THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION

THE trial of John Cavendish for the murder of his stepmother took place two months later.

Of the intervening weeks I will say little, but my admiration and sympathy went out unfeignedly to Mary Cavendish. She ranged herself passionately on her husband's side, scorning the mere idea of his guilt, and fought for him tooth and nail.

I expressed my admiration to Poirot, and he nodded thoughtfully.

``Yes, she is of those women who show at their best in adversity. It brings out all that is sweetest and truest in them. Her pride and her jealousy have -- ''

``Jealousy?'' I queried.

``Yes. Have you not realized that she is an unusually jealous woman? As I was saying, her pride and jealousy have been laid aside. She thinks of nothing but her husband, and the terrible fate that is hanging over him.''

He spoke very feelingly, and I looked at him earnestly, remembering that last afternoon, when he had been deliberating whether or not to speak. With his tenderness for ``a woman's happiness,'' I felt glad that the decision had been taken out of his hands.

``Even now,'' I said, ``I can hardly believe it. You see, up to the very last minute, I thought it was Lawrence!''

Poirot grinned.

``I know you did.''

``But John! My old friend John!''

``Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend,'' observed Poirot philosophically. ``You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.''

``I must say I think you might have given me a hint.''

``Perhaps, mon ami, I did not do so, just because he was your old friend.''

I was rather disconcerted by this, remembering how I had busily passed on to John what I believed to be Poirot's views concerning Bauerstein. He, by the way, had been acquitted of the charge brought against him. Nevertheless, although he had been too clever for them this time, and the charge of espionage could not be brought home to him, his wings were pretty well clipped for the future.

I asked Poirot whether he thought John would be condemned. To my intense surprise, he replied that, on the contrary, he was extremely likely to be acquitted.

``But, Poirot -- '' I protested.

``Oh, my friend, have I not said to you all along that I have no proofs. It is one thing to know that a man is guilty, it is quite another matter to prove him so. And, in this case, there is terribly little evidence. That is the whole trouble. I, Hercule Poirot, know, but I lack the last link in my chain. And unless I can find that missing link -- '' He shook his head gravely.

``When did you first suspect John Cavendish?'' I asked, after a minute or two.

``Did you not suspect him at all?''

``No, indeed.''

``Not after that fragment of conversation you overheard between Mrs. Cavendish and her mother-in-law, and her subsequent lack of frankness at the inquest?''

``No.''

``Did you not put two and two together, and reflect that if it was not Alfred Inglethorp who was quarrelling with his wife -- and you remember, he strenuously denied it at the inquest -- it must be either Lawrence or John. Now, if it was Lawrence, Mary Cavendish's conduct was just as inexplicable. But if, on the other hand, it was John, the whole thing was explained quite naturally.''

``So,'' I cried, a light breaking in upon me, ``it was John who quarrelled with his mother that afternoon?''

``Exactly.''

``And you have known this all along?''

``Certainly. Mrs. Cavendish's behaviour could only be explained that way.''

``And yet you say he may be acquitted?''

Poirot shrugged his shoulders.

``Certainly I do. At the police court proceedings, we shall hear the case for the prosecution, but in all probability his solicitors will advise him to reserve his defence. That will be sprung upon us at the trial. And -- ah, by the way, I have a word of caution to give you, my friend. I must not appear in the case.''

``What?''

``No. Officially, I have nothing to do with it. Until I have found that last link in my chain, I must remain behind the scenes. Mrs. Cavendish must think I am working for her husband, not against him.''

``I say, that's playing it a bit low down,'' I protested.

``Not at all. We have to deal with a most clever and unscrupulous man, and we must use any means in our power -- otherwise he will slip through our fingers. That is why I have been careful to remain in the background. All the discoveries have been made by Japp, and Japp will take all the credit. If I am called upon to give evidence at all'' -- he smiled broadly -- ``it will probably be as a witness for the defence.''

I could hardly believe my ears.

``It is quite en règle,'' continued Poirot. ``Strangely enough, I can give evidence that will demolish one contention of the prosecution.''

``Which one?''

``The one that relates to the destruction of the will. John Cavendish did not destroy that will.''

Poirot was a true prophet. I will not go into the details of the police court proceedings, as it involves many tiresome repetitions. I will merely state baldly that John Cavendish reserved his defence, and was duly committed for trial.

September found us all in London. Mary took a house in Kensington, Poirot being included in the family party.

I myself had been given a job at the War Office, so was able to see them continually.

As the weeks went by, the state of Poirot's nerves grew worse and worse. That ``last link'' he talked about was still lacking. Privately, I hoped it might remain so, for what happiness could there be for Mary, if John were not acquitted?

On September 15th John Cavendish appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey, charged with ``The Wilful Murder of Emily Agnes Inglethorp,'' and pleaded ``Not Guilty.''

Sir Ernest Heavywether, the famous K. C., had been engaged to defend him.

Mr. Philips, K. C., opened the case for the Crown.

The murder, he said, was a most premeditated and cold-blooded one. It was neither more nor less than the deliberate poisoning of a fond and trusting woman by the stepson to whom she had been more than a mother. Ever since his boyhood, she had supported him. He and his wife had lived at Styles Court in every luxury, surrounded by her care and attention. She had been their kind and generous benefactress.

He proposed to call witnesses to show how the prisoner, a profligate and spendthrift, had been at the end of his financial tether, and had also been carrying on an intrigue with a certain Mrs. Raikes, a neighbouring farmer's wife. This having come to his stepmother's ears, she taxed him with it on the afternoon before her death, and a quarrel ensued, part of which was overheard. On the previous day, the prisoner had purchased strychnine at the village chemist's shop, wearing a disguise by means of which he hoped to throw the onus of the crime upon another man -- to wit, Mrs. Inglethorp's husband, of whom he had been bitterly jealous. Luckily for Mr. Inglethorp, he had been able to produce an unimpeachable alibi.

On the afternoon of July 17th, continued Counsel, immediately after the quarrel with her son, Mrs. Inglethorp made a new will. This will was found destroyed in the grate of her bedroom the following morning, but evidence had come to light which showed that it had been drawn up in favour of her husband. Deceased had already made a will in his favour before her marriage, but -- and Mr. Philips wagged an expressive forefinger -- the prisoner was not aware of that. What had induced the deceased to make a fresh will, with the old one still extant, he could not say. She was an old lady, and might possibly have forgotten the former one; or -- this seemed to him more likely -- she may have had an idea that it was revoked by her marriage, as there had been some conversation on the subject. Ladies were not always very well versed in legal knowledge. She had, about a year before, executed a will in favour of the prisoner. He would call evidence to show that it was the prisoner who ultimately handed his stepmother her coffee on the fatal night. Later in the evening, he had sought admission to her room, on which occasion, no doubt, he found an opportunity of destroying the will which, as far as he knew, would render the one in his favour valid.

The prisoner had been arrested in consequence of the discovery, in his room, by Detective Inspector Japp -- a most brilliant officer -- of the identical phial of strychnine which had been sold at the village chemist's to the supposed Mr. Inglethorp on the day before the murder. It would be for the jury to decide whether or not these damning facts constituted an overwhelming proof of the prisoner's guilt.

And, subtly implying that a jury which did not so decide, was quite unthinkable, Mr. Philips sat down and wiped his forehead.

The first witnesses for the prosecution were mostly those who had been called at the inquest, the medical evidence being again taken first.

Sir Ernest Heavywether, who was famous all over England for the unscrupulous manner in which he bullied witnesses, only asked two questions.

``I take it, Dr. Bauerstein, that strychnine, as a drug, acts quickly?''

``Yes.''

``And that you are unable to account for the delay in this case?''

``Yes.''

``Thank you.''

Mr. Mace identified the phial handed him by Counsel as that sold by him to ``Mr. Inglethorp.'' Pressed, he admitted that he only knew Mr. Inglethorp by sight. He had never spoken to him. The witness was not cross-examined.

Alfred Inglethorp was called, and denied having purchased the poison. He also denied having quarrelled with his wife. Various witnesses testified to the accuracy of these statements.

The gardeners' evidence, as to the witnessing of the will was taken, and then Dorcas was called.

Dorcas, faithful to her ``young gentlemen,'' denied strenuously that it could have been John's voice she heard, and resolutely declared, in the teeth of everything, that it was Mr. Inglethorp who had been in the boudoir with her mistress. A rather wistful smile passed across the face of the prisoner in the dock. He knew only too well how useless her gallant defiance was, since it was not the object of the defence to deny this point. Mrs. Cavendish, of course, could not be called upon to give evidence against her husband.

After various questions on other matters, Mr. Philips asked:

``In the month of June last, do you remember a parcel arriving for Mr. Lawrence Cavendish from Parkson's?''

Dorcas shook her head.

``I don't remember, sir. It may have done, but Mr. Lawrence was away from home part of June.''

``In the event of a parcel arriving for him whilst he was away, what would be done with it?''

``It would either be put in his room or sent on after him.''

``By you?''

``No, sir, I should leave it on the hall table. It would be Miss Howard who would attend to anything like that.''

Evelyn Howard was called and, after being examined on other points, was questioned as to the parcel.

``Don't remember. Lots of parcels come. Can't remember one special one.''

``You do not know if it was sent after Mr. Lawrence Cavendish to Wales, or whether it was put in his room?''

``Don't think it was sent after him. Should have remembered it if it was.''

``Supposing a parcel arrived addressed to Mr. Lawrence Cavendish, and afterwards it disappeared, should you remark its absence?''

``No, don't think so. I should think some one had taken charge of it.''

``I believe, Miss Howard, that it was you who found this sheet of brown paper?'' He held up the same dusty piece which Poirot and I had examined in the morning-room at Styles.

``Yes, I did.''

``How did you come to look for it?''

``The Belgian detective who was employed on the case asked me to search for it.''

``Where did you eventually discover it?''

``On the top of -- of -- a wardrobe.''

``On top of the prisoner's wardrobe?''

``I -- I believe so.''

``Did you not find it yourself?''

``Yes.''

``Then you must know where you found it?''

``Yes, it was on the prisoner's wardrobe.''

``That is better.''

An assistant from Parkson's, Theatrical Costumiers, testified that on June 29th, they had supplied a black beard to Mr. L. Cavendish, as requested. It was ordered by letter, and a postal order was enclosed. No, they had not kept the letter. All transactions were entered in their books. They had sent the beard, as directed, to ``L. Cavendish, Esq., Styles Court.''

Sir Ernest Heavywether rose ponderously.

``Where was the letter written from?''

``From Styles Court.''

``The same address to which you sent the parcel?''

``Yes.''

``And the letter came from there?''

``Yes.''

Like a beast of prey, Heavywether fell upon him:

``How do you know?''

``I -- I don't understand.''

``How do you know that letter came from Styles? Did you notice the postmark?''

``No -- but -- ''

``Ah, you did not notice the postmark! And yet you affirm so confidently that it came from Styles. It might, in fact, have been any postmark?''

``Y -- es.''

``In fact, the letter, though written on stamped notepaper, might have been posted from anywhere? From Wales, for instance?''

The witness admitted that such might be the case, and Sir Ernest signified that he was satisfied.

Elizabeth Wells, second housemaid at Styles, stated that after she had gone to bed she remembered that she had bolted the front door, instead of leaving it on the latch as Mr. Inglethorp had requested. She had accordingly gone downstairs again to rectify her error. Hearing a slight noise in the West wing, she had peeped along the passage, and had seen Mr. John Cavendish knocking at Mrs. Inglethorp's door.

Sir Ernest Heavywether made short work of her, and under his unmerciful bullying she contradicted herself hopelessly, and Sir Ernest sat down again with a satisfied smile on his face.

With the evidence of Annie, as to the candle grease on the floor, and as to seeing the prisoner take the coffee into the boudoir, the proceedings were adjourned until the following day.

As we went home, Mary Cavendish spoke bitterly against the prosecuting counsel.

``That hateful man! What a net he has drawn around my poor John! How he twisted every little fact until he made it seem what it wasn't!''

``Well,'' I said consolingly, ``it will be the other way about to-morrow.''

``Yes,'' she said meditatively; then suddenly dropped her voice. ``Mr. Hastings, you do not think -- surely it could not have been Lawrence -- Oh, no, that could not be!''

But I myself was puzzled, and as soon as I was alone with Poirot I asked him what he thought Sir Ernest was driving at.

``Ah!'' said Poirot appreciatively. ``He is a clever man, that Sir Ernest.''

``Do you think he believes Lawrence guilty?''

``I do not think he believes or cares anything! No, what he is trying for is to create such confusion in the minds of the jury that they are divided in their opinion as to which brother did it. He is endeavouring to make out that there is quite as much evidence against Lawrence as against John -- and I am not at all sure that he will not succeed.''

Detective-inspector Japp was the first witness called when the trial was reopened, and gave his evidence succinctly and briefly. After relating the earlier events, he proceeded:

``Acting on information received, Superintendent Summerhaye and myself searched the prisoner's room, during his temporary absence from the house. In his chest of drawers, hidden beneath some underclothing, we found: first, a pair of gold-rimmed pince-nez similar to those worn by Mr. Inglethorp'' -- these were exhibited -- ``secondly, this phial.''

The phial was that already recognized by the chemist's assistant, a tiny bottle of blue glass, containing a few grains of a white crystalline powder, and labelled: ``Strychnine Hydrochloride. POISON.''

A fresh piece of evidence discovered by the detectives since the police court proceedings was a long, almost new piece of blotting-paper. It had been found in Mrs. Inglethorp's cheque book, and on being reversed at a mirror, showed clearly the words: ``... erything of which I die possessed I leave to my beloved husband Alfred Ing...'' This placed beyond question the fact that the destroyed will had been in favour of the deceased lady's husband. Japp then produced the charred fragment of paper recovered from the grate, and this, with the discovery of the beard in the attic, completed his evidence.

But Sir Ernest's cross-examination was yet to come.

``What day was it when you searched the prisoner's room?''

``Tuesday, the 24th of July.''

``Exactly a week after the tragedy?''

``Yes.''

``You found these two objects, you say, in the chest of drawers. Was the drawer unlocked?''

``Yes.''

``Does it not strike you as unlikely that a man who had committed a crime should keep the evidence of it in an unlocked drawer for anyone to find?''

``He might have stowed them there in a hurry.''

``But you have just said it was a whole week since the crime. He would have had ample time to remove them and destroy them.''

``Perhaps.''

``There is no perhaps about it. Would he, or would he not have had plenty of time to remove and destroy them?''

``Yes.''

``Was the pile of underclothes under which the things were hidden heavy or light?''

``Heavyish.''

``In other words, it was winter underclothing. Obviously, the prisoner would not be likely to go to that drawer?''

``Perhaps not.''

``Kindly answer my question. Would the prisoner, in the hottest week of a hot summer, be likely to go to a drawer containing winter underclothing. Yes, or no?''

``No.''

``In that case, is it not possible that the articles in question might have been put there by a third person, and that the prisoner was quite unaware of their presence?''

``I should not think it likely.''

``But it is possible?''

``Yes.''

``That is all.''

More evidence followed. Evidence as to the financial difficulties in which the prisoner had found himself at the end of July. Evidence as to his intrigue with Mrs. Raikes -- poor Mary, that must have been bitter hearing for a woman of her pride. Evelyn Howard had been right in her facts, though her animosity against Alfred Inglethorp had caused her to jump to the conclusion that he was the person concerned.

Lawrence Cavendish was then put into the box. In a low voice, in answer to Mr. Philips' questions, he denied having ordered anything from Parkson's in June. In fact, on June 29th, he had been staying away, in Wales.

Instantly, Sir Ernest's chin was shooting pugnaciously forward.

``You deny having ordered a black beard from Parkson's on June 29th?''

``I do.''

``Ah! In the event of anything happening to your brother, who will inherit Styles Court?''

The brutality of the question called a flush to Lawrence's pale face. The judge gave vent to a faint murmur of disapprobation, and the prisoner in the dock leant forward angrily.

Heavywether cared nothing for his client's anger.

``Answer my question, if you please.''

``I suppose,'' said Lawrence quietly, ``that I should.''

``What do you mean by you `suppose'? Your brother has no children. You would inherit it, wouldn't you?''

``Yes.''

``Ah, that's better,'' said Heavywether, with ferocious geniality. ``And you'd inherit a good slice of money too, wouldn't you?''

``Really, Sir Ernest,'' protested the judge, ``these questions are not relevant.''

Sir Ernest bowed, and having shot his arrow proceeded.

``On Tuesday, the 17th July, you went, I believe, with another guest, to visit the dispensary at the Red Cross Hospital in Tadminster?''

``Yes.''

``Did you -- while you happened to be alone for a few seconds -- unlock the poison cupboard, and examine some of the bottles?''

``I -- I -- may have done so.''

``I put it to you that you did do so?''

``Yes.''

Sir Ernest fairly shot the next question at him.

``Did you examine one bottle in particular?''

``No, I do not think so.''

``Be careful, Mr. Cavendish. I am referring to a little bottle of Hydro-chloride of Strychnine.''

Lawrence was turning a sickly greenish colour.

``N -- o -- I am sure I didn't.''

``Then how do you account for the fact that you left the unmistakable impress of your finger-prints on it?''

The bullying manner was highly efficacious with a nervous disposition.

``I -- I suppose I must have taken up the bottle.''

``I suppose so too! Did you abstract any of the contents of the bottle?''

``Certainly not.''

``Then why did you take it up?''

``I once studied to be a doctor. Such things naturally interest me.''

``Ah! So poisons `naturally interest' you, do they? Still, you waited to be alone before gratifying that `interest' of yours?''

``That was pure chance. If the others had been there, I should have done just the same.''

``Still, as it happens, the others were not there?''

``No, but -- -- ''

``In fact, during the whole afternoon, you were only alone for a couple of minutes, and it happened -- I say, it happened -- to be during those two minutes that you displayed your `natural interest' in Hydro-chloride of Strychnine?''

Lawrence stammered pitiably.

``I -- I -- -- ''

With a satisfied and expressive countenance, Sir Ernest observed:

``I have nothing more to ask you, Mr. Cavendish.''

This bit of cross-examination had caused great excitement in court. The heads of the many fashionably attired women present were busily laid together, and their whispers became so loud that the judge angrily threatened to have the court cleared if there was not immediate silence.

There was little more evidence. The hand-writing experts were called upon for their opinion of the signature of ``Alfred Inglethorp'' in the chemist's poison register. They all declared unanimously that it was certainly not his hand-writing, and gave it as their view that it might be that of the prisoner disguised. Cross-examined, they admitted that it might be the prisoner's hand-writing cleverly counterfeited.

Sir Ernest Heavywether's speech in opening the case for the defence was not a long one, but it was backed by the full force of his emphatic manner. Never, he said, in the course of his long experience, had he known a charge of murder rest on slighter evidence. Not only was it entirely circumstantial, but the greater part of it was practically unproved. Let them take the testimony they had heard and sift it impartially. The strychnine had been found in a drawer in the prisoner's room. That drawer was an unlocked one, as he had pointed out, and he submitted that there was no evidence to prove that it was the prisoner who had concealed the poison there. It was, in fact, a wicked and malicious attempt on the part of some third person to fix the crime on the prisoner. The prosecution had been unable to produce a shred of evidence in support of their contention that it was the prisoner who ordered the black beard from Parkson's. The quarrel which had taken place between prisoner and his stepmother was freely admitted, but both it and his financial embarrassments had been grossly exaggerated.

His learned friend -- Sir Ernest nodded carelessly at Mr. Philips -- had stated that if the prisoner were an innocent man, he would have come forward at the inquest to explain that it was he, and not Mr. Inglethorp, who had been the participator in the quarrel. He thought the facts had been misrepresented. What had actually occurred was this. The prisoner, returning to the house on Tuesday evening, had been authoritatively told that there had been a violent quarrel between Mr. and Mrs. Inglethorp. No suspicion had entered the prisoner's head that anyone could possibly have mistaken his voice for that of Mr. Inglethorp. He naturally concluded that his stepmother had had two quarrels.

The prosecution averred that on Monday, July 16th, the prisoner had entered the chemist's shop in the village, disguised as Mr. Inglethorp. The prisoner, on the contrary, was at that time at a lonely spot called Marston's Spinney, where he had been summoned by an anonymous note, couched in blackmailing terms, and threatening to reveal certain matters to his wife unless he complied with its demands. The prisoner had, accordingly, gone to the appointed spot, and after waiting there vainly for half an hour had returned home. Unfortunately, he had met with no one on the way there or back who could vouch for the truth of his story, but luckily he had kept the note, and it would be produced as evidence.

As for the statement relating to the destruction of the will, the prisoner had formerly practiced at the Bar, and was perfectly well aware that the will made in his favour a year before was automatically revoked by his stepmother's remarriage. He would call evidence to show who did destroy the will, and it was possible that that might open up quite a new view of the case.

Finally, he would point out to the jury that there was evidence against other people besides John Cavendish. He would direct their attention to the fact that the evidence against Mr. Lawrence Cavendish was quite as strong, if not stronger than that against his brother.

He would now call the prisoner.

John acquitted himself well in the witness-box. Under Sir Ernest's skilful handling, he told his tale credibly and well. The anonymous note received by him was produced, and handed to the jury to examine. The readiness with which he admitted his financial difficulties, and the disagreement with his stepmother, lent value to his denials.

At the close of his examination, he paused, and said:

``I should like to make one thing clear. I utterly reject and disapprove of Sir Ernest Heavywether's insinuations against my brother. My brother, I am convinced, had no more to do with the crime than I have.''

Sir Ernest merely smiled, and noted with a sharp eye that John's protest had produced a very favourable impression on the jury.

Then the cross-examination began.

``I understand you to say that it never entered your head that the witnesses at the inquest could possibly have mistaken your voice for that of Mr. Inglethorp. Is not that very surprising?''

``No, I don't think so. I was told there had been a quarrel between my mother and Mr. Inglethorp, and it never occurred to me that such was not really the case.''

``Not when the servant Dorcas repeated certain fragments of the conversation -- fragments which you must have recognized?''

``I did not recognize them.''

``Your memory must be unusually short!''

``No, but we were both angry, and, I think, said more than we meant. I paid very little attention to my mother's actual words.''

Mr. Philips' incredulous sniff was a triumph of forensic skill. He passed on to the subject of the note.

``You have produced this note very opportunely. Tell me, is there nothing familiar about the hand-writing of it?''

``Not that I know of.''

``Do you not think that it bears a marked resemblance to your own hand-writing -- carelessly disguised?''

``No, I do not think so.''

``I put it to you that it is your own hand-writing!''

``No.''

``I put it to you that, anxious to prove an alibi, you conceived the idea of a fictitious and rather incredible appointment, and wrote this note yourself in order to bear out your statement!''

``No.''

``Is it not a fact that, at the time you claim to have been waiting about at a solitary and unfrequented spot, you were really in the chemist's shop in Styles St. Mary, where you purchased strychnine in the name of Alfred Inglethorp?''

``No, that is a lie.''

``I put it to you that, wearing a suit of Mr. Inglethorp's clothes, with a black beard trimmed to resemble his, you were there -- and signed the register in his name!''

``That is absolutely untrue.''

``Then I will leave the remarkable similarity of hand-writing between the note, the register, and your own, to the consideration of the jury,'' said Mr. Philips, and sat down with the air of a man who has done his duty, but who was nevertheless horrified by such deliberate perjury.

After this, as it was growing late, the case was adjourned till Monday.

Poirot, I noticed, was looking profoundly discouraged. He had that little frown between the eyes that I knew so well.

``What is it, Poirot?'' I inquired.

``Ah, mon ami, things are going badly, badly.''

In spite of myself, my heart gave a leap of relief. Evidently there was a likelihood of John Cavendish being acquitted.

When we reached the house, my little friend waved aside Mary's offer of tea.

``No, I thank you, madame. I will mount to my room.''

I followed him. Still frowning, he went across to the desk and took out a small pack of patience cards. Then he drew up a chair to the table, and, to my utter amazement, began solemnly to build card houses!

My jaw dropped involuntarily, and he said at once:

``No, mon ami, I am not in my second childhood! I steady my nerves, that is all. This employment requires precision of the fingers. With precision of the fingers goes precision of the brain. And never have I needed that more than now!''

``What is the trouble?'' I asked.

With a great thump on the table, Poirot demolished his carefully built up edifice.

``It is this, mon ami! That I can build card houses seven stories high, but I cannot'' -- thump -- ``find'' -- thump -- ``that last link of which I spoke to you.''

I could not quite tell what to say, so I held my peace, and he began slowly building up the cards again, speaking in jerks as he did so.

``It is done -- so! By placing -- one card -- on another -- with mathematical -- precision!''

I watched the card house rising under his hands, story by story. He never hesitated or faltered. It was really almost like a conjuring trick.

``What a steady hand you've got,'' I remarked. ``I believe I've only seen your hand shake once.''

``On an occasion when I was enraged, without doubt,'' observed Poirot, with great placidity.

``Yes indeed! You were in a towering rage. Do you remember? It was when you discovered that the lock of the despatch-case in Mrs. Inglethorp's bedroom had been forced. You stood by the mantel-piece, twiddling the things on it in your usual fashion, and your hand shook like a leaf! I must say -- -- ''

But I stopped suddenly. For Poirot, uttering a hoarse and inarticulate cry, again annihilated his masterpiece of cards, and putting his hands over his eyes swayed backwards and forwards, apparently suffering the keenest agony.

``Good heavens, Poirot!'' I cried. ``What is the matter? Are you taken ill?''

``No, no,'' he gasped. ``It is -- it is -- that I have an idea!''

``Oh!'' I exclaimed, much relieved. ``One of your `little ideas'?''

``Ah, ma foi, no!'' replied Poirot frankly. ``This time it is an idea gigantic! Stupendous! And you -- you, my friend, have given it to me!''

Suddenly clasping me in his arms, he kissed me warmly on both cheeks, and before I had recovered from my surprise ran headlong from the room.

Mary Cavendish entered at that moment.

``What is the matter with Monsieur Poirot? He rushed past me crying out: `A garage! For the love of Heaven, direct me to a garage, madame!' And, before I could answer, he had dashed out into the street.''

I hurried to the window. True enough, there he was, tearing down the street, hatless, and gesticulating as he went. I turned to Mary with a gesture of despair.

``He'll be stopped by a policeman in another minute. There he goes, round the corner!''

Our eyes met, and we stared helplessly at one another.

``What can be the matter?''

I shook my head.

``I don't know. He was building card houses, when suddenly he said he had an idea, and rushed off as you saw.''

``Well,'' said Mary, ``I expect he will be back before dinner.''

But night fell, and Poirot had not returned.

Chapter 12

THE LAST LINK

POIROT'S abrupt departure had intrigued us all greatly. Sunday morning wore away, and still he did not reappear. But about three o'clock a ferocious and prolonged hooting outside drove us to the window, to see Poirot alighting from a car, accompanied by Japp and Summerhaye. The little man was transformed. He radiated an absurd complacency. He bowed with exaggerated respect to Mary Cavendish.

``Madame, I have your permission to hold a little réunion in the salon? It is necessary for every one to attend.''

Mary smiled sadly.

``You know, Monsieur Poirot, that you have carte blanche in every way.''

``You are too amiable, madame.''

Still beaming, Poirot marshalled us all into the drawing-room, bringing forward chairs as he did so.

``Miss Howard -- here. Mademoiselle Cynthia. Monsieur Lawrence. The good Dorcas. And Annie. Bien! We must delay our proceedings a few minutes until Mr. Inglethorp arrives. I have sent him a note.''

Miss Howard rose immediately from her seat.

``If that man comes into the house, I leave it!''

``No, no!'' Poirot went up to her and pleaded in a low voice.

Finally Miss Howard consented to return to her chair. A few minutes later Alfred Inglethorp entered the room.

The company once assembled, Poirot rose from his seat with the air of a popular lecturer, and bowed politely to his audience.

``Messieurs, mesdames, as you all know, I was called in by Monsieur John Cavendish to investigate this case. I at once examined the bedroom of the deceased which, by the advice of the doctors, had been kept locked, and was consequently exactly as it had been when the tragedy occurred. I found: first, a fragment of green material; second, a stain on the carpet near the window, still damp; thirdly, an empty box of bromide powders.

``To take the fragment of green material first, I found it caught in the bolt of the communicating door between that room and the adjoining one occupied by Mademoiselle Cynthia. I handed the fragment over to the police who did not consider it of much importance. Nor did they recognize it for what it was -- a piece torn from a green land armlet.''

There was a little stir of excitement.

``Now there was only one person at Styles who worked on the land -- Mrs. Cavendish. Therefore it must have been Mrs. Cavendish who entered the deceased's room through the door communicating with Mademoiselle Cynthia's room.''

``But that door was bolted on the inside!'' I cried.

``When I examined the room, yes. But in the first place we have only her word for it, since it was she who tried that particular door and reported it fastened. In the ensuing confusion she would have had ample opportunity to shoot the bolt across. I took an early opportunity of verifying my conjectures. To begin with, the fragment corresponds exactly with a tear in Mrs. Cavendish's armlet. Also, at the inquest, Mrs. Cavendish declared that she had heard, from her own room, the fall of the table by the bed. I took an early opportunity of testing that statement by stationing my friend Monsieur Hastings in the left wing of the building, just outside Mrs. Cavendish's door. I myself, in company with the police, went to the deceased's room, and whilst there I, apparently accidentally, knocked over the table in question, but found that, as I had expected, Monsieur Hastings had heard no sound at all. This confirmed my belief that Mrs. Cavendish was not speaking the truth when she declared that she had been dressing in her room at the time of the tragedy. In fact, I was convinced that, far from having been in her own room, Mrs. Cavendish was actually in the deceased's room when the alarm was given.''

I shot a quick glance at Mary. She was very pale, but smiling.

``I proceeded to reason on that assumption. Mrs. Cavendish is in her mother-in-law's room. We will say that she is seeking for something and has not yet found it. Suddenly Mrs. Inglethorp awakens and is seized with an alarming paroxysm. She flings out her arm, overturning the bed table, and then pulls desperately at the bell. Mrs. Cavendish, startled, drops her candle, scattering the grease on the carpet. She picks it up, and retreats quickly to Mademoiselle Cynthia's room, closing the door behind her. She hurries out into the passage, for the servants must not find her where she is. But it is too late! Already footsteps are echoing along the gallery which connects the two wings. What can she do? Quick as thought, she hurries back to the young girl's room, and starts shaking her awake. The hastily aroused household come trooping down the passage. They are all busily battering at Mrs. Inglethorp's door. It occurs to nobody that Mrs. Cavendish has not arrived with the rest, but -- and this is significant -- I can find no one who saw her come from the other wing.'' He looked at Mary Cavendish. ``Am I right, madame?''

She bowed her head.

``Quite right, monsieur. You understand that, if I had thought I would do my husband any good by revealing these facts, I would have done so. But it did not seem to me to bear upon the question of his guilt or innocence.''

``In a sense, that is correct, madame. But it cleared my mind of many misconceptions, and left me free to see other facts in their true significance.''

``The will!'' cried Lawrence. ``Then it was you, Mary, who destroyed the will?''

She shook her head, and Poirot shook his also.

``No,'' he said quietly. ``There is only one person who could possibly have destroyed that will -- Mrs. Inglethorp herself!''

``Impossible!'' I exclaimed. ``She had only made it out that very afternoon!''

``Nevertheless, mon ami, it was Mrs. Inglethorp. Because, in no other way can you account for the fact that, on one of the hottest days of the year, Mrs. Inglethorp ordered a fire to be lighted in her room.''

I gave a gasp. What idiots we had been never to think of that fire as being incongruous! Poirot was continuing:

``The temperature on that day, messieurs, was 80^o in the shade. Yet Mrs. Inglethorp ordered a fire! Why? Because she wished to destroy something, and could think of no other way. You will remember that, in consequence of the War economics practiced at Styles, no waste paper was thrown away. There was therefore no means of destroying a thick document such as a will. The moment I heard of a fire being lighted in Mrs. Inglethorp's room, I leaped to the conclusion that it was to destroy some important document -- possibly a will. So the discovery of the charred fragment in the grate was no surprise to me. I did not, of course, know at the time that the will in question had only been made this afternoon, and I will admit that, when I learnt that fact, I fell into a grievous error. I came to the conclusion that Mrs. Inglethorp's determination to destroy her will arose as a direct consequence of the quarrel she had that afternoon, and that therefore the quarrel took place after, and not before the making of the will.

``Here, as we know, I was wrong, and I was forced to abandon that idea. I faced the problem from a new standpoint. Now, at 4 o'clock, Dorcas overheard her mistress saying angrily: `You need not think that any fear of publicity, or scandal between husband and wife will deter me.'' I conjectured, and conjectured rightly, that these words were addressed, not to her husband, but to Mr. John Cavendish. At 5 o'clock, an hour later, she uses almost the same words, but the standpoint is different. She admits to Dorcas, `I don't know what to do; scandal between husband and wife is a dreadful thing.' At 4 o'clock she has been angry, but completely mistress of herself. At 5 o'clock she is in violent distress, and speaks of having had a great shock.

``Looking at the matter psychologically, I drew one deduction which I was convinced was correct. The second `scandal' she spoke of was not the same as the first -- and it concerned herself!

``Let us reconstruct. At 4 o'clock, Mrs. Inglethorp quarrels with her son, and threatens to denounce him to his wife -- who, by the way, overheard the greater part of the conversation. At 4.30, Mrs. Inglethorp, in consequence of a conversation on the validity of wills, makes a will in favour of her husband, which the two gardeners witness. At 5 o'clock, Dorcas finds her mistress in a state of considerable agitation, with a slip of paper -- `a letter,' Dorcas thinks -- in her hand, and it is then that she orders the fire in her room to be lighted. Presumably, then, between 4.30 and 5 o'clock, something has occurred to occasion a complete revolution of feeling, since she is now as anxious to destroy the will, as she was before to make it. What was that something?

``As far as we know, she was quite alone during that half-hour. Nobody entered or left that boudoir. What then occasioned this sudden change of sentiment?

``One can only guess, but I believe my guess to be correct. Mrs. Inglethorp had no stamps in her desk. We know this, because later she asked Dorcas to bring her some. Now in the opposite corner of the room stood her husband's desk -- locked. She was anxious to find some stamps, and, according to my theory, she tried her own keys in the desk. That one of them fitted I know. She therefore opened the desk, and in searching for the stamps she came across something else -- that slip of paper which Dorcas saw in her hand, and which assuredly was never meant for Mrs. Inglethorp's eyes. On the other hand, Mrs. Cavendish believed that the slip of paper to which her mother-in-law clung so tenaciously was a written proof of her own husband's infidelity. She demanded it from Mrs. Inglethorp who assured her, quite truly, that it had nothing to do with that matter. Mrs. Cavendish did not believe her. She thought that Mrs. Inglethorp was shielding her stepson. Now Mrs. Cavendish is a very resolute woman, and, behind her mask of reserve, she was madly jealous of her husband. She determined to get hold of that paper at all costs, and in this resolution chance came to her aid. She happened to pick up the key of Mrs. Inglethorp's despatch-case, which had been lost that morning. She knew that her mother-in-law invariably kept all important papers in this particular case.

``Mrs. Cavendish, therefore, made her plans as only a woman driven desperate through jealousy could have done. Some time in the evening she unbolted the door leading into Mademoiselle Cynthia's room. Possibly she applied oil to the hinges, for I found that it opened quite noiselessly when I tried it. She put off her project until the early hours of the morning as being safer, since the servants were accustomed to hearing her move about her room at that time. She dressed completely in her land kit, and made her way quietly through Mademoiselle Cynthia's room into that of Mrs. Inglethorp.''

He paused a moment, and Cynthia interrupted:

``But I should have woken up if anyone had come through my room?''

``Not if you were drugged, mademoiselle.''

``Drugged?''

``Mais, oui!''

``You remember'' -- he addressed us collectively again -- ``that through all the tumult and noise next door Mademoiselle Cynthia slept. That admitted of two possibilities. Either her sleep was feigned -- which I did not believe -- or her unconsciousness was indeed by artificial means.

``With this latter idea in my mind, I examined all the coffee-cups most carefully, remembering that it was Mrs. Cavendish who had brought Mademoiselle Cynthia her coffee the night before. I took a sample from each cup, and had them analysed -- with no result. I had counted the cups carefully, in the event of one having been removed. Six persons had taken coffee, and six cups were duly found. I had to confess myself mistaken.

``Then I discovered that I had been guilty of a very grave oversight. Coffee had been brought in for seven persons, not six, for Dr. Bauerstein had been there that evening. This changed the face of the whole affair, for there was now one cup missing. The servants noticed nothing, since Annie, the housemaid, who took in the coffee, brought in seven cups, not knowing that Mr. Inglethorp never drank it, whereas Dorcas, who cleared them away the following morning, found six as usual -- or strictly speaking she found five, the sixth being the one found broken in Mrs. Inglethorp's room.

``I was confident that the missing cup was that of Mademoiselle Cynthia. I had an additional reason for that belief in the fact that all the cups found contained sugar, which Mademoiselle Cynthia never took in her coffee. My attention was attracted by the story of Annie about some `salt' on the tray of coco which she took every night to Mrs. Inglethorp's room. I accordingly secured a sample of that coco, and sent it to be analysed.''

``But that had already been done by Dr. Bauerstein,'' said Lawrence quickly.

``Not exactly. The analyst was asked by him to report whether strychnine was, or was not, present. He did not have it tested, as I did, for a narcotic.''

``For a narcotic?''

``Yes. Here is the analyst's report. Mrs. Cavendish administered a safe, but effectual, narcotic to both Mrs. Inglethorp and Mademoiselle Cynthia. And it is possible that she had a mauvais quart d'heure in consequence! Imagine her feelings when her mother-in-law is suddenly taken ill and dies, and immediately after she hears the word `Poison'! She has believed that the sleeping draught she administered was perfectly harmless, but there is no doubt that for one terrible moment she must have feared that Mrs. Inglethorp's death lay at her door. She is seized with panic, and under its influence she hurries downstairs, and quickly drops the coffee-cup and saucer used by Mademoiselle Cynthia into a large brass vase, where it is discovered later by Monsieur Lawrence. The remains of the coco she dare not touch. Too many eyes are upon her. Guess at her relief when strychnine is mentioned, and she discovers that after all the tragedy is not her doing.

``We are now able to account for the symptoms of strychnine poisoning being so long in making their appearance. A narcotic taken with strychnine will delay the action of the poison for some hours.''

Poirot paused. Mary looked up at him, the colour slowly rising in her face.

``All you have said is quite true, Monsieur Poirot. It was the most awful hour of my life. I shall never forget it. But you are wonderful. I understand now -- -- ''

``What I meant when I told you that you could safely confess to Papa Poirot, eh? But you would not trust me.''

``I see everything now,'' said Lawrence. ``The drugged coco, taken on top of the poisoned coffee, amply accounts for the delay.''

``Exactly. But was the coffee poisoned, or was it not? We come to a little difficulty here, since Mrs. Inglethorp never drank it.''

``What?'' The cry of surprise was universal.

``No. You will remember my speaking of a stain on the carpet in Mrs. Inglethorp's room? There were some peculiar points about that stain. It was still damp, it exhaled a strong odour of coffee, and imbedded in the nap of the carpet I found some little splinters of china. What had happened was plain to me, for not two minutes before I had placed my little case on the table near the window, and the table, tilting up, had deposited it upon the floor on precisely the identical spot. In exactly the same way, Mrs. Inglethorp had laid down her cup of coffee on reaching her room the night before, and the treacherous table had played her the same trick.

``What happened next is mere guess work on my part, but I should say that Mrs. Inglethorp picked up the broken cup and placed it on the table by the bed. Feeling in need of a stimulant of some kind, she heated up her coco, and drank it off then and there. Now we are faced with a new problem. We know the coco contained no strychnine. The coffee was never drunk. Yet the strychnine must have been administered between seven and nine o'clock that evening. What third medium was there -- a medium so suitable for disguising the taste of strychnine that it is extraordinary no one has thought of it?'' Poirot looked round the room, and then answered himself impressively. ``Her medicine!''

``Do you mean that the murderer introduced the strychnine into her tonic?'' I cried.

``There was no need to introduce it. It was already there -- in the mixture. The strychnine that killed Mrs. Inglethorp was the identical strychnine prescribed by Dr. Wilkins. To make that clear to you, I will read you an extract from a book on dispensing which I found in the Dispensary of the Red Cross Hospital at Tadminster:

`` `The following prescription has become famous in text books:

This solution deposits in a few hours the greater part of the strychnine salt as an insoluble bromide in transparent crystals. A lady in England lost her life by taking a similar mixture: the precipitated strychnine collected at the bottom, and in taking the last dose she swallowed nearly all of it! ''

``Now there was, of course, no bromide in Dr. Wilkins' prescription, but you will remember that I mentioned an empty box of bromide powders. One or two of those powders introduced into the full bottle of medicine would effectually precipitate the strychnine, as the book describes, and cause it to be taken in the last dose. You will learn later that the person who usually poured out Mrs. Inglethorp's medicine was always extremely careful not to shake the bottle, but to leave the sediment at the bottom of it undisturbed.

``Throughout the case, there have been evidences that the tragedy was intended to take place on Monday evening. On that day, Mrs. Inglethorp's bell wire was neatly cut, and on Monday evening Mademoiselle Cynthia was spending the night with friends, so that Mrs. Inglethorp would have been quite alone in the right wing, completely shut off from help of any kind, and would have died, in all probability, before medical aid could have been summoned. But in her hurry to be in time for the village entertainment Mrs. Inglethorp forgot to take her medicine, and the next day she lunched away from home, so that the last -- and fatal -- dose was actually taken twenty-four hours later than had been anticipated by the murderer; and it is owing to that delay that the final proof -- the last link of the chain -- is now in my hands.''

Amid breathless excitement, he held out three thin strips of paper.

``A letter in the murderer's own hand-writing, mes amis! Had it been a little clearer in its terms, it is possible that Mrs. Inglethorp, warned in time, would have escaped. As it was, she realized her danger, but not the manner of it.''

In the deathly silence, Poirot pieced together the slips of paper and, clearing his throat, read:

`` ` Dearest Evelyn:

`You will be anxious at hearing nothing. It is all right -- only it will be to-night instead of last night. You understand. There's a good time coming once the old woman is dead and out of the way. No one can possibly bring home the crime to me. That idea of yours about the bromides was a stroke of genius! But we must be very circumspect. A false step -- -- '

``Here, my friends, the letter breaks off. Doubtless the writer was interrupted; but there can be no question as to his identity. We all know this hand-writing and -- -- ''

A howl that was almost a scream broke the silence.

``You devil! How did you get it?''

A chair was overturned. Poirot skipped nimbly aside. A quick movement on his part, and his assailant fell with a crash.

``Messieurs, mesdames,'' said Poirot, with a flourish, ``let me introduce you to the murderer, Mr. Alfred Inglethorp!''

Chapter 13

POIROT EXPLAINS

``POIROT, you old villain,'' I said, ``I've half a mind to strangle you! What do you mean by deceiving me as you have done?''

We were sitting in the library. Several hectic days lay behind us. In the room below, John and Mary were together once more, while Alfred Inglethorp and Miss Howard were in custody. Now at last, I had Poirot to myself, and could relieve my still burning curiosity.

Poirot did not answer me for a moment, but at last he said:

``I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself.''

``Yes, but why?''

``Well, it is difficult to explain. You see, my friend, you have a nature so honest, and a countenance so transparent, that -- enfin, to conceal your feelings is impossible! If I had told you my ideas, the very first time you saw Mr. Alfred Inglethorp that astute gentleman would have -- in your so expressive idiom -- `smelt a rat'! And then, bon jour to our chances of catching him!''

``I think that I have more diplomacy than you give me credit for.''

``My friend,'' besought Poirot, ``I implore you, do not enrage yourself! Your help has been of the most invaluable. It is but the extremely beautiful nature that you have, which made me pause.''

``Well,'' I grumbled, a little mollified. ``I still think you might have given me a hint.''

``But I did, my friend. Several hints. You would not take them. Think now, did I ever say to you that I believed John Cavendish guilty? Did I not, on the contrary, tell you that he would almost certainly be acquitted?''

``Yes, but -- -- ''

``And did I not immediately afterwards speak of the difficulty of bringing the murderer to justice? Was it not plain to you that I was speaking of two entirely different persons?''

``No,'' I said, ``it was not plain to me!''

``Then again,'' continued Poirot, ``at the beginning, did I not repeat to you several times that I didn't want Mr. Inglethorp arrested now? That should have conveyed something to you.''

``Do you mean to say you suspected him as long ago as that?''

``Yes. To begin with, whoever else might benefit by Mrs. Inglethorp's death, her husband would benefit the most. There was no getting away from that. When I went up to Styles with you that first day, I had no idea as to how the crime had been committed, but from what I knew of Mr. Inglethorp I fancied that it would be very hard to find anything to connect him with it. When I arrived at the château, I realized at once that it was Mrs. Inglethorp who had burnt the will; and there, by the way, you cannot complain, my friend, for I tried my best to force on you the significance of that bedroom fire in midsummer.''

``Yes, yes,'' I said impatiently. ``Go on.''

``Well, my friend, as I say, my views as to Mr. Inglethorp's guilt were very much shaken. There was, in fact, so much evidence against him that I was inclined to believe that he had not done it.''

``When did you change your mind?''

``When I found that the more efforts I made to clear him, the more efforts he made to get himself arrested. Then, when I discovered that Inglethorp had nothing to do with Mrs. Raikes and that in fact it was John Cavendish who was interested in that quarter, I was quite sure.''

``But why?''

``Simply this. If it had been Inglethorp who was carrying on an intrigue with Mrs. Raikes, his silence was perfectly comprehensible. But, when I discovered that it was known all over the village that it was John who was attracted by the farmer's pretty wife, his silence bore quite a different interpretation. It was nonsense to pretend that he was afraid of the scandal, as no possible scandal could attach to him. This attitude of his gave me furiously to think, and I was slowly forced to the conclusion that Alfred Inglethorp wanted to be arrested. Eh bien! from that moment, I was equally determined that he should not be arrested.''

``Wait a minute. I don't see why he wished to be arrested?''

``Because, mon ami, it is the law of your country that a man once acquitted can never be tried again for the same offence. Aha! but it was clever -- his idea! Assuredly, he is a man of method. See here, he knew that in his position he was bound to be suspected, so he conceived the exceedingly clever idea of preparing a lot of manufactured evidence against himself. He wished to be arrested. He would then produce his irreproachable alibi -- and, hey presto, he was safe for life!''

``But I still don't see how he managed to prove his alibi, and yet go to the chemist's shop?''

Poirot stared at me in surprise.

``Is it possible? My poor friend! You have not yet realized that it was Miss Howard who went to the chemist's shop?''

``Miss Howard?''

``But, certainly. Who else? It was most easy for her. She is of a good height, her voice is deep and manly; moreover, remember, she and Inglethorp are cousins, and there is a distinct resemblance between them, especially in their gait and bearing. It was simplicity itself. They are a clever pair!''

``I am still a little fogged as to how exactly the bromide business was done,'' I remarked.

``Bon! I will reconstruct for you as far as possible. I am inclined to think that Miss Howard was the master mind in that affair. You remember her once mentioning that her father was a doctor? Possibly she dispensed his medicines for him, or she may have taken the idea from one of the many books lying about when Mademoiselle Cynthia was studying for her exam. Anyway, she was familiar with the fact that the addition of a bromide to a mixture containing strychnine would cause the precipitation of the latter. Probably the idea came to her quite suddenly. Mrs. Inglethorp had a box of bromide powders, which she occasionally took at night. What could be easier than quietly to dissolve one or more of those powders in Mrs. Inglethorp's large sized bottle of medicine when it came from Coot's? The risk is practically nil. The tragedy will not take place until nearly a fortnight later. If anyone has seen either of them touching the medicine, they will have forgotten it by that time. Miss Howard will have engineered her quarrel, and departed from the house. The lapse of time, and her absence, will defeat all suspicion. Yes, it was a clever idea! If they had left it alone, it is possible the crime might never have been brought home to them. But they were not satisfied. They tried to be too clever -- and that was their undoing.''

Poirot puffed at his tiny cigarette, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

``They arranged a plan to throw suspicion on John Cavendish, by buying strychnine at the village chemist's, and signing the register in his hand-writing.

``On Monday Mrs. Inglethorp will take the last dose of her medicine. On Monday, therefore, at six o'clock, Alfred Inglethorp arranges to be seen by a number of people at a spot far removed from the village. Miss Howard has previously made up a cock and bull story about him and Mrs. Raikes to account for his holding his tongue afterwards. At six o'clock, Miss Howard, disguised as Alfred Inglethorp, enters the chemist's shop, with her story about a dog, obtains the strychnine, and writes the name of Alfred Inglethorp in John's handwriting, which she had previously studied carefully.

``But, as it will never do if John, too, can prove an alibi, she writes him an anonymous note -- still copying his hand-writing -- which takes him to a remote spot where it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone will see him.

``So far, all goes well. Miss Howard goes back to Middlingham. Alfred Inglethorp returns to Styles. There is nothing that can compromise him in any way, since it is Miss Howard who has the strychnine, which, after all, is only wanted as a blind to throw suspicion on John Cavendish.

``But now a hitch occurs. Mrs. Inglethorp does not take her medicine that night. The broken bell, Cynthia's absence -- arranged by Inglethorp through his wife -- all these are wasted. And then -- he makes his slip.

``Mrs. Inglethorp is out, and he sits down to write to his accomplice, who, he fears, may be in a panic at the nonsuccess of their plan. It is probable that Mrs. Inglethorp returned earlier than he expected. Caught in the act, and somewhat flurried he hastily shuts and locks his desk. He fears that if he remains in the room he may have to open it again, and that Mrs. Inglethorp might catch sight of the letter before he could snatch it up. So he goes out and walks in the woods, little dreaming that Mrs. Inglethorp will open his desk, and discover the incriminating document.

``But this, as we know, is what happened. Mrs. Inglethorp reads it, and becomes aware of the perfidy of her husband and Evelyn Howard, though, unfortunately, the sentence about the bromides conveys no warning to her mind. She knows that she is in danger -- but is ignorant of where the danger lies. She decides to say nothing to her husband, but sits down and writes to her solicitor, asking him to come on the morrow, and she also determines to destroy immediately the will which she has just made. She keeps the fatal letter.''

``It was to discover that letter, then, that her husband forced the lock of the despatch-case?''

``Yes, and from the enormous risk he ran we can see how fully he realized its importance. That letter excepted, there was absolutely nothing to connect him with the crime.''

``There's only one thing I can't make out, why didn't he destroy it at once when he got hold of it?''

``Because he did not dare take the biggest risk of all -- that of keeping it on his own person.''

``I don't understand.''

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