"

"AtCambridge-inMayWeek."

"Oh, May Week!" Nigel waved away the follies of youth. "One goes through that adolescent phase.
Mercifullyitsoonpasses."

Nigelwasclearlynotmuchmorethantwenty-fivenow.Poirotconcealedasmileinhismustache.

PatriciaLanesaidearnestly,"Yousee,Mrs.Hubbard,thereissomuchstudytobedone.Withlectures
toattendandone'snotestowriteup,there'sreallynotimeforanythingbutwhatisreallyworthwhile."

"Well,mydear,one'sonlyyoungonce,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

AchocolatepuddingsucceededthespaghettiandafterwardstheyallwentintotheCommonRoom,and
helped themselves to coffee from an urn that stood on a table. Poirot was then invited to begin his
discourse.ThetwoTurkspolitelyexcusedthemselves.Therestseatedthemselvesandlookedexpectant.
Poirot rose to his feet and spoke with his usual aplomb. The sound of his own voice was always
pleasant to him, and he spoke for three quarters of an hour in a light and amusing fashion, recalling
thoseofhisexperiencesthatlentthemselvestoanagreeableexaggeration.Ifhemanagedtosuggest,in
asubtlefashion,thathewas,perhaps,somethingofamountebank,itwasnottooobviouslycontrived.

"Andso,yousee,"hefinished,"IsaytothisCitygentlemanthatIamremindedofasoapmanufacturer
IknewinLiégewhopoisonedhiswifeinordertomarryabeautifulblondsecretary.Isayitverylightly,
butatonceIgetareaction.HepressesuponmethestolenmoneyIhadjustrecoveredforhim.Hegoes
paleandthereisfearinhiseyes.'Iwillgivethismoney,'Isay,'toadeservingcharity.''Doanythingyou
like with it," he says. And I say to him then, and I say it very significantly, 'It will be advisable,
Monsieur,tobeverycareful.'Henods,speechless,andasIgoout,Iseethathewipeshisforehead.He
hashadthebigfright,andIhavesavedhislife.Forthoughheisinfatuatedwithhisblondsecretaryhe
willnotnowtryandpoisonhisstupidanddisagreeablewife.Prevention,always,isbetterthancure.We
wanttopreventmurders-notwaituntiltheyhavebeencommitted."

Hebowedandspreadouthishands.

"There,Ihaveweariedyoulongenough."

Thestudentsclappedhimvigorously.Poirotbowed.

And then, as he was about to sit down, Colin McNabb took his pipe from between his teeth and
observed,

"Andnow,perhaps,you'lltalkaboutwhatyou'rereallyherefor!"

TherewasamomentarysilenceandthenPatriciasaidreproachfully,"Colin."

"Well,wecanallguess,can'twe?"Helookedroundscornfully."M.Poirot'sgivenusaveryamusing
littletalk,butthat'snotwhathecamefor.He'sonthejob.Youdon'treallythink,Mr.Poirot,thatwe're
notwisetothat?"

"Youspeakforyourself,Colin,"saidSally.

"It'strue,isn'tit?"saidColin.

AgainPoirotspreadouthishandsinagracefulacknowledginggesture.

"I will admit," he said, "that my kind hostess has confided to me that certain events have caused her
worry."

LenBatesongotup,hisfaceheavyandtruculent.

"Lookhere,"hesaid,"what'sallthis?Hasthisbeenplantedonus?"

"Haveyoureallyonlyjusttumbledtothat,Bateson?"askedNigelsweetly.

Celiagaveafrightenedgaspandsaid,"ThenIwasright!"

Mrs.Hubbardspokewithdecisiveauthority.

"IaskedMr.Poirottogiveusatalk,butIalsowantedtoaskhimhisadviceaboutvariousthingsthat
havehappenedlately.Something'sgottobedoneanditseemstomethattheonlyotheralternativeis-
thepolice."

Atonceaviolentaltercationbrokeout.

GenevièveburstintoheatedFrench."Itwasadisgrace,shameful,togotothepolice!"

Othervoiceschimedin,fororagainst.InafinallullLeonardBateson'svoicewasraisedwithdecision.

"Let'shearwhatMr.Poirothastosayaboutourtrouble."

Mrs.Hubbardsaid,

"I'vegivenMr.Poirotallthefacts.Ifhewantstoaskanyquestions,I'msurenoneofyouwillobject."

Poirotbowedtoher.

"Thankyou."WiththeairofaconjurerhebroughtoutapairofeveningshoesandhandedthemtoSally
Finch.

"Yourshoes,Mademoiselle?"

"Why-yes-bothofthem?Wheredidthemissingonecomefrom?"

"FromtheLostPropertyOfficeatBakerStreetStation."

"Butwhatmadeyouthinkitmightbethere,M.Poirot?"

"Averysimpleprocessofdeduction.Someonetakesashoefromyourroom.Why?Nottowearandnot
tosell.Andsincethehousewillbesearchedbyeveryonetotryandfindit,thentheshoemustbegot
outofthehouse,ordestroyed.Butitisnotsoeasytodestroyashoe.Theeasiestwayistotakeitina
busortraininaparcelintherushhourandleaveitthrustdownunderaseat.Thatwasmyfirstguess
and it proved right - so I knew that I was on safe ground, the shoe was taken, as your poet says, to
annoy,becauseheknowsitteases."

Valèriegaveashortlaugh.

"Thatpointstoyou,Nigel,mylove,withanunerringfinger."

Nigelsaid,smirkingalittle,"Iftheshoefits,wearit."

"Nonsense,"saidSally."Nigeldidn'ttakemyshoe."

"Ofcoursehedidn't,"saidPatriciaangrily."It'sthemostabsurdidea."

"Idon'tknowaboutabsurd,"saidNigel."ActuallyIdidn'tdoanythingofthekind-asnodoubtweshall

allsay."

It was as though Poirot had been waiting for just those words as an actor waits for his cue. His eyes
rested thoughtfully on Len Bateson's flushed face, then they swept inquiringly over the rest of the
students.

Hesaid,usinghishandsinadeliberatelyforeigngesture,

"Mypositionisdelicate.Iamaguesthere.IhavecomeattheinvitationofMrs.Hubbard-tospenda
pleasant evening, that is all. And also, of course, to return a very charming pair of evening shoes to
Mademoiselle.Foranythingfurther-"hepaused.

"Monsieur-Bateson?yes,Bateson-hasaskedmetosaywhatImyselfthinkofthis-trouble.Butit
wouldbeanimpertinenceformetospeakunlessIwereinvitedsotodonotbyonepersonalone,butby
youall."

Mr.Akibombowasseentonodhisblackcurledheadinvigorousasseveration.

"Thatisverycorrectprocedure,yes,"hesaid."Truedemocraticproceedingistoputmattertothevoting
ofallpresent."

ThevoiceofSallyFinchroseimpatiently.

"Oh,shucks,"shesaid."Thisisakindofparty,allfriendstogether.Let'shearwhatMr.Poirotadvises
withoutanymorefuss."

"Icouldn'tagreewithyoumore,Sally,"saidNigel.

Poirotbowedhishead.

"Verywell,"hesaid."Sinceyouallaskmethisquestion,Ireplythatmyadviceisquitesimple.Mrs.
Hubbard-orMrs.Nicoletisrather-shouldcallinthepoliceatonce.Notimeshouldbelost."

Chapter5

There was no doubt that Poirot's statement was unexpected. It caused not a ripple of protest or
comment,butasuddenanduncomfortablesilence.

Under cover of that momentary paralysis, Poirot was taken by Mrs. Hubbard up to her own sitting,
room,withonlyaquickpolite"Goodnighttoyouall,"toheraldhisdeparture.

Mrs.Hubbardswitchedonthelight,closedthedoor,andbeggedM.Poirottotakethearmchairbythe
fireplace. Her nice good humored face was puckered with doubt and anxiety. She offered her guest a
cigarette,butPoirotrefusedpolitely,explainingthathepreferredhisown.Heofferedherone,butshe
refused,sayinginanabstractedtone:"Idon'tsmoke,M.Poirot."

Then,asshesatdownoppositehim,shesaid,afteramomentaryhesitation:

"I daresay you're right, Mr. Poirot. Perhaps we should get the police in on this - especially after this
maliciousinkbusiness.ButIratherwishyouhadn'tsaidso-rightoutlikethat."

"Ah,"saidPoirot,ashelitoneofhistinycigarettesandwatchedthesmokeascend.

"YouthinkIshouldhavedissembled?"

"Well,Isupposeit'snicetobefairandaboveboardaboutthings-butitseemstomeitmighthavebeen
bettertokeepquiet,andjustaskanofficertocomeroundandexplainthingsprivatelytohim.WhatI
meanis,whoever'sbeendoingthesestupidthingswell,thatperson'swarnednow."

"Perhaps,yes."

"Ishouldsayquitecertainly,"saidMrs.Hubbardrathersharply."Noperhapsaboutit!Evenifit'soneof
theservantsorastudentwhowasn'therethisevening,thewordwillgetaround.Italwaysdoes."

"Sotrue.Italwaysdoes."

"Andthere'sMrs.Nicoletis,too.Ireallydon'tknowwhatattitudeshe'lltakeup.Oneneverdoesknow
withher."

"Itwillbeinterestingtofindout."

"Naturallywecan'tcallinthepoliceunlesssheagrees-Oh,who'sthatnow?"

Therehadbeenasharpauthoritativetaponthedoor.ItwasrepeatedandalmostbeforeMrs.Hubbard
hadcalledanirritable"Comein"thedooropenedandColinMcNabb,hispipeclenchedfirmlybetween
histeethandascowlonhisforehead,enteredtheroom.

Removingthepipe,andclosingthedoorbehindhim,hesaid:

"You'llexcuseme,butIwasanxioustojusthaveawordwithMr.Poirothere."

"Withme?"Poirotturnedhisheadininnocentsurprise.

"Ay,withyou."Colinspokegrimly.

HedrewuparatheruncomfortablechairandsatsquarelyonitfacingHerculePoirot.

"You've given us an amusing talk tonight," he said indulgently. "And I'll not deny that you're a man
who'shadavariedandlengthyexperience,butifyou'llexcusemeforsayingso,yourmethodsandyour
ideasarebothequallyantiquated."

"Really,Colin,"saidMrs.Hubbard,colouring."You'reextremelyrude."

"I'mnotmeaningtogiveoffence,butI'vegottomakethingsclear.CrimeandPunishment,Mr.Poirot,
isasfarasyourhorizonstretches."

"Theyseemtomeanaturalsequence,"saidPoirot.

"You take the narrow view of the Law - and what's more of the Law at its most old fashioned.
Nowadays,eventheLawhastokeepitselfcognizantofthenewestandmostuptodatetheoriesofwhat
causescrime.Itisthecausesthatareimportant,Mr.Poirot."

"Butthere,"criedPoirot,"tospeakinyournewfashionedphrase,Icouldnotagreewithyoumore!"

"Thenyou'vegottoconsiderthecauseofwhathasbeenhappeninginthishouse-you'vegottofindout
whythesethingshavebeendone."

"ButIamstillagreeingwithyou-yes,thatismostimportant."

"Becausetherealwaysisareason,anditmaybe,tothepersonconcerned,averygoodreason."

Atthispoint,Mrs.Hubbard,unabletocontainherself,interjectedsharply,"Rubbish."

"That'swhereyou'rewrong,"saidColin,turningslightlytowardher."You'vegottotakeintoaccount
thepsychologicalbackground."

"Psychologicalbalderdash,"saidMrs.Hubbard."I'venopatiencewithallthatsortoftalk!"

"That's because you know precisely nothing about it," said Colin in a gravely rebuking fashion. He
returnedhisgazetoPoirot.

"I'm interested in these subjects. I am at present taking a post graduate course in psychiatry and
psychology.Wecomeacrossthemostinvolvedandastoundingcases,andwhatI'mpointingouttoyou,
M.Poirot,isthatyoucan'tjustdismissthecriminalwithadoctrineoforiginalsin,orwilfuldisregardof
the laws of the land. You've got to have an understanding of the root of the trouble if you're ever to
effectacureoftheyoungdelinquent.TheseideaswerenotknownorthoughtofinyourdayandI'veno
doubtyoufindthemhardtoaccept-"

"Stealing'sstealing,"putinMrs.Hubbardstubbornly.

Colinfrownedimpatiently.

Poirotsaidmeekly,

"Myideasaredoubtlessoldfashioned,butIamperfectlypreparedtolistentoyou,Mr.McNabb."

Colinlookedagreeablysurprised.

"That's very fairly said, Mr. Poirot. Now I'll try to make this matter clear to you, using very simple
terms."

"Thankyou,"saidPoirotmeekly.

"Forconvenience'ssake,I'llstartwiththepairofshoesyoubroughtwithyoutonightandreturnedto
SallyFinch.Ifyouremember,oneshoewasstolen.Onlyone."

"Irememberbeingstruckbythefact,"saidPoirot.

ColinMcNabbleanedforward,hisdourbuthandsomefeatureswerelitupbyeagerness.

"Ah, but you didn't see the significance of it. It's one of the prettiest and most satisfying examples
anyonecouldwishtocomeacross.Wehavehere,verydefinitely,aCinderellacomplex.Youaremaybe
acquaintedwiththeCinderellafairystory."

"OfFrenchorigin-maisoui."

"Cinderella,theunpaiddrudge,sitsbythefire,hersistersdressedintheirfinery,gotothePrince'sball.
AFairyGodmothersendsCinderellatoo,tothatball.Atthestrokeofmidnight,herfineryturnsbackto
rags-sheescapeshurriedly,leavingbehindheroneslipper.Soherewehaveamindthatcomparesitself
to Cinderella (unconsciously, of course). Here we have frustration, envy, the sense of inferiority. The
girlstealsaslipper.Why?"

"Agirl?"

"Butnaturally,agirl.That,"saidColinreprovingly,shouldbecleartothemeanestintelligence."

"Really,Colin!"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Praycontinue,"saidPoirot,courteously.

"Probablysheherselfdoesnotknowwhyshedoesit-buttheinnerwishisclear.Shewantstobethe
Princess, to be identified by the Prince and claimed by him. Another significant fact, the slipper is

stolenfromanattractivegirlwhoisgoingtoaBall."

Colin'spipehadlongsincegoneout.Hewaveditnowwithmountingenthusiasm.

"And now we'll take a few of the other happenings. A magpie acquiring of pretty things - all things
associatedwithattractivefeminity.Apowdercompact,lipsticks,earrings,abracelet,aring-thereisa
twofold significance here. The girl wants to be noticed. She wants, even, to be punished - as is
frequently the case with very young juvenile delinquents. These things are none of them what you
wouldcallordinarycriminalthefts.Itisnotthevalueofthesethingsthatiswanted.Injustsuchaway
dowell-to-dowomengointodepartmentstoresandstealthingstheycouldperfectlywellaffordtopay
for."

"Nonsense,"saidMrs.Hubbardbelligerently."Somepeoplearejustplaindishonest,that'sallthereisto
it."

"Yetadiamondringofsomevaluewasamongthethingsstolen,"saidPoirot,ignoringMrs.Hubbard's
interpolation.

"Thatwasreturned."

"Andsurely,Mr.McNabb,youwouldnotsaythatastethoscopeisafeminineprettything?"

"That had a deeper significance. Women who feel they are, deficient in feminine attraction can find
sublimationinthepursuitofacareer."

"Andthecookerybook?"

"Asymbolofhomelife,husbandandfamily."

"Andboracicpowder?"

Colinsaidirritably,

"MydearMr.Poirot.Nobodywouldstealboracicpowder!Whyshouldthey?"

"That is what I have asked myself. I must admit, Mr. McNabb, that you seem to have an answer for
everything.Explaintome,then,thesignificanceofthedisappearanceofanoldpairofflanneltrousers
yourflanneltrousers,Iunderstand."

Forthefirsttime,Colinappearedillatease.

Heblushedandclearedhisthroat.

"Icouldexplainthat-butitwouldbesomewhatinvolved,andperhaps,er,well,ratherembarrassing."

"Ah,yousparemyblushes."

SuddenlyPoirotleanedforwardandtappedtheyoungmanontheknee.

"Andtheinkthatisspiltoveranotherstudent'spapers,thesilkscarfthatiscutandslashed.Dothese
thingscauseyounodisquietude?"

ThecomplacenceandsuperiorityofColin'smannerunderwentasuddenandnotunlikeablechange.

"They do," he said. "Believe me, they do. It's serious. She ought to have treatment - at once. But
medicaltreatment,that'sthepoint.It'snotacaseforthepolice.Thepoorlittledevildoesn'tevenknow
whatit'sallabout.She'salltiedupinknots.If-"

Poirotinterruptedhim.

"Youknowthenwhosheis?"

"Well,Ihaveaverystrongsuspicion."

Poirotmurmuredwiththeairofonewhoisrecapitulating.

"A girl who is not outstandingly successful with the other sex. A shy girl. An affectionate girl. A girl
whosebrainisinclinedtobeslowinitsreactions.Agirlwhofeelsfrustratedandlonely.Agirl-"

Therewasataponthedoor.Poirotbrokeoff.Thetapwasrepeated.

"Comein,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

ThedooropenedandCeliaAustincamein.

"Ah,"saidPoirot,noddinghishead."Exactly.MissCeliaAustin."

CelialookedatColinwithagonisedeyes.

"Ididn'tknowyouwerehere,"shesaidbreathlessly."Icame...Icame..."

ShetookadeepbreathandrushedtoMrs.Hubbard.

"Please,pleasedon'tsendforthepolice.It'sme.I'vebeentakingthosethings.Idon'tknowwhy.Ican't
imagine.Ididn'twantto.Itjust-itjustcameoverme."ShewhirledroundonColin."Sonowyouknow
whatI'mlike...andIsupposeyou'llneverspeaktomeagain.IknowI'mawful..."

"Och!notabitofit,"saidColin.

Hisrichvoicewaswarmandfriendly."You'rejustabitmixedup,that'sall.It'sjustakindofillness
you've had, from not looking at things clearly. If you'll trust me, Celia, I'll soon be able to put you
right."

"Oh,Colin-really?"

Celialookedathimwithunconcealedadoration.

"I'vebeensodreadfullyworried."

Hetookherhandinaslightlyavuncularmanner.

"Well,there'snoneedtoworryanymore."

RisingtohisfeethedrewCelia'shandthroughhisarmandlookedsternlyatMrs.Hubbard.

"I hope now," he said, "that there'll be no more foolish talk of calling in the police. Nothing's been
stolenofanyrealworthandwhathasbeentaken,Celiawillreturn."

"I can't return the bracelet and the powder compact," said Celia anxiously. "I pushed them down a
gutter.ButI'llbuynewones."

"Andthestethoscope?"saidPoirot."Wheredidyouputthat?"

Celiaflushed.

"Inevertookanystethoscope.WhatshouldIwantwithasillyoldstethoscope?"Herflushdeepened.
"Anditwasn'tmewhospiltinkalloverElizabeth'spapers.I'dneverdoa-amaliciousthinglikethat."

"YetyoucutandslashedMissHobhouse'sscarf,Mademoiselle."

Celia looked uncomfortable. She said rather uncertainly, "That was different. I mean - Valèrie didn't
mind."

"Andtherucksack?"

"Oh,Ididn'tcutthatup.Thatwasjusttemper."

PoirottookoutthelisthehadcopiedfromMrs.Hubbard'slittlebook.

"Tellme,"hesaid,"andthistimeitmustbethetruth.Whatareyouorareyounotresponsiblefor-of
thesehappenings?"

Celiaglanceddownthelistandheranswercameatonce.

"Idon'tknowanythingabouttherucksack,ortheelectriclightbulbs,orboracicorbathsalts,andthe
ringwasjustamistake.WhenIrealiseditwasvaluableIreturnedit."

"Isee."

"BecausereallyIdidn'tmeantobedishonest.Itwasonly-"

"Onlywhat?"

AfaintlywarylookcameintoCelia'seyes.

"Idon'tknow,reallyIdon't.I'mallmixedup."

Colincutininaperemptorymanner.

"I'll be thankful if you'll not catechise her. I can promise you that there will be no recurrence of this
business.FromnowonI'lldefinitelymakemyselfresponsibleforher."

"OhColin,youaregoodtome."

"I'dlikeyoutotellmeagreatdealaboutyourself,Celia.Yourearlyhomelife,forinstance.Didyour
fatherandmothergetonwelltogether?"

"Ohno,itwasawful-athome-"

"Precisely.And-"

Mrs.Hubbardcutin.Shespokewiththevoiceofauthority.

"Thatwilldonow,bothofyou.I'mglad,Celia,thatyou'vecomeandownedup.You'vecausedagreat
dealofworryandanxiety,though,andyououghttobeashamedofyourself.ButI'llsaythis.Iaccept
yourwordthatyoudidn'tspillinkdeliberatelyonElizabeth'snotes.Idon'tbelieveyou'ddoathinglike
that.Nowtakeyourselvesoff,youandColin.I'vehadenoughofyoubothforthisevening."

Asthedoorclosedbehindthem,Mrs.Hubbarddrewadeepbreath.

"Well,"shesaid."Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"

TherewasatwinkleinHerculePoirot'seye.Hesaid,"Ithink-thatwehaveassistedatalovescene,
modernstyle."

Mrs.Hubbardmadeanejaculationofdisapproval.

"Autrestemps,autresmoeurs,"murmuredPoirot."Inmyyoungdaytheyoungmenlentthegirlsbooks
onTheosophyordiscussedMaeterlinck'sBluebird.Allwassentimentandhighideals.Nowadaysitis
themaladjustedlivesandthecomplexeswhichbringaboyandgirltogether."

"Allsuchnonsense,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

Poirotdissented.

"No, it is not all nonsense. The underlying principles are sound enough - but when one is an earnest
youngresearcherlikeColinoneseesnothingbutcomplexesandthevictim'sunhappyhomelife."

"Celia'sfatherdiedwhenshewasfouryearsold,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Andshe'shadaveryagreeable
childhoodwithanicebutstupidmother."

"Ah,butsheiswiseenoughnottosaysototheyoungMcNabb!Shewillsaywhathewantstohear.
Sheisverymuchinlove."

"Doyoubelieveallthishooey,Mr.Poirot?"

"IdonotbelievethatCeliahadaCinderellacomplexorthatshestolethingswithoutknowingwhatshe
was doing. I think she took the risk of stealing unimportant trifles with the object of attracting the
attentionoftheearnestColinMcNabb-inwhichobjectshehasbeensuccessful.Hadsheremaineda
pretty shy ordinary girl, he might never have looked at her. In my opinion," said Poirot, "a girl is
entitledtoattemptdesperatemeasurestogetherman."

"Ishouldn'thavethoughtshehadthebrainstothinkitup,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

Poirotdidnotreply.Hefrowned.Mrs.Hubbardwenton.

"Sothewholething'sbeenamare'snest!Ireallydoapologise,M.Poirot,fortakingupyourtimeover
suchatrivialbusiness.Anyway,all'swellthatendswell."

"No,no."Poirotshookhishead."Idonotthinkweareattheendyet.Wehaveclearedoutoftheway
something rather trivial that was at the front of the picture. But there are things still that are not
explainedandme,Ihavetheimpressionthatwehaveheresomethingserious-reallyserious."

Mrs.Hubbard'sfacecloudedoveragain.

"Oh,Mr.Poirot,doyoureallythinkso?"

"It is my impression... I wonder, Madame, if I could speak to Miss Patricia Lane. I would like to
examinetheringthatwasstolen."

"Why,ofcourse,Mr.Poirot.I'llgodownandsendheruptoyou.IwanttospeaktoLenBatesonabout
something."

PatriciaLanecameinshortlyafterwardwithaninquiringlookonherface.

"Tamsosorrytodisturbyou,MissLane."

"Oh,that'sallright.Iwasn'tbusy.Mrs.Hubbardsaidyouwantedtoseemyring."

Sheslippeditoffherfingerandhelditouttohim.

"It's quite a large diamond really, but of course it's an old fashioned setting. It was my mother's
engagementring."

Poirot,whowasexaminingthering,noddedhishead.

"Sheisalivestill,yourmother?"

"No.Bothmyparentsaredead."

"Thatissad."

"Yes.TheywerebothverynicepeoplebutsomehowIwasneverquitesoclosetothemasIoughtto
havebeen.Oneregretsthatafterwards.Mymotherwantedafrivolousprettydaughter,adaughterwho
wasfondofclothesandsocialthings.ShewasverydisappointedwhenItookuparcheology."

"Youhavealwaysbeenofaseriousturnofmind?"

"Ithinkso,really.Onefeelslifeissoshortoneoughtreallytobedoingsomethingworthwhile."

Poirotlookedatherthoughtfully.

PatriciaLanewas,heguessed,inherearlythirties.Apartfromasmearoflipstick,carelesslyapplied,
sheworenomake-up.Hermousecolouredhairwascombedbackfromherfaceandarrangedwithout
artifice.Herquitepleasantblueeyeslookedatyouseriouslythroughglasses.

"No allure, bon Dieu," said Poirot to himself with feeling. "And her clothes! What is it they say?
Draggedthroughahedgebackwards?Mafoi,thatexpressesitexactly!"

Hewasdisapproving.HefoundPatricia'swell-bredunaccentedtoneswearisometotheear.

"Sheisintelligentandcultured,thisgirl,"hesaidtohimself,"and,alas,everyyearshewillgrowmore
boring! In old age -" His mind darted for a fleeting moment to the memory of the Countess Vera
Rossakoff.Whatexoticsplendourthere,evenindecay!Thesegirlsofnowadays"ButthatisbecauseI
growold,"saidPoirottohimself."EventhisexcellentgirlmayappearaveritableVenustosomeman."
Buthedoubtedthat.

Patriciawassaying,

"I'mreallyveryshockedaboutwhathappenedtoBess-toMissJohnston.Usingthatgreeninkseemsto

metobeadeliberateattempttomakeitlookasthoughitwasNigel'sdoing.ButIdoassureyou,M.
Poirot,Nigelwouldneverdoathinglikethat."

"Ah."Poirotlookedatherwithmoreinterest.

Shehadbecomeflushedandquiteeager.

"Nigel's not easy to understand," she said earnestly. "You see, he had a very difficult home life as a
child."

"MonDieu,anotherofthem!"

"Ibegyourpardon?"

"Nothing.Youweresaying-"

"AboutNigel.Hisbeingdifficult.He'salwayshadthetendencytogoagainstauthorityofanykind.He's
very clever - brilliant really, but I must admit that he sometimes has a very unfortunate manner.
Sneering-youknow.Andhe'smuchtooscornfulevertoexplainordefendhimself.Evenifeverybody
inthisplacethinkshedidthattrickwiththeink,hewon'tgooutofhiswaytosayhedidn't.He'lljust
say,'Letthemthinkitiftheywantto.'Andthatattitudeisreallysoutterlyfoolish."

"Itcanbemisunderstood,certainly."

"It'sakindofpride,Ithink.Becausehe'sbeensomuchmisunderstoodalways."

"Youhaveknownhimmanyyears?"

"No,onlyforaboutayear.WemetonatouroftheChateauxoftheLoire.Hewentdownwithfluwhich
turnedtopneumoniaandInursedhimthroughit.He'sverydelicateandhetakesabsolutelynocareof
hisownhealth.Insomeways,inspiteofhisbeingsoindependent,heneedslookingafterlikeachild.
Hereallyneedssomeonetolookafterhim."

Poirotsighed.Hefelt,suddenly,verytiredoflove...FirsttherehadbeenCelia,withtheadoringeyesof
aspaniel.AndnowherewasPatricialookinglikeanearnestMadonna.

Admittedlytheremustbelove,youngpeoplemustmeetandpairoff,buthe,Poirot,wasmercifullypast
allthat.Herosetohisfeet.

"Willyoupermitme,Mademoiselle,toretainyourring?Itshallbereturnedtoyoutomorrowwithout
fail."

"Certainly,ifyoulike,"saidPatricia,rathersurprised.

"Youareverykind.Andplease,Mademoiselle,becareful."

"Careful?Carefulofwhat?"

"IwishIknew,"saidHerculePoirot,stillworried.

Chapter6

The following day Mrs. Hubbard found exasperating in every particular. She had wakened with a
considerable sense of relief. The nagging doubt about recent occurrences was at last relieved. A silly
girl, behaving in that silly modern fashion (with which Mrs. Hubbard had no patience), had been
responsible.Andfromnowon,orderwouldreign.

Descending to breakfast in this comfortable assurance, Mrs. Hubbard found her newly attained ease
menaced.Thestudentschosethisparticularmorningtobeparticularlytrying,eachinhisorherway.

Mr.ChandraLalwhohadheardofthesabotagetoElizabeth'spapersbecameexcitedandvoluble.

"Oppression," he spluttered, "deliberate oppression of native races. Contempt and prejudice, colour
prejudice.Itisherewellauthenticatedexample."

"Now, Mr. Chandra Lal," said Mrs. Hubbard sharply. "You've no call to say anything of that kind.
Nobodyknowswhodiditorwhyitwasdone."

"Oh but, Mrs. Hubbard, I thought Celia had come to you herself and really faced up," said Jean
Tomlinson."Ithoughtitsplendidofher.Wemustallbeverykindtoher."

"Mustyoubesorevoltinglypious,Jean?"demandedValèrieHobhouseangrily.

"Ithinkthat'saveryunkindthingtosay."

"Facedup,"saidNigelwithashudder."Suchanutterlyrevoltingterm."

"Idon'tseewhy.TheOxfordGroupuseitand-"

"Oh,forHeaven'ssake,havewegottohavetheOxfordGroupforbreakfast?"

"What's all this, Ma? Is it Celia who's been pinching those things, do you say? Is that why she's not
downtobreakfast?"

"Idonotunderstand,please,"saidMr.Akibombo.

Nobodyenlightenedhim.Theywerealltooanxioustosaytheirownpiece.

"Poorkid,"LenBatesonwenton."Wassheharduporsomething?"

"I'mnotreallysurprised,youknow,"saidSallyslowly."Ialwayshadasortofidea..."

"YouaresayingthatitwasCeliawhospiltinkonmynotes?"ElizabethJohnstonlookedincredulous.
"Thatseemstomesurprisingandhardlycredible."

"Celiadidnotthrowinkonyourwork,"saidMrs.Hubbard."AndIwishyouwouldallstopdiscussing
this.Imeanttotellyouallquietlylaterbut-"

"ButJeanwaslisteningoutsidethedoorlastnight,"saidValèrie.

"Iwasnotlistening.Ijusthappenedtogo-"

"Comenow,Bess,"saidNigel."Youknowquitewellwhospilttheink.I,saidbadNigel,withmylittle
greenphial.Ispilttheink."

"Hedidn't.He'sonlypretending!OhNigel,howcanyoubesostupid?"

"I'mbeingnobleandshieldingyou,Pat.Whoborrowedmyinkyesterdaymorning?Youdid."

"Idonotunderstand,please,"saidMr.Akibombo.

"Youdon'twantto,"Sallytoldhim."I'dkeeprightoutofitifIwereyou."

Mr.ChandraLalrosetohisfeet.

"YouaskwhyistheMauMau?YouaskwhydoesEgyptresenttheSuezCanal?"

"Oh,hell!"saidNigelviolently,andcrashedhiscupdownonhissaucer."FirsttheOxfordGroupand
nowpolitics!Atbreakfast!I'mgoing."

Hepushedbackhischairviolentlyandlefttheroom.

"There'sacoldwind.Dotakeyourcoat."

Patriciarushedafterhim.

"Cluck,cluck,cluck,"saidValèrieunkindly."She'llgrowfeathersandflapherwingssoon."

TheFrenchgirl,Geneviève,whoseEnglishwasasyetnotequaltofollowingrapidexchangeshadbeen
listeningtoexplanationshissedintoherearbyRené.ShenowburstintorapidFrench,hervoicerising
toascream.

"Commentdonc?C'estcettepetitequim'avoléemoncompact?Ah,parexample!J'iraiàlapolicie.Je
nesupporteraipasunepareille..."

ColinMcNabbhadbeenattemptingtomakehimselfheardforsometime,buthisdeepsuperiordrawl
hadbeendrownedbythehigherpitchedvoices.

Abandoning his superior attitude he now brought down his fist with a heavy crash on the table and
startledeveryoneintosilence.Themarmaladepotskiddedoffthetableandbroke.

"Willyouholdyourtongues,allofyou,andhearmespeak.I'veneverheardmorecrassignoranceand
unkindness!Don'tanyofyouhaveevenanoddingacquaintancewithpsychology?Thegirl'snottobe
blamed,Itellyou.She'sbeengoingthroughasevereemotionalcrisisandsheneedstreatingwiththe
utmost sympathy and care - or she may remain unstable for life. I'm warning you. The utmost care -
that'swhatsheneeds."

"But after all," said Jean, in a clear, priggish voice, "although I quite agree about being kind - we
oughtn'ttocondonethatsortofthing,oughtwe?Stealing,Imean."

"Stealing,"saidColin."Thiswasn'tstealing.Och!Youmakemesick-allofyou."

"Interestingcase,isshe,Colin?"saidValèrieandgrinnedathim.

"Ifyou'reinterestedintheworkingsofthemind,yes."

"Ofcourse,shedidn'ttakeanythingofmine-"beganJean,"butIdothink-"

"No, she didn't take anything of yours," said Colin, turning to scowl at her. "And if you knew in the
leastwhatthatmeantyou'dmaybenotbetoopleasedaboutit."

"Really,Idon'tsee-"

"Oh,comeon,Jean,"saidLenBateson."Let'sstopnaggingandnattering.I'mgoingtobelateandso
areyou."

Theywentouttogether.

"TellCeliatobuckup,"hesaidoverhisshoulder.

"Ishouldliketomakeformalprotest,"saidMr.ChandraLal."Boracicpowderverynecessaryformy
eyeswhichmuchinflamedbystudy,wasremoved..."

"Andyou'llbelatetoo,Mr.ChandraLal,"saidMrs.Hubbardfirmly.

"My Professor is often unpunctual," said Mr. Chandra Lal gloomily, but moving towards the door.
"Also,heisirritableandunreasonablewhenIaskmanyquestionsofsearchingnature-"

"Maisilfautqu'ellemelerende,lecompact,"saidGeneviève.

"YoumustspeakEnglish,Geneviève-you'llneverlearnEnglishifyougobackintoFrenchwhenever
you'reexcited.AndyouhadSundaydinnerinthisweekandyouhaven'tpaidmeforit."

"Ah,Ihavenotmypursejustnow.Tonight-Viens,René,nousseronsenretard."

"Please,"saidMr.Akibombo,lookingroundhimbeseechingly."Idonotunderstand."

"Comealong,Akibombo,"saidSally."I'lltellyouallaboutitonthewaytotheInstitute."

ShenoddedreassuringlytoMrs.HubbardandsteeredthebewilderedAkibombooutoftheroom.

"Ohdear,"saidMrs.Hubbard,drawingadeepbreath."WhyintheworldIevertookthisjobon!"

Valèrie,whowastheonlypersonleft,grinnedinafriendlyfashion.

"Don't worry, Ma," she said. "It's a good thing it's all come out! Everyone was getting on the jumpy
side."

"ImustsayIwasverysurprised."

"ThatitturnedouttobeCelia?"

"Yes.Weren'tyou?"

Valèriesaidinaratherabsentvoice,

"Ratherobvious,really,Ishouldhavethought."

"Haveyoubeenthinkingsoallalong?"

"Well,oneortwothingsmademewonder.Atanyrateshe'sgotColinwhereshewantshim."

"Yes,Ican'thelpfeelingthatit'swrong."

"You can't get a man with a gun," Valèrie laughed. "But a spot of kleptomania does the trick! Don't
worry, Mum. And for God's sake make Celia give Geneviève back her compact, otherwise we shall
neverhaveanypeaceatmeals."

Mrs.Hubbardsaidwithasigh,

"Nigelhascrackedhissaucerandthemarmaladepotisbroken."

"Hellofamorning,isn'tit?"saidValèrie.

Shewentout.Mrs.Hubbardheardhervoiceinthehallsayingcheerfully,

"Goodmorning,Celia.Thecoast'sclear.Allisknownandallisgoingtobeforgiven-byorderofPious
Jean.AsforColin,he'sbeenroaringlikealiononyourbehalf."

Celiacameintothediningroom.Hereyeswerereddenedwithcrying.

"Oh,Mrs.Hubbard."

"You'reverylate,Celia.Thecoffee'scoldandthere'snotmuchlefttoeat."

"Ididn'twanttomeettheothers."

"SoIgather.Butyou'vegottomeetthemsoonerorlater."

"Oh,yes,Iknow.ButIthought-bythiseveningitwouldbeeasier.AndofcourseIshan'tstoponhere.
I'llgoattheendoftheweek."

Mrs.Hubbardfrowned.

"I don't think there's any need for that. You must expect a little unpleasantness - that's only fair - but
they'regenerousmindedyoungpeopleonthewhole.Ofcourseyou'llhavetomakereparationasfaras
possible-"

Celiainterruptedhereagerly.

"Oh yes. I've got my cheque book here. That's one of the things I wanted to say to you." She looked
down. She was holding a cheque book and an envelope in her hand. "I'd written to you in case you
weren'taboutwhenIgotdown,tosayhowsorryIwasandImeanttoputinacheque,sothatyoucould
squareupwithpeople-butmypenranoutofink."

"We'llhavetomakealist."

"I have - as far as possible. But I don't know whether to try and buy new things or just to give the
money."

"I'llthinkitover.It'sdifficulttosayoffhand."

"Oh,butdoletmewriteyouachequenow.I'dfeelsomuchbetter."

About to say uncompromisingly "Really? And why should you be allowed to make yourself feel
better?"Mrs.Hubbardreflectedthatsincethestudentswerealwaysshortofreadycash,thewholeaffair
would be more easily settled that way. It would also placate Geneviève who otherwise might make
troublewithMrs.Nicoletis(therewouldbetroubleenoughthereanyway.)

"Allright,"shesaid.Sheranhereyedownthelistofobjects."It'sdifficulttosayhowmuchoffhand-"
Celiasaideagerly,"Letmegiveyouachequeforwhatyouthinkroughlyandthenyoufindoutfrom
peopleandIcantakesomebackorgiveyoumore."

"Verywell."Mrs.Hubbardtentativelymentionedasumwhichgave,sheconsidered,amplemargin,and
Celiaagreedatonce.Sheopenedthechequebook.

"Ohbothermypen."Shewentovertotheshelveswhereoddsandendswerekeptbelongingtovarious
students. "There doesn't seem to be any ink here except Nigel's awful green. Oh, I'll use that. Nigel
won'tmind,ImustremembertogetanewbottleofinkwhenIgoout."

Shefilledthepenandcamebackandwroteoutthecheque.

GivingittoMrs.Hubbard,sheglancedatherwatch.

"Ishallbelate.I'dbetternotstopforbreakfast."

"Nowyou'dbetterhavesomething,Celia-evenifit'sonlyabitofbreadandbutter-nogoodgoingout
onanemptystomach.Yes,whatisit?"

Geronimo,theItalianmanservant,hadcomeintotheroomandwasmakingemphaticgestureswithhis
hands,hiswizenedmonkey-likefacescrewedupinacomicalgrimace.

"ThePadrona,shejustcomein.Shewanttoseeyou."Headded,withafinalgesture,"Sheplentymad."

"I'mcoming."

Mrs.HubbardlefttheroomwhileCeliahurriedlybeganhackingapieceofftheloaf.

Mrs.NicoletiswaswalkingupanddownherroominafairlygoodimitationofatigerattheZoonear
feedingtime.

"WhatisthisIhear?"sheburstout."Yousendforthepolice?Withoutawordtome?Whodoyouthink
youare?MyGod,whodoesthewomanthinksheis?"

"Ididnotsendforthepolice."

"Youarealiar."

"Nowthen,Mrs.Nicoletis,youcan'ttalktomelikethat."

"Ohno.Certainlynot!ItisIwhoamwrong,notyou.Alwaysme.Everythingyoudoisperfect.Police
inmyrespectableHostel."

"Itwouldn'tbethefirsttime,"saidMrs.Hubbard,recallingvariousunpleasantincidents.

"TherewasthatWestIndianstudentwhowaswantedforlivingonimmoralearningsandthenotorious
youngcommunistagitatorwhocamehereunderafalsename-and-"

"Ah!Youthrowthatinmyteeth?Isitmyfaultthatpeoplecomeheretomeandhaveforgedpapersand
arewantedtoassistthepoliceinmurdercases?AndyoureproachmeforwhatIhavesuffered!"

"I'mdoingnothingofthekind.Ionlypointoutthatitwouldn'tbeexactlyanoveltytohavethepolice
here.Idaresayit'sinevitablewithamixedlotofstudents.Butthefactisthatnoonehas'calledinthe
police.'Aprivatedetectivewithabigreputationhappenedtodinehereasmyguestlastnight.Hegavea
veryinterestingtalkoncriminologytothestudents."

"Asiftherewereanyneedtotalkaboutcriminologytoourstudents!Theyknowquiteenoughalready.
Enoughtostealanddestroyandsabotageastheylike!Andnothingisdoneaboutit-nothing!"

"Ihavedonesomethingaboutit."

"Yes, you have told this friend of yours all about our most intimate affairs. That is a gross breach of
confidence."

"Notatall.I'mresponsibleforrunningthisplace.I'mgladtotellyouthematterisnowclearedup.One
ofthestudentshasconfessedthatshehasbeenresponsibleformostofthesehappenings."

"Dirtylittlecat,"saidMrs.Nicoletis."Throwherintothestreet."

"Sheisreadytoleaveofherownaccordandsheismakingfullreparation."

"Whatisthegoodofthat?MybeautifulStudents'Homewillnowhaveabadname.Noonewillcome."

Mrs.Nicoletissatdownonthesofaandburstintotears.

"Nobodythinksofmyfeelings,"shesobbed."Itisabominable,thewayIamtreated.Ignored!Thrust
aside!IfIweretodietomorrow,whowouldcare?"

Wiselyleavingthisquestionunanswered,Mrs.Hubbardlefttheroom.

"MaytheAlmightygivemepatience,"saidMrs.Hubbardtoherselfandwentdowntothekitchento
interviewMaria.

Mariawassullenanduncooperative.Theword'police'hoveredunspokenintheair.

"It is I who will rather be accused. I and Geronimo - the povero. What justice can you expect in a
foreign land? No, I cannot cook the risotto as you suggest - they send the wrong rice. I make you
insteadthespaghetti."

"Wehadspaghettilastnight."

"Itdoesnotmatter.Inmycountryweeatthespaghettieveryday-everysingleday.Thepasta,itisgood
allthetime."

"Yes,butyou'reinEnglandnow."

"Verywellthen,Imakethestew.TheEnglishstew.YouwillnotlikeitbutImakeit-pale-palewith
theonionsboiledinmuchwaterinsteadofcookedintheoil-andpalemeatoncrackedbones."

MariaspokesomenacinglythatMrs.Hubbardfeltshewaslisteningtoanaccountofamurder.

"Oh,cookwhatyoulike,"shesaidangrilyandleftthekitchen.

Bysixo'clockthatevening,Mrs.Hubbardwasoncemoreherefficientselfagain.Shehadputnotesin
allthestudents'roomsaskingthemtocomeandseeherbeforedinner,andwhenthevarioussummonses
wereobeyed,sheexplainedthatCeliahadaskedhertoarrangematters.Theywereall,shethought,very
nice about it. Even Geneviève, softened by a generous estimate of the value of her compact, said
cheerfullythatallwouldbesansrancuneandaddedwithawiseair,"Oneknowsthatthesecrisesofthe
nervesoccur.Sheisrich,thisCelia,shedoesnotneedtosteal.No,itisastorminherhead.M.McNabb
isrightthere."

LenBatesondrewMrs.Hubbardasideasshecamedownwhenthedinnerbellrang.

"I'llwaitforCeliaoutinthehall,"hesaid,"andbringherin.Sothatsheseesit'sallright."

"That'sveryniceofyou,Len."

"That'sO.K.,Ma."

Induecourse,assoupwasbeingpassedround,Len'svoicewasheardboomingfromthehall.

"Comealongin,Celia.Allfriendshere."

Nigelremarkedwaspishlytohissoupplate,

"Donehisgooddeedfortheday!"butotherwisecontrolledhistongueandwavedahandofgreetingto
CeliaasshecameinwithLen'slargearmpassedroundhershoulders.

TherewasageneraloutburstofcheerfulconversationonvarioustopicsandCeliawasappealedtoby
oneandtheother.

Almostinevitablythismanifestationofgoodwilldiedawayintoadoubtfulsilence.ItwasthenthatMr.
AkibomboturnedabeamingfacetowardsCeliaandleaningacrossthetablesaid:

"TheyhaveexplainedmenowallthatIdidnotunderstand.Youverycleveratstealthings.Longtime
nobodyknow.Veryclever."

AtthispointSallyFinch,gaspingout,"Akibombo,you'llbethedeathofme,"hadsuchaseverechoke
thatshehadtogooutinthehalltorecover.Andthelaughterbrokeoutinathoroughlynaturalfashion.

ColinMcNabbcameinlate.Heseemedreservedandevenmoreuncommunicativethanusual.Atthe
closeofthemealandbeforetheothershadfinishedhegotupandsaidinanembarrassedmumble,

"Got to go out and see someone. Like to tell you all first Celia and I - hope to get married next year
whenI'vedonemycourse."

Thepictureofblushingmisery,hereceivedthecongratulationsandjeeringcat-callsofhisfriendsand
finallyescaped,lookingterriblysheepish.

Celia,ontheotherside,waspinkandcomposed.

"AnothergoodmangoneWest,"sighedLenBateson.

"I'msoglad,Celia,"saidPatricia."Ihopeyou'llbeveryhappy."

"Everythinginthegardenisnowperfect,"saidNigel."Tomorrowwe'llbringsomechiantiinanddrink
yourhealth.WhyisourdearJeanlookingsograve?Doyoudisapproveofmarriage,Jean?"

"Ofcoursenot,Nigel."

"Ialwaysthinkit'ssomuchbetterthanFreeLove,don'tyou?Nicerforthechildren.Looksbetteron
theirpassports."

"But the mother should not be too young," said Geneviève. "They tell one that in the Physiology
classes."

"Really,dear,"saidNigel,"you'renotsuggestingthatCelia'sbelowtheageofconsentoranythinglike
that,areyou?She'sfree,white,andtwenty-one."

"That,"saidMr.ChandraLal,"isamostoffensiveremark."

"No,no,Mr.ChandraLal,"saidPatricia."It'sjusta-akindofidiom.Itdoesn'tmeananything."

"Idonotunderstand,"saidMr.Akibombo."Ifathingdoesnotmeananything,whyshoulditbesaid?"

ElizabethJohnstonsaidsuddenly,raisinghervoicealittle,

"Thingsaresometimessaidthatdonotseemtomeananythingbuttheymeanagooddeal.No,itisnot
your American quotation I mean. I am talking of something else." She looked round the table. "I am
talkingofwhathappenedyesterday."

Valèriesaidsharply,

"What'sup,Bess?"

"Oh,please,"saidCelia."Ithink-Ireallydo-thatbytomorroweverythingwillbeclearedup.Ireally
meanit.Theinkonyourpapers,andthatsillybusinessoftherucksack.Andif-ifthepersonownsup,
likeI'vedone,theneverythingwillbeclearedup."

Shespokeearnestly,withaflushedface,andoneortwopeoplelookedathercuriously.

Valèriesaidwithashortlaugh,

"Andwe'llalllivehappyeverafterwards."

ThentheygotupandwentintotheCommonRoom.

There was quite a little competition to give Celia her coffee. Then the wireless was turned on, some
studentslefttokeepappointmentsortoworkandfinallytheinhabitantsof24and26HickoryRoadgot
tobed.

Ithadbeen,Mrs.Hubbardreflected,assheclimbedgratefullybetweenthesheets,alongwearyingday.

"Butthankgoodness,"shesaidtoherself."It'sallovernow."

Chapter7

MissLemonwasseldom,ifever,unpunctual.Fog,storm,epidemicsofflu,transportbreakdowns-none
of these things seemed to affect that remarkable woman. But this morning Miss Lemon arrived,
breathless,atfiveminutespastteninsteadofonthestrokeofteno'clock.Shewasprofuselyapologetic
andforher,quiteruffled.

"I'm extremely sorry, Mr. Poirot - really extremely sorry. I was just about to leave the flat when my
sisterrangup."

"Ah,sheisingoodhealthandspirits,Itrust?"

"Well,franklyno."

Poirotlookedinquiring.

"Infact,she'sverydistressed.Oneofthestudentshascommittedsuicide."

Poirotstaredather.Hemutteredsomethingsoftlyunderhisbreath.

"Ibegyourpardon,Mr.Poirot?"

"Whatisthenameofthestudent?"

"AgirlcalledCeliaAustin."

"How?"

"Theythinkshetookmorphia."

"Couldithavebeenanaccident?"

"Ohno.Sheleftanote,itseems."

Poirot said softly, "It was not this I expected, no, it was not this... and yet it is true, I expected
something."

HelookeduptofindMissLemonatattention,waitingwithpencilpoisedaboveherpad.

Hesighedandshookhishead.

"No,Iwillhandyouherethismorning'smail.Filethem,please,andanswerwhatyoucan.Me,Ishall
goroundtoHickoryRoad."

GeronimoletPoirotinandrecognizinghimasthehonouredguestoftwonightsbeforebecameatonce
volubleinasibilantconspirationalwhisper.

"Ah,Signor,itisyou.Wehaveherethetroublethebigtrouble.ThelittleSignorina,sheisdeadinher
bedthismorning.Firstthedoctorcome.Heshakehishead.NowcomesanInspectorofthePolice.He
isupstairswiththeSignoraandthePadrona.Whyshouldshewishtokillherself,thepoverina?When
lastnightallissogayandthebetrothmentismade?"

"Betrothment?"

"Si,si.ToMr.Colin-youknow,big,dark,alwayssmokethepipe."

"Iknow."

GeronimoopenedthedooroftheCommonRoomandintroducedPoirotintoitwitharedoublementof
theconspiratorialmanner.

"Youstayhere,yes?Presently,whenthepolicego,ItelltheSignorayouarehere.Thatisgood,yes?"

PoirotsaidthatitwasgoodandGeronimowithdrew.

Lefttohimself,Poirotwhohadnoscruplesofdelicacy,madeasminuteanexaminationaspossibleof

everythingintheroomwithspecialattentiontoeverythingbelongingtothestudents.Hisrewardswere
mediocre.Thestudentskeptmostoftheirbelongingsandpersonalpapersintheirbedrooms.

Upstairs, Mrs. Hubbard was sitting facing Inspector Sharpe who was asking questions in a soft
apologeticvoice.Hewasabig,confidentiallookingmanwithadeceptivelymildmanner.

"It'sveryawkwardanddistressingforyou,Iknow,"hesaidsoothingly."Butyousee,asDr.Coleshas
alreadytoldyou,therewillhavetobeaninquest,andwehavejusttogetthepictureright,sotospeak.
Nowthisgirlhadbeendistressedandunhappylately,yousay?"

"Yes."

"Loveaffair?"

"Notexactly."Mrs.Hubbardhesitated.

"You'd better tell me, you know," said Inspector Sharpe, persuasively. "As I say, we've got to get the
picture.Therewasareason,orshethoughttherewas,fortakingherownlife?Anypossibilitythatshe
mighthavebeenpregnant?"

"Itwasn'tthatkindofthingatall.Ihesitated,InspectorSharpe,simplybecausethechildhaddonesome
veryfoolishthingsandIhopeditneedn'tbenecessarytobringthemoutintheopen."

InspectorSharpecoughed.

"We have a good deal of discretion, and the Coroner is a man of wide experience. But we have to
know."

"Yes,ofcourse.Iwasbeingfoolish.Thetruthisthatforsometimepast,threemonthsormore,things
havebeendisappearing-smallthings,Imean-nothingveryimportant."

"Trinkets,youmean,finery,nylonstockingsandallthat?Money,too?"

"NomoneyasfarasIknow."

"Ah.Andthisgirlwasresponsible?"

"Yes.

"You'dcaughtheratit?"

"Notexactly.Thenightbeforelasta-er-afriendofminecametodine.AM.HerculePoirot-Idon't
knowifyouknowthename."

InspectorSharpehadlookedupfromhisnotebook.Hiseyeshadopenedratherwide.Ithappenedthat
hedidknowthename.

"M.HerculePoirot?"hesaid."Indeed?Nowthat'sveryinteresting."

"Hegaveusalittletalkafterdinnerandthesubjectofthesetheftscameup.Headvisedme,infrontof
themall,togotothepolice."

"Hedid,didhe?"

"Afterwards,Celiacamealongtomyroomandownedup.Shewasverydistressed."

"Anyquestionofprosecution?"

"No.Shewasgoingtomakegoodthelosses,andeveryonewasverynicetoheraboutit."

"Hadshebeenhardup?"

"No.ShehadanadequatelypaidjobasdispenseratSt.Catherine'sHospitalandhasalittlemoneyof
herown,Ibelieve.Shewasratherbetteroffthanmostofourstudents."

"Soshe'dnoneedtosteal-butdid,"saidtheInspector,writingitdown.

"It'skleptomania,Isuppose,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"That'sthelabelthat'sused.Ijustmeanoneofthepeoplethatdon'tneedtotakethings,butnevertheless
dotakethem."

"Iwonderifyou'rebeingalittleunfairtoher.Yousee,therewasayoungman."

"Andherattedonher?"

"Ohno.Quitethereverse.Hespokeverystronglyinherdefenceandasamatteroffactlastnight,after
supper,heannouncedthatthey'dbecomeengaged."

InspectorSharpe'seyebrowsmountedhisforeheadinasurprisedfashion.

"Andthenshegoesuptobedandtakesmorphia?That'srathersurprising,isn'tit?"

"Itis.Ican'tunderstandit."

Mrs.Hubbard'sfacewascreasedwithperplexityanddistress.

"Andyetthefactsareclearenough."Sharpenoddedtothesmalltornpieceofpaperthatlayonthetable
betweenthem.

DearMrs.Hubbard,(itran)Ireallyamsorry-andthisisthebestthingIcando.

"It'snotsigned,butyou'venodoubtit'sherhandwriting?"

Mrs.Hubbardspokeratheruncertainlyandfrownedasshelookedatthetornscrapofpaper.Whydid
shefeelsostronglythattherewassomethingwrongaboutit?

"There'soneclearfingerprintonitwhichisdefinitelyhers,"saidtheInspector."Themorphiawasina
smallbottlewiththelabelofSt.Catherine'sHospitalonitandyoutellmethatsheworksasadispenser
in St. Catherine's. She'd have access to the poison cupboard and that's where she probably got it.
Presumablyshebroughtithomewithheryesterdaywithsuicideinmind."

"Ireallycan'tbelieveit.Itdoesn'tseemrightsomehow.Shewassohappylastnight."

"Thenwemustsupposethatareactionsetinwhenshewentuptobed.Perhapsthere'smoreinherpast
thanyouknowabout.Perhapsshewasafraidofthatcomingout.Youthinkshewasverymuchinlove
withthisyoungman-what'shisname,bytheway?"

"ColinMcNabb.He'sdoingapostgraduatecourseatSt.Catherine's."

"Adoctor?Hm.AndatSt.Catherine's?"

"Celiawasverymuchinlovewithhim,moreIshouldsay,thanhewithher.He'saratherself-centered
youngman."

"Thenthat'sprobablytheexplanation.Shedidn'tfeelworthyofhim,orhadn'ttoldhimallsheoughtto
tellhim.Shewasquiteyoung,wasn'tshe?"

"Twenty-three."

"They'reidealisticatthatageandtheytakeloveaffairshard.Yes,that'sit,I'mafraid.Pity."

Herosetohisfeet."I'mafraidtheactualfactswillhavetocomeout,butwe'lldoallwecantogloss
things over. Thank you, Mrs. Hubbard. I've got all the information I need now. Her mother died two
yearsagoandtheonlyrelativeyouknowofisthiselderlyauntinYorkshire-we'llcommunicatewith
her."

HepickedupthesmalltornfragmentwithCelia'sagitatedwritingonit.

"There'ssomethingwrongaboutthat,"saidMrs.Hubbardsuddenly.

"Wrong?Inwhatway?"

"Idon'tknow.IfeelIoughttoknow.Ohdear."

"You'requitesureit'sherhandwriting?"

"Ohyes.It'snotthat."Mrs.Hubbardpressedherhandstohereyeballs.

"Ifeelsodreadfullystupidthismorning,"shesaidapologetically.

"It's all been very trying for you, I know," said the Inspector with gentle sympathy. "I don't think we
needtotroubleyoufurtheratthemoment,Mrs.Hubbard."

Inspector Sharpe opened the door and immediately fell over Geronimo who was pressed against the
dooroutside.

"Hullo,"saidInspectorSharpepleasantly."Listeningatdoors,eh?"

"No,no,"Geronimoansweredwithanairofvirtuousindignation."Idonotlisten-never,never!Iam
justcominginwithmessage."

"Isee.Whatmessage?"

Geronimosaidsulkily,

"OnlythatthereisgentlemandownstairstoseelaSignoraHubbard."

"Allright.Goalongin,sonny,andtellher."

He walked past Geronimo down the passage and then, taking a leaf out of the Italian's book, turned
sharply, and tiptoed noiselessly back. Might as well know if little monkey face had been telling the
truth.

HearrivedintimetohearGeronimosay,

"The gentleman who came to supper the other night, the gentleman with the moustaches, he is
downstairswaitingtoseeyou."

"Eh?What?"Mrs.Hubbardsoundedabstracted."Oh,thankyou,Geronimo.I'llbedowninaminuteor
two."

"Gentlemanwiththemoustaches,eh,"saidSharpetohimself,grinning."IbetIknowwhothatis."

HewentdownstairsandintotheCommonRoom.

"Hullo,Mr.Poirot,"hesaid."It'salongtimesincewemet."

Poirot rose without visible discomposure from a kneeling position by the bottom shelf near the
fireplace.

"Aha," he said. "But surely - yes, it is Inspector Sharpe, is it not? But you were not formerly in this
division?"

"Transferredtwoyearsago.RememberthatbusinessdownatCraysHill?"

"Ahyes.Thatisalongtimeagonow.Youarestillayoungman,Inspector."

"Gettingon,gettingon."

"AndIamanoldone.Alas!"Poirotsighed.

"Butstillactive,eh,Mr.Poirot.Activeincertainways,shallwesay?"

"Nowwhatdoyoumeanbythat?"

"ImeanthatI'dliketoknowwhyyoucamealongheretheothernighttogivealectureoncriminology
tostudents."

Poirotsmiled.

"Butthereissuchasimpleexplanation.Mrs.Hubbardhereisthesisterofmymuchvaluedsecretary,
MissLemon.Sowhensheaskedme-"

"Whensheaskedyoutolookintowhathadbeengoingonhere,youcamealong.That'sitreally,isn't
it?"

"Youarequitecorrect."

"Butwhy?That'swhatIwanttoknow.Whatwasthereinitforyou?"

"Tointerestme,youmean?"

"That'swhatImean.Here'sasillykidwho'sbeenpinchingafewthingshereandthere.Happensallthe
time.Rathersmallbeerforyou,Mr.Poirot,isn'tit?"

Poirotshookhishead.

"Whynot?Whatisn'tsimpleaboutit?"

"Itisnotsosimpleasthat."

Poirotsatdownonachair.Withaslightfrownhedustedthekneesofhistrousers.

"IwishIknew,"hesaidsimply.

Sharpefrowned.

"Idon'tunderstand,"hesaid.

"No,andIdonotunderstand.Thethingsthatweretaken-"heshookhishead."Theydidnotmakea
pattern-theydidnotmakesense.Itislikeseeingatrailoffootprintsandtheyarenotallmadebythe
samefeet.Thereis,quiteclearly,theprintofwhatyouhavecalled'asillykid'-butthereismorethan
that.OtherthingshappenedthatweremeanttofitinwiththepatternofCeliaAustin-buttheydidnot
fitin.Theyweremeaningless,apparentlypurposeless.Therewasevidence,too,ofmalice.AndCelia

wasnotmalicious."

"Shewasakleptomaniac?"

"Ishouldverymuchdoubtit."

"Justanordinarypettythief,then?"

"Notinthewayyoumean.Igiveittoyouasmyopinionthatallthispilferingofpettyobjectswasdone
toattracttheattentionofacertainyoungman."

"ColinMcNabb?"

"Yes.ShewasdesperatelyinlovewithColinMcNabb.Colinnevernoticedher.Insteadofanice,pretty,
well behaved young girl, she displayed herself as an interesting young criminal. The result was
successful.ColinMcNabbimmediatelyfellforher,astheysay,inabigway."

"Hemustbeacompletefool,then."

"Notatall.Heisakeenpsychologist."

"Oh,"InspectorSharpegroaned."Oneofthose!Iunderstandnow."

Afaintgrinshowedonhisface."Prettysmartofthegirl.""Surprisinglyso."

Poirotrepeated,musingly,"Yes,surprisinglyso."

InspectorSharpelookedalert.

"Meaningbythat,Mr.Poirot?"

"ThatIwondered-Istillwonder-iftheideahadbeensuggestedtoherbysomeoneelse?"

"Forwhatreason?"

"HowdoIknow?Altruism?Someulteriormotive?Oneisinthedark."

"Anyideasastowhoitmighthavebeenwhogaveherthetip?"

"No-unless-but-"

"Allthesame,"saidSharpe,pondering,"Idon'tquitegetit.Ifshe'sbeensimplytryingthiskleptomania
businesson,andit'ssucceeded,whythehellgoandcommitsuicide?"

"Theansweristhatsheshouldnothavecommittedsuicide."

Thetwomenlookedateachother.

Poirotmurmured:

"Youarequitesurethatshedid?"

"It'sclearasday,Mr.Poirot.There'snoreasontobelieveotherwiseand-"

The door opened and Mrs. Hubbard came in. She looked flushed and triumphant. Her chin stuck out
aggressively.

"I'vegotit,"shesaidtriumphantly.

"Goodmorning,Mr.Poirot.I'vegotit,InspectorSharpe.Itcametomequitesuddenly.Whythatsuicide
notelookedwrong,Imean.Celiacouldn'tpossiblyhavewrittenit."

"Whynot,Mrs.Hubbard?"

"Becauseit'swritteninordinaryblueblackink.AndCeliafilledherpenwithgreenink-thatinkover

there,"Mrs.Hubbardnoddedtowardstheshelf,"atbreakfast-timeyesterdaymorning."

Inspector Sharpe, a somewhat different Inspector Sharpe, came back into the room which he had left
abruptlyafterMrs.Hubbard'sstatement.

"Quiteright,"hesaid."I'vecheckedup.Theonlypeninthegirl'sroom,theonethatwasbyherbed,has
greeninkinit.Nowthatgreenink-"

Mrs.Hubbardheldupthenearlyemptybottle.

Thensheexplained,clearlyandconcisely,thesceneatthebreakfasttable.

"I feel sure," she ended, "that the scrap of paper was torn out of the letter she had written to me
yesterday-andwhichIneveropened."

"Whatdidshedowithit?Canyouremember?"

Mrs.Hubbardshookherhead.

"I left her alone in here and went to do my housekeeping. She must, I think, have left it lying
somewhereinhere,andforgottenaboutit."

"Andsomebodyfoundit...andopeneditsomebody-"

Hebrokeoff.

"You realize," he said, "what this means? I haven't been very happy about this torn bit of paper all
along. There was quite a pile of lecture notepaper in her room, much more natural to write a suicide
noteononeofthem.Thismeansthatsomebodysawthepossibilityofusingtheopeningphraseofher
lettertoyou-tosuggestsomethingverydifferent.Tosuggestsuicide-"

Hepausedandthensaidslowly,"Thismeans-"

"Murder,"saidHerculePoirot.

Chapter8

Though personally deprecating the five o'clock as inhibiting the proper appreciation of the supreme
mealoftheday,dinner,Poirotwasnowgettingquiteaccustomedtoservingit.

TheresourcefulGeorgehadonthisoccasionproducedlargecups,apotofreallystrongIndianteaand,
inadditiontothehotandbutterysquarecrumpets,breadandjamandalargesquareofrichplumcake.

AllthisforthedelectationofInspectorSharpewhowasleaningbackcontentedlysippinghisthirdcup
oftea.

"Youdon'tmindmycomingalonglikethis,M.Poirot?I'vegotanhourtospareuntilthetimewhenthe
students will be getting back. I shall want to question them all and, frankly, it's not a business I'm
looking forward to. You met some of them the other night and I wondered if you could give me any
usefuldope,ontheforeigners,anyway."

"YouthinkIamagoodjudgeofforeigners?But,moncher,therewerenoBelgiansamongstthem."

"NoBelg-Oh,Iseewhatyoumean!Youmeanthatasyou'reaBelgian,alltheothernationalitiesareas
foreigntoyouastheyaretome.Butthat'snotquitetrue,isit?Imeanyouprobablyknowmoreabout
theContinentaltypesthanIdo-thoughnottheIndiansandtheWestAfricansandthatlot."

"Your best assistance will probably be from Mrs. Hubbard. She has been there for some months in
intimateassociationwiththeseyoungpeopleandsheisquiteagoodjudgeofhumannature."

"Yes,thoroughlycompetentwoman.I'mrelyingonher.Ishallhavetoseetheproprietressoftheplace,
too.Shewasn'ttherethismorning.Ownsseveraloftheseplaces,Iunderstand,aswellassomeofthe
studentclubs.Doesn'tseemtobemuchliked."

Poirotsaidnothingforamomentortwo,thenheasked,

"YouhavebeentoSt.Catherine's?"

"Yes.TheChiefPharmacistwasmosthelpful.Hewasmuchshockedanddistressedbythenews."

"Whatdidhesayofthegirl?"

"She'dworkedthereforjustoverayearandwaswellliked.Hedescribedherasratherslow,butvery
conscientious."Hepausedandthenadded,"Themorphiacamefromthereallright."

"Itdid?Thatisinteresting-andratherpuzzling."

"It was morphine tartrate. Kept in the poison cupboard in the Dispensary. Upper shelf - among drugs
thatwerenotoftenused.Thehypodermictablets,ofcourse,arewhatareingeneraluse,anditappears
thatmorphinehydrochlorideismoreoftenusedthanthetartrate.Thereseemstobeakindoffashionin
drugs like everything else. Doctors seem to follow one another in prescribing like a lot of sheep. He
didn'tsaythat.Itwasmyownthought.Therearesomedrugsintheuppershelfofthatcupboardthat
wereoncepopular,buthaven'tbeenprescribedforyears."

"Sotheabsenceofonesmalldustyphialwouldnotimmediatelybenoticed?"

"That's right. Stock-taking is only done at regular intervals. Nobody remembers any prescription with
morphinetartrateinitforalongtime.Theabsenceofthebottlewouldn'tbenoticeduntilitwaswanted
- or until they went over stock. The three dispensers all had keys of the poison cupboard and the
Dangerous Drug cupboard. The cupboards are opened as needed, and as on a busy day (which is
practicallyeveryday)someoneisgoingtothecupboardeveryfewminutes,thecupboardisunlocked
andremainsunlockedtilltheendofwork."

"Whohadaccesstoit,otherthanCeliaherself?"

"ThetwootherwomenDispensers,buttheyhavenoconnectionofanykindwithHickoryRoad.One
has been there for four years, the other only came a few weeks ago, was formerly at a Hospital in
Devon.Goodrecord.ThentherearethethreeseniorpharmacistswhohaveallbeenatSt.Catherine's
for years. Those are the people who have what you might call rightful and normal access to the
cupboard. Then there's an old woman who scrubs the floors. She's there between nine and ten in the
morning and she could have grabbed a bottle out of the cupboard if the girls were busy at the
outpatients'hatches,orattendingtothewardbaskets,butshe'sbeenworkingfortheHospitalforyears
anditseemsveryunlikely.Thelabattendantcomesthroughwithstockbottlesandhe,too,couldhelp
himselftoabottleifhewatchedhisopportunity-butnoneofthesesuggestionsseematallprobable."

"WhatoutsiderscomeintotheDispensary?"

"Quite a lot, one way or another. They'd pass through the Dispensary to go to the Chief Pharmacist's
office, for instance - or travellers from the big wholesale drug houses would go through it to the
manufacturingdepartments,Then,ofcourse,friendscomeinoccasionallytoseeoneofthedispensers-
notausualthing,butithappens."

"Thatisbetter.WhocameinrecentlytoseeCeliaAustin?"

Sharpeconsultedhisnotebook.

"AgirlcalledPatriciaLanecameinonTuesdayoflastweek.ShewantedCeliatocometomeetherat
thepicturesaftertheDispensaryclosed."

"PatriciaLane,"saidPoirotthoughtfully.

"Shewasonlythereaboutfiveminutesandshedidnotgonearthepoisoncupboardbutremainednear
theOutpatientswindowstalkingtoCeliaandanothergirl.Theyalsorememberacolouredgirlcoming
two weeks ago - a very superior girl, they said. She was interested in the work and asked questions
aboutitandmadenotes.SpokeperfectEnglish."

"ThatwouldbeElizabethJohnston.Shewasinterested,wasshe?"

"It was a Welfare Clinic afternoon. She was interested in the organisation of such things and also in
whatwasprescribedforsuchailmentsasinfantdiarrhoeaandskininfections."

Poirotnodded.

"Anyoneelse?"

"Notthatcanberemembered."

"DodoctorscometotheDispensary?"

Sharpegrinned.

"Allthetime.Officiallyandunofficially.Sometimestoaskaboutaparticularformula,ortoseewhatis
keptinstock."

"Toseewhatiskeptinstock?"

"Yes,Ithoughtofthat.Sometimestheyaskadviceforasubstituteforsomepreparationthatseemsto
irritateapatient'sskinorinterferewithdigestionunduly.Sometimesaphysicianjuststrollsinforachat
ataslackmoment.Agoodmanyoftheyoungchapscomeinforveganinoraspirinwhenthey'vegota
hangover-andoccasionally,I'dsay,foraflirtatiouswordortwowithoneofthegirlsiftheopportunity
arises.Humannatureisalwayshumannature.Youseehowitis.Prettyhopeless."

Poirot said, "And if I recollect rightly, one or more of the students at Hickory Road is attached to St.
Catherine's-abigred-hairedboy-Bates-Bateman-"

"LeonardBateson.That'sright.AndColinMcNabbisdoingapostgraduatecoursethere.Thenthere'sa
girl,JeanTomlinson,whoworksinthephysiotherapydepartment."

"AndallofthesehaveprobablybeenquiteoftenintheDispensary?"

"Yes,andwhat'smore,nobodyrememberswhenbecausethey'reusedtoseeingthemandknowthemby
sight.JeanTomlinsonwasbywayofbeingafriendoftheseniorDispenser-"

"Itisnoteasy,"saidPoirot.

"I'llsayit'snot!Yousee,anyonewhowasonthestaffcouldtakealookinthepoisoncupboard,say,
'WhyonearthdoyouhavesomuchLiquorArsenicalis'orsomethinglikethat.'Didn'tknowanybody
useditnowadays.'Andnobodywouldthinktwiceaboutitorrememberit."

Sharpepausedandthensaid:

"What we are postulating is that someone gave Celia Austin morphia and afterwards put the morphia
bottleandthetornoutfragmentofletterinherroomtomakeitlooklikesuicide.Butwhy,Mr.Poirot,
why?"

Poirotshookhishead.Sharpewenton:

"YouhintedthismorningthatsomeonemighthavesuggestedthekleptomaniaideatoCeliaAustin."

Poirotmoveduneasily.

"Thatwasonlyavagueideaofmine.Itwasjustthatitseemeddoubtfulifshewouldhavehadthewits
tothinkofitherself."

"Thenwho?"

"As far as I know, only three of the students would have been capable of thinking out such an idea.
Leonard Bateson would have had the requisite knowledge. He is aware of Colin's enthusiasm for
'maladjustedpersonalities.'HemighthavesuggestedsomethingofthekindtoCeliamoreorlessasa
jokeandcoachedherinherpart.ButIcannotreallyseehimconnivingatsuchathingformonthafter
month-unless,thatis,hehadanulteriormotive,orisaverydifferentpersonfromwhatheappearsto
be.(thatisalwaysathingonemusttakeintoaccount.)NigelChapmanhasamischievousandslightly
maliciousturnofmind.He'dthinkitgoodfun,andIshouldimagine,wouldhavenoscrupleswhatever.
He is a kind of grown up 'enfant terrible." The third person I have in mind is a young woman called
ValèrieHobhouse.Shehasbrains,ismoderninoutlookandeducation,andhasprobablyreadenough
psychologytojudgeColin'sprobablereaction.IfshewerefondofCelia,shemightthinkitlegitimate
funtomakeafoolofColin."

"LeonardBateson,NigelChapman,ValèrieHobhouse,"saidSharpewritingdownthenames."Thanks
forthetip.I'llrememberwhenI'mquestioningthem.WhatabouttheIndians?Oneofthemisamedical
student,too."

"Hismindisentirelyoccupiedwithpoliticsandpersecutionmania,"saidPoirot."Idon'tthinkhewould
beinterestedenoughtosuggestkleptomaniatoCeliaAustinandIdon'tthinkshewouldhaveaccepted
suchadvicefromhim."

"Andthat'sallthehelpyoucangiveme,Mr.Poirot?"saidSharpe,risingtohisfeetandbuttoningaway
hisnotebook.

"Ifearso.ButIconsidermyselfpersonallyinterested-thatisifyou,donotobject,myfriend?"

"Notintheleast.WhyshouldI?"

"InmyownamateurishwayIshalldowhatIcan.Forme,thereis,Ithink,onlyonelineofaction."

"Andthatis?"

Poirotsighed.

"Conversation, my friend. Conversation and again conversation! All the murderers I have ever come
acrossenjoyedtalking.Inmyopinionthestrongsilentmanseldomcommitsacrime-andifhedoesit
issimple,violentandperfectlyobvious.Butourcleversubtlemurderer-heissopleasedwithhimself
thatsoonerorlaterhesayssomethingunfortunateandtripshimselfup.Talktothesepeople,moncher,
donotconfineyourselftosimpleinterrogation.Encouragetheirviews,demandtheirhelp,inquireabout
theirhunches-but,bonDieu!Idonotneedtoteachyouyourbusiness.Irememberyourabilitieswell
enough."

Sharpesmiledgently.

"Yes,"hesaid,"I'vealwaysfound-well-amiability-agreathelp."

Thetwomensmiledateachotherinmutualaccord.

Sharperosetodepart.

"Isupposeeverysingleoneofthemisapossiblemurderer,"hesaidslowly.

"Ishouldthinkso,"saidPoirotnonchalantly.

"LeonardBateson,forinstance,hasatemper.Hecouldlosecontrol.ValèrieHobhousehasbrainsand
could plan cleverly. Nigel Chapman is the childish type that lacks proportion. There is a French girl
there who might kill if enough money were involved. Patricia Lane is a maternal type and maternal
types are always ruthless. The American girl, Sally Finch, is cheerful and gay, but she could play an
assumedpartbetterthanmost.JeanTomlinsonisveryfullofsweetnessandrighteousness,butwehave
all known killers who attended Sunday school with sincere devotion. The West Indian girl Elizabeth
JohnstonhasprobablythebestbrainsofanyoneintheHostel.Shehassubordinatedheremotionallife
toherbrain-thatisdangerous.ThereisacharmingyoungAfricanwhomighthavemotivesforkilling
aboutwhichwecouldneverguess.WehaveColinMcNabb,thepsychologist.Howmanypsychologists
doesoneknowtowhomitmightbesaid,Physician,healthyself?"

"Forheaven'ssake,Poirot.Youaremakingmyheadspin!Isnobodyincapableofmurder?"

"Ihaveoftenwondered,"saidHerculePoirot.

Chapter9

InspectorSharpesighed,leanedbackinhischairandrubbedhisforeheadwithahandkerchief.Hehad
interviewedanindignantandtearfulFrenchgirl,asuperciliousanduncooperativeyoungFrenchman,a
stolid and suspicious Dutchman, a voluble and aggressive Egyptian. He had exchanged a few brief
remarks with two nervous young Turkish students who did not really understand what he was saying
andthesamewentforacharmingyoungIraqi.Noneofthese,hewasprettycertain,hadhadanythingto
do,orcouldhelphiminanyway,withthedeathofCeliaAustin.Hehaddismissedthemonebyone
withafewreassuringwordsandwasnowpreparingtodothesametoMr.Akibombo.

TheyoungWestAfricanlookedathimwithsmilingwhiteteethandchildlikeratherplaintiveeyes.

"Ishouldliketohelp-yes-please,"hesaid."Sheisverynicetome,thisMissCelia.Shegivemeonce
a box of Edinburgh rock - very nice confection which I do not know before. It seems very sad she
should be killed. Is it blood feud, perhaps? Or is it perhaps fathers or uncles who come and kill her
becausetheyhaveheardfalsestoriesthatshedowrongthings?"

InspectorSharpeassuredhimthatnoneofthesethingswereremotelypossible.Theyoungmanshook
hisheadsadly.

"ThenIdonotknowwhyithappened,"hesaid."Idonotseewhyanybodyhereshouldwanttodoharm
toher.Butyougivemepieceofherhairandnailclippings,"hecontinued,"andIseeifIfindoutbyold
method.Notscientific,notmodern,butverymuchinusewhereIcomefrom."

"Well,thankyou,Mr.Akibombo,butIdon'tthinkthatwillbenecessary.We-er-don'tdothingsthat
wayoverhere."

"No,sir,Iquiteunderstand.Notmodern.NotAtomicAge.Notdoneathomenowbynewpolicemen-
only old men from bush. I am sure all new methods very superior and sure to achieve complete
success."Mr.Akibombobowedpolitelyandremovedhimself.InspectorSharpemurmuredtohimself,

"Isincerelyhopewedomeetwithsuccess-ifonlytomaintainprestige."

HisnextinterviewwaswithNigelChapman,whowasinclinedtotaketheconductoftheconversation
intohisownhands.

"Thisisanabsolutelyextraordinarybusiness,isn'tit?"hesaid."Mindyou,Ihadanideathatyouwere
barkingupthewrongtreewhenyouinsistedonsuicide.Imustsay,it'srathergratifyingtometothink
thatthewholethinghinges,really,onherhavingfilledherfountainpenwithmygreenink.Justtheone
thingthemurderercouldn'tpossiblyforesee.Isupposeyou'vegivendueconsiderationastowhatcan
possiblybethemotiveforthiscrime?"

"I'maskingthequestions,Mr.Chapman,"saidInspectorSharpedrily.

"Oh,ofcourse,ofcourse,"saidNigel,airilywavingahand."Iwastryingtomakeabitofashortcutof
it, that was all. But I suppose we've got to go through with all the red tape as usual. Name, Nigel
Chapman.Age,twenty-five.Born,Ibelieve,inNagasaki-itreallyseemsamostridiculousplace.What
myfatherandmotherweredoingthereatthetimeIcan'timagine.Onaworldtour,Isuppose.However,
itdoesn'tmakemenecessarilyaJapanese,Iunderstand.I'mtalkingadiplomaatLondonUniversityin
BronzeAgeandMediaevalHistory.Anythingelseyouwanttoknow?"

"Whatisyourhomeaddress,Mr.Chapman?"

"Nohomeaddress,mydearsir.Ihaveapapa,butheandIhavequarrelled,andhisaddressistherefore
nolongermine.So26HickoryRoadandCouttsBank,LeadenhallStreetBranch,willalwaysfindme
asonesaystotravellingacquaintanceswhomyouhopeyouwillnevermeetagain."

InspectorSharpedisplayednoreactiontowardsNigel'sairyimpertinence.Hehadmet"Nigels"before
andshrewdlysuspectedthatNigel'simpertinencemaskedanaturalnervousnessofbeingquestionedin
connectionwithmurder.

"HowwelldidyouknowCeliaAustin?"heasked.

"That'sreallyquiteadifficultquestion.Iknewherverywellinthesenseofseeingherpracticallyevery
day,andbeingonquitecheerfultermswithher,butactuallyIdidn'tknowheratall.Ofcourse,Iwasn't
intheleastbitinterestedinherandIthinksheprobablydisapprovedofme,ifanything."

"Didshedisapproveofyouforanyparticularreason?"

"Well,shedidn'tlikemysenseofhumourverymuch.Then,ofcourse,Iwasn'toneofthosebrooding,
rudeyoungmenlikeColinMcNabb.Thatkindofrudenessisreallytheperfecttechniqueforattracting
women."

"WhenwasthelasttimeyousawCeliaAustin?"

"Atdinneryesterdayevening.We'dallgivenherthebighand,youknow.Colinbadgotupandhemmed
andhahedandfinallyadmitted,inacoyandbashfulway,thattheywereengaged.Thenweallragged
himabit,andthatwasthat."

"WasthatatdinnerorintheCommonRoom?"

"Oh,atdinner.Afterwards,whenwewentintotheCommonRoom,Colinwentoffsomewhere."

"AndtherestofyouhadcoffeeintheCommonRoom."

"Ifyoucallthefluidtheyservecoffee-yes,"saidNigel.

"DidCeliaAustinhavecoffee?"

"Well,Isupposeso.Imean,Ididn'tactuallynoticeherhavingcoffee,butshemusthavehadit."

"Youdidnotpersonallyhandherhercoffee,forinstance?"

"Howhorriblysuggestiveallthisis!Whenyousaidthatandlookedatmeinthatsearchingway,d'you
know I felt quite certain that I had handed Celia her coffee and had filled it up with strychnine, or
whateveritwas.Hypnoticsuggestion,Isuppose,butactually,Mr.Sharpe,Ididn'tgonearher-andto
befrank,Ididn'tevennoticeherdrinkingcoffee,andIcanassureyou,whetheryoubelievemeornot,
that I have never had any passion for Celia myself and that the announcement of her engagement to
ColinMcNabbarousednofeelingsofmurderousrevengeinme."

"I'm not really suggesting anything of the kind, Mr. Chapman," said Sharpe mildly. "Unless I'm very
much mistaken, there's no particular love angle to this, but somebody wanted Celia Austin out of the
way.Why?"

"I simply can't imagine why, Inspector. It's really most intriguing because Celia was really a most
harmlesskindofgirl,ifyouknowwhatImean.Slowontheuptake,abitofabore;thoroughlynice;
andabsolutely,Ishouldsay,notthekindofgirltogetherselfmurdered."

"WereyousurprisedwhenyoufoundthatitwasCeliaAustinwhohadbeenresponsibleforthevarious
disappearances,thefts,etcetera,inthisplace?"

"My dear man, you could have knocked me over with a feather! Most uncharacteristic, that's what I
thought."

"Youdidn't,perhaps,putheruptodoingthesethings?"

Nigel'sstareofsurpriseseemedquitegenuine.

"I?Putheruptoit?WhyshouldI?"

"Well,thatwouldberatherthequestion,wouldn'tit?Somepeoplehaveafunnysenseofhumour."

"Well,really,Imaybedense,butIcan'tseeanythingamusingaboutallthissillypilferingthat'sbeen
goingon."

"Notyourideaofajoke?"

"It never occurred to me it was meant to be funny. Surely, Inspector, the thefts were purely
psychological?"

"YoudefinitelyconsiderthatCeliaAustinwasakleptomaniac?"

"Butsurelytherecan'tbeanyotherexplanation,Inspector?"

"Perhapsyoudon'tknowasmuchaboutkleptomaniacsasIdo,Mr.Chapman."

"Well,Ireallycan'tthinkofanyotherexplanation."

"Youdon'tthinkit'spossiblethatsomeonemighthaveputMissAustinuptoallthisasameansofsay-
arousingMr.McNabb'sinterestinher?"

Nigel'seyesglistenedwithappreciativemalice.

"Nowthatreallyisamostdivertingexplanation,Inspector,"hesaid."Youknow,whenIthinkofit,it's
perfectlypossibleandofcourseoldColinwouldswallowit,line,hookandsinker."

Nigelsavouredthiswithmuchgleeforasecondortwo.Thenheshookhisheadsadly.

"ButCeliawouldn'thaveplayed,"hesaid."Shewasaseriousgirl.She'dneverhavemadefunofColin.
Shewassoppyabouthim."

"You'venotheoryofyourown,Mr.Chapman,aboutthethingsthathavebeengoingoninthishouse?
About,forinstance,thespillingofinkoverMissJohnston'spapers?"

"Ifyou'rethinkingIdidit,InspectorSharpe,that'squiteuntrue.Ofcourse,itlookslikemebecauseof
thegreenink,butifyouaskme,thatwasjustspite."

"Whatwasspite?"

"Usingmyink.Somebodydeliberatelyusedmyinktomakeitlooklikeme.There'salotofspiteabout
here,Inspector."

TheInspectorlookedathimsharply.

"Nowwhatexactlydoyoumeanbyalotofspiteabout?"

ButNigelimmediatelydrewbackintohisshellandbecamenoncommittal.

"I didn't mean anything really - just that when a lot of people are cooped up together, they get rather
petty."

ThenextpersononInspectorSharpe'slistwasLeonardBateson.LenBatesonwasevenlessateasethan
Nigel,thoughitshowedinadifferentway.Hewassuspiciousandtruculent.

"All right!" he burst out, after the first routine enquiries were concluded. "I poured out Celia's coffee
andgaveittoher.Sowhat?"

"Yougaveherherafter-dinnercoffee-isthatwhatyou'resaying,Mr.Bateson?"

"Yes.Atleast,Ifilledthecupupfromtheurnandputitdownbesideherandyoucanbelieveitornot,
buttherewasnomorphiainit."

"Yousawherdrinkit?"

"No, I didn't actually see her drink it. We were all moving around and I got into an argument with
someonejustafterthat.Ididn'tnoticewhenshedrankit.Therewereotherpeoplearoundher."

"Isee.Infact,whatyouaresayingisthatanybodycouldhavedroppedmorphiaintohercoffeecup?"

"Youtryandputanythinginanyone'scup!Everybodywouldseeyou."

"Notnecessarily,"saidSharpe.

Lenburstoutaggressively,

"WhatthehelldoyouthinkIwantedtopoisonthekidfor?I'dnothingagainsther."

"I'venotsuggestedthatyoudidwanttopoisonher."

"Shetookthestuffherself.Shemusthavetakenitherself.There'snootherexplanation."

"Wemightthinkso,ifitweren'tforthatfakedsuicidenote."

"Fakedmyhat!Shewroteit,didn'tshe?"

"Shewroteitaspartofaletter,earlythatmorning."

"Well-shecouldhavetornabitoutanduseditasasuicidenote."

"Comenow,Mr.Bateson.Ifyouwantedtowriteasuicidenote,you'dwriteone.Youwouldn'ttakea
letteryou'dwrittentosomebodyelseandcarefullytearoutoneparticularphrase."

"Imightdo.Peopledoallsortsoffunnythings."

"Inthatcase,whereistherestoftheletter?"

"HowshouldIknow?That'syourbusiness,notmine."

"I'mmakingitmybusiness.You'dbewelladvised,Mr.Bateson,toanswermyquestionscivilly."

"Well,whatdoyouwanttoknow?Ididn'tkillthegirl,andI'dnomotiveforkillingher."

"Youlikedher?"

Lensaidlessaggressively:

"Ilikedherverymuch.Shewasanicekid.Abitdumb,butnice."

"You believed her when she owned up to having committed the thefts which had been worrying
everyoneforsometimepast?"

"Well,Ibelievedher,ofcourse,sinceshesaidso.ButImustsayitseemedodd."

"Youdidn'tthinkitwasalikelythingforhertodo?"

"Well,no.Notreally."

Leonard'struculencehadsubsidednowthathewasnolongeronthedefensiveandwasgivinghismind
toaproblemwhichobviouslyintriguedhim.

"She didn't seem to be the type of a kleptomaniac, if you know what I mean," he said. "Nor a thief
either."

"Andyoucan'tthinkofanyotherreasonforherhavingdonewhatshedid?"

"Otherreason?Whatotherreasoncouldtherebe?"

"Well,shemighthavewantedtoarousetheinterestofMr.ColinMcNabb."

"That'sabitfar-fetched,isn'tit?"

"Butitdidarousehisinterest."

"Yes,ofcourseitdid.OldColin'sabsolutelydeadkeenonanykindofpsychologicalabnormality."

"Well,then.IfCeliaAustinknewthat..."

Lenshookhishead.

"You'rewrongthere.Shewouldn'thavebeencapableofthinkingathinglikethatout.Ofplanningit,I
mean.Shehadn'tgottheknowledge."

"You'vegottheknowledge,though,haven'tyou?"

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"Imeanthat,outofapurelykindlyintention,youmighthavesuggestedsomethingofthekindtoher."

Lengaveashortlaugh.

"ThinkI'ddosomedamfoolthinglikethat?You'recrazy."

TheInspectorshiftedround.

"Do you think that Celia Austin spilled the ink over Elizabeth Johnston's papers or do you think
someoneelsedidit?"

"Someone else. Celia said she didn't do that and I believe her. Celia never got riled by Bess; not like
someotherpeopledid."

"Whogotriledbyher-andwhy?"

"She ticked people off, you know." Len thought about it for a moment or two. "Anyone who made a
rashstatement.She'dlookacrossthetableandshe'dsay,inthatprecisewayofhers,"I'mafraidthatis
notborneoutbythefacts.Ithasbeenwellestablishedbystatisticsthat-Somethingofthatkind.Well,
itwasriling,youknow,speciallytopeoplewholikemakingrashstatements,likeNigelChapmanfor
instance."

"Ahyes.NigelChapman."

"Anditwasgreenink,too."

"SoyouthinkitwasNigelwhodidit?"

"Well,it'spossible,atleast.He'saspitefulsortofcove,youknow,andIthinkhemighthaveabitof
racialfeeling.Abouttheonlyoneofuswhohas."

"Can you think of anybody else who Miss Johnston annoyed with her exactitude and her habit of
correction?"

"Well, Colin McNabb wasn't too pleased, now and again, and she got Jean Tomlinson's goat once or
twice."

SharpeaskedafewmoredesultoryquestionsbutLenBatesonhadnothingusefultoadd.NextSharpe
sawValèrieHobhouse.

Valèrie was cool, elegant and wary. She displayed much less nervousness than either of the men had
done.ShehadbeenfondofCelia,shesaid.

Celia was not particularly bright and it was rather pathetic the way she had set her heart on Colin
McNabb.

"Doyouthinkshewasakleptomaniac,MissHobhouse?"

"Well,Isupposeso.Idon'treallyknowmuchaboutthesubject."

"Doyouthinkanyonehadputheruptodoingwhatshedid?"

Valèrieshruggedhershoulders.

"YoumeaninordertoattractthatpompousassColin?"

"You'reveryquickonthepoint,MissHobhouse.Yes,that'swhatImean.Youdidn'tsuggestittoher
yourself,Isuppose?"

Valèrielookedamused.

"Well,hardly,mydearman,consideringthataparticularfavouritescarfofminewascuttoribbons.I'm
notsoaltruisticasthat."

"Doyouthinkanybodyelsesuggestedittoher?"

"Ishouldhardlythinkso.Ishouldsayitwasjustnaturalonherpart."

"Whatdoyoumeanbynatural?"

"Well,IfirsthadasuspicionthatitwasCeliawhenallthefusshappenedaboutSally'sshoe.Celiawas
jealous of Sally. Sally Finch, I'm talking about. She's far and away the most attractive girl here and
Colinpaidherafairamountofattention.SoonthenightofthispartySally'sshoedisappearsandshe
has to go in an old black dress and black shoes. There was Celia looking as smug as a cat that's
swallowed cream about it. Mind you, I didn't suspect her of all these petty thievings of bracelets and
compacts."

"Whodidyouthinkwasresponsibleforthose?"

Valèrieshruggedhershoulders.

"Oh,Idon'tknow.Oneofthecleaningwomen,Ithought."

"Andtheslashedrucksack?"

"Wasthereaslashedrucksack?I'dforgotten.Thatseemsverypointless."

"You'vebeenhereagoodlongtime,haven'tyou,MissHobhouse?"

"Well,yes.IshouldsayI'mprobablytheoldestinhabitant.Thatistosay,I'vebeenhereabouttwoyears
andahalf,now."

"Soyouprobablyknowmoreaboutthishostelthananybodyelse?"

"Ishouldsayso,yes."

"HaveyouanyideasofyourownaboutCeliaAustin'sdeath?Anyideaofthemotivethatunderlayit?"

Valèrieshookherbead.Herfacewasseriousnow.

"No,"shesaid."Itwasahorriblethingtohappen.Ican'tseeanybodywhocouldpossiblyhavewanted
Celiatodie.Shewasanice,harmlesschild,andshe'djustgotengagedtobemarried,and..."

"Yes.And?"theInspectorprompted.

"Iwonderedifthatwaswhy,"saidValèrieslowly."Becauseshe'dgotengaged.Becauseshewasgoing
tobehappy.Butthatmeans,doesn'tit,somebodywell-mad."

Shesaidthewordwithalittleshiver,andInspectorSharpelookedatherthoughtfully.

"Yes,"hesaid."Wecan'tquiteruleoutmadness."

Hewenton,"HaveyouanytheoryaboutthedamagedonetoElizabethJohnston'snotesandpapers?"

"No.Thatwasaspitefulthing,too.Idon'tbelieveforamomentthatCeliawoulddoathinglikethat."

"Anyideawhoitcouldhavebeen?"

"Well...Notareasonableidea."

"Butanunreasonableone?"

"Youdon'twanttohearsomethingthat'sjustahunch,doyou,Inspector?"

"I'dliketohearahunchverymuch.I'llacceptitassuch,andit'llonlybebetweenourselves."

"Well,Imayprobablybequitewrong,butI'vegotasortofideathatitwasPatriciaLane'swork."

"Indeed!Nowyoudosurpriseme,MissHobhouse.Ishouldn'thavethoughtofPatriciaLane.Sheseems
averywellbalanced,amiableyounglady."

"Idon'tsayshediddoit.Ijusthadasortofideashemighthavedone."

"Forwhatreasoninparticular?"

"Well,PatriciadislikedBlackBess.BlackBesswasalwaystickingoffPatricia'sbelovedNigel,putting
himright,youknow,whenhemadesillystatementsinthewayhedoessometimes."

"YouthinkitwasmorelikelytohavebeenPatriciaLanethanNigelhimself?"

"Oh,yes.Idon'tthinkNigelwouldbother,andhe'dcertainlynotgousinghisownpetbrandofink.He's
gotplentyofbrains.Butit'sjustthesortofstupidthingthatPatriciawoulddowithoutthinkingthatit
mightinvolveherpreciousNigelasasuspect."

"Oragain,itmightbesomebodywhohadadownonNigelChapmanandwantedtosuggestthatitwas
hisdoing?"

"Yes,that'sanotherpossibility."

"WhodislikesNigelChapman?"

"Oh,well,JeanTomlinsonforone.AndheandLenBatesonarealwaysscrappingagooddeal."

"Haveyouanyideas,MissHobhouse,howmorphiacouldhavebeenadministeredtoCeliaAustin?"

"I'vebeenthinkingandthinking.Ofcourse,Isupposethecoffeeisthemostobviousway.Wewereall
milling around in the Common Room. Celia's coffee was on a small table near her and she always
waiteduntilhercoffeewasnearlycoldbeforeshedrankit.Isupposeanybodywhohadsufficientnerve
couldhavedroppedatabletorsomethingintohercupwithoutbeingseen,butitwouldberatherarisk
totake.Imean,it'sthesortofthingthatmightbenoticedquiteeasily."

"Themorphia,"saidInspectorSharpe,"wasnotintabletform."

"Whatwasit?Powder?"

"Yes."

Valèriefrowned.

"Thatwouldberathermoredifficult,wouldn'tit?"

"Anythingelse-besidescoffee-youcanthinkof?"

"Shesometimeshadaglassofhotmilkbeforeshewenttobed.Idon'tthinkshedidthatnight,though."

"CanyoudescribetomeexactlywhathappenedthateveningintheCommonRoom?"

"Well, as I say, we all sat about, talked, somebody turned the wireless on. Most of the boys, I think,
went out. Celia went up to bed fairly early and so did Jean Tomlinson. Sally and I sat on there fairly
late.IwaswritinglettersandSallywasmuggingoversomenotes.IratherthinkIwasthelasttogoup
tobed."

"Itwasjustacasualevening,infact?"

"Absolutely,Inspector."

"Thankyou,MissHobhouse.WillyousendMissLanetomenow?"

PatriciaLanelookedworried,butnotapprehensive.Questionsandanswerselicitednothingverynew.
Asked about the damage to Elizabeth Johnston's papers Patricia said that she had no doubt that Celia
hadbeenresponsible.

"Butshedeniedit,MissLane,veryvehemently."

"Well,ofcourse,"saidPatricia."Shewould.Ithinkshewasashamedofhavingdoneit.Butitfitsin,
doesn'tit,withalltheotherthings?"

"DoyouknowwhatIfindaboutthiscase,MissLane?Thatnothingfitsinverywell."

"Isuppose,"saidPatricia,flushing,"thatyouthinkitwasNigelwhomessedupBess'spapers.Because
oftheink.That'ssuchabsolutenonsense.Imean,Nigelwouldn'thaveusedhisowninkifhe'ddonea
thinglikethat.Hewouldn'tbesuchafool.Butanyway,hewouldn'tdoit."

"Hedidn'talwaysgetonverywellwithMissJohnston,didhe?"

"Oh,shehadanannoyingmannersometimes,buthedidn'treallymind."PatriciaLaneleanedforward
earnestly. "I would like to try. and make you understand one or two things, Inspector. About Nigel
Chapman,Imean.Yousee,Nigelisreallyverymuchhisownworstenemy.I'mthefirsttoadmitthat
he'sgotaverydifficultmanner.Itprejudicespeopleagainsthim.He'srudeandsarcasticandmakesfun
of people, and so he puts people's backs up and they think the worst of him. But really he's quite
differentfromwhatheseems.He'soneofthoseshy,ratherunhappypeoplewhoreallywanttobeliked
butwho,fromakindofspiritofcontradiction,findthemselvessayinganddoingtheoppositetowhat
theymeantosayanddo."

"Ah,"saidInspectorSharpe."Ratherunfortunateforthem,that."

"Yes,buttheyreallycan'thelpit,youknow.Itcomesfromhavinghadanunfortunatechildhood.Nigel
hadaveryunhappyhomelife.Hisfatherwasveryharshandsevereandneverunderstoodhim.Andhis
fathertreatedhismotherverybadly.AftershediedtheybadthemostterrificquarrelandNigelflung
outofthehouseandhisfathersaidthathe'dnevergivehimapennyandhemustgetonaswellasbe
couldwithoutanyhelpfromhim.Nigelsaidhedidn'twantanyhelpfromhisfather;andwouldn'ttake
itifitwasoffered.Asmallamountofmoneycametohimunderhismother'swill,andheneverwroteto
hisfatherorwentnearhimagain.Ofcourse,Ithinkthatwasapityinaway,butthere'snodoubtthat
hisfatherisaveryunpleasantman.Idon'twonderthatthat'smadeNigelbitteranddifficulttogeton
with.Sincehismotherdied,he'sneverhadanyonetocareforhimandlookafterhim.Hishealth'snot
beengoodthoughhismindisbrilliant.Heishandicappedinlifeandhejustcan'tshowhimselfashe
reallyis."

PatriciaLanestopped.Shewasflushedandalittlebreathlessastheresultofherlongearnestspeech.
InspectorSharpelookedatherthoughtfully.HehadcomeacrossmanyPatriciaLanesbefore."Inlove
withthechap,"hethoughttohimself."Don'tsupposehecarestwopenceforher,butprobablyaccepts
beingmothered.Fathercertainlysoundsacantankerousoldcuss,butIdaresaythemotherwasafoolish
womanwhospoilthersonandbydotingonhim,widenedthebreachbetweenhimandhisfather.I've
seen enough of that kind of thing." He wondered if Nigel Chapman had been attracted at all to Celia
Austin. It seemed unlikely, but it might be so. "And if so," he thought, "Patricia Lane might have
bitterlyresentedthefact."ResenteditenoughtowishtodoCeliaaninjury?

Resenteditenoughtodomurder?Surelynot-andinanycase,thefactthatCeliahadgotengagedto
ColinMcNabbwouldsurelywashthatoutasapossiblemotiveformurder.HedismissedPatriciaLane
andaskedforJeanTomlinson.

Chapter10

MissTomlinsonwasasevere-lookingyoungwomanoftwenty-sevenwithfairhair,regularfeaturesand
aratherpursed-upmouth.

Shesatdownandsaidprimly,

"Yes,Inspector?WhatcanIdoforyou?"

"Iwonderifyoucanhelpusatall,MissTomlinson,aboutthisverytragicmatter."

"It's shocking. Really quite shocking," said Jean. "It was bad enough when we thought Celia had
committedsuicide,butnowthatit'ssupposedtobemurder..."

Shestoppedandshookherhead,sadly.

"We are fairly sure that she did not poison herself," said Sharpe. "You know where the poison came
from?"

Jeannodded.

"IgatheritcamefromSt.Catherine'sHospital,wheresheworks.Butsurelythatmakesitseemmore
likesuicide?"

"Itwasintendedto,nodoubt,"saidtheInspector.

"ButwhoelsecouldpossiblyhavegotthatpoisonexceptCelia?"

"Quitealotofpeople,"saidInspectorSharpe,"iftheyweredeterminedtodoso.Evenyou,yourself,
MissTomlinson,"hesaid,"mighthavemanagedtohelpyourselftoitifyouhadwishedtodoso."

"Really,InspectorSharpe!"

Jean'stonesweresharpwithindignation.

"Well,youvisitedtheDispensaryfairlyoften,didn'tyou,MissTomlinson?"

"IwentintheretoseeMildredCarey,yes.ButnaturallyIwouldneverhavedreamedoftamperingwith
thepoisoncupboard."

"Butyoucouldhavedoneso?"

"Icertainlycouldn'thavedoneanythingofthekind!"

"Oh,comenow,MissTomlinson.Saythatyourfriendwasbusypackingupthewardbasketsandthe
othergirlwasattheOutpatientswindow.Therearefrequenttimeswhenthereareonlytwodispensers
inthefrontroom.Youcouldhavewanderedcasuallyroundthebackoftheshelvesofbottlesthatrun
acrossthemiddleofthefloor.Youcouldhavenippedabottleoutofthecupboardandintoyourpocket,
andneitherofthetwodispenserswouldhavedreamedofwhatyouhaddone."

"Iresentwhatyousayverymuch,InspectorSharpe.It's-it'sa-disgracefulaccusation."

"But it's not an accusation, Miss Tomlinson. It's nothing of the kind. You mustn't misunderstand me.
Yousaidtomethatitwasn'tpossibleforyoutodosuchathing,andI'mtryingtoshowyouthatitwas
possible.I'mnotsuggestingforamomentthatyoudiddoso.Afterall,"headded,"whyshouldyou?"

"Quiteso.Youdon'tseemtorealise,InspectorSharpe,thatIwasafriendofCelia's."

"Quitealotofpeoplegetpoisonedbytheirfriends.There'sacertainquestionwehavetoaskourselves
sometimes.'Whenisafriendnotafriend?'"

"TherewasnodisagreementbetweenmeandCelia,nothingofthekind.Ilikedherverymuch."

"Hadyouanyreasontosuspectitwasshewhohadbeenresponsibleforthesetheftsinthehouse?"

"No,indeed.Iwasneversosurprisedinmylife.IalwaysthoughtCeliahadhighprinciples.Iwouldn't
havedreamedofherdoingsuchathing."

"Of course," said Sharpe, watching her carefully, "kleptomaniacs can't really help themselves, can
they?"

JeanTomlinson'slipspursedthemselvestogetherevenmoreclosely.Thensheopenedthemandspoke.

"I can't say I can quite subscribe to that idea, Inspector Sharpe. I'm old-fashioned in my views and
believethatstealingisstealing."

"YouthinkthatCeliastolethingsbecause,frankly,shewantedtotakethem?"

"CertainlyIdo."

"Plaindishonest,infact?"

"I'mafraidso."

"Ah!"saidInspectorSharpe,shakinghishead."That'sbad."

"Yes,it'salwaysupsettingwhenyoufeelyou'redisappointedinanyone."

"Therewasaquestion,Iunderstand,ofourbeingcalledin-thepolice,I,mean."

"Yes.Thatwouldhavebeentherightthingtodo,inmyopinion."

"Perhapsyouthinkitoughttohavebeendoneanyway?"

"Ithinkitwouldhavebeentherightthing.Yes,Idon'tthink,youknow,peopleoughttobeallowedto
getawaywiththesethings."

"Withcallingoneselfakleptomaniacwhenoneisreallyathief,doyoumean?"

"Well,moreorless,yes-thatiswhatImean."

"InsteadofwhicheverythingwasendinghappilyandMissAustinhadweddingbellsahead."

"Of course, one isn't surprised at anything Colin McNabb does," said Jean Tomlinson viciously. "I'm
surehe'sanatheistandamostdisbelieving,mocking,unpleasantyoungman.He'srudetoeverybody.

It'smyopinionthathe'saCommunist!"

"Ah!"saidInspectorSharpe."Bad!"Heshookhishead.

"He backed up Celia, I think, because he hasn't got any proper feeling about property. He probably
thinkseveryoneshouldhelpthemselvestoeverythingtheywant."

"Still,atanyrate,"saidInspectorSharpe,"MissAustindidownup."

"Aftershewasfoundout.Yes,"saidJean,sharply.

"Whofoundherout?"

"ThatMr.-what-was-his-namePoirot,whocame."

"Butwhydoyouthinkhefoundherout,MissTomlinson?Hedidn'tsayso.Hejustadvisedcallingin
thepolice."

"He must have shown her that he knew. She obviously knew the game was up and rushed off to
confess."

"WhatabouttheinkonElizabethJohnston'spapers?Didsheconfesstothat?"

"Ireallydon'tknow.Isupposeso."

"Yousupposewrong,"saidSharpe."Shedeniedmostvehementlythatshehadanythingtodowiththat."

"Well,perhapsthatmaybeso.Imustsayitdoesn'tseemverylikely."

"YouthinkitismorelikelythatitwasNigelChapman?"

"No,Idon'tthinkNigelwoulddothateither.Ithinkit'smuchmorelikelytobeMr.Akibombo."

"Really?Whyshouldhedoit?"

"Jealousy.Allthesecolouredpeopleareveryjealousofeachotherandveryhysterical."

"That'sinteresting,MissTomlinson.WhenwasthelasttimeyousawCeliaAustin?"

"AfterdinneronFridaynight."

"Whowentuptobedfirst?Didsheordidyou?"

"Idid."

"Youdidnotgotoherroomorseeherafteryou'dlefttheCommonRoom?"

"No."

"Andyou'venoideawhocouldhaveintroducedmorphiaintohercoffee?-ifitwasgiventhatway?"

"Noideaatall."

"Youneversawthismorphialyingaboutthehouseorinanyone'sroom?"

"No.No,Idon'tthinkso."

"Youdon'tthinkso?Whatdoyoumeanbythat,MissTomlinson?"

"Well,Ijustwondered.Therewasthatsillybet,youknow."

"Whatbet?"

"One-oh,twoorthreeoftheboyswerearguing-"

"Whatweretheyarguingabout?"

"Murder,andwaysofdoingit.Poisoninginparticular."

"Whowasconcernedinthediscussion?"

"Well,IthinkColinandNigelstartedit,andthenLenBatesonchippedinandPatriciawastheretoo-"

"Canyouremember,ascloselyaspossible,whatwassaidonthatoccasion-howtheargumentwent?"

JeanTomlinsonreflectedafewmoments.

"Well,itstarted,Ithink,withadiscussiononmurderingbypoison,sayingthatthedifficultywastoget
hold of the poison, that the murderer was usually traced by either the sale of the poison or having an
opportunity to get it, and Nigel said that wasn't at all necessary. He said that he could think of three
distinctwaysbywhichanyonecouldgetholdofpoison,andnobodywouldeverknowtheybadit.Len
Batesonsaidthenthathewastalkingthroughhishat.Nigelsaidnohewasn't,andhewasquiteprepared
to prove it. Pat said that of course Nigel was quite right. She said that either Len or Colin could
probably help themselves to poison any time they liked from a hospital, and so could Celia, he said.
AndNigelsaidthatwasn'twhathemeantatall.HesaiditwouldbenoticedifCeliatookanythingfrom
theDispensary.Soonerorlaterthey'dlookforitandfinditgone.AndPatsaidno,notifshetookthe
bottle and emptied some stuff out and filled it up with something else. Colin laughed then and said
there'dbeveryseriouscomplaintsfromthepatientsoneofthesedays,inthatcase.ButNigelsaidof
course he didn't mean special opportunities. He said that he himself, who hadn't got any particular
access, either as a doctor or dispenser, could jolly well get three different kinds of poison by three
different methods. Len Bateson said, 'All right, then, but what are your methods?' and Nigel said, 'I
shall'ttellyou,now,butI'mpreparedtobetyouthatwithinthreeweeksIcanproducesamplesofthree
deadlypoisonshere,'andLenBatesonsaidhe'dbethimafiverhecouldn'tdoit."

"Well?" said Inspector Sharpe, when Jean stopped. "Well, nothing more came of it, I think, for some
time and then, one evening, in the Common Room, Nigel said, "Now then, chaps, look here - I'm as
goodasmyword,"andhethrewdownthreethingsonthetable.Hehadatubeofhyoscinetablets,anda
bottleoftincturedigitalinandatinybottleofmorphinetartrate."

TheInspectorsaidsharply,

"Morphinetartrate.Anylabelonit?"

"Yes,ithadSt.Catherine'sHospitalonit.Idorememberthatbecause,naturally,itcaughtmyeye."

"Andtheothers?"

"Ididn'tnotice.Theywerenothospitalstores,Ishouldsay."

"Whathappenednext?"

"Well,ofcourse,therewasalotoftalkandjawing,andLenBatesonsaid,'Comenow,ifyou'ddonea
murderthiswouldbetracedtoyousoonenough,'andNigelsaid,'Notabitofit.I'malayman,I'veno
connectionwithanyclinicorhospitalandnobodywillconnectmeforonemomentwiththese.Ididn't
buy them over the counter,' and Colin McNabb took his pipe out of his teeth and said, 'No, you'd
certainlynotbeabletodothat.There'snochemistwouldsellyouthosethreethingswithoutadoctor's
prescription.'Anyway,theyarguedabitbutintheendLensaidhe'dpayup.Hesaid,'Ican'tdoitnow,
becauseI'mabitshortofcash,butthere'snodoubtaboutit;Nigel'sprovedhispoint,'andthenhesaid,
'What are we going to do with the guilty spoils?' Nigel grinned and said we'd better get rid of them
before any accidents occurred, so they emptied out the tube and threw the tablets on the fire and
emptied out the powder from the morphine tartrate and threw that on the fire too. The tincture of
digitalistheypoureddownthelavatory."

"Andthebottles?"

"Idon'tknowwhathappenedtothebottlesshouldthinktheyprobablywerejustthrownintothewaste
paperbasket."

"Butthepoisonitselfwasdestroyed?"

"Yes,I'msureofthat.Isawit."

"Andthatwas-when?"

"About,ohjustoverafortnightagoIthink."

"Isee.Thankyou,MissTomlinson."

Jeanlingered,clearlywantingtobetoldmore.

"D'youthinkitmightbeimportant?"

"Itmightbe.Onecan'ttell."

InspectorSharperemainedbroodingforafewmoments.ThenhehadNigelChapmaninagain.

"I'vejusthadaratherinterestingstatementfromMissJeanTomlinson,"hesaid.

"Ah!Who'sdearJeanbeenpoisoningyourmindagainst?Me?"

"She'sbeentalkingaboutpoison,andinconnectionwithyou,Mr.Chapman."

"Poisonandme?Whatonearth?"

"Do you deny that some weeks ago you had a wager with Mr. Bateson about methods of obtaining
poisoninsomewaythatcouldnotbetracedtoyou?"

"Oh,that!"Nigelwassuddenlyenlightened."Yes,ofcourse!FunnyIneverthoughtofthat.Idon'teven
rememberJeanbeingthere.Butyoudon'tthinkitcouldhaveanypossiblesignificance,doyou?"

"Well,onedoesn'tknow.Youadmitthefact,then?"

"Oh, yes, we were arguing on the subject. Colin and Len were being very superior and high-handed
aboutitsoItoldthemthatwithalittleingenuityanyonecouldgetholdofasuitablesupplyofpoison-
infactIsaidIcouldthinkofthreedistinctwaysofdoingit,andI'dprovemypoint,Isaid,byputting
themintopractice."

"Whichyouthenproceededtodo?"

"WhichIthenproceededtodo,Inspector."

"Andwhatwerethosethreemethods,Mr.Chapman?"

Nigelputhisheadalittleononeside.

"Aren'tyouaskingmetoincriminatemyself?"hesaid."Surelyyououghttowarnme?"

"Ithasn'tcometowarningyouyet,Mr.Chapman,but,ofcourse,there'snoneedforyoutoincriminate
yourself,asyouputit.Infactyou'reperfectlyentitledtorefusemyquestionsifyouliketodoso."

"Idon'tknowthatIwanttorefuse."

Nigelconsideredforamomentortwo,aslightsmileplayingroundhislips.

"Ofcourse,"hesaid,"whatIdidwas,nodoubt,againstthelaw.Youcouldhaulmeinforitifyouliked.
Ontheotherhand,thisisamurdercaseandifit'sgotanybearingonpoorlittleCelia'sdeathIsupposeI
oughttotellyou."

"Thatwouldcertainlybethesensiblepointofviewtotake."

"Allrightthen.I'lltalk."

"Whatwerethesethreemethods?"

"Well."Nigelleantbackinhischair."One'salwaysreadinginthepapers,isn'tone,aboutdoctorslosing
dangerousdrugsfromacar?Peoplearebeingwarnedaboutit?"

"Yes."

"Well,itoccurredtomethatoneverysimplemethodwouldbetogodowntothecountry,followaG.P.
about on his rounds, when occasion offered - just open the car, look in the doctor's case, and extract
what you wanted. You see, in these country districts, the doctor doesn't always take his case into the
house.Itdependswhatsortofpatienthe'sgoingtosee."

"Well?"

"Well,that'sall.That'stosaythat'sallformethodnumberone.IhadtosleuththreedoctorsuntilIhad
foundasuitablycarelessone.WhenIdid,itwassimplicityitself.Thecarwasleftoutsideafarmhouse
inaratherlonelyspot.Iopenedthedoor,lookedatthecase,tookoutatubeofhyoscinehydrobromide,
andthatwasthat."

"Ah!Andmethodnumbertwo?"

"ThatentailedjustalittlepumpingofdearCelia,asamatteroffact.Shewasquiteunsuspicious.Itold
you she was a stupid girl, she had no idea what I was doing. I simply talked a bit about the mumbo
jumboLatinofdoctors'prescriptions,andaskedhertowritemeoutaprescriptioninthewayadoctor
writesit,fortincturedigitalin.Sheobligedquiteunsuspecting.AllIhadtodoafterthatwastofinda
doctor in the classified directory, living in a far off district of London, add his initials or slightly
illegiblesignature.IthentookittoachemistinabusypartofLondon,whowouldnotbelikelytobe
familiar with that particular doctor's signature, and I received the prescription made up without any
difficultyatall.DigitatinisprescribedinquitelargequantitiesforheartcasesandIhadwrittenoutthe
prescriptiononhotelnotepaper."

"Veryingenious,"saidInspectorSharpe,drily.

"Iamincriminatingmyself!Icanhearitinyourvoice."

"Andthethirdmethod?"

Nigeldidnotreplyatonce.Thenhesaid,

"Lookhere.WhatexactlyamIlettingmyselfinfor?"

"Thetheftofdrugsfromanunlockedcarislarceny,"saidInspectorSharpe."Forgingaprescription-"

Nigelinterruptedhim.

"Notexactlyforging,isit?Imean,Ididn'tobtainanymoneybyit,anditwasn'tactuallyanimitationof
any doctor's signature. I mean, if I write a prescription and write H.R. James on it, you can't say I'm
forginganyparticularDr.James'sname,canyou?"

Hewentonwithratherawrysmile.

"YouseewhatImean.I'mstickingmyneckout.Ifyouliketoturnnastyoverthis-well-I'mobviously
forit.Ontheotherhand,if..."

"Yes,Mr.Chapman,ontheotherhand?"

Nigel said with a sudden passion, "I don't like murder. It's a beastly, horrible thing. Celia, poor little
devil,didn'tdeservetobemurdered.Iwanttohelp.Butdoesithelp?Ican'tseethatitdoes.Tellingyou
mypeccadilloes,Imean."

"Thepolicehaveagooddealoflatitude,Mr.Chapman.It'suptothemtolookuponcertainhappenings
asalight-heartedprankofanirresponsiblenature.Iacceptyourassurancethatyouwanttohelpinthe
solvingofthisgirl'smurder.Nowpleasegoon,andtellmeaboutyourthirdmethod."

"Well,"saidNigel,"we'recomingfairlynearthebonenow.Itwasabitmoreriskythantheothertwo,
butatthesametimeitwasagreatdealmorefun.Yousee,I'dbeentovisitCeliaonceortwiceinher
Dispensary.Iknewthelayofthelandthere..."

"Soyouwereabletopinchthebottleoutofthecupboard?"

"No, no, nothing as simple as that. That wouldn't have been fair from my point of view. And,
incidentally,ifithadbeenarealmurder-thatis,ifIhadbeenstealingthepoisonforthepurposeof
murder - it would probably be remembered that I had been there. Actually, I hadn't been in Celia's
Dispensaryforaboutsixmonths.No,IknewthatCeliaalwayswentintothebackroomatelevenfifteen
forwhatyoumightcall'elevenses,'thatis,acupofcoffeeandabiscuit.Thegirlswentinturn,twoata
time.Therewasanewgirltherewhohadonlyjustcomeandshecertainlywouldn'tknowmebysight.
SowhatIdidwasthis.IstrolledintotheDispensarywithawhitecoatonandastethoscoperoundmy
neck.TherewasonlythenewgirlthereandshewasbusyattheOutpatients'hatch.Istrolledin,went
alongtothepoisoncupboard,tookoutabottle,strolledroundtheendofthepartition,saidtothegirl,
"Whatstrengthadrenalindoyoukeep?"ShetoldmeandInodded,thenIaskedherifshehadacouple
ofveganinasIhadaterrifichangover.Iswallowedthemdownandstrolledoutagain.Sheneverhadthe
leastsuspicionthatIwasn'tsomebody'shousemanoramedicalstudent.Itwaschild'splay.Celianever
evenknewI'dbeenthere."

"Astethoscope,"saidInspectorSharpecuriously."Wheredidyougetastethoscope?"

Nigelgrinnedsuddenly.

"ItwasLenBateson's,"hesaid."Ipinchedit."

"Fromthishouse?"

"Yes."

"Sothatexplainsthetheftofthestethoscope.ThatwasnotCelia'sdoing."

"GoodLord,no!Can'tseeakleptomaniacstealingastethoscope,canyou?"

"Whatdidyoudowithitafterwards?"

"Well,Ihadtopawnit,"saidNigelapologetically.

"Wasn'tthatalittlehardonBateson?"

"Veryhardonhim.Butwithoutexplainingmymethods,whichIdidn'tmeantodo,Icouldn'ttellhim

aboutit.However,"addedNigelcheerfully,"Itookhimoutnotlongafterandgavehimahellofaparty
oneevening."

"You'reaveryirresponsibleyoungman,"saidInspectorSharpe.

"Youshouldhaveseentheirfaces,"saidNigel,hisgrinwidening,"whenIthrewdownthosethreelethal
preparationsonthetableandtoldthemIhadmanagedtopinchthemwithoutanybodybeingwiseasto
whotookthem."

"What you're telling me is -" said the Inspector, "that you had three means of poisoning someone by
threedifferentpoisonsandthatineachcasethepoisoncouldnothavebeentracedtoyou."

Nigelnodded.

"That'sfairenough,"hesaid."Andgiventhecircumstancesit'snotaverypleasantthingtoadmit.But
thepointis,thatthepoisonswerealldisposedofatleastafortnightagoorlonger."

"Thatiswhatyouthink,Mr.Chapman,butitmaynotreallybeso."

Nigelstaredathim.

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"Youhadthesethingsinyourpossession,howlong?"

Nigelconsidered.

"Well, the tube of hyoscine about ten days, I suppose. The morphine tartrate, about four days. The
tincturedigitalinI'donlygotthatveryafternoon."

"Andwheredidyoukeepthesethings-thehyoscinehydrobromideandthemorphinetartrate,thatisto
say?"

"Inthedrawerofmychest-of-drawers,pushedtothebackundermysocks."

"Didanyoneknowyouhaditthere?"

"No.No,I'msuretheydidn't."

There had been, however, a faint hesitation in his voice which Inspector Sharpe noticed, but for the
momenthedidnotpressthepoint.

"Did you tell anyone what you were doing? Your methods? The way you were going about these
things?"

"No.Atleast-no,Ididn't."

"Yousaid,'atleast,'Mr.Chapman."

"Well,Ididn'tactually.Asamatteroffact,IwasgoingtotellPat,thenIthoughtshewouldn'tapprove.
She'sverystrict,Patis,soIfobbedheroff."

"You didn't tell her about stealing the stuff from the doctor's car, or the prescriptions, or the morphia
fromthehospital?"

"Actually,Ibetoldherafterwardsaboutthedigitalin,thatI'dwrittenaprescriptionandgotabottlefrom
thechemist,andaboutmasqueradingasadoctoratthehospital.I'msorrytosayPatwasn'tamused.I
didn'ttellheraboutpinchingthingsfromacar.Ithoughtshe'dgoupinsmoke."

"Didyoutellheryouweregoingtodestroythisstuffafteryou'dwonthebet?"

"Yes.Shewasallworriedandhetupaboutit.StartedtoinsistItakethethingsbackorsomethinglike
that."

"Thatcourseofactionneveroccurredtoyouyourself?"

"GoodLordno!Thatwouldhavebeenfatal;itwouldhavelandedmeinnoendofarow.No,wethree
justchuckedthestuffonthefireandpoureditdowntheLooandthatwasthat.Noharmdone."

"Yousaythat,Mr.Chapman,butit'squitepossiblethatharmwasdone."

"Howcanithavebeen,IfthestuffwaschuckedawayasItellyou?"

"Hasiteveroccurredtoyou,Mr.Chapman,thatsomeonemighthaveseenwhereyouputthosethings,
orfoundthemperhaps,andthatsomeonemighthaveemptiedmorphiaoutofthebottleandreplacedit
withsomethingelse?"

"GoodLordno!"Nigelstaredathim."Ineverthoughtofanythingofthatkind.Idon'tbelieveit."

"Butit'sapossibility,Mr.Chapman."

"Butnobodycouldpossiblyhaveknown."

"Ishouldsay,"saidtheInspector,drily,"thatinaplaceofthiskindagreatdealmoreisknownthanyou
yourselfmightbelievepossible."

"Snooping,youmean?"

"Yes."

"Perhapsyou'rerightthere."

"Whichofthestudentsmightnormally,atanytime,beinyourroom?"

"Well,IshareitwithLenBateson.Mostofthemenherehavebeeninitnowandagain.Notthegirls,of
course.Thegirlsaren'tsupposedtocometothebedroomfloorsonoursideofthehouse.Propriety.Pure
living."

"They'renotsupposedto,buttheymightdoso,Isuppose?"

"Anyonemight,"saidNigel."Inthedaytime.Theafternoon,forinstance,there'snobodyabout."

"DoesMissLaneevercometoyourroom?"

"Ihopeyoudon'tmeanthatthewayitsounds,Inspector.Patcomestomyroomsometimestoreplace
somesocksshe'sbeendarning.Nothingmorethanthat."

"Youdorealise,Mr.Chapman,thatthepersonwhocouldmosteasilyhavetakensomeofthatpoison
outofthebottleandsubstitutedsomethingelseforit,wasyourself?"

Nigellookedathim,hisfacesuddenlyhardandonguard.

"Yes,"hesaid."I'veseenthatjustaminuteandahalfago.Icouldhavedonejustexactlythat.ButI'dno
reasononearthforputtingthatgirloutoftheway,Inspector,andIdidn'tdoit.Still,thereitis-Iquite
realisethatyou'veonlygotmywordforit."

Chapter11

The story of the bet and the disposal of the poison was confirmed by Len Bateson and by Colin
McNabb.SharperetainedColinMcNabbaftertheothershadgone.

"Idon'twanttocauseyoumorepainthanIcanhelp,Mr.McNabb,"hesaid."Icanrealizewhatitmeans
toyouforyourfiancéetohavebeenpoisonedontheverynightofyourengagement."

"There'llbenoneedtogointothataspectofit,"saidColinMcNabb,hisfaceimmovable."You'llnot
needtoconcernyourselfwithmyfeelings.Justaskmeanyquestionsyoulikewhichyouthinkmaybe
usefultoyou."

"ItwasyourconsideredopinionthatCeliaAustin'sbehaviourhadapsychologicalorigin?"

"There's no doubt about it at all," said Colin McNabb. "If you'd like me to go into the theory of the
thing..."

"No,no,"saidInspectorSharpe,hastily."I'mtakingyourwordforitasastudentofpsychology."

"Herchildhoodhadbeenparticularlyunfortunate.Ithadset-upanemotionalblock..."

"Quiteso,quiteso."InspectorSharpewasdesperatelyanxioustoavoidhearingthestoryofyetanother
unhappychildhood.Nigel'shadbeenquiteenough.

"Youhadbeenattractedtoherforsometime?"

"I would not say precisely that," said Colin, considering the matter conscientiously. "These things
sometimessurpriseyoubythewaytheydawnuponyousuddenly,like.Subconsciouslynodoubt,Ihad
beenattracted,butIwasnotawareofthefact.SinceitwasnotmyintentiontomarryyoungIhadno
doubtsetupaconsiderableresistancetotheideainmyconsciousmind."

"Yes. Just so. Celia Austin was happy in her engagement to you? I mean, she expressed no doubts?
Uncertainties?Therewasnothingshefeltsheoughttotellyou?"

"Shemadeaveryfullconfessionofallshe'dbeendoing.Therewasnothingmoreinhermindtoworry
her."

"Andyouwereplanningtogetmarried-when?"

"Notforaconsiderabletime.I'mnotinaposition,atthemoment,tosupportawife."

"HadCeliaanyenemyhere?Anyonewhodidnotlikeher?"

"Icanhardlybelieveso.I'vegiventhatpointofviewagreatdealofthought,Inspector.Celiawaswell
likedhere.I'dsay,myself,itwasnotapersonalmatteratallwhichbroughtaboutherend."

"Whatdoyoumeanby'notapersonalmatter'?"

"Idonotwishtobeverypreciseatthemoment.It'sonlyavaguekindofideaIhaveandI'mnotclear
aboutitmyself."

FromthatpositiontheInspectorcouldnotbudgehim.

The last two students to be interviewed were Sally Finch and Elizabeth Johnston. The Inspector took

SallyFinchfirst.

Sally was an attractive girl with a mop of red hair and eyes that were bright and intelligent. After
routineenquiriesSallyFinchsuddenlytooktheinitiative.

"D'youknowwhatI'dliketodo,Inspector?I'dliketotellyoujustwhatIthink.Ipersonally.There's
somethingallwrongaboutthishouse,somethingverywrongindeed.I'msureofthat."

"YoumeanbecauseCeliaAustinwaspoisoned?"

"No,Imeanbeforethat.I'vebeenfeelingitforsometime.Ididn'tlikethethingsthatweregoingon
here. I didn't like that rucksack which was slashed about and I didn't like Valèrie's scarf being cut to
pieces.Ididn'tlikeBlackBess'snotesbeingcoveredwithink.Iwasgoingtogetoutofhereandgetout
quick.That'swhatIstillmeantodo,assoon,thatis,asyouletusgo."

Sallynoddedherhead.

"Youmeanyou'reafraidofsomething,MissFinch?"

"Yes,I'mafraid.There'ssomethingorsomeoneherewho'sprettyruthless.Thewholeplaceisn't-well,
howshallIputit?-itisn'twhatitseems.No,no,Inspector,Idon'tmeanCommunists.Icanseethatjust
tremblingonyourlips.It'snotCommunistsImean.Perhapsitisn'tevencriminal.Idon'tknow.ButI'll
betyouanythingyoulikethatawfuloldwomanknowsaboutitall."

"Whatoldwoman?YoumeanMrs.Hubbard?"

"No.NotMaHubbard.She'sadear.ImeanoldNicoletis.Thatoldshe-wolf."

"That'sinteresting,MissFinch.Canyoubemoredefinite?AboutMrs.Nicoletis,Imean."

Sallyshookherhead.

"No. That's just what I can't be. All I can tell you is she gives me the creeps every time I pass her.
Somethingqueerisgoingonhere,Inspector."

"Iwishyoucouldbealittlemoredefinite."

"So do I. You'll be thinking I'm fanciful. Well, perhaps I am, but other people feel it too. Akibombo
does.He'sscared.IbelieveBlackBessdoes,too,butshewouldn'tleton.AndIthink,Inspector,that
Celiaknewsomethingaboutit."

"Knewsomethingaboutwhat?"

"That'sjustit.What?Buttherewerethingsshesaid.Saidthatlastday.Aboutclearingeverythingup.
Shehadowneduptoherpartinwhatwasgoingon,butshesortofhintedthattherewereotherthings
sheknewaboutandshewantedtogetthemcleareduptoo.Ithinksheknewsomething,Inspector,about
someone.That'sthereasonIthinkshewaskilled."

"Butifitwassomethingasseriousasthat..."

Sallyinterruptedhim.

"I'dsaythatshehadnoideahowseriousitwas.Shewasn'tbright,youknow.Shewasprettydumb.She
gotholdofsomethingbutshe'dnoideathatthesomethingshe'dgotholdofwasdangerous.Anyway,
that'smyhunchforwhatit'sworth."

"Isee.Thankyou...NowthelasttimeyousawCeliaAustinwasintheCommonRoomafterdinnerlast
night,isthatright?"

"That'sright.Atleast,actually,Isawherafterthat."

"Yousawherafterthat?Where?Inherroom?"

"No. When I went up to bed she was going out of the front door just as I came out of the Common
Room."

"Goingoutofthefrontdoor?Outofthehouse,doyoumean?"

"Yes."

"That'srathersurprising.Nobodyelsehassuggestedthat."

"I daresay they didn't know. She certainly said good night and that she was going up to bed, and if I
hadn'tseenherIwouldhaveassumedthatshehadgoneuptobed."

"Whereas,actually,shewentupstairs,putonsomeoutdoorthingsandthenleftthehouse.isthatright?"

Sallynodded.

"AndIthinkshewasgoingouttomeetsomeone."

"Isee.Someonefromoutside.Orcouldithavebeenoneofthestudents?"

"Wellit'smyhunchthatitwouldbeoneofthestudents.Yousee,ifshewantedtospeaktosomebody
privately,therewasnowhereverywellshecoulddoitinthehouse.Someonemighthavesuggestedthat
shecomeoutandmeetthemsomewhereoutside."

"Haveyouanyideawhenshegotinagain?"

"Noideawhatever."

"WouldGeronimoknow,themanservant?"

"He'dknowifshecameinaftereleveno'clockbecausethat'sthetimeheboltsandchainsthedoor.Up
tothattimeanyonecangetinwiththeirownkey."

"Doyouknowexactlywhattimeitwaswhenyousawhergoingoutofthehouse?"

"I'dsayitwasaboutten.Perhapsalittlepastten,butnotmuch."

"Isee.Thankyou,MissFinch,forwhatyou'vetoldme."

Last of all the Inspector talked to Elizabeth Johnston. He was at once impressed with the quiet
capabilityofthegirl.Sheansweredhisquestionswithintelligentdecisionandthenwaitedforhimto
proceed.

"Celia Austin," he said, "protested vehemently that it was not she who damaged your papers, Miss
Johnston.Doyoubelieveher?"

"IdonotthinkCeliadidthat.No."

"Youdon'tknowwhodid?"

"TheobviousanswerisNigelChapman.Butitseemstomealittletooobvious.Nigelisintelligent.He
wouldnotusehisownink."

"AndifnotNigel,whothen?"

"Thatismoredifficult.ButIthinkCeliaknewwhoitwas-oratleastguessed."

"Didshetellyouso?"

"Not in so many words, but she came to my room on the evening of the day she died, before going
downtodinner.Shecametotellmethatthoughshewasresponsibleforthetheftsshehadnotsabotaged
mywork.ItoldherthatIacceptedthatassurance.Iaskedherifsheknewwhohaddoneso?"

"Andwhatdidshesay?"

"Shesaid,"Elizabethpausedamoment,asthoughtobesureoftheaccuracyofwhatshewasaboutto
say, "She said, 'I can't really be sure, because I don't see why... It might have been a mistake or an
accident...I'msurewhoeverdiditisveryunhappyaboutit,andwouldreallyliketoownup.'Celiawent
on,'TherearesomethingsIdon'tunderstand,liketheelectriclightbulbsthedaythepolicecame.'"

Sharpeinterrupted.

"What'sthisaboutthepoliceandelectriclightbulbs?"

"I don't know. All Celia said was: 'I didn't take them out.' And then she said: 'I wondered if it had
anythingtodowiththepassport?'Isaid,'Whatpassportareyoutalkingabout?'Andshesaid,'Ithink
someonemighthaveaforgedpassport.'"

The Inspector was silent for a moment or two. Here at last some vague pattern seemed to be taking
shape.Apassport.

Heasked,"Whatmoredidshesay?"

"Nothingmore.Shejustsaid:'AnywayIshallknowmoreaboutittomorrow.'"

"She said that, did she? 'I shall know more about it tomorrow.' That's a very significant remark, Miss
Johnston."

"Yes."

TheInspectorwassilentagainashereflected.

Something about a passport - and a visit from the police... Before coming to Hickory Road, he had
carefullylookedupthefiles.Afairlycloseeyewaskeptonhostelswhichhousedforeignstudents.26
Hickory Road had a good record. Such details as there were, were meagre and unsuggestive. A West
AfricanstudentwantedbytheSheffieldpoliceforlivingonawoman'searnings;thestudentinquestion
had been at Hickory Road for a few days and had then gone elsewhere, and had in due course been
gatheredinandsincedeported.Therehadbeenaroutinecheckofallhostelsandboardinghousesfora
Eurasian"wantedtoassistthepolice"inthemurderofapublican'swifenearCambridge.Thathadbeen
cleared up when the young man in question had walked into the police station at Hull and had given
himself up for the crime. There had been an inquiry into a student's distribution of subversive
pamphlets.Alltheseoccurrenceshadtakenplacesometimeagoandcouldnotpossiblyhavehadany
connectionwiththedeathofCeliaAustin.

HesighedandlookeduptofindElizabethJohnston'sintelligenteyeswatchinghim.

On an impulse, he said, "Tell me, Miss Johnston, have you ever had a feeling - an impression - of
somethingwrongaboutthisplace?"

Shelookedsurprised.

"Inwhatway-wrong?"

"Icouldn'treallysay.I'mthinkingofsomethingMissSallyFinchsaidtome."

"Oh-SallyFinch!"

Therewasanintonationinhervoicewhichhefoundhardtoplace.Hefeltinterestedandwenton:

"MissFinchseemedtomeagoodobserver,bothshrewdandpractical.Shewasveryinsistentonthere
beingsomethingoddaboutthisplace-thoughshefounditdifficulttodefinejustwhatitwas."

Elizabethsaidsharply,

"ThatisherAmericanwayofthought.Theyareallthesame,theseAmericans,nervous,apprehensive,
suspecting every kind of foolish thing! Look at the fools they make of themselves with their witch
hunts,theirhystericalspymania,theirobsessionovercommunism.SallyFinchistypical."

TheInspector'sinterestgrew.SoElizabethdislikedSallyFinch.Why?BecauseSallywasanAmerican?

Or did Elizabeth dislike Americans merely because Sally Finch was an American, and had she some
reasonofherownfordislikingtheattractivered-head?Perhapsitwasjustsimplefemalejealousy.

Heresolvedtotryalineofapproachthathehadsometimesfounduseful.Hesaidsmoothly,

"Asyoumayappreciate,MissJohnston,inanestablishmentlikethis,thelevelofintelligencevariesa
greatdeal.Somepeople-mostpeople,wejustaskforfacts.Butwhenwecomeacrosssomeonewitha
highlevelofintelligence-"

Hepaused.Theinferencewasflattering.Wouldsherespond?

Afterabriefpause,shedid.

"IthinkIunderstandwhatyoumean,Inspector.Theintellectuallevelhereisnot,asyousay,veryhigh.

Nigel Chapman has a certain quickness of intellect, but his mind is shallow. Leonard Bates is a
ploddering moron. Valèrie Hobhouse has a good quality of mind, but her outlook is commercial, and
she'stoolazytouseherbrainsonanythingworthwhile.Whatyouwantisthedetachmentofatrained
mind."

"Suchasyours,MissJohnston."

She accepted the tribute without a protest. He realised, with some interest, that behind her modest
pleasantmanner,herewasayoungwomanwhowaspositivelyarrogantinherappraisementofherown
qualities.

"I'minclinedtoagreewithyourestimateofyourfellowstudents,MissJohnston.Chapmaniscleverbut
childish.ValèrieHobhousehasbrainsbutablaséattitudetolife.You,asyousay,haveatrainedmind.
That'swhyI'dvalueyourviews-theviewsofapowerfuldetachedintellect."

Foramomenthewasafraidhehadoverdoneit,butheneedhavehadnofears.

"There is nothing wrong about this place, Inspector. Pay no attention to Sally Finch. This is a decent
wellrunhostel.Iamcertainthatyouwillfindnotraceofanysubversiveactivities."

InspectorSharpefeltalittlesurprised.

"Itwasn'treallysubversiveactivitiesIwasthinkingabout."

"Oh - I see." She was a little taken aback. "I was linking up what Celia said about a passport. But
lookingatitimpartiallyandweighingupalltheevidence,itseemsquitecertaintomethatthereason
forCelia'sdeathwaswhatIshouldexpressasaprivateone-somesexcomplication,perhaps.I'msure
ithadnothingtodowithwhatImightcallthehostelasahostel,oranything'goingon'here.Nothing,I
amsure,isgoingon.Ishouldbeawareofthefactifitwereso,myperceptionsareverykeen."

"Isee.Well,thankyou,MissJohnston.You'vebeenverykindandhelpful."

ElizabethJohnstonwentout.InspectorSharpesatstaringatthecloseddoorandSergeantCobbhadto
speaktohimtwicebeforeherousedhimself.

"Eh?"

"Isaidthat'sall,sir."

"Yes, and what have we got? Precious little. But I'll tell you one thing, Cobb. I'm coming back here
tomorrow with a search warrant. We'll go away talking pretty now and they'll think it's all over. But
there'ssomethinggoingoninthisplace.TomorrowI'llturnitupsidedown.It'snotsoeasywhenyou
don'tknowwhatyou'relookingfor,butthere'sachancethatI'llfindsomethingtogivemeaclue.That's
averyinterestinggirlwhojustwentout.She'sgottheegoofaNapoleon,andIstronglysuspectthatshe
knowssomething."

Chapter12

Hercule Poirot, at work upon his correspondence, paused in the middle of a sentence that he was
dictating.MissLemonlookedupquestioningly.

"Yes,Mr.Poirot?"

"My mind wanders!" Poirot waved a hand. "After all, this letter is not important. Be so kind, Miss
Lemon,astogetmeyoursisteruponthetelephone."

"Yes,Mr.Poirot."

AfewmomentslaterPoirotcrossedtheroomandtookthereceiverfromhissecretary'shand.

"'Allo!"hesaid.

"Yes,Mr.Poirot?"

Mrs.Hubbardsoundedratherbreathless.

"Itrust,Mrs.Hubbard,thatIamnotdisturbingyou?"

"I'mpastbeingdisturbed,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Therehavebeenagitations,yes?"Poirotaskeddelicately.

"That'saverynicewayofputtingit,Mr.Poirot.That'sexactlywhattheyhavebeen.InspectorSharpe
finishedquestioningallthestudentsyesterday,andthenhecamebackwithasearchwarranttodayand
I'vegotMrs.Nicoletisonmyhandswithravinghysterics."

Poirotcluckedhistonguesympathetically.Thenhesaid,"ItisjustalittlequestionIhavetoask.You
sentmealistofthosethingsthathaddisappeared-andotherqueerhappenings-whatIhavetoaskis
this,didyouwritethatlistinchronologicalorder?"

"Youmean?"

"Imean,werethethingswrittendownexactlyintheorderoftheirdisappearance?"

"No,theyweren't.I'msorry-IjustputthemdownasIthoughtofthem.I'msorryifI'vemisledyou."

"Ishouldhaveaskedyoubefore,"saidPoirot."Butitdidnotstrikemethenasimportant.Ihaveyour
list here. It begins, one evening shoe, bracelet, powder compact, diamond ring, cigarette lighter,
stethoscope,andsoon.Butyousaythatthatwasnottheorderofdisappearance?"

"No."

"Canyouremembernow,orwoulditbetoodifficultforyou,whatwastheproperorder?"

"Well,I'mnotsureifIcouldnow,Mr.Poirot.Youseeit'sallsometimeago.Ishouldhavetothinkit
out.Actually,afterIhadtalkedwithmysisterandknewIwascomingtoseeyou,Imadealist,andI
shouldsaythatIputitdownintheorderofthethingsasIrememberedthem.Imean,theeveningshoe
becauseitwassopeculiar,andthenthebraceletandthepowdercompactandthecigarettelighterand
thediamondringbecausetheywereallratherimportantthingsandlookedasthoughwehadagenuine
thiefatwork,andthenIrememberedtheothermoreunimportantthingslaterandaddedthem.Imean
theboracicandtheelectriclightbulbsandtherucksack.Theyweren'treallyimportantandIonlyreally
thoughtofthemasakindofafterthought."

"Isee,"saidPoirot."Yes,Isee...NowwhatIwouldaskofyou,Madame,istositdownnow,whenyou
havetheleisure,thatis..."

"IdaresaywhenI'vegotMrs.NicoletistobedwithasedativeandcalmeddownGeronimoandMaria,I
shallhavealittletime.Whatisityouwantmetodo?"

"Sit down and try to put down, as nearly as you can, the chronological order in which the various
incidentsoccurred."

"Certainly,Mr.Poirot.Therucksack,Ibelieve,wasthefirstandtheelectriclightbulbs-Ireallydidn't
thinkhadanyconnectionwiththeotherthings,andthenthebraceletandthecompact,no-theevening
shoe.Butthere,youdon'twanttohearmespeculateaboutit.I'llputthemdownasbestIcan."

"Thankyou,Madame.Ishallbemuchobligedtoyou."

Poirothungupthephone.

"I am vexed with myself," he said to Miss Lemon. "I have departed from the principles of order and
method.Ishouldhavemadequitesurefromthestart,theexactorderinwhichthesetheftsoccurred."

"Dear,dear,"saidMissLemon,mechanically."Areyougoingtofinishtheselettersnow,Mr.Poirot?"

ButonceagainPoirotwavedherimpatientlyaway.

II

On arrival back at Hickory Road with a search warrant on Saturday morning, Inspector Sharpe had
demanded an interview with Mrs. Nicoletis who always came on Saturday to do accounts with Mrs.
Hubbard.Hehadexplainedwhathewasabouttodo.

Mrs.Nicoletisprotestedwithvigour.

"Butitisaninsult,that!-Mystudentstheywillleave-theywillallleave.Ishallberuined..."

"No,no,Madam.I'msuretheywillbesensible.Afterall,thisisacaseofmurder."

"Itisnotmurder-itissuicide."

"AndI'msureonceI'veexplained,noonewillobject..."

Mrs.Hubbardputinasoothingword.

"I'm sure," she said, "everyone will be sensible except," she added thoughtfully, "perhaps Mr. Ahmed
AliandMr.ChandraLal."

"Pah!"saidMrs.Nicoletis."Whocaresaboutthem?"

"Thankyou,Madam,"saidtheInspector."ThenI'llmakeastarthere,inyoursittingroom."

AnimmediateandviolentprotestcamefromMrs.Nicoletisatthesuggestion.

"Yousearchwhereyouplease,"shesaid,"buthere,no!Irefuse."

"I'msorry,Mrs.Nicoletis,butIhavetogothroughthehousefromtoptobottom."

"Thatisright,butnotinmyroom.Iamabovethelaw."

"Noone'sabovethelaw.I'mafraidIshallhavetoaskyoutostandaside."

"It is an outrage," Mrs. Nicoletis screamed with fury. "You are officious busybodies. I will write to
everyone.IwillwritetomyMemberofParliament.Iwillwritetothepapers."

"Writetoanyoneyouplease,Madam,"saidInspectorSharpe,"I'mgoingtosearchthisroom."

Hestartedstraightawayuponthebureau.Alargecartonofconfectionery,amassofpapers,andalarge
varietyofassortedjunkrewardedhissearch.Hemovedfromtheretoacupboardinthecornerofthe
room.

"Thisislocked.CanIhavethekey,please?"

"Never!"screamedMrs.Nicoletis.

"Never,never,nevershallyouhavethekey!Beastandpigofapoliceman,Ispitatyou.Ispit!Ispit!I
spit!"

"Youmightjustaswellgivemethekey,"saidInspectorSharpe."Ifnot,Ishallsimplyprisethedoor
open."

"Iwillnotgiveyouthekey!Youwillhavetotearmyclothesoffmebeforeyougetthekey!Andthat
thatwillbeascandal."

"Getachisel,Cobb,"saidInspectorSharperesignedly.

Mrs.Nicoletisutteredascreamoffury.

Inspector Sharpe paid no attention. The chisel was brought. Two sharp cracks and the door of the
cupboardcameopen.Asitswungforward,alargeconsignmentofemptybrandybottlespouredoutof
thecupboard.

"Beast!Pig!Devil!"screamedMrs.Nicoletis.

"Thankyou,Madam,"saidtheInspectorpolitely."We'vefinishedinhere."

Mrs.HubbardtactfullyreplacedthebottleswhileMrs.Nicoletishadhysterics.

Onemystery,themysteryofMrs.Nicoletis'stempers,wasnowclearedup.

III

Poirot's telephone call came through just as Mrs. Hubbard was pouring out an appropriate dose of
sedativefromtheprivatemedicinecupboardinhersittingroom.Afterreplacingthereceivershewent
back to Mrs. Nicoletis whom she had left screaming and kicking her heels on the sofa in her sitting
room.

"Nowyoudrinkthis,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Andyou'llfeelbetter."

"Gestapo!"saidMrs.Nicoletiswhowasnowquietbutsullen.

"Ishouldn'tthinkanymoreaboutitifIwereyou,"saidMrs.Hubbardsoothingly.

"Gestapo!"saidMrs.Nicoletisagain."Gestapo!Thatiswhattheyare!"

"Theyhavetodotheirduty,youknow,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Isittheirdutytopryintomyprivatecupboards?Isaytothem,'Thatisnotforyou.'Ilockit.Iputthe
keydownmybosom.Ifyouhadnotbeenthereasawitnesstheywouldhavetornmyclothesoffme
withoutshame."

"Ohno,Idon'tthinktheywouldhavedonethat,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Thatiswhatyousay!Insteadtheygetachiselandtheyforcemydoor.Thatisstructuraldamagetothe
houseforwhichIshallberesponsible."

"Well,yousee,ifyouwouldn'tgivethemthekey..."

"Why should I give them the key? It was my key. My private key. And this is my private room. My
privateroomandIsaytothepolice,'Keepout'andtheydonotkeepout."

"Well,afterall,Mrs.Nicoletis,therehasbeenamurder,remember.Andafteramurderonehastoputup
withcertainthingswhichmightnotbeverypleasantatordinarytimes."

"Ispituponthemurder!"saidMrs.Nicoletis."ThatlittleCeliashecommitssuicide.Shehasasillylove
affair and she takes poison. It is the sort of thing that is always happening. They are so stupid about
love,thesegirls-asthoughlovemattered!Oneyear,twoyearsanditisallfinished,thegrandpassion!
Themanisthesameasanyotherman!Butthesillygirlstheydonotknowthat.Theytakethesleeping
draughtandthedisinfectantandtheyturnongastapsandthenitistoolate."

"Well," said Mrs. Hubbard, returning full circle, as it were, to where the conversation had started, "I
shouldn'tworryanymoreaboutitallnow."

"Thatisallverywellforyou.Me,Ihavetoworry.Itisnotsafeformeanylonger."

"Safe?"Mrs.Hubbardlookedather,startled.

"It was my private cupboard," Mrs. Nicoletis insisted. "Nobody knows what was in my private
cupboard.Ididnotwantthemtoknow.Andnowtheydoknow.Iamveryuneasy.Theymaythink-
whatwilltheythink?"

"Whodoyoumeanbythey?"

Mrs.Nicoletisshruggedherlarge,handsomeshouldersandlookedsulky.

"Youdonotunderstand,"shesaid,"butitmakesmeuneasy.Veryuneasy."

"You'dbettertellme,"saidMrs.Hubbard."ThenperhapsIcanhelpyou."

"ThankgoodnessIdonotsleephere,"saidMrs.Nicoletis."Theselocksonthedoorsheretheyareall
alike;onekeyfitsanyother.No,thankstoheaven,Idonotsleephere."

Mrs.Hubbardsaid,

"Mrs.Nicoletis,ifyouareafraidofsomething,hadn'tyoubettertellmejustwhatitis?"

Mrs.Nicoletisgaveheraflickeringlookfromherdarkeyesandthenlookedawayagain.

"Youhavesaidityourself,"shesaidevasively."Youhavesaidtherehasbeenmurderinthishouse,so
naturally one is uneasy. Who may be next? One does not even know who the murderer is. That is
becausethepolicearesostupid,orperhapstheyhavebeenbribed."

"That'sallnonsenseandyouknowit,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Buttellme,haveyougotanycauseforreal
anxiety..."

Mrs.Nicoletisflewintooneofhertempers.

"Ah,youdonotthinkIhaveanycauseforanxiety?Youknowbestasusual.Youknoweverything!You
aresowonderful,youcater,youmanage,youspendmoneylikewateronfoodsothatthestudentsare
fond of you, and now you want to manage my affairs! But that, no! I keep my affairs to myself and
nobodyshallpryintothem,doyouhear?No,Mrs.What-doyou-call-itPaulPry."

"Pleaseyourself,"saidMrs.Hubbard,exasperated.

"Youareaspy-Ialwaysknewit."

"Aspyonwhat?"

"Nothing,"saidMrs.Nicoletis."Thereisnothingheretospyupon.Ifyouthinkthereisitisbecauseyou
madeitup.IfliesaretoldaboutmeIshallknowwhotoldthem."

"Ifyouwishmetoleave,"saidMrs.Hubbard,"you'veonlygottosayso."

"No,youarenottoleave.Iforbidit.Notatthismoment.NotwhenIhaveallthecaresofthepolice,of
murder,ofeverythingelseonmyhands.Ishallnotallowyoutoabandonme."

"Oh,allright,"saidMrs.Hubbardhelplessly."Butreally,it'sverydifficulttoknowwhatyoudowant.
SometimesIdon'tthinkyouknowyourself.You'dbetterliedownonmybedandhaveasleep-"

Chapter13

HerculePoirotalightedfromataxiat26HickoryRoad.

ThedoorwasopenedtohimbyGeronimowhowelcomedhimasanoldfriend.Therewasaconstable
standinginthehallandGeronimodrewPoirotintothediningroomandclosedthedoor.

"Itisterrible,"hewhispered,asheassistedPoirotoffwithhisovercoat."Wehavepoliceherealltime!
Askquestions,gohere,gothere,lookincupboards,lookindrawers,comeintoMaria'skitcheneven.
Mariaveryangry.ShesaysheliketohitpolicemanwithrollingpinbutIsaybetternot.Isaypoliceman
notlikebeinghitbyrollingpinsandtheymakeusmoreembarrassmentifMariadothat."

"Youhavethegoodsense,"saidPoirot,approvingly."IsMrs.Hubbardatliberty?"

"Itakeyouupstairstoher."

"A little moment," Poirot stopped him. "Do you remember the day when certain electric light bulbs
disappeared?"

"Ohyes,Iremember.Butthatlongtimeagonow.One-two-threemonthago."

"Exactlywhatelectriclightbulbsweretaken?"

"TheoneinthehallandIthinkintheCommonRoom.Someonemakejoke.Takeallthebulbsout."

"Youdon'tremembertheexactdate?"

Geronimostruckanattitudeashethought.

"Idonotremember,"hesaid."ButIthinkitwasondaywhenpolicemancome,sometimeinFebruary-
"

"Apoliceman?Whatdidapolicemancomeherefor?"

"HecomeheretoseeMrs.Nicoletisaboutastudent.Verybadstudent,comefromAfrica.Notdowork.
Go to labour exchange, get National Assistance, then have woman and she go out with men for him.
Very bad that. Police not like him. All this in Manchester, I think, or Sheffield so he ran away from
thereandhecomehere,butpolicecomeafterhimandtheytalktoMrs.Hubbardabouthim.Yes.And
shesayhenotstopherebecauseshenolikehimandshesendhimaway."

"Isee.Theyweretryingtotrace-"

"Scusi?"

"Theyweretryingtofindhim?"

"Yes,yes,thatisright.Theyfindhimandthentheyputhiminprisonbecauseheliveonwomanand
liveonwomanmustnotdo.Thisisnicehousehere.Nothinglikethathere."

"Andthatwasthedaythebulbsweremissing?"

"Yes.BecauseIturnswitchandnothinghappen.AndIgointoCommonRoomandnobulbthere,andI
lookindrawerhereforsparesandIseebulbshavebeentakenaway.SoIgodowntokitchenandask
Mariaifsheknowwheresparebulbs-butsheangrybecauseshenotlikepolicecomeandshesayspare
bulbsnotherbusiness,soIbringjustcandles."

PoirotdigestedthisstoryashefollowedGeronimoupthestairstoMrs.Hubbard'sroom.

PoirotwaswelcomedwarmlybyMrs.Hubbard,whowaslookingtiredandharassed.Sheheldout,at
once,apieceofpapertohim.

"I'vedonemybest,Mr.Poirot,towritedownthesethingsintheproperorderbutIwouldn'tliketosay
thatit'sahundredpercentaccuratenow.Yousee,it'sverydifficultwhenyoulookbackoveraperiodof
monthstorememberjustwhenthis,thatortheotherhappened."

"Iamdeeplygratefultoyou,Madame.AndhowisMrs.Nicoletis?"

"I'vegivenherasedativeandIhopeshe'sasleepnow.Shemadeaterriblefussoverthesearchwarrant.
SherefusedtoopenthecupboardinherroomandtheInspectorbrokeitopenandquantitiesofempty
bottlestumbledout."

"Ah,"saidPoirot,makingatactfulsound.

"Which really explains quite a lot of things," said Mrs. Hubbard. "I really can't imagine why I didn't
thinkofthatbefore,havingseenasmuchofdrinkasIhaveoutinSingapore.Butallthat,I'msure,isn't
whatinterestsyou."

"Everythinginterestsme,"saidPoirot.

HesatdownandstudiedthepieceofpaperthatMrs.Hubbardhadhandedtohim.

"Ah!"hesaid,afteramomentortwo."Iseethatnowtherucksackheadsthelist."

"Yes. It wasn't a very important thing, but I do remember now, definitely, that it happened before the
jewelryandthosesortofthingsbegantodisappear.Itwasallrathermixedupwithsometroublewehad
about one of the coloured students. He'd left a day or two before this happened and I remembered
thinkingthatitmighthavebeenarevengefulactonhispartbeforehewent.There'dbeen-well-alittle
trouble."

"Ah! Geronimo has recounted to me something like that. You had, I believe, the police here? Is that
right?"

"Yes.ItseemstheyhadanenquiryfromSheffieldorBirminghamorsomewhere.Ithadallbeenrathera
scandal.Immoralearningsandallthatsortofthing.Hewashadupaboutitincourtlater.Actually,he'd
onlystayedhereaboutthreeorfourdays.ThenIdidn'tlikehisbehaviour,thewayhewascarryingon,
soItoldhimthathisroomwasengagedandthathe'dhavetogo.Iwasn'treallyatallsurprisedwhen
thepolicecalled.Ofcourse,Icouldn'ttellthemwherehe'dgoneto,buttheygotonhistrackallright."

"Anditwasafterthatthatyoufoundtherucksack?"

"Yes, I think so - it's hard to remember. You see, Len Bateson was going off on a hitch-hike and he
couldn'tfindhisrucksackanywhereandhecreatedaterriblefussaboutit-andeveryonedidalotof
searchingandatlastGeronimofounditshovedbehindtheboilerallcuttoribbons.Suchanoddthingto
happen.Socuriousandpointless,M.Poirot."

"Yes,"Poirotagreed."Curiousandpointless."

Heremainedthoughtfulforamoment.

"Anditwasonthatsameday,thedaythatthepolicecametoenquireaboutthisAfricanstudent,that
someelectricbulbsdisappeared-orsoGeronimotellsme.Wasitthatday?"

"Well, I really can't remember. Yes, yes, I think you're right, because I remember coming downstairs
withthepoliceinspectorandgoingintotheCommonRoomwithhimandtherewerecandlesthere.We
wantedtoaskAkibombowhetherthisotheryoungmanhadspokentohimatallortoldhimwherehe
wasgoingtostay."

"WhoelsewasintheCommonRoom?"

"Oh, I think most of the students had come back by that time. It was in the evening, you know, just
aboutsixo'clock.IaskedGeronimoaboutthebulbsandhesaidthey'dbeentakenout.Iaskedhimwhy
he hadn't replaced them and he said we were right out of electric bulbs. I was rather annoyed as it
seemedsuchasillypointlessjoke.Ithoughtofitasajoke,notasstealing,butIwassurprisedthatwe
hadnomoreelectricbulbsbecauseweusuallykeepquiteagoodsupplyinstock.Still,Ididn'ttakeit
seriously,Mr.Poirot,notatthattime."

"Thebulbsandtherucksack,"saidPoirotthoughtfully.

"Butitstillseemstomepossible,"saidMrs.Hubbard,"thatthosetwothingshavenoconnectionwith
poor little Celia's peccadilloes. You remember she denied very earnestly that she'd even touched the
rucksackatall."

"Yes,yes,thatistrue.Howsoonafterthisdidthetheftsbegin?"

"Ohdear,Mr.Poirot,you'venoideahowdifficultallthisistoremember.Letmesee-thatwasMarch,
no,February-theendofFebruary.Yes,yes,IthinkGenevièvesaidshe'dmissedherbraceletabouta
weekafterthat.Yes,betweenthe20thand25thofFebruary."

"Andafterthatthetheftswentonfairlycontinuously?"

"Yes."

"AndthisrucksackwasLenBateson's?"

"Yes."

"Andhewasveryannoyedaboutit?"

"Well,youmustn'tgobythat,Mr.Poirot,"saidMrs.Hubbard,smilingalittle."LenBatesonisthatkind
ofboy,youknow.Warmhearted,generous,kindtoafault,butoneofthosefiery,outspokentempers."

"Whatwasit,thisrucksack-somethingspecial?"

"Ohno,itwasjusttheordinarykind."

"Couldyoushowmeonelikeit?"

"Yes, of course. Colin's got one, I think, just like it. So has Nigel - in fact Len's got one again now
becausehehadtogoandbuyanother.Thestudentsusuallybuythemattheshopattheendoftheroad.
It'saverygoodplaceforallkindsofcampingequipmentandhikers'outfits.Shorts,sleepingbags,all
thatsortofthing.Andverycheap-muchcheaperthananyofthebigstores."

"IfIcouldjustseeoneoftheserucksacks,Madame?"

Mrs. Hubbard obligingly led him to Colin McNabb's room. Colin himself was not there, but Mrs.
Hubbardopenedthewardrobe,stooped,andpickeduparucksackwhichsheheldouttoPoirot.

"Thereyouare,Mr.Poirot.That'sexactlyliketheonethatwasmissingandthatwefoundallcutup."

"Itwouldtakesomecutting,"murmuredPoirot,ashefingeredtherucksackappreciatively."Onecould
notsnipatthiswithalittlepairofembroideryscissors."

"Ohno,itwasn'twhatyou'dexpecta-well,agirltodo,forinstance.Theremusthavebeenacertain
amountofstrengthinvolved,Ishouldsay.Strengthand-well-malice,youknow."

"Iknow,yes,Iknow.Itisnotpleasant.Notpleasanttothinkabout."

"Then,whenlaterthatscarfofValèrie'swasfound,alsoslashedtopieces,well,itdidlook-whatshallI
say-unbalanced."

"Ah," said Poirot. "But I think there you are wrong, Madame. I do not think there is anything
unbalancedaboutthisbusiness.Ithinkithasaimandpurposeandshallwesay,method."

"Well,Idaresayyouknowmoreaboutthesethings,Mr.Poirot,thanIdo,"saidMrs.Hubbard."AllI
cansayis,Idon'tlikeit.AsfarasIcanjudgewe'vegotaverynicelotofstudentshereanditwould
distressmeverymuchtothinkthatoneofthemis-well,notwhatI'dliketothinkheorsheis."

Poirothadwanderedovertothewindow.Heopeneditandsteppedoutontotheold-fashionedbalcony.
Theroomlookedoutoverthebackofthehouse.Belowwasasmall,sootygarden.

"Itismorequietherethanatthefront,Iexpect?"hesaid.

"Inaway.ButHickoryRoadisn'treallyanoisyroad.Andfacingthiswayyougetallthecatsatnight.
Yowling,youknow,andknockingthelidsoffthedustbins."

Poirotlookeddownatfourlargebatteredtrashcansandotherassortedbackyardjunk.

"Whereistheboilerhouse?"

"That'sthedoortoit,downtherenexttothecoalhouse."

"Isee."

Hegazeddownspeculatively.

"Whoelsehasroomsfacingthisway?"

"NigelChapmanandLenBatesonhavethenextroomtothis."

"Andbeyondthem?"

"Then it's the next house - and the girls' rooms. First the room Celia had and beyond it Elizabeth
Johnston'sandthenPatriciaLane's.ValèrieandJeanTomlinsonlookouttothefront."

Poirotnoddedandcamebackintotheroom.

"Heisneat,thisyoungman,"hemurmured,lookingroundhimappreciatively.

"Yes,Colin'sroomisalwaysverytidy.Someoftheboysliveinaterriblemess,"saidMrs.Hubbard.
"YoushouldseeLenBateson'sroom."

Sheaddedindulgently,"Butheisaniceboy,Mr.Poirot."

"Yousaythattheserucksacksareboughtattheshopattheendoftheroad?"

"Yes."

"Whatisthenameofthatshop?"

"Nowreally,Mr.Poirot,whenyouaskmelikethatIcan'tremember.Mabberley,Ithink.OrelseKelso.
No, I know they don't sound the same kind of name but they're the same sort of name in my mind.
Really, of course, because I knew some people once called Kelso and some other ones called
Mabberley,andtheywereveryalike."

"Ah,"saidPoirot."Thatisoneofthereasonsforthingsthatalwaysfascinateme.Theunseenlink."

Helookedoncemoreoutofthewindowanddownintothegarden,thentookhisleaveofMrs.Hubbard
andleftthehouse.

HewalkeddownHickoryRoaduntilhecametothecornerandturnedintothemainroad.Hehadno
difficultyinrecognizingtheshopofMrs.Hubbard'sdescription.Itdisplayedingreatprofusionpicnic
baskets, rucksacks, thermos flasks, sports equipment of all kinds, shorts, bush shirts, topees, tents,
swimmingsuits,bicyclelampsandtorches;infactallpossibleneedsofyoungandathleticyouth.

Thenameabovetheshop,henoted,wasneitherMabberleynorKelsobutHicks.Afteracarefulstudy
ofthegoodsdisplayedinthewindow,Poirotenteredandrepresentedhimselfasdesirousofpurchasing
arucksackforahypotheticalnephew.

"Hemakes'lecamping,'youunderstand,"saidPoirotathismostforeign."Hegoeswithotherstudents
uponthefeetandallheneedshetakeswithhimonhisback,andthecarsandthelorriesthatpass,they
givehimalift."

Theproprietor,whowasasmall,obligingmanwithsandyhair,repliedpromptly.

"Ah, hitch-hiking," he said. "They all do it nowadays. Must lose the buses and the railways a lot of
money, though. Hitch-hike themselves all over Europe some of these young people do. Now it's a

rucksackyou'rewanting,sir.Justanordinaryrucksack?"

"Iunderstandso.Yes.Youhaveavarietythen?"

"Well,wehaveoneortwoextralightonesforladies,butthisisthegeneralarticlewesell.Good,stout,
standalotofwear,andreallyverycheapthoughIsayitmyself."

Heproducedastoutcanvasaffairwhichwas,asfarasPoirotcouldjudge,anexactreplicaoftheonehe
had been shown in Colin's room. Poirot examined it, asked a few more exotic and unnecessary
questionsandendedbypayingforitthenandthere.

"Ahyes,wesellalotofthese,"saidthemanashemadeitupintoaparcel.

"Agoodmanystudentslodgeroundhere,dotheynot?"

"Yes.Thisisaneighbourhoodwithalotofstudents."

"Thereisonehostel,Ibelieve,inHickoryRoad?"

"Ohyes.I'vesoldseveraltotheyounggentlementhere.Andtheyoungladies.Theyusuallycomehere
foranyequipmenttheywantbeforetheygooff.Mypricesarecheaperthanthebigstores,andsoItell
them. There you are, sir, and I'm sure your nephew will be delighted with the service he gets out of
this."

Poirotthankedhimandwentoutwithhisparcel.

Hehadonlygoneasteportwowhenahandfellonhisshoulder.

ItwasInspectorSharpe.

"JustthemanIwanttosee,"saidSharpe.

"Youhaveaccomplishedyoursearchofthehouse?"

"I'vesearchedthehouse,butIdon'tknowthatI'veaccomplishedverymuch.There'saplacealonghere
whereyoucangetaverydecentsandwichandacupofcoffee.Comealongwithmeifyou'renottoo
busy.I'dliketotalktoyou."

The sandwich bar was almost empty. The two men carried their plates and cups to a small table in a
corner.

HereSharperecountedtheresultsofhisquestioningofthestudents.

"Theonlypersonwe'vegotanyevidenceagainstisyoungChapman,"hesaid."Andtherewe'vegottoo
much.Threelotsofpoisonthroughhishands.Butthere'snoreasontobelievehe'danyanimusagainst
CeliaAustin,andIdoubtifhe'dhavebeenasfrankabouthisactivitiesifhewasreallyguilty."

"Itopensoutotherpossibilities,though."

"Yes-allthatstuffknockingaboutinadrawer.Sillyyoungass!"

HewentontoElizabethJohnstonandheraccountofwhatCeliahadsaidtoher.

"Ifwhatshesaidistrue,it'ssignificant."

"Verysignificant,"Poirotagreed.

TheInspectorquoted,

"'Ishallknowmoreaboutittomorrow.'"

"And so - tomorrow never came for that poor girl! Your search of the house - did it accomplish
anything?"

"Therewereoneortwothingsthatwere-whatshallIsay?Unexpected,perhaps."

"Suchas?"

"ElizabethJohnstonisamemberoftheCommunistparty.WefoundherPartycard."

"Yes,"saidPoirot,thoughtfully."Thatisinteresting."

"Youwouldn'thaveexpectedit,"saidInspectorSharpe."Ididn'tuntilIquestionedheryesterday.She's
gotalotofpersonality,thatgirl."

"IshouldthinkshewasavaluablerecruittotheParty,"saidHerculePoirot."Sheisayoungwomanof
quiteunusualintelligence,Ishouldsay."

"It was interesting to me," said Inspector Sharpe, "because she has never paraded those sympathies,
apparently. She's kept very quiet about it at Hickory Road. I don't see that it has any significance in
connectionwiththecaseofCeliaAustin,Imean-butit'sathingtobearinmind."

"Whatelsedidyoufind?"

InspectorSharpeshruggedhisshoulders.

"MissPatriciaLane,inherdrawer,hadahandkerchiefratherextensivelystainedwithgreenink."

Poirot'seyebrowsrose.

"Green ink? Patricia Lane! So it may have been she who took the ink and spilled it over Elizabeth
Johnston'spapersandthenwipedherhandsafterwards.Butsurely..."

"Surelyshewouldn'twantherdearNigeltobesuspected,"Sharpefinishedforhim.

"One would not have thought so. Of course, someone else might have put the handkerchief in her
drawer."

"Likelyenough."

"Anythingelse?"

"Well,"Sharpereflectedforamoment."ItseemsLeonardBateson'sfatherisinLongwithValeMental
Hospital,acertifiedpatient.Idon'tsupposeit'sofanyparticularinterest,but..."

"But Len Bateson's father is insane. Probably without significance, as you say, but it is a fact to be
storedawayinthememory.Itwouldevenbeinterestingtoknowwhatparticularformhismaniatakes."

"Bateson'saniceyoungfellow,"saidSharpe,"butofcoursehistemperisabit,well,uncontrolled."

Poirot nodded. Suddenly, vividly, he remembered Celia Austin saying 'Of course, I wouldn't cut up a
rucksack.That'sjustsilly.Anyway,thatwasonlytemper.'Howdidsheknowitwastemper?Hadshe
seenLenBatesonhackingatthatrucksack?HecamebacktothepresenttohearSharpesay,withagrin,

"Mr.AhmedAlihassomeextremelypornographicliteratureandpostcardswhichexplainswhyhewent
upintheairoverthesearch."

"Thereweremanyprotests,nodoubt?"

"I should say there were. A French girl practically had hysterics and an Indian, Mr. Chandra Lal,
threatenedtomakeaninternationalincidentofit.Therewereafewsubversivepamphletsamongsthis
belongings - the usual half baked stuff - and one of the West Africans had some rather fearsome
souvenirs and fetishes. Yes, a search warrant certainly shows you the peculiar side of human nature.
YouheardaboutMrs.Nicoletisandherprivatecupboard?"

"Yes,Iheardaboutthat."

InspectorSharpegrinned.

"Neverseensomanyemptybrandybottlesinmylife!Andwasshemadatus!"

Helaughed,andthen,abruptly,becameserious.

"Butwedidn'tfindwhatwewereafter,"hesaid."Nopassportsexceptstrictlylegitimateones."

"Youcanhardlyexpectsuchathingasafalsepassporttobeleftaboutforyoutofind,monami.You
neverhadoccasion,didyou,tomakeanofficialvisitto26HickoryRoadinconnectionwithapassport?
Say,inthelastsixmonths?"

"No.I'lltellyoutheonlyoccasionsonwhichwedidcallround-withinthetimesyoumention."

Hedetailedthemcarefully.

Poirotlistenedwithafrown.

"Allthat,itdoesnotmakesense,"hesaid.Heshookhishead.

"Thingswillonlymakesenseifwebeginatthebeginning."

"Whatdoyoucallthebeginning,Poirot?"

"Therucksack,myfriend,"saidPoirotsoftly."Therucksack.Allthisbeganwitharucksack."

Chapter14

Mrs. Nicoletis came up the stairs from the basement where she had just succeeded in thoroughly
infuriatingbothGeronimoandthetemperamentalMaria.

"Liarsandthieves,"saidMrs.Nicoletisinaloudtriumphantvoice."AllItaliansareliarsandthieves!"

Mrs.Hubbardwhowasjustdescendingthestairsgaveashortvexedsigh.

"It'sapity,"shesaid,"toupsetthemjustwhilethey'recookingthesupper."

"WhatdoIcare?"saidMrs.Nicoletis."Ishallnotbehereforsupper."

Mrs.Hubbardsuppressedtheretortthatrosetoherlips.

"IshallcomeinasusualonMonday,"saidMrs.Nicoletis.

"Yes,Mrs.Nicoletis."

"AndpleasegetsomeonetorepairmycupboarddoorfirstthingMondaymorning.Thebillforrepairing
itwillgotothepolice,doyouunderstand?Tothepolice."

Mrs.Hubbardlookeddubious.

"And I want fresh electric light bulbs put in the dark passages - stronger ones. The passages are too
dark."

"Yousaidespeciallythatyouwantedlowpowerbulbsinthepassages-foreconomy."

"Thiswaslastweek,"snappedMrs.Nicoletis."Nowitisdifferent.NowIlookovermyshoulder-andI
wonder,'Whoisfollowingme?'"

Washeremployerdramatisingherself,Mrs.Hubbardwondered,orwasshereallyafraidofsomething
orsomeone?Mrs.Nicoletishadsuchahabitofexaggeratingeverythingthatitwasalwayshardtoknow
howmuchreliancetoplaceonherstatements.

Mrs.Hubbardsaiddoubtfully,

"Areyousureyououghttogohomebyyourself?Wouldyoulikemetocomewithyou?"

"Ishallbesafertherethanhere,Icantellyou!"

"Butwhatisityouareafraidof?IfIknew,perhapsIcould-"

"It is not your business. I tell you nothing. I find it insupportable the way you continually ask me
questions."

"I'msorry,I'msure-"

"Nowyouareoffended."Mrs.Nicoletisgaveherabeamingsmile."Iambadtemperedandrude-yes.
But I have much to worry me. And remember I trust you and rely on you. What I should do without
you,dearMrs.Hubbard,Ireallydonotknow.See,Ikissmyhandtoyou.Haveapleasantweekend.
Goodnight."

Mrs.Hubbardwatchedherasshewentoutthroughthefrontdoorandpulledittobehindher.Relieving
herfeelingswitharatherinadequate"Well,really!"Mrs.Hubbardturnedtowardthekitchenstairs.

Mrs.Nicoletiswentdownthefrontsteps,outthroughthegateandturnedtotheleft.HickoryRoadwas
afairlybroadroad.Thehousesinitweresetbackalittleintheirgardens.Attheendoftheroad,afew
minutes' walk from number 26, was one of London's main thoroughfares, down which buses were
roaring.Thereweretraffic-lightsattheendoftheroadandapublichouse.TheQueen'sNecklace,atthe
corner. Mrs. Nicoletis walked in the middle of the pavement and from time to time sent a nervous
glanceoverhershoulder,buttherewasnooneinsight.HickoryRoadappearedtobeunusuallydeserted
thisevening.

She quickened her steps a little as she drew near The Queen's Necklace. Taking another hasty glance
roundsheslippedratherguiltilyintotheSaloonBar.

Sipping the double brandy that she had asked for, her spirits revived. She no longer looked the
frightened and uneasy woman that she had a short time previously. Her animosity against the police,
however,wasnotlessened.Shemurmuredunderherbreath,"Gestapo!Ishallmakethempay.Yes,they
shallpay!"andfinishedoffherdrink.Sheorderedanotherandbroodedoverrecenthappenings.

Unfortunate,extremelyunfortunate,thatthepoliceshouldhavebeensotactlessastodiscoverhersecret
hoard,andtoomuchtohopethatwordwouldnotgetaroundamongstthestudentsandtherestofthem.

Mrs.Hubbardwouldbediscreet,perhaps,oragainperhapsnot,becausereally,couldonetrustanyone?
These things always did get around. Geronimo knew. He had probably already told his wife, and she
wouldtellthecleaningwomenandsoitwouldgoonuntil-shestartedviolentlyasavoicebehindher
said,

"Why,Mrs.Nick,Ididn'tknowthiswasahauntofyours?"

Shewheeledroundsharplyandthengaveasighofrelief.

"Oh,it'syou,"shesaid."Ithought..."

"Whodidyouthinkitwas?Thebigbadwolf?Whatareyoudrinking?Haveanotheronme."

"It is all the worry," Mrs. Nicoletis explained with dignity. "These policemen searching my house,
upsettingeveryone.Mypoorheart.Ihavetobeverycarefulwithmyheart.Idonotcarefordrink,but
reallyIfeltquitefaintoutside.Ithoughtalittlebrandy..."

"Nothinglikebrandy.Hereyouare."

Mrs.NicoletisleftTheQueen'sNecklaceashortwhilelaterfeelingrevivedandpositivelyhappy.She
would not take a bus, she decided. It was such a fine night and the air would be good for her. Yes,
definitely the air would be good for her. She felt not exactly unsteady on her feet but just a little bit
uncertain.Onebrandyless,perhaps,wouldhavebeenwise,buttheairwouldsoonclearherhead.After
all,whyshouldn'taladyhaveaquietdrinkinherownroomfromtimetotime?Whatwastherewrong
withit?Itwasnotasthoughshehadeverallowedherselftobeseenintoxicated.Intoxicated?Ofcourse,
shewasneverintoxicated.Andanyway,iftheydidn'tlikeit,iftheytickedheroff,she'dsoontellthem
wheretheygotoff!Sheknewathingortwo,didn'tshe?Ifshelikedtoshootoffhermouth!

Mrs.Nicoletistossedherheadinabellicosemannerandswervedabruptlytoavoidapillar-boxwhich
hadadvanceduponherinamenacingmanner.Nodoubt,herheadwasswimmingalittle.Perhapsifshe
justleantagainstthewallhereforalittle?Ifsheclosedhereyesforamomentortwo...

PoliceConstableBott,swingingmagnificentlydownonhisbeat,wasaccostedbyatimid-lookingclerk.

"There'sawomanhere,officer.Ireally-sheseemstohavebeentakenillorsomething.She'slyingina
heap."

PoliceConstableBottbenthisenergeticstepsthatway,andstoopedovertherecumbentform.Astrong
aromaofbrandyconfirmedhissuspicions.

"Passedout,"hesaid."Drunk.Ahwell,don'tworry,sir,we'llseetoit."

II

Hercule Poirot, having finished his Sunday breakfast, wiped his moustaches carefully free from all
tracesofhisbreakfastcupofchocolateandpassedintohissittingroom.

Neatlyarrangedonthetablewerefourrucksacks,eachwithitsbillattached-theresultofinstructions
given to George the day before. Poirot took the rucksack he had purchased the day before from its
wrapping,andaddedittotheothers.Theresultwasinteresting.TherucksackhehadboughtfromMr.
Hicks did not seem inferior in any way that he could see, to the articles purchased by George from
variousotherestablishments.Butitwasverydecidedlycheaper.

"Interesting,"saidHerculePoirot.

Hestaredattherucksacks.

Thenheexaminedthemindetail.Insideandoutside,turningthemupsidedown,feelingtheseams,the
pockets, the handles. Then he rose, went into the bathroom and came back with a small sharp knife.
TurningtherucksackhehadboughtatMr.Hicks'storeinsideout,heattackedthebottomofitwiththe
knife.Betweentheinnerliningandthebottomtherewasaheavypieceofcorrugatedstiffening,rather
resembling in appearance corrugated paper. Poirot looked at the dismembered rucksack with a great
dealofinterest.Thenheproceededtoattacktheotherrucksacks.

Hesatbackfinallyandsurveyedtheamountofdestructionhehadjustaccomplished.

Then he drew the telephone towards him and after a short delay managed to get through to Inspector
Sharpe.

"Encoutez,moncher,"hesaid."Iwanttoknowjusttwothings."

SomethinginthenatureofaguffawfromInspectorSharpe.

"Iknowtwothingsaboutthehorse,Andoneofthemisrathercoarse,"heobserved.

"Ibegyourpardon,"saidHerculePoirot,surprised.

"Nothing.Nothing.JustarhymeIusedtoknow.Whatarethetwothingsyouwanttoknow?"

"YoumentionedyesterdaycertainpoliceinquiriesatHickoryRoadmadeduringthelastthreemonths.
Canyoutellmethedatesofthemandalsothetimeofdaytheyweremade?"

"Yes-well-thatshouldbeeasy.It'llbeinthefiles.JustwaitandI'lllookitup."

It was not long before the Inspector returned to the phone. "First inquiry as to Indian student
disseminatingsubversivepropaganda,18thDecemberlast-3:30pm."

"Thatistoolongago."

"Inquiry re Montage Jones, Eurasian, wanted in connection with murder of Mrs. Alice Combe of
Cambridge-February24th-5:30pm.InquiryreWilliamRobinson,WestAfrica,wantedbySheffield
police-March6th,11:00am."

"Ah!Ithankyou."

"Butifyouthinkthateitherofthosecasescouldhaveanyconnectionwith-"

Poirotinterruptedhim.

"No,theyhavenoconnection.Iaminterestedonlyinthetimeofdaytheyweremade."

"Whatareyouupto,Poirot?"

"Idissectrucksacks,myfriend.Itisveryinteresting."

Gentlyhereplacedthereceiver.

HetookfromhispocketbooktheamendedlistthatMrs.Hubbardhadhandedhimthedaybefore.Itran
asfollows:

Rucksack(LenBateson's)

Electriclightbulbs

Bracelet(MissRysdorff's)

DiamondRing(Patricia's)

PowderCompact(Geneviève's)

Eveningshoe(Sally's)

Lipstick(ElizabethJohnston's)

Earrings(Valèrie's)

Stethoscope(LenBateson's)

Bathsalts(?)

Scarfcutinpieces(Valèrie's)

Trousers(Colin's)

CookeryBook(?)

Boracic(ChandraLal's)

Costumebroach(Sally's)

InkspilledonElizabeth'snotes.

(ThisisthebestIcando.It'snotabsolutelyaccurate.L.Hubbard.)

Poirot looked at it a long time. He sighed and murmured to himself, "Yes... decidedly... we have to
eliminatethethingsthatdonotmatter..."

Hehadanideaastowhocouldhelphimtodothat.ItwasSunday.Mostofthestudentswouldprobably
beathome.

Hedialledthenumberof26HickoryRoadandaskedtospeaktoMissValèrieHobhouse.Athickrather
gutturalvoiceseemedratherdoubtfulastowhethershewasupyet,butsaiditwouldgoandsee.

Presentlyheheardalowhuskyvoice,

"ValèrieHobhousespeaking."

"ItisHerculePoirot.Yourememberme?"

"Ofcourse,Mr.Poirot.WhatcanIdoforyou?"

"Iwouldlike,ifImay,tohaveashortconversationwithyou?"

"Certainly."

"Imaycomeroundthen,toHickoryRoad?"

"Yes. I'll be expecting you. I'll tell Geronimo to bring you up to my room. There's not much privacy
hereonaSunday."

"Thankyou,MissHobhouse.Iammostgrateful."

Geronimo opened the door to Poirot with a flourish, then bending forward he spoke with his usual
conspiratorialair.

"ItakeyouuptoMissValèrieveryquietly.Hushshsh."

Placinghisfingeronhislips,heledthewayupstairsandintoagoodsizedroomoverlookingHickory
Road.Itwasfurnishedwithtasteandareasonableamountofluxuryasabedsittingroom.

The divan bed was covered with a worn but beautiful Persian rug, and there was an attractive Queen
Anne walnut bureau which Poirot judged hardly likely to be one of the original furnishings of 26
HickoryRoad.

ValèrieHobhousewasstandingreadytogreethim.Shelookedtired,hethought,andthereweredark
circlesroundhereyes.

"Maisvousêtestrèsbienici,"saidPoirotashegreetedher."Itischic.Ithasanair."

Valèriesmiled.

"I'vebeenhereagoodtime,"shesaid."Twoandahalfyears.Nearlythree.I'vedugmyselfinmoreor
lessandI'vegotsomeofmyownthings."

"Youarenotastudent,areyou,Mademoiselle?"

"Ohno.Purelycommercial.I'vegotajob."

"Ina-cosmeticfirm,wasit?"

"Yes.I'moneofthebuyersforSabrinaFair-it'saBeautySalon.ActuallyIhaveasmallshareinthe
business. We run a certain amount of side-lines besides beauty treatment. Accessories, that type of
thing.SmallParisiannovelties.Andthat'smydepartment."

"YougooverthenfairlyoftentoParisandtotheContinent?"

"Ohyes,aboutonceamonth,sometimesoftener."

"Youmustforgiveme,"saidPoirot,"IfIseemtobedisplayingcuriosity..."

"Why not?" She cut him short. "In the circumstances in which we find ourselves we must all put up
with curiosity. I've answered a good many questions yesterday from Inspector Sharpe. You look as
thoughyouwouldlikeanuprightchair,MonsieurPoirot,ratherthanalowarmchair."

"Youdisplaytheperspicacity,Mademoiselle."

Poirotsatdowncarefullyandsquarelyinahigh-backedchairwitharmstoit.

Valèriesatdownonthedivan.Sheofferedhimacigaretteandtookoneherselfandlightedit.

He studied her with some attention. She had a nervous, rather haggard elegance that appealed to him
morethanmereconventionalgoodlookswouldhavedone.Anintelligentandattractiveyoungwoman,
he thought. He wondered if her nervousness was the result of the recent inquiry or whether it was a
naturalcomponentofhermanner.Herememberedthathehadthoughtmuchthesameaboutheronthe
eveningwhenhehadcometosupper.

"InspectorSharpehasbeenmakinginquiriesofyou?"heasked.

"Yes,indeed."

"Andyouhavetoldhimallthatyouknow?"

"Ofcourse."

"Iwonder,"saidPoirot,"ifthatistrue."

Shelookedathimwithanironicexpression.

"SinceyoudidnothearmyanswerstoInspectorSharpeyoucanhardlybeajudge,"shesaid.

"Ahno.Itismerelyoneofmylittleideas.Ihavethem,youknow,thelittleideas.Theyarehere."He
tappedhishead.

ItcouldbenoticedthatPoirot,ashesometimesdid,wasdeliberatelyplayingthemountebank.

Valèrie,however,didnotsmile.Shelookedathiminastraightforwardmanner.Whenshespokeitwas
withacertainabruptness.

"Shallwecometothepoint,Mr.Poirot?"sheasked."Ireallydon'tknowwhatyou'redrivingat."

"Butcertainly,MissHobhouse."

Hetookfromhispocketalittlepackage.

"Youcanguess,perhaps,whatIhavehere?"

"I'mnotclairvoyant,Mr.Poirot.Ican'tseethroughpaperandwrappings."

"Ihavehere,"saidPoirot,"theringthatwasstolenfromMissPatriciaLane."

"Patricia'sengagementring?Imean,hermother'sengagementring?Butwhyshouldyouhaveit?"

"Iaskedhertolendittomeforadayortwo."

AgainValèrie'srathersurprisedeyebrowsmountedherforehead.

"Indeed,"sheobserved.

"Iwasinterestedinthering,"saidPoirot."Interestedinitsdisappearance,initsreturnandinsomething
else about it. So I asked Miss Lane to lend it to me. She agreed readily. I took it straight away to a
jewellerfriendofmine."

"Yes?"

"Iaskedhimtoreportonthediamondinit.Afairlylargestone,ifyouremember,flankedateitherside
byalittleclusterofsmallstones.Youremember-Mademoiselle?"

"Ithinkso.Idon'treallyrememberitverywell."

"Butyouhandledit,didn'tyou?Itwasinyoursoupplate."

"Thatwashowitwasreturned!Ohyes,Irememberthat.Inearlyswallowedit."Valèriegaveashort
laugh.

"As I say, I took the ring to my jeweller friend and I asked him his opinion on the diamond. Do you
knowwhathisanswerwas?"

"HowcouldI?"

"Hisanswerwasthatthestonewasnotadiamond.Itwasmerelyazircon.Awhitezircon."

"Oh!" She stared at him. Then she went on, her tone a little uncertain, "D'you mean that - Patricia
thoughtitwasadiamondbutitwasonlyazirconor..."

Poirotwasshakinghishead.

"No, I do not mean that. It was the engagement ring, so I understand, of this Patricia Lane's mother.
MissPatriciaLaneisayoungladyofgoodfamilyandherpeople,Ishouldsay,certainlybeforerecent
taxation, were in comfortable circumstances. In those circles, Mademoiselle, money is spent upon an
engagement ring. An engagement ring must be a handsome ring, a diamond ring or a ring containing
some other precious stone. I am quite certain that the papa of Miss Lane would not have given her
mammaanythingbutavaluableengagementring."

"Astothat,"saidValèrie,"Icouldntagreewithyoumore.Patricia'sfatherwasasmallcountrysquire,I
believe."

"Therefore,"saidPoirot,"itwouldseemthatthestoneintheringmusthavebeenreplacedwithanother
stonelater."

"Isuppose,"saidValèrieslowly,"thatPatmighthavelostthestoneoutofit,couldn'taffordtoreplaceit
withadiamond,andhadazirconputininstead."

"Thatispossible,"saidHerculePoirot,"butIdonotthinkitiswhathappened."

"Well,MonsieurPoirot,ifwe'reguessing,whatdoyouthinkhappened?"

"I think," said Poirot, "that the ring was taken by Mademoiselle Celia and that the diamond was
deliberatelyremovedandthezirconsubstitutedbeforetheringwasreturned."

Valèriesatupverystraight.

"YouthinkCeliastolethatdiamonddeliberately?"

Poirotshookhishead.

"No,"hesaid."Ithinkyoustoleit,Mademoiselle."

ValèrieHobhousecaughtherbreathsharply.

"Well,really!"sheexclaimed."Thatseemstomeprettythick.You'venoearthlyevidenceofanykind."

"Butyes,"Poirotinterruptedher."Ihaveevidence.Theringwasreturnedinaplateofsoup.Nowme,I
dinedhereoneevening.Inoticedthewaythesoupwasserved.Itwasservedfromatureenontheside
table.Therefore,ifanyonefoundaringintheirsoupplateitcouldonlyhavebeenplacedthereeitherby
thepersonwhowasservingthesoup(inthiscaseGeronimo)orbythepersonwhosesoupplateitwas.
You!IdonotthinkitwasGeronimo.Ithinkthatyoustagedthereturnoftheringinthesoupthatway
because it amused you. You have, if I may make the criticism, rather too humorous a sense of the
dramatic. To hold up the ring! To exclaim! I think you indulged your sense of humour there,
Mademoiselle,anddidnotrealisethatyoubetrayedyourselfinsodoing."

"Isthatall?"Valèriespokescornfully.

"Oh,no,itisbynomeansall.Yousee,whenCeliaconfessedthateveningtohavingbeenresponsible
forthetheftshere,Inoticedseveralsmallpoints.Forinstance,inspeakingofthisringshesaid,'Ididn't
realise how valuable it was. As soon as I knew, I managed to return it.' How did she know, Miss
Valèrie? Who told her how valuable the ring was? And then again in speaking of the cut scarf, little
Miss Celia said something like, 'That didn't matter. Valèrie didn't mind...' Why did you not mind if a
goodqualitysilkscarfbelongingtoyouwascuttoshreds?Iformedtheimpressionthenandtherethat
thewholecampaignofstealingthings,ofmakingherselfouttobeakleptomaniac,andsoattractingthe
attention of Colin McNabb had been thought out for Celia by someone else. Someone with far more
intelligencethanCeliaAustinhad,andwithagoodworkingknowledgeofpsychology.Youtoldherthe

ring was valuable; you took it from her and arranged for its return. In the same way it was at your
suggestionthatsheslashedascarfofyourstopieces."

"Thesearealltheories,"saidValèrie,"andratherfar-fetchedtheoriesatthat.TheInspectorhasalready
suggestedtomethatIputCeliauptodoingthesetricks."

"Andwhatdidyousaytohim?"

"Isaiditwasnonsense,"saidValèrie.

"Andwhatdoyousaytome?"

Valèrielookedathimsearchinglyforamomentortwo.Thenshegaveashortlaugh,stubbedouther
cigarette,leanedbackthrustingacushionbehindherbackandsaid:

"You'requiteright.Iputheruptoit."

"MayIaskyouwhy?"

Valèriesaidimpatiently,

"Oh, sheer foolish good nature. Benevolent interfering. There Celia was, mooning about like a little
ghost, yearning over Colin who never looked at her. It all seemed so silly. Colin's one of those
conceited,opinionatedyoungmenwrappedupinpsychologyandcomplexesandemotionalblocksand
all the rest of it, and I thought really it would be rather fun to egg him on and make a fool of him.
AnywayIhatedtoseeCelialooksomiserable,soIgotholdofher,gaveheratalking-to,explainedin
outlinethewholescheme,andurgedherontoit.Shewasabitnervous,Ithink,aboutitall,butrather
thrilledatthesametime.Then,ofcourse,oneofthefirstthingsthelittleidiotdoesistofindPat'sring
left in the bathroom and pinch that, a really valuable piece of jewelry about which there'd be a lot of
hoo-haandthepolicewouldbecalledinandthewholethingmighttakeaseriousturn.SoIgrabbedthe
ringoffher,toldherI'dreturnitsomehow,andurgedherinthefuturetosticktocostumejewelryand
cosmeticsandalittlewilfuldamagetosomethingofminewhichwouldn'tlandherintrouble."

Poirotdrewadeepbreath.

"ThatwasexactlywhatIthought,"hesaid.

"IwishthatIhadn'tdoneitnow,"saidValèriesombrely."ButIreallydidmeanwell.That'sanatrocious
thingtosayandjustlikeJeanTomlinson,butthereitis."

"Andnow,"saidPoirot,"wecometothisbusinessofPatricia'sring.Celiagaveittoyou.Youwereto
find it somewhere and return it to Patricia. But before returning it to Patricia," he paused. "What
happened?"

Hewatchedherfingersnervouslyplaitingandunplaitingtheendofafringedscarfthatshewaswearing
roundherneck.Hewenton,inanevenmorepersuasivevoice,

"Youwerehardup,eh,wasthatit?"

Withoutlookingupathimshegaveashortnodofthehead.

"I said I'd come clean," she said and there was bitterness in her voice. "The trouble with me is,
Monsieur Poirot, I'm a gambler. That's one of the things that's born in you and you can't do anything
muchaboutit.IbelongtoalittleclubinMayfair-oh,Ishall'ttellyoujustwhere-Idon'twanttobe
responsibleforgettingitraidedbythepoliceoranythingofthatkind.We'lljustletitgoatthefactthatI
belongtoit.There'sroulettethere,baccarat,alltherestofit.I'vetakenanastyseriesoflossesoneafter
the other. I had this ring of Pat's. I happened to be passing a shop where there was a zircon ring. I
thought to myself, 'If this diamond was replaced with a white zircon Pat would never know the
difference!' You never do look at a ring you know really well. If the diamond seems a bit duller than
usualyoujustthinkitneedscleaningorsomethinglikethat.Allright,Ihadanimpulse.Ifell.Iprised
outthediamondandsoldit.ReplaceditwithazirconandthatnightIpretendedtofinditinmysoup.
Thatwasadamnsillythingtodo,too,Iagree.There!Nowyouknowitall.Buthonestly,Inevermeant
Celiatobeblamedforthat."

"No, no, I understand." Poirot nodded his head. "It was just an opportunity that came your way. It
seemedeasyandyoutookit.Butyoumadethereagreatmistake,Mademoiselle."

"Irealisethat,"saidValèriedrily.

Thenshebrokeoutunhappily,

"Butwhatthehell!Doesthatmatternow?Oh,turnmeinifyoulike.TellPat.TelltheInspector.Tell
the world! But what good is it going to do? How's it going to help us with finding out who killed
Celia?"

Poirotrosetohisfeet.

"One never knows," he said, "what may help and what may not. One has to clear out of the way so
many things that do not matter and that confuse the issue. It was important for me to know who had
inspiredthelittleCeliatoplaythepartshedid.Iknowthatnow.Astothering,Isuggestthatyougo
yourselftoMissPatriciaLaneandthatyoutellherwhatyoudidandexpressthecustomarysentiments."

Valèriemadeagrimace.

"Idaresaythat'sprettygoodadviceonthewhole,"shesaid."Allright,I'llgotoPatandI'lleathumble
pie.Pat'saverydecentsort.I'lltellherthatwhenIcanafforditagainI'llreplacethediamond.Isthat
whatyouwant,Mr.Poirot?"

"Itisnot-whatIwant,itiswhatisadvisable."

ThedooropenedsuddenlyandMrs.Hubbardcamein.

ShewasbreathinghardandtheexpressiononherfacemadeValèrieexclaim,

"What'sthematter,Mum?What'shappened?"

Mrs.Hubbarddroppedintoachair.

"It'sMrs.Nicoletis."

"Mrs.Nick?Whatabouther?"

"Oh,mydear.She'sdead."

"Dead?"Valèrie'svoicecameharshly."How?When?"

"Itseemsshewaspickedupinthestreetlastnight,theytookhertothepolicestation.Theythoughtshe

was-was-"

"Drunk?Isuppose-"

"Yes-shehadbeendrinking.Butanyway-shedied-"

"PooroldMrs.Nick,"saidValèrie.Therewasatremorinherhuskyvoice.

Poirotsaidgently,

"Youwerefondofher,Mademoiselle?"

"It'soddinaway-shecouldbeaproperolddevil,yes-Iwas...WhenIfirstcameherethreeyearsago,
shewasn'tnearlyas-astemperamentalasshebecamelater-Shewasgoodcompany-amusing,warm-
hearted-She'schangedalotinthelastyear-"

ValèrielookedatMrs.Hubbard.

"Isupposethat'sbecauseshe'dtakentodrinkingonthequiet-theyfoundalotofbottlesandthingsin
herroom,didn'tthey?"

"Yes,"Mrs.Hubbardhesitated,thenburstout,

"Idoblamemyself-lettinghergooffhomealonelastnight-shewasafraidofsomething,youknow."

"Afraid?"

PoirotandValèriesaiditinunison.

Mrs.Hubbardnoddedunhappily.Hermildroundfacewastroubled.

"Yes.Shekeptsayingshewasn'tsafe.Iaskedhertotellmewhatshewasafraidof-andshesnubbed
me.Andoneneverknewwithher,ofcourse,howmuchwasexaggeration-Butnow-Iwonder-"

Valèriesaid,

"Youdon'tthinkthatshe-thatshe,too-thatshewas-"

Shebrokeoffwithalookofhorrorinhereyes.

Poirotasked,"Whatdidtheysaywasthecauseofdeath?"

Mrs.Hubbardsaidunhappily,"They-theydidn'tsay-There'stobeaninquest,onTuesday-"

Chapter15

InaquietroomatNewScotlandYard,fourmenweresittingroundatable.

Presiding over the conference was Superintendent Wilding of the Narcotics squad. Next to him was
SergeantBell,ayoungmanofgreatenergyandoptimism,wholookedratherlikeaneagergreyhound.

Leaningbackinhischair,quietandalert,wasInspectorSharpe.ThefourthmanwasHerculePoirot.On
thetablewasarucksack.

SuperintendentWildingstrokedhischinthoughtfully.

"It'saninterestingidea,Mr.Poirot,"hesaidcautiously."Yes,it'saninterestingidea."

"Itis,asIsay,simplyanidea,"saidPoirot.

Wildingnodded.

"We'veoutlinedthegeneralposition,"hesaid."Smugglinggoesonallthetime,ofcourse,inoneform
oranother.Weclearuponelotofoperatorsandafteradueintervalthingsstartagainsomewhereelse.
Speaking for my own branch, there's been a good lot of the stuff coming into this country in the last
yearandahalf.Heroinmostly-afairamountofcoke.Therearevariousdepotsdottedhereandthere
onthecontinent.TheFrenchpolicehavegotaleadortwoastohowitcomesintoFrance-they'reless

certainhowitgoesoutagain."

"Would I be right in saying," Poirot asked, "that your problem could be divided roughly under three
heads. There is the problem of distribution, there is the problem of how the consignments enter the
country,andthereistheproblemofwhoreallyrunsthebusinessandtakesthemainprofits?"

"RoughlyI'dsaythat'squiteright.Weknowafairamountaboutthesmalldistributorsandhowthestuff
isdistributed.Someofthedistributorswepullin,someweleavealonehopingthattheymayleadusto
thebigfish.It'sdistributedinalotofdifferentways,nightclubs,pubs,drugstores,anodddoctororso,
fashionable women's dressmakers and hairdressers. It's handed over on race courses, and in antique
dealers,sometimesinacrowdedmultiplestore.ButIneedn'ttellyouallthis.It'snotthatsideofitthat's
important.Wecankeeppacewithallthatfairlywell.Andwe'vegotcertainveryshrewdsuspicionsas
towhatI'vecalledthebigfish.Oneortwoveryrespectablewealthygentlemenagainstwhomthere's
neverabreathofsuspicion.Verycarefultheyare;theyneverhandlethestuffthemselves,andthelittle
frydon'tevenknowwhotheyare.Buteverynowandagain,oneofthemmakesaslip-andthen-we
gethim."

"ThatisallverymuchasIsupposed.ThelineinwhichIaminterestedisthesecondline-howdothe
consignmentscomeintothecountry?"

"Ah.We'reanisland.Themostusualwayisthegoodoldfashionedwayofthesea.Runningacargo.
QuietlandingsomewhereontheEastcoast,oralittlecovedownSouth,byamotorboatthat'sslipped
quietly across the Channel. That succeeds for a bit but sooner or later we get a line on the particular
fellowwhoownstheboatandoncehe'sundersuspicionhisopportunity'sgone.Onceortwicelatelythe
stuff'scomeinononeoftheairliners.There'sbigmoneyoffered,andoccasionallyoneofthestewards
or one of the crew proves to be only too human. And then there are the commercial importers.
Respectablefirmsthatimportgrandpianosorwhathaveyou!Theyhavequiteagoodrunforabit,but
weusuallygetwisetothemintheend."

"Youwouldagreethatitisoneofthechiefdifficultieswhenyouarerunninganillicittrade-theentry
fromabroadintothiscountry?"

"Decidedly.AndI'llsaymore.Forsometimenow,we'vebeenworried.Morestuffiscominginthanwe
cankeeppacewith."

"Andwhataboutotherthings,suchasgems?"

SergeantBellspoke.

"There'sagooddealofitgoingon,sir.IllicitdiamondsandotherstonesarecomingoutofSouthAfrica
andAustralia,somefromtheFarEast.They'recomingintothiscountryinasteadystream,andwedon't
know how. The other day a young woman, an ordinary tourist, in France, was asked by a casual
acquaintanceifshe'dtakeapairofshoesacrosstheChannel.Notnewones,nothingdutiable,justsome
shoes someone had left behind. She agreed quite unsuspiciously. We happened to be on to that. The
heelsoftheshoesturnedouttobehollowandpackedwithuncutdiamonds."

SuperintendentWildingsaid,

"Butlookhere,Mr.Poirot,whatisityou'reonthetrackof,dopeorsmuggledgems?"

"Either.Anything,infact,ofhighvalueandsmallbulk.Thereisanopening,itseemstome,forwhat
you might call a freight service, conveying goods such as I have described to and from across the
Channel.Stolenjewelry,thestonesremovedfromtheirsettings,couldbetakenoutofEngland,illicit
stonesanddrugsbroughtin.Itcouldbeasmallindependentagency,unconnectedwithdistribution,that
carriedstuffonacommissionbasis.Andtheprofitsmightbehigh."

"I'llsayyou'rerightthere!Youcanpacktenortwentythousandpounds'worthofheroininaverysmall
spaceandthesamegoesforuncutstonesofhighquality."

"Yousee,"saidPoirot,"theweaknessofthesmugglerisalwaysthehumanelement.Soonerorlateryou
suspectaperson,anairlinersteward,ayachtingenthusiastwithasmallcabincruiser,thewomanwho
travels to and fro to France too often, the importer who seems to be making more money than is
reasonable,themanwholiveswellwithoutvisiblemeansofsupport.Butifthestuffisbroughtintothis
countrybyaninnocentperson,andwhatismore,byadifferentpersoneachtime,thenthedifficultiesof
spottingthecargoesareenormouslyincreased."

Wildingpushedafingertowardstherucksack.

"Andthat'syoursuggestion?"

"Yes.Whoisthepersonwhoisleastvulnerabletosuspicionthesedays?Thestudent.Theearnest,hard-
working student. Badly off, travelling about with no more luggage than he can carry on his back.
HitchhikinghiswayacrossEurope.Ifoneparticularstudentweretobringthestuffinallthetime,no
doubt you'd get wise to him or her, but the whole essence of the arrangement is that the carriers are
innocentandthattherearealotofthem."

Wildingrubbedhisjaw.

"Justhowexactlydoyouthinkit'smanaged,M.Poirot?"heasked.

HerculePoirotshruggedhisshoulders.

"Astothatitismyguessonly.NodoubtIamwronginmanydetails,butIshouldsaythatitworked
roughly like this: First, a line of rucksacks are placed on the market. They are of the ordinary,
conventionaltype,justlikeanyotherrucksack,wellandstronglymadeandsuitablefortheirpurpose.
WhenIsay'justlikeanyotherrucksack'thatisnotso.Theliningatthebaseisslightlydifferent.Asyou
see, it is quite easily removable and is of a thickness and composition to allow of gems or powder
concealedinthecorrugations.Youwouldneversuspectitunlessyouwerelookingforit.Pureheroinor
purecocainewouldtakeupverylittleroom."

"Tootrue,"saidWilding.

"Why," he measured with rapid fingers, "you could bring in stuff worth five or six thousand pounds
eachtimewithoutanyonebeingthewiser."

"Exactly,"saidHerculePoirot.

"Alors!Therucksacksaremade,putonthemarket,areonsale-probablyinmorethanoneshop.The
proprietoroftheshopmaybeintheracketorhemaynot.Itmaybethathehasjustbeensoldacheap
line which he finds profitable, since his prices will compare favourably with those charged by other
camping-outfitsellers.Thereis,ofcourse,adefiniteorganisationinthebackground;acarefullykeptlist
ofstudentsatthemedicalschools,atLondonUniversityandatotherplaces.Someonewhoishimselfa
student,orposingasastudentisprobablyattheheadoftheracket.Studentsgoabroad.Atsomepoint
in the return journey a duplicate rucksack is exchanged. The student returns to England; customs
investigationswillbeperfunctory.Thestudentarrivesbackathisorherhostel,unpacks,andtheempty
rucksack is tossed into a cupboard or into a corner of the room. At this point there will be again an
exchangeofrucksacksorpossiblythefalsebottomwillbeneatlyextractedandaninnocentonereplace
it."

"Andyouthinkthat'swhathappenedatHickoryRoad?"

Poirotnodded.

"Thatismysuspicion.Yes."

"Butwhatputyouontoit,Mr.Poirot-assumingyou'reright,thatis?"

"Arucksackwascuttopieces,"saidPoirot."Why?Sincethereasonisnotplain,onehastoimaginea
reason.ThereissomethingqueerabouttherucksacksthatcometoHickoryRoad.Theyaretoocheap.
TherehasbeenaseriesofpeculiarhappeningsatHickoryRoad,butthegirlresponsibleforthemswore
thatthedestructionoftherucksackwasnotherdoing.Sinceshehasconfessedtotheotherthingswhy
should she deny that unless she was speaking the truth? So there must be another reason for the
destructionoftherucksackandtodestroyarucksack,Imaysay,isnotaneasything.Itwashardwork
andsomeonemusthavebeenprettydesperatetoundertakeit.IgotmycluewhenIfoundthatroughly-
(onlyroughly,alas,becausepeople'smemoriesafteraperiodofsomemonthsarenottoocertain)but
roughly - that that rucksack was destroyed at about the date when a police officer called to see the
personinchargeoftheHostel.Theactualreasonthatthepoliceofficercalledhadtodowithanother
matter,butIwillputittoyoulikethis:Youaresomeoneconcernedinthissmugglingracket.Yougo
hometothehousethateveningandyouareinformedthatthepolicehavecalledandareatthemoment
upstairswithMrs.Hubbard.Immediatelyyouassumethatthepoliceareontothesmugglingracket,that
they have come to make an investigation; and let us say that at the moment there is in the house a
rucksack just brought back from abroad containing - or which has recently contained - contraband.
Now,ifthepolicehavealineonwhathasbeengoingon,theywillhavecometoHickoryRoadforthe
expresspurposeofexaminingtherucksacksofthestudents.Youdarenotwalkoutofthehousewiththe
rucksackinquestionbecause,forallyouknow,somebodymayhavebeenleftoutsidebythepoliceto
watchthehousewithjustthatobjectinview,andarucksackisnotaneasythingtoconcealordisguise.
Theonlythingyoucanthinkofistoripuptherucksack,andcramthepiecesawayamongthejunkin
the boiler-house. If there is dope - or gems on the premises, they can be concealed in bath salts as a
temporary measure. But even an empty rucksack, if it had held dope, might yield traces of heroin or
cocaine on closer examination or analysis. So the rucksack must be destroyed. You agree that that is
possible?"

"It'sanidea,asIsaidbefore,"saidSuperintendentWilding.

"Italsoseemspossible,asmallincidentnothithertoregardedasimportantmaybeconnectedwiththe
rucksack.AccordingtotheItalianservant,Geronimo,ontheday,oroneofthedays,whenthepolice
calledthelightinthehallhadgone.Hewenttolookforabulbtoreplaceit;foundthesparebulbs,too,
weremissing.Hewasquitesurethatadayortwopreviouslytherehadbeensparebulbsinthedrawer.
Itseemstomeapossibility-thisisfar-fetchedandIwouldnotsaythatIamsureofit,youunderstand,
itisamerepossibility-thattherewassomeonewithaguiltyconsciencewhohadbeenmixedupwitha
smugglingracketbeforeandwhofearedthathisfacemightbeknowntothepoliceiftheysawhimina
brightlight.Sohequietlyremovedthebulbfromthehalllightandtookawaythenewonessothatit
shouldnotbereplaced.Asaresultthehallwasilluminatedbyacandleonly.This,asIsay,ismerelya
supposition."

"It'saningeniousidea,"saidWilding.

"It'spossible,sir,"saidSergeantBelleagerly."ThemoreIthinkofitthemorepossibleIthinkitis."

"Butifso,"wentonWilding,"there'smoretoitthanjustHickoryRoad?"

Poirotnodded.

"Ohyes.Theorganisationmustcoverawiderangeofstudents'clubsandsoon."

"Youhavetofindaconnectinglinkbetweenthem,"saidWilding.

InspectorSharpespokeforthefirsttime.

"There is such a link, sir," he said, "or there was. A woman who ran several student clubs and
organisations.AwomanwhowasrightonthespotatHickoryRoad.Mrs.Nicoletis."

WildingflickedaquickglanceatPoirot.

"Yes,"saidPoirot."Mrs.Nicoletisfitsthebill.Shehadafinancialinterestinalltheseplacesthoughshe
didn'trunthemherself.Hermethodwastogetsomeoneofunimpeachableintegrityandantecedentsto
run the place. My friend Mrs. Hubbard is such a person. The financial backing was supplied by Mrs.

Nicoletis-butthereagainIsuspectherofbeingonlyafigurehead."

"Hm,"saidWilding."IthinkitwouldbeinterestingtoknowalittlemoreaboutMrs.Nicoletis."

Sharpenodded.

"We're investigating her," he said. "Her background and where she came from. It has to be done
carefully.Wedon'twanttoalarmourbirdstoosoon.We'relookingintoherfinancialbackground,too.
Myword,thatwomanwasatartarifthereeverwasone."

HedescribedhisexperienceswithMrs.Nicoletiswhenconfrontedwithasearchwarrant.

"Brandybottles,eh?"saidWilding."Soshedrank?Well,thatoughttomakeiteasier.What'shappened
toher?Hookedit-"

"No,sir.She'sdead."

"Dead?"Wildingraisedhiseyebrows."Monkeybusiness,doyoumean?"

"Wethinkso-yes.We'llknowforcertainaftertheautopsy.Ithinkmyselfshe'dbeguntocrack.Maybe
shedidn'tbargainformurder."

"You'retalkingabouttheCeliaAustincase.Didthegirlknowsomething?"

"She knew something," said Poirot, "but if I may so put it, I do not think she knew what it was she
knew!"

"Youmeansheknewsomethingbutdidn'tappreciatetheimplicationsofit?"

"Yes. Just that. She was not a clever girl. She would be quite likely to fail to grasp an inference. But
havingseensomething,orheardsomething,shemayhavementionedthefactquiteunsuspiciously."

"You'venoideawhatshesaworheard,Mr.Poirot?"

"Imakeguesses,"saidPoirot."Icannotdomore.Therehasbeenmentionofapassport.Didsomeonein
the house have a false passport allowing them to go to and fro to the Continent under another name?
Would the revelation of that fact be a serious danger to that person? Did she see the rucksack being
tamperedwithordidshe,perhaps,onedayseesomeoneremovingthefalsebottomfromtherucksack
withoutrealisingwhatitwasthatthatpersonwasdoing?Didsheperhapsseethepersonwhoremoved
the light bulbs? And mention the fact to him or her, not realising that it was of any importance? Ah,
mon Dieu!" said Hercule Poirot with irritation. "Guesses! guesses! guesses! One must know more.
Alwaysonemustknowmore!"

"Well,"saidSharpe,"wecanmakeastartonMrs.Nicoletis"antecedents.Somethingmaycomeup."

"Shewasputoutofthewaybecausetheythoughtshemighttalk?Wouldshehavetalked?"

"She'd been drinking secretly for some time... nd that means her nerves were shot to pieces," said
Sharpe."Shemighthavebrokendownandspilledthewholething.TurnedQueen'sEvidence."

"Shedidn'treallyruntheracket,Isuppose?"

Poirotshookhishead.

"Ishouldnotthinkso,no.Shewasoutintheopen,yousee.Sheknewwhatwasgoingon,ofcourse,
butIshouldnotsayshewasthebrainsbehindit.No."

"Anyideawhoisthebrainsbehindit?"

"Icouldmakeaguess-Imightbewrong.Yes-Imightbewrong!"

Chapter16

"Hickory, Dickory, Dock," said Nigel, "the mouse ran up the clock. The police said 'Boo,' I wonder
who,willeventuallystandintheDock?"

Headded,"Totellornottotell?Thatisthequestion!"

Hepouredhimselfoutafreshcupofcoffeeandbroughtitbacktothebreakfasttable.

"Tellwhat?"askedLenBateson.

"Anythingoneknows,"saidNigel,withanairywaveofthehand.

JeanTomlinsonsaiddisapprovingly,

"Butofcourse!Ifwehaveanyinformationthatmaybeofuse,ofcoursewemusttellthepolice.That
wouldbeonlyright."

"AndtherespeaksourbonnyJean,"saidNigel.

"Moi,jen'aimepaslesflics,"saidRené,offeringhiscontributiontothediscussion.

"Tellwhat?"LeonardBatesonaskedagain.

"The things we know," said Nigel. "About each other, I mean," he added helpfully. His glance swept
roundthebreakfastroomtablewithamaliciousgleam.

"Afterall,"hesaid,cheerfully,"wealldoknowlotsofthingsabouteachother,don'twe?Imean,one's
boundto,livinginthesamehouse."

"Butwhoistodecidewhatisimportantornot?Therearemanythingsnobusinessofthepoliceatall,"
saidMr.AhmedAli.Hespokehotly,withainjuredremembranceoftheInspector'ssharpremarksabout
hiscollectionofpostcards.

"I hear," said Nigel, turning towards Mr. Akibombo, "that they found some very interesting things in
yourroom."

Owing to his colour, Mr. Akibombo was not able to blush, but his eyelids blinked in a discomfited
manner.

"Verymuchsuperstitioninmycountry,"hesaid."Mygrandfathergivemethingstobringhere.Ikeep

out of feeling of piety and respect. I, myself, am modern and scientific; not believe in voodoo, but
owingtoimperfectcommandoflanguageIfindverydifficulttoexplaintopoliceman."

"EvendearlittleJeanhashersecrets,Iexpect,"saidNigel,turninghisgazebacktoMissTomlinson.

Jeansaidhotlythatshewasn'tgoingtobeinsulted.

"IshallleavethisplaceandgototheWCA,"shesaid.

"Comenow,Jean,"saidNigel."Giveusanotherchance."

"Oh, cut it out, Nigel!" said Valèrie wearily. "The police have to snoop, I suppose, under the
circumstances."

ColinMcNabbclearedhisthroat,preparatorytomakingaremark.

"Inmyopinion,"hesaidjudicially,"thepresentpositionoughttobemadecleartous.Whatexactlywas
thecauseofMrs.Nick'sdeath?"

"We'llhearattheinquest,Isuppose,"saidValèrie,impatiently.

"Iverymuchdoubtit,"saidColin."Inmyopinionthey'lladjourntheinquest."

"Isupposeitwasherheart,wasn'tit?"saidPatricia."Shefelldowninthestreet."

"Drunkandincapable,"saidLenBateson."That'showshegottakentothepolicestation."

"Soshediddrink,"saidJean."Youknow,Ialwaysthoughtso.

"Whenthepolicesearchedthehousetheyfoundcupboardsfullofemptybrandybottlesinherroom,I
believe,"sheadded.

"TrustourJeantoknowallthedirt,"saidNigel,approvingly.

"Well,thatdoesexplainwhyshewassometimessooddinhermanner,"saidPatricia.

Colinclearedhisthroatagain.

"Ah!hem,"hesaid."IhappenedtoobservehergoingintoTheQueen'sNecklaceonSaturdayevening,
whenIwasonmywayhome."

"That'swhereshegottankedup,Isuppose,"saidNigel.

"Isupposeshejustdiedofdrink,then?"saidJean.

LenBatesonshookhishead.

"Cerebralhaemorrhage?Iratherdoubtit."

"Forgoodness'sake,youdon'tthinkshewasmurdered,too,doyou?"saidJean.

"Ibetshewas,"saidSallyFinch."Nothingwouldsurprisemeless."

"Please,"saidMr.Akibombo."Itisthoughtsomeonekilledher?Isthatright?"

Helookedfromfacetoface.

"We'venoreasontosupposeanythingofthesortyet,"saidColin.

"Butwhowouldwanttokillher?"demandedGeneviève."Hadshemuchmoneytoleave?Ifshewas
richitispossible,Isuppose."

"She was a maddening woman, my dear," said Nigel. "I'm sure everybody wanted to kill her. I often
did,"headded,helpinghimselfhappilytomarmalade.

II

"Please, Miss Sally, may I ask you a question? It is after what was said at breakfast. I have been
thinkingverymuch."

"Well,Ishouldn'tthinktoomuchifIwereyou,Akibombo,"saidSally."Itisn'thealthy."

Sally and Akibombo were partaking of an open air lunch in Regent's Park. Summer was officially
supposedtohavecomeandtherestaurantwasopen.

"All this morning," said Akibombo mournfully, "I have been much disturbed. I cannot answer my
professor's questions good at all. He is not pleased at me. He says to me that I copy large bits out of
booksanddonotthinkformyself.ButIamheretoacquirewisdomfrommuchbooksanditseemsto
me that they say better in the books than the way I put it, because I have not good command of the
English.Andbesides,thismorningIfinditveryhardtothinkatallexceptforwhatgoesonatHickory
Roadanddifficultiesthere."

"I'llsayyou'rerightaboutthat,"saidSally."Ijustcouldn'tconcentratemyself,thismorning."

"SothatiswhyIaskyoupleasetotellmecertainthings,becauseasIsay,Ihavebeenthinkingvery
much."

"Well,let'shearwhatyou'vebeenthinkingabout,then."

"Well,itisthisbor-ass-sic."

"Bor-ass-sic?Oh,boracic!Yes.Whataboutit?"

"Well,Idonotunderstandverywell.Itisanacid,theysay?Anacidlikesulphuricacid?"

"Notlikesulphuricacid,no,"saidSally.

"Itisnotsomethingforlaboratoryexperimentonly?"

"Ishouldn'timaginetheyeverdidanyexperimentsinlaboratorieswithit.It'ssomethingquitemildand

harmless."

"Youmean,even,youcouldputitinyoureyes?"

"That'sright.That'sjustwhatoneusesitfor."

"Ah,thatexplainsthatthen.Mr.ChandraLal,hehavelittlewhitebottlewithwhitepowder,andheputs
powderinhotwaterandbatheshiseyeswithit.Hekeepsitinbathroomandthenitisnotthereoneday
andheisveryangry.Thatwouldbethebor-ac-ic,yes?"

"Whatisallthisaboutboracic?"

"Itellyoubyandby.Pleasenotnow.Ithinksomemore."

"Well, don't go sticking your neck out," said Sally. "I don't want yours to be the next corpse,
Akibombo."

III

"Valèrie,doyouthinkyoucouldgivemesomeadvice?"

"Of course I could give you advice, Jean, though I don't know why anyone ever wants advice. They
nevertakeit."

"It'sreallyamatterofconscience,"saidJean.

"ThenI'mthelastpersonyououghttoask.Ihaven'tgotanyconsciencetospeakof."

"Oh,Valèrie,don'tsaythingslikethat!"

"Well,it'squitetrue,"saidValèrie.Shestubbedoutacigaretteasshespoke."Ismuggleclothesinfrom
Parisandtellthemostfrightfulliesabouttheirfacestothehideouswomenwhocometothesalon.I
even travel on buses without paying my fare when I'm hard up. But come on, tell me. What's it all
about?"

"It'swhatNigelsaidatbreakfast.Ifoneknowssomethingaboutsomeoneelse,doyouthinkoneought
totell?"

"Whatanidioticquestion!Youcan'tputathinglikethatingeneralterms.Whatisityouwanttotell,or
don'twanttotell?"

"It'saboutapassport."

"Apassport?"Valèriesatup,surprised."Whosepassport?"

"Nigel's.He'sgotafalsepassport."

"Nigel?"Valèriesoundeddisbelieving."Idon'tbelieveit.Itseemsmostimprobable."

"Buthehas.Andyouknow,Valèrie,Ibelievethere'ssomequestion-IthinkIheardthepolicesaying
thatCeliahadsaidsomethingaboutapassport.Supposingshe'dfoundoutaboutitandhekilledher?"

"Soundsverymelodramatic,"saidValèrie."Butfrankly,Idon'tbelieveawordofit.Whatisthisstory
aboutapassport?"

"Isawit."

"Howdidyouseeit?"

"Well, it was absolutely an accident," said Jean. "I was looking for something in my despatch case a
weekortwoago,andbymistakeImusthavelookedinNigel'sattachécaseinstead.Theywerebothon
theshelfintheCommonRoom."

Valèrielaughedratherdisagreeably.

"Tellthattothemarines!"shesaid."Whatwereyoureallydoing?Snooping?"

"No, of course not!" Jean sounded justly indignant. "The one thing I'd never do is to look among

anybody'sprivatepapers.I'mnotthatsortofperson.ItwasjustthatIwasfeelingratherabsent-minded,
soIopenedthecaseandIwasjustsortingthroughit..."

"Lookhere,Jean,youcan'tgetawaywiththat.Nigel'sattachécaseisagooddeallargerthanyoursand
it'sanentirelydifferentcolour.Whileyou'readmittingthingsyoumightjustaswelladmitthatyouare
thatsortofperson.Allright.YoufoundachancetogothroughsomeofNigel'sthingsandyoutookit."

Jeanrose.

"Ofcourse,Valèrie,ifyou'regoingtobesounpleasantandsoveryunfairandunkind,Ishall..."

"Oh,comeback,child!"saidValèrie."Getonwithit.I'mgettinginterestednow.Iwanttoknow."

"Well,therewasthispassport,"saidJean."Itwasdownatthebottomandithadanameonit.Stanford
or Stanley or some name like that, and I thought, "How odd that Nigel should have somebody else's
passporthere."IopeneditandthephotographinsidewasNigel!Sodon'tyousee,hemustbeleadinga
doublelife?WhatIwonderis,oughtItellthepolice?Doyouthinkit'smyduty?"

Valèrielaughed.

"Badluck,Jean,"shesaid."Asamatteroffact,Ibelievethere'saquitesimpleexplanation.Pattoldme.
Nigelcameintosomemoney,orsomething,onconditionthathechangedhisname.Hediditperfectly
properlybydeedpollorwhateveritis,butthat'sallitis.IbelievehisoriginalnamewasStanfieldor
Stanleyorsomethinglikethat."

"Oh?"Jeanlookedthoroughlychagrined.

"AskPataboutitifyoudon'tbelieveme,"saidValèrie.

"Oh-no-well,ifit'sasyousay,Imusthavemadeamistake."

"Betterlucknexttime,"saidValèrie.

"Idon'tknowwhatyoumean,Valèrie."

"YouliketogetyourknifeintoNigel,wouldn'tyou?Andgethiminwrongwiththepolice?"

Jeandrewherselfup.

"Youmaynotbelieveme,Valèrie,"shesaid,"butallIwantedtodowasmyduty."

"Oh,hell!"saidValèrie.

Shelefttheroom.

TherewasatapatthedoorandSallyentered.

"What'sthematter,Valèrie?You'relookingabitdowninthemouth."

"It's that disgusting Jean. She really is too awful! You don't think, do you, that there's the remotest
chanceitwasJeanthatbumpedoffpoorCelia?IshouldrejoicemadlyifIeversawJeaninthedock."

"I'mwithyouthere,"saidSally."ButIdon'tthinkit'sparticularlylikely.Idon'tthinkJeanwouldever
stickherneckoutenoughtomurderanybody."

"WhatdoyouthinkaboutMrs.Nick?"

"Ijustdon'tknowwhattothink.Isupposeweshallhearsoon."

"I'dsaytentooneshewasbumpedoff,too,"saidValèrie.

"Butwhy?What'sgoingonhere?"saidSally.

"IwishIknew.Sally,doyoueverfindyourselflookingatpeople?"

"Whatdoyoumean,Val,lookingatpeople?"

"Well,lookingandwondering,'isityou?'I'vegotafeeling,Sally,thatthere'ssomeoneherewho'smad.
Reallymad.Badmad,Imeannotjustthinkingthey'reacucumber."

"Thatmaywellbe,"saidSally.Sheshivered."Ouch!"shesaid."Somebody'swalkingovermygrave."

IV

"Nigel,I'vegotsomethingImusttellyou."

"Well,whatisit,Pat?"Nigelwasburrowingfranticallyinhischestofdrawers."WhatthehellIdidwith
thosenotesofmineIcan'timagine.Ishovedtheminhere,Ithought."

"Oh,Nigel,don'tscrabblelikethat!YouleaveeverythinginsuchafrightfulmessandI'vejusttidiedit."

"Well,whatthehell,I'vegottofindmynotes,haven'tI?"

"Nigel,youmustlisten!"

"OK.,Pat,don'tlooksodesperate.Whatisit?"

"It'ssomethingI'vegottoconfess."

"Notmurder,Ihope?"saidNigelwithhisusualflippancy.

"No,ofcoursenot!"

"Good.Well,whatlessersin?"

"ItwasonedaywhenImendedyoursocksandIbroughtthemalongheretoyourroomandwasputting
themawayinyourdrawer..."

"Yes?"

"Andthebottleofmorphiawasthere.Theoneyoutoldmeabout,thatyougotfromthehospital."

"Yes,andyoumadesuchafussaboutit!"

"ButNigel,itwasthereinyourdraweramongyoursocks,whereanybodycouldhavefoundit."

"Whyshouldthey?Nobodyelsegoesroutingaboutamongmysocksexceptyou."

"Well,itseemedtomedreadfultoleaveitaboutlikethat,andIknowyou'dsaidyouweregoingtoget
ridofitafteryou'dwonyourbet,butinthemeantimethereitwas,stillthere."

"Ofcourse.Ihadn'tgotthethirdthingyet."

"Well,Ithoughtitwasverywrong,andsoItookthebottleoutofthedrawerandIemptiedthepoison
outofit,andIreplaceditwithsomeordinarybicarbonateofsoda.Itlookedalmostexactlythesame."

Nigelpausedinhisscrambleforhislostnotes.

"GoodLord!"hesaid."Didyoureally?YoumeanthatwhenIwasswearingtoLenandoldColinthat
thestuffwasmorphinesulphateortartrateorwhateveritwas,itwasmerelybicarbonateofsodaallthe
time?"

"Yes.Yousee..."

Nigelinterruptedher.Hewasfrowning.

"I'mnotsure,youknow,thatdoesn'tinvalidatethebet.Ofcourse,I'dnoidea-"

"ButNigel,itwasreallydangerouskeepingitthere."

"Oh,Lord,Pat,mustyoualwaysfussso?Whatdidyoudowiththeactualstuff?"

"IputitintheSodiBicbottleandhiditatthebackofmyhandkerchiefdrawer."

Nigellookedatherinmildsurprise.

"Really,Pat,yourlogicalthoughtprocessesbeggardescription!Whatwasallthepoint?"

"Ifeltitwassaferthere."

"Mydeargirl,eitherthemorphiashouldhavebeenunderlockandkey,orifitwasn't,itcouldn'treally
matterwhetheritwasamongmysocksoryourhandkerchiefs."

"Well,itdidmatter.Foronething,Ihavearoomtomyselfandyoushareyours."

"Why,youdon'tthinkpooroldLenwasgoingtopinchthemorphiaoffme,doyou?"

"Iwasn'tgoingtotellyouaboutit,ever,butImustnow.Because,yousee,it'sgone."

"Youmeanthepolicehaveswipedit?"

"No.Itdisappearedbeforethat."

"Doyoumean..."Nigelgazedatherinconsternation."Let'sgetthisstraight.There'sabottlelabelled
'SodiBic,'containingmorphinesulphate,whichisknockingabouttheplacesomewhere,andatanytime
someonemaytakeaheapingteaspoonfulofitifthey'vegotapainintheirmiddle?GoodGod,Pat!You
havedoneit!Whythehelldidn'tyouthrowthestuffawayifyouweresoupsetaboutit?"

"Because I thought it was valuable and ought to go back to the hospital instead of being just thrown
away.Assoonasyou'dwonyourbet,ImeanttogiveittoCeliaandaskhertoputitback."

"You'resureyoudidn'tgiveittoher,andshetookitanditwassuicide,anditwasallmyfault?"

"Calmdown.Whendiditdisappear?"

"Idon'tknowexactly.IlookedforitthedaybeforeCeliadied.Icouldn'tfindit,butIjustthoughtI'd
perhapsputitsomewhereelse."

"Itwasgonethedaybeforeshedied?"

"Isuppose,"saidPatricia,herfacewhite,"thatI'vebeenverystupid."

"That's putting it mildly," said Nigel. "To what lengths can a muddled mind and an active conscience
go!"

"Nigel.D'youthinkIoughttotellthepolice?"

"Oh,hell!"saidNigel."Isupposeso,yes.Andit'sgoingtobeallmyfault."

"Oh,no,Nigeldarling,it'sme!"

"Ipinchedthedamnedstuffinthefirstplace,"saidNigel."Itallseemedtobeaveryamusingstuntat
thetime.Butnow-Icanalreadyhearthevitriolicremarksfromthebench."

"Iamsorry.WhenItookitIreallymeantitfor-"

"You meant it for the best. I know. I know! Look here, Pat, I simply can't believe the stuff has
disappeared.You'veforgottenjustwhereyouputit.Youdomislaythingssometimes,youknow."

"Yes,but-"

Shehesitated,ashadeofdoubtappearingonherfrowningface.

Nigelrosebriskly.

"Let'sgoalongtoyourroomandhaveathoroughsearch."

V

"Nigel,thosearemyunderclothes."

"Really, Pat, you can't go all prudish on me at this stage. Down among the panties is just where you
wouldhideabottle,now,isn'tit?"

"Yes,butI'msureI-"

"Wecantbesureofanythinguntilwe'velookedeverywhere.AndI'mjollywellgoingtodoit."

TherewasaperfunctorytaponthedoorandSallyFinchentered.Hereyeswidenedwithsurprise.Pat,
claspingahandfulofNigel'ssocks,wassittingonthebed,andNigel,thebureaudrawersallpulledout,
was burrowing like an excited terrier into a heap of pullovers whilst about him were strewn panties,
brassiéres,stockingsandothercomponentpartsoffemaleattire.

"Forland'ssake,"saidSally,"whatgoeson?"

"Lookingforbicarbonate,"saidNigelbriefly.

"Bicarbonate?Why?"

"I'vegotapain,"saidNigelgrinning.

"Apaininmytum-tum-tum-andnothingbutbicarbonatewillassuageit."

"I'vegotsomesomewhere,Ibelieve."

"Nogood,Sally,it'sgottobePat's.Hersistheonlybrandthatwilleasemyparticularailment."

"You'recrazy,"saidSally."What'sheupto,Pat?"

Patriciashookherheadmiserably.

"Youhaven'tseenmySodiBic,haveyou,Sally?"sheasked."Justalittleinthebottomofthebottle."

"No."Sallylookedathercuriously.Thenshefrowned."Letmesee.Somebodyaroundhere-no,Ican't
remember-Haveyougotastamp,Pat?IhavetomailaletterandI'verunout."

"Inthedrawerthere."

Sallyopenedtheshallowdrawerofthewritingtable,tookoutabookofstamps,extractedone,affixedit
to the letter she held in her hand, dropped the stamp book back in the drawer, and put two pence
halfpennyonthedesk.

"Thanks.ShallImailthisletterofyoursatthesametime?"

"Yes-no-No,IthinkI'llwait."

Sallynoddedandlefttheroom.

Patdroppedthesocksshehadbeenholding,andtwistedherfingersnervouslytogether.

"Nigel?"

"Yes?"Nigelhadtransferredhisattentiontothewardrobeandwaslookinginthepocketsofacoat.

"There'ssomethingelseI'vegottoconfess."

"GoodLord,Pat,whatelsehaveyoubeendoing?"

"I'mafraidyou'llbeangry."

"I'mpastbeingangry.I'mjustplainscared.IfCeliawaspoisonedwiththestuffthatIpinched,Ishall
probablygotoprisonforyearsandyears,eveniftheydon'thangme."

"It'snothingtodowiththat.It'saboutyourfather."

"What?"Nigelspunaround,anexpressionofincredulousastonishmentonhisface.

"Youdoknowhe'sveryill,don'tyou?"

"Idon'tcarehowillheis."

"Itsaidsoonthewirelesslastnight.'SirArthurStanley,thefamousresearchchemist,islyinginavery
criticalcondition.'"

"SonicetobeaVIP.Alltheworldgetsthenewswhenyou'reill."

"Nigel,ifhe'sdying,yououghttobereconciledtohim."

"Likehell,Iwill!"

"Butifhe'sdying."

"He'sthesameswinedyingashewaswhenhewasinthepinkofcondition."

"Youmustn'tbelikethat,Nigel.Sobitterandunforgiving."

"Listen,Pat-Itoldyouonce:hekilledmymother."

"Iknowyousaidso,andIknowyouadoredher.ButIdothink,Nigel,thatyousometimesexaggerate.
Lotsofhusbandsareunkindandunfeelingandtheirwivesresentitanditmakesthemveryunhappy.
Buttosayyourfatherkilledyourmotherisanextravagantstatementandisn'treallytrue."

"Youknowsomuchaboutit,don'tyou?"

"Iknowthatsomedayyou'llregretnothavingmadeitupwithyourfatherbeforehedied.That'swhy-"
Patpausedandbracedherself."That'swhyI'vewrittentoyourfather-tellinghim-"

"You'vewrittentohim?isthattheletterSallywantedtopost?"Hestrodeovertothewritingtable."I
see."

He picked up the letter lying addressed and stamped, and with quick nervous fingers, he tore it into
smallpiecesandthrewitintothewastepaperbasket.

"That'sthat!Anddon'tyoudaredoanythingofthatkindagain."

"Really, Nigel, you are absolutely childish. You can tear the letter up, but you can't stop me writing
another,andIshall."

"You'resoincurablysentimental.DiditneveroccurtoyouthatwhenIsaidmyfatherkilledmymother,
I was stating just a plain unvarnished fact? My mother died of an overdose of veronal. Took it by
mistake,theysaidattheinquest.Butshedidn'ttakeitbymistake.Itwasgiventoher,deliberately,by
myfather.Hewantedtomarryanotherwoman,yousee,andmymotherwouldn'tgivehimadivorce.
It'saplainsordidmurderstory.Whatwouldyouhavedoneinmyplace?Denouncedhimtothepolice?
Mymotherwouldn'thavewantedthat...SoIdidtheonlythingIcoulddotoldtheswineIknew-and
clearedout-forever.Ievenchangedmyname."

"Nigel-I'msorry...Ineverdreamed..."

"Well, you know now... The respected and famous Arthur Stanley with his researches and his
antibiotics. Flourishing like the green bay tree? But his fancy piece didn't marry him after all. She
sheeredoff.Ithinksheguessedwhathe'ddone-"

"Nigel,dear,howawful-Iamsorry..."

"Allright.Wewon'ttalkofitagain.Let'sgetbacktothisblastedbicarbonatebusiness.Nowthinkback
carefullytoexactlywhatyoudidwiththestuff.Putyourheadinyourhandsandthink,Pat."

VI

Geneviève entered the Common Room in a state of great excitement. She spoke to the assembled
studentsinalowthrilledvoice.

"Iamsurenow,butabsolutelysureIknowwhokilledthelittleCelia."

"Whowasit,Geneviève?"demandedRené."Whathasarrivedtomakeyousopositive?"

Geneviève looked cautiously round to make sure the door of the Common Room was closed. She
loweredhervoice.

"ItisNigelChapman."

"NigelChapman,butwhy?"

"Listen.IpassalongthecorridortogodownthestairsjustnowandIhearvoicesinPatricia'sroom.Itis
Nigelwhospeaks."

"Nigel?InPatricia'sroom?"Jeanspokeinadisapprovingvoice.ButGenevièveswepton.

"Andheissayingtoherthathisfatherkilledhismother,andthat,pourça,hehaschangedhisname.So
itisclear,isitnot?Hisfatherwasaconvictedmurderer,andNigelhehasthehereditarytaint..."

"Itispossible,"saidMr.ChandraLal,dwellingpleasurablyonthepossibility."Itiscertainlypossible.
He is so violent, Nigel, so unbalanced. No self control. You agree?" He turned condescendingly to
Akibombo who nodded an enthusiastic black woolly head and showed his white teeth in a pleased
smile.

"I've always felt very strongly," said Jean, "that Nigel has no moral sense... A thoroughly degenerate
character."

"Itissexmurder,yes,"saidMr.AhmedAli."Hesleepswiththisgirl,thenhekillsher.Becausesheis
nicegirl,respectable,shewillexpectmarriage."

"Rot,"saidLeonardBatesonexplosively.

"Whatdidyousay?"

"Isaidrot!"roaredLen.

Chapter17

Seatedinaroomatthepolicestation,NigellookednervouslyintothesterneyesofInspectorSharpe.
Stammeringslightly,hehadjustbroughthisnarrativetoaclose.

"Yourealize,Mr.Chapman,thatwhatyouhavejusttoldusisveryserious?Veryseriousindeed."

"OfcourseIrealiseit.Iwouldn'thavecomeheretotellyouaboutitunlessI'dfeltthatitwasurgent."

"AndyousayMissLanecan'trememberexactlywhenshelastsawthisbicarbonatebottlecontaining
morphine?"

"She'sgotherselfallmuddledup.Themoreshetriestothinkthemoreuncertainshegets.ShesaidI
flusteredher.She'stryingtothinkitoutquietlywhileIcameroundtoyou."

"We'dbettergoroundtoHickoryRoadrightaway."

AstheInspectorspokethetelephoneonthetablerangandtheconstablewhohadbeentakingnotesof
Nigel'sstory,stretchedouthishandandliftedthereceiver.

"It'sMissLanenow,"hesaidashelistened."WantingtospeaktoMr.Chapman."

Nigelleanedacrossthetableandtookthereceiverfromhim.

"Pat?Nigelhere."

Thegirl'svoicecame,breathless,eager,thewordstumblingovereachother.

"Nigel.IthinkI'vegotit!Imean,IthinkIknownowwhomusthavetaken-youknow,takenitfrom
myhandkerchiefdrawer,Imean-yousee,there'sonlyonepersonwho-"

Thevoicebrokeoff.

"Pat.Hullo?Areyouthere?Whowasit?"

"Ican'ttellyounow.Later.You'llbecominground?"

ThereceiverwasnearenoughfortheconstableandtheInspectortohaveheardtheconversationclearly,
andthelatternoddedinanswertoNigel'squestioninglook.

"Tellher'atonce',"hesaid.

"We'recomingroundatonce,"saidNigel."Onourwaythisminute."

"Oh!Good.I'llbeinmyroom."

"Solong,Pat."

HardlyawordwasspokenduringthebriefridetoHickoryRoad.Sharpewonderedtohimselfwhether
this was a break at last. Would Patricia Lane have any definite evidence to offer, or would it be pure
surmise on her part? Clearly she had remembered something that had seemed to her important. He
supposedthatshehadbeentelephoningfromthehall,andthatthereforeshehadhadtobeguardedin
herlanguage.Atthistimeintheeveningsomanypeoplewouldhavebeenpassingthrough.

Nigelopenedthefrontdoorof26HickoryRoadwithhiskeyandtheypassedinside.

Through the open door of the Common Room, Sharpe could see the rumpled red head of Leonard
Batesonbentoversomebooks.

Nigel led the way upstairs and along the passage to Pat's room. He gave a short tap on the door and
entered.

"Hullo,Pat.Here-"

Hisvoicestopped,dyingawayinalongchokinggasp.Hestoodmotionless.Overhisshoulder,Sharpe
sawalsowhattherewastosee.

PatriciaLanelayslumpedonthefloor.

TheInspectorpushedNigelgentlyaside.

Hewentforwardandkneltdownbythegirl'shuddledbody.Heraisedherhead,feltforthepulse,then
delicatelylettheheadresumeitsformerposition.Herosetohisfeet,hisfacegrimandset.

"No!"saidNigel,hisvoicehighandunnatural."No.No.No."

"Yes,Mr.Chapman.She'sdead."

"No,no.NotPat!DearstupidPat.How-"

"Withthis."

Itwasasimple,quicklyimprovisedweapon.Amarblepaperweightslippedintoawoolensock.

"Struck on the back of the head. A very efficacious weapon. If it's any consolation to you, Mr.
Chapman,Idon'tthinksheevenknewwhathappenedtoher."

Nigelsatdownshakilyonthebed.Hesaid:

"That'soneofmysocks...Shewasgoingtomendit...Oh,God,shewasgoingtomendit..."

Suddenlyhebegantocry.Hecriedlikeachild-withabandonandwithoutself-consciousness.

Sharpewascontinuinghisreconstruction."Itwassomeonesheknewquitewell.Someonewhopicked
upasockandjustslippedthepaperweightintoit.Doyourecognizethepaperweight,Mr.Chapman?"

Herolledthesockbacksoastodisplayit.

Nigel,stillweeping,looked.

"Patalwayshaditonherdesk.ALionofLucerne."

Heburiedhisfaceinhishands.

"Pat-oh,Pat!WhatshallIdowithoutyou!"

Suddenlyhesatupright,flingingbackhisuntidyfairhair.

"I'llkillwhoeverdidthis!I'llkillhim!Murderingswine!"

"Gently,Mr.Chapman.Yes,yes,Iknowhowyoufeel.Abrutalpieceofwork."

"Patneverharmedanybody."

Speaking soothingly, Inspector Sharpe got him out of the room. Then he went back himself into the
bedroom.Hestoopedoverthedeadgirl.Verygentlyhedetachedsomethingfrombetweenherfingers.

II

Geronimo,perspirationrunningdownhisforehead,turnedfrighteneddarkeyesfromoncefacetothe
other.

"Iseenothing.Ihearnothing,Itellyou.Idonotknowanythingatall.IamwithMariainkitchen.Iput
theminestroneon,Igratethecheese-"

Sharpeinterruptedthecatalogue.

"Nobody'saccusingyou.Wejustwanttogetsometimesquiteclear.Whowasinandoutofthehouse
thelasthour?"

"Idonotknow.HowshouldIknow?"

"Butyoucanseeveryclearlyfromthekitchenwindowwhogoesinandout,can'tyou?"

"Perhaps,yes."

"Thenjusttellus."

"Theycomeinandoutallthetimeatthishouroftheday."

"Whowasinthehousefromsixo'clockuntilsixthirty-fivewhenwearrived?"

"EverybodyexceptMr.NigelandMrs.HubbardandMissHobhouse."

"Whendidtheygoout?"

"Mrs.Hubbardshegooutbeforetea-time,shehasnotcomebackyet."

"Goon."

"Mr.Nigelgoesoutabouthalfanhourago,justbeforesix-lookveryupset.Hecomebackwithyou
justnow-"

"That'sright,yes."

"Miss Valèrie, she goes out just at six o'clock. Time signal, pip, pip, pip. Dressed for cocktails, very
smart.Shestillout."

"Andeverybodyelseishere?"

"Yes,sir.Allhere."

Sharpelookeddownathisnotebook.ThetimeofPatricia'scallwasnotedthere.Eightminutespastsix,
exactly.

"Everybodyelsewashere,inthehouse?Nobodycamebackduringthattime?"

"OnlyMissSally.Shebeendowntopillarboxwithletterandcomebackin-"

"Doyouknowwhattimeshecamein?"

Geronimofrowned.

"Shecamebackwhilethenewswasgoingon."

"Aftersix,then?"

"Yes,sir."

"Whatpartofthenewswasit?"

"Idon'tremember,sir.Butbeforethesport.Becausewhensportcomeweswitchoff."

Sharpesmiledgrimly.Itwasawidefield.OnlyNigelChapman,ValèrieHobhouseandMrs.Hubbard
could be excluded. It would mean long and exhaustive questioning. Who had been in the Common
Room,whohadleftit?Andwhen?Whocouldvouchforwhom?Addtothat,thatmanyofthestudents,
especially the Asiatic and African ones, were constitutionally vague about times, and the task was no
enviableone.

Butitwouldhavetobedone.

III

InMrs.Hubbard'sroomtheatmospherewasunhappy.Mrs.Hubbardherself,stillinheroutdoorthings,
herniceroundfacestrainedandanxious,satonthesofa.SharpeandSergeantCobbatasmalltable.

"Ithinkshetelephonedfrominhere,"saidSharpe."Aroundabout6:00severalpeopleleftorenteredthe
CommonRoom,orsotheysay-andnobodysawornoticedorheardthehalltelephonebeingused.Of

course, their times aren't reliable, half these people never seem to look at a clock. But I think that
anywayshe'dcomeinhereifshewantedtotelephonethepolicestation.Youwereout,Mrs.Hubbard,
butIdon'tsupposeyoulockyourdoor?"

Mrs.Hubbardshookherhead.

"Mrs.Nicoletisalwaysdid,butIneverdo."

"Well then, Patricia Lane comes in here to telephone, all agog with what she's remembered. Then,
whilstshewastalking,thedooropenedandsomebodylookedinorcamein.Patriciastalledandhung
up.Wasthatbecausesherecognisedtheintruderasthepersonwhosenameshewasjustabouttosay?
Orwasitjustageneralprecaution?Mightbeeither.Iinclinemyselftothefirstsupposition."

Mrs.Hubbardnoddedemphatically.

"Whoeveritwasmayhavefollowedherhere,perhapslistenedoutsidethedoor.Thencameintostop
Patfromgoingon."

"Andthen-"

Sharpe'sfacedarkened."ThatpersonwentbacktoPatricia'sroomwithher,talkingquitenormallyand
easily.PerhapsPatriciataxedherwithremovingthebicarbonate,andperhapstheothergaveaplausible
explanation."

Mrs.Hubbardsaidsharply,

"Whydoyousay'her'?"

"Funnything-apronoun!Whenwefoundthebody,NigelChapmansaid,'I'llkillwhoeverdidthis.I'll
killhim'.'Him,'younotice.NigelChapmanclearlybelievedthemurderwasdonebyaman.Itmaybe
becauseheassociatedtheideaofviolencewithaman.Itmaybethathe'sgotsomeparticularsuspicion
pointingtoaman,tosomeparticularman.Ifthelatter,wemustfindouthisreasonsforthinkingso.But
speakingformyself,Iplumpforawoman."

"Why?"

"Justtills.SomebodywentintoPatricia'sroomwithher-someonewithwhomshefeltquiteathome.
That points to another girl. The men don't go to the girls' bedroom floors unless it's for some special
reason.That'sright,isn'tit,Mrs.Hubbard?"

"Yes.It'snotexactlyahardandfastrule,butit'sfairlygenerallyobserved."

"The other side of the house is cut off from this side, except on the ground floor. Taking it that the
conversationearlierbetweenNigelandPatwasoverheard,itwouldinallprobabilitybeawomanwho
overheardit."

"Yes, I see what you mean. And some of the girls seem to spend half their time here listening at
keyholes."

Sheflushedandaddedapologetically,

"That's rather too harsh. Actually, although these houses are solidly built, they've been cut up and
partitioned, and all the new work is flimsy as anything, like paper. You can't help hearing through it.
Jean, I must admit, does do a good deal of snooping. She's the type. And of course, when Geneviève
heardNigeltellPathisfatherhadmurderedhismother,shestoppedandlistenedforallshewasworth."

The Inspector nodded. He had listened to the evidence of Sally Finch and Jean Tomlinson and
Geneviève.Hesaid:

"WhooccupiestheroomsoneithersideofPatricia's?"

"Geneviève's is beyond it - but that's a good original wall. Elizabeth Johnston's is on the other side,
nearerthestairs.That'sonlyapartitionwall."

"Thenarrowsitdownabit,"saidtheInspector.

"TheFrenchgirlheardtheendoftheconversation,SallyFinchwaspresentearlieron,beforeshewent
outtopostherletter.Butthefactthatthosetwogirlswerethereautomaticallyexcludesanybodyelse
having been able to snoop, except for a very short period. Always with the exception of Elizabeth
Johnstonwhocouldhaveheardeverythingthroughthepartitionwallifshe'dbeeninherbedroom,butit
seemstobefairlyclearthatshewasalreadyintheCommonRoomwhenSallyFinchwentouttothe
post."

"ShedidnotremainintheCommonRoomallthetime?"

"No,shewentupstairsagainatsomeperiodtofetchabookshehadforgotten.Asusual,nobodycansay
when."

"Itmighthavebeenanyofthem,"saidMrs.Hubbardhelplessly.

"Asfarastheirstatementsgo,yes-butwe'vegotalittleextraevidence."

Hetookasmallfoldedpaperoutofhispocket.

Sharpesmiled.

"What'sthat?"demandedMrs.Hubbard.

"Acoupleofhairs-ItookthemfrombetweenPatriciaLane'sfingers."

"Youmeanthat-"

Therewasataponthedoor.

"Comein,"saidtheInspector.

ThedooropenedtoadmitMr.Akibombo.Hewassmilingbroadly,alloverhisblackface.

"Please,"hesaid.

InspectorSharpesaidimpatiently,

"Yes,Mr.-er-um,whatisit?"

"I think, please, I have statement to make. Of first class importance to elucidation of sad and tragic
occurrence."

Chapter18

"Now,Mr.Akibombo,"saidInspectorSharpe,resignedly,"let'shear,please,whatallthisisabout."

Mr. Akibombo had been provided with a chair. He sat facing the others who were all looking at him
withkeenattention.

"Thankyou.Ibeginnow?"

"Yes,please."

"Well,itis,yousee,thatsometimesIhavethedisquietingsensationsinmystomach."

"Sicktomystomach.ThatiswhatMissSallycallsit.ButIamnot,yousee,actuallysick.Idonot,that
is,vomit."

InspectorSharperestrainedhimselfwithdifficultywhilethesemedicaldetailswereelaborated.

"Yes,yes,"hesaid."Verysorry,I'msure.Butyouwanttotellus-"

"It is, perhaps, unaccustomed food. I feel very full here." Mr. Akibombo indicated exactly where. "I
thinkmyself,notenoughmeat,andtoomuchwhatyoucallcardohydrates."

"Carbohydrates,"theInspectorcorrectedhimmechanically."ButIdon'tsee-"

"SometimesItakesmallpill,sodamint;andsometimesstomachpowder.Itdoesnotmatterverymuch
whatitis-sothatagreatpoufcomesandmuchairlikethis."Mr.Akibombogaveamostrealisticand
giganticbelch.

"Afterthat,"hesmiledseraphically,"Ifeelmuchbetter,muchbetter."

TheInspector'sfacewasbecomingacongestedpurple.Mrs.Hubbardsaidauthoritatively,

"Weunderstandallaboutthat.Nowgetontothenextpart."

"Yes.Certainly.Well,asIsay,thishappenstomeearlylastweek-Idonotrememberexactlywhich
day.VerygoodmacaroniandIeatalot,andafterwardsfeelverybad.ItrytodoworkformyProfessor
butdifficulttothinkwithfullnesshere."(againAkibomboindicatedthespot.)"Itisaftersupperinthe
CommonRoomandonlyElizabeththereandIsaytoher,'Haveyoubicarbonateorstomachpowder?I
havefinishedmine.'Andshesays,'No.But,'shesays,'IsawsomeinPat'sdrawerwhenIwasputting
backahandkerchiefIborrowedfromher.Iwillgetitforyou,'shesays.'Patwillnotmind.'Soshegoes
upstairsandcomesbackwithsodibicarbonatebottle.Verylittleleft,atbottomofbottle,almostempty.I
thankherandgowithittothebathroom,andIputnearlyallofit,aboutateaspoonfulinwaterandstir
itupanddrinkit."

"Ateaspoonful?Ateaspoonful!MyGod!"

TheInspectorgazedathimfascinated.

SergeantCobbleanedforwardwithanastonishedface.Mrs.Hubbardsaidobscurely,

"Rasputin!"

"Youswallowedateaspoonfulofmorphia?"

"Naturally,Ithinkitisbicarbonate."

"Yes,yes,whatIcan'tunderstandiswhyyou'resittingherenow!"

"Andthen,afterwards,Iwasill,butreallyill.Notjustthefulness.Pain,badpaininmystomach."

"Ican'tmakeoutwhyyou'renotdead!"

"Rasputin,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Theyusedtogivehimpoisonagainandagain,lotsofit,anditdidn't
killhim!"

Mr.Akibombowascontinuing.

"Sothen,nextday,whenIambetter,Itakethebottleandthetinybitofpowderthatisleftinittoa
chemistandIsaypleasetellme,whatisthisIhavetaken,thathasmademefeelsobad?"

"Yes?"

"Andhesayscomebacklater,andwhenIdo,hesays,'nowonder!Thisisnotthebicarbonate.Itisthe
Borass-eek. The Acid Borasseek. You can put it in the eyes, yes, but if you swallow a teaspoonful it
makesyouill.'"

"Boracic?" The Inspector stared at him stupefied. "But how did Boracic get into that bottle? What
happenedtothemorphia?"

Hegroaned,"Ofallthehaywirecases!"

"AndIhavebeenthinking,please,"wentonAkibombo.

TheInspectorgroanedagain.

"Youhavebeenthinking,"hesaid."Andwhathaveyoubeenthinking?"

"IhavebeenthinkingofMissCeliaandhowshedied,andthatsomeone,aftershewasdead,musthave
come into her room and left there the empty morphia bottle and the little piece of paper that say she
killedherself-"

AkibombopausedandtheInspectornodded.

"AndsoIsay-whocouldhavedonethat?AndIthinkifitisoneofthegirlsitwillbeeasy,butifaman
notsoeasy,becausehewouldhavetogodownstairsinourhouseanduptheotherstairsandsomeone
mightwakeupandhearhimorseehim.SoIthinkagain,andIsay,supposeitissomeoneinourhouse,
butinthenextroomtoMissCelia's-onlysheisinthishouse,youunderstand?Outsidehiswindowisa
balcony and outside hers is a balcony, too, and she will sleep with her window open because that is
hygienicpractice.Soifheisbigandstrongandathletichecouldjumpacross."

"TheroomnexttoCelia'sintheotherhouse,"saidMrs.Hubbard."Letmesee,that'sNigel'sand..."

"LenBateson's,"saidtheInspector.Hisfingertouchedthefoldedpaperinhishand."LenBateson."

"He is very nice, yes," said Mr. Akibombo sadly. "And to me most pleasant, but psychologically one
doesnotknowwhatgoesonbelowtopsurface.Thatisso,isitnot?Thatismoderntheory.Mr.Chandra
Lalveryangrywhenhisboracicfortheeyesdisappearsandlater,whenIask,hesayshehasbeentold
thatitwastakenbyLenBateson..."

"ThemorphiawastakenfromNigel'sdrawerandboracicwassubstitutedforit,andthenPatriciaLane
came along and substituted sodi bicarbonate for what she thought was morphia but which was really
boracicpowder...Yes...Isee..."

"Ihavehelpedyou,yes?"Mr.Akibomboaskedpolitely.

"Yes,indeed,we'remostgratefultoyou.Don'trepeatanyofthis."

"No,sir.Iwillbemostcareful."

Mr.Akibombobowedpolitelytoallandlefttheroom.

"LenBateson,"saidMrs.Hubbardinadistressedvoice."Oh!No."

Sharpelookedather.

"Youdon'twantittobeLenBateson?"

"I'vegotfondofthatboy.He'sgotatemper,Iknow,buthe'salwaysseemedsonice."

"That'sbeensaidaboutalotofcriminals,"saidSharpe.Gentlyheunfoldedhislittlepaperpacket.Mrs.
Hubbardobeyedhisgestureandleanedforwardtolook.

Onthewhitepaperweretworedshortcurlyhairs...

"Oh!dear,"saidMrs.Hubbard.

"Yes,"saidSharpereflectively."Inmyexperienceamurdererusuallymakesatleastonemistake."

Chapter19

"Butitisbeautiful,myfriend,"saidHerculePoirotwithadmiration."Soclear-sobeautifullyclear."

"Yousoundasifyouweretalkingaboutsoup,"grumbledtheInspector."Itmaybeconsommétoyou,to
methere'sagooddealofthickmockturtleaboutit,still."

"Notnow.Everythingfitsininitsappointedplace."

"Eventhese?"

AshehaddonetoMrs.Hubbard,InspectorSharpeproducedhisexhibitoftworedhairs.

Poirot'sanswerwasalmostinthesamewordsasSharpehadused.

"Ah-yes,"hesaid."Whatdoyoucallitontheradio?Theonedeliberatemistake."

Theeyesofthetwomenmet.

"Noone,"saidHerculePoirot,"isascleverastheythinktheyare."

InspectorSharpewasgreatlytemptedtosay:"NotevenHerculePoirot?"butherestrainedhimself.

"Fortheother,myfriend,itisallfixed?"

"Yes,theballoongoesuptomorrow."

"Yougoyourself?"

"No,I'mscheduledtoappearat26HickoryRoad.Cobbwillbeincharge."

"Wewillwishhimgoodluck."

Gravely,HerculePoirotraisedhisglass.Itcontainedcrèmedementhe.

InspectorSharperaisedhiswhiskyglass.

"Here'shoping,"hesaid.

II

"Theydothinkupthings,theseplaces,"saidSergeantCobb.

He was looking with grudging admiration at the display window of SABRINA FAIR. Framed and
enclosed in an expensive illustration of the glassmaker's art - the 'glassy green translucent wave' -
Sabrinawasdisplayedrecumbent,cladinbriefandexquisitepantiesandhappilysurroundedwithevery
variety of deliciously packaged cosmetics. Besides the panties she wore various examples of barbaric
costumejewelry.

DetectiveConstableMcCraegaveasnortofdeepdisapproval.

"Blasphemy,Icallit.SabrinaFair,that'sMilton,thatis."

"Well,Miltonisn'ttheBible,mylad."

"You'llnotdenythatParadiseLostisaboutAdamandEveandtheGardenofEdenandallthedevilsof
Hellandifthat'snotreligion,whatis?"

Sergeant Cobb did not enter on these controversial matters. He marched in, the dour constable at his
heels.IntheshellpinkinteriorofSabrinaFairtheSergeantandhissatellitelookedasoutofplaceasthe

traditionalbullinachinashop.

An exquisite creature in delicate salmon pink swam up to them, her feet hardly seeming to touch the
floor.

Sergeant Cobb said, "Good morning, Madam," and produced his credentials. The lovely creature
withdrewinaflutter.Anequallylovelybutslightlyoldercreatureappeared.

SheinturngavewaytoasuperbandresplendentDuchesswhoseblue-greyhairandsmoothcheeksset
ageandwrinklesatnought.AppraisingsteelgreyeyesmetthesteadygazeofSergeantCobb.

"Thisismostunusual,"saidtheDuchessseverely."Pleasecomethisway."

Sheledhimthroughasquaresalonwithacentretablewheremagazinesandperiodicalswereheaped
carelessly.Allroundthewallswerecurtainedrecesseswhereglimpsescouldbeobtainedofrecumbent
womensupineundertheministranthandsofpinkrobedpriestesses.

TheDuchessledthepoliceofficersintoasmallbusiness-likeapartmentwithabigrolltopdesk,severe
chairs,andnosofteningoftheharshNorthernlight.

"IamMrs.Lucas,theproprietressofthisestablishment,"shesaid."Mypartner,MissHobhouse,isnot
heretoday."

"No,Madam,"saidSergeantCobb,towhomthiswasnonews.

"This search warrant of yours seems to be most high-handed," said Mrs. Lucas. "This is Miss
Hobhouse'sprivateoffice.Isincerelyhopethatitwillnotbenecessaryforyoutoupsetourclientsin
anyway."

"Idon'tthinkyouneedtoworryundulyonthatscore,"saidCobb."Whatwe'reafterisn'tlikelytobein
thepublicrooms."

Hewaitedpolitelyuntilsheunwillinglywithdrew.ThenhelookedroundValèrieHobhouse'soffice.The
narrowwindowgaveaviewofthebackpremisesofotherMayfairfirms.Thewallswerepanelledin
palegreyandthereweretwogoodPersianrugsonthefloor.Hiseyeswentfromthesmallwallsafeto
thebigdesk.

"Won'tbeinthesafe,"saidCobb."Tooobvious."

Aquarterofanhourlater,thesafeandthedrawersofthedeskhadyieldeduptheirsecrets.

"Lookslikeit'smaybeamare'snest,"saidMcCraewhowasbynaturebothgloomyanddisapproving.

"We'reonlybeginning,"saidCobb.

Havingemptiedthedrawersoftheircontentsandarrangedthelatterneatlyinpiles,henowproceeded
totakethedrawersoutandturnthemupsidedown.

Heutteredanejaculationofpleasure.

"Hereweare,mylad,"hesaid.

Fastenedtotheunderneathsideofthebottomdrawerwithadhesivetapewereahalfdozensmalldark
bluebookswithgiltlettering.

"Passports,"saidSergeantCobb."IssuedbyHerMajesty'sSecretaryofStateforForeignAffairs,God
blesshistrustingheart."

McCraebentoverwithinterestasCobbopenedthepassportsandcomparedtheaffixedphotographs.

"Hardlythinkitwasthesamewoman,wouldyou?"saidMacRae.

ThepassportswerethoseofMrs.daSilva,MissIreneFrench,Mrs.OlgaKohn,MissNinaLeMesurier,
Mrs. Gladys Thomas, and Miss Moira O'Neele. They represented a dark young woman whose age
variedbetweentwenty-fiveandforty.

"It'sthedifferenthair-doeverytimethatdoesit,"saidCobb."Pompadour,curls,straightout,pageboy,
bob, etc. She's done something to her nose for Olga Kohn, plumpers in her cheeks for Mrs. Thomas.
Here are two more - foreign passports - Madame Mahmoudi, Algerian. Sheila Donovan, Eire. I'll say
she'sgotbankaccountsinallthesedifferentnames."

"Bitcomplicated,isn'tthat?"

"It has to be complicated, my lad. Inland Revenue. Always snooping around asking embarrassing
questions."

It's not so difficult to make money by smuggling goods, it's hell and all to account for money when
you've got it! I bet this little gambling club in Mayfair was started by the lady for just that reason.
WinningmoneybygamblingisabouttheonlythinganIncomeTaxInspectorcan'tcheckupon.Agood
partoftheloot,Ishouldsay,isreachedaroundinAlgerianandFrenchbanksandinEire.Thewhole
thing'sathoroughlywellthoughtoutbusiness-likeset-up.Andthen,oneday,shemusthavehadoneof
thefakepassportslyingaboutatHickoryRoadandthatpoorlittledevilCeliasawit."

Chapter20

"It was a clever idea of Miss Hobhouse's," said Inspector Sharpe. His voice was indulgent, almost
fatherly.

Heshuffledthepassportsfromonehandtotheotherlikeamandealingcards.

"Complicatedthing,finance,"hesaid."We'vehadabusytimeharingroundfromoneBanktotheother.
She covered her tracks well - her financial tracks, I mean. I'd say that in a couple of years' time she
could have cleared out, gone abroad and lived happily ever after, as they say, on ill-gotten gains. It
wasn'tabigshow-illicitdiamonds,sapphires,etc.,comingin-stolenstuffgoingout-andnarcoticson
the side, as you might say. Thoroughly well organised. She went abroad under her own and under
different names, but never too often, and the actual smuggling was always done, unknowingly, by
someoneelse.Shehadagentsabroadwhosawtotheexchangeofrucksacksattherightmoment.Yes,it
wasacleveridea.Andwe'vegotMr.Poirotheretothankforputtingusontoit.Itwassmartofher,too,
tosuggestthatpsychologicalstealingstunttopoorlittleMissAustin.Youwerewisetothatalmostat
once,weren'tyou,M.Poirot?"

PoirotsmiledinadeprecatingmannerandMrs.Hubbardlookedadmiringlyathim.Theconversation
wasstrictlyofftherecordinMrs.Hubbard'ssittingroom.

"Greed was her undoing," said Mr. Poirot. "She was tempted by that fine diamond in Patricia Lane's
ring.Itwasfoolishofherbecauseitsuggestedatoncethatshewasusedtohandlingpreciousstones-
thatbusinessofprisingthediamondoutandreplacingitwithazircon.Yes,thatcertainlygavemeideas
aboutValèrieHobhouse.Shewasclever,though,whenItaxedherwithinspiringCelia,sheadmittedit
andexplaineditinathoroughlysympatheticway."

"Butmurder!"saidMrs.Hubbard."Cold-bloodedmurder.Ican'treallybelieveitevennow."

InspectorSharpelookedgloomy.

"Wearen'tinapositiontochargeherwiththemurderofCeliaAustinyet,"hesaid."We'vegothercold
onthesmuggling,ofcourse.Nodifficultiesaboutthat.Butthemurderchargeismoretricky.Thepublic
prosecutordoesn'tseehisway.There'smotive,ofcourse,andopportunity.Sheprobablyknewallabout
the bet and Nigel's possession of morphia, but there's no real evidence, and there are the two other
deathstotakeintoaccount.ShecouldhavepoisonedMrs.Nicoletisallright-butontheotherhand,she
definitelydidnotkillPatriciaLane.Actuallyshe'sabouttheonlypersonwho'scompletelyintheclear.
Geronimosayspositivelythatsheleftthehouseatsixo'clock.Hestickstothat.Idon'tknowwhether
shebribedhim-"

"No,"saidPoirot,shakinghishead."Shedidnotbribehim."

"Andwe'vetheevidenceofthechemistatthecorneroftheroad.Heknowsherquitewellandhesticks
to it that she came in at five minutes past six and bought face powder and aspirin and used the
telephone.Shelefthisshopatquarterpastsixandtookataxifromtherankoutside."

Poirotsatupinhischair.

"Butthat,"hesaid,"ismagnificent!Itisjustwhatwewant!"

"Whatonearthdoyoumean?"

"Imeanthatsheactuallytelephonedfromtheboxatthechemist'sshop."

InspectorSharpelookedathiminanexasperatedfashion.

"Now,seehere,Mr.Poirot.Let'staketheknownfacts.Ateightminutespastsix,PatriciaLaneisalive
andtelephoningtothepolicestationfromthisroom.Youagreetothat?"

"Idonotthinkshewastelephoningfromthisroom."

"Wellthen,fromthehalldownstairs."

"Notfromthehalleither."

InspectorSharpesighed.

"Isupposeyoudon'tdenythatacallwasputthroughtothepolicestation?Youdon'tthinkthatIandmy
SergeantandPoliceConstableNye,andNigelChapmanwerethevictimsofmasshallucination?"

"Assuredlynot.Acallwasputthroughtoyou.Ishouldsayataguessthatitwasputthroughfromthe
publiccallboxatthechemist'sonthecorner."

InspectorSharpe'sjawdroppedforamoment.

"YoumeanthatValèrieHobhouseputthroughthatcall?ThatshepretendedtospeakasPatriciaLane,
andthatPatriciaLanewasalreadydead?"

"ThatiswhatImean,yes."

TheInspectorwassilentforamoment,thenhebroughtdownhisfistwithacrashonthetable.

"Idon'tbelieveit.Thevoice-Ihearditmyself"

"Youheardit,yes.Agirl'svoice-breathless,agitated.Butyoudidn'tknowPatriciaLane'svoicewell
enoughtosaydefinitelythatitwashervoice."

"I didn't, perhaps. But it was Nigel Chapman who actually took the call. You can't tell me that Nigel
Chapman could be deceived. It isn't so easy to disguise a voice over the telephone, or to counterfeit
somebodyelse'svoice.NigelChapmanwouldhaveknownifitwasn'tPat'svoicespeaking."

"Yes,"saidPoirot."NigelChapmanwouldhaveknown.NigelChapmanknewquitewellthatitwasn't
Patricia.Whoshouldknowbetterthanhe,sincehehadkilledherwithablowonthebackofthehead
onlyashortwhilebefore."

ItwasamomentortwobeforetheInspectorrecoveredhisvoice.

"NigelChapman?NigelChapman?Butwhenwefoundherdead-hecried-criedlikeachild."

"Idaresay,"saidPoirot."Ithinkhewasasfondofthatgirlashecouldbeofanybody-butthatwouldn't
saveher-notifsherepresentedamenacetohisinterests.Allalong,NigelChapmanhasstoodoutas
the obvious probability. Who had morphia in his possession? Nigel Chapman. Who has the shallow
brilliantintellecttoplan,andtheaudacitytocarryoutfraudandmurder?NigelChapman.Whodowe
know to be both ruthless and vain? Nigel Chapman. He has all the hallmarks of the killer; the
overwhelming vanity, the spitefulness, the growing recklessness that led him to draw attention to
himself in every conceivable way, using the green ink in a stupendous double bluff, and finally
overreachinghimselfbythesillydeliberatemistakeofputtingLenBateson'shairsinPatricia'sfingers,
obliviousofthefactthatasPatriciawasstruckdownfrombehind,shecouldnotpossiblyhavegrasped
her assailant by the hair. They are like that, these murderers - carried away by their own egoism, by
theiradmirationoftheirowncleverness,relyingontheircharm-forhehascharm,thisNigel-hehas
allthecharmofaspoiledchildwhohasnevergrownup,whoneverwillgrowup-whoseesonlyone
thing,Himself,andwhathewants!"

"Butwhy,Mr.Poirot?Whymurder?CeliaAustin,perhaps,butwhyPatriciaLane?"

"That,"saidPoirot,"wehavegottofindout."

Chapter21

"I haven't seen you for a long time," said old Mr. Endicott to Hercule Poirot. He peered at the other
keenly."It'sveryniceofyoutodropin."

"Notreally,"saidHerculePoirot."Iwantsomething."

"Well,asyouknow,I'mdeeplyinyourdebt.YouclearedupthatnastyAbernethybusinessforme."

"Iamsurprisedreallytofindyouhere.Ithoughtyouhadretired."

Theoldlawyersmiledgrimly.Hisfirmwasamostrespectableandoldestablishedone.

"Icameinspeciallytodaytoseeaveryoldclient.Istillattendtotheaffairsofoneortwooldfriends."

"SirArthurStanleywasanoldfriendandclient,washenot?"

"Yes.We'veundertakenallhislegalworksincehewasquiteayoungman.Averybrilliantman,Poirot-
quiteanexceptionalbrain."

"Hisdeathwasannouncedonthesixo'clocknewsyesterday,Ibelieve."

"Yes.Thefuneral'sonFriday.He'sbeenailingsometime.Amalignantgrowth,Iunderstand."

"LadyStanleydiedsomeyearsago?"

"Twoandahallyearsago,roughly."

ThekeeneyesbelowthebushybrowslookedsharplyatPoirot.

"Howdidshedie?"

Thelawyerrepliedpromptly.

"Overdoseofsleepingstuff.MedinalasfarasIremember."

"Therewasaninquest?"

"Yes.Theverdictwasthatshetookitaccidentally."

"Didshe?"

Mr.Endicottwassilentforamoment.

"I won't insult you," he said. "I've no doubt you've got a good reason for asking. Medinal's a rather
dangerousdrug,Iunderstand,becausethere'snotabigmarginbetweenaneffectivedoseandalethal
one.Ifthepatientgetsdrowsyandforgetsshe'stakenadoseandtakesanother-well,itcanhaveafatal

result."

Poirotnodded.

"Isthatwhatshedid?"

"Presumably.Therewasnosuggestionofsuicide,orsuicidaltendencies."

"Andnosuggestionof-anythingelse?"

Againthatkeenglancewasshotathim.

"Herhusbandgaveevidence."

"Andwhatdidhesay?"

"He made it clear that she did sometimes got confused after taking her nightly dose and ask for
another."

"Washelying?"

"Really, Poirot, what an outrageous question. Why should you suppose for a minute that I should
know?"

Poirotsmiled.Theattemptatblusterdidnotdeceivehim.

"Isuggest,myfriend,thatyouknowverywell.ButforthemomentIwillnotembarrassyoubyasking
youwhatyouknow.InsteadIwillaskyouforanopinion.Theopinionofonemanaboutanother.Was
Arthur Stanley the kind of man who would do away with his wife if he wanted to marry another
woman?"

Mr.Endicottjumpedasthoughhehadbeenstungbyawasp.

"Preposterous," he said angrily. "Quite preposterous. And there was no other woman. Stanley was
devotedtohiswife."

"Yes,"saidPoirot."Ithoughtso.Andnow-Iwillcometothepurposeofmycalluponyou.Youarethe
solicitorswhodrewupArthurStanley'swill.Youare,perhaps,hisexecutor."

"Thatisso."

"Arthur Stanley had a son. The son quarrelled with his father at the time of his mother's death.
Quarrelledwithhimandlefthome.Heevenwentsofarastochangehisname."

"ThatIdidnotknow.What'shecallinghimself?"

"Weshallcometothat.BeforewedoIamgoingtomakeanassumption.IfIamright,perhapsyouwill
admitthefact.IthinkthatArthurStanleyleftasealedletterwithyou,alettertobeopenedundercertain
circumstancesorafterhisdeath."

"Really, Poirot! In the Middle Ages you would certainly have been burnt at the stake. How you can
possiblyknowthethingsyoudo!"

"Iamrightthen?Ithinktherewasanalternativeintheletter.Itscontentswereeithertobedestroyedor
youweretotakeacertaincourseofaction."

Hepaused.Theotherdidnotspeak.

"BonDieu!"saidPoirot,withalarm."Youhavenotalreadydestroyed-"

HebrokeoffinreliefasMr.Endicottslowlyshookhisheadinnegation.

"Weneveractinhaste,"hesaidreprovingly."Ihavetomakefullenquiries-tosatisfymyselfabsolutely
-"Hepaused.

"Thismatter,"hesaidseverely,"ishighlyconfidential.Eventoyou,Poirot."Heshookhishead.

"AndifIshowyougoodcausewhyyoushouldspeak?"

"That-is-uptoyou.Icannotconceivehowyoucanpossiblyknowanythingatallthatisrelevantto
thematterwearediscussing."

"Idonotknow,Ihavetoguess.IfIguesscorrectly-"

"Highlyunlikely,"saidMr.Endicottwithawaveofhishand.

Poirotdrewadeepbreath.

"Verywellthen.Itisinmymindthatyourinstructionsareasfollows.IntheeventofSirArthur'sdeath,
you are to trace his son, Nigel, to ascertain where he is living and how he is living and particularly
whetherheisorhasbeenengagedinanycriminalactivitywhatsoever."

ThistimeMr.Endicott'simpregnablelegalcalmwasreallyshattered.Heutteredanexclamationsuchas
fewhadeverheardfromhislips.

"Sinceyouappeartobeinfullpossessionofthefacts,"hesaid,"I'lltellyouanythingyouwanttoknow.
Igatheryou'vecomeacrossyoungNigelinthecourseofyourprofessionalactivities.What'stheyoung
devilbeenupto?"

"I think the story goes as follows. After he left home he changed his name, telling anyone who was
interestedthathehadtodosoasaconditionofalegacy.Hethenfellinwithsomepeoplewhowere
runningasmugglingracket-rugsandjewels.Ithinkitwasduetohimthattheracketassumeditsfinal
form-anexceedinglycleveroneinvolvingtheusingofinnocentbonafidestudents.Thewholething
was operated by two people, Nigel Chapman, as he now called himself, and a young woman called
ValèrieHobhousewho,Ithink,originallyintroducedhimtothesmugglingtrade.Itwasasmallprivate
concernandtheyworkeditonacommissionbasis-butitwasimmenselyprofitable.Thegoodshadto
be of small bulk, but thousands of pounds' worth of gems and narcotics occupy a very small space.
Everythingwentwelluntiloneofthoseunforeseenchancesoccurred.Apoliceofficercameonedayto
astudents'hosteltomakeinquiriesinconnectionwithamurdernearCambridge.Ithinkyouknowthe
reasonwhythatparticularpieceofinformationshouldcauseNigeltopanic.Hethoughtthepolicewere
afterhim.Heremovedcertainelectriclightbulbssothatthelightshouldbedimandhealso,inapanic,
tookacertainrucksackoutintothebackyard,hackedittopiecesandthrewitbehindtheboilersincehe
fearedtracesofnarcoticmightbefoundinitsfalsebottom.

"Hispanicwasquiteunfounded-thepolicehadmerelycometoaskquestionsaboutacertainEurasian

student-butoneofthegirlslivingintheHostelhadhappenedtolookoutofherwindowandhadseen
himdestroyingtherucksack.Thatdidnotimmediatelysignherdeathwarrant.Instead,acleverscheme
wasthoughtupbywhichsheherselfwasinducedtocommitcertainfoolishactionswhichwouldplace
herinaveryinvidiousposition.Buttheycarriedthatschemetoofar.Iwascalledin.Iadvisedgoingto
thepolice.Thegirllostherheadandconfessed.Sheconfessed,thatis,tothethingsthatshehaddone.
Butshewent,Ithink,toNigel,andurgedhimtoconfessalsototherucksackbusinessandtospilling
inkoverafellowstudent'swork.NeitherNigelnorhisaccomplicecouldconsiderattentionbeingcalled
totherucksack-theirwholeplanofcampaignwouldberuined.MoreoverCelia,thegirlinquestion,
hadanotherdangerouspieceofknowledgewhichsherevealed,asithappened,thenightIdinedthere.
SheknewwhoNigelreallywas."

"Butsurely-"Mr.Endicottfrowned.

"Nigelhadmovedfromoneworldtoanother.Anyformerfriendshemetmightknowthathenowcalled
himselfChapman,buttheyknewnothingofwhathewasdoing.IntheHostelnobodyknewthathisreal
namewasStanley-butCeliasuddenlyrevealedthatsheknewhiminbothcapacities.Shealsoknew
thatValèrieHobhouse,ononeoccasionatleast,hadtravelledabroadonafalsepassport.Sheknewtoo
much.Thenexteveningshewentouttomeethimbyappointmentsomewhere.Hegaveheradrinkof
coffeeandinitwasmorphia.Shediedinhersleepwitheverythingarrangedtolooklikesuicide."

Mr.Endicottstirred.Anexpressionofdeepdistresscrossedhisface.Hemurmuredsomethingunderhis
breath.

"Butthatwasnottheend,"saidPoirot."Thewomanwhoownedthechainofhostersandstudents'clubs
died soon after in suspicious circumstances and then, finally, there came the last most cruel and
heartlesscrime.PatriciaLane,agirlwhowasdevotedtoNigelandofwhomhehimselfwasreallyfond,
meddled unwittingly in his affairs, and moreover insisted that he should be reconciled to his father
beforethelatterdied.Hetoldherastringoflies,butrealisedthatherobstinacymighturgeheractually
towriteasecondletterafterthefirstwasdestroyed.Ithink,myfriend,thatyoucantellmewhy,from
hispointofview,thatwouldhavebeensuchafatalthingtohappen."

Mr.Endicottrose.Hewentacrosstheroomtoasafe,unlockedit,andcamebackwithalongenvelope
inhishand.Ithadabrokenredsealonthebackofit.Hedrewouttwoenclosuresandlaidthembefore
Poirot.

"DearEndicott,

"YouwillopenthisafterIamdead.IwishyoutotracemysonNigelandfindoutifhehasbeenguilty
ofanycriminalactionswhatsoever.

"The facts I am about to tell you are known to me only. Nigel has always been profoundly
unsatisfactory in his character. He has twice been guilty of forging my name to a cheque. On each
occasionIacknowledgedthesignatureasmine,butwarnedhimthatIwouldnotdosoagain.Onthe
third occasion it was his mother's name he forged. She charged him with it. He begged her to keep
silence.Sherefused.SheandIhaddiscussedhim,andshemadeitclearshewasgoingtotellme.Itwas
then that, in handing her her evening sleeping mixture, he administered an overdose. Before it took
effect,however,shehadcometomyroomandtoldmeallaboutmatters.When,thenextmorning,she
wasfounddead,Iknewwhohaddoneit.

"IaccusedNigelandtoldhimthatIintendedtomakeacleanbreastofallthefactstothepolice.He
pleadeddesperatelywithme.Whatwouldyouhavedone,Endicott?Ihavenoillusionsaboutmyson,I
knowhimforwhatheis,oneofthosedangerousmisfitswhohaveneitherconsciencenorpity.Ihadno
causetosavehim.Butitwasthethoughtofmybelovedwifethatswayedme.Wouldshewishmeto
execute justice? I thought that I knew the answer - she would have wanted her son saved from the
scaffold. She would have shrunk, as I shrank, from dragging down our name. But there was another
consideration. I firmly believe that once a killer, always a killer. There might be, in the future, other
victims.Imadeabargainwithmyson,andwhetherIdidrightorwrong,Idonotknow.Hewastowrite
out a confession of his crime which I should keep. He was to leave my house and never return, but
makeanewlifeforhimself.Iwouldgivehimasecondchance.Moneybelongingtohismotherwould
cometohimautomatically.Hehadhadagoodeducation.Hehadeverychanceofmakinggood.

"But - if he were convicted of any criminal activity whatsoever the confession he had left with me
should go to the police. I safeguarded myself by explaining that my own death would not solve the
problem.

"Youaremyoldestfriend.Iamplacingaburdenonyourshoulders,butIaskitinthenameofadead
womanwhowasalsoyourfriend.FindNigel.Ifhisrecordiscleandestroythisletterandtheenclosed
confession.Ifnot-thenjusticemustbedone.

"Youraffectionatefriend,

"ArthurStanley"

"Ah!"Poirotbreathedalongsigh.Heunfoldedtheenclosure.

"IherebyconfessthatImurderedmymotherbygivingheranoverdoseofmedinalonNovember18,
195-.

"NigelStanley."

Chapter22

"Youquiteunderstandyourposition,MissHobhouse.Ihavealreadywarnedyou-"

ValèrieHobhousecuthimshort.

"IknowwhatI'mdoing.You'vewarnedmethatwhatIsaywillbeusedinevidence.I'mpreparedfor
that. You've got me on the smuggling charge. I haven't got a hope. That means a long term of
imprisonment.ThisothermeansthatI'llbechargedasanaccessorytomurder."

"Yourbeingwillingtomakeastatementmayhelpyou,butIcan'tmakeanypromiseorholdoutany
inducement."

"I don't know that I care. Just as well end it all as languish in prison for years. I want to make a
statement.Imaybewhatyoucallanaccessory,butI'mnotakiller.Ineverintendedmurderorwanted
it.I'mnotsuchafool.WhatIdowantisthatthereshouldbeaclearcaseagainstNigel...

"Celiaknewfartoomuch,butIcouldhavedealtwiththatsomehow.Nigeldidn'tgivemetime.Hegot
hertocomeoutandmeethim,toldherthathewasgoingtoownuptotherucksackandtheinkbusiness
andthenslippedherthemorphiainacupofcoffee.He'dgotholdofherlettertoMrs.Hubbardearlier
onandhadtornoutauseful'suicide'phrase.Heputthatandtheemptymorphiaphial(whichhehad
retrievedafterpretendingtothrowitaway)byherbed.Iseenowthathe'dbeencontemplatingmurder
forquitealittletime.Thenhecameandtoldmewhathe'ddone.FormyownsakeIhadtostandinwith
him.

"The same thing must have happened with Mrs. Nick. He'd found out that she drank, that she was
gettingunreliable-hemanagedtomeethersomewhereonherwayhome,andpoisonedherdrink.He
deniedittome,butIknowthatthat'swhathedid.ThencamePat.Hecameuptomyroomandtoldme
whathadhappened.HetoldmewhatI'dgottodo-sothatbothheandIwouldhaveanunbreakable
alibi.Iwasinthenetbythen,therewasnowayout...Isuppose,ifyouhadn'tcaughtme,I'dhavegone
abroadsomewhere,andmadeanewlifeformyself.Butyoudidcatchme...AndnowIonlycareabout
onething-tomakesurethatthatcruelsmilingdevilgetshanged."

InspectorSharpedrewadeepbreath.Allthiswaseminentlysatisfactory,itwasanunbelievablepieceof
luck;buthewaspuzzled.

TheConstablelickedhispencil.

"I'mnotsurethatIquiteunderstand,"beganSharpe.

Shecuthimshort.

"Youdon'tneedtounderstand.I'vegotmyreasons."

HerculePoirotspokeverygently.

"Mrs.Nicoletis?"heasked.

Heheardthesharpintakeofherbreath.

"Shewas-yourmother,wasshenot?"

"Yes,"saidValèrieHobhouse."Shewasmymother...

Chapter23

"Idonotunderstand,"saidMr.Akibomboplaintively.

Helookedanxiouslyfromoneredheadtotheother.

Sally Finch and Len Bateson were conducting a conversation which Mr. Akibombo found it hard to
follow.

"Doyouthink,"askedSally,"thatNigelmeantmetobesuspected,oryou?"

"Either,Ishouldsay,"repliedLen."Ibelieveheactuallytookthehairsfrommybrush."

"Idonotunderstand,please,"saidMr.Akibombo."WasitthenMr.Nigelwhojumpedthebalcony?"

"Nigelcanjumplikeacat.Icouldn'thavejumpedacrossthatspace.I'mfartooheavy."

"Iwanttoapologiseverydeeplyandhumblyforwhollyunjustifiablesuspicions."

"That'sallright,"saidLen.

"Actually,youhelpedalot,"saidSally."Allyourthinking-abouttheboracic."

Mr.Akibombobrightenedup.

"Oneoughttohaverealisedallalong,"saidLen,"thatNigelwasathoroughlymaladjustedtypeand-"

"Oh,forheaven'ssake-yousoundjustlikeColin.Frankly,Nigelalwaysgavemethecreeps-andat
last I see why. Do you realise, Len, that if poor Sir Arthur Stanley hadn't been sentimental and had
turnedNigelstraightovertothepolice,threeotherpeoplewouldbealivetoday?It'sasolemnthought."

"Still,onecanunderstandwhathefeltaboutit."

"Please,MissSally."

"Yes,Akibombo?"

"IfyoumeetmyProfessoratUniversitypartytonightwillyoutellhim,please,thatIhavedonesome
goodthinking?MyProfessorhesaysoftenthatIhaveamuddledthoughtprocess."

"I'lltellhim,"saidSally.

LenBatesonwaslookingthepictureofgloom.

"Inaweek'stimeyou'llbebackinAmerica,"hesaid.

Therewasamomentarysilence.

"Ishallcomeback,"saidSally."Oryoumightcomeanddoacourseoverthere."

"What'stheuse?"

"Akibombo,"saidSally,"wouldyoulike,oneday,tobeBestManatawedding?"

"WhatisBestMan,please?"

"Thebridegroom,Lenhereforinstance,givesyouaringtokeepforhim,andheandyougotochurch
verysmartlydressedandattherightmomentheasksyoufortheringandyougiveittohim,andhe
putsitonmyfinger,andtheorganplaystheweddingmarchandeverybodycries.Andthereweare."

"YoumeanthatyouandMr.Lenaretobemarried?"

"That'stheidea."

"Sally!"

"Unless,ofcourse,Lendoesn'tcarefortheidea."

"Sally!Butyoudon'tknow,myfather-"

"Sowhat?OfcourseIknow.Soyourfather'snuts.Allright,soarelotsofpeople'sfathers."

"It isn't a hereditary type of mania. I can assure you of that, Sally, if you only knew how desperately
unhappyI'vebeenaboutyou."

"Ididjusthaveatinysuspicion."

"In Africa," said Mr. Akibombo, "in old days, before Atomic Age and scientific thought had come,

marriagecustomswereverycuriousandinteresting.Itellyou-"

"You'dbetternot,"saidSally."IhaveanideatheymightmakebothLenandmeblush,andwhenyou've
gotredhairit'sverynoticeablewhenyoublush."

II

HerculePoirotsignedthelastofthelettersthatMissLemonhadlaidbeforehim.

"Trésbien,"hesaidgravely."Notasinglemistake."

MissLemonlookedslightlyaffronted.

"Idon'toftenmakemistakes,Ihope,"shesaid.

"Notoften.Butithashappened.Howisyoursister,bytheway?"

"Sheisthinkingofgoingonacruise,Mr.Poirot.TotheNortherncapitals."

"Ah,"saidHerculePoirot.

Hewonderedif-possibly-onacruise-

Notthathehimselfwouldundertakeaseavoyage,foranyinducement...

Theclockbehindhimstruckone.

"Theclockstruckone,

Themouserandown,

Hickorydickorydock,"

declaredHerculePoirot.

"Ibegyourpardon,Mr.Poirot?"

"Nothing,"saidHerculePoirot.