FiveLittlePigs

FiveLittlePigsFiveLittlePigs

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter1

Hercule Poirot looked with interest and appreciation at the young womanwhowasbeingusheredintotheroom.

Therehadbeennothingdistinctiveinthelettershehadwritten.Ithadbeenamererequestforanappointment,withnohintofwhatlaybehindthatrequest.Ithad been brief and businesslike. Only the firmness of the handwriting hadindicatedthatCarlaLemarchantwasayoungwoman.

Andnowhereshewasintheflesh-atall,slenderyoungwomanintheearlytwenties. The kind of young woman that one definitely looked at twice. Herclothesweregood:anexpensive,well-cutcoatandskirtandluxuriousfurs.Herheadwaswellpoisedonhershoulders,shehadasquarebrow,asensitivelycutnose,andadeterminedchin.She lookedverymuchalive. Itwasheralivenessmorethanherbeautythatstruckthepredominantnote.

Before her entrance, Hercule Poirot had been feeling old - now he feltrejuvenated,alive-keen!

As he came forward to greet her, he was aware of her dark-gray eyesstudyinghimattentively.Shewasveryearnestinthatscrutiny.

Shesatdownandacceptedthecigarettethatheofferedher.Afteritwaslitshe sat for a minute or two smoking, still looking at him with that earnest,thoughtfulscrutiny.

Poirotsaidgently,“Yes,ithastobedecided,doesitnot?”She started. “I beg your pardon?” Her voice was attractive, with a faint,

agreeablehuskinessinit.“You are making up your mind - are you not? - whether I am a mere

mountebankorthemanyouneed.”She smiled. She said, “Well, yes - something of that kind. You see, M.

Poirot,you-youdon'tlookexactlythewayIpicturedyou.”“AndIamold,amInot?Olderthanyouimagined?”“Yes,that,too.”Shehesitated.“I'mbeingfrank,yousee.Iwant-I'vegotto

have-thebest.”“Restassured,”saidHerculePoirot,“Iamthebest!”Carla said, “You're notmodest...All the same, I'm inclined to take you at

yourword.”Poirotsaidplacidly,“Onedoesnot,youknow,employmerelythemuscles.I

donotneed tobendandmeasure the footprintsandpickup thecigaretteendsandexaminethebentbladesofgrass.Itisenoughformetositbackinmychair

andthink.Itisthis-”hetappedhisegg-shapedhead-“this,thatfunctions!”“Iknow,”saidCarlaLemarchant.“That'swhyI'vecometoyou.Iwantyou,

yousee,todosomethingfantastic!”“That,”saidHerculePoirot,“promiseswell!”Helookedatherinencouragement.CarlaLemarchantdrewadeepbreath.“Myname,”shesaid,“isn'tCarla.It's

Caroline.Thesameasmymother's. Iwascalledafterher.”Shepaused.“AndthoughI'vealwaysgonebythenameofLemarchant-eversinceIcanrememberalmost-thatisn'tmyrealname.MyrealnameisCrale.”

Hercule Poirot's forehead creased a moment perplexedly. He murmured,“Crale-Iseemtoremember...”

She said, “My father was a painter - rather a well-known painter. Somepeoplesayhewasagreatpainter.Ithinkhewas.”

“AmyasCrale?”“Yes.”Shepaused,thenshewenton.“Andmymother,CarolineCrale,wastriedfor

murderinghim!”“Aha,”saidPoirot.“Iremembernow-butonlyvaguely.Iwasabroadatthe

time.Itwasalongtimeago.”“Sixteen years,” said the girl. Her face was very white now and her eyes

weretwoburninglights.“Doyouunderstand?Shewastriedandconvicted...Shewasn'thangedbecausetheyfeltthattherewereextenuatingcircumstances,sothesentencewascommutedtopenalservitudeforlife.Butshediedonlyayearafterthetrial.Yousee?It'sallover-done-finishedwith.”

Poirotsaidquietly,“Andso?”The girl called Carla Lemarchant pressed her hands together. She spoke

slowlyandhaltinglybutwithanodd,pointedemphasis."You'vegottounderstand-exactly-whereIcomein.Iwasfiveyearsoldat

the time it - happened.Tooyoung toknowanything about it. I remembermymotherandmyfather,ofcourse,andIrememberleavinghomesuddenly-beingtaken to the country. I remember the pigs and a nice fat farmer's wife - andeverybodybeingverykind-andIremember,quiteclearly,thefunnywaytheyused to look at me - everybody - a sort of furtive look. I knew, of course,childrendo,thattherewassomethingwrong-butIdidn'tknowwhat.

“AndthenIwentonaship-itwasexciting-itwentonfordaysandthenIwasinCanadaandUncleSimonmetme,andIlivedinMontrealwithhimandwithAuntLouise,andwhenIaskedaboutMummyandDaddytheysaidthey'dbecomingsoon.Andthen-andthenIthinkIforgot-onlyIsortofknewthattheyweredeadwithoutrememberinganyoneactuallytellingmeso.Becauseby

that time,you see, Ididn't thinkabout themanymore. Iwasveryhappy,youknow.UncleSimonandAuntLouiseweresweettome,andIwenttoschoolandhada lotof friends,andI'dquite forgotten that I'deverhadanothername,notLemarchant.AuntLouise, you see, toldme that thatwasmyname inCanadaandthatseemedquitesensibletomeatthetime-itwasjustmyCanadianname-butasIsayIforgotintheendthatI'deverhadanyother.”

Sheflungupherdefiantchin.Shesaid,"Lookatme.You'dsay-wouldn'tyou?-ifyoumetme: 'Theregoesagirl

who's got nothing to worry about!' I'm well off, I've got splendid health, I'msufficiently good to look at, I can enjoy life. At twenty, there wasn't a girlanywhereI'dhavechangedplaceswith.

"Butalready,youknow,I'dbeguntoaskquestions.Aboutmyownmotherandfather.Whotheywereandwhattheydid.I'dhavebeenboundtofindoutintheend.

“Asitwas,theytoldmethetruth.WhenIwastwenty-one.Theyhadtothen,becauseforonethingIcameintomyownmoney.Andthen,yousee,therewastheletter.Thelettermymotherleftformewhenshedied.”

Her expression changed, dimmed. Her eyes were no longer two burningpoints - theyweredark,dimpools.Shesaid, “That'swhen I learned the truth.Thatmymotherhadbeenconvictedofmurder.Itwas-ratherhorrible.”

Shepaused.“There'ssomethingelseImusttellyou.Iwasengagedtobemarried.They

saidwemustwait-thatwecouldn'tbemarrieduntilIwastwenty-one.WhenIknew,Iunderstoodwhy.”

Poirot stirred and spoke for the first time. He said, “And what was yourfiancé'sreaction?”

“John?Johndidn'tcare.Hesaiditmadenodifferencetohim.HeandIwereJohnandCarla-andthepastdidn'tmatter.”

Sheleanedforward.“We'restillengaged.Butallthesame,youknow,itdoesmatter.Itmattersto

me. And it matters to John, too... It isn't the past that matters to us - it's thefuture.” She clenched her hands. “We want children, you see.We both wantchildren.Andwedon'twanttowatchourchildrengrowingupandbeafraid.”

“Doyounotrealize,”Poirotsaid,“thatamongeveryone'sancestorstherehasbeenviolenceandevil?”

“You don't understand.That's so, of course.But, then, one doesn't usuallyknowaboutit.Wedo.It'sveryneartous.And-sometimes-I'veseenJohnjust-lookatme.Suchaquickglance-justaflash.Supposingweweremarriedandwe'dquarreled-andIsawhimlookatmeand-andwonder?”

HerculePoirotsaid,“Howwasyourfatherkilled?”Carla'svoicecameclearandfirm.“Hewaspoisoned.”HerculePoirotsaid,“Isee.”Therewasasilence.Then thegirl said inacalm,matter-of-factvoice,“Thankgoodness,you're

sensible. You see that it doesmatter - andwhat it involves. You don't try topatchitupandtrotoutconsolingphrases.”

“Iunderstandverywell,”saidPoirot.“WhatIdonotunderstandiswhatyouwantofme?”

“I want to marry John!” Carla Lemarchant said simply. “And I mean tomarry John! And I want to have at least two girls and two boys. And you'regoingtomakethatpossible!”

“Youmean-youwantmetotalktoyourfiancé?Ah,no,itisidiocywhatIsaythere!Itissomethingquitedifferentthatyouaresuggesting.Tellmewhatisinyourmind.”

“Listen,M.Poirot.Getthis-andgetitclearly.I'mhiringyoutoinvestigateacaseofmurder.”

“Doyoumean-”“Yes,Idomean.Acaseofmurderisacaseofmurderwhetherithappened

yesterdayorsixteenyearsago.”“But,mydearyounglady-”“Wait,M.PoirotYouhaven'tgotitallyet.There'saveryimportantpoint.”“Yes?”“Mymotherwasinnocent,”saidCarlaLemarchant.Hercule Poirot rubbed his nose. He murmured, “Well, naturally - I

comprehendthat-”“Itisn'tsentiment.There'sherletter.Sheleftitformebeforeshedied.Itwas

tobegiventomewhenIwastwenty-one.Sheleftitforthatonereason-thatIshouldbequitesure.That'sall thatwasinit.Thatshehadn'tdoneit- thatshewasinnocent-thatIcouldbesureofthatalways.”

Hercule Poirot looked thoughtfully at the young, vital face staring soearnestlyathim.Hesaidslowly,“Toutdemкme-”

Carlasmiled.“No,Motherwasn'tlikethat!You'rethinkingthatitmightbealie -a sentimental lie.”She leaned forwardearnestly.“Listen,M.Poirot, thereare some things that childrenknowquitewell. I can remembermymother - apatchyremembrance,ofcourse,butIrememberquitewellthesortofpersonshewas.Shedidn'ttelllies-kindlies.Ifathingwasgoingtohurtshealwaystoldyouso.Dentists,orthornsinyourfinger-allthatsortofthing.Truthwasa-anaturalimpulsetoher.Iwasn't,Idon'tthink,speciallyfondofher-butItrusted

her.Istilltrusther!Ifshesaysshedidntkillmyfather,thenshedidn'tkillhim!Shewasn't the sort ofpersonwhowould solemnlywritedowna liewhen sheknewshewasdying.”

Slowly,almostreluctantly,HerculePoirotbowedhishead.Carlawenton.“That'swhyit'sallrightformetomarryJohn.Iknowit'sall

right. But he doesn't. He feels that naturally I would think my mother wasinnocent.It'sgottobeclearedup,M.Poirot.Andyou'regoingtodoit!”

Hercule Poirot said slowly, “Granted that what you say is true,mademoiselle,sixteenyearshavegoneby!”

CarlaLemarchantsaid,“Oh,ofcourseit'sgoingtobedifficult!Nobodybutyoucoulddoit!”

HerculePoirot'seyestwinkledslightly.“Yougivemethebestbutter-hein?”hesaid.

“I'veheard aboutyou,”Carla said. “The thingsyou'vedone.Thewayyouhave done them. It's psychology that interests you, isn't it?Well, that doesn'tchange with time. The tangible things are gone - the cigarette end and thefootprintsandthebentbladesofgrass.Youcan't lookforthoseanymore.Butyoucangooverallthefactsofthecase,andperhapstalktothepeoplewhowerethereat the time - they reall alive still - and then - and then,asyousaid justnow, you can lie back in your chair and think. And you'll know what reallyhappened...”

Hercule Poirot rose to his feet. One hand caressed hismustache.He said,“Mademoiselle,Iamhonored!Iwill justifyyourfaithinme.Iwill investigateyourcaseofmurder.IwillsearchbackintotheeventsofsixteenyearsagoandIwillfindoutthetruth.”

Carlagotup.Hereyeswereshining.Butsheonlysaid,“Good.”HerculePoirotshookaneloquentforefinger.“Onelittlemoment.Ihavesaid

Iwillfindoutthetruth.Idonot,youunderstand,havethebias.Idonotacceptyour assurance of yourmother's innocence. If she was guilty - eh bien, whatthen?”

Carla's head went back. “I'm her daughter,” she said. “I want the truth!”HerculePoirotsaid,“Enavant,then.Thoughitisnotthat,thatIshouldsay.Onthecontrary.Enarrière!”

“DoIremembertheCralecase?”askedSirMontagueDepleach.“CertainlyIdo.Rememberitverywell.Mostattractivewoman.Butunbalanced,ofcourse.Noself-control.”HeglancedsidewaysatPoirot.“Whatmakesyouaskmeaboutit?”

“Iaminterested.”“Notreallytactfulofyou,mydearman,”saidDepleach,showinghisteethin

his sudden famous 'wolf's smile,' which had been reputed to have such aterrifyingeffectuponwitnesses.“Notoneofmysuccesses,youknow. Ididn'tgetheroff.”

“Iknowthat.”SirMontagueshruggedhisshoulders.Hesaid:“Of course, I hadn't quite asmuch experience then as I havenow.All the

same,I thinkIdidall thatcouldhumanlybedone.Onecan'tdomuchwithoutco-operation. We did get it commuted to penal servitude. Provocation, youknow.Lotsofrespectablewivesandmothersgotupapetition.Therewasalotofsympathyforher.”

He leaned back, stretching out his long legs. His face took on a judicial,appraisinglook.

“Ifshe'dshothim,youknow,orevenknifedhim-I'dhavegonealloutformanslaughter.Butpoison-no,youcan'tplaytrickswiththat.It's tricky-verytricky.”

“Whatwasthedefense?”askedHerculePoirot.He knew because he had already read the newspaper files but he saw no

harminplayingcompletelyignoranttoSirMontague.“Oh,suicide.Onlythingyoucouldgofor.Butitdidn'tgodownwell.Crale

simplywasn't thatkindofman!Younevermethim, I suppose?No?Well,hewasagreat,blustering,vivid sortof chap.Greatbeerdrinker.Went in for thelustsof the fleshandenjoyed them.Youcan'tpersuadea jury that aman likethatisgoingtositdownandquietlydoawaywithhimself.Itjustdoesn'tfit.No,I was afraid I was up against a losing proposition from the first. And shewouldn'tplayup!Iknewwe'dlostassoonasshewentintothebox.Nofightinheratall.Butthereitis-ifyoudon'tputyourclientintothebox,thejurydrawtheirownconclusions.”

Poirotsaid,“Isthatwhatyoumeantwhenyousaidjustnowthatonecannotdomuchwithoutco-operation?”

“Absolutely,mydearfellow.We'renotmagicians,youknow.Halfthebattleis the impression the accused makes on the jury. I've known juries time andagainbringinverdictsdeadagainstthejudge'ssummingup.'Hedidit,allright'-that's the point of view. Or 'He never did a thing like that - don't tell me.'CarolineCraledidn'teventrytoputupafight.”

“Whywasthat?”SirMontague shrugged his shoulders. “Don't ask me. Of course, she was

fondofthefellow.Brokeherawfulupwhenshecametoandrealizedwhatshe'ddone.Don'tbelievesheeverralliedfromtheshock.”

“Soinyouropinionshewasguilty?”

Depleachlookedratherstartled.Hesaid,“Er-well,Ithoughtweweretakingthatforgranted.”

“Didsheeveradmittoyouthatshewasguilty?”Depleachlookedshocked.“Ofcoursenot-ofcoursenot.Wehaveourcode,

youknow.Innocenceisalways-er-assumed.Ifyou'resointerestedit'sapityyoucan'tgetholdofoldMayhew.Mayhewswerethesolicitorswhobriefedme.OldMayhewcouldhave toldyoumore than I can.But there - he's joined thegreatmajority.There'syoungGeorgeMayhew,ofcourse,buthewasonlyaboyatthetime.It'salongtimeago,youknow.”

“Yes,Iknow.Itisfortunateformethatyouremembersomuch.Youhavearemarkablememory.”

Depleachlookedpleased.Hemurmured,“Oh,well,oneremembersthemainheadings,youknow.Especiallywhen it's a capital charge.And,of course, theCralecasegotalotofpublicityfromthepress.Lotofsexinterestandallthat.Thegirlinthecasewasprettystriking.Hard-boiledpieceofgoods,Ithought.”

“YouwillforgivemeifIseemtooinsistent,”saidPoirot,“butIrepeatoncemore,youhadnodoubtofCarolineCrale'sguilt?”

Depleachshruggedhisshoulders.“Frankly,asmantoman,”hesaid,“Idon'tthinkthere'smuchdoubtaboutit.

Oh,yes,shedidit,allright.”“Whatwastheevidenceagainsther?”"Verydamningindeed.Firstofall,therewasmotive.SheandCralehadled

a kind of cat-and-dog life for years with interminable rows. He was alwaysgettingmixedupwithsomewomanorother.Couldn'thelpit.Hewasthatkindofman.Shestooditprettywellonthewhole.Madeallowancesforhimonthescoreof temperament-andthemanreallywasafirst-classpainter,youknow.Hisstuff'sgoneupenormouslyinprice-enormously.Don'tcareforthatstyleofpaintingmyself-ugly,forcefulstuff,butit'sgood-nodoubtofthat.

"Well,asIsay,therehadbeentroubleaboutwomenfromtimetotime.MrsCralewasn't themeekkindwho suffers in silence.Therewere rows, all right.Buthealwayscamebacktoherintheend.Theseaffairsofhisblewover.Butthis finalaffairwas ratherdifferent. Itwasagirl,yousee -andquiteayounggirl.Shewasonlytwenty.

"Elsa Greer, that was her name. She was the only daughter of someYorkshiremanufacturer.Shehadmoneyanddeterminationandsheknewwhatshewanted.WhatshewantedwasAmyasCrale.Shegothimtopainther-hedidn't paint regular society portraits, 'Mrs Blinkety Blank in pink satin andpearls',buthepaintedfigures.Idon'tknowthatmostwomenwouldhavecaredtobepaintedbyhim -hedidn't spare them!Buthepainted theGreergirl, by

fallingforhergoodandproper.Hewasgettingonforforty,youknow,andhe'dbeenmarriedagoodmanyyears.Hewasjustripeformakingafoolofhimselfoversomechitofagirl.ElsaGreerwasthegirl.HewascrazyaboutherandhisideawastogetadivorcefromhiswifeandmarryElsa.

"Caroline Crale wasn't standing for that. She threatened him. She wasoverheardbytwopeopletosaythat ifhedidn'tgivethegirlupshe'dkillhim.Andshemeant itall right!Thedaybefore ithappened, they'dbeenhaving teawith a neighbor. He was by way of dabbling in herbs and home-brewedmedicines.Amonghispatentbrewswasoneofconiine-spottedhemlock.Therewassometalkaboutitanditsdeadlyproperties.

“Thenextdayhenoticedthathalfthecontentsofthebottleweregone.Gotthewind up about it. They found an almost empty bottle of it inMrsCrale'sroom,hiddenawayatthebottomofadrawer.”

HerculePoirotmoveduncomfortably.Hesaid,“Somebodyelsemighthaveputitthere.”

“Oh,sheadmittedittothepolice.Veryunwise,ofcourse,butshedidn'thaveasolicitortoadviseheratthatstage.Whentheyaskedheraboutit,sheadmittedquitefranklythatshehadtakenit.”

“Forwhatreason?”“She made out that she'd taken it with the idea of doing herself in. She

couldn't explain how the bottle came to be empty - nor how itwas that therewere only her fingerprints on it. That part of it was pretty damning. Shecontended,yousee,thatAmyasCralehadcommittedsuicide.Butifhe'dtakentheconiinefromthebottleshe'dhiddeninherroom,hisfingerprintswouldhavebeenonthebottleaswellashers.”

“Itwasgivenhiminbeer,wasitnot?”“Yes.Shegotoutthebottlefromtherefrigeratorandtookitdownherselfto

wherehewaspainting in thegarden.Shepoured itoutandgave it tohimandwatchedhimdrinkit.Everyonewentuptolunchandlefthim-heoftendidn'tcome in tomeals.Afterwardsheand thegoverness foundhimtheredead.Herstory was that the beer she gave him was all right. Our theory was that hesuddenlyfeltsoworriedandremorsefulthatheslippedthepoisoninhimself.Allpoppycock-hewasn't thatkindofman!And the fingerprintevidencewas themostdamningofall.”

“Theyfoundherfingerprintsonthebeerbottle?”“No,theydidn't-theyfoundonlyhis-andtheywerephonyones.Shewas

alonewiththebody,yousee,whilethegovernesswenttocallupadoctor.Andwhat shemust have donewas towipe the bottle and glass and then press hisfingersonthem.Shewantedtopretend,yousee,thatshe'dneverevenhandled

thestuff.Well,thatdidn'twork.OldRudolph,whowasprosecuting,hadalotoffun with that - proved quite definitely by demonstration in court that a mancouldn'tholdabottlewithhisfingersinthatposition!Ofcourse,wedidourbesttoprovethathecould-thathishandswouldtakeupacontortedattitudewhenhewasdying-butfranklyourstuffwasn'tveryconvincing.”

“The coniine in the beer bottle,” Poirot said, “must have been put therebeforeshetookitdowntothegarden.”

“There was no coniine in the bottle at all. Only in the glass -” Depleachpaused-hislarge,handsomefacesuddenlyaltered-heturnedhisheadsharply.

“Hullo,”hesaid.“Now,then,Poirot,whatareyoudrivingat?”Poirotsaid,“IfCarolineCralewasinnocent,howdidthatconiinegetintothe

beer?ThedefensesaidatthetimethatAmyasCralehimselfputitthere.Butyousaytomethatthatwasinthehighestdegreeunlikely-andformypartIagreewith you.Hewasnot that kindofman.Then, ifCarolineCrale did not do it,someoneelsedid.”

Depleachsaidwithalmostasplutter,“Oh,damnitall,man,youcan'tflogadead horse. It's all over and donewith years ago.Of course she did it.You'dknowthatwellenoughifyou'dseenheratthetime.Itwaswrittenalloverher!Ievenfancythattheverdictwasarelieftoher.Shewasn'tfrightened.Nonervesatall.Justwantedtogetthroughthetrialandhaveitover.Averybravewoman,really...”

“Andyet,”saidHerculePoirot,“whenshediedsheleftalettertobegiventoher daughter in which she swore solemnly that she was innocent. Now herdaughterwantsthetruth.”

“H'm - I'mafraid she'll find the truthunpalatable.Honestly,Poirot, I don'tthinkthere'sanydoubtaboutit.Shekilledhim.”

“Youwillforgiveme,myfriend,butImustsatisfymyselfonthatpoint.”“Well,Idon'tknowwhatmoreyoucando.Youcanreadupthenewspaper

accountsofthetrial.HumphreyRudolphappearedfortheCrown.He'sdead-letmesee,whowashis junior?YoungFogg, I think.Yes,Fogg.Youcanhaveachatwithhim.Andthentherearethepeoplewhowerethereatthetime.Don'tsuppose they'llenjoyyourbutting inandraking thewhole thingup,but Idaresayyou'llgetwhatyouwantoutofthem.You'reaplausibledevil.”

“Ah, yes, the people concerned. That is very important. You remember,perhaps,whotheywere?”

Depleachconsidered.“Letmesee-it'salongtimeago.Therewereonlyfivepeople who were really in it, so to speak - I'm not counting the servants - acouple of faithful old things, scared-looking creatures - they didn't knowanythingaboutanything.Noonecouldsuspectthem.”

“Therearefivepeople,yousay.Tellmeaboutthem.”“Well, therewasPhilipBlake.HewasCrale'sgreatest friend -hadknown

himallhis life.Hewas staying in thehouseat the time.He's alive. I seehimnow and again on the links. Lives at StGeorge'sHill. Stockbroker. Plays themarketsandgetsawaywithit.Successfulman,runningtofatabit.”

“Yes.Andwhonext?”“ThentherewasBlake'selderbrother.Countrysquire-stay-at-homesortof

chap.”A jingle ran throughPoirot'shead.He repressed it.Hemustnotalwaysbe

thinkingofnurseryrhymes.Itseemedanobsessionwithhimlately.Andyetthejinglepersisted:

“Thislittlepigwenttomarket,thislittlepigstayedathome...”Hemurmured,“Hestayedathome-yes?”“He's the fellow Iwas telling you about -messed aboutwith drugs - and

herbs-bitofachemist.Hishobby.Whatwashisname,now?Literarysortofname-I'vegot it.Meredith.MeredithBlake.Don'tknowwhetherhe'saliveornot.”

“Andwhonext?”“Next?Well, there's the causeof all the trouble.Thegirl in the case:Elsa

Greer.”“Thislittlepigateroastbeef,”murmuredPoirot.Depleach stared at him. “They've fed her meat, all right,” he said. “She's

beenago-getter.She'shadthreehusbandssincethen.Inandoutofthedivorcecourt as easy as you please. And every time shemakes a change, it's for thebetter.LadyDittisham-that'swhosheisnow.OpenanyTatlerandyou'resuretofindher.”

“Andtheothertwo?”“Therewasthegovernesswoman.Idon'trememberhername.Nice,capable

woman. Thompson - Jones - something like that. And there was the child.CarolineCrale'shalfsister.Shemusthavebeenaboutfifteen.She'smaderathera name for herself. Digs up things and goes trekking to the back of beyond.Warren - that's her name. AngelaWarren. Rather an alarming young womannowadays.Imethertheotherday.”

“Sheisnot,then,thelittlepigwhocried,'Wee-wee-wee'...?”SirMontagueDepleachlookedathimratheroddly.Hesaiddryly,“She'shad

something tocrywee-weeabout inher life!She'sdisfigured,youknow.Gotabadscardownonesideofherface.She-oh,well,you'llhearallaboutit,Idaresay.”

Poirot stood up. He said, “I thank you. You have been very kind. IfMrs

Craledidnotkillherhusband-”Depleachinterruptedhim.“Butshedid,oldboy,shedid.Takemywordfor

it.”Poirot continued without taking any notice of the interruption. “Then it

seemslogicaltosupposethatoneofthesefivepeoplemusthavedoneso.”“Oneofthemcouldhavedoneit,Isuppose,”saidDepleachdoubtfully.“But

Idon'tseewhyanyofthemshould.Noreasonatall!Infact,Imquitesurenoneofthemdiddoit.Dogetthisbeeoutofyourbonnet,oldboy!”

ButHerculePoirotonlysmiledandshookhishead.“Guiltyashell,”saidMrFoggsuccinctly.HerculePoirotlookedmeditativelyatthethin,clear-cutfaceofthebarrister.Quentin Fogg, K.C., was a very different type fromMontague Depleach.

Depleach had force, magnetism, an overbearing and slightly bullyingpersonality. He got his effects by a rapid and dramatic change of manner.Handsome, urbane, charming, one minute - then an almost magicaltransformation,lipsback,snarlingsmile-outforyourblood.

QuentinFoggwasthin,pale,singularlylackinginwhatiscalledpersonality.Hisquestionswerequietandunemotional,buttheyweresteadilypersistent.

HerculePoiroteyedhimmeditatively.“Sothat,”hesaid,“washowitstruckyou?”

Foggnodded.Hesaid,“Youshouldhaveseenher in thebox.OldHumpieRudolph (he was leading, you know) simply made mincemeat of her.Mincemeat!”Hepausedandthensaidunexpectedly,“Onthewhole,youknow,itwasrathertoomuchofagoodthing.”

“Iamnotsure,”saidHerculePoirot,“thatIquiteunderstandyou.”Foggdrewhisdelicatelymarkedbrowstogether.Hissensitivehandstroked

his bare upper lip. “How shall I put it?” he said. “It's a veryEnglish point ofview.'Shootingthesittingbird'describesitbest.Isthatintelligibletoyou?”

“Itis,asyousay,averyEnglishpointofview,butIthinkIunderstandyou.IntheAssizeCourt,asontheplayingfieldsofEton,andinthehuntingcountry,theEnglishmanlikesthevictimtohaveasportingchance.”

"That's it, exactly. Well, in this case, the accused didn't have a chance.HumpieRudolph did as he likedwith her. It startedwith her examination byDepleach. She stood up there, you know - as docile as a little girl at a party,answering Depleach's questions with the answers she'd learned off by heart.Quitedocile,word-perfect-andabsolutelyunconvincing!She'dbeentoldwhattosay,andshesaidit.Itwasn'tDepleach'sfault.Thatoldmountebankplayedhispartperfectly-but inanyscenethatneedstwoactors,onealonecan'tcarryit.Shedidn'tplayuptohim.Itmadetheworstpossibleeffectonthejury.Andthen

oldHumpie got up. I expect you've seen him?He's a great loss.Hitching hisgownup,swayingbackonhisfeet,andthen-straightoffthemark!

“AsItellyou,hemademincemeatofher!Leduptothisandthat-andshefell into thepitfall every time.Hegot her to admit the absurdities of her ownstatements,hegothertocontradictherself,sheflounderedindeeperanddeeper.Andthenhewoundupwithhisusualstuff.Verycompelling-veryconvinced:'Isuggesttoyou,MrsCrale,thatthisstoryofyoursaboutstealingconiineinordertocommitsuicideisatissueoffalsehood.Isuggestthatyoutookitinordertoadministerittoyourhusband,whowasabouttoleaveyouforanotherwoman,andthatyoudiddeliberatelyadministerittohim.'Andshelookedathim-suchaprettycreature,graceful,delicate-andshesaid, 'Oh,no-no,Ididn't.'Itwasthe flattest thing you ever heard, the most unconvincing. I saw old Depleachsquirminhisseat.Heknewitwasallupthen.”

Foggpausedaminute, thenhewenton. "The jurywereonlyout justoverhalfanhour.Theybroughtherin:Guiltywitharecommendationtomercy.

"Actually, youknow, shemade agoodcontrast to theotherwoman in thecase. The girl. The jury were unsympathetic to her from the start. She neverturned a hair. Very good-looking, hard-boiled, modern. To the women in thecourtshestoodforatype-typeofthehomebreaker.Homesweren'tsafewhengirlslikethatwerewanderingabroad.Girlsfullofsexandcontemptuousoftherightsofwivesandmothers.Shedidn'tspareherself,Iwillsay.Shewashonest.Admirablyhonest.She'd fallen in lovewithAmyasCraleandhewithherandshe'dnoscruplesatallabouttakinghimawayfromhiswifeandchild.

“Iadmiredherinaway.Shehadguts.Depleachputinsomenastystuffincross-examinationandshestoodupwelltoit.Butthecourtwasunsympathetic.Andthejudgedidn'tlikeher.OldAvis,itwas.Beenabitofariphimselfwhenyoung - but he's very hot on morality when he's presiding in his robes. Hissumming up against Caroline Crale wasmildness itself. He couldn't deny thefactsbuthethrewoutprettystronghintsastoprovocationandallthat.”

HerculePoirotasked,“Hedidnotsupportthesuicidetheoryofthedefense?”Foggshookhishead."Thatneverreallyhadalegtostandupon.Mindyou,I

don'tsayDepleachdidn'tdohisbestwithit.Hewasmagnificent.Hepaintedamost moving picture of a great-hearted, pleasure-loving, temperamental man,suddenlyovertakenbyapassionforalovelyyounggirl,conscience-stricken,yetunable to resist. Then his recoil, his disgustwith himself, his remorse for thewayhewastreatinghiswifeandchildandhissuddendecisiontoenditall!Thehonorablewayout.

"Icantellyou,itwasamostmovingperformance;Depleach'svoicebroughttears to your eyes. You saw the poor wretch torn by his passions and his

essentialdecency.Theeffectwasterrific.Only-whenitwasallover-andthespell was broken, you couldn't quite square that mythical figure with AmyasCrale.

“EverybodyknewtoomuchaboutCrale.Hewasn'tatall thatkindofman.AndDepleachhadn'tbeenabletogetholdofanyevidencetoshowthathewas.I should say Crale came as near as possible to being a man without even arudimentary conscience. He was a ruthless, selfish, good-tempered, happyegoist. Any ethics he had would have applied to painting. He wouldn't, I'mconvinced,havepaintedasloppy,badpicture-nomatterwhattheinducement.Butfortherest,hewasafull-bloodedmanandhelovedlife-hehadazestforit.Suicide?Nothe!”

“Not,perhaps,averygooddefensetohavechosen?”Foggshruggedhisthinshoulders.“Whatelsewasthere?”hesaid.“Couldn't

sitbackandpleadthattherewasnocaseforthejury-thattheprosecutionhadgot to prove their case against the accused. Therewas a great deal toomuchproof. She'd handled the poison - admitted pinching it, in fact. There weremeans,motive,opportunity-everything.”

“One might have attempted to show that these things were artificiallyarranged?”

Fogg said bluntly, “She admitted most of them. And in any case, it's toofarfetched.You're implying, I presume, that somebodyelsemurderedhimandfixedituptolookasthoughshehaddoneit.”

“Youthinkthatquiteuntenable?”“I'm afraid I do,” Fogg said slowly. “You're suggesting themysteriousX.

Wheredowelookforhim?”Poirotsaid,“Obviouslyinaclosecircle.Therewerefivepeople-werethere

not?-whocouldhavebeenconcerned.”“Five?Letmesee.Therewastheolddufferwhomessedaboutwithhisherb

brewing.A dangerous hobby - but an amiable creature.Vague sort of person.DontseehimasX.Therewasthegirl-shemighthavepolishedoffCaroline,but certainly notAmyas.Then therewas the stockbroker -Crale's best friend.That'spopularindetectivestories,butIdon'tbelieveinitinreallife.There'snooneelse -oh,yes, thekid sister,butonedoesn't seriouslyconsiderher.That'sfour.”

HerculePoirotsaid,“Youforgetthegoverness.”“Yes, that's true.Wretched people, governesses, one never does remember

them. I do remember her dimly though. Middle-aged, plain, competent. Isuppose a psychologistwould say that she had a guilty passion forCrale andthereforekilledhim.Therepressedspinster!It'snogood-Ijustdon'tbelieveit.

Asfarasmydimremembrancegoesshewasn'ttheneurotictype.”“Itisalongtimeago.”“Fifteen or sixteen years, I suppose. Yes, quite that. You can't expectmy

memoriesofthecasetobeveryacute.”HerculePoirotsaid,“Butonthecontrary,yourememberitamazinglywell.

That astoundsme.You can see it, canyounot?Whenyou talk, thepicture istherebeforeyoureyes.”

“Yes,you'reright,”Foggsaidslowly.“Idoseeit-quiteplainly.”Poirotsaid,“Itwouldinterestmeverymuchifyouwouldtellmewhy?”“Why?” Fogg considered the question. His thin, intelectual face was alert

andinterested.“Yes,now,why?”Poirotasked,“Whatdoyouseesoplainly?Thewitnesses?Thecounsel?The

judge?Theaccusedstandingintheydock?”Foggsaidquietly,"That'sthereason,ofcourse!You'veputyourfingeronit.

Ishallalwaysseeher...Funnything,romance.Shehadthequalityofit.Idon'tknowifshewasreallybeautiful...Shewasn'tveryyoung-tired-looking-circlesunderhereyes.Butitallcenteredroundher.Thisinterest,thedrama.Andyet,halfthetime,shewasn'tthere.She'dgoneawaysomewhere,quitefaraway-justleftherbody there,quiescent, attentive,with the littlepolite smileonher lips.Shewasallhalf-tones-youknowlightsandshades.Andyet,withitall,shewasmoretherethantheother-thatgirlwiththeperfectbodyandthisbeautifulfaceandthecrudeyoungstrength.

“IadmiredElsaGreerbecauseshehadguts,becauseshecouldfight,becauseshestooduptohertormentorsandneverquailed!ButIadmiredCarolineCralebecauseshedidn't fight,becausesheretreatedintoherworldofhalf-lightsandshadows.Shewasneverdefeatedbecauseshenevergavebattle.”

Hepaused.“I'monlysureofonething.Shelovedthemanshekilled.Lovedhimsomuchthathalfofherdiedwithhim...”

MrFogg,K.C.,pausedagainandpolishedhisglasses.“Dearme,”hesaid.“Iseemtobesayingsomeverystrangethings!Iwasquiteayoungmanatthetime,youknow.Justanambitiousyoungster.These thingsmakean impression.ButallthesameI'msurethatCarolineCralewasaveryremarkablewoman.Ishallneverforgether.No-Ishallneverforgether...”

GeorgeMayhewwascautiousandnoncommittal.Herememberedthecase,ofcourse,butnotatallclearly.His fatherhadbeen inchargeof thecase -hehimselfhadbeenonlynineteenatthetime.

Yes, the casehadmade agreat stir.BecauseofCrale's being such awell-knownman.Hispictureswereveryfine,fineindeed.TwoofthemwereintheTate.Notthatthatmeantanything.

M.Poirotwouldexcusehim,buthedidn'tseequitewhatM.Poirot'sinterestwas in thematter -Oh, thedaughter!Really?Indeed?Canada?HehadalwayshearditwasNewZealand.

GeorgeMayhewbecamelessrigid.Heunbent.Ashockingthinginagirl'slife.Hehadthedeepestsympathyforher.Really

itwouldhavebeenbetterifshehadneverlearnedthetruth.Still,itwasnousesayingthatnow.

She wanted to know? Yes, but what was there to know? There were thereportsofthetrial,ofcourse.Hehimselfdidn'treallyknowanything.

No, hewas afraid therewasn'tmuchdoubt as toMrsCrale's being guilty.Therewasacertainamountofexcuseforher.Theseartists-difficultpeopletolivewith.WithCrale,heunderstood,ithadalwaysbeensomewomanorother.

Andsheherselfhadprobablybeenthepossessivetypeofwoman.Unabletoaccept facts. Nowadays she'd simply have divorced him and got over it. Headdedcautiously,“Letmesee-er-LadyDittisham,Ibelieve,wasthegirlinthecase.”

Poirotsaidhebelievedthatthatwasso.“Thenewspapersbringitupfromtimetotime,”saidMayhew.“She'sbeen

inthedivorcecourtagooddeal.She'saveryrichwoman,asIexpectyouknow.ShewasmarriedtothatexplorerfellowbeforeDittisham.She'salwaysmoreorless in the public eye. The kind of woman who likes notoriety, I shouldimagine.”

“Orpossiblyaheroworshiper,”suggestedPoirot.TheideawasupsettingtoGeorgeMayhew.Heaccepteditdubiously.“Well,

possibly-yes,Isupposethatmightbebe.”Poirotsaid,“HadyourfirmactedforMrsCraleforalongperiodofyears?”GeorgeMayhewshookhishead.“Onthecontrary.JohnathanandJohnathan

weretheCralesolicitors.Underthecircumstances,however,MrJohnathanfeltthathecouldnotverywellactforMrsCraleandhearrangedwithus-withmyfather-totakeoverhercase.Youwoulddowell,Ithink,M.Poirot,toarrangeameetingwith oldMr Johnathan.He has retired from activework - he is overseventy-butheknewtheCralefamilyintimately,andhecouldtellyoufarmorethanIcan.Indeed,Imyselfcantellyounothingatall.Iwasaboyatthetime.Idon'tthinkIwasevenincourt.”

Poirotrose,andGeorgeMayhew,rising,too,added,“YoumightliketohaveawordwithEdmunds,ourmanagingclerk.Hewaswiththefirmthenandtookagreatinterestinthecase.”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter2

Edmundswasamanof slowspeech.Hiseyesgleamedwith legal caution.He took his time in sizing up Poirot, before he let himself be betrayed intospeech. He said, “Aye, I mind the Crale case.” He added severely, “It was adisgracefulbusiness.”

HisshrewdeyesrestedappraisinglyonHerculePoirot.Hesaid,“It'salongtimesincetoberakingthingsupagain.”

“Acourtverdictisnotalwaysanending.”Edmunds's squareheadnoddedslowly.“I'dnot say thatyouweren't in the

rightofitthere.”HerculePoirotwenton.“MrsCraleleftadaughter.”“Aye,Imindtherewasachild.Sentabroadtorelatives,wasshenot?”“Thatdaughterbelievesfirmlyinhermother'sinnocence.”ThebushyeyebrowsofMrEdmundsrose.“That'sthewayofit,isit?”Poirotasked,“Isthereanythingyoucantellmetosupportthatbelief?”Edmundsreflected.Then,slowly,heshookhishead.“Icouldnotconscientiouslysay therewas. IadmiredMrsCrale.Whatever

elseshewas,shewasalady!Notliketheother.Ahussy-nomore,noless.Boldasbrass!Jumped-uptrash-that'swhatshewas-andshowedit!MrsCralewasquality.”

“Butnonethelessamurderess?”Edmunds frowned.Hesaid,withmore spontaneity thanhehadyet shown,

“That'swhatIusedtoaskmyself,dayafterday.Sittingthereinthedocksocalmand gentle. 'I'll not believe it,' I used to say to myself. But, if you take mymeaning,MrPoirot, therewasn'tanythingelse tobelieve.Thathemlockdidn'tgetintoMrCrale'sbeerbyaccident.Itwasputthere.AndifMrsCraledidn'tputitthere,whodid?”

“Thatisthequestion,”saidPoirot.“Whodid?”Againthatshrewdeyesstudiedhisface.“Sothat'syouridea?”saidMrEdmunds.“Whatdoyouthinkyourself?”There was a pause before the other answered. Then he said, “There was

nothingthatpointedthatway-nothingatall.”Poirotsaid,“Youwereincourtduringthehearingofthecase?”“Everyday.”“Youheardthewitnessesgiveevidence?”

“Idid.”“Didanythingstrikeyouaboutthem-anyabnormality,andinsincerity?”“Wasoneofthemlying,doyoumean?”Edmundssaidbluntly.“Hadoneof

thema reason towishMrCraledead? If you'll excuseme,MrPoirot, that's averymelodramaticidea.”

“Atleastconsiderit,”Poiroturged.He watched the shrewd face, the screwed-up, thoughtful eyes. Slowly,

regretfully,Edmundsshookhishead.“ThatMissGreer,”hesaid, "shewasbitterenough,andvindictive! I'd say

sheoversteppedthemarkinagooddealshesaid,butitwasMrCralealiveshewanted.Hewasnousetoherdead.ShewantedMrsCralehanged,allright-butthat was because death had snatched her man away from her. Like a balkedtigress shewas! But, as I say, it wasMrCrale alive she'dwanted.Mr PhilipBlake, he was against Mrs Crale, too. Prejudiced. Got his knife into herwheneverhecould.ButI'dsayhewashonestaccordingtohislights.He'dbeenMrCrale'sgreatfriend.Hisbrother,MrMeredithBlake,abadwitnesshewas-vague,hesitating,neverseemedsureofhisanswers.

“I've seenmanywitnesses like that.Lookas though they're lyingwhenallthetimethey'retellingthetruth.Didn'twanttosayanythingmorethanhecouldhelp,MrMeredith Blake didn't. Counsel got all themore out of him on thataccount.Oneofthosequietgentlemenwhogeteasilyflustered.Thegoverness,now,shestoodupwelltothem.Didn'twastewordsandansweredpatandtothepoint.Youcouldn'thavetold,listeningtoher,whichsideshewason.Gotallherwitsabouther,shehad.Thebriskkind.”Hepaused.“Knewalotmorethansheeverletonaboutthewholething,Ishouldn'twonder.”

“I,too,shouldnotwonder,”saidHerculePoirot.He looked sharply at thewrinkled, shrewd face ofMrAlfredEdmunds. It

was quite bland and impassive. But Hercule Poirot wondered if he had beenvouchsafedahint.

MrCaleb Johnathan lived inEssex.After a courteous exchange of letters,HerculePoirot receivedan invitation,almost royal in itscharacter, todineandsleep. The old gentleman was decidedly a character. After the insipidity ofyoungGeorgeMayhew,MrJohnathanwaslikeaglassofhisownvintageport.

Hehadhisownmethodsofapproachtoasubject,anditwasnotuntilwellon toward midnight, when sipping a glass of fragrant old brandy, that MrJohnathanreallyunbent.InOrientalfashionhehadappreciatedHerculePoirot'scourteous refusal to rushhim inanyway.Now, inhisowngood time,hewaswillingtoelaboratethethemeoftheCralefamily.

"Our firm, of course, has known many generations of the Crales. I knew

AmyasCraleandhisfather,RichardCrale,andIcanrememberEnochCrale-thegrandfather.Countrysquires,allofthem,thoughtmoreofhorsesthanhumanbeings. They rode straight, liked women, and had no truck with ideas. Theydistrusted ideas.ButRichardCrale'swifewas cram full of ideas -more ideasthansense.Shewaspoeticalandmusical-sheplayedtheharp,youknow.Sheenjoyed poor health and looked very picturesque on her sofa. She was anadmirerofKingsley.That'swhyshecalledhersonAmyas.Hisfatherscoffedatthename-buthegavein.

“AmyasCrale profited by thismixed inheritance.He got his artistic trendfrom his weaklymother, and his driving power and ruthless egoism from hisfather.AlltheCraleswereegoists.Theyneverbyanychancesawanypointofviewbuttheirown.”

Tappingwith a delicate finger on the armof his chair, theoldman shot ashrewdglanceatPoirot.“CorrectmeifIamwrong,M.Poirot,butIthinkyouareinterestedin-character,shallwesay?”

“That,tome,”Poirotreplied,“istheprincipalinterestofallmycases.”“Icanconceiveofit.Togetundertheskin,asitwere,ofyourcriminal.How

interesting! How absorbing! Our firm, of course, has never had a criminalpractice.WeshouldnothavebeencompetenttoactforMrsCrale,eveniftastehad allowed. Mayhews, however, were a very adequate firm. They briefedDepleach-theydidn't,perhaps,showmuchimaginationthere-still,hewasveryexpensive, and, of course, exceedingly dramatic!What they hadn't thewits toseewas that Carolinewould never play up in theway hewanted her to. Shewasn'taverydramaticwoman.”

“Whatwasshe?”askedPoirot.“ItisthatthatIamchieflyanxioustoknow.”“Yes, yes - of course.Howdid she come to dowhat she did?That is the

really vital question. I knew her, you know, before she married. CarolineSpalding, shewas.A turbulent,unhappycreature.Veryalive.Hermotherwasleft a widow early in life and Caroline was devoted to her mother. Then themothermarriedagain-therewasanotherchild.Yes-yes,verysad,verypainful.Theseyoung,ardent,adolescentjealousies.”

“Shewasjealous?”“Passionately so. Therewas a regrettable incident. Poor child, she blamed

herselfbitterlyafterward.Butyouknow,M.Poirot,thesethingshappen.Thereisaninabilitytoputonthebrakes.Itcomes-itcomeswithmaturity.”

“Butwhatreallyhappened?”askedPoirot.“Shestruckthechild-thebaby-flungapaperweightather.Thechildlost

thesightofoneeyeandwaspermanentlydisfigured.”MrJohnathansighed.Hesaid,“Youcanimaginetheeffectasimplequestion

on thatpointhadat the trial.”Heshookhishead.“Itgave the impression thatCarolineCraleasawomanofungovernabletemper.Thatwasnottrue.No,thatwasnottrue.”

Hepausedandthenresumed."CarolineSpaldingcameoftentostayatAlderbury.Sherodewell,andwas

keen.RichardCralewasfondofher.ShewaitedonMrsCraleandwasdeftandgentle -Mrs Crale also liked her. The girl was not happy at home. She washappyatAlderbury.DianaCrale,Amyas'ssister,andshewerebywayofbeingfriends. Philip and Meredith Blake, boys from the adjoining estate, werefrequentlyatAlderbury.Philipwasalwaysnasty,money-grubbinglittlebrute.ImustconfessIhavealwayshadadistasteforhim.ButIamtoldthathetellsverygoodastoryandthathehasthereputationofbeingastaunchfriend.

"Meredithwaswhatmycontemporariesusedtocallanamby-pamby.Likedbotanyandbutterfliesandobservingbirdsandbeasts.Naturestudy,theycallitnowadays.Ah,disappointment-alltheyoungpeoplewereadisappointmenttotheirparents.Noneofthemrantruetotype-huntin',shootin',fishin'.Meredithpreferred watching birds and animals to shootin' or huntin' them. Philipdefinitely preferred town to country and went into the business of money-making.Dianamarriedafellowwhowasn'tagentleman-oneofthetemporaryofficersinthewar.AndAmyas,strong,handsome,virileAmyas,blossomedintobeingapainter,ofallthingsintheworld.It'smyopinionthatRichardCralediedoftheshock.

"AndinduecourseAmyasmarriedCarolineSpalding.They'dalwaysfoughtandsparred,butitwasalovematch,allright.Theywerebothcrazyabouteachother.Andtheycontinuedtocare.ButAmyaswaslikealltheCrales,aruthlessegoist.HelovedCarolinebutheneveronceconsideredherinanyway.Hedidas he pleased. It's my opinion that he was as fond of her as he could be ofanybody-butshecamealongwaybehindhisart.Thatcamefirst.AndIshouldsayatnotimedidhisartgiveplacetoawoman.

"Hehadaffairswithwomen-theystimulatedhim-butheleftthemhighanddrywhenhe'dfinishedwiththem.Hewasn'tasentimentalman,noraromanticone. And he wasn't entirely a sensualist, either. The only woman he cared abuttonforwashisownwife.Andbecausesheknewthat,sheputupwithalot.Hewas a very fine painter, you know. She realized that, and respected it.Hechasedoffonhisamorouspursuitsandcamebackagain-usuallywithapicturetoshowforit.

“Itmighthavegoneonlikethatifithadn'tcometoElsaGreer.ElsaGreer-”MrJohnathanshookhishead.Poirotsaid,“WhatofElsaGreer?”

“Shewas, I believe, a crudeyoungwoman -with a crudeoutlookon life.Not, I think, an interesting character. 'Rose-white youth, passionate, pale, etc.'Take that away andwhat remains?Only a somewhatmediocre youngwomanseekingforanotherlife-sizedherotoputonanemptypedestal.”

Poirotsaid,“IfAmyasCralehadnotbeenafamouspainter-”MrJohnathanagreedquickly:“Quite-quite.Youhavetakenthepointadmirably.TheElsasofthisworld

are hero worshipers. A man must have done something, must be somebody.Caroline Crale, now, could have recognized quality in a bank clerk or aninsurance agent! Caroline loved Amyas Crale the man, not Amyas Crale thepainter.CarolineCralewasnotcrude-ElsaGreerwas.”Headded,“Butshewasyoungandbeautifulandtomymindinfinitelypathetic.”

Ex-SuperintendentHalepulled thoughtfullyathispipe.Hesaid,“This isafunnyfancyofyours,M.Poirot.”

“Itis,perhaps,alittleunusual,”Poirotagreedcautiously.“Yousee,”saidHale,“it'sallsuchalongtimeago.”HerculePoirotforesawthathewasgoingtogetalittletiredofthatparticular

phrase.Hesaidmildly,“Thataddstothedifficulty,ofcourse.”“Rakingupthepast,”musedtheother.“Iftherewereanobjectinit,now...”“Thereisanobject.”“Whatisit?”“Onecanenjoythepursuitoftruthforitsownsake.Ido.Andyoumustnot

forgettheyounglady.”Halenodded.“Yes,Iseehersideof it.But-you'llexcuseme,M.Poirot-

you'reaningeniousman.Youcouldcookherupatale.”Poirotreplied,“Youdonotknowtheyounglady.”“Oh,come,now-amanofyourexperience!”Poirotdrewhimselfup.“Imaybe,moncher,anartisticandcompetentliar-

you seem to think so. But it is not my idea of ethical conduct. I have mystandards.”

“Sorry,M.Poirot.Ididn'tmeantohurtyourfeelings.Butitwouldbeallinagoodcause,sotospeak.”

“Oh,Iwonder,woulditreally?”Halesaidslowly:“It'stoughluckonahappy,innocentgirlwho'sjustgoingtogetmarriedto

find thathermotherwasamurderess. If IwereyouI'dgo toherandsay that,afterall,suicidewaswhatitwas.SaythecasewasmishandledbyDepleach.Saythatthere'snodoubtinyourmindthatCralekilledhimself.”

“But there iseverydoubt inmymind!Idonotbelieveforoneminute that

Cralekilledhimself.Doyouconsideritevenreasonablypossibleyourself?”SlowlyHaleshookhishead.“You see? No, it is the truth I must have - not a plausible or not very

plausiblelie.”HaleturnedandlookedatPoirot.Hesaid,“Youtalkaboutthetruth.I'dlike

tomakeitplaintoyouthatwethinkwegotthetruthintheCralecase.”“Thatpronouncementfromyoumeansagreatdeal,”Poirotsaidquickly.“I

knowyouforwhatyouare-anhonestandcapableman.Nowtellmethis,wastherenodoubtatanytimeinyourmindastotheguiltofMrsCrale?”

Thesuperintendent'sanswercamepromptly:“Nodoubtatall,M.Poirot.Thecircumstances pointed to her straight away, and every single fact that weuncoveredsupportedthatview.”

“Youcangivemeanoutlineoftheevidenceagainsther?”“I can.When I receivedyour letter I lookedup the case.”Hepickedup a

smallnotebook.“I'vejotteddownallthesalientfactshere.”“Thankyou,myfriend.Iamalleagernesstohear.”Haleclearedhis throat.Aslightofficial intonationmade itselfheard inhis

voice.Hesaid:"At two forty-five on the afternoon of September eighteenth, Inspector

ConwaywasrungupbyDrAndrewFaussett.DrFaussettstatedthatMrAmyasCrale of Alderbury had died suddenly and that in consequence of thecircumstancesofthatdeathandalsoofastatementmadetohimbyaMrBlake,agueststayinginthehouse,heconsideredthatitwasacaseforthepolice.

"Inspector Conway, in company with a sergeant and the police surgeon,cameover toAlderbury straight away.DrFaussettwas there and took him towherethebodyofMrCralehadnotbeendisturbed.

"Mr Crale had been painting in a small enclosed garden, known as theBatteryGarden,fromthefactthatitoverlookedthesea,andhadsomeminiaturecannonplacementsinembattlements.Itwassituatedataboutfourminuteswalkfromthehouse.MrCralehadnotcomeuptothehouseforlunch,ashewantedtogetcertaineffectsoflightonthestone-andthesunwouldhavebeenwrongfor this later. He had therefore remained alone in the Batter Garden painting.Thiswasstatednottobeanunusualoccurrence.MrCraletookverylittlenoticeofmealtime.Sometimesasandwichwouldbesentdowntohim,butmoreoftenhepreferredtoremainundisturbed.

"ThelastpeopletoseehimalivewereMissElsaGreer(stayinginthehouse)andMrMeredithBlake (a near neighbor). These twowent up together to thehouseandwentwith the restof thehousehold in to lunch.After lunch, coffeewas served on the terrace. Mrs Crale finished drinking her coffee and then

observed that shewould 'go down and see howAmyaswas getting on.'MissCeciliaWilliams,governess,gotupandaccompaniedher.Shewaslookingforapull-over belonging to her pupil, Miss Angela Warren, sister of Mrs Crale,whichthelatterhadmislaid,andshethoughtitpossibleitmighthavebeenleftdownonthebeach.

"These two started off together. The path led downward, through somewoodsuntil itemergedat thedoor leadinginto theBatteryGarden.YoucouldeithergointotheBatteryGardenoryoucouldcontinueonthesamepathwhichleddowntotheseashore.

"MissWilliams continued on down, andMrs Crale went into the BatteryGarden. Almost at once, however, Mrs Crale screamed, and Miss Williamshurriedback.MrCralewasrecliningonaseatandhewasdead.

“AtMrsCrale's urgent requestMissWilliams left theBatteryGarden andhurrieduptothehousetotelephoneforadoctor.Onherway,however,shemetMrMeredith Blake and entrusted her errand to him, herself returning toMrsCrale, who she felt might be in need of someone. Dr Faussett arrived on thesceneaquarterofanhourlater.HesawatoncethatMrCralehadbeendeadforsome time - he placed the probable time of death at between one and twoo'clock.Therewasnothingtoshowwhathadcauseddeath.TherewasnosignofanywoundandMrCrale'sattitudewasaperfectlynaturalone.Nevertheless,DrFaussett, who was well acquainted with Mr Crale's state of health, and whoknewpositivelythattherewasnodiseaseorweaknessofanykind,wasinclinedtotakeagraveviewofthesituation.ItwasatthispointthatMrBlakemadeacertainstatementtoDrFaussett.”

InspectorHalepaused,drewadeepbreath,andpassed,asitwere,toChapterTwo:

"SubsequentlyMrBlakerepeatedthisstatementtoInspectorConway.Itwasto this effect: He had that morning received a telephone message from hisbrother,MrMeredithBlake(who livedatHandcrossManor,amileandahalfaway).MrMeredithBlakewasanamateurchemist-orperhapsherbalistwoulddescribeitbest.Onenteringhislaboratorythatmorning,MrMeredithBlakehadbeenstartledtonotethatabottlecontainingadistillationofhemlock,whichhadbeenquitefullthedaybefore,wasnownearlyempty.

"Worried and alarmed by this fact he had rung up his brother to ask hisadviceastowhatheshoulddoaboutit.MrPhilipBlakehadurgedhisbrothertocomeovertoAlderburyatonceandtheywouldtalkthematterover.Hehimselfwalkedpartwaytomeethisbrotherandtheyhadcomeuptothehousetogether.Theyhadcometonodecisionastowhatcoursetoadoptandhadleftthematterinordertoconsultagainafterlunch.

“Asaresultoffurtherinquiries,InspectorConwayascertainedthefollowingfacts:Ontheprecedingafternoon,fivepeoplehadwalkedoverfromAlderburytoteaatHandcrossManor.TherewereMrandMrsCrale,MissAngelaWarren,MissElsaGreer,andMrPhilipBlake.Duringthetimespentthere,MrMeredithBlakehadgivenquiteadissertationonhishobbyandhad taken theparty intohis little laboratoryand shown themaround. In thecourseof this tour,hehadmentionedcertainspecificdrugs-oneofwhichwasconiine,theactiveprincipleof the spottedhemlock.Hehadexplained itsproperties,had lamented the factthat it had now disappeared from the pharmacopoeia and boasted that he hadknownsmalldosesofit tobeveryefficaciousinwhoopingcoughandasthma.Laterhehadmentionedits lethalpropertiesandhadactuallyreadtohisguestssomepassagefromaGreekauthordescribingitseffects.”

Superintendent Hale paused, refilled his pipe and passed on to ChapterThree:

"ColonelFrère,thechiefconstable,putthecaseintomyhands.Theresultoftheautopsyput thematterbeyondanydoubt.Coniine, Iunderstand, leavesnodefinitepost-mortemappearances,butthedoctorsknewwhattolookforandanampleamountofthedrugwasrecovered.Thedoctorwasoftheopinionthatithadbeenadministeredtwoorthreehoursbeforedeath.InfrontofMrCrale,onthetable,therehadbeenanemptyglassandanemptybeerbottle.Thedregsofboth were analyzed. There was no coniine in the bottle, but there was in theglass.Imadeinquiriesandlearnedthat,althoughacaseofbeerandglasseswerekeptinasmallsummerhouseintheBatteryGardenincaseMrCraleshouldfeelthirstywhenpainting,on thisparticularmorningMrsCralehadbroughtdownfromthehouseabottleoffreshlyicedbeer.MrCralewasbusypaintingwhenshearrivedandMissGreerwasposingforhim,sittingononeofthebattlements.

“Mrs Crale opened the beer, poured it out, and put the glass into herhusband's hand as he was standing before the easel. He tossed it off in onedraught-ahabitofhis,Ilearned.Thenhemadeagrimace,setdowntheglassonthetable,andsaid, 'Everythingtastesfoultometoday!'MissGreer,uponthat,laughedandsaid,'Liver!'MrCralesaid,'Well,atanyrateitwascold.'”

Halepaused.“Atwhattimedidthistakeplace?”Poirotasked.“Ataboutaquarterpasteleven.MrCralecontinued topaint.According to

MissGreer,he latercomplainedofstiffness in the limbsandgrumbled thathemusthavegotatouchofrheumatism.Buthewasthetypeofmanwhohatestoadmit to illnessofanykindandheundoubtedly triednot toadmit thathewasfeelingill.Hisirritabledemandthatheshouldbeleftaloneandtheothersgouptolunchwasquitecharacteristicoftheman,Ishouldsay.”

Poirotnodded.Halecontinued.“SoCralewasleftaloneintheBatteryGarden.Nodoubthedroppeddown

ontheseatandrelaxedassoonashewasalone.Muscularparalysiswouldthensetin.Nohelpwasathand,anddeathsupervened.”

AgainPoirotnodded.Halesaid:“Well, I proceeded according to routine. There wasn't much difficulty in

gettingdowntothefacts.Ontheprecedingdaytherehadbeenaset-tobetweenMrs Crale and Miss Greer. The latter had pretty insolently described somechange in the arrangement of the furniture 'when I am living here.'MrsCraletookherupandsaid,'Whatdoyoumean?Whenyouarelivinghere.'MissGreerreplied,'Don'tpretendyoudon'tknowwhatImean,Caroline.You'rejustlikeanostrichthatburiesitsheadinthesand.YouknowperfectlywellthatAmyasandI care for each other and are going to be married.' Mrs Crale said, 'I knownothingofthekind.'MissGreerthensaid,'Well,youknowitnow.'Whereupon,itseems,MrsCraleturnedtoherhusband,whohadjustcomeintotheroom,andsaid,'Isittrue,Amyas,thatyouaregoingtomarryElsa?'”

Poirotsaidwithinterest,“AndwhatdidMrCralesaytothat?”"Apparentlyheturned,onMissGreerandshoutedather,'Whatthedevildo

youmeanbyblurtingthatout?Haven'tyougotthesensetoholdyourtongue?'"MissGreersaid,'IthinkCarolineoughttorecognizethetruth.'"MrsCralesaidtoherhusband,'Isittrue,Amyas?'"He wouldn't look at her, it seems, turned his face away and mumbled

something."She said, 'Speak out. I've got to know.'Whereupon he said, 'Oh, it's true

enough-butIdon'twanttodiscussitnow.'"Thenheflouncedoutoftheroomagain,andMissGreersaid:“'You see!' and went on with something about its being no good forMrs

Craletoadoptadog-in-the-mangerattitudeaboutit.Theymustallbehavelikerational people. She herself hoped that Caroline and Amyas would alwaysremaingoodfriends.”

“AndwhatdidMrsCralesaytothat?”askedPoirotcuriously."According to the witnesses she laughed. She said, 'Over my, dead body,

Elsa.'"Shewenttothedoor,andMissGreercalledafterher,'Whatdoyoumean?'“MrsCrale looked back and said, 'I'll killAmyas before I give him up to

you.'”Halepaused.

“Prettydamning-eh?”“Yes.”Poirotseemedthoughtful.“Whooverheardthisscene?”“MissWilliamswasintheroom,andPhilipBlake.Veryawkwardforthem.”“Theiraccountsofthesceneagree?”“Near enough - you never get twowitnesses to remember a thing exactly

alike.YouknowthataswellasIdo,M.Poirot.”Poirotnodded.Hesaidthoughtfully,“Yes,itwillbeinterestingtosee-”He

stoppedwiththesentenceunfinished.Halewenton:"Iinstitutedasearchofthehouse.InMrs.Crale'sbedroomI

foundinabottomdrawer,tuckedwayunderneathsomewinterstockings,asmallbottlelabeledjasminescent.Itwasempty.Ifingerprintedit.TheonlyprintsonitwerethoseofMrsCrale.Onanalysisitwasfoundtocontainfainttracesofoilofjasmineandastrongsolutionofconiine.

“IcautionedMrsCraleandshowedher thebottle.She replied readily.Shehad, she said, been in a very unhappy state of mind. After listening to MrMeredithBlake'sdescriptionofthedrugshehadslippedbacktothelaboratory,hademptiedoutabottleof jasminescentwhichwasinherbag,andhadfilledthebottleupwithconiinesolution. Iaskedherwhyshehaddone thisandshesaid, 'I don't want to speak of certain thingsmore than I can help, but I hadreceived a had shock. My husband was proposing to leave me for anotherwoman.Ifthatwasso,Ididn'twanttolive.ThatiswhyItookit.'”

Halepaused.Poirotsaid,“Afterall,itislikelyenough.”“Perhaps,M.Poirot.But it doesn't squarewithwhat shewas overheard to

say.And then therewas a further scene on the followingmorning.Mr PhilipBlakeoverheardaportionofit.MissGreeroverheardadifferentportionofit.Ittookplace in the librarybetweenMrandMrsCrale.MrBlakewas in thehalland caught a fragment or two. Miss Greer was sitting outside near the openlibrarywindowandheardagooddealmore.”

“Andwhatdidtheyhear?”“MrBlakeheardMrsCralesay, 'Youandyourwomen.I'dliketokillyou.

SomedayIwillkillyou.'”“Nomentionofsuicide?”“Exactly.None at all.Nowords like 'If youdo this thing, I'll killmyself.'

MissGreer'sevidencewasmuchthesame.Accordingtoher,MrCralesaid,'Dotryandbereasonableaboutthis,Caroline.I'mfondofyouandwillalwayswishyouwell-youandthechild.ButI'mgoingtomarryElsa.We'vealwaysagreedto leave each other free.'Mrs Crale answered to that, 'Verywell, don't, say Ihaven'twarnedyou.'Hesaid,'Whatdoyoumean?'Andshesaid,'ImeanthatI

loveyouandI'mnotgoingtoloseyou.I'dratherkillyouthanletyougotothatgirl.'”

Poirot made a slight gesture. “It occurs to me,” hemurmured, “thatMissGreer was singularly unwise to raise this issue. Mrs Crale could easily haverefusedherhusbandadivorce.”

“We had some evidence bearing on that point,” said Hale. “Mrs Crale, itseems,confidedpartly,inMrMeredithBlake.Hewasanoldandtrustedfriend.HewasverydistressedandmanagedtogetawordwithMrCraleaboutit.This,Imay say,was on the preceding afternoon.MrBlake remonstrated delicatelywithhisfriend,saidhowdistressedhewouldbeifthemarriagebetweenMrandMrsCralewastobreakupsodisastrously.HealsostressedthepointthatMissGreerwasaveryyounggirlandthatitwasaveryseriousthingtodragayounggirlthroughthedivorcecourt.TothisMrCralereplied,withachuckle(calloussortofbrutehemusthavebeen), 'Thatisn'tElsa'sideaatall.Sheisn'tgoingtoappear.Weshallfixitupintheusualway.'”

“Therefore,” Poirot said, “even more imprudent of Miss Greer to havebrokenoutthewayshedid.”

SuperintendentHalesaid,“Oh,youknowwhatwomenare!Have togetatone another's throats. It must have been a difficult situation anyhow. I can'tunderstandMrCraleallowingittohappen.AccordingtoMrMeredithBlakehewantedtofinishhispicture.Doesthatmakesensetoyou?”

“Yes,myfriend,Ithinkitdoes.”“Itdoesn'ttome.Themanwasaskingfortrouble!”“Hewasprobablyseriouslyannoyedwithhisyoungwomanforbreakingout

thewayshedid.”“Oh,hewas.MeredithBlakesaidso. Ifhehad tofinish thepictureIdon't

see why he couldn't have taken some photographs and worked from them. Iknowachap-doeswatercolorsofplaces-hedoesthat.”

Poirot shook his head. “No - I can understand Crale the artist. Youmustrealize, my friend, that at that moment, probably, his picture was all thatmatteredtoCrale.Howevermuchhewantedtomarrythegirl,thepicturecamefirst.That'swhyhehopedtogetthroughhervisitwithoutitscomingtoanopenissue.Thegirl,ofcourse,didn'tseeitthatway.Withwomen,lovealwayscomesfirst.”

“Don'tIknowit,”saidSuperintendentHalewithfeeling.“Men,”continuedPoirot,“andespeciallyartists,aredifferent.”“Art!” said the superintendentwith scorn. “All this talk about art! I never

haveunderstood it and I never shall!You should have seen that pictureCralewaspainting.Alllopsided.He'dmadethegirllookasthoughshehadtoothache

and the battlementswere all cockeyed.Unpleasant-looking, thewhole thing. Icouldn'tgetitoutofmymindforalongtimeafterward.Ievendreamedaboutit.And,what'smore,itaffectedmyeyesight-Ibegantoseebattlementsandwallsandthingsalloutofdrawing.Yes,andwomen,too!”

Poirot smiled. He said, “Although you do not know it, you are paying atributetothegreatnessofAmyasCrale'sart.”

“Nonsense.Whycan'tapainterpaintsomethingniceandcheerfultolookat?Whygooutofyourwaytolookforugliness?”

“Someofus,moncher,seebeautyincuriousplaces.”“Thegirlwasagood-looker,allright,”saidHale.“Lotsofmake-upandnext

tonoclotheson.Itisn'tdecentthewaythesegirlsgoabout.Andthatwassixteenyears ago,mind you.Nowadays onewouldn't think anything of it. But then -well,itshockedme.Trousersandoneofthosesportsshirts,openattheneck-andnotanotherthing,Ishouldsay!”

“Youseemtorememberthesepointsverywell,”murmuredPoirotslyly.SuperintendentHaleblushed.“I'mjustpassingontheimpressionIgot,”he

saidausterely.“Quite-quite,”saidPoirotsoothingly.Hewenton:“Soitwouldseemthat

theprincipalwitnessesagainstMrsCralewerePhilipBlakeandElsaGreer?”“Yes.Vehement, theywere,bothofthem.Butthegovernesswascalledby

theprosecution,too,andwhatshesaidcarriedmoreweightthantheothertwo.ShewasonMrsCrale'ssideentirely,yousee.Upinarmsforher.Butshewasanhonestwomanandgaveherevidencetruthfully,withouttryingtominimizeitinanyway.”

“AndMeredithBlake?”“He was very distressed by the whole thing, poor gentleman. As well he

mightbe!Blamedhimselfforhisdrugbrewing-andthechiefconstableblamedhimfor it, too.Coniine,Iunderstand,wasinScheduleIof thePoisonAct.Hewasafriendofbothparties,andithithimveryhard-besidesbeingthekindofcountrygentlemanwhoshrinksfromnotorietyandbeinginthepubliceye.”

“DidnotMrsCrale'syoungsistergiveevidence?”“No. It wasn't necessary. Shewasn't therewhenMrs Crale threatened her

husband, and there was nothing she could tell us that we couldn't get fromsomeoneelseequallywell.ShesawMrsCralegototherefrigeratorandgettheicedbeeroutand,ofcourse,thedefensecouldhavesubpoenaedhertosaythatMrsCraletookitstraightdownwithouttamperingwithitinanyway.Butthatpointwasn'trelevantbecauseweneverclaimedthattheconiinewasinthebeerbottle.”

“Howdidshemanagetoputitintheglasswiththosetwolookingon?”

“Well, first of all, they weren't looking on. That is to say,Mr Crale waspainting - looking at his canvas and at the sitter.AndMissGreerwas posed,sitting with her back almost to where Mrs Crale was standing and her eyeslookingoverMrCrale'sshoulder.”

Poirotnodded.“AsIsay,neitherofthetwowaslookingatMrsCrale.Shehadthestuffin

oneofthosepipettethings-oneusedtofillfountainpenswiththem.Wefounditcrushedtosplintersonthepathuptothehouse.”

“Youhaveananswertoeverything,”Poirotmurmured.“Well,come,now,M.Poirot!Withoutprejudice.She threatens tokillhim.

She takes thestuff fromthe laboratory.Theemptybottle is found inher roomandnobodyhashandleditbuther.Shedeliberatelytakesdownicedbeertohim-afunnything,anyway,whenyourealizethattheyweren'tonspeakingterms-”

“Averycuriousthing.Ihadalreadyremarkedonit.”“Yes. Bit of a giveaway. Why was she so amiable all of a sudden? He

complainsofthetasteofthestuff-andconiinehasanastytaste.Shearrangestofindthebodyandsendstheotherwomanofftotelephone.Why?Sothatshecanwipethatbottleandglassandthenpresshisfingersonit.Afterthatshecanpipeupandsaythatitwasremorseandthathecommittedsuicide.Alikelystory.”

“Itwascertainlynotverywellimagined.”“No.Ifyouaskme,shedidn'ttakethetroubletothink.Shewassoeatenup

withhateandjealousy.Allshethoughtofwasdoinghimin.Andthen,whenitsover, when she sees him there dead - well, then, I should say, she suddenlycomestoherselfandrealizes thatwhatshe'sdoneismurder-andthatyougethangedformurder.Anddesperatelyshegoesbald-headedfortheonlythingshecanthinkof-whichissuicide.”

Poirotsaid,“Itisverysoundwhatyousaythere-yes.Hermindmightworkthatway.”

“In a way it was a premeditated crime and in a way it wasn't,” saidSuperintendentHale. “Idon't believe she really thought it out, youknow. Justwentonwithitblindly.”

Poirotmurmured,“Iwonder...”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter3

HalelookedatPoirotcuriously.“HaveIconvincedyouthatitwasastraightforwardcase?”hesaid.“Almost.Notquite.Thereareoneortwopeculiarpoints.”“Canyousuggestanalternativesolutionthatwillholdwater?”Poirot said, “What were the movements of the other people on that

morning?”“We went into them, I can assure you. We checked up on everybody.

Nobodyhadwhatyoucouldcallanalibi-youcan'thavewithpoisoning.Why,there's nothing to prevent awould-bemurderer fromhanding his victim somepoisoninacapsulethedaybefore,tellinghimit'saspecificcureforindigestionandhemusttakeitjustbeforelunch-andthengoingawaytotheotherendofEngland.”

“Butyoudon'tthinkthathappenedinthiscase?”"MrCraledidn'tsufferfromindigestion.AndinanycaseIcan'tseethatkind

ofthinghappening.It'struethatMrMeredithBlakewasgiventorecommendingquacknostrumsofhisownconcocting, but I don't seeMrCrale trying anyofthem.Andifhedidhe'dprobablytalkandjokeaboutit.Besides,whyshouldMrMeredithBlakewanttokillMrCrale?Everythinggoestoshowthathewasonverygoodtermswithhim.Theyallwere.

“MrPhilipBlakewashisbestfriend.MissGreerwasinlovewithhim.MissWilliams disapproved of him, I imagine, very strongly - but moraldisapprobationdoesn'tleadtopoisoning.LittleMissWarrenscrappedwithhimalot,shewasatatiresomeage-justofftoschool,Ibelieve-buthewasquitefond of her and she of him. She was treated, you know, with particulartendernessandconsiderationinthathouse.Youmayhaveheardwhy.Shewasbadlyinjuredwhenshewasachild-injuredbyMrsCraleinakindofmaniacalfitof rage.That rather shows -doesn't it? - that shewasaprettyuncontrolledsortofperson.Togoforachild-andmaimherforlife!”

“Itmightshow,”saidPoirot,“thatAngelaWarrenhadgoodreasontobearagrudgeagainstCarolineCrale.”

“Perhaps, but not against Amyas Crale. And, anyway, Mrs Crale wasdevoted toheryoungsister -gaveherahomewhenherparentsdiedand,as Isay, treatedherwithspecialaffection-spoiledherbadly,sotheysay.Thegirlwas obviously very fond ofMrsCrale. Shewas kept away from the trial andshelteredfromitallasfaraspossible-MrsCralewasveryinsistentaboutthat,I

believe.Butthechildwasterriblyupsetandlongedtobetakentoseehersisterinprison.CarolineCralewouldn'tagree.Shesaidthatsortofthingmightinjureagirl'smentalityforlife.Shearrangedforhertogotoschoolabroad.”

He added, “Miss Warren turned out to be a very distinguished woman.Traveler toweird places.Lectures at theRoyalGeographical - all that sort ofthing.”

“Andnooneremembersthetrial?”“Well,it'sadifferentnameforonething.Theyhadn'teventhesamemaiden

name. They had the samemother but different fathers.MrsCrale's namewasSpalding.”

“ThisMissWilliams,wasshethechild'sgovernessorAngelaWarren's?”“Angela's.Therewas a nurse for the child, but she used to do a few little

lessonswithMissWilliamseveryday,Ibelieve.”“Wherewasthechildatthetime?”“She'd gone with the nurse to pay a visit to her godmother. A Lady

Tressillian. A widow lady who'd lost her own two little girls and who wasdevotedtothiskid.”

Poirotnodded.“Isee.”Halecontinued."Astothemovementsoftheotherpeopleonthedayofthe

murder, I cangive them toyou.MissGreer saton the terracenear the librarywindowafterbreakfast.There,asIsay,sheoverheardthequarrelbetweenCraleandhiswife.AfterthatsheaccompaniedCraledowntotheBatteryandsatforhimuntillunchtime,withacoupleofbreakstoeasehermuscles.

“Philip Blake was in the house after breakfast and overheard part of thequarrel.AfterCraleandMissGreerwentoff,hereadthepaperuntilhisbrothertelephonedhim.Thereupon,hewentdowntotheshoretomeethisbrother.TheywalkedtogetherupthepathagainpasttheBatteryGarden.MissGreerhadjustgoneuptothehousetofetchapull-over,asshefeltchilly,andMrsCralewaswithherhusbanddiscussingarrangementsforAngela'sdeparturetoschool.”

“Ah,anamicableinterview,”saidPoirot.“Well, no, not amicable. Crale was fairly shouting at her, I understand.

Annoyedatbeingbotheredwithdomesticdetails. I suppose shewanted togetthingsstraightenedupiftherewasgoingtobeabreak.”

Poirotnodded.Halewenton.“ThetwobrothersexchangedafewwordswithAmyasCrale.

ThenMissGreerreappearedandtookupherposition,andCralepickeduphisbrushagain,obviouslywantingtogetridofthem.Theytookthehintandwentuptothehouse.ItwaswhentheywereattheBattery,bytheway,thatAmyasCralecomplainedthatallthebeerdowntherewashot,andhiswifepromisedto

sendhimdownsomeicedbeer.”“Aha!”"Exactly-aha!Sweetassugarshewasaboutit.Theywentuptothehouse

andsatontheterraceoutside.MrsCraleandAngelaWarrenbroughtthembeeroutthere.

"Later,AngelaWarrenwentdowntobatheandPhilipBlakewentwithher."MeredithBlakewentdowntoaclearingwithaseatjustabovetheBattery

Garden.HecouldjustseeMissGreerassheposedonthebattlements,andcouldhear her voice and Crale's as they talked. He sat there and thought over theconiinebusiness.Hewasstillveryworriedaboutitanddidn'tknowquitewhattodo.ElsaGreersawhimandwavedherhandtohim.Whenthebellwentforlunch he came down to the battery, and Elsa Greer and he went back to thehousetogether.HenoticedthenthatCralewaslooking,asheputit,veryqueer,buthedidn't really thinkanythingof itat the time.Cralewas thekindofmanwhoisneverill-andsoonedidn'timaginehewouldbe.Ontheotherhand,hedidhavemoodsof furyanddespondencyaccordingas towhetherhispaintingwasnotgoingashelikedit.Onthoseoccasionsonelefthimaloneandsaidaslittleaspossibletohim.That'swhatthesetwodidonthisoccasion.

“Astotheothers,theservantswerebusywithhouseworkandcookinglunch.Miss Williams was in the schoolroom part of the morning, correcting someexercise books. Afterward, she took some household mending to the terrace.AngelaWarrenspentmostofthemorningwanderingaboutthegarden,climbingtreesandeatingthings-youknowwhatagirloffifteenis-plums,sourapples,hardpears,etc.Afterthatshecamebacktothehouseand,asIsay,wentdownwithPhilipBlaketothebeachandhadaswimbeforelunch.”

SuperintendentHalepaused.“Now,then,”hesaidbelligerently,“doyoufindanythingphonyaboutthat?”

“Nothingatall,”Poirotsaid.“Well,then!”Thetwowordsexpressedvolumes.“Butallthesame,”saidHerculePoirot,“Iamgoingtosatisfymyself.I-”“Whatareyougoingtodo?”“Iamgoingtovisitthesefivepeople-andfromeachoneIamgoingtoget

hisorherownstory.”SuperintendentHalesighedwithadeepmelancholy.Hesaid,“Man,you're

nuts!Noneof their storiesaregoing toagree.Don'tyougrasp thatelementaryfact?Notwopeoplerememberathinginthesameorderanyway.Andafterallthistime!Why,you'llhearfiveaccountsoffiveseparatemurders!”

“That,”saidPoirot,“iswhatIamcountingupon.Itwillbeveryinstructive.”

PhilipBlakewasrecognizablylikethedescriptiongivenofhimbyDepleach-aprosperous,shrewd,jovial-lookingman-slightlyrunningtofat.

Hercule Poirot had timed his appointment for half past six on a Saturdayafternoon.PhilipBlakehadjustfinishedhiseighteenholes,andhehadbeenonhisgame-winningafiverfromhisopponent.Hewasinthemoodtobefriendlyandexpansive.

HerculePoirotexplainedhimselfandhiserrand.Onthisoccasionatleast,heshowednounduepassionforunsulliedtruth.Itwasaquestion,Blakegathered,ofaseriesofbooksdealingwithfamouscrimes.

PhilipBlakefrowned.Hesaid,“Whyrakeupthesethings?”HerculePoirotshruggedhisshoulders.Hewasathismostforeigntoday.He

wasouttobedespisedbutpatronized.“Itisthepublic,”hemurmured.“Theyeatitup-yes,eatitup.”

“Ghouls,” saidPhilipBlake.But he said it good-humoredly - notwith thefastidiousnessandthedistastethatamoresensitivemanmighthavedisplayed.

HerculePoirotsaidwithashrugoftheshoulders,“Itishumannature.YouandI,MrBlake,whoknowtheworld,havenoillusionsaboutourfellowhumanbeings.Notbadpeople,mostofthem,butcertainlynottobeidealized.”

Blakesaidheartily,“I'vepartedwithmyillusionslongago.”“Instead,youtellaverygoodstory,soIhavebeentold.”PhilipBlake'seyestwinkled.“Heardthisone?”Poirot'slaughcameattherightplace.Itwasnotanedifyingstory,butitwas

funny.PhilipBlakelaybackinhischair,hismusclesrelaxed,hiseyescreasedwith

good humor. Hercule Poirot thought suddenly that he looked rather like acontentedpig.Apig.Thislittlepigwenttomarket...

Whatwashelike,thisman,thisPhilipBlakeAman,itwouldseem,withoutcares. Prosperous, contented. No remorseful thoughts, no uneasy twinges ofconscience from thepast, nohauntingmemorieshere.No, awell-fedpigwhohadgonetomarket-andfetchedthefullprice...

Butonce,perhaps,therehadbeenmoretoPhilipBlake.Hemusthavebeen,when young, a handsomeman. Eyes always a shade too small, a fraction tooneartogether,perhaps-butotherwiseawell-made,well-set-upyoungman.Howoldwashenow?Ataguessbetweenfiftyandsixty.Nearingforty,then,atthetimeofCrale'sdeath.Lessstultified, then, lesssunkinthegratificationsof theminute.Askingmoreoflife,perhaps,andreceivingless...

Poirotmurmuredasamerecatchphrase,“Youcomprehendmyposition.”“No, really, you know, I'm hanged if I do.” The stockbroker sat upright

again;hisglancewasoncemoreshrewd.“Whyyou?You'renotawriter.”

“Notprecisely-no.ActuallyIamadetective.”ThemodestyofthisremarkhadprobablynotbeenequaledbeforeinPoirot's

conversation.“Ofcourseyouare.Weallknowthat.ThefamousHerculePoirot!”Buthistoneheldasubtlymockingnote.Intrinsically,PhilipBlakewastoo

muchofanEnglishmantotakethepretensionsofaforeignerseriously.Tohiscronies hewould have said, “Quaint littlemountebank.Oh,well, I expect hisstuffgoesdownwiththewomen,allright.”

And although that derisive, patronizing attitudewas exactly the onewhichHerculePoirothadaimedatinducing,neverthelesshefoundhimselfannoyedbyit.

Thisman,thissuccessfulmanofaffairs,wasunimpressedbyHerculePoirot!Itwasascandal.

“Iamgratified,”saidPoirotuntruly,“that Iamsowellknown toyou.Mysuccess,letmetellyou,hasbeenfoundedonthepsychology-theeternalwhyofhumanbehavior.That,M.Blake, iswhat interests theworld incrime today. Itusedtoberomance.Famouscrimeswereretoldfromoneangleonly-thelovestory connected with them. Nowadays it is very different. People read withinterest that Dr Crippen murdered his wife because she was a big, bouncingwoman and he was little and insignificant and therefore she made him feelinferior.Theyreadofsomefamouswomancriminalthatshekilledbecauseshe'dbeensnubbedbyherfatherwhenshewasthreeyearsold.Itis,asIsay,thewhyofcrimethatinterestsnowadays.”

PhilipBlakesaid,withaslightyawn,“Thewhyofmostcrimes isobviousenough,Ishouldsay.Usuallymoney.”

“Ah,but,mydearsir,”Poirotcried,“thewhymustneverbeobvious.Thatisthewholepoint!”

“Andthat'swhereyoucomein?”“Andthat,asyousay,iswhereIcomein!Itisproposedtorewritethestories

ofcertainbygonecrimes-fromthepsychologicalangle.Psychologyincrime,itismyspecialty.Ihaveacceptedthecommission.”

PhilipBlakegrinned.“Prettylucrative,Isuppose?”“Ihopeso;Icertainlyhopeso.”“Congratulations.Now,perhaps,you'lltellmewhereIcomein?”“Mostcertainly.TheCralecase,monsieur.”PhilipBlakedidnotlookstartled.Buthelookedthoughtful.Hesaid,“Yes,

ofcourse,theCralecase...”HerculePoirotsaidanxiously,“Itisnotdispleasingtoyou,MrBlake?”“Oh,astothat.”PhilipBlakeshruggedhisshoulders.“It'snouseresentinga

thingthatyou'venopowertostop.ThetrialofCarolineCraleispublicproperty.Anyonecangoaheadandwriteitup.It'snousemyobjecting.Inaway-Idon'tmindtellingyou-Idodislikeitagooddeal.AmyasCralewasoneofmybestfriends. I'm sorry thewhole unsavory business has to be raked up again. Butthesethingshappen.”

“Youareaphilosopher,MrBlake.”“No,no.Ijustknowenoughnottostartkickingagainstthepricks.Idaresay,

you'lldoitlessoffensivelythanmanyothers.”“Ihope,atleast,towritewithdelicacyandgoodtaste,”saidPoirot.PhilipBlake gave a loudguffawbutwithout any real amusement. “Makes

mechuckletohearyousaythat.”“I assure you,Mr Blake, I am really interested. It is not just a matter of

moneywithme.Igenuinelywanttorecreatethepast-tofeelandseetheeventsthat took place, to see behind the obvious and to visualize the thoughts andfeelingsoftheactorsinthedrama.”

“Idon'tknowthat therewasmuchsubtletyabout it,”PhilipBlakesaid.“Itwasaprettyobviousbusiness.Crudefemalejealousy,thatwasalltherewastoit.”

“It would interest me enormously, Mr Blake, if I could have your ownreactionstotheaffair.”

PhilipBlakesaidwithsuddenheat,hisfacedeepeningincolor,“Reactions!Reactions!Don'tspeaksopedantically. Ididn't juststand thereandreact!Youdon'tseemtounderstandthatmyfriend-myfriend,Itellyou-hadbeenkilled-poisoned!AndthatifI'dactedquickerIcouldhavesavedhim.”

“Howdoyoumakethatout,MrBlake?”“Likethis.Itakeitthatyou'vealreadyreadupthefactsofthecase?”Poirot

nodded. “Verywell.Nowon thatmorningmybrotherMeredithcalledmeup.Hewasinaprettygoodstew.Oneofhishellbrewswasmissing,anditwasafairlydeadlyhellbrew.WhatdidIdo?Itoldhimtocomealongandwe'dtalkitover.Decidewhatwasbesttobedone.'Decidewhatwasbest.'Itbeatsmenowhow I couldhavebeen suchahesitating fool! Iought tohavegone toAmyasstraightawayandwarnedhim.Iought tohavesaid, 'Caroline'spinchedoneofMeredith'spatentpoisons,andyouandElsahadbetterlookoutforyourselves.'”

Blakegotup.Hestrodeupanddowninhisexcitement.“DoyousupposeIhaven'tgoneover it inmymindagainagain?Iknew.I

had the chance to save him and I dallied about - waiting forMeredith!Whyhadn't I the sense to realize thatCarolinewasn't going to have any qualms orhesitancies? She'd taken that stuff to use - and she'd use it at the very firstopportunity. She wouldn't wait till Meredith discovered his loss. I knew - of

courseIknewthatAmyaswasindeadlydangerandIdidnothing!”“Ithinkyoureproachyourselfunduly,monsieur.Youhadnotmuchtime-”Theotherinterruptedhim.“Time? I had plenty of time. Any amount of courses were open to me. I

couldhavegonetoAmyas,asIsay;buttherewasthechance,ofcourse,thathewouldn'tbelieveme.Amyaswasn't thesortofmanwho'dbelieveeasily inhisown danger. He'd have scoffed at the notion. And he never thoroughlyunderstoodthesortofdevilCarolinewas.ButIcouldhavegonetoher.Icouldhavesaid,'Iknowwhatyou'reupto.Iknowwhatyou'replanningtodo.ButifAmyasorElsadiesofconiinepoisoning,you'llbehangedbyyourneck!'Thatwould have stopped her. Or Imight have rung up the police. Oh, there werethings that could have beendone - and, instead, I letmyself be influencedbyMeredith'sslow,cautiousmethods!'Wemustbesure-talkitover-makequitecertainwhocouldhavetakenit...'Oldfool-nevermadeaquickdecisioninhislife!Agoodthingforhimhewastheeldestsonandhasanestatetoliveon.Ifhe'devertriedtomakemoneyhe'dhavelosteverypennyhehad.”

“Youhadnodoubtyourselfwhohadtakenthepoison?”Poirotasked.“Ofcoursenot.IknewatonceitmustbeCaroline.Yousee,IknewCaroline

verywell.”“Thatisveryinteresting,”Poirotsaid.“Iwanttoknow,MrBlake,whatkind

ofawomanCarolineCralewas.”Philip Blake said sharply, “She wasn't the injured that innocent people

thoughtshewasatthetimeofthetrial!”“Whatwasshe,then?”Blakesatdownagain.Hesaidseriously,“Wouldyoureallyliketoknow?”“Iwouldliketoknowverymuchindeed.”"Carolinewasarotter.Shewasarotterthroughandthrough.Mindyou,she

had charm. She had that kind of sweetness of manner that deceives peopleutterly.Shehadafrail,helplesslookaboutherthatappealedtopeople'schivalry.Sometimes,when I've readabitofhistory, I thinkMaryQueenofScotsmusthave been a bit like her. Always sweet and unfortunate and magnetic - andactuallyacold,calculatingwoman,aschemingwomanwhoplannedthemurderof Darnley and got away with it. Caroline was like that - a cold, calculatingplanner.Andshe,hadawickedtemper.

“Idon'tknowwhetherthey'vetoldyou-itisn'tavitalpointofthetrial,butitshowsherup-whatshedidtoherbabysister?Shewasjealous,youknow.Hermotherhadmarriedagain,andallthenoticeandaffectionwenttolittleAngela.Caroline couldn't stand that. She tried to kill the baby - smash its head in.Luckilytheblowwasn'tfatal.Butitwasaprettyghastlythingtodo.”

“Yes,indeed!”“Well,thatwastherealCaroline.Shehadtobefirst.Thatwasthethingshe

simplycouldnotstand-notbeingfirst.Andtherewasacold,egotisticaldevilinherthatwascapableofbeingstirredtomurderouslengths.”

Hepaused.“You'llsaythatI'mbitter-thatI'mundulyprejudicedagainstCaroline.She

hadcharm- I've felt it.But Iknew- Ialwaysknew- the realwomanbehind.And that woman, M. Poirot, was evil. She was cruel and malignant and agrabber!”

“AndyetithasbeentoldmethatMrsCraleputupwithmanyhardthingsinhermarriedlife.”

"Yes,anddidn'tsheleteverybodyknowaboutit?Alwaysthemartyr!PooroldAmyas.Hismarriedlifewasonelonghell-orratheritwouldhavebeenifithadn'tbeenforhisexceptionalquality.Hisart,yousee-healwayshadthat.Itwasanescape.Whenhewaspaintinghedidn'tcare;heshookoffCarolineandher nagging and all the ceaseless rows and quarrels. They were endless, youknow.Notaweekpassedwithoutathunderingrowoveronethingoranother.

“Sheenjoyedit.Havingrowsstimulatedher,Ibelieve.Itwasanoutlet.Shecouldsayallthehard,bitter,stingingthingsshewantedtosay.She'dpositivelypurrafteroneofthoseset-tos-goofflookingassleekandwell-fedasacat.Butit tookitoutofhim.Hewantedpeace,rest,aquiet life.Ofcourse,amanlikethat ought never tomarry; he isn't cut out for domesticity. Aman like Craleshouldhaveaffairsbutnobindingties.They'reboundtochafehim.”

“Heconfidedinyou?”“Well -heknew that Iwasaprettydevotedpal.He letme see things.He

didn't complain. He wasn't that kind of man. Sometimes he'd say, 'Damn allwomen.' Or he'd say, 'Never getmarried, old boy.Wait for hell till after thislife.'”

“YouknewabouthisattachmenttoMissGreer?”“Oh,yes-atleastIsawitcomingon.Hetoldmehe'dmetamarvelousgirl.

Shewasdifferent,hesaid, fromanythingoranyonehe'devermetbefore.Notthat I paidmuch attention to that.Amyaswas alwaysmeeting onewoman orother who was 'different.' Usually, a month later, he'd stare at you if youmentioned them,andwonderwhoyouwere talkingabout!But thisElsaGreerreally was different. I realized that when I came down to Alderbury to stay.She'dgothim,youknow-hookedhimgoodandproper.Thepoormuttfairlyateoutofherhand.”

“YoudidnotlikeElsaGreereither?”“No, I didn't like her. She was definitely a predatory creature. She, too,

wanted toownCralebody and soul.But I think, all the same, that she'dhavebeen better for him than Caroline. Shemight conceivably have let him aloneonceshewassureofhim.Orshemighthavegottiredofhimandmovedontosomeone else. The best thing forAmyaswould have been to be quite free offemaleentanglements.”

“Butthat,itwouldseem,wasnottohistaste.”PhilipBlakesaidwithasigh,“Thefoolwasalwaysgettinghimselfinvolved

withsomewomanorother.Andyet,inaway,womenreallymeantverylittletohim.TheonlytwowomenwhoreallymadeanyimpressiononhimatallinhislifewereCarolineandElsa.”

“Washefondofthechild?”Poirotasked.“Angela?Oh,we all likedAngela. Shewas such a sport. Shewas always

game for anything.What a life she led thatwretched governess of hers!Yes,AmyaslikedAngelaallright;butsometimesshewenttoofar,andthenheusedtogetreallymadwithher,andthenCarolinewouldstepin-CarowasalwaysonAngela's side and thatwould finishAmyas altogether.He hated itwhenCarosidedwithAngelaagainsthim.Therewasabitofjealousyallround,youknow.Amyas was jealous of the way Caro always put Angela first and would doanything for her. And Angela was jealous of Amyas and rebelled against hisoverbearingways.”

Hepaused.“Intheinterestsoftruth,MrBlake,”Poirotsaid,“Iamgoingtoaskyouto

dosomething.”“Whatisit?”“I am going to beg that you will write me out an exact account of what

happenedon thosedaysatAlderbury.That is tosay, Iamgoing toaskyou towritemeoutafullaccountofthemurderanditsattendantcircumstances.”

“But,mydearfellow,afterallthistime?Ishouldbehopelesslyinaccurate.”“Notnecessarily.”“Surely.”“No,MrBlake; forone thing,with thepassageof time, themind retainsa

holdonessentialsandrejectssuperficialmatters.”“Oh,youmeanamerebroadoutline?”“Not at all. I mean a detailed, conscientious account of each event as it

occurredandeveryconversationyoucanremember.”“AndsupposingIrememberthemwrong?”“You can give thewording at least to the best of your recollection. There

maybegaps,butthatcannotbehelped.”Blake looked at him curiously. “Butwhat's the idea?The police fileswill

giveyouthewholethingfarmoreaccurately.”“No,MrBlake.Wearespeakingnowfromthepsychologicalpointofview.I

do not want bare facts. I want your own selection of facts. Time and yourmemory are responsible for that selection. Theremay have been things done,wordsspoken,thatIshouldseekforinvaininthepolicefiles.Thingsandwordsthat you never mentioned because, maybe, you judged them irrelevant, orbecauseyoupreferrednottorepeatthem.”

Blakesaidsharply,“Isthisaccountofmineforpublication?”“Certainly not. It is for my eye only. To assist me to draw my own

deductions.”“Andyouwon'tquotefromitwithoutmyconsent?”“Certainlynot.”“H'm,”saidPhilipBlake.“I'maverybusyman,M.Poirot.”“Iappreciatethattherewillbetimeandtroubleinvolved.Ishouldbehappy

toagreetoa-reasonablefee.”Therewasamoment'spause.ThenPhilipBlakesaidsuddenly,“No,ifIdoit

I'lldoitfornothing.”“Andyouwilldoit?”PhilipBlakesaidwarningly,“Remember, Ican'tvouchfor theaccuracyof

mymemory.”“Thatisperfectlyunderstood.”“ThenIthink,”saidPhilipBlake,“thatIshouldliketodoit.IfeelIoweit-

inaway-toAmyasCrale.”HerculePoirotwasnotamantoneglectdetails.His advance toward Meredith Blake was carefully thought out. Meredith

Blakewas,healreadyfeltsure,averydifferentpropositionfromPhilipBlake.Rushtacticswouldnotsucceedhere.Theassaultmustbeleisurely.

HerculePoirotknewthattherewasonlyonewaytopenetratethestronghold.HemustapproachMeredithBlakewiththepropercredentials.Thosecredentialsmustbesocial,notprofessional.Fortunately,inthecourseofhiscareer,HerculePoirothadmadefriendsinmanycounties.Devonshirewasnoexception.HesatdowntoreviewwhatresourceshehadinDevonshire.Asaresulthediscoveredtwo people who were acquaintances or friends of Mr Meredith Blake. Hedescendeduponhim, therefore, armedwith two letters - one fromLadyMaryLytton-Gore, a gentle widow lady of restricted means, the most retiring ofcreatures;andtheotherfromaretiredadmiral,whosefamilyhadbeensettledinthecountyforfourgenerations.

MeredithBlakereceivedPoirotinastateofsomeperplexity.Ashehadoftenfeltlately,thingswerenotwhattheyusedtobe.Dashitall,

private detectives used to be private detectives - fellows you got to guardwedding presents at country receptions, fellows you went to, rathershamefacedly,whentherewassomedirtybusinessafootandyouhadtogetthehangofit.

ButherewasLadyMaryLytton-Gorewriting:“HerculePoirotisaveryoldandvaluedfriendofmine.Pleasedoallyoucantohelphim,won'tyou?”AndMary Lytton-Gorewasn't - no, decidedly shewasn't - the sort ofwoman youassociate with private detectives and all that they stand for. And AdmiralCronshawwrote: “Verygood chap - absolutely sound.Grateful if youwill dowhat you can for him. Most entertaining fellow - can tell you lots of goodstories.”

Andnowherewas themanhimself.Reallyamost impossibleperson- thewrongclothes,buttonboots,anincrediblemustache!Nothis,MeredithBlake's,kindof fellowat all.Didn't lookas thoughhe'd everhuntedor shot - or evenplayedadecentgame.Aforeigner.

Slightly amused, Hercule Poirot read accurately these thoughts passingthroughtheother'shead.Hehadfelthisowninterestrisingconsiderablyasthetrainbroughthim into thewestcountry.Hewouldseenow,withhiseyes, theactualplacewheretheselong-pasteventshappened.

Itwashere,atHandcrossManor,thattwoyoungbrothershadlivedandgoneover to Alderbury and joked and played tennis and fraternized with a youngAmyas Crale and a girl called Caroline. It was from here that Meredith hadstartedouttoAlderburyonthatfatalmorning.Thathadbeensixteenyearsago.HerculePoirot lookedwith interest at themanwhowas confrontinghimwithsomewhatuneasypoliteness.

Verymuchwhat he had expected.MeredithBlake resembled superficiallyeveryotherEnglishcountrygentlemanofstraitenedmeansandoutdoortastes.

A shabby old coat of tweed, aweather-beaten, pleasant,middle-aged facewith somewhat faded blue eyes, rather aweakmouth, half hidden by a ratherstragglymustache.Poirot foundMeredithBlakeagreatcontrast tohisbrother.He had a hesitatingmanner; hismental processeswere obviously leisurely. Itwas as though his tempo had slowed downwith the years just as his brotherPhilip'shadbeenaccelerated.

AsPoirothadalreadyguessed,hewasamanwhomyoucouldnothurry.TheleisurelylifeoftheEnglishcountrysidewasinhisbones.

Helooked,thedetectivethought,agooddealolderthanhisbrother,though,fromwhatMr Johnathan had said, it would seem that only a couple of yearsseparatedthem.

HerculePoirotpridedhimselfonknowinghowtohandlean“old-schooltie.”

It was nomoment for trying to seem English. No, onemust be a foreigner -frankly a foreigner - and bemagnanimously forgiven for the fact. “Of coursetheseforeignersdon'tquiteknowtheropes.Willshakehandsatbreakfast.Still,adecentfellowreally...”

Poirot set about creating this impression of himself. The twomen talked,cautiously,ofLadyMaryLytton-GoreandofAdmiralCronshaw.Othernameswere mentioned. Fortunately, Poirot knew someone's cousin and had metsomebody else's sister-in-law.He could see a kind ofwarmth dawning in thesquire'seyes.Thefellowseemedtoknowtherightpeople.

Gracefully,insidiously,Poirotslidintothepurposeofhisvisit.Hewasquicktocounteracttheinevitablerecoil.Thisbookwas,alas,goingtobewritten.MissCrale - Miss Lemarchant, as she was now called - was anxious for him toexercise a judicious editorship.The facts, unfortunately,were public property.Butmuchcouldbedoneintheirpresentationtoavoidwoundingsusceptibilities.Poirotmurmuredthatbeforenowhehadbeenable tousediscreet influencetoavoidcertainsensationalpassagesinabookofmemoirs.

MeredithBlakeflushedangrily.Hishandshookalittleashefilledapipe.Hesaid,aslightstammerinhisvoice,“It's-it'sg-ghoulishthewaytheydigthesethingsup.S-Sixteenyearsago.Whycan'ttheyletitbe?”

Poirot shruggedhis shoulders. “I agreewith you,” he said. “Butwhatwillyou?Thereisademandforsuchthings.Andanyoneisatlibertytoreconstructaprovedcrimeandtocommentonit.”

“Seemsdisgracefultome.”Poirot murmured, “Alas, we do not live in a delicate age. You would be

surprised,MrBlake,ifyouknewtheunpleasantpublicationsIhavesucceededin- shall we say - softening? I am anxious to do all I can to saveMiss Crale'sfeelinginthematter.”

Blake murmured, “Little Carla! That child! A grownup woman. One canhardlybelieveit.”

“Iknow.Timefliesswiftly,doesitnot?”MeredithBlakesighed.Hesaid,“Tooquickly.”Poirot said, “As youwill have seen in the letter I handed you fromMiss

Crale,she isveryanxious toknoweverythingpossibleabout thesadeventsofthepast.”

“Why?” Meredith Blake said with a touch of irritation. “Why rake upeverythingagain?Howmuchbettertoletitallbeforgotten.”

“Yousaythat,MrBlake,becauseyouknowallthepasttoowell.MissCrale,remember,knowsnothing.That is tosay, sheknowsonly thestoryasshehaslearneditfromofficialaccounts.”

Meredith Blake winced. He said, “Yes, I forgot. Poor child! What adetestable position for her. The shock of learning the truth. And then - thosesoulless,callousreportsofthetrial.”

“The truth,” said Hercule Poirot, “can never be done justice to in a merelegalrecital.Itisthethingsthatareleftoutthatarethethingsthatmatter.Theemotions,thefeelings,thecharactersoftheactorsinthedrama,theextenuatingcircumstances-”

Hepaused,andtheothermanspokeeagerly,likeanactorwhohadreceivedhiscue.

“Extenuating circumstances! That's just it. If ever there were extenuatingcircumstances, there were in this case. Amyas Crale was an old friend - hisfamilyandminehadbeenfriendsforgenerations,butonehastoadmitthathisconductwas, frankly,outrageous.Hewasanartist, of course, andpresumablythatexplainsit.Butthereitis-heallowedamostextraordinarysetofaffairstoarise. The position was one that no ordinary decent man could havecontemplatedforamoment.”

HerculePoirotsaid,“Iaminterestedthatyoushouldsaythat.Ithadpuzzledme-thatsituation.Notsodoesawell-bredman,amanoftheworld,goabouthisaffairs.”

Blake'sthin,hesitatingfacehadlitupwithanimation.Hesaid:"Yes,butthewholepointisthatAmyasneverwasanordinaryman!Hewas

apainter,yousee,andwithhimpaintingcamefirst - really,sometimes, in themostextraordinaryway!Idon'tunderstandtheseso-calledartisticpeoplemyself-neverhave.IunderstoodCralealittlebecause,ofcourse,I'dknownhimallmylife.Hispeoplewerethesamesortasmypeople.AndinmanywaysCralerantruetotype-itwasonlywhereartcameinthathedidn'tconformtotheusualstandards.Hewasn't,yousee,anamateurinanyway.Hewasfirstclass-reallyfirstclass.

“Somepeoplesayhewasagenius.Theymayberight.But,asa result,hewas always what I should describe as unbalanced. When he was painting apicture,nothingelsemattered,nothingcouldbeallowed toget in theway.Hewaslikeamaninadream-completelyobsessedbywhathewasdoing.Nottillthecanvaswasfinisheddidhecomeoutofthisabsorptionandstarttopickupthethreadsofordinarylifeagain.”

HelookedquestioninglyatPoirotandthelatternodded.“You understand, I see. Well, that explains, I think, why this particular

situationarose.Hewas in lovewith thisgirl.Hewantedtomarryher.Hewaspreparedtoleavehiswifeandchildforher.Buthe'dstartedpaintingherdownhere, and he wanted to finish that picture. Nothing else mattered to him. He

didn't see anything else. And the fact that the situation was a perfectlyimpossible one for the twowomen concerned didn't seem to have occurred tohim.”

“Dideitherofthemunderstandhispointofview?”“Oh, yes - in away. Elsa did, I suppose. Shewas terrifically enthusiastic

abouthispainting.Butitwasadifficultpositionforher-naturally.AndasforCaroline-”

Hestopped.Poirotsaid,“ForCaroline-yes?”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter4

Meredith Blake said, speaking with a little difficulty, “Caroline - I hadalways-well,IhadalwaysbeenveryfondofCaroline.Therewasatimewhen-when I hoped to marry her. But that was soon nipped in the bud. Still, Iremained,ifImaysayso,devotedto-toherservice.”

Poirotnoddedthoughtfully.Thatslightlyold-fashionedphraseexpressed,hefelt,themanbeforehimverytypically.MeredithBlakewasthekindofmanwhowoulddevotehimself readily toa romanticandhonorabledevotion.Hewouldservehisladyfaithfullyandwithouthopeofreward.Yes,itwasallverymuchincharacter.

He said, carefully weighing the words, “You must have resented this -attitude-onherbehalf?”

“Idid.Oh,Idid.I-IactuallyremonstratedwithCraleonthesubject.”“Whenwasthis?”“Actuallythedaybefore-beforeitallhappened.Theycameovertoteahere,

youknow. IgotCraleasideandput it tohim. Ievensaid, I remember, that itwasn'tfairtoeitherofthem.”

“Ah,yousaidthat?”“Yes.Ididn'tthink,yousee,thatherealized.”“Possiblynot.”“I said to him that it was putting Caroline in a perfectly unendurable

position.Ifhemeanttomarrythisgirl,heoughtnottohaveherstayinginthehouseand -well -moreor less flaunther inCaroline's face. Itwas, I said,anunendurableinsult.”

“Whatdidheanswer?”Poirotaskedcuriously.MeredithBlakerepliedwithdistaste,“Hesaid,'Carolinemustlumpit.'”HerculePoirot'seyebrowsrose.“Not,”hesaid,“averysympatheticreply.”"I thought itabominable. I lostmy temper. I said thatnodoubt,notcaring

forhiswife,hedidn'tmindhowmuchhemadehersuffer,butwhat,Isaid,aboutthegirl?Hadn'tberealized itwasaprettyrottenpositionforher?Hisreply tothatwasthatElsamustlumpit,too!

"Thenhewenton: 'Youdon'tseemtounderstand,Meredith, that this thingI'm painting is the best thing I've done. It's good, I tell you.And a couple ofjealous,quarrelingwomenaren'tgoingtoupsetit-no,byhell,they'renot.'

"Itwashopelesstalkingtohim.Isaidheseemedtohavetakenleaveofallordinary decency. Painting, I said,wasn't everything.He interrupted there.He

said,'Ah,butitistome.'"Iwas still very angry. I said itwas perfectly disgraceful theway he had

alwaystreatedCaroline.Shehadhadamiserablelifewithhim.Hesaidheknewthatandhewassorryaboutit.Sorry!Hesaid,'Iknow,Merry,youdon'tbelievethat-butit'sthetruth.I'vegivenCarolinethehellofalifeandshe'sbeenasaintaboutit.Butshedidknow,Ithink,whatshemightbelettingherselfinfor.Itoldhercandidlythesortofdamnable,egotistical,loose-livingkindofchapIwas.'

“Iputittohimthenverystronglythatheoughtnottobreakuphismarriedlife. Therewas the child to be considered, and everything. I said that I couldunderstandthatagirllikeElsacouldbowlamanover,butthatevenforhersakeheoughttobreakoffthewholething.Shewasveryyoung.Shewasgoingintothisbald-headed,butshemightregretitbitterlyafterward.Isaidcouldn'thepullhimselftogether,makeacleanbreak,andgobacktohiswife?”

“Andwhatdidhesay?”Blakesaid,"Hejustlooked-embarrassed.Hepattedmeontheshoulderand

said, 'You'reagoodchap,Merry.Butyou're toosentimental.Youwait till thepicture'sfinishedandyou'lladmitthatIwasright.'

“I said, 'Damn. your picture.' And he grinned, and said all the neuroticwomen inEnglandcouldn't do that.Then I said that itwouldhavebeenmoredecent to have kept thewhole thing fromCaroline until after the picturewasfinished. He said that that wasn't his fault. It was Elsa who had insisted onspillingthebeans.Isaid,'Why?'Andhesaidthatshehadhadsomeideathatitwasn't straight otherwise. She wanted everything to be clear and aboveboard.Well,ofcourse, inaway,onecouldunderstandthatandrespect thegirlfor it.Howeverbadlyshewasbehaving,shedidatleastwanttobehonest.”

“Alotofadditionalpainandgriefiscausedbyhonesty,”remarkedHerculePoirot.

MeredithBlakelookedathimdoubtfully.Hedidnotquitelikethesentiment.Hesighed.“Itwasa-amostunhappytimeforusall.”

“TheonlypersonwhodoesnotseemtohavebeenaffectedbyitwasAmyasCrale,”saidPoirot.

“Andwhy?Becausehewasarankegoist.Irememberhimnow.Grinningatmeashewentoffsaying,'Don'tworry,Merry.Everything'sgoingtopanoutallright!'”

"Theincurableoptimist,murmuredPoirot.“Hewasthekindofmanwhodidn'ttakewomenseriously,”MeredithBlake

said.“IcouldhavetoldhimthatCarolinewasdesperate.”“Didshetellyouso?”

“Not in so many words. But I shall always see her face as it was thatafternoon -white and strainedwith akindofdesperategaiety.She talked andlaughedalot.Buthereyes-therewasakindofanguishedgriefinthemthatwasthemostmovingthingIhaveeverknown.Suchagentlecreature,too.”

HerculePoirotlookedathimforaminuteortwowithoutspeaking.Clearlythemaninfrontofhimfeltnoincongruityinspeakingthusofawomanwho,onthedayafter,haddeliberatelykilledherhusband.

MeredithBlakewenton.Hehadbynowquiteovercomehisfirstsuspicioushostility.HerculePoirothadthegiftoflistening.TomensuchasMeredithBlakethe relivingof thepasthasadefiniteattraction.Hespokenowalmostmore tohimselfthantohisfamousguest.

“Ioughttohavesuspectedsomething,Isuppose.ItwasCarolinewhoturnedtheconversationto-tomylittlehobby.Itwas,Imustconfess,anenthusiasmofmine.TheoldEnglishherbalists,youknow,areaveryinterestingstudy.Thereare somany plants thatwere formerly used inmedicine andwhich have nowdisappearedfromtheofficialpharmacopoeia.Andit'sastonishing,really,howasimpledecoctionofsomethingorotherwill reallyworkwonders.Noneed fordoctorshalfthetime.TheFrenchunderstandthesethings-someoftheirtisanesarefirst-rate.”

He was well away now on his hobby. “Dandelion tea, for instance,marvelousstuff.Andadecoctionofhips-Isawtheotherdaysomewherethatthat's coming into fashionwith themedical profession again. Oh, yes, Imustconfess,Igotalotofpleasureoutofmybrews.Gatheringtheplantsattherighttime, drying them, macerating them - all the rest of it. I've even dropped tosuperstition sometimes and gathered my roots at the full of the moon orwhateveritwastheancientsadvised.OnthatdayIgavemyguests,Iremember,aspecialdisquisitiononthespottedhemlock.Itflowersbiennially.Yougatherthefruitswhenthey'reripening,justbeforetheyturnyellow.Coniine,youknow,isadrugthat'sdroppedrightout-Idon'tbelievethere'sanyofficialpreparationofitinthelastpharmacopoeia-butI'veprovedtheusefulnessofitinwhoopingcough,andinasthma,too,forthatmatter-”

“Youtalkedofallthisinyourlaboratory?”“Yes,Ishowedthemaround,explainedthevariousdrugstothem-valerian

and theway itattractscats -onesniffat thatwasenoughfor them!Then theyaskedaboutdeadlynightshade,andI told themaboutbelladonnaandatropine.Theywereverymuchinterested.”

“They?Whatiscomprisedinthatword?”MeredithBlakelookedfaintlysurprisedasthoughhehadforgottenthathis

listenerhadnofirsthandknowledgeofthescene.

“Oh, the whole party. Let me see - Phillip was there, and Amyas, andCaroline,ofcourse.Angela.AndElsaGreer.”

“Thatwasall?”“Yes!Ithinkso.Yes,Iamsureofit.”Blakelookedathimcuriously.“Who

elseshouldtherebe?”“Ithoughtperhapsthegoverness-”“Oh, I see.No, shewasn't there that afternoon. Ibelieve I've forgottenher

namenow.Nicewoman.Tookherdutiesveryseriously.Angelaworriedheragooddeal,Ithink.”

“Whywasthat?”“Well, shewasanicekid,but shewas inclined to runwild.Alwaysup to

somethingorother.PutaslugorsomethingdownAmyas'sbackonedaywhenhewashardatworkpainting.Hewentup in smoke.Cursedherupanddowndale.Itwasafterthatthatheinsistedonthisschoolidea.”

“Sendinghertoschool?”“Yes.Idon'tmeanhewasn'tfondofher,buthefoundherabitofanuisance

sometimes.AndIthink-I'vealwaysthought-”“Yes?”“That hewas a bit jealous.Caroline, you see,was a slave toAngela. In a

way,perhaps,Angelacamefirstwithher-andAmyasdidn'tlikethat.Therewasareasonforit,ofcourse.Iwon'tgointothat,but-”

Poirotinterrupted.“ThereasonbeingthatCarolineCralereproachedherselfforanactionthathaddisfiguredthegirl.”

Blakeexclaimed,“Oh,youknowthat?Iwasn'tgoingtomentionit.Alloveranddonewith.But,yes, thatwasthecauseofherattitude,I think.Shealwaysseemedtofeelthattherewasnothingtoomuchshecoulddo-tomakeup,asitwere.”

Poirotnoddedthoughtfully.“AndAngela?”heasked.“Didshebearagrudgeagainstherhalfsister?”

“Oh,no;don'trunawaywiththatidea.AngelawasdevotedtoCaroline.Shenever gave that old business a thought, I'm sure. It was just Caroline whocouldn'tforgiveherself.”

“DidAngelatakekindlytotheideaofboardingschool?”“No, she didn't. Shewas furiouswithAmyas. Caroline took her side, but

Amyas had absolutely made his mind up about it. In spite of a hot temper,Amyaswasaneasyman inmost respects,butwhenhe reallygothisbackupeveryonehadtogivein.BothCarolineandAngelaknuckledunder.”

“Shewastogotoschool-when?”“Theautumnterm-theyweregettingherkittogetherIremember.Isuppose,

ifithadn'tbeenforthetragedyshewouldhavegoneoffafewdayslater.Therewassometalkofherpackingonthemorningofthatday.”

“Andthegoverness?”Poirotasked.“Whatdoyoumean-thegoverness?”“Howdidsheliketheidea?Itdeprivedherofajobdiditnot?”“Yes-well,Isupposeitdidinaway.LittleCarlausedtodoafewlessons,

butof course shewasonly -what?Sixor thereabouts.Shehadanurse.Theywouldn'thavekeptMissWilliamson forher.Yes, that's thename-Williams.Funnyhowthingscomebacktoyouwhenyoutalkthemover.”

“Yes,indeed.Youarebacknow-areyounot?-inthispast.Yourelivethescenes - the words that people said their gestures, the expressions on theirfaces?”

MeredithBlakesaidslowly:“Inaway-yes,but therearegaps,youknow-greatchunksmissedout. I

rememberforinstance, theshockitwastomewhenIfirst learnedthatAmyaswasgoingtoleaveCaroline,butIcan'trememberwhetheritwashewhotoldmeorElsa.IdorememberarguingwithElsaonthesubject-tryingtoshowher,Imean,thatitwasaprettyrottenthingtodo.Andsheonlylaughedatmeinthatcool way of hers and said I was old-fashioned. Well, I dare say I am old-fashioned,butIstillthinkIwasright.Amyashadawifeandchild-heoughttohavestucktothem.”

“ButMissGreerthoughtthatpointofviewoutofdate?”“Yes.Mindyou,sixteenyearsago,divorcewasn'tlookedonquitesomuch

asamatterofcourseasitisnow.ButElsawasthekindofgirlwhowentinforbeing modern. Her point of view was that when two people weren't happytogetheritwasbettertomakeabreak.ShesaidthatAmyasandCarolineneverstoppedhavingrowsandthatitwasfarbetterforthechildthatsheshouldn'tbebroughtupinanatmosphereofdisharmony.”

“Andherargumentdidnotimpressyou?”askedPoirot.“Ifelt,allthetime,”MeredithBlakesaidslowly,“thatshedidn'treallyknow

whatshewastalkingabout.Shewasrattlingthesethingsoff-thingsshe'dreadinbooksorheardfromherfriends- itwaslikeaparrot.Shewas- it'saqueerthing tosay-pathetic,somehow.Soyoungandsoself-confident.”Hepaused.“There is something about youth, M. Poirot, that is - that can be - terriblymoving.”

Hercule Poirot said, looking at himwith some interest, “I knowwhat youmean.”

Blake went on, speaking more to himself than to Poirot. “That's partly, Ithink,whyItackledCrale.Hewasnearlytwentyyearsolderthanthegirl.Itdidn

tseemfair.”“Alas, how seldom one makes any effect,” Poirot murmured. “When a

personhasdeterminedonacertaincourse -especiallywhen there isawomanconcerned-itisnoteasytoturnthemfromit.”

MeredithBlakesaid,“That is trueenough.”His tonewasashadebitter.“Icertainlydidnogoodbymyinterference.But,then,Iamnotaveryconvincingperson.Ineverhavebeen.”

Poirotthrewhimaquickglance.Hereadintothatslightacerbityoftonethedissatisfaction of a sensitive man with his own lack of personality. And heacknowledgedtohimselfthetruthofwhatBlakehadjustsaid.MeredithBlakewasnotthemantopersuadeanyoneintooroutofanycourse.Hiswell-meaningattempts would always be set aside - indulgently usually, without anger, butdefinitely set aside. They would not carry weight. He was essentially anineffectiveman.

Poirotsaid,withanappearanceofchangingapainfulsubject,“Youstillhaveyourlaboratoryofmedicinesadcordials,yes?”

“No.”Thewordcamesharply-withanalmostanguishedrapidityMeredithBlake

said,hisfaceflushing:“Iabandonedthewholething-dismantledit.Icouldn'tgoonwithit-howcouldIafterwhathadhappened?Thewholething,yousee,mighthavebeensaidtobemyfault.”

“No,no,MrBlake,youaretoosensitive.”“Butdontyousee?IfIhadn'tcollectedthosedamneddrugs;ifIhadn'tlaid

stressonthem-boastedaboutthem-forcedthemonthosepeople'snoticethatafternoon-ButIneverthought-Ineverdreamed-howcouldI-”

“Howindeed?”“But I went bumbling on about them. Pleased with my little bit of

knowledge.Blind, conceited fool. I pointed out that damned coniine. I even -foolthatIwas-tookthembackintothelibraryandreadthemoutthatpassagefromthePhaedodescribingSocrates'sdeath.Abeautifulpieceofwriting-I'vealwaysadmiredit-butit'shauntedmeeversince.”

Poirotsaid,“Didtheyfindanyfingerprintsontheconiinebottle?”Blakeansweredwithonepoignantword:“Hers.”“CarolineCrale's?”“Yes.”“Notyours?”“No,Ididn'thandlethebottle,yousee.Onlypointedtoit.”“Butatsometime,surely,youhadhandledit?”

“Oh,ofcourse,butIgavethebottlesaperiodicdustingfromtimetotime-Ineverallowedtheservantsinthere,ofcourse-andIhaddonethataboutfourorfivedayspreviously.”

“Youkepttheroomlockedup?”“Invariably.”“WhendidCarolineCraletaketheconiinefromthebottle?”“Shewasthelasttoleave,”MeredithBlakerepliedreluctantly.“Icalledher,

Iremember,andshecamehurryingout.Hercheekswerejustalittlepink,andhereyeswideandexcited.Icanseehernow-”

Poirotsaid,“Didyouhaveanyconversationwithheratallthatafternoon?Imeanby that,didyoudiscuss the situationasbetweenherandherhusbandatall?”

“Notdirectly,”Blakesaidslowlyina lowvoice.“Shewas looking,asI'vetoldyou,veryupset. I said toheratamomentwhenweweremoreor lessbyourselves,'Isanythingthematter,mydear?'Shesaid,'Everything'sthematter.'Iwishyoucouldhaveheardthedesperationinhervoice.Thosewordsweretheabsolute literal truth. There's no getting away from it - Amyas Crale wasCaroline's whole world. She said, 'Everything's gone - finished. I'm finished,Meredith.'Andthenshelaughedandturnedtotheothersandwassuddenlywildandveryunnaturallygay.”

Hercule Poirot nodded his head slowly. He looked very like a chinamandarin.Hesaid,“Yes-Isee-itwaslikethat.”

MeredithBlakepoundedsuddenlywithhisfist.Hisvoicerose.Itwasalmostashout.“AndI'lltellyouthis,M.Poirot-whenCarolineCralesaidatthetrialthat she took the stuff forherself, I'll swear shewas speaking the truth!Therewasno thought inhermindofmurder at that time. I swear therewasn't.Thatcamelater.”

“Areyousurethatitdidcomelater?”Poirotasked.Blakestared.“Ibegyourpardon?”hesaid.“Idon'tquiteunderstand-”Poirotsaid,“Iaskyouwhetheryouaresurethatthethoughtofmurderever

did come?Areyouperfectly convinced inyourownmind thatCarolineCralediddeliberatelycommitmurder?”

MeredithBlake'sbreathcameunevenly.Hesaid,“Butifnot-ifnot-areyousuggestingan-well,accidentofsomekind?”

“Notnecessarily.”“That'saveryextraordinarythingtosay.”“Isit?YouhavecalledCarolineCraleagentlecreature.Dogentlecreatures

commitmurder?”“Shewasagentlecreature,butall thesame-well, therewereveryviolent

quarrels,youknow.”“Notsuchagentlecreature,then?”“Butshewas-Oh,howdifficultthesethingsaretoexplain.”“Iamtryingtounderstand.”“Carolinehadaquicktongue-avehementwayofspeaking.Shemightsay,

”Ihateyou. Iwishyouweredead,“but itwouldn'tmean - itwouldn'tentail -action.”

“Soinyouropinion, itwashighlyuncharacteristicofMrsCrale tocommitmurder?”

“Youhave themost extraordinarywaysofputting things,M.Poirot. I canonlysaythat-yes,itdoesseemtomeuncharacteristicofher.Icanonlyexplainitbyrealizingthattheprovocationwasextreme.Sheadoredherhusband.Underthosecircumstancesawomanmight-well,kill.”

Poirotnodded.“Yes,Iagree.”“Iwasdumbfoundedatfirst.Ididn'tfeelitcouldbetrue.Anditwasn'ttrue-

ifyouknowwhatImean-itwasn'ttherealCarolinewhodidthat.”“Butyouarequitesurethat,inthelegalsense,CarolineCralediddoit?”AgainMeredithBlakestaredathim.“Mydearman,ifshedidn't-”“Well,ifshedidn't?”“Ican'timagineanyalternativesolution.Accident?Surelyimpossible.”“Quiteimpossible,Ishouldsay.”“AndIcan'tbelieveinthesuicidetheory.Ithadtobebroughtforward,butit

wasquiteunconvincingtoanyonewhoknewCrale.”“Quite.”“Sowhatremains?”askedMeredithBlake.Poirot said coolly, “There remains the possibility of Amyas Crale having

beenkilledbysomebodyelse.”“Butthat'sabsurd!Nobodycouldhavekilledhimbuthiswife.Buthedrove

hertoit.Andso,inaway,itwassuicideafterall,Isuppose.”“Meaning that he died by the result of his own actions, though not by his

ownhand?”“Yes,it'safancifulpointofview,perhaps.But-well,causeandeffect,you

know.”HerculePoirotsaid,“Haveyoueverreflected,MrBlake,thatthereasonfor

murderisnearlyalwaystobefoundbyastudyofthepersonmurdered?”“Ihadn'texactly-yes,IsupposeIseewhatyoumean.”Poirot said,“Untilyouknowexactlywhat sortofaperson thevictimwas,

youcannotbegintoseethecircumstancesofacrimeclearly.”Headded,“ThatiswhatIamseekingfor-andwhatyouandyourbrotherhavehelpedtogiveme

-areconstructionofthemanAmyasCrale.”MeredithBlakepassedthemainpointoftheremarkover.Hisattentionhad

beenattractedbyasingleword.Hesaidquickly,“Philip?”“Yes.”“Youhavetalkedwithhim,also?”“Certainly.”MeredithBlakesaidsharply,“Youshouldhavecometomefirst.”Smilingalittle,Poirotmadeacourteousgesture.“Asyourbrotherlivesnear

London,itwaseasiertovisithimfirst.”MeredithBlakerepeated,“Youshouldhavecometomefirst.”This timePoirotdidnotanswer.Hewaited.AndpresentlyMeredithBlake

wenton.“Philip,”hesaid,“isprejudiced.”“Yes?”“Asamatteroffact,he'samassofprejudices-alwayshasbeen.”Heshota

quick,uneasyglanceatPoirot.“He'llhavetriedtoputyouagainstCaroline.”“Doesthatmatter,solong-after?”MeredithBlakegaveasharpsigh.“Iknow.Iforgetthatit'ssolongago-that

it'sallover.Carolineisbeyondbeingharmed.But,allthesame,Ishouldn'tlikeyoutogetafalseimpression.”

“Andyouthinkyourbrothermightgivemeafalseimpression?”“Frankly, I do.You see, therewas always a certain - how shall I put it? -

antagonismbetweenhimandCaroline.”“Why?”ThequestionseemedtoirritateBlake.Hesaid,“Why?HowshouldIknow

why?Thesethingsareso.Philipalwayscrabbedherwheneverhecould.Hewasannoyed,Ithink,whenAmyasmarriedher.Heneverwentnearthemforoverayear.AndyetAmyaswasalmosthisbest friend.Thatwas the reason really, Isuppose.Hedidn'tfeelthatanywomanwasgoodenough.AndheprobablyfeltthatCaroline'sinfluencewouldspoiltheirfriendship.”

“Anddidit?”“No,ofcourseitdidn't.AmyaswasalwaysjustasfondofPhilip-rightupto

the end. Used to twit him with being a moneygrubber and with growing acorporationandbeingaPhilistinegenerally.Philipdidn'tcare.He justused togrinandsayitwasagoodthingAmyashadonerespectablefriend.”

“HowdidyourbrotherreacttotheElsaGreeraffair?”“Doyouknow,Ifinditratherdifficulttosay.Hisattitudewasn'treallyeasy

to define.Hewas annoyed, I think,withAmyas formaking a fool of himselfover the girl. He said more than once that it wouldn't work and that Amyas

wouldlivetoregretit.AtthesametimeIhaveafeeling-yes,verydefinitelyIhaveafeelingthathewasjustfaintlypleasedatseeingCarolineletdown.”

There was a silence. Then Blake said with the irritable plaintiveness of aweakman,“Itwasallover-forgotten-andnowyoucome,rakingitallup.”

“NotI.CarolineCrale.”Meredithstaredathim.“Caroline?Whatdoyoumean?”Poirotsaid,watchinghim,“CarolineCralethesecond.”Meredith'sfacerelaxed.“Ah,yes,thechild.LittleCarla.I-Imisunderstood

youforamoment.”“You thought Imeant theoriginalCarolineCrale?You thought that itwas

shewhowouldnot-howshallIsayit?-resteasyinhergrave.”Blakeshivered.“Don't,man.”“Youknowthatshewrotetoherdaughter-thelastwordssheeverwrote-

thatshewasinnocent?”Meredithstaredathim.Hesaid-andhisvoicesoundedutterlyincredulous,

“Carolinewrotethat?”“Yes.”Poirotpausedandsaid,“Itsurprisesyou?”“Itwouldsurpriseyou ifyou'dseenher incourt.Poor,hunted,defenseless

creature.Notevenstruggling.”“Adefeatist?”“No,no.Shewasn'tthat.Itwas,Ithink,theknowledgethatshe'dkilledthe

mansheloved-orIthoughtitwasthat.”“Youarenotsosurenow?”“Towriteathinglikethat-solemnly-whenshewasdying.”Poirotsaid,“Apiouslie,perhaps?”“Perhaps.”ButMeredithwasdubious.“That'snot-that'snotlikeCaroline.”Hercule Poirot nodded. Carla Lemarchant had said that. Carla had only a

child'sobstinatememory.ButMeredithBlakehadknownCarolinewell.ItwasthefirstconfirmationPoirothadgotthatCarla'sbeliefwastobedependedupon.

Meredith Blake looked up at him. He said slowly, “If - if Caroline wasinnocent - why, the whole thing's madness! I don't see - any other possiblesolution.”

HeturnedsharplyonPoirot.“Andyou?Whatdoyouthink?”Therewasasilence.“Asyet,”saidPoirotatlast,“Ithinknothing.Icollectonlytheimpressions:

What Caroline Crale was like. What Amyas Crale was like. What the otherpeoplewhowere there at the timewere like.Whathappenedexactlyon thosetwodays.ThatiswhatIneed.Togooverthefactslaboriouslyonebyone.Yourbrotherisgoingtohelpmethere.Heissendingmeanaccountoftheeventsas

heremembersthem.”“Youwon't getmuch from that,”Meredith Blake said sharply. “Philip's a

busyman. Things slip hismemory once they're past and donewith. Probablyhe'llrememberthingsallwrong.”

“Therewillbegaps,ofcourse.Irealizethat.”“Itellyouwhat-”Meredithpausedabruptly,thenwenton,reddeningalittle

ashespoke.“Ifyoulike,I-Icoulddothesame.Imean,itwouldbeakindofcheck,wouldn'tit?”

HerculePoirotsaidwarmly,“Itwouldbemostvaluable.Anideaofthefirstexcellence!”

“Right.Iwill.I'vegotsomeolddiariessomewhere.Mindyou,”helaughedawkwardly,“I'mnotmuchofahandatliterarylanguage.Evenmyspelling'snottoogood.You-youwon'texpecttoomuch?”

“Ah, it isnot thestyle Idemand.Justaplainrecitalofeverythingyoucanremember:What everyone said, how they looked - justwhathappened.Nevermindifitdoesn'tseemrelevant.Itallhelpswiththeatmosphere,sotospeak.”

“Yes, I can see that. Itmustbedifficult visualizingpeople andplacesyouhaveneverseen.”

Poirotnodded.“ThatisanotherthingIwantedtoaskyou.Alderburyistheadjoiningpropertytothis,isitnot?Woulditbepossibletogothere-toseewithmyowneyeswherethetragedyoccurred?”

MeredithBlakesaidslowly,“Ican takeyouover there rightaway.But,ofcourse,it'sagooddealchanged.”

“Ithasnotbeenbuiltover?”“No,thankgoodness-notquitesobadasthat.Butit'sakindofhostelnow-

itwasboughtbysomesociety.Hordesofyoungpeoplecomedowntoitinthesummer, and, of course, all the rooms have been cut up and partitioned intocubicles,andthegroundshavebeenalteredagooddeal.”

“Youmustreconstructitformebyyourexplanations.”“I'lldomybest.Iwishyoucouldhaveseenitintheolddays.Itwasoneof

theloveliestpropertiesIknow.”Heledthewayoutandbeganwalkingdownaslopeoflawn.“Whowasresponsibleforsellingit?”“Theexecutorsonbehalfofthechild.EverythingCralehadcametoher.He

hadn'tmadeawill,soIimaginethatitwouldbedividedautomaticallybetweenhiswifeandthechild.Caroline'swillleftwhatshehadtothechild,also.”

“Nothingtoherhalfsister?”“Angelahadacertainamountofmoneyofherownleftherbyherfather.”Poirotnodded.“Isee.”Thenheutteredanexclamation.“Butwhereisitthat

youtakeme?Thisistheseashoreaheadofus!”“Ah, I must explain our geography to you. You'll see for yourself in a

minute.There'sacreek,yousee,CamelCreek, theycall it, runs right inland -looksalmostlikearivermouth,butitisn't-it'sjustsea.TogettoAlderburybyland,youhavetogorightinlandandaroundthecreek,buttheshortestwayfromonehousetotheotheristorowacrossthisnarrowbitofthecreek.Alderburyisjustopposite-there,youcanseethehousethroughthetrees.”

Theyhadcomeoutonalittlebeach.Oppositethemwasawoodedheadland,andawhitehousecouldjustbedistinguishedhighupamongthetrees.

Two boats were drawn up on the beach. Meredith Blake, with Poirot'ssomewhat awkward assistance, dragged one of them down to the water andpresentlytheywererowingacrosstotheotherside.

“We always went this way in the old days,”Meredith explained. “Unlesstherewasa stormor itwas raining,and thenwe'd take thecar.But it'snearlythreemilesifyou'goaroundthatway.”

He ran theboatneatly alongside a stonequayon theother side.Hecast adisparagingeyeonacollectionofwoodenhutsandsomeconcreteterraces.

“Allnew,this.Usedtobeaboathouse-tumble-downoldplace,andnothingelse.Andonewalkedalongtheshoreandbathedoffthoserocksoverthere.”

Heassistedhisguesttoalight,madefasttheboat,andledthewayupasteeppath.

“Don'tsupposewe'llmeetanyone,”hesaidoverhisshoulder.“NobodyhereinApril-exceptforEaster.Doesntmatterifwedo.I'mongoodtermswithmyneighbors.Sun'sglorioustoday.Mightbesummer.Itwasawonderfuldaythen.MorelikeJulythanSeptember.Brilliantsun,butachillylittlewind.”

The path came out of the trees and skirted an outcrop of rock. Meredithpointedupwithhishand.

“That s what they called the Battery. We're underneath it now - skirtingroundit.”

Theyplungedintotreesagainandthenthepathtookanothersharpturnandtheyemergedbyadoor set inahighwall.Thepath itselfcontinued tozigzagupward,butMeredithopenedthedoorandthetwomenpassedthroughit.

For amoment Poirotwas dazzled, coming in from the shade outside. TheBatterywas an artificially clearedplateauwithbattlements setwith cannon. Itgaveonetheimpressionofoverhangingthesea.Thereweretreesaboveitandbehind it, but on the sea side there was nothing but the dazzling blue waterbelow.

“Attractivespot,”saidMeredith.Henoddedcontemptuously towardakindofpavilionsetbackagainstthebackwall.“Thatwasn'tthere,ofcourse-onlyan

old tumble-down shedwhereAmyaskepthispaintingmuckand somebottledbeerandafewdeckchairs.Itwasn'tconcretedthen,either.Thereusedtobeabench and a table - painted iron ones. That was all. Still - it hasn't changedmuch.”

Hisvoiceheldanunsteadynote.Poirotsaid,“Anditwasherethatithappened?”Meredith nodded. “The bench was there - up against the shed. He was

sprawledonthat.Heusedtosprawltheresometimeswhenhewaspainting-justflinghimselfdownandstareandstare,andthensuddenlyuphe'djumpandstartlayingthepaintonthecanvaslikemad.”

Hepaused.“That'swhy,youknow,helooked-almostnatural.Asthoughhemightbe

asleep-justhavedroppedoff.Buthiseyeswereopen-andhe'd-juststiffenedup. Stuff sort of paralyzes you, you know. There isn't any pain... I've - I'vealwaysbeengladofthat...”

Poirotaskedathinghealreadyknew:“Whofoundhimhere?”“Shedid.Caroline.Afterlunch.ElsaandI,Isuppose,werethelastonesto

seehimalive.Itmusthavebeencomingonthen.He- lookedqueer. I'drathernottalkaboutit.I'llwriteittoyou.Easierthatway.”

He turnedabruptlyandwentoutof theBattery.Poirot flowedhimwithoutspeaking.

The twomenwent on up the zigzag path. At a higher left-brace than theBattery, therewas another small plateau. It was overshadowedwith trees andtherewasabenchthereandatable.Meredithsaid,“Theyhaven'tchangedthismuch.But thebenchusednot tobeYeOldeRustic. Itwas justapainted ironbusiness.Abithardforsitting,alovelyview.”

Poirotagreed.ThroughaframeworkoftreesonelookedovertheBatterytothecreekmouth.

“Isatupherepartofthemorning,”Meredithexplained.“Treesweren'tquitesoovergrown then.Onecouldsee thebattlementsof theBatteryquiteplainly.That'swhereElsawasposing,youknow.Sittingonone,withherheadtwistedaround.”

Hegaveaslighttwitchofhisshoulders.“Treesgrowfasterthanonethinks,”hemuttered.“Oh,well,supposeI'mgettingold.Comeonuptothehouse.”

Theycontinuedtofollowthepathtillitemergednearthehouse.Ithadbeenafineoldhouse,Georgian instyle. Ithadbeenadded to,andonagreen lawnnearitweresetsomefiftylittlewoodenbathinghutches.

“Youngmensleepthere,girlsinthehouse,”Meredithexplained.“Idon't suppose there'sanythingyouwant toseehere.All the roomshave

been cut about.Used to be a little conservatory tacked on here. These peoplehavebuilt a loggia.Oh,well - I suppose theyenjoy theirholidays.Can't keepeverythingasitusedtobe-more'sthepity.”

Heturnedawayabruptly.“We'llgodownanotherway.It-itallcomesbacktome,youknow.Ghosts.Ghostseverywhere!”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter5

Theyreturned to thequaybyasomewhat longerandmoreramblingroute.Poirotdidnotspeak,nordidBlake.WhentheyreachedHandcrossManoroncemore,Blakesaidabruptly:

“Ibought thatpicture,youknow.Theone thatAmyaswaspainting. I justcouldn'tstandtheideaofitsbeingsoldfor-well,publicityvalue-alotofdirty-mindedbrutesgapingat it. Itwasa finepieceofwork.Amyassaid itwas thebest thing he'd ever done. I shouldn't be surprised if he was right. It waspractically finished.Heonlywanted toworkon it anotherdayor so.Would -wouldyoucaretoseeit?”

HerculePoirotsaidquickly,“Yes,indeed.”Blake led the way across the hall and took a key from his pocket. He

unlocked a door and they went into a fair-sized, dusty-smelling room. It wasclosely shuttered. Blake went across to the windows and opened the woodenshutters. Then, with a little difficulty, he flung up a window and a breath offragrantspringaircamewaftingintotheroom.

Meredithsaid,“That'sbetter.”Hestoodbythewindowinhalingtheair,andPoirotjoinedhim.Therewas

noneedtoaskwhattheroomhadbeen.Theshelveswereempty,butthereweremarks upon them where bottles had once stood. Against one wall was somederelictchemicalapparatusandasink.Theroomwasthickindust.

MeredithBlakewaslookingoutofthewindow.Hesaid:“Howeasilyitallcomesback.Standinghere,smellingthejasmine,andtalking-talking,likethedamnedfoolIwas,aboutmypreciouspotionsanddistillations!”

Absently,Poirotstretchedahandthroughthewindow.Hepulledoffasprayofjasmineleavesjustbreakingfromtheirwoodystem.

MeredithBlakemovedresolutelyacrossthefloor.Onthewallwasapicturecoveredwithadustsheet.Hejerkedthedustsheetaway.

Poirotcaughthisbreath.Hehadseen,sofar,fourpicturesofAmyasCrale's-twoattheTate;oneataLondondealer's;one,thestilllifeofroses.Butnowhewas looking at what the artist himself had called his best picture, and Poirotrealizedatoncewhatasuperbartistthemanhadbeen.

Thepaintinghadanodd,superficialsmoothness.Atfirstsightitmighthavebeenaposter,soseeminglycrudewere itscontrasts.Agirl,agirl inacanary-yellowshirtanddark-blueslacks,sittingonagraywallinfullsunlightagainstabackgroundofviolentbluesea.Justthekindofsubjectforaposter.

But the first appearance was deceptive; there was a subtle distortion - anamazingbrillianceandclarityinthelight.Andthegirl-

Yes, here was life. All there was, all there could be, of life, of youth, ofsheer,blazingvitality.Thefacewasaliveandtheeyes-

Somuchlife!Suchpassionateyouth!That,then,waswhatAmyasCralehadseeninElsaGreer,whichhadmadehimblindanddeaftothegentlecreature,hiswife.Elsawaslife.Elsawasyouth.

Asuperb,slim,straightcreature,arrogant,herheadturned,hereyesinsolentwithtriumph.Lookingatyou,watchingyou-waiting...

HerculePoirotspreadouthishands.Hesaid,“Itisagreat-Yes,itisgreat.”MeredithBlakesaid,acatchinhisvoice,“Shewassoyoung-”Poirot nodded. He thought to himself, “What domost peoplemean when

theysay that?Soyoung.Something innocent, somethingappealing, somethinghelpless.Butyouthisnotthat!Youthiscrude,youthisstrong,youthispowerful-yes,andcruel!Andonethingmore-youthisvulnerable.”

Poirotfollowedhishosttothedoor.HisinterestwasquickenednowinElsaGreer, whom he was to visit next. What would the years have done to thatpassionate,triumphant,crudechild?

Helookedbackatthepicture.Thoseeyes.Watchinghim-watchinghim-tellinghimsomething...Supposing he couldn't understand what they were telling him?Would the

realwomanbeable to tellhim?Orwere thoseeyes sayingsomething that therealwomandidnotknow?

Sucharrogance,suchtriumphantanticipation-And then death had stepped in and taken the prey out of those eager,

clutchingyounghands.And the light had gone out of those passionately anticipating eyes.What

weretheeyesofElsaGreerlikenow?Hewentoutoftheroomwithonelastlook.Hethought,“Shewastoomuchalive.”Hefelt-alittle-frightened...ThehouseinBrookStreethadDarwintulipsinthewindowboxes.Insidethe

hall a great vase ofwhite lilacs sent eddies of perfume toward the open frontdoor.

A middle-aged butler relieved Poirot of his hat and stick. A footmanappeared to take them,and thebutlermurmureddeferentially,“Willyoucomethisway,sir?”

Poirotfollowedhimalongthehallanddownthreesteps.Adoorwasopened,thebutlerpronouncedhisnamewitheverysyllablecorrect.

Thenthedoorclosedbehindhimandatall,thinmangotupfromachairbythefireandcametowardhim.

LordDittishamwasaman justunder forty.Hewasnotonlyapeerof therealm;hewas apoet.Twoofhis fantasticalpoeticdramashadbeen stagedatvastexpenseandhadhadasuccèsd'estime.Hisforeheadwasratherprominent,hischinwaseager,andhiseyesandhismouthunexpectedlybeautiful.

Hesaid,“Sitdown,M.Poirot.”Poirotsatdownandacceptedacigarettefromhishost.LordDittishamshut

the box, struck a match, and held it for Poirot to light his cigarette, then hehimselfsatdownandlookedthoughtfullyathisvisitor.

“Itismywifeyouhavecometosee,Iknow,”hesaid.Poirot answered, “Lady Dittisham was so kind as to give me an

appointment.”“Yes.”Therewasapause.“Youdonot,Ihope,object,LordDittisham?”Poirothazarded.The thin, dreamy face was transformed by a sudden, quick smile. “The

objectionsofhusbands,M.Poirot,arenevertakenseriouslyinthesedays.”“Thenyoudoobject?”“No.Icannotsaythat.ButIam,Imustconfessit,alittlefearfuloftheeffect

uponmywife.Letmebequite frank.Agreatmanyyearsago,whenmywifewas only a young girl, she passed through a terrible ordeal. She has, I hope,recoveredfromtheshock.Ihavecometobelievethatshehasforgottenit.Nowyouappearandnecessarilyyourquestionswillreawakentheseoldmemories.”

“Itisregrettable,”saidHerculePoirotpolitely.“Idonotknowquitewhattheresultwillbe.”“Icanonlyassureyou,LordDittisham,thatIshallbeasdiscreetaspossible,

anddoallIcannottodistressLadyDittisham.Sheis,nodoubt,ofadelicateandnervoustemperament.”

Then,suddenlyandsurprisingly,theotherlaughed.Hesaid,“Elsa?Elsa'sasstrongasahorse!”

“Then-”Poirotpauseddiplomatically.Thesituationintriguedhim.LordDittishamsaid,“Mywifeisequaltoanyamountofshocks.Iwonderif

youknowherreasonforseeingyou?”Poirotrepliedplacidly,“Curiosity?”Akindofrespectshowedintheotherman'seyes.“Ah,yourealizethat?”“It is inevitable,” Hercule Poirot said. “Women will always see a private

detective.Menwilltellhimtogotothedevil.”“Somewomenmighttellhimtogotothedevil,too.”

“Aftertheyhaveseenhim-notbefore.”“Perhaps.”LordDittishampaused.“Whatistheideabehindthisbook?”HerculePoirotshruggedhisshoulders.“Oneresurrectstheoldtunes,theold

stageturns,theoldcostumes.Oneresurrects,too,theoldmurders.”“Faugh!”saidLordDittisham.“Faugh! if you like.But youwill not alter humannature by saying faugh.

Murderisadrama.Thedesirefordramaisverystronginthehumanrace.”LordDittishammurmured,“Iknow-Iknow...”He rose and rang the bell. “My wife will be waiting for you,” he said

brusquely.Thedooropened.“Yourang,mylord?”“TakeM.Poirotuptoherladyship.”Up two flights of stairs, feet sinking into soft-pile carpets. Subdued flood

lighting.Money,money everywhere.Of taste, not somuch.There had been asomber austerity in Lord Dittisham's room. But here, in the house, there wasonly a solid lavishness. The best. Not necessarily the showiest nor the moststartling.Merely“expensenoobject,”alliedtoalackofimagination.

ItwasnotalargeroomintowhichPoirotwasshown.Thebigdrawing-roomwasonthefirstfloor.Thiswasthepersonalsitting-roomofthemistressofthehouse, and themistress of the house was standing against themantelpiece asPoirotwasannouncedandshownin.

Aphraseleapedintohisstartledmindandrefusedtobedrivenout:Shediedyoung...

That was his thought as he looked at Elsa Dittisham who had been ElsaGreer.

Hewould never have recognized her from the pictureMeredithBlake hadshownhim.That had been, above all, a picture of youth, a picture of vitality.Here there was no youth - there might never have been youth. And yet herealized,ashehadnotrealizedfromCrale'spicture,thatElsawasbeautiful.Yes,itwasaverybeautifulwomanwhocameforwardtomeethim.Andcertainlynotold. After all, what was she? Not more than thirty-six now, if she had beentwentyatthetimeofthetragedy.

He felt a strange pang. It was, perhaps, the fault of old Mr Johnathan,speakingof Juliet...NoJuliethere -unlessperhapsonecould imagineJulietasurvivor-livingon,deprivedofRomeo...WasitnotanessentialpartofJuliet'smake-upthatsheshoulddieyoung?

ElsaGreerhadbeenleftalive...She was greeting him in a level, rather monotonous voice. “I am so

interested,M.Poirot!Sitdownandtellmewhatyouwantmetodo.”Hethought:“Butsheisn'tinterested.Nothinginterestsher.”Biggrayeyes-likedeadlakes.Poirotbecame,aswashisway,a littleobviouslyforeign.Heexclaimed,“I

amconfused,madame,veritablyIamconfused.”“Oh,no;why?”“Because I realize that this - this reconstruction of a past drama must be

excessivelypainfultoyou.”Shelookedamused.Yes,itwasamusement.Quitegenuineamusement.She

said:“Isupposemyhusbandputthatideaintoyourhead.Hesawyouwhenyouarrived.Ofcourse,hedoesn'tunderstandintheleast.Heneverhas.I'mnotatallthesensitivesortofpersonheimaginesIam.”

Poirotthoughttohimself:“Yes,thatistrue.Athin-skinnedpersonwouldnothavecometostayinCarolineCrale'shouse.”

LadyDittishamsaid,“Whatisityouwantmetodo?”“You are sure, madame, that to go over the past would not be painful to

you?”Sheconsideredaminute,anditstruckPoirotsuddenlythatLadyDittisham

wasaveryfrankwoman.Shemightliefromnecessitybutneverfromchoice.ElsaDittishamsaidslowly:“No,notpainful.Inaway,Iwishitwere.”“Why?”Shesaidimpatiently,“It'ssostupid-nevertofeelanything.”AndHerculePoirot thought,“Yes,ElsaGreer isdead.”Aloudhesaid,“At

allevents,LadyDittisham,itmakesmytaskverymucheasier.Haveyouagoodmemory?”

“Reasonablygood,Ithink.”“Andyouaresureitwillnotpainyoutogooverthosedaysindetail?”“Itwon'tpainmeatall.Thingscanonlypainyouwhentheyarehappening.”“Itissowithsomepeople,Iknow.”LadyDittisham said, “That's what Edward,my husband, can't understand.

Hethinksthetrialandallthatwasaterribleordealforme.”“Wasitnot?”Elsa Dittisham said, “No, I enjoyed it.” There was a reflective, satisfied

qualityinhervoice.Shewenton.“God,howthatoldbruteDepleachwentforme!He'sadevil,ifyoulike.Ienjoyedfightinghim.Hedidn'tgetmedown.”

ShelookedatPoirotwithasmile.“IhopeI'mnotupsettingyourillusions.Agirloftwenty,Ioughttohavebeenprostrated,Isuppose-agonizedwithshameor something. Iwasn't. I didn't carewhat they said tome. I onlywanted onething.”

“What?”“Togetherhanged,ofcourse,”saidElsaDittisham.He noticed her hands - beautiful hands but with long, curving nails.

Predatoryhands.She said, “You're thinkingme vindictive? So I am vindictive - to anyone

whohas injuredme.Thatwomanwas tomymind the lowest kind ofwomanthere is.SheknewthatAmyascaredforme- thathewasgoing to leaveher -andshekilledhimsothatIshouldn'thavehim.”

ShelookedacrossatPoirot.“Don'tyouthinkthat'sprettymean?”“Youdonotunderstandorsympathizewithjealousy?”“No, I don't think I do. If you've lost, you've lost. If you can't keep your

husband,lethimgowithagoodgrace.It'spossessivenessIdon'tunderstand.”“Youmighthaveunderstooditifyouhadevermarriedhim.”“I don't think so.Weweren't -” She smiled suddenly at Poirot.Her smile

was,hefelt,alittlefrightening.Itwassofarremovedfromanyrealfeeling.“I'dlikeyou toget this right,”shesaid.“Don't think thatAmyasCraleseducedaninnocentyounggirl.Itwasn'tlikethatatall!Ofthetwoofus,Iwasresponsible.ImethimatapartyandIfellforhim.IknewIhadtohavehim-”

“Althoughhewasmarried?”“Trespasserswillbeprosecuted?Ittakesmorethanaprintednoticetokeep

youfromreality.Ifhewasunhappywithhiswifeandcouldbehappywithme,thenwhynot?We'veonlyonelifetolive.”

“Butithasbeensaidhewashappywithhiswife.”Else shookherhead. “No.Theyquarreled likecat anddog.Shenaggedat

him.Shewas-oh,shewasahorriblewoman!”She got up and lit a cigarette. She said with a little smile, “Probably I'm

unfairtoher.ButIreallydothinkshewasratherhateful.”Poirotsaidslowly,“Itwasagreattragedy.”“Yes, itwas a great tragedy.” She turned on him suddenly; into the dead,

monotonouswearinessofherfacesomethingcamequiveringlyalive.“Itkilledme,doyouunderstand?Itkilledme.Eversince,there'sbeennothing-nothingatall.”Hervoicedropped:“Emptiness!”Shewavedherhandsimpatiently.“Likeastuffedfishinaglasscase!”

“DidAmyasCralemeansomuchtoyou?”Shenodded.Itwasaqueer,confidinglittlenod-oddlypathetic.Shesaid,“I

think I've alwayshad a single-trackmind.”Shemused somberly. “I suppose -really-oneoughttoputaknifeintooneself-likeJuliet.But-buttodothatistoacknowledgethatyou'redonefor-thatlife'sbeatenyou.”

“Andinstead?”“Thereoughttobeeverything-justthesame-onceonehasgotoverit.Idid

getover it. Itdidn'tmeananything tomeanymore. I thought I'dgoon to thenextthing.”

Yes,thenextthing,Poirotsawherplainlytryingsohardtofulfillthatcrudedetermination. Saw her beautiful and rich, seductive to men, seeking withgreedy, predatory hands to fill up a life that was empty. Hero worship - amarriage toa famousaviator; thenanexplorer, thatbiggiantofamanArnoldStevensen, possibly not unlike Amyas Crale physically - a reversion to thecreativearts;Dittisham!

ElsaDittishamsaid,“I'veneverbeenahypocrite!There'saSpanishproverbI'vealwaysliked.'Takewhatyouwantandpayforit,saysGod.Well,I'vedonethat.I'vetakenwhatIwanted-butI'vealwaysbeenwillingtopaytheprice.”

“What you do not understand,” Poirot said, “is that there are things thatcannotbebought.”

Shestaredathim.“Idon'tmeanjustmoney.”Poirotsaid,“No,no;Iunderstandwhatyoumeant.Butitisnoteverythingin

lifethathasitsticket,somuch.Therearethingsthatarenotforsale.”“Nonsense!”Hesmiledveryfaintly.Inhervoicewasthearroganceofthesuccessfulmill

handwhohadrisentoriches.HerculePoirotfeltasuddenwaveofpity.Helookedat theagelesssmooth

face, the weary eyes, and he remembered the girl whom Amyas Crale hadpainted.

ElsaDittishamsaid,“Tellmeallaboutthisbook.Whatisthepurposeofit?Whoseideaisit?”

“Oh,mydear lady,whatotherpurpose is therebut to serveupyesterday'ssensationwithtoday'ssauce?”

“Butyou'renotawriter?”“No,Iamanexpertoncrime.”“Youmean,theyconsultyouoncrimebooks?”“Notalways.Inthiscase,Ihaveacommission.”“Fromwhom?”“I am - what do you say? - working on this publication on behalf of an

interestedparty.”“Whatparty?”“MissCarlaLemarchant.”“Whoisshe?”

“SheisthedaughterofAmyasandCarolineCrale.”Elsastaredforaminute.Thenshesaid:“Oh,ofcourse,therewasachild.I

remember.Isupposeshe'sgrownupnow?”“Yes,sheistwenty-one.”“Whatisshelike?”“She is tall and dark and, I think, beautiful. And she has courage and

personality.”Elsasaidthoughtfully,“Ishouldliketoseeher.”“Shemightnotcaretoseeyou.”Elsa looked surprised. “Why? Oh, I see. But what nonsense! She can't

possiblyrememberanythingaboutit.Shecan'thavebeenmorethansix.”“Sheknowsthathermotherwastriedforherfather'smurder.”“Andshethinksit'smyfault?”“Itisapossibleinterpretation.”Elsa shrugged her shoulders. “How stupid!” she said. “If Caroline had

behavedlikeareasonablehumanbeing-”“Soyoutakenoresponsibility?”“Why should I? I've nothing to be ashamedof. I lovedhim. Iwould have

madehimhappy.”She looked across atPoirot.Her facebrokeup - suddenly,incredibly,hesawthegirlofthepicture.Shesaid:“IfIcouldmakeyousee.Ifyoucouldseeitfrommyside.Ifyouknew-”

Poirot leanedforward.“Butthat iswhatIwant.See,MrPhilipBlake,whowasthereat thetime,heiswritingmeameticulousaccountofeverythingthathappened.MrMeredithBlakethesame.Nowifyou-”

ElsaDittisham took a deep breath. She said contemptuously, “Those two!Philipwas always stupid.Meredithused to trot aroundafterCaroline - but hewasquiteadear.Butyouwon'thaveanyrealideafromtheiraccounts.”

Hewatchedher, sawtheanimationrising inhereyes,sawa livingwomantakeshapefromadeadone.Shesaidquicklyandalmostfiercely,“Wouldyoulikethetruth?Oh,notforpublication.Butjustforyourself-”

“Iwillundertakenottopublishwithoutyourconsent.”“I'dliketowritedownthetruth.”Shewassilentaminuteortwo,thinking.

Hesawthesmoothhardnessofhercheeksfalterandtakeonayoungercurve;hesawlifeflowingintoherasthepastclaimedheragain.

“Togoback-towriteitalldown-Toshowyouwhatshewas-”Hereyesflashed.Herbreastheavedpassionately.“Shekilledhim.Shekilled

Amyas.Amyas,whowanted to live -whoenjoyed living.Hateoughtn't tobestrongerthanlove-butherhatewas.Andmyhateforheris-Ihateher-Ihateher-Ihateher...”

Shecameacross tohim.She stopped,herhandclutchedathis sleeve.Shesaidurgently,“Youmustunderstand-youmust-howwefeltabouteachother.AmyasandI,Imean.There'ssomething-I'llshowyou.”

Shewhirledacrosstheroom.Shewasunlockingalittledesk,pullingoutadrawerconcealedinsideapigeonhole.

Thenshewasback.Inherhandwasacreasedletter,theinkfaded.Shethrustitonhim,andPoirothadasuddenpoignantmemoryofachildhehadknownwhohad thrust on himone of her treasures - a special shell picked up on theseashoreandzealouslyguarded.Justsohad thatchildstoodbackandwatchedhim.Proud,afraid,keenlycriticalofhisreceptionofhertreasure.

Heunfoldedthefadedsheets,andread:"Elsa-youwonderfulchild!Thereneverwasanythingasbeautiful.Andyet

I'mafraid-I'mtooold-amiddle-aged,ugly-tempereddevilwithnostabilityinme.Don'ttrustme,don'tbelieveinme-I'mnogood,apartfrommywork.Thebestofmeisinthat.There,don'tsayyouhaven'tbeenwarned.

"But,mylovely,I'mgoingtohaveyouall thesame.I'dgotothedevilforyou, and you know it. And I'll paint a picture of you that will make the fat-headedworldholditssidesandgasp!I'mcrazyaboutyou-Ican'tsleep,Ican'teat.Elsa-Elsa-Elsa-I'myoursforever;yourstilldeath.

“Amyas.”Sixteenyearsago.Fadedink,crumblingpaper.Butthewordsstillalive,still

vibrating...Helookedacrossatthewomantowhomtheyhadbeenwritten.Butitwasnolongerawomanatwhomhelooked.Itwasayounggirlinlove.HethoughtagainofJuliet...“MayIaskwhy,M.Poirot?”HerculePoirotconsideredhisanswertothequestion.Hewasawareofapair

ofveryshrewdgrayeyeswatchinghimoutofthesmall,wizenedface.Hehadclimbedtothetopfloorofthebarebuildingandknockedonthedoor

ofNo. 584GillespieBuildings,which had come into existence to provide so-called“flat-lets”forworkingwomen.

Here, inasmallcubicspace,existedMissCeciliaWilliams, inaroomthatwasbedroom, sitting-room,dining-roomand,by judicioususeof thegas ring,kitchen-akindofcubbyholeattachedtoitcontainedaquarter-lengthbathandtheusualoffices.

Meagerthoughthesesurroundingsmightbe,MissWilliamshadcontrivedtoimpressuponthemherstampofpersonality.

Thewallsweredistemperedanasceticpalegray,andvariousreproductions

hung upon them. Danté meeting Beatrice on a bridge, and that picture oncedescribedbyachildasa“blindgirlsittingonanorangeandcalled,Idon'tknowwhy,Hope.”Therewere also twowater colors ofVenice and a sepia copyofBotticelli's Primavera. On the top of the low chest of drawers were a largequantity of fadedphotographs,mostly, by their style of hairdress, dating fromtwentytothirtyyearsago.

The square of carpet was threadbare, the furniture battered and of poorquality.ItwascleartoHerculePoirotthatCeciliaWilliamslivedverynearthebone.Therewasnoroastbeefhere.Thiswasthelittlepigthathadnone.

Clear,incisiveandinsistent,thevoiceofMissWilliamsrepeateditsdemand:“YouwantmyrecollectionsoftheCralecase?MayIaskwhy?”

IthasbeensaidofHerculePoirotbysomeofhisfriendsandassociates,atmomentswhenhehasmaddenedthemmost,thatheprefersliestotruthandwillgooutofhiswaytogainhisendsbymeansofelaboratefalsestatements,wereratherthantrusttothesimpletruth.

Butinthiscaseheprofferednospeciousexplanationofabooktobewrittenonbygonecrimes.InsteadhenarratedsimplythecircumstancesinwhichCarlaLemarchanthadsoughthimout.

The small, elderly lady in the neat, shabby dress listened attentively. Shesaid,“Itinterestsmeverymuchtohavenewsofthatchild-toknowhowshehasturnedout.”

“Sheisaverycharmingandattractiveyoungwoman,ofcourageandamindofherown.”

“Good,”saidMissWilliamsbriefly.“Andsheis,Imaysay,averypersistentperson.Sheisnotapersonwhomit

iseasytorefuseorputoff.”Theex-governessnoddedthoughtfully.Sheasked,“Issheartistic?”“Ithinknot.”MissWilliamssaiddryly,“That'sonethingtobethankfulfor!”The toneof the remark leftMissWilliams'sviewsas toartists innodoubt

whatever.Sheadded,“FromyouraccountofherIshouldimaginethatshetakesafterhermotherratherthanafterherfather.”

“Verypossibly.Thatyoucan tellmewhenyouhaveseenher.Youwouldliketoseeher?”

“Ishouldliketoseeherverymuchindeed.Itisalwaysinterestingtoseehowachildyouhaveknownhasdeveloped.”

“Shewas,Isuppose,veryyoungwhenyoulastsawher?”“Shewasfiveandahalf.Averycharmingchild-alittleoverquiet,perhaps.

Thoughtful.Given toplayingherownlittlegamesandnot invitingoutsideco-

operation.Naturalandunspoiled.”Poirotsaid,“Itwasfortunateshewassoyoung.”“Yes,indeed.Hadshebeenoldertheshockofthetragedymighthavehada

verybadeffect.”“Nevertheless,”saidPoirot,“onefeels that therewasahandicap-however

little the child understood orwas allowed to know, therewould have been anatmosphere ofmystery and evasion and an abrupt uprooting.These things arenotgoodforachild.”

MissWilliamsrepliedthoughtfully,“Theymayhavebeenlessharmfulthanyouthink.”

Poirotsaid,“BeforeweleavethesubjectofCarlaLemarchant- littleCarlaCralethatwas-thereissomethingIwouldliketoaskyou.Ifanyonecanexplainit,Ithinkyoucan.”

“Yes?”Hervoicewasinquiring,noncommittal.Poirotwavedhishandsinanefforttoexpresshismeaning.“Thereisasomething-anuanceIcannotdefine-butitseemstomealways

thatthechild,whenImentionher,isnotgivenherfullvalue.WhenImentionher, the responsecomesalwayswithavaguesurprise,as though theperson towhom I speak had forgotten altogether that there was a child. Now surely,mademoiselle,thatisnotnatural.Achild,underthesecircumstances,isapersonofimportance,notinherself,butasapivotalpoint.AmyasCralemayhavehadreasons for abandoning hiswife - or for not abandoning her.But in the usualbreakupofamarriagethechildformsaveryimportantpoint.Butherethechildseemstocountforverylittle.Thatseemstome-strange.”

MissWilliamssaidquickly,“Youhaveputyourfingeronavitalpoint,M.Poirot.Youarequiteright.Andthat ispartlywhyIsaidwhatIdidjustnow-that Carla's transportation to different surroundings might have been in somerespectsagoodthingforher.Whenshebecameolder,yousee,shemighthavesufferedfromacertainlackinherhomelife.”

Sheleanedforwardandspokeslowlyandcarefully:"Naturally,inthecourseofmywork,Ihaveseenagoodmanyaspectsofthe

parent-and-child problem. Many children, most children, I should say, sufferfromoverattentiononthepartoftheirparents.Thereistoomuchlove,toomuchwatchingover thechild. It isuneasilyconsciousof thisbrooding,andseeks tofreeitself,togetawayandbeunobserved.Withanonlychildthisisparticularlythecase,and,ofcourse,mothersaretheworstoffenders.

"Theresultonthemarriageisoftenunfortunate.Thehusbandresentscomingsecond, seeks consolation - or rather flattery and attention - elsewhere, and adivorceresultssoonerorlater.Thebestthingforachild,Iamconvinced,isto

havewhat I should term healthy neglect on of both its parents. This happensnaturallyinthecaseofalargefamilyofchildrenandverylittlemoney.Theyareoverlookedbecausethemotherhasliterallynotimetooccupyherselfwiththem.Theyrealizequitewellthatsheisfondofthem,buttheyarenotworriedbytoomanymanifestationsofthefact.

“Butthereisanotheraspect.Onedoesoccasionallyfindahusbandandwifewho are so all-sufficient to each other, up in each other, that the child of themarriageseemsveryrealtoeitherofthem.Andinthosecircumstances,Ithink,achildcomestoresentthatfact,tofeeldefraudedandleftoutinthecold.YouunderstandthatIamnotspeakingofneglectinanyway.MrsCrale,forinstance,waswhatistermedanexcellentmother,alwayscarefulofCarla'swelfare,ofherhealth,playingwithherattherighttimes,andalwayskindandgay.But,forallthat,MrsCralewasreallycompletelywrappedupinherhusband.Sheexisted,onemight say,only inhimand forhim.”MissWilliamspausedaminute andthensaidquietly,“That,Ithink,isthejustificationforwhatsheeventuallydid.”

“Youmean,”HerculePoirotsaid,“thattheyweremorelikeloversthanlikehusbandandwife?”

MissWilliams,withaslightfrownofdistasteforforeignphraseologysaid,“Youcouldcertainlyputitthatway.”

“Hewasasdevotedtoherasshewastohim?”“Theywereadevotedcouple.Buthe,ofcourse,wasaman.”Miss Williams contrived to put into that last word a wholly Victorian

significance.“Men-”saidMissWilliams,andstopped.Asarichpropertyownersays,“Bolsheviks,”asanearnestCommunistsays,

“Capitalists,”asagoodhousewifesays,“Blackbeetles,”sodidMissWilliamssay,“Men.”

Fromherspinster's,governess'slife,thereroseupablastoffiercefeminism.Nobody hearing her speak could doubt that, toMissWilliams,Menwere theEnemy!

Poirotsaid,“Youholdnobriefformen?”Sheanswereddryly,“Menhavethebestofthisworld.Ihopethatitwillnot

alwaysbeso.”HerculePoiroteyedherspeculatively.HecouldquiteeasilyvisualizeMiss

Williamsmethodicallyandefficientlypadlockingherself toa railing,and laterhunger-strikingwithresoluteendurance.

Leaving the general for the particular, he said, “You did not like AmyasCrale?”

“IcertainlydidnotlikeMrCrale.NordidIapproveofhim.IfIhadbeenhis

wifeIshouldhavelefthim.Therearethingsthatnowomanshouldputupwith.”“ButMrsCraledidputupwiththem?”“Yes.”“Youthinkshewaswrong?”“Yes,Ido.Awomanshouldhaveacertainrespectforherselfandnotsubmit

tohumiliation.”“DidyoueversayanythingofthatkindtoMrsCrale?”“Certainly not. It was not my place to do so. I was engaged to educate

Angela, not to offer unasked advice toMrsCrale. To do sowould have beenmostimpertinent.”

“YoulikedMrsCrale?”“Iwasvery fondofMrsCrale.”Theefficientvoicesoftened,heldwarmth

andfeeling.“Veryfondofherandverysorryforher.”“And your pupil -AngelaWarren?” Poirot leaned forward, his eyes fixed

hardonMissWilliams's.

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter6

“Shewasamost interestinggirl -oneof themost interestingpupils Ihavehad,”MissWilliamssaid.“Areallygoodbrain.Undisciplined,quick-tempered,mostdifficulttomanageinmanyways,butreallyaveryfinecharacter.”

Shepaused and thenwent on. “I alwayshoped that shewould accomplishsomethingworthwhile.Andshehas!Youhavereadherbook-ontheSahara?AndsheexcavatedthoseveryinterestingtombsintheFayum!Yes,IamproudofAngela.IwasnotatAlderburyverylong-twoyearsandahalf-butIalwayscherishthebeliefthatIhelpedtostimulatehermindandencouragehertasteforarchaeology.”

“I understand,” Poirot murmured, “that it was decided to continue hereducationbysendinghertoschool.Youmusthaveresentedthatdecision.”

“Notatall,M.Poirot.Ithoroughlyconcurredinit.”Shepausedandwenton."Letmemakethemattercleartoyou.Angelawasadeargirl,reallyaverydeargirl-warm-heartedandimpulsive-butshewasalsowhatIcalladifficultgirl.Thatis,shewasatadifficultage.Thereisalwaysamomentwhereagirlfeelsunsure of herself - neither child norwoman.At oneminuteAngelawould besensible andmature - quite grown-up, in fact - but a minute later she wouldrelapseintobeingahoydenishchild-playingmischievoustricksandbeingrudeandlosinghertemper.

"Girls, you know, feel difficult at that age - they are terribly sensitive.Everything that is said to them they resent.Theyare annoyedat being treatedlikechildrenandthentheysuddenlyfeelshyatbeingtreatedlikeadults.Angelawasinthatstate.Shehadfitsoftemper,wouldsuddenlyresentteasingandflareout,andthenshewouldbesulkyfordaysatatime,sittingaboutandfrowning;thenagain shewouldbe inwild spirits, climbing trees, rushingaboutwith thegardenboys,refusingtosubmittoanykindofauthority.

"When a girl gets to that stage, school is very helpful She needs thestimulationofotherminds-thatandthewholesomedisciplineofacommunityhelpher tobecomea reasonablememberofsociety.Angela'shomeconditionswerenotwhat Iwouldhavecalled ideal.MrsCralespoiledher, forone thing.AngelahadonlytoappealtoherandMrsCralealwaysbackedherup.Theresultwas that Angela considered she had first claim upon her sister's time andattention,anditwasinthesemoodsofhersthatsheusedtoclashwithMrCrale.

"MrCralenaturallythoughtthatheshouldcomefirstandheintendedto.Hewasreallyveryfondofthegirl- theyweregoodcompanionsandusedtospar

together quite amiably, but therewere timeswhenMrCrale used suddenly toresentMrsCrale's preoccupationwithAngela.Like allmen, hewas a spoiledchild - he expected everybody tomake a fuss over him. Then he andAngelausedtohavearealset-to-andveryoftenMrsCralewouldtakeAngela'sside.Then he would be furious. On the other hand, if she supported him, Angelawouldbefurious.ItwasontheseoccasionsthatAngelausedtoreverttochildishwaysandplaysomespitefultrickonhim.

"Hehadahabitoftossingoffhisdrinks,andsheonceputalotofsaltintohisdrink.Thewholething,ofcourse,actedasanemetic,andhewasinarticulatewith fury.Butwhat reallybrought things toaheadwaswhen sheput a lotofslugs into his bed. He had a queer aversion for slugs. He lost his tempercompletelyandsaidthatthegirlhadtobesentawaytoschool.Hewasn'tgoingtoputupwithallthispettynonsenseanymore.

"Angelawasterriblyupset-thoughactuallyshehadonceortwiceexpressedawishherselftogotoalargeschool,butshechosetomakeahugegrievanceofit.MrsCraledidn'twanthertogo,butallowedherselftobepersuaded-largelyowing, I think, towhat I said toheron thesubject. Ipointedout toher that itwouldbegreatlytoAngela'sadvantage,andthatI thoughtitwouldreallybeagreatbenefittothegirl.SoitwassettledthatsheshouldgotoHelston-averyfineschoolonthesouthcoast-intheautumnterm.

“ButMrsCralewas still unhappy about it all those holidays.AndAngelakept up agrudge againstMrCralewhenever she remembered. Itwasn't reallyserious, you understand, M. Poirot, but it made a kind of undercurrent thatsummerto-well-toeverythingelsethatwasgoingon.”

“Meaning-ElsaGreer?”Poirotsaid.MissWilliamssaidsharply,“Exactly.”“WhatwasyouropinionofElsaGreer?”“Ihadnoopinionofheratall.Athoroughlyunprincipledyoungwoman.”“Shewasveryyoung.”“Oldenoughtoknowbetter.Icanseenoexcuseforher-noneatall.”“Shefellinlovewithhim,Isuppose-”MissWilliams interrupted with a snort: “Fell in love with him, indeed. I

shouldhope,M.Poirot,thatwhateverourfeelings,wecankeepthemindecentcontrol.Andwe can certainly control our actions. That girl had absolutely nomoralsofanykind. Itmeantnothing toher thatMrCralewasamarriedman.Shewas absolutely shameless about it all - cool anddetermined.Possibly shemayhavebeenbadlybroughtup,butthat'stheonlyexcuseIcanfindforher.”

“MrCrale'sdeathmusthavebeenaterribleshocktoher,”saidPoirot.“Oh,itwas.Andsheherselfwasentirelytoblameforit.Idon'tgoasfaras

condoningmurder,butall thesame,M.Poirot, ifeverawomanwasdriven tothebreakingpointthatwomanwasCarolineCrale.Itellyoufrankly,thereweremomentswhen Iwouldhave liked tomurder thembothmyself.Flaunting thegirlinhiswife'sface,listeningtoherhavingtoputupwiththegirl'sinsolence-andshewasinsolent,M.Poirot.Oh,no,AmyasCraledeservedwhathegot.Nomanshouldtreathiswifeashedidandnotbepunishedforit.Hisdeathwasajustretribution.”

HerculePoirotsaid,“Youfeelstrongly.”Thesmallwomanlookedathimwiththoseindomitablegrayeyes.Shesaid,

“Ifeelverystronglyaboutthemarriagetie.Unlessitisrespectedandupheld,acountry degenerates.MrsCralewas a devoted and faithfulwife.Her husbanddeliberately floutedherand introducedElsaGreer intoherhome.As I say,hedeservedwhathegot.HegoadedherpastenduranceandI,forone,donotblameherforwhatshedid.”

Poirotsaidslowly,“Heactedverybadly- that Iadmit.Buthewasagreatartist,remember.”

MissWilliamsgaveaterrificsnort.“Oh,yes,Iknow.That'salwaystheexcusenowadays.Anartist!Anexcuse

foreverykindoflooseliving,fordrunkenness,forbrawling,forinfidelity.AndwhatkindofanartistwasMrCrale,whenall is saidanddone? Itmaybe thefashion to admire his pictures for a few years. But they won't last. Why, hecouldn t evendraw!Hisperspectivewas terrible!Evenhis anatomywasquiteincorrect. I know something of what I am talking about,M. Poirot. I studiedpainting for a time, as a girl, in Florence, and to anyone who knows andappreciatesthegreatmastersthesedaubsofMrCrale'sarereallyludicrous.Justsplashingafewcolorsaboutonthecanvas-noconstruction,nocarefuldrawing.No,”sheshookherhead,“don'taskmetoadmireMrCrale'spainting.”

“TwoofthemareintheTateGallery,”Poirotremindedher.Miss Williams sniffed. “Possibly. So is one of Mr Epstein's statues, I

believe.”Poirot perceived that, according toMissWilliams, the lastword had been

said.Heabandonedthesubjectofart.Hesaid,“YouwerewithMrsCralewhenshefoundthebody?”“Yes.SheandIwentdownfromthehousetogetherafterlunch.Angelahad

leftherpull-overonthebeachafterbathing,orelseintheboat.Shewasalwaysverycarelessaboutherthings.IpartedfromMrsCraleatthedooroftheBatteryGarden,butshecalledmebackalmostatonce.IbelieveMrCralehadbeendeadoveranhour.Hewassprawledonthebenchnearhiseasel.”

“Wassheterriblyupsetatthediscovery?”

“Whatexactlydoyoumeanbythat,M.Poirot?”“Iamaskingyouwhatyourimpressionswereatthetime.”“Oh,Isee.Yes,sheseemedtomequitedazed.Shesentmeofftotelephone

for thedoctor.Afterall,wecouldn'tbeabsolutelysurehewasdead- itmighthavebeenacatalepticseizure.”

“Didshesuggestsuchapossibility?”“Idon'tremember.”“Andyouwentandtelephoned?”MissWilliams'stonewasdryandbrusque:“Ihadgonehalfupthepathwhen

I metMrMeredith Blake. I entrusted my errand to him and returned toMrsCrale.Ithought,yousee,shemighthavecollapsed-andmenarenogoodinamatterofthatkind.”

“Andhadshecollapsed?”MissWilliamssaiddryly,“MrsCralewasquiteincommandofherself.She

wasquitedifferentfromMissGreer,whomadeahystericalandveryunpleasantscene.”

“Whatkindofascene?”“ShetriedtoattackMrsCrale.”“You mean she realized that Mrs Crale was responsible for Mr Crale's

death?”MissWilliamsconsideredforamomentortwo.“No,shecouldhardlybesureof that.That-er- terriblesuspicionhadnot

yet arisen. Miss Greer just screamed out, ”It's all your doing, Caroline. Youkilledhim.It'sallyourfault.“Shedidnotactuallysay,”You'vepoisonedhim,“butIthinkthereisnodoubtthatshethoughtso.”

“AndMrsCrale?”Miss Williams moved restlessly. “Must we be hypocritical, M. Poirot? I

cannottellyouwhatMrsCralereallyfeltorthoughtatthatmoment.Whetheritwashorroratwhatshehaddone-”

“Diditseemlikethat?”“N-no,n-no,Ican'tsayitdid.Stunned,yes-and,Ithink,frightened.Yes,I

amsure,frightened.Butthatisnaturalenough.”Hercule Poirot said in a dissatisfied tone: “Yes, perhaps that is natural

enough.Whatviewdidsheadoptofficiallyastoherhusband'sdeath?”“Suicide.Shesaid,verydefinitelyfromthefirst,thatitmustbesuicide.”“Didshesaythesamewhenshewastalkingtoyouprivately,ordidsheput

forwardanyothertheory?”“No.She-she-tookpainstoimpressuponmethatitmustbesuicide.”MissWilliamssoundedembarrassed.

“Andwhatdidyousaytothat?”“Really,M.Poirot,doesitmatterwhatIsaid?”“Yes,Ithinkitdoes.”“Idon'tseewhy-”Butas thoughhisexpectant silencehypnotizedher, she said reluctantly, “I

thinkIsaid,'Certainly,MrsCrale.Itmusthavebeensuicide.'”“Didyoubelieveyourownwords?”MissWilliamsraisedherhead.“No,Ididnot,”shesaidfirmly.“Butplease

understand,M.Poirot,thatIwasentirelyonMrsCrale'sside,ifyouliketoputitthatway.Mysympathieswerewithher,notwiththepolice.”

“Youwouldhavelikedtohaveseenheracquitted?”MissWilliamssaiddefiantly,“Yes,Iwould.”“Thenyouareinsympathywithherdaughter'sfeelings?”“IhaveeverysympathywithCarla.”“Wouldyouhaveanyobjectiontowritingoutformeadetailedaccountof

thetragedy?”“Youmeanforhertoread?”“Yes.”MissWilliamssaidslowly,“No,Ihavenoobjection.Sheisquitedetermined

togointothematter,isshe?”“Yes.Idaresayitwouldhavebeenpreferableifthetruthhadbeenkeptfrom

her-”MissWilliamsinterruptedhim.“No.Itisalwaysbettertofacethetruth.Itisnouseevadingunhappiness,by

tamperingwithfacts.Carlahashadashock,learningthetruth-nowshewantstoknowexactlyhowthetragedycameabout.Thatseemstometherightattitudeforabraveyoungwomantotake.Oncesheknowsallaboutitshewillbeabletoforgetitagainandgoonwiththebusinessoflivingherownlife.”

“Perhapsyouareright,”saidPoirot.“I'mquitesureI'mright.”“But,yousee,thereismoretoitthanthat.Shenotonlywantstoknow-she

wantstoprovehermotherinnocent.”MissWilliamssaid,“Poorchild.”“Thatiswhatyousay,isit?”MissWilliamssaid,“I seenowwhyyousaid that itmightbebetter if she

had never known.All the same, I think it is best as it is.Towish to find hermother innocent isanaturalhope-and,hard thoughtheactualrevelationmaybe, I think, fromwhat you say of her, thatCarla is brave enough to learn thetruthandnotflinchfromit.”

“Youaresureitisthetruth?”Poirotasked.“Idon'tunderstandyou.”“YouseenoloopholeforbelievingthatMrsCralewasinnocent?”“Idon'tthinkthatpossibilityhaseverbeenseriouslyconsidered.”“Andyetsheherselfclungtothetheoryofsuicide?”MissWilliamssaiddryly,“Thepoorwomanhadtosaysomething.”“Do you know that when Mrs Crale was dying she left a letter for her

daughterinwhichshesolemnlyswearsthatsheisinnocent?”MissWilliamsstared.“Thatwasverywrongofher,”shesaidsharply.“Youthinkso?”“Yes,Ido.Oh,Idaresayyouareasentimentalistlikemostmen-”Poirotinterruptedindignantly.“Iamnotasentimentalist.”“Butthereissuchathingasfalsesentiment.Whywritethat-alie-atsucha

solemnmoment?To spareyour childpain?Yes,manywomenwoulddo that.But I shouldnothave thought it ofMrsCrale.Shewasabravewomanandatruthful woman. I should have thought it far more like her to have told herdaughternottojudge.”

Poirot saidwithslightexasperation,“Youwillnotevenconsider, then, thepossibilitythatwhatCarolineCralewrotewasthetruth?”

“Certainlynot!”MissWilliams looked at Poirot in a very odd way. “It doesn't matter my

saying this now - so long afterward.You see, I happen toknow thatCarolineCralewasguilty!”

“What?”“It'strue.WhetherIdidrightinwithholdingwhatIknewatthetimeIcannot

besure,butIdidwithholdit.Butyoumusttakeitfromme,quitedefinitely,thatIknowCarolineCralewasguilty...”

AngelaWarren's flatoverlookedRegent'sPark.Here,on this springday,asoftairwaftedinthroughtheopenwindowandonemighthavehadtheillusionthatonewasinthecountryifithadnotbeenforthesteadymenacingroarofthetrafficpassingbelow.

PoirotturnedfromthewindowasthedooropenedandAngelaWarrencameintotheroom.

It was not the first time he had seen her. He had availed himself of theopportunitytoattenda lectureshehadgivenat theRoyalGeographical. Ithadbeen,heconsidered,anexcellentlecture.Dry,perhaps,fromtheviewofpopularappeal.MissWarrenhadanexcellentdelivery;sheneitherpausednorhesitatedforaword.Shedidnotrepeatherself.Thetonesofhervoicewereclearandnotunmelodious.Shemadenoconcessionstoromanticappealorloveofadventure.

Therewasverylittlehumaninterestinthelecture.Itwasanadmirablerecitalofconcise facts, adequately illustrated by excellent slides, and with intelligentdeductionsfromthefactsrecited.Dry,precise,clear,lucid,highlytechnical.

The soul ofHercule Poirot approved.Here, he considered,was an orderlymind.

NowthathesawheratclosequartersherealizedthatAngelaWarrenmighteasily have been a very handsomewoman.Her featureswere regular, thoughsevere.Shehadfinelymarkeddarkbrows,clear,intelligentbrowneyes,afine,paleskin.Shehadverysquareshouldersandaslightlymannishwalk.

There was certainly about her no suggestion of the little pig who cried,“Wee-wee.”Butontherightcheek,disfiguringandpuckeringtheskin,wasthathealedscar.Therighteyewasslightlydistorted,thecornerpulleddownwardbyit, but no onewould have realized that the sight of that eyewas destroyed. ItseemedtoHerculePoirotalmostcertainthatshehadlivedwiththatdisabilitysolongthatshewasnowcompletelyunconsciousofit.Anditoccurredtohimthatof the five people in whom he had become interested as a result of hisinvestigations, those who might have been said to start with the fullestadvantages were not those who had actually wrested the most success andhappinessfromlife.

Elsa,whomighthavebeensaidtohavestartedwithalladvantages-youth,beauty, riches - haddoneworst. Shewas like a flower overtakenbyuntimelyfrost-stillinbudbutwithoutlife.CeciliaWilliams,tooutwardappearances,hadno assets of which to boast. Nevertheless, to Poirot's eye, there was nodespondency there and no sense of failure. Miss Williams's life had beeninteresting to her - shewas still interested in people and events. She had thatenormousmentalandmoraladvantageofastrictVictorianupbringing,deniedtous in thesedays - shehaddoneherduty in that stationof life towhich ithadpleasedGodtocallher,andthatassuranceencasedherinanarmorimpregnabletotheslingsanddartsofenvy,discontent,andregret.Shehadhermemories,hersmallpleasures,madepossiblebystringenteconomies,andsufficienthealthandvigortoenableherstilltobeinterestedinlife.

Now,inAngelaWarren-thatyoungcreaturehandicappedbydisfigurementanditsconsequenthumiliations-Poirotbelievedhesawaspiritstrengthenedbyits necessary fight for confidence and assurance. The undisciplined schoolgirlhadgivenplacetoavitalandforcefulwoman,awomanofconsiderablementalpowerandgiftedwithabundantenergy toaccomplishambitiouspurposes.Shewasawoman,Poirotfeltsure,bothhappyandsuccessful.Herlifewasfullandvividandeminentlyenjoyable.

Shewasnot,incidentally,thetypeofwomanthatPoirotreallyliked.Though

admiringtheclear-cutprecisionofhermind,shehadjustasufficientnuanceofthe femme formidable about her to alarm him as a mere man. His taste hadalwaysbeenfortheflamboyantandextravagant.

WithAngelaWarrenitwaseasytocometothepointofhisvisit.Therewasnosubterfuge.HemerelyrecountedCarlaLemarchant'sinterviewwithhim.

AngelaWarren'sseverefacelightedupappreciatively.“LittleCarla?Sheisoverhere?Iwouldliketoseehersomuch.”“Youhavenotkeptintouchwithher?”“Hardlyasmuchas I shouldhavedone. Iwasa schoolgirl at the timeshe

wenttoCanada,andIrealized,ofcourse,thatinayearortwoshewouldhaveforgottenme.OflateyearsanoccasionalpresentatChristmashasbeentheonlylinkbetweenus.Iimaginedthatshewould,bynow,becompletelyimmersedinthe Canadian atmosphere and that her future would lie over there. Better so,underthecircumstances.”

Poirotsaid:“Onemightthinkso,certainly.Achangeofname-achangeofscene.A new life. But it was not to be so easy as'that.”And he then told ofCarla's engagement, thediscovery shehadmadeuponcomingof age, andhermotiveincomingtoEngland.

AngelaWarren listened quietly, her disfigured cheek resting on one hand.She betrayed no emotion during the recital, but as Poirot finished, she saidquietly,“GoodforCarla.”

HerculePoirotwas startled. Itwas the first time that he hadmetwith thisreaction.Hesaid,“Youapprove,MissWarren?”

“Certainly.Iwishhereverysuccess.AnythingIcandotohelp,Iwill.Ifeelguilty,youknow,thatIhaven'tattemptedanythingmyself.”

“Thenyouthinkthatthereisapossibilitythatsheisrightinherviews?”AngelaWarrensaidsharply,“Ofcourseshe'sright.Carolinedidn'tdoit.I've

alwaysknownthat.”“You surprise me very much indeed, mademoiselle,” Poirot murmured.

“EverybodyelseIhavespokento-”Shecutinsharply:“Youmustn't go by that. I've no doubt that the circumstantial evidence is

overwhelming.Myownconviction isbasedonknowledge -knowledgeofmysister. I just know quite simply and definitely that Caro couldn't have killedanyone.”

“Canyousaythatwithcertaintyofanyhumancreature?”“Probablynotinmostcases.Iagreethatthehumananimalisfullofcurious

surprises. But in Caroline's case there were special reasons - reasons which Ihaveabetterchanceofappreciatingthananyoneelsecould.”

Shetouchedherdamagedcheek.“Youseethis?You'veprobablyheardaboutit.”Poirotnodded.“Carolinedid

that.That'swhyI'msure-Iknow-thatshedidnotdomurder.”“Itwouldnotbeaconvincingargumenttomostpeople.”“No,itwouldbetheopposite.Itwasactuallyusedinthatway,Ibelieve.As

evidencethatCarolinehadaviolentandungovernabletemper!Becauseshehadinjuredmeasababy,learnedmenarguedthatshewouldbeequallycapableofpoisoninganunfaithfulhusband.”

Poirot said, “I, at least, appreciated the difference. A sudden fit ofungovernable rage does not lead you to abstract a poison first and then use itdeliberatelyonthefollowingday.”

AngelaWarrenwavedanimpatienthand."That'snotwhatImeanatall.Imusttryandmakeitplaintoyou.Supposing

that you are a person of normally affectionate and kindly disposition, but thatyouarealso liable to intense jealousy.Andsupposing thatduring theyearsofyour lifewhen control ismost difficult you do, in a fit of rage, come near tocommittingwhatis,ineffect,murder.Thinkoftheawfulshock,thehorror,theremorsethatseizesuponyou.

“If you are a sensitive person like Caroline that horror and remorse willneverquiteleaveyou.Itneverlefther.Idon'tsupposeIwasconsciouslyawareof it at the time, but looking back I recognize it perfectly.Carowas haunted,continuallyhaunted,bythefactthatshehadinjuredme.Thatknowledgeneverleft her in peace. It colored all her actions. It explained her attitude to me.Nothingwas toogood forme. Inher eyes, Imust always come first.Half thequarrelsshehadwithAmyaswereonmyaccount.”

MissWarrenpaused,thenwenton."Itwasverybadforme,ofcourse.Igothorriblyspoiled.Butthat'sneitherherenorthere.We'rediscussingtheeffectonCaroline.Theresultofthatimpulsetoviolencewasalifelongabhorrenceofanyfurther act of the same kind. Caro was watching herself, always in fear thatsomethingkindmighthappenagain.Andshetookherownofguardingagainstit.Oneofthosewayswasagreatoflanguage.Shefelt(andIthink,quitetruly)that if she were violent enough in speech she would have no temptation toviolenceinaction.Shefoundbyexperiencethatthemethodworked.

“That'swhyI'veheardCarosaythingslike,'I'dliketocutsoandsoinpiecesand boil him slowly in oil.'And she'd say tome, or toAmyas, 'If you go onannoying me I shall murder you.' In the same way she quarreled easily andviolently.Sherecognized,Ithink,theimpulsetoviolencethattherewasinhernature,andshedeliberatelygaveitanoutlet thatway.SheandAmyasusedtohavethemostfantasticandluridquarrels.”

HerculePoirotnodded.“Yes,therewasevidenceofthat.Theyquarreledlikecatanddog,itwassaid.”

AngelaWarrensaid:“Exactly.That'swhatissostupidandmisleadingaboutevidence.Ofcourse

CaroandAmyasquarreled!Ofcoursetheysaidbitterandoutrageousandcruelthings toeachother!Whatnobodyappreciates is that theyenjoyedquarreling.Buttheydid!Amyasenjoyedit,too.Theywerethatkindofcouple.Theybothofthemlikeddramaandemotionalscenes.Mostmendon't.Theylikepeace.ButAmyas was an artist. He liked shouting and threatening and generally beingoutrageous. Itwas like lettingoff steam tohim.Hewas thekindofmanwhowhen he loses his collar stud bellows the house down. It sounds very odd, Iknow,butlivingthatwaywithcontinualrowsandmakingsupwasAmyas'sandCaroline'sideaoffun!”

Shemadeanimpatientgesture.“Ifthey'donlynothustledmeawayandletmegiveevidence,I'dhavetold

them that.”Thensheshruggedher shoulders.“But Idon't suppose theywouldhavebelievedme.And,anyway,thenitwouldn'thavebeenasclearinmymindas it is now. It was the kind of thing I knew but hadn't thought about andcertainlyhadneverdreamedofputtingintowords.”

ShelookedacrossatPoirot.“YoudoseewhatImean?”Henoddedvigorously.“Iseeperfectly,andIrealizetheabsoluterightnessof

what you have said. There are people towhom agreement ismonotony.Theyrequirethestimulantofdissensiontocreatedramaintheirlives.”

“Exactly.”“MayIaskyou,MissWarren,whatwereyourownfeelingsatthetime?”AngelaWarren sighed. "Mostly bewilderment and helplessness, I think. It

seemedafantasticnightmare.Carolinewasarrestedverysoon-aboutthreedaysafterward,Ithink,Icanstillremembermyindignation,mydumbfury-and,ofcourse,mychildishfaiththatitwasjustasillymistake,thatitwouldbeallright.Carowaschieflyperturbedaboutme-shewantedmekeptrightawayfromitallas far as possible. She gotMissWilliams to takeme away to some relationsalmostatonce.Thepolicehadnoobjection.Andthen,whenitwasdecidedthatmy evidence would not be needed, arrangements were made for me to go toschoolabroad.

“I hated going, of course. But it was explained to me that Caro had meterriblyonhermindandthattheonlywayIcouldhelpherwasbygoing.”

Shepaused.Thenshesaid,“SoIwenttoMunich.Iwastherewhen-whentheverdictwasgiven.TheyneverletmegotoseeCaro.Carowouldn'thaveit.

That'stheonlytime,Ithink,whenshefailedinunderstanding.”“Youcannotbesureofthat,MissWarren.Tovisitsomeonedearlylovedin

aprisonmightmakeaterribleimpressiononayoung,sensitivegirl.”“Possibly.”Angela Warren got up. She said: “After the verdict, when she had been

condemned,mysisterwrotemealetter.Ihavenevershownittoanyone.IthinkIoughttoshowittoyounow.ItmayhelpyoutounderstandthekindofpersonCarolinewas.Ifyoulike,youmaytakeittoshowtoCarla,also.”

Shewenttothedoor,thenturningbackshesaid:“Comewithme.ThereisaportraitofCarolineinmyroom.”

Forthesecondtime,Poirotstoodgazingupataportrait.Asapainting,CarolineCrale'sportraitwasmediocre.ButPoirotlookedatit

withinterest-itwasnotitsartisticvaluethatinterestedhim.Hesawalong,ovalface,agraciouslineofjawandasweet,slightlytimid

expression.Itwasafaceuncertainofitself,emotional,withawithdrawn,hiddenbeauty.Itlackedtheforcefulnessandvitalityofherdaughter'sface-thatenergyand joyof lifeCarlaLemarchanthaddoubtless inherited fromher father.Thiswas a less positive creature. Yet, looking at the painted face, Hercule Poirotunderstood why an imaginative man like Quentin Fogg had not been able toforgether.

AngelaWarrenstoodathissideagain-aletterinherhand.Shesaidquietly,“Nowthatyouhaveseenwhatshewaslike,readherletter.”

He unfolded it carefully and readwhatCarolineCrale hadwritten sixteenyearsago:

"MydarlinglittleAngela:"Youwill hear bad news and youwill grieve, butwhat Iwant to impress

upon you is that it is all, all right. I have never told you lies and I don't nowwhen I say that I am actually happy - that I feel an essential rightness and apeace that Ihaveneverknownbefore. It'sall right,darling; it'sall right.Don'tlookbackandregretandgrieveforme-goonwithyourlifeandsucceed.Youcan,Iknow.It'sall,allright,darling,andI'mgoingtoAmyas.Ihaven'ttheleastdoubt thatweshallbe together. Icouldn'thave livedwithouthim.Dothisonethingforme-behappy.I'vetoldyou-I'mhappy.Onehastopayone'sdebts.It'slovelytofeelpeaceful.

"Yourlovingsister,“Caro.”HerculePoirotreaditthroughtwice.Thenhehandeditback.Hesaid,“That

is a very beautiful letter, mademoiselle - and a very remarkable one. A veryremarkableone.”

“Caroline,”saidAngelaWarren,“wasaveryremarkableperson.”“Yes,anunusualmind.Youtakeitthatthisletterindicatesinnocence?”“Ofcourseitdoes!”“Itdoesnotsaysoexplicitly.”“BecauseCarowouldknowthatI'dneverdreamofherbeingguilty!”“Perhaps-perhaps...Butitmightbetakenanotherway.Inthesensethatshe

wasguiltyandthatinexpiatinghercrimeshewillfindpeace.”It fitted in, he thought, with the description of her in court. And he

experiencedinthismomentthestrongestdoubtshehadyetfeltofthecoursetowhichhehadcommittedhimself.EverythingsofarhadpointedunswervinglytoCarolineCrale'sguilt.Nowevenherownwordstestifiedagainsther.

On the other side was only the unshaken conviction of Angela Warren.Angela had known her well, undoubtedly, but might not her certainty be thefanaticalloyaltyofanadolescentgirl,upinarmsforadearlylovedsister?

As thoughshehadreadhis thoughtsAngelasaid,“No,M.Poirot - IknowCarolinewasn'tguilty.”

Poirotsaidbriskly:“ThebonDieuknowsIdonotwantitoshakeyouonthatpoint.Butletusbepractical.Yousayyoursisterwasnotguilty.Verywell,then,whatreallyhappened?”

Angelanoddedthoughtfully.“Thatisdifficult,Iagree,”shesaid.“Isupposethat,asCarolinesaid,Amyascommittedsuicide.”

“Isthatlikelyfromwhatyouknowofhischaracter?”“Veryunlikely.”“Butyoudonotsay,asinthefirstcase,thatyouknowitisimpossible?”“No,because,asIsaidjustnow,mostpeopledodoimpossiblethings-that

is to say, things that seemout of character.But I presume, if you know themintimately,itwouldn'tbeoutofcharacter.”

“Youknewyourbrother-in-lawwell?”“Yes, but not like I knewCaro. It seems tomequite fantastic thatAmyas

shouldhavekilledhimself,butIsupposehecouldhavedoneso.Infact,hemusthavedoneso.”

“Youcannotseeanyotherexplanation?”Angelaacceptedthesuggestioncalmly,butnotwithoutacertainstirringof

interest.“Oh,Iseewhatyoumean...I'veneverreallyconsideredthatpossibility.You

meanoneoftheotherpeoplekilledhim?Thatitwasadeliberatecold-bloodedmurder?...”

“Itmighthavebeen,mightitnot?”“Yes,itmighthavebeen...Butitcertainlyseemsveryunlikely.”

“Moreunlikelythansuicide?”“That'sdifficulttosay...Onthefaceofit,therewasnoreasonforsuspecting

anybodyelse.Thereisn'tnowwhenIlookback...”“All the same, let us consider the possibility. Who of those intimately

concernedwouldyousaywas-shallwesaythemostlikelyperson?”“Letmethink.Well,Ididn'tkillhim.AndtheElsacreaturecertainlydidn't.

Shewasmadwithragewhenhedied.Whoelsewasthere?MeredithBlake?HewasalwaysverydevotedtoCaroline,quiteatamecataboutthehouse.Isupposethatmightgivehimamotiveinaway.InabookhemighthavewantedtogetAmyas out of theway so that he himself couldmarryCaroline.But he couldhaveachievedthatjustaswellbylettingAmyasgooffwithElsaandtheninduetimeconsolingCaroline.Besides,Ireallycan'tseeMeredithasamurderer.Toomildandtoocautious.Whoelsewasthere?”

“MissWilliams?PhilipBlake?”Poirotsuggested.Angela'sgrave face relaxed intoa smile. “MissWilliams?Onecan't really

make oneself believe that one's governess could commit a murder! MissWilliamswasalwayssounyieldingandsofullofrectitude.”

She paused aminute and thenwent on. “Shewas devoted toCaroline, ofcourse.Would have done anything for her.And she hatedAmyas. Shewas agreatfeministanddislikedmen.Isthatenoughformurder?Surelynot.”

“Itwouldhardlyseemso,”agreedPoirot.Angela went on. “Philip Blake?” She was silent for some few moments.

Then she said quietly, “I think, you know, ifwe're just talking of likelihoods,he'sthemostlikelyperson.”

Poirotsaid,“Youinterestmeverymuch,MissWarren.MayIaskwhyyousaythat?”

“Nothingatalldefinite.ButfromwhatIrememberofhim,Ishouldsayhewasapersonofratherlimitedimagination.”

“Andalimitedimaginationpredisposesyoutomurder?”“Itmight leadyouto takeacrudewayofsettlingyourdifficulties.Menof

thattypegetacertainsatisfactionfromactionofsomekindorother.Murderisaverycrudebusiness,don'tyouthinkso?”

“Yes-Ithinkyouareright...Itisdefinitelyapointofview,that.But,allthesame,MissWarren,theremustbemoretoitthanthat.WhatmotivecouldPhilipBlakepossiblyhavehad?”

Angela Warren did not answer at once. She stood frowning down at thefloor.

HerculePoirotsaid,“HewasAmyasCrale'sbestfriend,washenot?”Shenodded.

“But there is something in your mind, Miss Warren. Something that youhave not yet toldme.Were the twomen rivals, perhaps, over the girl - overElsa?”

AngelaWarrenshookherhead.“Oh,no,notPhilip.”“Whatisthere,then?”AngelaWarren said slowly, “Do you know the way that things suddenly

comebacktoyou-afteryears,perhaps.I'llexplainwhatImean.Somebodytoldmeastoryonce,whenIwaseleven.Isawnopointinthatstorywhatsoever.Itdidn'tworryme-itjustpassedstraightovermyhead.Idon'tbelieveIever,astheysay, thoughtof itagain.Butabout twoyearsago,sitting in thestallsatarevue, that story came back tome, and Iwas so surprised that I actually saidaloud,'Oh,nowIseethepointofthatsillystoryaboutthericepudding.'Andyettherehadbeennodirectallusiononthesamelines-onlysomefunsailingrathernearthewind.”

Poirotsaid,“Iunderstandwhatyoumean,mademoiselle.”"ThenyouwillunderstandwhatIamgoingtotellyou.Iwasoncestayingat

a hotel.As Iwalked along a passageoneof the bedroomdoors opened and awoman Iknewcameout. Itwasnotherbedroom-andshe registered the factplainlyonherfacewhenshesawme.

“And I knew then the meaning of the expression I had once seen onCaroline's face when at Alderbury she came out of Philip Blake's room onenight.”

Sheleanedforward,stoppingPoirot'swords.“Ihadnoideaatthetime,youunderstand.Iknewthings-girlsoftheageIwasusuallydo-butIdidn'tconnectthem with reality. Caroline coming out of Philip Blake's bedroom was justCarolinecomingoutofPhilipBlake'sbedroomtome.ItmighthavebeenMissWilliams's roomormyroom.Butwhat Ididnoticewas theexpressiononherface - a queer expression that I didn't know and couldn't understand. I didn'tunderstandituntil,asIhavetoldyou, thenight inPariswhenIsawthatsameexpressiononanotherwoman'sface.”

Poirot said slowly: “But what you tell me, Miss Warren, is sufficientlyastonishing.FromPhilipBlakehimselfIgottheimpressionthathedislikedyoursisterandalwayshad.”

“Iknow,”Angelasaid.“Ican'texplainit,butthereitis.”Poirotnoddedslowly.Already,inhisinterviewwithPhilipBlake,hehadfelt

vaguely that something did not ring true. That overdone animosity againstCaroline;ithadnot,somehow,beennatural.

And words and phrases from his conversation withMeredith Blake camebacktohim:“VeryupsetwhenAmyasmarried-didnotgonearthemforovera

year.”HadPhilip,then,alwaysbeeninlovewithCaroline?Andhadhislove,when

shechoseAmyas,turnedtobitterandhate?Yes, Philip had been too vehement, too biased. Poirot visualized him

thoughtfully - the cheerful, prosperousmanwith his golf and his comfortablehouse.WhathadPhilipreallyfeltsixteenyearsago?

AngelaWarrenwasspeaking:“I don't understand it. You see, I've no experience in love affairs - they

haven'tcomemyway.I'vetoldyouthisforwhatit'sworthincaseitmighthaveabearingonwhathappened.”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter7

TheNarrativeofPhilipBlake(Coveringletterreceivedwithmanuscript)DearM.Poirot:I am fulfilling my promise and herewith find enclosed an account of the

events relating to the death ofAmyas Crale. After such a lapse of time I amboundtopointoutthatmymemoriesmaynotbestrictlyaccurate,butIhaveputdownwhatoccurredtothebestofmyrecollection.

Yourstruly,PhilipBlake.NotesonProgressofEventsleadinguptoMurderofAmyasCraleon18th

Sept.19--Myfriendshipwithdeceaseddatesbacktoaveryearlyperiod.Hishomeand

minewerenextdoortoeachotherinthecountryandourfamilieswerefriends.AmyasCralewasalittleovertwoyearsolderthanIwas.Weplayedtogetherasboys,intheholidays,thoughwewerenotatthesameschool.

From the point of view of my long knowledge of the man I feel myselfparticularly qualified to testify as to his character and general outlook on life.AndIwill say thisstraightaway- toanyonewhoknewAmyasCralewell, thenotion of his committing suicide is quite ridiculous. Crale would never havetakenhisownlife.Hewasfartoofondofliving!Thecontentionofthedefenseat the trial thatCralewas obsessed by conscience, and took poison in a fit ofremorseisutterlyabsurd.

Crale, I should say, had very little conscience, and certainly not amorbidone.Moreover,heandhiswifewereonbad termsand Idon't thinkhewouldhave had any undue scruples about breaking up what was, to him, a veryunsatisfactorymarried life.Hewasprepared to lookafterher financialwelfareand that of the child of the marriage, and I am sure would have done sogenerously.Hewasaverygenerousman,andaltogetherawarm-heartedandtolovableperson.Notonlywasheagreatpainter,buthewasalsoamanwhosefriendsweredevotedtohim.AsfarasIknowhehadnoenemies.

I had also known Caroline Crale for many years. I knew her before hermarriage, when she used to come and stay at Alderbury. She was then asomewhat neurotic girl, subject to uncontrollable outbursts of temper, notwithoutattraction,butunquestionablyadifficultpersontolivewith.

SheshowedherdevotiontoAmyasalmostimmediately.He,Ithink,wasnot

reallyverymuchinlovewithher.Buttheywerefrequentlythrowntogether.Shewas, as I say, attractive, and they eventually became engaged. Crale's friendswere apprehensive about the marriage, as they felt that Caroline was quiteunsuitedtohim.

ThiscausedacertainamountofstraininthefirstfewyearsbetweenCrale'swifeandCrale'sfriends,butAmyaswasaloyalfriendandwasnotdisposedtogiveuphisoldfriendsatthebiddingofhiswife.AfterafewyearsheandIwereonthesameoldtermsandIwasafrequentvisitoratAlderbury.ImayaddthatIstood godfather to the little girl, Carla. This proves, I think, that Amyasconsideredmehisbestfriend,anditgivesmeauthoritytospeakforamanwhocannolongerspeakforhimself.

TocometotheactualeventsofwhichIhavebeenaskedtowrite,IarriveddownatAlderbury(soIseebyanolddiary)fivedaysbeforethecrime.Thatis,on September 13th. I was conscious at once of a certain tension in theatmosphere.TherewasalsostayinginthehouseMissElsaGreer,whomAmyaswaspaintingatthetime.

ItwasthefirsttimeIhadseenMissGreerintheflesh,butIhadbeenawareof her existence for some time. Amyas had raved about her to me a monthpreviously. He had met, he said, a marvelous girl. He talked about her soenthusiastically that I said to him jokingly, “Be careful, old boy, or you'll belosingyourheadagain.”Hetoldmenottobeabloodyfool.Hewaspaintingthegirl;he'dnopersonalinterestinher.Isaid,“Tellthattothemarines!I'veheardyou say that before.” He said, “This time it's different,” to which I answeredsomewhat cynically, 'It always is!“ Amyas then looked quite worried andanxious.Hesaid,”Youdon'tunderstand.She'sjustagirl.Notmuchmorethanachild.“Headdedthatshehadverymodernviewsandwasabsolutelyfreefromold-fashioned prejudices. He said, ”She's honest and natural and absolutelyfearless!"

I thought tomyself, thoughIdidn't sayso, thatAmyashadcertainlygot itbadlythistime.AfewweekslaterIheardcommentsfromotherpeople.ItwassaidthattheGreergirlwasabsolutelyinfatuated.SomebodyelsesaidthatitwasabitthickofAmyas,consideringhowyoungthegirlwas,whereuponsomebodyelsesnickeredandsaidthatElsaGreerknewherwayabout,allright.

There was a question as to what Crale's wife thought about it, and thesignificant reply that shemust be used to that sort of thing by now, towhichsomeonedemurredbysaying they'dheard that shewas jealousashell and ledCralesuchanimpossiblelifethatanymanwouldbejustifiedinhavingaflingfromtimetotime.

ImentionallthisbecauseIthinkitisimportantthatthestateofaffairsbefore

Igotdownthereshouldbefullyrealized.Iwasinterestedtoseethegirl.Shewasremarkablygood-lookingandvery

attractive,andIwas,Imustadmit,maliciouslyamusedtonotethatCarolinewascuttingupveryroughindeed.

Amyas Crale himself was less lighthearted than usual. Though to anyonewhodidnotknowhimwell,hismannerwouldhaveappearedmuchasusual,I,who knew him so intimately, noted at once various signs of strain, uncertaintemper,fitsofmoodyabstraction,generalirritabilityofmanner.

Althoughhewasalwaysinclinedtobemoodywhenpainting,thepicturehewas at work upon did not account entirely for the strain he showed. He waspleasedtoseemeandsaidassoonaswewerealone,“Thankgoodnessyou'veturnedup,Phil.Livinginahousewithfourwomenisenoughtosendanymancleanoffhischump.Betweenthemall,they'llsendmeintoalunaticasylum.”

It was certainly an uncomfortable atmosphere. Caroline, as I said, wasobviouslycuttinguproughaboutthewholething.Inapolite,well-bredway,shewas ruder to Elsa than onewould believe possible -without a single actuallyoffensiveword.ElsaherselfwasopenlyandflagrantlyrudetoCaroline.Shewastopdogandsheknewit,andnoscruplesofgoodbreedingrestrainedherfromovertbadmanners.

The result was that Crale spent most of his time scrapping with the girlAngela when he wasn't painting. They were usually on affectionate terms,though they teased and fought a gooddeal.But on this occasion therewas anedge in everything Amyas said or did, and the two of them really lost theirtemperswitheachother.Thefourthmemberofthepartywasthegoverness.“Asour-facedhag,”Amyas calledher. “Shehatesme likepoison.Sits therewithherlipssettogether,disapprovingofmewithoutstopping.”

Itwasthenthathesaid,“Damnallwomen!Ifamanistohaveanypeacehemuststeerclearofwomen!”

“Yououghtn'ttohavemarried,”Isaid.“You'rethesortofmanwhooughttohavekeptclearofdomesticties.”

Herepliedthatitwastoolatetotalkaboutthatnow.HeaddedthatnodoubtCarolinewouldbeonlytoogladtogetridofhim.ThatwasthefirstindicationIhadthatsomethingunusualwasinthewind.

Isaid:“What'sallthis?IsthisbusinesswiththelovelyElsaserious,then?”He said with a sort of groan: “She is lovely, isn't she? Sometimes I wish I'dneverseenher.”

Isaid:“Lookhere,oldboy,youmusttakeaholdonyourself.Youdon'twanttoget tiedupwithanymorewomen.”He lookedatmeand laughed.Hesaid:“It'sallverywellforyoutotalk.Ican't letwomenalone-simplycan'tdoit-

and if I could they wouldn't let me alone!” Then he shrugged those greatshouldersofhis,grinnedatme,andsaid:“Oh,well,itwillallpanoutintheend,Iexpect.Andyoumustadmitthepictureisgood!”

Hewas referring to the portrait hewas doingofElsa, and, although I hadverylittletechnicalknowledgeofpainting,evenIcouldseethatitwasgoingtobeaworkofespecialpower.

While he was painting, Amyas was a different man. Although he wouldgrowl,groan,frown,swearextravagantlyandsometimeshurlhisbrushesaway,hewasreallyintenselyhappy.

It was only when he came back to the house for meals that the hostileatmospherebetweenthewomengothimdown.ThathostilitycametoaheadonSeptember17th.Wehadhadanembarrassinglunch.Elsahadbeenparticularly-really, I think insolent is the only word for it! She had ignored Carolinepointedly,persistentlyaddressing theconversation toAmyasas thoughheandshewerealoneintheroom.Carolinehadtalkedlightlyandgailytotherestofus, cleverly contriving so that several perfectly innocent-sounding remarksshould have a sting. She hadn't Elsa Greer's scornful honesty - with Carolineeverythingwasoblique,suggestedratherthansaid.

Things came to a head after lunch in the drawing-room just as we werefinishing coffee. I had commented on a carved head in highly polishedbeechwood - a very curious thing - andCaroline said, “That is thework of ayoungNorwegiansculptor.AmyasandIadmirehisworkverymuch.Wehopetogoandseehimnextsummer.”Thatcalmassumptionofpossessionwas toomuchforElsa.Shewasneveronetoletachallengepass.Shewaitedaminuteortwoandthenshespokeinherclear,ratheroveremphasizedvoice.

Shesaid,“Thiswouldbealovelyroomifitwereproperlyfixed.It'sgotfartoomuchfurnitureinit.WhenI'mlivinghereIshalltakealltherubbishoutandjust leaveoneor twogoodpieces.And I shall havecopper-coloredcurtains, Ithink - so that the setting sun will just catch them through that big westernwindow.” She turned to me and said, “Don't you think that would be ratherlovely?”

Ididn'thavetimetoanswer.Carolinespokeandhervoicewassoftandsilkyand what I can only describe as dangerous. She said, “Are you thinking ofbuyingthisplace,Elsa?”

Elsasaid,“Itwon'tbenecessaryformetobuyit.”Carolinesaid,“Whatdoyoumean?”Andtherewasnosoftnessinhervoice

now.Itwashardandmetallic.Elsalaughed.Shesaid,“Mustwepretend?Come,now,Caroline,youknowverywellwhatImean!”

Carolinesaid,“I'venoidea.”

Elsasaidtothat,“Don'tbesuchanostrich.It'snogoodpretendingyoudon'tseeandknowallaboutit.AmyasandIcareforeachother.Thisisn'tyourhome.It'shis.Andafterwe'remarriedIshallliveherewithhim!”

Carolinesaid,“Ithinkyou'recrazy.”Elsa said, “Oh, no, I'm not,my dear, and you know it. Itwould bemuch

simplerifwewerehonestwitheachother.AmyasandIloveeachother;you'veseenthatclearlyenough.There'sonlyonedecentthingforyoutodo.You'vegottogivehimhisfreedom.”

Carolinesaid,“Idon'tbelieveawordofwhatyouaresaying.”Buthervoicewasunconvincing.Elsahadgotunderherguard,allright.Andat thatminuteAmyasCralecame into the room,andElsa saidwitha

laugh,“Ifyoudon'tbelieveme,askhim.”AndCarolinesaid,“Iwill.”Shedidn'tpauseatall.Shesaid,“Amyas,Elsasaysyouwanttomarryher.Is

thistrue?”PooroldAmyas. I felt sorry forhim. Itmakesaman feela fool tohavea

sceneofthatkindforceduponhim.Hewentcrimsonandstartedblustering.HeturnedonElsaandaskedherwhythedevilshecouldn'thaveheldhertongue.

Carolinesaid,“Thenitistrue?”Hedidn't sayanything, just stood therepassinghis finger round inside the

neckofhisshirt.Heusedtodothatasakidwhenhegotintoajamofanykind.Hesaid-andhetriedtomakethewordssounddignifiedandauthoritative-andofcoursecouldn'tmanageit,poordevil:

“Idon'twanttodiscussit.”Carolinesaid,“Butwe'regoingtodiscussit!”Elsachippedinandsaid,“Ithinkit'sonlyfairtoCarolinethatsheshouldbe

told.”“Isittrue,Amyas?”Carolinesaidveryquietly.He looked a bit ashamed of himself. Likemen dowhenwomen pin them

downinacorner.Shesaid,“Answerme,please.I'vegottoknow.”He flung up his head then, rather theway a bull does in the bull ring.He

snappedout,“It'strueenough,butIdon'twanttodiscussitnow.”Andheturnedandstrodeoutoftheroom.Iwentafterhim.Ididn'twantto

beleftwiththewomen.Icaughtupwithhimontheterrace.Hewasswearing.Ineverknewamantoswearmoreheartily.Thenheraved.

“Why couldn't she hold her tongue?Why the devil couldn't she hold hertongue?Nowthefat'sinthefire.AndI'vegottofinishthatpicture-doyouhear,Phil?It'sthebestthingI'vedone.ThebestthingI'veeverdoneinmylife.Anda

coupleoffoolwomenwanttomuckitupbetweenthem!”Thenhecalmeddownalittleandsaidwomenhadnosenseofproportion.Icouldn'thelpsmilinga little. I said,“Well,dash it all,oldboy,youhave

broughtthisonyourself.”“Don't I know it?” he said, and groaned. Then he added, “But you must

admit,Phil, thatamancouldn'tbeblamedfor losinghisheadabouther.EvenCarolineoughttounderstandthat.”

IaskedhimwhatwouldhappenifCarolinegotherbackupandrefused togivehimadivorce.

Butbynowhehadgoneoffintoafitofabstraction.Irepeatedtheremark,andhesaidabsently,

“Carolinewouldneverbevindictive.Youdon'tunderstand,oldboy.”“There'sthechild,”Ipointedout.He took me by the arm. “Phil, old boy, you mean well, but don't go on

croakinglikearaven.Icanmanagemyaffairs.Everythingwillturnoutallright.You'llseeifitdoesn't.”

ThatwasAmyasallover-anabsolutelyunjustifiedoptimist.Hesaidnow,cheerfully,“Tohellwiththewholepackofthem!”

Idon'tknowwhetherwewouldhavesaidanythingmore,butafewminuteslater Caroline swept out on the terrace. She had a hat on - a queer, flopping,dark-brownhat,ratherattractive.

She said in an absolutely ordinary, everyday voice, “Take off that paint-stained coat, Amyas. We're going over to Meredith's to tea - don't youremember?”

Hestared,stammeredabitashesaid,“Oh,I'dforgotten.Yes,ofc-c-courseweare.”

“Then,” she said, “go and try andmake yourself look less like a rag-and-boneman.”

Althoughhervoicewasquitenatural,shedidn'tlookathim.Shemovedovertowardabedofdahliasandbeganpickingoffsomeoftheoverblownflowers.

Amyasturnedaroundslowlyandwentintothehouse.Caroline talked to me. She talked a good deal. About the chances of the

weatherlasting.Andwhethertheremighthemackerelaboutand, ifso,AmyasandAngelaandImight like togofishing.Shewasreallyamazing. I'vegot tohandittoher.

But I think,myself, that that showed the sort ofwoman shewas. She hadenormous strength of will and complete command over herself. I don't knowwhether she'dmadeuphermind tokillhim then,but I shouldn'tbe surprised.Andshewascapableofmakingherplanscarefullyandunemotionally,withan

absolutelyclearandruthlessmind.CarolineCralewasaverydangerouswoman.Iought tohaverealized then

thatshewasn'tpreparedtotakethisthinglyingdown.But,likeafool,Ithoughtthat she hadmade up hermind to accept the inevitable - or else possibly shethoughtthatifshecarriedonexactlyasusualAmyasmightchangehismind.

Presently the others came out. Elsa looking defiant, but at the same timetriumphant. Caroline took no notice of her. Angela really saved the situation.ShecameoutarguingwithMissWilliams that shewasn'tgoing tochangeherskirt foranyone. Itwasquiteall right -goodenoughfordarlingoldMeredith,anyway-henevernoticedanything.

Wegotoffatlast.CarolinewalkedwithAngela.AndIwalkedwithAmyas.AndElsawalkedbyherself,smiling.

Ididntadmireher,myself-tooviolentatype-butIhavetoadmitthatshelooked incredibly beautiful that afternoon.Womendowhen theywegotwhattheywant.

Ican'tremembertheeventsofthatafternoonclearlyatall.It'sallblurred.Iremember old Merry coming out to meet us. I think we walked around thegardenfirst.IrememberhavingalongdiscussionwithAngelaaboutthetrainingof terriers for ratting. She ate an incredible lot of apples, too, and tried topersuademetodoso,too.

Whenwegotbacktothehouse,teawasgoingonunderthebigcedartree.Merry,Iremember,waslookingveryupset.IsupposeeitherCarolineorAmyashad told him something. He was looking doubtfully at Caroline, and then hestaredatElsa.Theoldboylookedthoroughlyupset.Ofcourse,CarolinelikedtohaveMeredithonastringmoreorless-thedevoted,platonicfriendwhowouldnever,nevergotoofar.Shewasthatkindofwoman.

After teaMeredithhadahurriedwordwithme.Hesaid,“Lookhere,Phil,Amyascan'tdothisthing!”

Isaid,“Makenomistake,he'sgoingtodoit.”“Hecan'tleavehiswifeandchildandgooffwiththisgirl.He'syearsolder

thansheis.Shecan'tbemorethaneighteen.”I said to him that Miss Greer was a fully sophisticated twenty. He said,

“Anyway,that'sunderage.Shecan'tknowwhatshe'sdoing.”PooroldMeredith.Alwaysthechivalrouspuckasahib.Isaid,“Don'tworry,oldboy.Sheknowswhatshesdoingandshelikesit!”That's all we had the chance of saying. I thought tomyself that probably

MerryfeltdisturbedatthethoughtofCaroline'sbeingadesertedwife.OncethedivorcewasthroughshemightexpectherfaithfulDobbintomarryher.Ihadanidea thathopelessdevotionwas really farmore inhis line. Imustconfess that

thatsideofitamusedme.Curiouslyenough,IrememberverylittleaboutourvisittoMeredith'sstink

room.Heenjoyedshowingpeoplehishobby.PersonallyIalwaysfounditveryboring.IsupposeIwasintherewiththerestofthemwhenhegaveadissertationon the efficacy of coniine, but I don't remember it. And I didn't see Carolinepinch the stuff. As I've said, she was a very adroit woman. I do rememberMeredithreadingaloudthepassagefromPlatodescribingSocrates'sdeath.Veryboring,Ithoughtit.Classicsalwaysdidboreme.

There's nothing much more I can remember about that day. Amyas andAngelahada first-class row, I know, and the rest ofus ratherwelcomed it. Itavoided other difficulties. Angela rushed off to bed with a final vituperativeoutburst. She said,A, she'd pay himout;B, shewished hewere dead;C, shehopedhe'ddieof leprosy - itwould servehim right;D, shewisheda sausagewouldsticktohisnose,likeinthefairystory,andnevercomeoff.Whenshe'dgonewealllaughed-wecouldn'thelpit,itwassuchafunnymixture.

Carolinewentuptobedimmediatelyafterward.MissWilliamsdisappearedafterherpupil.AmyasandElsawentoff together into thegarden. ItwasclearthatIwasn'twanted.Iwentforastrollbymyself.Itwasalovelynight.

I camedown late the followingmorning.Therewas no one in the dining-room.Funny,thethingsyoudoremember.IrememberthetasteofthekidneysandbaconIatequitewell.Theywereverygoodkidneys.Deviled.

AfterwardIwanderedout lookingforeverybody.Iwentoutside,didn'tseeanybody,smokedacigarette,encounteredMissWilliamsrunningaboutlookingfor Angela, who had played truant as usual when she ought to have beenmending a torn frock. I went back into the hall and realized that Amyas andCarolinewerehavingaset-tointhelibrary.Theyweretalkingveryloud.Iheardhersay:

“Youandyourwomen!I'dliketokillyou.SomedayIwillkillyou.”Amyassaid,“Don'tbeafool,Caroline.”Andshesaid,“Imeanit,Amyas.”

Well,Ididn'twanttooverhearanymore.Iwentoutagain.IwanderedalongtheterracetheotherwayandcameacrossElsa.

She was sitting on one of the long seats. The seat was directly under thelibrarywindow, and thewindowwasopen. I should imagine that therewasn'tmuchshehadmissedofwhatwasgoingoninside.Whenshesawmeshegotupascoolasacucumberandcametowardme.Shewassmiling.

Shetookmyarmandsaid,“Isn'titalovelymorning?”Itwas a lovelymorning for her, all right! Rather a cruel girl. No, I think

merelyhonestandlackinginimagination.Whatshewantedherselfwastheonlythingthatshecouldsee.

We'd been standing on the terrace, talking for about five minutes when IheardthelibrarydoorbangandAmyasCralecameout.Hewasveryredintheface.

He caught hold ofElsa unceremoniously by the shoulder.He said, “Comeon;timeforyoutosit.Iwanttogetonwiththatpicture.”

Shesaid,“Allright.I'lljustgoupandgetapullover.There'sachillywind.”Shewentintothehouse.IwonderedifAmyaswouldsayanythingtome,buthedidn'tsaymuch.Just,

“Thesewomen!”Isaid,“Cheerup,oldboy!”ThenneitherofussaidanythingtillElsacameoutofthehouseagain.Theywentoff togetherdown to theBatteryGarden. Iwent into thehouse.

Carolinewasstandinginthehall.Idon'tthinksheevennoticedme.Itwasawayofhersat times.She'dseemtogorightaway- toget insideherselfas itwere.Shejustmurmuredsomething.Nottome-toherself.Icaught,thewords:

“It'stoocruel...”That's what she said. Then she walked past me and upstairs, still without

seeming to seeme - like a person intent on some inner vision. I thinkmyself(I've no authority for saying this, you understand) that shewent up to get thestuff,andthatitwasthenshedecidedtodowhatshediddo.

Andjustatthatmomentthetelephonerang.Insomehousesonewouldwaitfortheservantstoanswerit,butIwassooftenatAlderburythatIactedmoreorlessasoneofthefamily.Ipickedupthereceiver.

ItwasmybrotherMeredith s voice that answered.Hewas very upset.Heexplainedthathehadbeenintohislaboratoryandthattheconiinebottlewashalfempty.

Idon'tneedtogoagainoverallthethingsIknownowIoughttohavedone.Thethingwassostartling,andIwasfoolishenoughtobetakenaback.Meredithwasditheringagoodbitattheotherend.IheardsomeoneonthestairsandIjusttoldhimsharplytocomeoveratonce.

Imyselfwentdowntomeethim.Incaseyoudon'tknowthelayoftheland,theshortestwayfromoneestatetotheotherwasbyrowingacrossasmallcreek.Iwentdownthepathtowheretheboatswerekeptbyasmalljetty.TodosoIpassed under the wall of the Battery Garden. I could hear Elsa and Amyastalkingtogetherashepainted.Theysoundedverycheerfulandcarefree.

Amyassaiditwasanamazinglyhotday(soitwas,veryhotforSeptember),andElsasaidthatsittingwhereshewas,poisedonthebattlements,therewasacoldwindblowing infromthesea.And thenshesaid,“I'mhorriblystiff fromposing.Can'tIhavearest,darling?”AndIheardAmyascryout,“Notonyour

life!Stickit!You'reatoughgirl.Andthisisgoinggood,Itellyou.”IjustheardElsasay,“Brute,”andlaugh,asIwentoutofearshot.

Meredithwas just rowing himself across from the other side. Iwaited forhim.Hetieduptheboatandcameupthesteps.Hewaslookingverywhiteandworried.Hesaidtome,“Yourhead'sbetter thanmine,Philip.WhatoughtI todo?Thatstuff'sdangerous.”

Isaid,“Areyouabsolutelysureaboutthis?”Meredith,yousee,wasalwaysratheravaguekindofchap.Perhapsthat'swhyIdidn'ttakeitasseriouslyasIought to have done. And he said hewas quite sure. The bottle had been fullyesterdayafternoon.

Isaid,“Andyou'veabsolutelynoideawhopinchedit?”HesaidnonewhateverandaskedmewhatIthought.Couldithavebeenone

oftheservants?IsaidIsupposeditmighthavebeen,butitseemedunlikelytome.Healwayskeptthedoorlocked,didn'the?Always,hesaid,andthenbegana rigmarole about having found thewindow a few inches open at the bottom.Someonemighthavegotinthatway.

“Achanceburglar?”Iasked.“Itseemstome,Meredith,thattherearesomeverynastypossibilities.”

HeaskedwhatdidIreallythink?AndIsaid,ifhewassurehewasn'tmakinga mistake, that probably Caroline had taken it to poison Elsa with - or that,alternatively,ElsahadtakenittogetCarolineoutofthewayandstraightenthepathoftruelove.

Meredith twittered a bit. He said it was absurd and melodramatic andcouldn't be true. I said, “Well, the stuff's gone.What's your explanation?”Hehadn'tany,ofcourse.ActuallythoughtjustasIdid,butdidn'twanttofacethefact.

Hesaidagain,“Whatarewetodo?”Isaid,stupidfoolthatIwas,“Wemustthinkitovercarefully.Eitheryou'd

better announce your loss, straight out when everybody's there, or else you'dbettergetCarolinealoneandtaxherwithit.Ifyou'reconvincedshehasnothingto dowith it, adopt the same tactics forElsa.”He said, “Agirl like that! Shecouldn'thavetakenit.”IsaidIwouldn'tputitpasther.

We were walking up the path to the house as we talked. As we wereroundingtheBatteryGardenagainIheardCaroline'svoice.

I thought perhaps a three-handed row was going on, but actually it wasAngela that theywerediscussing.Carolinewasprotesting.Shesaid,“It sveryhardonthegirl.”AndAmyasmadesomeimpatientrejoinder.Thenthedoortothe garden opened just aswe came abreast of it. Amyas looked a little takenaback at seeing us.Carolinewas just comingout. She said, “Hullo,Meredith.

We'vebeendiscussing thequestionofAngela's going to school. I'mnot at allsureitstherightthingforher.”Amyassaid,“Don'tfussaboutthegirl.She'llbeallright.Goodriddance.”

Just thenElsa came runningdown thepath from thehouse.Shehad somesortofscarletjumperinherhand.Amyasgrowled,“Comealong!Getbackintothepose!Idon'twanttowastetime.”

Hewentbacktowherehiseaselwasstanding.InoticedthathestaggeredabitandIwonderedifhehadbeendrinking.Amanmighteasilybeexcusedfordoingsowithallthefussandthescenes.

Hegrumbled:“Thebeerhereisred-hot.Whycan'twekeepsomeicedownhere?”

AndCarolineCralesaid:“I'llsendyoudownsomebeerjustofftheice.”Amyasgruntedout:“Thanks.”ThenCarolineshut thedoorof theBatteryGardenandcameupwithus to

thehouse.Wesatdownontheterraceandshewentintothehouse.Aboutfiveminutes later Angela came along with a couple of bottles of beer and someglasses.Itwasahotdayandweweregladtoseeit.

AsweweredrinkingitCarolinepassedus.ShewascarryinganotherbottleandsaidshewouldtakeitdowntoAmyas.Meredithsaidhe'dgo,butshewasquitefirmthatshe'dgoherself.Ithought-foolthatIwas-thatitwasjustherjealousy.Shecouldn't stand those twobeingalonedown there.Thatwaswhathad takenherdown thereoncealreadywith theweakpretextofarguingaboutAngela'sdeparture.

Shewent off down that zigzag path, andMeredith and I watched her go.We'd stillnotdecidedanything, andnowAngelaclamored that I shouldcomebathingwithher.ItseemedimpossibletogetMeredithalone.Ijustsaidtohim,“Afterlunch.”Andhenodded.

ThenIwentoffbathingwithAngela.Wehadagoodswim-acrossthecreekand back - and then we lay out on the rocks, sun-bathing. Angela was a bittaciturn,andthatsuitedme.ImadeupmymindthatdirectlyafterlunchI'dtakeCaroline aside and accuse her point-blank of having stolen the stuff. No uselettingMeredithdoit-he'dbetooweak.No,I'dtaxherwithitoutright.Afterthatshe'dhavetogiveitbackor,evenifshedidn't,shewouldn'tdareuseit.

Iwas pretty sure itmust be her on thinking things over. Elsawas far toosensible and hard-boiled a youngwoman to risk tamperingwith poisons. Shehad a hard head andwould take care of her own skin. Carolinewasmade ofmore dangerous stuff - unbalanced, carried away by impulses and definitelyneurotic. And still, you know, at the back of my mind, was the feeling thatMeredithmighthavemadeamistake.Orsomeservantmighthavebeenpoking

aboutinthereandspilledthestuffandthennotdaredtoownup.Yousee,poisonseemssuchamelodramaticthing-youcan'tbelieveinit.

Nottillithappens.ItwasquitelatewhenIlookedatmywatch,andAngelaandIfairlyracedup

tolunch.Theywerejustsittingdown-allbutAmyas,whohadremaineddownintheBatterypainting.Quiteausualthingforhimtodo,andprivatelyIthoughthimverywisetoelecttodoittoday.Lunchwaslikelytohavebeenanawkwardmeal.

Wehadcoffeeontheterrace.IwishIcouldrememberbetterhowCarolinelookedandacted.Shedidn'tseemexcitedinanyway.Quietandrathersadismyimpression.Whatadevilthatwomanwas!

Foritisadevilishthingtodo-topoisonamanincoldblood.Iftherehadbeenarevolveraboutandshe'dcaughtitupandshothim-well,thatmighthavebeen understandable. But this cold, deliberate, vindictive poisoning - and socalmandcollected.

She got up and said, in themost natural way possible, that she'd take hiscoffeetohim.Andyetsheknew-shemusthaveknown-thatbynowshe'dfindhim dead. Miss Williams went with her. I don't remember if that was atCaroline'ssuggestionornot.Iratherthinkitwas.

Thetwowomenwentofftogether.Meredithstrolledawayshortlyafterward.Iwasjustmakinganexcusetogoafterhimwhenhecamerunningupthepathagain.Hisfacewasgray.Hegaspedout,“Wemustgetadoctor-quick-Amyas-”

Isprangup.“Isheill-dying?”Meredithsaid,“I'mafraidhe'sdead...”We'dforgottenElsaforaminute.Butsheletoutasuddencry.Itwaslikethe

wailofabanshee.Shecried,“Dead?Dead?...”And thenshe ran. Ididn'tknowanyonecould

movelikethat-likeadeer,likeastrickenthing,andlikeanavengingfury,too.Meredith panted out: “Go after her. I'll telephone.Go after her.You don't

knowwhatshe'lldo.”Ididgoafterher-andit'saswellIdid.Shemightquiteeasilyhavekilled

Caroline. I've never seen such grief and such frenzied hate.All the veneer ofrefinementandeducationwasstrippedoff.Deprivedofher lover,shewas justelementalwoman.She'dhave clawedCaroline's face, tornherhair, hurledherovertheparapetifshecould.ShethoughtforsomereasonorotherthatCarolinehadknifedhim.She'dgotitallwrong-naturally.

I heldheroff, and thenMissWilliams took charge.Shewasgood, Imustsay.ShegotElsatocontrolherselfinunderaminute-toldhershe'dgottobe

quiet and that we couldn't have this noise and violence going on. She was atartar,thatwoman.Butshedidthetrick.Elsawasquiet-juststoodtheregaspingandtrembling.

AsforCaroline,asfarasIwasconcerned,themaskwasrightoff.Shestoodthereperfectlyquiet-youmighthavesaiddazed.Butshewasn'tdazed.Itwashereyesgaveheraway.Theywerewatchful-fullyawareandquietlywatchful.She'dbegun,Isuppose,tobeafraid.

Iwentuptoherandspoketoher.Isaiditquitelow.Idon'tthinkeitherofthe twowomen overheard. I said, “You damnedmurderess, you've killedmybestfriend.”

Sheshrankback.Shesaid,“No-oh,no-he-hedidithimself.”Ilookedherfullintheeyes.Isaid,“Youcantellthatstory-tothepolice.”Shedid,andtheydidn'tbelieveher.(EndofPhilipBlake'sNarrative)NarrativeofMeredithBlakeDearM.Poirot:As I promised you, I have set down in writing an account of all I can

rememberrelatingtothetragiceventsthathappenedsixteenyearsago.Firstofall,IwouldliketosaythatIhavethoughtovercarefullyallyousaidtomeatourrecentmeeting.AndonreflectionIammoreconvincedthanIwasbeforethatitis in the highest degree unlikely that Caroline Crale poisoned her husband. Italways seemed incongruous, but the absence of anyother explanation andherownattitudeledmetofollow,sheeplike,theopinionofotherpeople,andtosaywiththem-thatifshedidn'tdoit,whatexplanationcouldtherebe?

Since seeingyou Ihave reflectedverycarefullyon thealternative solutionpresentedatthetimeandbroughtforwardbythedefenseatthetrial.Thatis,thatAmyasCraletookhisownlife.AlthoughfromwhatIknewofhimthatsolutionseemedquitefantasticatthetime,Inowseefittomodifymyopinion.Tobeginwith,andhighlysignificant,isthefactthatCarolinebelievedit.Ifwearenowtotakeitthatthatcharmingandgentleladywasunjustlyconvicted,thenherownfrequentlyreiteratedbeliefmustcarrygreatweight.SheknewAmyasbetterthananyone else. If she thought suicide possible, then suicide must have beenpossibleinspiteoftheskepticismofhisfriends.

Iwilladvancethetheory,therefore,thattherewasinAmyasCralesomecoreofconscience,someundercurrentofremorse,andevendespairattheexcessestowhichhistemperamentledhim,ofwhichonlyhiswifewasaware.This,Ithink,isanotimpossiblesupposition.Hemayhaveshownthatsideofhimselfonlytoher.

Though it is inconsistent with anything I ever heard him say, yet it is

neverthelessatruththatinmostmenthereissomeunsuspectedandinconsistentstreak which often comes as a surprise to people who have known themintimately.Arespectedandausteremanisdiscoveredtohavehadacoarsersidetohis lifehidden.Avulgarmoneymakerhas,perhaps,a secretappreciationofsome delicate work of art. Hard and ruthless people have been convicted ofunsuspected hidden kindnesses.Generous and jovialmen have been shown tohaveameanandcruelside.

SoitmaybethatinAmyasCralethereranastrainofmorbidself-accusation,andthatthemoreheblusteredouthisegoismandhisrighttodoashepleasedthemorestronglythatsecretconscienceofhisworked.Itisimprobable,ontheface of it, but I now believe that it must have been so. And I repeat again,Carolineherselfheldsteadfastlytothatview.That,Iinsist,issignificant!

Andnowtoexaminefacts,orrathermymemoryoffacts,inthelightofthatnewbelief.

I think that Imightwith relevance includehere a conversation I heldwithCarolinesomeweeksbeforetheactual tragedy.ItwasduringElsaGreer'sfirstvisittoAlderbury.

Caroline,asIhavetoldyou,wasawareofmydeepaffectionandfriendshipforher.Iwas,therefore,thepersoninwhomshecouldmosteasilyconfide.Shehad not been looking very happy. Nevertheless, I was surprised when shesuddenlyaskedmeonedaywhetherIthoughtAmyasreallycaredverymuchforthisgirlhehadbroughtdown.

Isaid,“He'sinterestedinpaintingher.YouknowwhatAmyasis.”Sheshookherheadandsaid,“No,he'sinlovewithher.”“Well-perhapsalittle.”“Agreatdeal,Ithink.”Isaid:“Sheisunusuallyattractive,Iadmit.AndwebothknowthatAmyasis

susceptible.Butyoumustknowbynow,mydear,thatAmyasreallyonlycaresforoneperson -and that isyou.Hehas these infatuations,but theydon't last.Youaretheonepersontohim,and,thoughhebehavesbadly,itdoesnotreallyaffecthisfeelingforyou.”

She said: “But this time, Merry, I'm afraid. That girl is so - so terriblysincere.She'ssoyoungandsointenseIhaveafeelingthatthistimeit'sserious.”

Isaid:“Buttheveryfactthatsheissoyoungand,asyousay,sosincere,willprotecther.Onthewhole,womenarefairgametoAmyas,butinthecaseofagirllikethisitwillbedifferent.”

Shesaid,“Yes,that'swhatI'mafraidof-itwillbedifferent.”Isaid,“Butyouknow,Caroline,youknowthatAmyasisreallydevotedto

you.”

Shesaidtothat,“Doesoneeverknowwithmen?”Andthenshelaughedalittle ruefully and said, “I'm averyprimitivewoman,Merry. I'd like to take ahatchettothatgirl.”

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter8

Itoldherthatthechildprobablydidn'tunderstandintheleastwhatshewasdoing.ShehadagreatadmirationandheroworshipforAmyasandsheprobablydidn'trealizeatallthatAmyaswasfallinginlovewithher.

Carolinejustsaidtome,“DearMerry!”andbegantotalkaboutthegarden.Ihopedthatshewasnotgoingtoworryanymoreaboutthematter.

Shortly afterward Elsa went back to London. Amyas was away, too, forseveralweeks. I had really forgotten all about the business. In fact, I thoughttherewasn'tanythingtoworryabout.AndthenIheardthatElsawasbackagainatAlderburyinorderthatAmyasmightfinishthepicture.

Iwasalittledisturbedbythenews.ButCaroline,whenIsawher,wasnotinacommunicativemood.Sheseemedquiteherusualself-notworriedorupsetinanyway.Iimaginedthateverythingwasallright.

That'swhyitwassuchashocktometolearnhowfarthethinghadgone.I have told you of my conversations with Crale and with Elsa. I had no

opportunity of talking to Caroline.Wewere only able to exchange those fewwordsaboutwhichIhavealreadytoldyou.

Icanseeherfacenow-thewide,darkeyesandtherestrainedemotion.Icanstillhearhervoiceasshesaid,“Everything'sfinished...”

Ican'tdescribe toyou the infinitedesolationsheconveyed in thosewords.Theywerea literal statementof truth.WithAmyas'sdefectioneverythingwasfinishedforher.That, Iamconvinced,waswhyshe tooktheconiine. Itwasawayout.Awaysuggestedtoherbymystupiddissertationonthedrug.AndthepassageIreadfromthePhaedogivesagraciouspictureofdeath.

Hereismypresentbelief:Shetooktheconiine,resolvedtoendherownlifewhenAmyaslefther.Hemayhaveseenhertakeitorhemayhavediscoveredthatshehaditlater.

Thatdiscoveryacteduponhimwithterrificforce.Hewashorrifiedatwhathis actions had led her to contemplate. But, notwithstanding his horror andremorse,hestillfelthimselfincapableofgivingupElsa.Icanunderstandthat.Anyonewhohadfalleninlovewithherwouldfinditalmostimpossibletotearhimselfaway.

HecouldnotenvisagelifewithoutElsa.HerealizedthatCarolinecouldnotlivewithouthim.Hedecided therewasonlyonewayout - touse the coniinehimself.

All this, alas, isnotwhatyouaskedme for -whichwasanaccountof the

happeningsasIrememberthem.Letmenowrepairthatomission.Ihavealreadytold you fully what happened on the day preceding Amyas's death. We nowcometothedayitself.

I had slept very badly - worried by the disastrous turn of events for myfriends.Aftera longwakefulperiod,whileIvainlytriedtothinkofsomethinghelpfulIcoulddotoavertthecatastrophe,Ifellintoaheavysleepabout6a.m.Thebringingofmyearlyteadidnotawakenme,andIfinallywokeup,heavy-headed and unrefreshed, about half past nine. It was shortly after that that IthoughtIheardmovementsintheroombelow,whichwastheroomIusedasalaboratory.

I may say here that actually those sounds were probably caused by a catgettingin.Ifoundthewindowsashraisedalittleway,asithadcarelesslybeenleftfromthedaybefore.Itwasjustwideenoughtoadmitthepassageofacat.ImerelymentionthesoundstoexplainhowIcametoenterthelaboratory.

Iwent in there as soon as I had dressed and, looking along the shelves, Inoticedthat thebottlecontainingthepreparationofconiinewasslightlyoutoflinewiththerest.Havinghadmyeyedrawntoit inthisway,Iwasstartledtoseethataconsiderablequantityof itwasgone.Thebottlehadbeennearlyfullthedaybefore,nowitwasnearlyempty.

Ishutandlockedthewindowandwentout,lockingtheIdoorbehindme.Iwasconsiderablyupsetandalsobewildered.Whenstartled,mymentalprocessesare,Iamafraid,somewhatslow.

I was first disturbed, then apprehensive, and finally definitely alarmed. Iquestioned thehousehold, and theyall deniedhavingentered the laboratoryatall. I thought things over a littlewhile longer and thendecided to ringupmybrotherandgethisadvice.

PhilipwasquickerthanIwas.Hesawtheseriousnessofmydiscoveryandurgedmetocomeoveratonceandconsultwithhim.

Iwentout,encounteringMissWilliams,whowaslookingforatruantpupil.IassuredherthatIhadnotseenAngelaandthatshehadnotbeentothehouse.

IthinkthatMissWilliamsnoticedtherewassomethingamiss.Shelookedatme rather curiously. I had no intention, however, of telling her what hadhappened.Isuggestedsheshouldtrythekitchengarden-Angelahadafavoriteapple tree there - and I myself hurried down to the shore and rowed myselfacrosstotheAlderburyside.Mybrotherwasalreadytherewaitingforme.

WewalkeduptothehousetogetherbythewayyouandIwenttheotherday.Havingseenthetopography,youcanunderstandthatinpassingunderneaththewall of the Battery Garden we were bound to overhear anything being saidinsideit.

BeyondthefactthatCarolineandAmyaswereengagedinadisagreementofsomekind,Ididnotpaymuchattentiontowhatwassaid.

CertainlyIoverheardnothreatofanykindutteredbyCaroline.Thesubjectof discussionwas Angela, and I presume Caroline was pleading for a respitefrom the fiat of school. Amyas, however,was adamant, shouting out irritablythatitwasallsettled-he'dseetoherpacking.

Thedoorof theBatteryopened just aswedrewabreast of it andCarolinecameout.Shelookeddisturbed,butnotundulyso.Shesmiledratherabsentlyatme,andsaidtheyhadbeendiscussingAngela.Elsacamedownthepathatthatminute and, as Amyas dearly wanted to get on with the sitting withoutinterruptionfromus,wewentonupthepath.

Philip blamed himself severely afterward for the fact thatwe did not takeimmediateaction.

ButImyselfcannotseeitthesameway.Wehadnoearthlyrighttoassumethatsuchathingasmurderwasbeingcontemplated.(Moreover,Inowbelievethat itwasnot contemplated.) Itwas clear thatwe shouldhave to adopt somecourseofaction,but I stillmaintain thatwewere right to talk thematterovercarefullyfirst.Itwasnecessarytofindtherightthingtodo,andonceortwiceIfoundmyselfwondering if Ihadnot, afterall,madeamistake.Had thebottlereallybeenfullthedaybeforeasIthought?

Iamnotoneofthesepeople(likemybrotherPhilip)whocanbecocksureofeverything.One'smemorydoesplaytricksonone.Howoften,forinstance,oneisconvincedonehasputanarticleinacertainplace,latertofindthathehasputitsomewherequitedifferent.ThemoreItriedtorecallthestateofthebottleonthe preceding afternoon the more uncertain and doubtful I became. This wasveryannoyingtoPhilip,whobegancompletelytolosepatiencewithme.

Wewerenotabletocontinueourdiscussionatthetimeandtacitlyagreedtopostponeituntilafterlunch.(ImaysaythatIwasalwayfreetodropinforlunchatAlderburyifIchose.)

Later,Angela andCaroline brought us beer. I askedAngelawhat she hadbeenupto,playingtruant,andtoldherMissWilliamswasonthewarpath,andshesaidshehadbeenbathing,andaddedthatshedidn'tseewhysheshouldhavetomendherhorribleoldskirtwhenshewasgoingtohaveallnewthingstogotoschoolwith.

Since thereseemednochanceof further talkwithPhilipalone,andsinceIwasreallyanxioustothinkthingsoutbymyself,IwanderedoffdownthepathtowardtheBattery.JustabovetheBattery,asIshowedyou,thereisaclearinginthetreeswherethereusedtobeanoldbench.Isattheresmokingandthinking,andwatchingElsaasshesatposingforAmyas.

Ishallalwaysthinkofherasshewasthatday-rigid in thepose,withheryellowshirtanddark-bluetrousersandaredpull-overslungroundhershouldersforwarmth.

Herfacewassoalightwithlifeandhealthandradiance.Andthatgayvoiceofhersrecitingplansforthefuture.

ThissoundsasthoughIwaseavesdropping,butthatisnotso.Iwasperfectlyvisible toElsa.BothsheandAmyasknewIwas there.ShewavedherhandatmeandcalledupthatAmyaswasaperfectbearthatmorning-hewouldn't letherrest.Shewasstiffandachingallover.

Amyasgrowledoutthatshewasn'tasstiffashewas.Hewasstiffallover-muscularrheumatism.Elsasaidmockingly,“Pooroldman!”Andhesaidshe'dbetakingonacreakinginvalid.

It shocked me, you know, their light-hearted acquiescence in their futuretogetherwhile theywerecausingsomuchsuffering.Andyet Icouldn'thold itagainst her. She was so young, so confident, so verymuch in love. And shedidn'treallyknowwhatshewasdoing.Shedidn'tunderstandsuffering.ShejustassumedwiththenaпveconfidenceofachildthatCarolinewouldbe“allright,”that“she'dsoongetoverit.”Shesawnothing,yousee,butherselfandAmyas-happytogether.She'dalreadytoldmemypointofviewwasold-fashioned.Shehadnodoubts,noqualms,nopity,either.Butcanoneexpectpityfromradiantyouth?Itisanolder,wiseremotion.

They didn't talk very much, of course. No painter wants to be chatteringwhen he is working. Perhaps every ten minutes or so Elsa would make anobservationandAmyaswouldgruntareply.Onceshesaid:

“Ithinkyou'rerightaboutSpain.That'sthefirstplacewe'llgoto.Andyoumust takemetoseeabullfight. Itmustbewonderful!OnlyI'd like thebull tokill theman - not the otherway about. I understand howRomanwomen feltwhentheysawamandie.Menaren'tmuch,butanimalsaresplendid.”

I suppose shewas rather like an animal herself - young and primitive andwithnothingyetofman'ssadexperienceanddoubtfulwisdom. Idon'tbelieveElsahadbeguntothink-sheonlyfelt.Butshewasverymuchalive-morealivethananypersonIhaveeverknown.

Thatwas the last timeIsawher radiantandassured-on topof theworld.Feyisthewordforit,isn'tit?

Thebellsoundedfor lunch,andIgotupandwentdownthepathandinattheBatterydoor,andElsa joinedme. Itwasdazzlinglybright therecoming inoutoftheshadytrees.Icouldhardlysee.Amyaswassprawledbackontheseat,hisarmsflungout.Hewasstaringatthepicture.I'vesooftenseenhimlikethat.Howwas I toknow thatalready thepoisonwasworking, stiffeninghimashe

sat?He so hated and resented illness.Hewould never own to it. I dare say he

thoughthehadgotatouchofthesun-thesymptomsaremuchthesame-buthe'dbethelastpersontocomplainaboutit.

Elsasaid,“Hewon'tcomeuptolunch.”PrivatelyIthoughthewaswise.Isaid,“Solong,then.”Hemoved his eyes from the picture until they rested onme. Therewas a

queer - how shall I describe it? - it looked like malevolence. A kind ofmalevolentglare.

NaturallyIdidn'tunderstanditthen-ifhispicturewasn'tgoingashelikedheoftenlookedquitemurderous.Ithoughtthatwaswhatitwas.Hemadeasortofgruntingsound.

NeitherElsanorIsawanythingunusualinhim-justartistictemperament.SowelefthimthereandsheandIwentuptothehouselaughingandtalking.

If she'd known - poor child - that she'd never see him alive again -Oh,well,thankGod, she didn't. Shewas able to be happy a little longer. Carolinewasquitenormalatlunch-alittlepreoccupied,nothingmore.Anddoesn'tthatshowthatshehadnothingtodowithit?Shecouldn'thavebeensuchanactress.

She and the governess went down afterward and found him. I met MissWilliamsasshecameup.She toldme to telephoneadoctorandwentback toCaroline.

That poor child! Elsa, Imean. She had that frantic, unrestrained grief thatchildrenhave.Theycan'tbelievethatlifecandothesethingstothem.Carolinewas quite calm.Yes, shewas quite calm. Shewas able, of course, to controlherself better than Elsa. She didn't seem remorseful - then. Just said hemusthavedone ithimself.Andwecouldn'tbelieve that.Elsaburstoutandaccusedhertoherface.

Of course, she may have realized, already, that she herself would besuspected.Yes,thatprobablyexplainshermanner.

Philipwasquiteconvincedthatshehaddoneit.Thegovernesswasagreathelpandstand-by.ShemadeElsa liedownand

gaveherasedativeandshekeptAngelaoutofthewaywhenthepolicecame.Yes,shewasatowerofstrength,thatwoman.

Thewhole thing became a nightmare. The police searching the house andaskingquestions,andthenthereportersswarmingabouttheplacelikefliesandclickingcamerasandwantinginterviewswithmembersofthefamily.

Anightmare,thewholething...It'sstillanightmare,afteralltheseyears.PleaseGod,onceyou'veconvinced

little Carla what really happened, we can forget it all and never remember it

again.Amyasmusthavecommittedsuicide-howeverunlikelyitseems.(EndofMeredithBlake'sNarrative)NarrativeofLadyDittishamIhavesetdownherethefullstoryofmymeetingwithAmyasCrale,upto

thetimeofhistragicdeath.Isawhimfirstatastudioparty.Hewasstanding,Iremember,byawindow

and I saw him as I came in at the door. I askedwho hewas. Someone said,“That'sCrale,thepainter.”IsaidatoncethatI'dliketomeethim.

Wetalkedonthatoccasionforperhapstenminutes.Whenanyonemakestheimpression on you that Amyas Cralemade onme, it's hopeless to attempt todescribeit.IfIsaythatwhenIsawAmyasCraleeverybodyelseseemedtogrowverysmallandfadeaway,thatexpressesitaswellasanythingcan.

ImmediatelyafterthatmeetingIwenttolookatasmanyofhispicturesasIcould.HehadashowoninBondStreetatthemomentandtherewasoneofhispicturesinManchesterandoneinLeedsandtwoinpublicgalleriesinLondon.Iwent to see them all. Then Imet him again. I said, “I've been to see all yourpictures.Ithinkthey'rewonderful.”

Hejustlookedamused.Hesaid,“Whosaidyouwereanyjudgeofpainting?Idon'tbelieveyouknowanythingaboutit.”

Isaid,“Perhapsnot.Buttheyaremarvelous,allthesame.”Hegrinnedatmeandsaid,“Don'tbeagushinglittlefool.”Isaid,“I'mnot;Iwantyoutopaintme.”Cralesaid,“Ifyou'veanysenseatall,you'llrealizethatIdon'tpaintportraits

ofprettywomen.”Isaid,“Itneedn'tbeaportrait,andI'mnotaprettywoman.”Helookedatmethenasthoughhe'dbeguntoseeme.Hesaid,“No,perhaps

you'renot.”Isaid,“Willyoupaintme,then?”He studied me for some time with his head on one side. Then he said,

“You'reastrangechild,aren'tyou?”Isaid,“I'mquiterich,youknow;Icanaffordtopaywellforit.”Hesaid,“Whyareyousoanxiousformetopaintyou?”Isaid,“BecauseIwantit!”Hesaid,“Isthatareason?”AndIsaid,“Yes.IalwaysgetwhatIwant.”Hesaidthen,“Oh,mypoorchild,howyoungyouare!”Isaid,“Willyoupaintme?”Hetookmebytheshouldersandturnedmetowardthelightandlookedme

over.Thenhestoodawayfrommealittle.Istoodquitestill,waiting.He said, “I've sometimes wanted to paint a flight of impossibly colored

Australianmacaws alighting onStPaul'sCathedral. If I painted you against anicetraditionalbitofoutdoorlandscapeIbelieveI'dgetexactlythesameresult.”

Isaid,“Thenyouwillpaintme?”Hesaid,You'reoneoftheloveliest,crudest,mostflamboyantbitsofexotic

coloringI'veeverseen.I'llpaintyou!"Isaid,“Thenthat'ssettled.”Hewenton.“ButI'llwarnyou,ElsaGreer.IfIdopaintyou,Ishallprobably

makelovetoyou.”Isaid,“Ihopeyouwill...”Isaiditquitesteadilyandquietly.IheardhimcatchhisbreathandIsawthe

lookthatcameintohiseyes.Yousee,itwasassuddenasallthat.A day or two laterwemet again.He toldme that hewantedme to come

down to Devonshire - he'd got the very place there that he wanted for abackground.Hesaid,“I'mmarried,youknow,andI'mveryfondofmywife.”

Isaidifhewasfondofhershemustbeverynice.Hesaidshewasextremelynice.“Infact,”hesaid,“she'squiteadorable-and

Iadoreher.Soputthatinyourpipe,youngElsa,andsmokeit.”ItoldhimthatIquiteunderstood.He began the picture a week later. Caroline Crale welcomed me very

pleasantly.Shedidn'tlikememuch,but,afterall,whyshouldshe?Amyaswasvery circumspect. He never said a word to me that his wife couldn't haveoverheard and I was polite and formal to him. Underneath, though, we bothknew.

AftertendayshetoldmeIwastogobacktoLondon.Isaid,“Thepictureisn'tfinished.”Hesaid:“It'sbarelybegun.ThetruthofthematteristhatIcan'tpaintyou,

Elsa.”Isaid,“Why?”Hesaid,“Youknowwellenoughwhy,Elsa.Andthat'swhyyouwegot to

clearout.Ican'tthinkaboutthepainting-Ican'tthinkaboutanythingbutyou.”IknewitwouldbenogoodmygoingbacktoLondon,butIsaid,“Verywell,

I'llgoifyousayso.”Amyassaid,“Goodgirl.”SoIwent.Ididn'twritetohim.Heheldoutfortendaysandthenhecame.Hewassothinandhaggardand

miserablethatitshockedme.

Hesaid,“Iwarnedyou,Elsa.Don'tsayIdidn'twarnyou.”Isaid,“I'vebeenwaitingforyou.Iknewyou'dcome.”Hegaveasortofgroanandsaid,“Therearethingsthataretoostrongforany

man.Ican'teatorsleeporrestforwantingyou.”IsaidIknewthat,andthatitwasthesamewithmeandhadbeenfromthe

firstmomentI'dseenhim.Weweremadeforeachotherandwe'dfoundeachother-andwebothknew

wehadtobetogetheralways.But something else happened, too. The unfinished picture began to haunt

Amyas. He said to me, “Damned funny, I couldn't paint you before - youyourselfgotinthewayofit.ButIwanttopaintyou,Elsa.Iwanttopaintyousothat that picturewill be the finest thing I've everdone. I'm itching and achingnowtogetatmybrushesandtoseeyousittingthereonthathoaryoldchestnutof a battlementwallwith the conventional blue sea and the decorous Englishtrees-andyou-you-sittingtherelikeadiscordantshriekoftriumph.”

He said, “And I've got to paint you that way! And I can t be fussed andbotheredwhileI'mdoingit.Whenthepicture'sfinishedI'lltellCarolinethetruthandwe'llgetthewholemessybusinesscleanedup.”

Isaid,“WillCarolinemakeafussaboutdivorcingyou?”Hesaidhedidn'tthinkso.Butyouneverknewwithwomen.I said Iwas sorry if shewasgoing to beupset; but, after all, I said, these

thingsdidhappen.He said, “Very nice and reasonable, Elsa. But Caroline isn't reasonable,

neverhasbeenreasonable,andcertainlyisn'tgoingtofeelreasonable.Shelovesme,youknow.”

I said I understood that, but if she lovedhim she'd put his happiness first,and,atanyrate,shewouldn'twanttokeephimifhewantedtobefree.

He said, “Life can't really be solved by admirablemaxims out ofmodernliterature.Nature'sredintoothandclaw,remember.”

Isaid,“Surelyweareallcivilizedpeoplenowadays!”andAmyas laughed.He said, “Civilized people my foot! Caroline would probably like to take ahatchettoyou.Shemightdoit,too.”

Isaid,“Thendon'ttellher.”Hesaid,“No.Thebreak'sgottocome.You'vegottobelongtomeproperly,

Elsa.Beforealltheworld.Openlymine.”Isaid,“Supposeshewon'tdivorceyou?”Hesaid,“I'mnotafraidofthat.”Isaid,“Whatareyouafraidofthen?”Andhesaidslowly,“Idon'tknow...”

Yousee,heknewCaroline.WhileIdidn't.IfI'dhadanyidea...WewentdownagaintoAlderbury.Thingsweredifficultthistime.Caroline

hadgotsuspicious.Ididn'tlikeit;Ididn'tlikeitabit.I'vealwayshateddeceitandconcealment.Ithoughtweoughttotellher.Amyaswouldn'thearofit.

Thefunnypartofitwasthathedidn'treallycareatall.InspiteofbeingfondofCarolineandnotwantingtohurther,hejustdidn'tcareaboutthehonestyordishonesty of it all. He was painting with a kind of frenzy, and nothing elsemattered. Ihadn'tseenhiminoneofhisworkingspellsbefore. I realizednowwhatareallygreatgeniushewas.Itwasnaturalforhimtobesocarriedawaythatalltheordinarydecenciesdidn'tmatter.Butitwasdifferentforme.Iwasinahorribleposition.Caroline resentedme-andquite rightly.Theonly thing toputthepositionquitestraightwastobehonestandtellherthetruth.

ButallAmyaswouldsaywasthathewasn'tgoingtobebotheredwithscenesand fusses until he'd finished the picture. I said there probably wouldn't be ascene.Carolinewouldhavetoomuchdignityandprideforthat.

Isaid,“Iwanttobehonestaboutitall.We'vegottobehonest!”Amyassaid,“Tohellwithhonesty.I'mpaintingapicture!”Ididseehispointofview,buthewouldn'tseemine.AndintheendIbrokedown.Carolinehadbeentalkingofsomeplansheand

Amyas were going to carry out next autumn. She talked about it quiteconfidently.And I suddenly felt itwas too abominablewhatwewere doing -lettinghergoonlikethis-andperhaps,too,Iwasangry,becauseshewasreallybeingveryunpleasanttomeinacleversortofwaythatonecouldn't takeholdof.

AndsoIcameoutwiththetruth.Inaway,IstillthinkIwasright.Though,ofcourse,Iwouldn'thavedoneitifI'dhadthefaintestideawhatwastocomeofit.

Theclashcamerightaway.AmyaswasfuriouswithmefortellingCaroline,buthehadtoadmitthatwhatIhadsaidwastrue.

Ididn'tunderstandCarolineatall.Weallwentover toMeredithBlake's totea, andCarolineplayedupmarvelously - talking and laughing.Like a fool, Ithoughtshewastakingitwell.Itwasawkward,mynotbeingabletoleavethehouse, but Amyas would have gone up in smoke if I had. I thought perhapsCarolinewouldgo.Itwouldhavemadeitmucheasierforusifshehad.

Ididn'tseehertaketheconiine.Iwanttobehonest,soIthinkthatit'sjustpossiblethatshemayhavetakenitasshesaidshedid-withtheideaofsuicideinhermind.

ButIdon'treallythinkso.Ithinkshewasoneofthoseintenselyjealousand

possessivewomenwhowon'tletgoofanythingthattheythinkbelongstothemAmyaswasherproperty.Ithinkshewasquitepreparedtokillhimratherthantolet him go, completely and finally, to anotherwoman. I think she right awaymadeuphermindtokillhim.AndIthinkthatMeredith'shappeningtodiscussconiinesofreelyjustgaveherthemeanstodowhatshe'dalreadymadeuphermind to do. Shewas a very bitter and revengefulwoman - vindictive.Amyasknewallalongthatshewasdangerous.Ididn't.

ThenextmorningshehadafinalshowdownwithAmyas.Iheardmostofitfrom outside on the terrace. He was splendid - very patient and calm. Heimploredhertobereasonable.Hesaidhewasveryfondofherandthechild,andalwayswould be.He'd do everything he could to assure their future.Then hehardened up and said, “But understand this: I'm damnedwell going tomarryElsa, andnothing shall stopme.You and I always agreed to leave eachotherfree.Thesethingshappen.”

Carolinesaidtohim,“Doasyouplease.I'vewarnedyou.”Hervoicewasveryquiet,buttherewasaqueernoteinit.Amyassaid,“Whatdoyoumean,Caroline?”Shesaid,“You'remineandIdon'tmeantoletyougo.Soonerthanletyougo

tothatgirlI'llkillyou...”JustatthatminutePhilipBlakecamealongtheterrace.Igotupandwentto

meethim.Ididn'twanthimtooverhear.PresentlyAmyascameout and said itwas time togetonwith thepicture.

We went down together to the Battery. He didn't say much. Just said thatCarolinewascuttinguprough-butnottotalkaboutit.Hewantedtoconcentrateonwhathewasdoing.Anotherday,hesaid,wouldaboutfinishthepicture.

Hesaid,“Andit'llbethebestthingI'vedone,Elsa,evenifit ispaidforinbloodandtears.”

A little later Iwent up to the house to get a pull-over.Therewas a chillywindblowing.WhenIcamebackagain,Carolinewasthere.IsupposeshehadcomedowntomakeonelastappealtoAmyas.PhilipandMeredithBlakewerethere,too.

ItwasthenthatAmyassaidhewasthirstyandwantedadrink.Hesaidtherewasbeerbutitwasn'ticed.

Caroline said she'd send him down some iced beer. She said it quitenaturally,inanalmostfriendlytone.Shewasanactress,thatwoman.Shemusthaveknownthenwhatshemeanttodo.

She brought it down about ten minutes later. Amyas was painting. Shepoureditoutandsettheglassdownbesidehim.Neitherofuswaswatchingher.AmyaswasintentonwhathewasdoingandIhadtokeepthepose.

Amyasdrankitdownthewayhealwaysdrankbeer- justpouring itdownhisthroatinonedraught.Thenhemadeafaceandsaidittastedfoul;but,atanyrate,itwascold.

And even then, when he said that, no suspicion entered my head. I justlaughedandsaid,“Liver.”

Whenshe'dseenhimdrinkitCarolinewentaway.It must have been about forty minutes later that Amyas complained of

stiffness and pains.He said he thought hemust have got a touch ofmuscularrheumatism. Amyas was always intolerant of any ailment, and he didn't likebeing fussed over. After saying that he turned it off with a light “Old age, Isuppose.You'vetakenonacreakingoldman,Elsa.”

Iplayeduptohim.ButInoticedthathislegsmovedstifflyandqueerlyandthat he grimaced once or twice. I never dreamed that it wasn't rheumatism.Presently he drew the bench along and sat sprawled on that, occasionallystretchinguptoputamuchofpainthereandthereonthecanvas.Heusedtodothat sometimes when he was painting. Just sit staring at me and then at thecanvas. Sometimes he'd do it for half an hour at a time. So I didn't think itspeciallyqueer.

Weheardthebellgofor lunchandhesaidhewasn'tcomingup.He'dstaywhere he was and he didn't want anything. That wasn't unusual either and itwouldbeeasierforhimthanfacingCarolineatthetable.

He was talking in rather a queer way - grunting out his words. But hesometimesdidthatwhenhewasdissatisfiedwiththeprogressofthepicture.

MeredithBlakecame in to fetchme.Hespoke toAmyas,butAmyasonlygruntedathim.

Wewentuptothehousetogetherandlefthimthere.Welefthimthere-todie alone. I'd never seenmuch illness, I didn't knowmuch about it; I thoughtAmyas was just in a painter's mood. If I'd known - if I'd realized, perhaps adoctorcouldhavesavedhim...Oh,whydidn't I - It'snogood thinkingof thatnow.Iwasablindfool,ablind,stupidfool.

Thereisn'tmuchmoretotell.Carolineandthegovernesswentdownthereafterlunch.Meredithfollowed

them.Presentlyhecamerunningup.HetoldusAmyaswasdead.Then I knew! Knew, I mean, that it was Caroline. I still didn't think of

poison.Ithoughtshe'dgonedownthatminuteandeithershotorstabbedhim.Iwantedtogetather-tokillher...Howcould shedo it?Howcould she?Hewas soalive, so fullof life and

vigor.Toputall thatout - tomakehim limpandcold. Just so that I shouldn'thavehim.

Horriblewoman!...Horrible,scornful,cruel,vindictivewoman!...Ihateher!Istillhateher!

Theydidn'tevenhangher.Theyoughttohavehangedher...Evenhangingwastoogoodforher...Ihateher!...Ihateher!...Ihateher!...(EndofLadyDittisham'sNarrative)NarrativeofCeciliaWilliamsDearM.Poirot:I am sending you an account of those events in September, 19--, actually

witnessedbymyself.Ihavebeenabsolutelyfrankandhavekeptnothingback.Youmayshowitto

Carla Crale. It may pain her, but I have always been a believer in truth.Palliativesareharmful.Onemusthavethecouragetofacereality.Withoutthatcourage, life ismeaningless.The peoplewhodo usmost harm are the peoplewhoshieldusfromreality.

Believeme,yourssincerely,CeciliaWilliams.MynameisCeciliaWilliams.IwasengagedbyMrsCraleasgoverness to

herhalfsister,AngelaWarren,in19--.Iwasthenforty-eight.I took upmy duties at Alderbury, a very beautiful estate in SouthDevon

whichhadbelongedtoMrCrale'sfamilyformanygenerations.IknewthatMrCralewasawell-knownpainterbutIdidnotmeethimuntilItookupresidenceatAlderbury.

ThehouseholdconsistedofMrandMrsCrale,AngelaWarren(thenagirlofthirteen),andthreeservants,whohadbeenwiththefamilymanyyears.

I found my pupil an interesting and promising character. She had verymarkedabilitiesanditwasapleasuretoteachher.Shewassomewhatwildandundisciplined, but these faults arose mainly through high spirits, and I havealwayspreferredmygirlstoshowspirit.Anexcessofvitalitycanbetrainedandguidedintopathsofrealusefulnessandachievement.

On the whole, I found Angela amenable to discipline. She had beensomewhatspoiled-mainlybyMrsCrale,whowasfartooindulgentwhereshewasconcerned.MrCrale'sinfluencewas,Iconsidered,unwise.Heindulgedherabsurdly one day and was unnecessarily peremptory on another occasion. Hewas verymuch aman ofmoods, possibly owing towhat is styled the artistictemperament.

I have never seen,myself,why the possession of artistic ability should besupposedtoexcuseamanfromadecentexerciseofself-control.IdidnotmyselfadmireMrCrale'spaintings.Thedrawingseemedtomefaultyandthecoloring

exaggerated, but, naturally, I was not called upon to express any opinion onthesematters.

IsoonformedadeepattachmenttoMrsCrale.Iadmiredhercharacterandherfortitudeinthedifficultiesofherlife.MrCralewasnotafaithfulhusband,andIthinkthatthatfactwasthesourceofmuchpaintoher.Astronger-mindedwomanwouldhavelefthim,butMrsCraleneverseemedtocontemplatesuchacourse.Sheenduredhisinfidelitiesandforgavehimforthem,butImaysaythatshedidnottakethemmeekly.Sheremonstrated-andwithspirit!

Itwassaidatthetrialthattheyledacat-and-doglife.Iwouldnotgoasfarasthat-MrsCralehadtoomuchdignityforthattermtoapply-buttheydidhavequarrels.AndIconsiderthatthatwasonlynaturalunderthecircumstances.

I had been with Mrs Crale just over two years when Miss Elsa Greerappeareduponthescene.ShearriveddownatAlderburyinthesummerof19--.MrsCralehadnotmetherpreviously.ShewasMrCrale'sfriend,andshewassaidtobethereforthepurposeofhavingherportraitpainted.

ItwasapparentatoncethatMrCralewasinfatuatedwiththisgirl,andthatthe girl herself was doing nothing to discourage him. She behaved, in myopinion, quite outrageously, being abominably rude to Mrs Crale and openlyflirtingwithMrCrale.

Naturally Mrs Crale said nothing to me, but I could see that she wasdisturbedandunhappyandIdideverythinginmypowertodistracthermindandlightenherburden.MissGreersateverydayforMrCrale,butInoticedthatthepicturewas not getting on very fast. They had, no doubt, other things to talkabout.

My pupil, I am thankful to say, noticed very little ofwhatwas going on.Angela was in some ways young for her age. Though her intellect was welldeveloped,shewasnotatallwhatImaytermprecocious.Sheseemedtohavenowishtoreadundesirablebooksandshowednosignsofmorbidcuriositysuchasgirlsoftendoatherage.

She, therefore,sawnothingundesirablein thefriendshipbetweenMrCraleandMissGreer.Nevertheless, shedislikedMissGreerand thoughther stupid.Hereshewasquiteright.MissGreerhadhad,Ipresume,apropereducation,butsheneveropenedabookandwasquiteunfamiliarwithcurrentliteraryallusions.Moreover,shecouldnotsustainadiscussiononanyintellectualsubject.

She was entirely taken up with her personal appearance, her clothes, andmen.

Angela,Ithink,didnotevenrealizethathersisterwasunhappy.Shewasnotat that time a very perceptive person. She spent a lot of time in hoydenishpastimes, such as tree climbing and wild feats of bicycling. She was also a

passionatereaderandshowedexcellenttasteinwhatshelikedanddisliked.Mrs Crale was always careful to conceal any signs of unhappiness from

Angela, and exerted herself to appear bright and cheerful when the girl wasabout.

MissGreerwentbacktoLondon-atwhich,Icantellyou,wewereallverypleased!TheservantsdislikedherasmuchasIdid.Shewasthekindofpersonwhogivesalotofunnecessarytroubleandforgetstosaythankyou.

Mr Crale went away shortly afterward, and of course I knew that he hadgone after the girl. Iwas very sorry forMrsCrale. She felt these things verykeenly. I felt extremely bitter towardMrCrale.When aman has a charming,gracious,intelligentwifehehasnobusinesstotreatherbadly.

However,sheandIbothhoped theaffairwouldsoonbeover.Not thatwementionedthesubjecttoeachother-wedidnot-butsheknewquitewellhowIfeltaboutit.

Unfortunately,aftersomeweeks,thepairofthemreappeared.Itseemedthesittingsweretoberesumed.

Mr Crale was now painting with absolute frenzy. He seemed lesspreoccupiedwith the girl thanwith his picture of her.Nevertheless, I realizedthat thiswasnot theusualkindof thingwehadgonethroughbefore.Thisgirlhadgotherclawsintohimandshemeantbusiness.Hewasjustlikewaxinherhands.

Thethingcametoaheadonthedaybeforehedied-thatis,onSeptember17th.MissGreer'smannerhadbeenunbearablyinsolent thelastfewdays.Shewasfeelingsureofherselfandshewantedtoasserther importance.MrsCralebehavedlikeatruegentlewoman.Shewasicilypolitebutsheshowedtheotherclearlywhatshethoughtofher.

On thisday,September17th, aswewere sitting in thedrawing-roomafterlunch,MissGreercameoutwithanamazingremarkastohowshewasgoingtoredecoratetheroomwhenshewaslivingatAlderbury.

Naturally, Mrs Crale couldn't let that pass. She challenged her, andMissGreerhadtheimpudencetosay,beforeusall, thatshewasgoingtomarryMrCrale.Sheactuallytalkedaboutmarryingamarriedman-andshesaidittohiswife!

FiveLittlePigs

Chapter9

Iwasvery,veryangrywithMrCrale.Howdaredhe let thisgirl insulthiswifeinherowndrawing-room?Ifhewantedtorunawaywiththegirlheshouldhavegoneoffwithher,notbroughtherintohiswifeshouseandbackedherupinherinsolence.

Inspiteofwhatshemusthavefelt,MrsCraledidnotloseherdignity.Herhusband came in just then, and she immediately demanded confirmation fromhim.

He was, not unnaturally, annoyed with Miss Greer for her unconsideredforcing of the situation. Apart from anything else, it made him appear at adisadvantage, andmendo not like appearing at a disadvantage. It upsets theirvanity.

Hestoodthere,agreatgiantofaman,lookingassheepishandfoolishasanaughtyschoolboy.Itwashiswifewhocarriedoff thehonorsof thesituation.Hehadtomutterfoolishlythatitwastrue,butthathehadn'tmeanthertolearnitlikethis.

Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethelookofscornshegavehim.Shewentoutoftheroomwithherheadheldhigh.Shewasabeautifulwoman-muchmorebeautifulthanthatflamboyantgirl-andshewalkedlikeanempress.

I hoped, with all my heart, that Amyas Crale would be punished for thecrueltyhehaddisplayedandfortheindignityhehadputuponalong-sufferingandnoblewoman.

ForthefirsttimeItriedtosaysomethingofwhatIfelttoMrsCrale,butshestoppedme.

She said, “We must try and behave as usual. It's the best way.We're allgoingovertoMeredithBlake'stotea.”

Isaidtoherthen,“Ithinkyouarewonderful,MrsCrale.”Shesaid,“Youdon'tknow...”Then,asshewasgoingoutoftheroom,shecamebackandkissedme.She

said,“You'resuchagreatcomforttome.”Shewent toher room then, and I think she cried. I sawherwhen they all

startedoff.Shewaswearingabig-brimmedhatthatshadedherface-ahatsheveryseldomwore.

MrCralewasuneasybutwas trying tobrazen thingsout.MrPhilipBlakewastryingtobehaveasusual.ThatMissGreerwaslookinglikeacatwhohasgotatthecreamjug-allself-satisfactionandpurrs!

Theyallstartedoff.Theygotbackaboutsix.IdidnotseeMrsCraleagainalonethatevening.Shewasveryquietandcomposedatdinnerandshewenttobedearly.Idon'tthinkthatanyonebutIknewhowshewassuffering.

TheeveningwastakenupwithakindofrunningquarrelbetweenMrCraleandAngela.Theybroughtuptheoldschoolquestionagain.Hewasirritableandon edge and shewas unusually trying. Thewholematter was settled and heroutfithadbeenboughtandtherewasnosenseinstartingupanargumentagain,butshesuddenlychosetomakeagrievanceofit.Ihavenodoubtshesensedthetensionintheairandthatitreactedonherasmuchasoneverybodyelse.Iamafraid I was too preoccupied withmy own thoughts to try to check her, as Ishouldhavedone.ItallendedwithherflingingapaperweightatMrCraleanddashingwildlyoutoftheroom.

IwentafterherandtoldhersharplythatIwasashamedofherbehavinglikea baby, but shewas still very uncontrolled, and I thought it best to leave heralone.

IhesitatedastowhethertogotoMrsCrale'sroom,butIdecidedintheendthatitwould,perhaps,annoyher.IwishsincethatIhadovercomemydiffidenceand insisted on her talking tome. If she had done so, itmight possibly havemade a difference. She had no one, you see, in whom she could confide.AlthoughIadmireself-control,Imustregretfullyadmitthatsometimesitcanbecarriedtoofar.Anaturaloutlettothefeelingsisbetter.

ImetMrCraleasIwentalongtomyroom.Hesaidgoodnight,butIdidnotanswer.

Thenextmorningwas,Iremember,abeautifulday.Onefeltwhenwakingthatsurelywithsuchpeaceallaroundevenamanmustcometohissenses.

I went into Angela's room before going down to breakfast, but she wasalreadyupandout.Ipickedupatornskirtwhichshehadleftlyingonthefloorandtookitdownwithmeforhertomendafterbreakfast.

Shehad,however,obtainedbreadandmarmaladefromthekitchenandgoneout.AfterIhadhadmyownbreakfastIwentinsearchofher.ImentionthistoexplainwhyIwasnotmorewithMrsCraleonthatmorningasperhapsIshouldhavebeen.Atthetime,however,Ifelt itwasmydutytolookforAngela.ShewasverynaughtyandobstinateaboutmendingherclothesandIhadnointentionofallowinghertodefymeinthematter.

Her bathing dresswasmissing and I accordinglywent down to the beach.TherewasnosignofherinthewaterorontherockssoIconceiveditpossiblethatshehadgoneovertoMrMeredithBlake's.Sheandheweregreatfriends.Iaccordinglyrowedmyselfacrossandresumedmysearch.Ididnotfindherandeventually returned. Mrs Crale, Mr Blake, and Mr Philip Blake were on the

terrace.Itwasveryhotthatmorningifonewasoutofthewind,andthehouseand

terraceweresheltered.MrsCralesuggestedtheymightlikesomeicedbeer.There was a little conservatory which had been built onto the house in

Victoriandays.MrsCraledislikedit,anditwasnotusedforplants,but ithadbeenmadeintoakindofbar,withvariousbottlesofgin,vermouth,lemonade,gingerbeer,etc.,onshelves,andasmallrefrigeratorwhichwasfilledwith iceeverymorningandinwhichsomebeerandgingerbeerwerealwayskept.

MrsCralewenttheretogetthebeerandIwentwithher.Angelawasattherefrigeratorandwasjusttakingoutabottleofbeer.

MrsCralewent in ahead ofme.She said, “Iwant a bottle of beer to takedowntoAmyas.”

It is sodifficultnow toknowwhether Iought tohave suspectedanything.Hervoice,Ifeelalmostconvinced,wasperfectlynormal.ButImustadmitthatat that moment I was intent, not on her, but on Angela. Angela was by therefrigeratorandIwasgladtoseethatshelookedredandratherguilty.

Iwasrathersharpwithher,andtomysurpriseshewasquitemeek.Iaskedherwhereshehadbeenandshesaidshehadbeenbathing.Isaid,“Ididn'tseeyouonthebeach.”Andshelaughed.ThenIaskedherwhereherjerseywas,andshesaidshemusthaveleftitdownonthebeach.

ImentionthesedetailstoexplainwhyIletMrsCraletakethebeerdowntotheBatteryGarden.

Therestofthemorningisquiteblankinmymind.Angelafetchedherneedlebookandmendedherskirtwithoutanymorefuss.IratherthinkthatImendedsomeofthehouseholdlinen.MrCraledidnotcomeupforlunch.Iwasgladthathehadatleastthatmuchdecency.

Afterlunch,MrsCralesaidshewasgoingdowntotheBattery.IwantedtoretrieveAngela'sjerseyfromthebeach.Westarteddowntogether.ShewentintotheBattery;Iwasgoingonwhenhercrycalledmeback.AsItoldyouwhenyoucametoseeme,sheaskedmetogoupandtelephone.OnthewayupImetMrMeredithBlakeandIwentbacktoMrsCrale.

ThatwasmystoryasItolditattheinquestandlateratthetrial.WhatIamabouttowritedownIhavenevertoldtoanylivingsoul.Iwasnot

asked any question towhich I returned an untrue answer.Nevertheless, Iwasguiltyofwithholdingcertainfacts.Idonotrepentofthat.Iwoulddoitagain.IamfullyawarethatinrevealingthisImaybelayingmyselfopentocensure,butI do not think that after this lapse of time anyone will take the matter veryseriously,especiallysinceCarolineCralewasconvictedwithoutmyevidence.

This,then,iswhathappened:

ImetMrMeredithBlakeasIsaidandIrandownthepathagainasquicklyasIcould.IwaswearingsandshoesandIhavealwaysbeenlightonmyfeet.IcametotheopenBatterydoorandthisiswhatIsaw:

Mrs Crale was busily polishing the beer bottle on the table with herhandkerchief.Havingdoneso,shetookherdeadhusband'shandandpressedthefingersofitonthebeerbottle.Allthetimeshewaslisteningandonthealert.ItwasthefearIsawonherfacethattoldmethetruth.

I knew then, beyond any possible doubt, thatCarolineCrale had poisonedherhusband.AndI,forone,donotblameher.Hedrovehertoapointbeyondhumanendurance,andhebroughthisfateuponhimself.

Inevermentionedthe incident toMrsCraleandsheneverknewthatIhadseenittakeplace.Iwouldneverhavementionedittoanybody,butthereisonepersonwhoIthinkhasarighttoknow.

CarolineCrale's daughtermust not bolster up her lifewith a lie.Howevermuchitmaypainhertoknowthetruth,truthistheonlythingthatmatters.

Tell her, from me, that her mother is not to be judged. She was drivenbeyondwhat a lovingwoman can endure. It is for her daughter to understandandforgive.

(EndofCecilia,Williams'Narrative)

NarrativeofAngelaWarrenDearM.Poirot:IamkeepingmypromisetoyouandhavewrittendownallIcanremember

ofthatterribletimesixteenyearsago.ButitwasnotuntilIstartedthatIrealizedhowverylittleIdidremember.Untilthethingactuallyhappened,yousee,thereisnothingtofixanythingby.

TheveryfirstintimationIhadofthewholethingwaswhatIoverheardfromtheterracewhereIhadescapedafterlunchoneday.ElsasaidshewasgoingtomarryAmyas!Itstruckmeasjustridiculous.IremembertacklingAmyasaboutit.InthegardenatHandcrossitwas.Isaidtohim:

“Why does Elsa say she's going tomarry you? She couldn't. People can'thavetwowives-itsbigamyandtheygotoprison.”

Amyasgotveryangryandsaid,“Howthedevildidyouhearthat?”IsaidI'dhearditthroughthelibrarywindow.HewasangrierthaneverthenandsaiditwashightimeIwenttoschooland

gotoutofthehabitofeavesdropping.I still remember the resentment I feltwhenhe said that.Because itwas so

unfair.Absolutelyandutterlyunfair.I stammered out angrily that I hadn't been listening - and, anyhow, I said,

whydidElsasayasillythinglikethat?Amyassaiditwasjustajoke.Thatoughttohavesatisfiedme.Itdid-almost,butnotquite.I said to Elsawhenwewere on theway back, “I askedAmyaswhat you

meantwhen you said youwere going tomarry him and he said itwas just ajoke.”

Ifeltthatoughttosnubher.Butsheonlysmiled.Ididn'tlikethatsmileofhers.IwentuptoCaroline'sroom.Itwaswhenshe

wasdressingfordinner.IaskedherthenoutrightifitwerepossibleforAmyastomarryElsa.

I remember Caroline's answer as though I heard it now. She must havespokenwithgreatemphasis.“AmyaswillmarryElsaonlyafterIamdead,”shesaid.

Thatreassuredmecompletely.Deathseemedagesawayfromusall.IdontremembermuchabouttheafternoonatMeredithBlake's,althoughI

do remember his reading aloud the passage from the Phaedo, describingSocrates'sdeath.Ihadneverhearditbefore.Ithoughtitwastheloveliest,mostbeautifulthingIhadeverheard.

Idon'tremembermuchthathappenedthenextmorningeither,thoughIhavethoughtandthought.I'veavaguefeelingthatImusthavebathed,andIthinkIrememberbeingmadetomendsomething.

Butit'sallveryvagueanddimtillthetimewhenMeredithcamepantingupthe path from the terrace and his face was all gray and queer. I remember acoffeecupfallingoffthetableandbeingbroken-Elsadidthat.AndIrememberher running - suddenly running for all shewasworthdown thepath - and theawfullooktherewasonherface.

Ikeptsayingtomyself,“Amyasisdead.”Butitjustdidn'tseemreal.IrememberDrFaussettcomingandhisgraveface.MissWilliamswasbusy

looking after Caroline. I wandered about rather forlornly, getting in people sway.Ihadanasty,sickfeeling.

MissWilliamstookmeintoCaroline'sroomlater.Carolinewasonthesofa.Shelookedverywhiteandill.

ShekissedmeandsaidshewantedmetogoawayassoonasIcould,anditwasallhorrible,but Iwasn't toworryor thinkabout it anymore than I couldhelp.IwastojoinCarlaatLadyTressilian's,becausethishousewastobekeptasemptyaspossible.

IclungtoCarolineandsaidIdidn'twanttogoaway.Iwantedtostaywithher.ShesaidsheknewIdid,butitwasbetterformetogoawayandwouldtakealotofworryoffhermind.AndMissWilliamschippedinandsaid,“Thebestwayyoucanhelpyoursister,Angela,istodowhatshewantsyoutodowithoutmakingafussaboutit.”

SoIsaidIwoulddowhateverCarolinewished.AndCarolinesaid,“That'smydarling,Angela.”Andshehuggedmeandsaid therewasnothing toworryabout.

I had to go down and talk to a police superintendent. He was very kind,askedmewhenIhadlastseenAmyas,andalotofotherquestionswhichseemedtomequitepointlessatthetime,butwhich,ofcourse,Iseethepointofnow.Hesatisfied himself that there was nothing that I could tell himwhich he hadn'talreadyheardfromtheothers.SohetoldMissWilliamsthathesawnoobjectiontomygoingovertoFerrilbyGrangetoLadyTressilian's.

Iwentthere,andLadyTressilianwasverykindtome.But,ofcourse,Isoonhadtoknowthetruth.TheyarrestedCarolinealmostatonce.IwassohorrifiedanddumbfoundedthatIbecamequiteill.

IheardafterwardthatCarolinewasterriblyworriedaboutme.ItwasatherinsistencethatIwassentoutofEnglandbeforethetrialcameon.ButthatIhavetoldyoualready.

Asyousee,whatIhavetoputdownispitiablymeager.SincetalkingtoyouI have gone over the little I remember painstakingly, rackingmymemory fordetails of this or that person's expression or reaction. I can remember nothingconsistentwithguilt.Elsa'sfrenzy,Meredith'sgray,worriedface,Philip'sgrief

andfury-theyallseemnaturalenough.Isuppose,though,someonecouldhavebeenplayingapart.

Ionlyknowthis,Carolinedidnotdoit.Iamquitecertainonthispointandalwaysshallbe,butIhavenoevidenceto

offerexceptmyownintimateknowledgeofhercharacter.(EndofAngelaWarren'sNarrative)Carla Lemarchant looked up. Her eyes were full of fatigue and pain. She

pushedbackthehairfromherforeheadinatiredgesture.Shesaid,“It'ssobewildering,allthis.”Shetouchedthepileofmanuscripts.

“Because the angle's different every time! Everybody sees my motherdifferently.Butthefactsarethesame.Everyoneagreesonthefacts.”

“Ithasdiscouragedyou,readingthem?”“Yes.Hasn'titdiscouragedyou?”“No, I have found those documents very valuable - very informative.”He

spokeslowlyandreflectively.Carlasaid,“IwishI'dneverreadthem!”Poirotlookedacrossather.“Ah-soitmakesyoufeelthatway?”Carla said bitterly, “They all think she did it - all of them except Aunt

Angela,andwhatshethinksdoesn'tcount.Shehasn'tgotanyreasonforit.She'sjustoneofthoseloyalpeoplewho'llsticktoathingthroughthickandthin.Shejustgoesonsaying,'Carolinecouldn'thavedoneit.'”

“Itstrikesyoulikethat?”“Howelse should it strikeme? I've realized, youknow, that ifmymother

didn't do it, then one of these five people must have done it. I've even hadtheoriesastowhy.”

“Ah?Thatisinteresting.Tellme.”“Oh,theywereonlytheories.PhilipBlake,forinstance.He'sastockbroker,

hewasmyfather'sbestfriend-probablymyfathertrustedhim.Andartistsareusually careless aboutmoneymatters. Perhaps PhilipBlakewas in a jam andusedmyfather'smoney.Hemayhavegotmyfathertosignsomething.Thenthewhole thingmayhavebeenon thepointofcomingout -andonlymy father'sdeathcouldhavesavedhim.That'soneofthethingsIthoughtof.”

“Notbadlyimaginedatall.Whatelse?”“Well,there'sElsa.PhilipBlakesayshereshehadherheadscrewedontoo

well tomeddlewith poison, but I don't think that's true at all. Supposingmymotherhadgone toherand toldher thatshewouldn'tdivorcemyfather - thatnothingwouldinducehertodivorcehim.YoumaysaywhatyoulikebutIthinkElsahadabourgeoismind-shewantedtoberespectablymarried,I think thatthenElsawouldhavebeenperfectlycapableofpinchingthestuff-shehadjust

asgoodachancethatafternoon-andmighthavetriedtogetmymotheroutofthe way by poisoning her. I think that would be quite like Elsa. And then,possibly,bysomeawfulaccident,AmyasgotthestuffinsteadofCaroline.”

“Againitisnotbadlyimagined.Whatelse?”Carlasaidslowly,“WellIthought-perhaps-Meredith!”“Ah!MeredithBlake?”“Yes. You see, he sounds to me just the sort of person who would do a

murder. I mean, he was the slow, dithering one the others laughed at, andunderneath,perhaps,heresentedthat.Thenmyfathermarriedthegirlhewantedtomarry.Andmy fatherwas successful and rich.AndMeredith didmake allthosepoisons!Perhapshereallymadethembecausehelikedtheideaofbeingabletokillsomeoneoneday.Hehadtocallattentiontothestuffbeingtakensoas to divert suspicion from himself. But he himself was far the most likelyperson to have taken it.Hemight, even, have liked gettingCaroline hanged -becausesheturnedhimdownlongago.Ithink,youknow,itsratherfishywhathesaysinhisaccountofitall-howpeopledothingsthataren'tcharacteristicofthem.Supposinghemeanthimselfwhenhewrotethat?”

HerculePoirotsaid,“Youareatleastrightinthis-nottotakewhathasbeenwritten down as necessarily a true narrative.What has beenwrittenmayhavebeenwrittendeliberatelytomislead.”

“Oh,Iknow.I'vekeptthatinmind.”“Anyotherideas?”Carlasaidslowly,"Iwondered-beforeI'dreadthis-aboutMissWilliams.

Shelostherjob,yousee,whenAngelawenttoschool.AndifAmyashaddiedsuddenly,Angelaprobablywouldn'thavegoneafterall.Imean,ifitpassedoffas a natural death - which it easily might have done, I suppose, if Meredithhadn'tmissedtheconiine.Ireaduponconiineandithasn'tanydistinctivepost-mortem appearances. Itmight have been thought to be sunstroke. I know thatjustlosingajobdoesn'tsoundaveryadequatemotiveformurder.Butmurdershave been committed again and again for what seem ridiculously inadequatemotives. Tiny sums of money sometimes. And a middle-aged, perhaps ratherincompetentgovernessmighthavegotthewindupandjustseennofutureaheadofher.

“AsIsay,that'swhatIthoughtbeforeIreadthis.ButMissWilliamsdoesn'tsoundlikethatatall.Shedoesn'tsoundintheleastincompetent-”

“Notatall.Sheisstillaveryefficientandintelligentwoman.”“I know. One can see that. And she sounds absolutely trustworthy, too.

That's what has upset me really. Oh, you know - you understand. You don'tmind,of course.All alongyou'vemade it clear itwas the truthyouwanted. I

supposenowwe'vegotthetruth!MissWilliamsisquiteright.Onemustaccepttruth.Itsnogoodbasingyourlifeonaliebecauseit'swhatyouwanttobelieve.All right, then - I can take it!Mymotherwasn't innocent! Shewroteme thatletterbecauseshewasweakandunhappyandwantedtospareme.Idon'tjudgeher.PerhapsIshouldfeel like that, too. Idon'tknowwhatprisondoes toyou.And I don't blame her, either - if she felt so desperately about my father, Isupposeshecouldn'thelpherself.ButIdon'tblamemyfatheraltogether,either.I understand - just a little - how he felt. So alive and so full of wantingeverything...He couldn't help it - hewasmade thatway.And hewas a greatpainter.Ithinkthatexcusesalot.”

She turnedher flushed, excited face toHerculePoirotwithher chin raiseddefiantly.

“Soyouaresatisfied?”Poirotsaid.“Satisfied?”saidCarlaLemarchant.Hervoicebrokeontheword.Poirotleanedforwardandpattedherpaternallyontheshoulder.“Listen,”he

said.“Yougiveupthefightatthemomentwhenitismostworthfighting.AtthemomentwhenI,HerculePoirot,haveaverygoodideaofwhatreallyhappened.”

Carlastaredathim.Shesaid,“MissWilliamslovedmymother.Shesawher-withherowneyes-fakingthatsuicideevidence.Ifyoubelievewhatshesays-”

HerculePoirotgotup.“Mademoiselle,”hesaid,“becauseCeciliaWilliamssaysshesawyourmotherfakingAmyasCralesfingerprintsonthebeerbottle-onthebeerbottle,mind-thatistheonethingIneedtotellmedefinitely,onceforall,thatyourmotherdidnotkillyourfather.”

Henoddedhisheadseveral timesandwentoutof the room, leavingCarlastaringafterhim.

“Well,M.Poirot?”PhilipBlake'stonewasimpatient.Poirotsaid,“Ihavetothankyouforyouradmirableandlucidaccountof,the

Craletragedy.”PhilipBlakelookedratherself-conscious.“Verykindofyou,”hemurmured.

“ReallysurprisinghowmuchIrememberedwhenIgotdowntoit.”Poirot said, “It was an admirably clear narrative, but there were certain

omissions,weretherenot?”“Omissions?”PhilipBlakefrowned.HerculePoirot said,“Yournarrative, shallwesay,wasnotentirely frank.”

Histonehardened.“Ihavebeeninformed,MrBlake,thatonatleastonenightduringthesummerMrsCralewasseencomingoutofyourroomatasomewhatcompromisinghour.”

TherewasasilencebrokenonlybyPhilipBlake'sheavybreathing.Hesaidatlast,“Whotoldyouthat?”

HerculePoirot shookhishead.“It isnomatterwho toldme.That Iknow,thatisthepoint.”

Againtherewasasilence,thenPhilipBlakemadeuphismind.Hesaid,"Byaccident,itseems,youhavestumbleduponapurelyprivatematter.IadmitthatitdoesnotsquarewithwhatIhavewrittendown.Nevertheless,itsquaresbetterthanyoumightthink.Iamforcednowtotellyouthetruth.

"I did entertain a feeling of animosity towardCarolineCrale.At the sametimeIwasalwaysstronglyattractedbyher.Perhaps the latter fact inducedtheformer.Iresentedthepowershehadovermeandtriedtostifletheattractionshehadformebyconstantlydwellingonherworstpoints.Ineverlikedher,ifyouunderstand.Butitwouldhavebeeneasyatanymomentformetomakelovetoher.Ihadbeeninlovewithherasaboyandshehadtakennonoticeofme.Ididnotfindthateasytoforgive.

“My opportunity camewhen Amyas lost his head so completely over theGreergirl.Quitewithoutmeaningto,IfoundmyselftellingCarolineIlovedher.She said quite calmly, ”Yes, I have always known that."The insolence of thewoman!

“Ofcourse,Iknewthatshedidn'tloveme,butIsawthatshewasdisturbedanddisillusionedbyAmyas'spresentinfatuation.Thatisamoodwhenawomancanveryeasilybewon.Sheagreedtocometomethatnight.Andshecame.”

Blakepaused.Hefoundnowadifficultyingettingthewordsout."Shecametomyroom.Andthen,withmyarmsaroundher,shetoldmequitecoollythatitwasnogood!After all, she said, shewasaone-manwoman.ShewasAmyasCrale's,forbetterorworse.Sheagreedthatshehadtreatedmeverybadly,butshesaidshecouldn'thelpit.Sheaskedmetoforgiveher.

“Andsheleftme.Sheleftme!Doyouwonder,M.Poirot,thatmyhatredofherwasheightened ahundredfold?Doyouwonder that I havenever forgivenher?Fortheinsultshedidme,aswellasforthefactthatshekilledthefriendIlovedbetterthananyoneintheworld!”

Tremblingviolently,PhilipBlakeexclaimed:“Idon'twanttospeakofit,doyouhear?You'vegotyouranswer.Nowgo!

Andnevermentionthemattertomeagain!”“Iwanttoknow,MrBlake,theorderinwhichyourguestsleftthelaboratory

thatday.”Meredith Blake protested, “But, my dear M. Poirot - after sixteen years!

HowcanIpossiblyremember?I'vetoldyouthatCarolinecameoutlast.”“Youaresureofthat?”

“Yes-atleast-Ithinkso.”“Letusgotherenow.Wemustbesure,yousee.”Still protesting, Meredith Blake led the way. He unlocked the door and

swung back the shutters. Poirot spoke to him authoritatively. “Now, then,myfriend. You have showed your visitors your interesting preparations of herbs.Shutyoureyesandthink.”

Meredith Blake did so obediently. Poirot drew a handkerchief from hispocket andgentlypassed it to and fro.Blakemurmured,hisnostrils twitchingslightly, “Yes, yes - extraordinary how things come back to one! Caroline, Iremember, had on a pale coffee-colored dress. Phil was looking bored. Healwaysthoughtmyhobbywasquiteidiotic.”

“Reflect,now,”Poirotsaid.“Youareabouttoleavetheroom.Youaregoingto the library, where you are going to read the passage about the death ofSocrates.Wholeavestheroomfirst-doyou?”

“ElsaandI-yes.Shepassedthroughthedoorfirst.Iwasclosebehindher.Wewere talking. I stood therewaiting for the others to come, so that I couldlock thedooragain.Philip -yes,Philipcameoutnext.AndAngela - shewasaskinghimwhatbulls andbearswere.Theywenton through thehall.Amyasfollowedthem.Istoodtherewaitingstill-forCaroline,ofcourse.”

“So you are quite sureCaroline stayed behind.Did you seewhat shewasdoing?”

Blakeshookhishead.“No,Ihadmybacktotheroom,yousee.IwastalkingtoElsa-boringher,Iexpect-tellingherhowcertainplantsmustbegatheredatthefullofthemoon,accordingtooldsuperstition.AndthenCarolinecameout-hurryingalittle-andIlockedthedoor.”

He stopped and looked at Poirot,whowas replacing a handkerchief in hispocket. Meredith Blake sniffed disgustedly and thought, “Why, the fellowactuallyusesscent!”Aloudhesaid:“Iamquitesureof it.Thatwas theorder:Elsa,myself,Philip,Angela,andCaroline.Doesthathelpyouatall?”

Poirotsaid,“Itallfitsin.Listen:Iwanttoarrangeameetinghere.Itwillnot,Ithink,bedifficult...”

“Well?”ElsaDittishamsaiditalmosteagerly-likeachild.Poirotsaid,“Iwanttoaskyouaquestion,madame.”“Yes?”Poirotsaid,“Afteritwasallover-thetrial,Imean-didMeredithBlakeask

youtomarryhim?”Elsastared.Shelookedcontemptuous,almostbored.“Yes-hedid.Why?”“Wereyousurprised?”

“WasI?Idon'tremember.”“Whatdidyousay?”Elsalaughed.Shesaid,“WhatdoyouthinkIsaid?AfterAmyas-Meredith?

It would have been ridiculous! It was stupid of him. He always was ratherstupid.”

Shesmiledsuddenly.“He,wanted,youknow,toprotectme-to'lookafterme,'that'showheput

it!Hethought,likeeverybodyelse,thattheassizeshadbeenaterribleordealforme.Andthereporters!Andthebooingcrowds!Andallthemudthatwasslungatme.”

She brooded aminute. Then she said, “Poor oldMeredith! Such an ass!”Andlaughedagain.

Once again Hercule Poirot encountered the shrewd, penetrating glance ofMissWilliams,andonceagain felt theyears fallingawayandhimself ameekandapprehensivelittleboy.

Therewas,heexplained,aquestionhewishedtoask.MissWilliamsintimatedherwillingnesstohearwhatthequestionwas.Poirotsaidslowly,pickinghiswordscarefully:“Angela Warren was injured as a very young child. Mrs Crale threw a

paperweightather.Isthatright?”MissWilliamsreplied,“Yes.”“Whowasyourinformant?”“Angelaherself.Shevolunteeredtheinformationquiteearly.”“Whatdidshesayexactly?”“Shetouchedhercheekandsaid,'CarolinedidthiswhenIwasababy.She

threwapaperweightatme.Neverrefertoit-willyou?-becauseitupsetsherdreadfully.'”

“DidMrsCraleherselfevermentionthemattertoyou?”“Onlyobliquely.SheassumedthatIknewthestory.Irememberhersaying

once, 'I know you think I spoil Angela, but, you see, I always feel there isnothingIcandotomakeuptoherforwhatIdid.'Andonanotheroccasionshesaid, 'To know you have permanently injured another human being is theheaviestburdenanyonecouldhavetobear.'”

“Thankyou,MissWilliams.ThatisallIwantedtoknow.”Poirotslowedupalittleasheapproachedthebigblockofflatsoverlooking

Regent'sPark.Really,whenhecametothinkofit,hedidnotwanttoaskAngelaWarren any questions at all. The only question he did want to ask her couldwait...

No,itwasreallyonlyhisinsatiablepassionforsymmetrythatwasbringing

him here. Five people - there should be five questions! It was neater so. Itroundedoffthethingbetter.

AngelaWarrengreetedhimwithsomethingcloselyapproachingeagerness.Shesaid:“Haveyoufoundoutanything?Haveyougotanywhere?”

SlowlyPoirotnoddedhisheadinhisbestChinamandarinmanner.“AtlastImakeprogress,”hesaid.

“PhilipBlake?”Itwashalfwaybetweenstatementandaquestion.“Mademoiselle, I donotwish to say anything at present.Themoment has

not yet come.What I will ask of you is to be so good as to come down toHandcrossManor.Theothershaveconsented.”

She said, with a slight frown, “What do you propose to do? Reconstructsomethingthathappenedsixteenyearsago?”

“Seeit,perhaps,fromaclearerangle.Youwillcome?”“Oh,yes,I'llcome,”AngelaWarrensaidslowly.“Itwillbeinterestingtosee

all thosepeopleagain. I shall see themnow,perhaps, fromaclearerangle (asyouputit)thanIdidthen.”

“Andyouwillbringwithyoutheletterthatyoushowedme?”AngelaWarren frowned. “That letter ismy own. I showed it to you for a

goodandsufficientreason,butIhavenointentionofallowingit tobereadbystrangeandunsympatheticpersons.”

“Butyouwillallowyourselftobeguidedbymeinthematter?”“Iwilldonothingofthekind.Iwillbringtheletterwithme,butIshalluse

myownjudgement,whichIventuretothinkisquiteasgoodasyours.”Poirotspreadouthishandsinagestureofresignation.Hegotuptogo.He

said,“YoupermitthatIaskonelittlequestion?”“Whatisit?”“Atthetimeofthetragedy,youhadlatelyread-hadyounot?-alifeofthe

painterGauguin.”Angelastaredathim.Thenshesaid,“Ibelieve-why,yes,thatisquitetrue.”

Shelookedathimwithfrankcuriosity.“Howdidyouknow?”“Iwanttoshowyou,mademoiselle,thateveninasmall,unimportantmatter

Iseamsomethingofamagician.TherearethingsIknowwithouthavingtobetold.”

TheafternoonsunshoneintothelaboratoryatHandcrossManor.Someeasychairs and a settee had been brought into the room, but they served more toemphasizeitsforlornaspectthantofurnishit.

Slightly embarrassed, pulling at his mustache, Meredith Blake talked toCarlainadesultoryway.Hebrokeoffoncetosay,“Mydear,youareverylikeyourmother-andyetunlikeher,too.”

Carlaasked,“HowamIlikeherandhowunlike?”“Youhavehercoloringandherwayofmoving,butyouare-howshallIput

it-morepositivethansheeverwas.”PhilipBlake,a scowlcreasinghis forehead, lookedoutof thewindowand

drummed impatiently on the pane. He said, “What's the sense of all this? AperfectlyfineSaturdayafternoon-”

HerculePoirothastenedtopouroilontroubledwaters.“Ah,Iapologize-itis,Iknow,unpardonabletodisarrangethegolf.But,M.

Blake,thisis thedaughterofyourbestfriend.Youwillstretchapointforher,willyounot?”

Thebutlerannounced,“MissWarren.”Meredithwenttowelcomeher.Hesaid,“It'sgoodofyoutosparethetime,

Angela.You'rebusy,Iknow.”Heledherovertothewindow.Carla said, “Hullo, Aunt, Angela! I read your article in the Times this

morning.It'snicetohaveadistinguishedrelative.”Sheindicatedthetall,square-jawedyoungmanwith thesteadygrayeyes.“This is JohnRattery.HeandI -hope-tobemarried.”

AngelaWarrensaid,“Oh!Ididn'tknow...”Meredithwenttogreetthenextarrival.“Well,MissWilliams,it'sagoodmanyyearssincewemet.”Thin, frail, and indomitable, the elderly governess advanced up the room.

Hereyes rested thoughtfullyonPoirot foraminute, then theywent to the tall,square-shoulderedfigureinthewell-cuttweeds.

AngelaWarrencameforwardtomeetherandsaidwithasmile,“Ifeellikeaschoolgirlagain.”

“I'm very proud of you, my dear,” saidMissWilliams. “You've donemecredit.ThisisCarla,Isuppose?Shewon'trememberme.Shewastooyoung.”

PhilipBlakesaidfretfully,“Whatisallthis?Nobodytoldme-”HerculePoirotsaid,“Icallit-me-anexcursionintothepast.Shallwenot

allsitdown?Thenweshallbereadywhenthelastguestarrives.Andwhensheisherewecanproceedtoourbusiness-tolaytheghosts.”

PhilipBlakeexclaimed,“Whattomfooleryisthis?You'renotgoingtoholdaséance,areyou?”

“No,no.Weareonlygoingtodiscusssomeeventsthathappenedlongago-todiscussthemand,perhaps,toseemoreclearlythecourseofthem.Astotheghosts, they will not materialize, but who is to say they are not here, in thisroom, althoughwe cannot see them.Who is to say that Amyas and CarolineCralearenothere-listening?”

Philip Blake said, “Absurd nonsense -” and broke off as the door openedagainandthebutlerannouncedLadyDittisham.

ConclusionElsa Dittisham came in with that faint, bored insolence that was a

characteristicofhers.ShegaveMeredithaslightsmile,staredcoldlyatAngelaandPhilip,andwentovertoachairbythewindowalittleapartfromtheothers.She loosened the rich, pale furs round her neck and let them fall back. Shelooked for aminuteor twoabout the room, atCarla, and thegirl staredback,thoughtfullyappraising thewomanwhohadwrought thehavoc inherparents'lives.Therewasnoanimosityinheryoung,earnestface,onlycuriosity.

Elsasaid,“IamsorryifIamlate,M.Poirot.”“Itwasverygoodofyoutocome,madame.”CeciliaWilliamssnortedeversoslightly.Elsamettheanimosityinhereyes

withacompletelackofinterest.Shesaid,“Iwouldn'thaveknownyou,Angela.Howlongisit?Sixteenyears?”

Hercule Poirot seized his opportunity. “Yes, it is sixteen years since theeventsofwhichwearetospeak,butletmefirsttellyouwhywearehere.”Andina fewsimplewordsheoutlinedCarla'sappeal tohimandhisacceptanceofthetask.

Hewentonquickly,ignoringthegatheringstormvisibleonPhilip'sfaceandtheshockeddistasteonMeredith's.

“Iacceptedthatcommission.Isettoworktofindout-thetruth.”CarlaLemarchant, in thebiggrandfatherchair,heardPoirot'swordsdimly,

from a distance. With her hand shielding her eyes she studied five facessurreptitiously. Could she see any of these people committingmurder? Couldshe-ifshetriedhard-visualizeoneofthemkillingsomeone?Yes,perhaps;butitwouldn't be the right kind ofmurder. She could picture PhilipBlake, in anoutburstoffury,stranglingsomewoman-yes,shecouldpicturethat...AndshecouldpictureMeredithBlakethreateningaburglarwitharevolver-andlettingitoffbyaccident...AndshecouldpictureAngelaWarren,alsofiringarevolver,but not by accident.With nopersonal feeling in thematter - the safety of theexpeditiondependedon it!AndElsa, insomefantasticcastle, sayingfromhercouchofOrientalsilks,“Throwthewretchoverthebattlements!”

All wild fancies - and not even in the wildest flight of fancy could sheimaginelittleMissWilliamskillinganybodyatall!

HerculePoirotwastalking:“Thatwasmy task- toputmyself in reversegear,as itwere,andgoback

throughtheyearsanddiscoverwhatreallyhappened.”PhilipBlakesaid,“Weallknowwhathappened.Topretendanythingelseis

a swindle - that'swhat it is, abarefaced swindle.You'regettingmoneyoutofthisgirlonfalsepretenses.”

Poirotdidnotallowhimselftobeangered.Hesaid:"Yousay, 'Weallknowwhathappened.'Youspeakwithoutreflection.The

acceptedversionofcertainfactsisnotnecessarilythetrueone.Onthefaceofit,forinstance,you,MrBlake,dislikedCarolineCrale.Thatistheacceptedversionofyourattitude.Butanyonewith the least flair forpsychologycanperceiveatoncethat theexactoppositewasthetruth.Youwerealwaysviolentlyattractedtoward Caroline Crale. You resented the fact, and tried to conquer it bysteadfastlytellingyourselfherdefectsandreiteratingyourdislike.

“Inthesameway,MrMeredithBlakehadatraditionofdevotiontoCarolineCralelastingovermanyyears.Inhisstoryofthetragedyherepresentshimselfas resentingAmyasCrale's conductonheraccount,butyouhaveonly to readcarefullybetweenthelinesandyouwillseethatthedevotionofalifetimehadworn itself thin and that it was the young, beautiful Elsa Greer that wasoccupyinghismindandthoughts.”

TherewasasplutterfromMeredith,andLadyDittishamsmiled.Poirotwenton:"Imentionthesemattersonlyasillustrations,thoughtheyhavetheirbearing

onwhathappened.AndIlearnedthesefacts:"ThatatnotimedidCarolineCraleprotestherinnocence(exceptinthatone

letterwrittentoherdaughter).“ThatCarolineCraleshowedno fear in thedock; that sheshowed, in fact,

hardlyanyinterest; thatsheadoptedthroughouta thoroughlydefeatistattitude.Thatinprisonshewasquietandserene.Thatinalettershewrotetohersisterimmediatelyaftertheverdictsheexpressedherselfasacquiescentinthefatethathadovertakenher.AndintheopinionofeveryoneItalkedto(withonenotableexception)CarolineCralewasguilty.”

PhilipBlakenoddedhishead.“Ofcourseshewas!”HerculePoirotsaid:"Butitwasnotmyparttoaccepttheverdictofothers.Ihadtoexaminethe

evidence for myself. To examine the facts and to satisfy myself that thepsychology of the case accorded itself with them. To do this I went over thepolicefilescarefullyandIalsosucceededingettingthefivepeoplewhowereonthespottowritemeouttheirownaccountsofthetragedy.Theseaccountswereveryvaluable,fortheycontainedcertainmatterwhichthepolicefilescouldnotgiveme-thatistosay:A,certainconversationsandincidentswhich,fromthepolicepointofview,werenotrelevant;B,theopinionsofthepeoplethemselvesas towhat CarolineCralewas thinking and feeling (not admissible legally asevidence);C,certainfactswhichhadbeendeliberatelywithheldfromthepolice.

"Iwasinapositionnowtojudgethecaseformyself.Thereseemsnodoubt

whatever that Caroline Crale had ample motive for the crime. She loved herhusband, he had publicly admitted that hewas about to leave her for anotherwoman,andbyherownadmissionshewasajealouswoman.

"Tocomefrommotivestomeans-anemptyscentbottlethathadcontainedconiinewasfoundinherbureaudrawer.Therewerenofingerprintsuponitbuthers.Whenaskedaboutitbythepolicesheadmittedtakingitfromthisroomweareinnow.Theconiinebottleherealsohadherfingerprintsuponit.IquestionedMrMeredithBlakeastotheorderinwhichthepeopleleftthisroomonthatday,for it seemed to me hardly conceivable that anyone should be able to helphimself to the poisonwhile five peoplewere in the room.The people left theroom in this order: Elsa Greer, Meredith Blake, Angela Warren and PhilipBlake,AmyasCrale, and lastlyCarolineCrale.Moreover,MrMeredithBlakehadhisbacktotheroomwhilehewaswaitingforMrsCraletocomeout,sothatitwasimpossibleforhimtoseewhatshewasdoing.Shehad,thatistosay,theopportunity. I am therefore satisfied that she did take the coniine. There isindirectconfirmationofit.

"MrMeredithBlakesaidtometheotherday,'Icanrememberstandinghereand smelling the jasmine through the open window.' But the month wasSeptember, and the jasmine creeper outside that windowwould have finishedflowering. It is the ordinary jasmine which blooms in June and July. But thescent bottle found in her room andwhich contained the dregs of coniine hadoriginally contained jasmine scent. I take it as certain, then, that Mrs Craledecided to steal the coniine, and surreptitiously emptied out the scent from abottleshehadinherbag.

"ItestedthatasecondtimetheotherdaywhenIaskedMrBlaketoshuthiseyes and try and remember theorderof leaving the room.Awhiffof jasminescentstimulatedhismemoryimmediately.Weareallmoreinfluencedbysmellthanweknow.

"So we come to the morning of the fatal day. So far the facts are not indispute. Miss Greer's sudden revealing of the fact that she and Mr Cralecontemplatemarriage,AmyasCrale'sconfirmationofthat,andCarolineCrale'sdeepdistress.Noneofthesethingsdependontheevidenceofonewitnessonly.

"Onthefollowingmorningthereisascenebetweenhusbandandwifeinthelibrary.ThefirstthingthatisoverheardisCarolineCralesaying,'Youandyourwomen!' in a bitter voice and finally goingon to say, 'Someday I'll kill you.'PhilipBlakeoverheardthisfromthehall.AndMissGreeroverhearditfromtheterraceoutside.

"ShethenheardMrCraleaskhiswifetobereasonable.AndsheheardMrsCrale say, 'Sooner than let you go to that girl - I'll kill you.' Soon after this,

Amyas comes out and brusquely tells ElsaGreer to come down and pose forhim.Shegetsapull-overandaccompanieshim.

"Thereisnothingsofarthatseemspsychologically,incorrect.Everyonehasbehaved as he or she might be expected to behave. But we come now tosomethingthatisincongruous.

“MeredithBlakediscovershisloss,telephoneshisbrother.TheymeetdownatthelandingstageandtheycomeuppasttheBatteryGarden,whereCarolineCraleishavingadiscussionwithherhusbandonthesubjectofAngela'sgoingtoschool.Now,thatdoesstrikemeasveryodd.Husbandandwifehaveaterrificscene,endinginadistinctthreatonCaroline'spart,andyet,twentyminutesorsolater,shegoesdownandstartsatrivialdomesticargument.”

Poirot turned to Meredith Blake: “You speak in your narrative of certainwords you overheard Crale say. These were: 'It's all settled - I'll see to herpacking.'Thatisright?”

MeredithBlakesaid,“Itwassomethinglikethat-yes.”PoirotturnedtoPhilipBlake.“Isyourrecollectionthesame?”Thelatterfrowned.“Ididn'trememberittillyousayso,butIdoremember

now.Somethingwassaidaboutpacking!”“SaidbyMrCrale-notMrsCrale?”“Amyassaidit.AllIheardCarolinesaywassomethingaboutitsbeingvery

hardonthegirl.Anyway,whatdoesallthismatter?WeallknowAngelawasofftoschoolinadayortwo.”

Poirotsaid,“Youdonotseetheforceofmyobjection.WhyshouldAmyasCralepackforthegirl?Itisabsurd,that!TherewasMrsCrale,therewasMissWilliams,therewasahousemaid.Itisawoman'sjobtopack-notaman's.”

“Whatdoes itmatter?”PhilipBlakesaid impatiently.“Ithasnothing todowiththecrime.”

“Youthinknot?Forme,itwasthefirstpoint thatstruckmeassuggestive.And it is immediately followed by another. Mrs Crale, a desperate woman,brokenhearted,whohasthreatenedherhusbandashortwhilebeforeandwhoiscertainly contemplating either suicide or murder, now offers in the mostamicablemannertobringherhusbanddownsomeicedbeer.”

Meredith Blake said slowly, “That isn't odd if she was contemplatingmurder.Then,surely,itisjustwhatshewoulddo.Dissimulate!”

“Youthinkso?Shehasdecidedtopoisonherhusband;shehasalreadygotthe poison.Her husband keeps a supply of beer down in the BatteryGarden.Surely,ifshehasanyintelligenceatallshewillputthepoisoninoneofthosebottlesatamomentwhenthereisnooneabout.”

MeredithBlakeobjected.“Shecouldn'thavedonethat.Somebodyelsemight

havedrunkit.”"Yes,ElsaGreer.Doyou tellme thathavingmadeuphermind tomurder

herhusband,CarolineCralewouldhavescruplesagainstkillingthegirl,too?"But let us not argue the point.Let us confine ourselves to facts.Caroline

Cralesaysshewillsendherhusbanddownsomeicedbeer.Shegoesuptothehouse, fetches a bottle from the conservatory,where it was kept, and takes itdowntohim.Shepoursitoutandgivesittohim.AmyasCraledrinksitoffandsays,'Everythingtastesfoultoday.'

"MrsCralegoesupagaintothehouse.Shehaslunchandappearsmuchasusual.Ithasbeensaidofherthatshelooksalittleworriedandpreoccupied.Thatdoesnothelpus,forthereisnocriterionofbehaviorforamurderer.Therearecalmmurderersandexcitedmurderers.

“AfterlunchshegoesdownagaintotheBattery.Shediscoversherhusbanddead, and does, shall we say, the obviously expected things. She registersemotionandshesendsthegovernesstotelephoneforadoctor.Wenowcometoafactwhichhaspreviouslynotbeenknown.”HelookedatMissWilliams.“Youdonotobject?”

MissWilliamswasratherpale.Shesaid,“Ididnotpledgeyoutosecrecy.”Quietly, but with telling effect, Poirot recounted what the governess had

seen.ElsaDittishammovedherposition.Shestaredatthedrablittlewomaninthe

bigchair.Shesaidincredulously,“Youactuallysawherdothat?”PhilipBlakesprangup.“Butthatsettlesit!”heshouted.“Thatsettlesitonce

andforall.”HerculePoirotlookedathimmildly.Hesaid,“Notnecessarily.”AngelaWarrensaidsharply,“Idon'tbelieveit.”Therewasaquick,hostile

glintintheglancesheshotatthelittlegoverness.MeredithBlakewaspullingathismustache,hisfacedismayed.Alone,Miss

Williams remained undisturbed. She sat very upright and there was a spot ofcolorineachcheck.

Shesaid,“ThatiswhatIsaw.”Poirotsaidslowly,“Thereis,ofcourse,onlyyourwordforit...”“Thereisonlymywordforit.”Theindomitablegrayeyesmethis.“Iamnot

accustomed,M.Poirot,tohavingmyworddoubted.”Hercule Poirot bowed his head.He said, “I do not doubt yourword,Miss

Williams.What you saw took place exactly as you say it did, and because ofwhatyousawIrealizedthatCarolineCralewasnotguilty-couldnotpossiblybeguilty.”

For the first time, that tall, anxious-facedyoungman, JohnRattery, spoke.

Hesaid,“I'dbeinterestedtoknowwhyyousaythat,M.Poirot.”Poirotturnedtohim."Certainly. Iwill tell you.WhatdidMissWilliams see?She sawCaroline

Crale very carefully and anxiously wiping off fingerprints and subsequentlyimposingherdeadhusband'sfingerprintsonthebeerbottle.Onthebeerbottle,mark.But theconiinewas in theglass -not in thebottle.Thepolicefoundnotracesofconiine in thebottle.Therehadneverbeenanyconiine in thebottle.AndCarolineCraledidn'tknowthat.

“She,who is supposed tohavepoisonedherhusband,didn't knowhowhehadbeenpoisoned.Shethoughtthepoisonwasinthebottle.”

Meredithobjected.“Butwhy-”Poirotinterruptedhiminaflash:"Yes-why?WhydidCarolineCraletryso

desperately to establish the theory of suicide.The answer is -must be - quitesimple. Because she knew who had poisoned him and she was willing to doanything-endureanything-ratherthanletthatpersonbesuspected.

“There is not far to go now.Who could that person be?Would she haveshieldedPhilipBlake?OrMeredith?OrElsaGreer?OrCeciliaWilliams?No,thereisonlyonepersonwhomshewouldbewillingtoprotectatallcosts.”

Hepaused.“MissWarren,ifyouhavebroughtyoursister'slastletterwithyou,Ishould

liketoreaditaloud.”"AngelaWarrensaid,'No.'“But,MissWarren-”Angelagotup.Hervoice rangout, coldas steel. “I realizeverywellwhat

youaresuggesting.Youaresaying-areyounot?-thatIkilledAmyasCraleandthatmysisterknewit.Idenythatallegationutterly.”

Poirotsaid,“Theletter-”“Thatletterwasmeantformyeyesalone.”Poirotlookedtowherethetwoyoungestpeopleintheroomstoodtogether.Carla Lemarchant said, “Please, Aunt Angela, won't you do asM. Poirot

asks?”AngelaWarrensaidbitterly,“Really,Carla!Haveyounosenseofdecency?

Shewasyourmother-you-”Carla'svoicerangoutclearandfierce.“Yes,shewasmymother.That'swhyI'vea right toaskyou. I'mspeaking

forher.Iwantthatletterread.”Slowly AngelaWarren took out the letter from her bag and handed it to

Poirot.Shesaidbitterly,“IwishIhadnevershownittoyou.”Turningawayfromthemshestoodlookingoutofthewindow.

AsHerculePoirot readaloudCarolineCrale's last letter, theshadowsweredeepeninginthecornersoftheroom.Carlahadasuddenfeelingofsomeoneintheroom,gatheringshape,listening,breathing,waiting.Shethought:“She'shere-mymother'shere.Caroline-CarolineCraleishereinthisroom!”

HerculePoirot'svoiceceased.Hesaid:“Youwillallagree,Ithink,thatthatisaveryremarkableletter.Abeautiful

letter, too,butcertainlyremarkable.For there isonestrikingomissioninit - itcontainsnoprotestationofinnocence.”

AngelaWarrensaidwithoutturningherhead,“Thatwasunnecessary.”“Yes,MissWarren, itwasunnecessary.CarolineCralehadnoneed to tell

her sister that shewas innocent, because she thought her sister knew that factalready-knewit for thebestofall reasons.AllCarolineCralewasconcernedaboutwas to comfort and reassure and to avert the possibility of a confessionfromAngela.She reiterates again andagain - 'It's all right, darling; it's all, allright.'”

AngelaWarren said, “Can't you understand? Shewantedme to be happy,thatisall.”

"Yes, she wanted you to be happy, that is abundantly clear. It is her onepreoccupation.Shehasachild,butitisnotthatchildofwhomsheisthinking-thatistocomelater.No,itishersisterwhooccupieshermindtotheexclusionofeverythingelse.Hersistermustbereassured,mustbeencouragedtoliveherlife,tobehappyandsuccessful.Andsothattheburdenofacceptancemaynotbe toogreat,Caroline includes thatoneverysignificantphrase: 'Onemustpayone'sdebts.'

"Thatonephraseexplainseverything. It refersexplicitly to theburden thatCaroline has carried for so many years, ever since, in a fit of uncontrolledadolescent rage, she hurled a paperweight at her baby sister and injured thatsisterforlife.Now,atlast,shehastheopportunitytopaythedebtsheowes.Andif it isanyconsolation, Iwill say toyouall that Iearnestlybelieve that in thepayment of that debt Caroline Crale did achieve a peace and serenity greaterthan any she had ever known.Because of her belief that shewas paying thatdebt, the ordeal of trial and condemnation could not touch her. It is a strangething to say of a condemnedmurderess - but she had everything tomake herhappy.Yes,morethanyouimagine,asIwillshowyoupresently.

"Seehow,bythisexplanation,everythingfallsintoitsplacewhereCaroline'sownreactionsareconcerned.Lookattheseriesofeventsfromherpointofview.To beginwith, on the preceding evening, an event occurs which reminds herforcibly of her own undisciplined girlhood. Angela throws a paperweight atAmyasCrale.That,remember,iswhatsheherselfdidmanyyearsago.Angela

shoutsoutthatshewishesAmyaswasdead."Then,onthenextmorning,Carolinecomesintothelittleconservatoryand

finds Angela tampering with the beer. Remember Miss Williams's words:'Angelawas there.She lookedguilty.'Guilty of playing truantwaswhatMissWilliams meant; but to Caroline, Angela's guilty face, as she was caughtunawares, would have a different meaning. Remember that on at least oneoccasionbeforeAngelahadput things inAmyas'sdrink. Itwasan ideawhichmightreadilyoccurtoher.

"CarolinetakesthebottlethatAngelagivesherandgoesdownwithittotheBattery.AndthereshepoursitoutandgivesittoAmyas,andhemakesafaceashetossesitoffanduttersthosesignificantwords-'Everythingtastesfoultoday.'

"Caroline has no suspicions then, but after lunch she goes down to theBatteryandfindsherhusbanddead-andshehasnodoubtsatallbutthathehasbeenpoisoned.Shehasnotdoneit.Who,then,has?Andthewholethingcomesoverherwitharush:Angela'sthreats,Angela'sfacestoopingoverthebeerandcaught unawares - guilty - guilty - guilty. Why has the child done it? As arevengeonAmyas,perhapsnotmeaningtokill,justtomakehimillorsick?Orhasshedoneitforher,Caroline'ssake?HassherealizedandresentedAmyas'sdesertionofhersister?

"Carolineremembers-oh,sowell-herownundisciplinedviolentemotionsatAngela'sage.Andonlyonethoughtspringstohermind:HowcansheprotectAngela? Angela handled that bottle - Angela's fingerprints will be on it. Shequicklywipes it and polishes it. If only everybody can be got to believe it issuicide.IfAmyas'sfingerprintsaretheonlyonesfound.Shetriestofithisdeadfingersroundthebottle-workingdesperately,listeningforsomeonetocome.

“Oncetakethatassumptionastrueandeverythingfromthenonfitsin.HeranxietyaboutAngelaallalong,herinsistenceongettingheraway,keepingherout of touch with what was going on. Her fear of Angela's being questionedunduly by the police. Finally her overwhelming anxiety to get Angela out ofEnglandbefore the trialcomeson.Becauseshe isalways terrified thatAngelamightbreakdownandconfess.”

Slowly, AngelaWarren swung around. Her eyes, hard and contemptuous,rangedoverthefacesturnedtowardher.

Shesaid,“Youblindfools-allofyou.Don'tyouknowthatifIhaddoneitIwould have confessed? I'd never have let Caroline suffer for what I'd done.Never!”

“Butyoudidtamperwiththebeer,”Poirotsaid.“I?Tamperwiththebeer?”PoirotturnedtoMeredithBlake.“Listen,monsieur.Inyouraccounthereof

whathappenedyoudescribehavingheardsoundsinthisroom,whichisbelowyourbedroom,onthemorningofthecrime.”

Blakenodded.“Butitwasonlyacat.”“Howdoyouknowitwasacat?”“I - I can't remember. But it was a cat. I am quite sure it was a cat. The

windowwasopenjustwideenoughforacattogetthrough.”“Butitwasnotfixedinthatposition.Thesashmovesfreely.Itcouldhave

beenpushedupandahumanbeingcouldhavegotinandout.”“Yes,butIknowitwasacat.”“Youdidnotseeacat?”Blake said perplexedly and slowly, “No, I, did not see it -” He paused,

frowning.“AndyetIknow.”"Iwilltellyouwhyyouknowpresently.InthemeantimeIputthispointto

you:Someonecouldhavecomeuptothehousethatmorning,havegotintoyourlaboratory,takensomethingfromtheshelf,andgoneagainwithoutyourseeinghimor her.Now, if that someonehad comeover fromAlderbury it couldnothavebeenPhilipBlake,norElsaGreer,norAmyasCrale,norCarolineCrale.Weknowquitewellwhatallthosefourweredoing.ThatleavesAngelaWarrenandMissWilliams.

“MissWilliamswasoverhere-youactuallymetherasyouwentout.ShetoldyouthenthatshewaslookingforAngela.Angelahadgonebathingearly,butMissWilliamsdidnotseeherinthewater,noranywhereontherocks.Shecould swimacross to this side easily - in fact, shedid so later in themorningwhenshewasbathingwithPhilipBlake. I suggest that she swamacrosshere,cameuptothehouse,gotinthroughthewindow,andtooksomethingfromtheshelf.”

AngelaWarrensaid,“Ididnothingofthekind-not,atleast-”“Ah!”Poirotgaveayelpoftriumph.“Youhaveremembered.Youtoldme-

didyounot?-thattoplayamaliciousjokeonAmyasCraleyoupinchedsomeofwhatyoucalled”thecatstuff“-thatishowyouputit-”

MeredithBlakesaidsharply,“Valerian!Ofcourse.”“Exactly.Thatiswhatmadeyousureinyourmindthatitwasacatwhohad

beenintheroom.Yournoseisverysensitive.Yousmelledthefaint,unpleasantodorofvalerianwithoutknowing,perhaps, thatyoudidso,but itsuggested toyour subconsciousmind 'cat.' Cats love valerian andwill go anywhere for it.Valerian is particularly nasty to taste, and it was your account of it the daybeforewhichmademischievousMissAngelaplantoputsomeinherbrother-in-law'sbeer,whichsheknewhealwaystosseddownhisthroatinadraught.”

AngelaWarrensaidwonderingly,“Wasitreallythatday?Iremembertaking

itperfectly-yes,andIrememberputtingitinthebeerandCarolinecominginandnearlycatchingme!OfcourseIremember.ButI'veneverconnecteditwiththatparticularday.”

“Of course not, because there was no connection in your mind. The twoeventswereentirelydissimilartoyou.Onewasonaparwithothermischievouspranks, the other was a bombshell of tragedy arriving without warning andsucceeding inbanishingall lesser incidents fromyourmind.Butme, Inoticedwhen you spoke of it that you said, 'I pinched, etc., etc., to put it inAmyas'sdrink.'Youdidnotsayyouhadactuallydoneso.”

“No,becauseIneverdid.CarolinecameinjustwhenIwasunscrewingthebottle.Oh!” Itwasacry.“AndCaroline thought - she thought itwasme.Shestopped.Shelookedaround.Shesaidquietlyinherusualcooltones,”Isupposeyouallthinkso,too."

She paused and then said, “I didn't kill Amyas. Not as the result of amaliciousjokenorinanyotherway.IfIhadIwouldneverhavekeptsilence.”

MissWilliamssaidsharply,“Ofcourseyouwouldn't,mydear.”ShelookedatHerculePoirot.“Nobodybutafoolwouldthinkso.”

“Iamnota fool,”Poirot saidmildly, “and Idonot think so. IknowquitewellwhokilledAmyasCrale.”

Hepaused."There is always a danger of accepting facts as proved which are really

nothingofthekind.LetustakethesituationatAlderbury.Averyoldsituation.Two women and one man. We have taken it for granted that Amyas Craleproposedtoleavehiswifefortheotherwoman.ButIsuggesttoyounowthatheneverintendedtodoanythingofthekind.

"Hehadhadinfatuationsforwomenbefore.Theyobsessedhimwhile theylasted, but theywere soon over. Thewomen he had fallen in lovewithwereusuallywomenofacertainexperience - theydidnotexpect toomuchofhim.Butthistimethewomandid.Shewasnot,yousee,awomanatall.Shewasagirland,inCarolineCrale'swords,shewasterriblysincere.Shemayhavebeenhard-boiledandsophisticatedinspeech,butinloveshewasfrighteninglysingle-minded.Becausesheherselfhadadeepandovermasteringpassion forAmyasCrale she assumed that he had the same for her. She assumed without anyquestionthattheirpassionwasforlife.Sheassumedwithoutaskinghimthathewasgoingtoleavehiswife.

"Butwhy,youwillsay,didAmyasCralenotundeceiveher?Andmyansweris-thepicture.Hewantedtofinishhispicture.

"To some people that sounds incredible, but not to anybody who knowsaboutartists.Andwehavealreadyaccepted thatexplanation inprinciple.That

conversationbetweenCraleandMeredithBlakeismoreintelligiblenow.Craleis embarrassed - patsBlake on the back, assures himoptimistically thewholething is going to pan out all right. To Amyas Crale, you see, everything issimple.Heispaintingapicture,slightlyencumberedbywhathedescribesasacoupleofjealous,neuroticwomen,butneitherofthemisgoingtobeallowedtointerferewithwhattohimisthemostimportantthinginlife.

"IfheweretotellElsathetruthitwouldbeallupwiththepicture.PerhapsinthefirstflushofhisfeelingsforherhedidtalkofleavingCaroline.Mendosaythesethingswhentheyareinlove.Perhapshemerelyletitbeassumed,asheislettingitbeassumednow.Hedoesn'tcarewhatElsaassumes.Letherthinkwhatshelikes.Anythingtokeepherquietforanotherdayortwo.

"Thenhewill tellherthetruth- thatthingsbetweenthemareover.Hehasneverbeenamantobetroubledwithscruples.

"Hedid,Ithink,makeaneffortnottogetembroiledwithElsatobeginwith.Hewarnedherwhatkindofmanhewas,butshewouldnottakewarning.Sherushedon toher fate.And toaman likeCrale,womenwerefairgame. Ifyouhadaskedhim,hewouldhavesaideasilythatElsawasyoung-she'dsoongetoverit.ThatwasthewayAmyasCrale'smindworked.

"His wife was actually the only person he cared about at all. He wasn'tworryingmuch about her. She only had to put upwith things for a few dayslonger.HewasfuriouswithElsaforblurtingoutthingstoCaroline,buthestilloptimistically thought itwouldbe 'all right.'Carolinecouldforgivehimasshehaddonesooftenbefore,andElsa-Elsawouldjusthaveto'lumpit.'SosimplearetheproblemsoflifetoamanlikeAmyasCrale.

"ButIthinkthatthatlasteveninghebecamereallyworried.AboutCaroline,notaboutElsa.Perhapshewenttoherroomandsherefusedtospeaktohim.Atanyrate,aftera restlessnighthe tookherasideafterbreakfastandblurtedoutthe truth. He had been infatuated with Elsa, but it was all over. Once he'dfinishedthepicturehe'dneverseeheragain.

"AnditwasinanswertothatthatCarolineCralecriedoutindignantly,'Youandyourwomen!'Thatphrase,yousee,putElsa inaclasswithothers - thoseotherswho had one theirway.And she added indignantly, 'Some day I'll killyou.'

"Shewas angry, revolted by his callousness and by his cruelty to the girl.WhenPhilipBlakesawherinthehallandheardhermurmurtoherself,'It'stoocruel!'itwasofElsashewasthinking.

"AsforCrale,hecameoutofthelibrary,foundElsawithPhilipBlake,andbrusquelyorderedherdowntogoonwiththesitting.Whathedidnotknowwasthat Elsa Greer had been sitting just outside the library window and had

overheardeverything.And theaccount shegave laterof thatconversationwasnotthetrueone.Thereisonlyherwordforit,remember.Imaginetheshockitmusthavebeentohertohearthetruth,brutallyspoken!

"On the previous afternoonMeredith Blake has told us that while hewaswaitingforCarolinetoleavethisroomhewasstandinginthedoorwaywithhisbacktotheroom.HewastalkingtoElsaGreer.ThatmeansthatshewouldhavebeenfacinghimandthatshecouldseeexactlywhatCarolinewasdoingoverhisshoulder-andthatshewastheonlypersonwhocoulddoso.

"ShesawCarolinetakethatpoison.Shesaidnothing,butsheremembereditasshesatoutsidethelibrarywindow.

"WhenAmyasCralecameoutshemade theexcuseofwantingapull-overand went up to Caroline Crale's room to look for that poison.Women knowwhereotherwomenarelikelytohidethings.Shefounditand,beingcarefulnottoobliterateanyfingerprintsor to leaveherown,shedrewoff the fluid intoafountain-penfiller.

"ThenshecamedownagainandwentoffwithCraletotheBatteryGarden.Andpresently,nodoubt,shepouredhimoutsomebeerandhetosseditdowninhisusualway.

"Meanwhile, Caroline Crale was seriously disturbed. When she saw Elsacome up to the house (this time really to fetch a pull-over), Caroline slippedquicklydowntotheBatteryGardenandtackledherhusband.Whatheisdoingisshameful!Shewon'tstandforit!It'sunbelievablycruelandhardonthegirl!Amyas, irritable at being interrupted, says it's all settled -when the picture isdonehe'llsendthegirlpacking!'It'sallsettled-I'llsendherpacking,Itellyou!'

"AndthentheyhearthefootstepsofthetwoBlakes,andCarolinecomesoutand, slightly embarrassed, murmurs something about Angela and school andhavingalot todo,andbyanaturalassociationofideasthetwomenjudgetheconversation they have overheard refers to Angela and 'I'll send her packing'becomes'I'llseetoherpacking.'

"AndElsa, pull-over inhand, comesdown thepath, cool and smiling, andtakesuptheposeoncemore.

"Shehascounted,nodoubt,uponCaroline'sbeingsuspectedandtheconiinebottle being found in her room. But Caroline now plays into her handscompletely.Shebringsdownsomeicedbeerandpoursitoutforherhusband.

"Amyastosseditoff,makesaface,andsays,'Everythingtastesfoultoday.'"Doyounotseehowsignificantthatremarkis?Everythingtastesfoul?Then

therehasbeensomethingelsebeforethatbeerthathastastedunpleasantandthetaste,ofwhichisstillinhismouth.Andoneotherpoint:PhilipBlakespeaksofCrale'sstaggeringa littleandwonders 'ifhehasbeendrinking.'But thatslight

stagger was the first sign of the coniine working, and that means that it hadalready been administered to him some time before Caroline brought him theicedbottleofbeer.

"AndsoElsaGreersatonthegraywallandposedand,sinceshemustkeephimfromsuspectinguntilitwastoolate,shetalkedtoAmyasCralebrightlyandnaturally.PresentlyshesawMeredithonthebenchaboveandwavedherhandtohimandactedherpartevenmorethoroughlyforhisbehalf.

"AndAmyasCrale,amanwhodetestedillnessandrefusedtogiveintoit,painted doggedly on till his limbs failed and his speech thickened, and hesprawledthereonthatbench,helpless,hutwithhismindstillclear.

"ThebellsoundedfromthehouseandMeredithleftthebenchtocomedowntotheBattery.IthinkinthatbriefmomentElsaleftherplaceandranacrosstothe table anddropped the last fewdropsof thepoison into thebeerglass thatheld that last innocentdrink. (Shegot ridof thedropperon thepathup to thehouse,crushingittopowder.)ThenshemetMeredithinthedoorway.

"There isaglare therecoming inoutof theshadows.Meredithdidnotseevery clearly - onlyhis friend sprawled in a familiar position and sawhis eyesturnfromthepictureinwhathedescribedasamalevolentglare.

“HowmuchdidAmyasknoworguess?Howmuchhisconsciousmindknewwecannottell,buthishandandhiseyewerefaithful.”

HerculePoirotgesturedtowardthepictureonthewall.“I should have known when I first saw that picture. For it is a very

remarkablepicture.It isthepictureofamurderesspaintedbyhervictim-it isthepictureofagirlwatchingherloverdie.”

Inthesilencethatfollowed-ahorrified,appalledsilence-thesunsetslowlyflickeredaway, the lastgleamleft thewindowwhere ithad restedon thedarkheadandpalefursofthewomansittingthere.

Elsa Dittisham moved and spoke. She said, “Take them away, Meredith.LeavemewithM.Poirot.”

She sat there motionless until the door shut behind them. Then she said,“Youareveryclever,aren'tyou?”

Poirotdidnotanswer.Shesaid,“Whatdoyouexpectmetodo?Confess?”Heshookhishead.“Because I shall do nothing of the kind!” Elsa said. “And I shall admit

nothing.Butwhatwesayhere,together,doesnotmatter.Becauseitisonlyyourwordagainstmine.”

“Exactly.”“Iwanttoknowwhatyouaregoingtodo.”

HerculePoirotsaid,“IshalldoeverythingIcantoinducetheauthoritiestograntaposthumousfreepardontoCarolineCrale.”

Elsa laughed. “How absurd!” she said. “To be given a free pardon forsomethingyoudidn'tdo.”Thenshesaid,“Whataboutme?”

“Ishalllaymyconclusionsbeforethenecessarypeople.Iftheydecidethereisthepossibilityofmakingoutacaseagainstyou,thentheymayact.Iwilltellyouinmyopinionthereisnotsufficientevidence-thereareonlyinferences,notfacts. Moreover, they will not be anxious to proceed against anyone in yourpositionunlessthereisamplejustificationforsuchacourse.”

“Ishouldn'tcare,”Elsasaid.“IfIwerestandinginthedock,fightingformylife, there might be something in that - something alive - exciting. I might -enjoyit.”

“Yourhusbandwouldnot.”“DoyouthinkIcareintheleastwhatmyhusbandwouldfeel?”“No,Idonot.Idonotthinkyouhaveeverinyourlifecaredaboutwhatany

otherpersonwouldfeel.Ifyouhad,youmightbehappier.”Shesaidsharply,“Whyareyousorryforme?”“Because,mychild,youhavesomuchtolearn.”“WhathaveIgottolearn?”“Allthegrown-upemotions-pity,sympathy,understanding.Theonlythings

youknow-haveeverknown-areloveandhate.”Elsasaid:"I sawCaroline take the coniine. I thought shemeant to kill herself. That

wouldhavesimplifiedthings.Andthen,thenextmorning,Ifoundout.Hetoldherthathedidn'tcareabuttonaboutme-hehadcared,butitwasallover.Oncehe'dfinishedthepicturehe'dsendmepacking.She'dnothingtoworryabout,hesaid.

“And she -was sorry forme...Do you understandwhat that did tome? IfoundthestuffandIgaveittohimandIsattherewatchinghimdie.I'veneverfeltsoalive,soexultant,sofullofpower.Iwatchedhimdie...”

Sheflungoutherhands.“Ididn'tunderstandthatIwaskillingmyself-nothim.AfterwardIsawher

caught ina trap - and thatwasnogood,either. I couldn'thurther - shedidn'tcare - sheescaped from it all -half the timeshewasn't there.SheandAmyasboth escaped - they went somewhere where I couldn't get at them. But theydidn'tdie.Idied.”

ElsaDittishamgotup.Shewentacrosstothedoor.Shesaidagain,“Idied...”In the hall she passed two young people whose life together was just

beginning.

Thechauffeurheldopenthedoorofthecar.LadyDittishamgotin,andthechauffeurwrappedthefurrugaroundherknees.