Lans...o...b.. had just looked in to see if they had finished breakfast. "We"re all through, Lans...o...b..," said George getting up.
"What"s happened to our foreign friend ?"
"He is having his coffee and toast served upstairs, sir." "Pet.i.t dejeunr for N.A.R.C,O.""
"Lans...o...b.., do you know where those wax flowers are that used to be on that green table in the drawing-room ?
asked Rosamund.
"I understand Mrs. Leo had an accident with them, re"am.
She was going to have a new gla.s.s shade made, but I don"t think she has seen about it yet."
"Then where is the thing ?"
"It would probably be in the cupboard behind the staircase, x6a
re"am. That is where things are usually placed when awaiting repair. Shall I ascertain for you ?"
"I"ll go and look myself. Come with me, Michael sweetie.
It"s dark there, and I"m not going in any ,,dark corners by myself after what happened to Aunt Helen.
Everybody showed a sharp reaction. Maude demanded in her deep vmce: "What do you mean, Rosamund ?"
"Well, she was coshed by someone, wasn"t she ?"
,G, regory Banks said sharply: " She was taken suddenly faint and fell."
Rosamund laughed. "Did she tell you so ? Don"t be silly, Grey, of course she was coshed."
George said sharply: "You shouldn"t say things like that, Rosamund." "Nonsense," said Rosamund. "She must have been. I mean, it all adds up. A detective in the house looking for clues, and Uncle Richard poisoned, and Aunt Cora killed with a hatchet, and Miss Gilchrist given poisoned wedding cake, and now Aunt Helen struck down with a blunt instrument.
You"ll see, it will go on like that. One after another of us will be killed and the one that"s left will be It--the murderer, I mean. But it"s not going to be me--who"s killed, I mean."
"And why should anyone want to kill you, beautiful Rosa-round ?" asked George lightly.
Rosamund opened her eyes very wide.
"Oh," she said. "Because I know too much, of course."
"What do you know ?" Maude Abernethie and Gregory Banks spoke almost in unison.
Rosamund gave her vacant and angelic smile.
"Wouldn"t you all like to know ?" she said agreeably.
"Come on, Michael."
CHAPTER XXII
AT ELEVEN O"CLOCK, Hercule Poirot called an informal meeting in the library. Everyone was there and Poirot looked thoughtfully ro,u, nd the se,,m,i-circle of faces. "Last night, he said, Mrs. Shane announced to you that I was a private detective. For myself, I hoped to retain my ---camouflage, shall we say ?ma little longer.
But no matter 1
To-day--or at most the day after--I would have told you the truth. Please listen carefully now to what I have to say.
"I am in my own line a celebrated person--I may say most celebrated person. My gifts, in fact, are unequalled [ George Crossfield grinned and said: "That"s the stuff, M. Pont--no, it"s M. Poirot, isn"t it Funny, isn"t it, that I"ve never even heard of you ?"
"It is not funny," said Poirot severely. "It is lamentable Alas, there is no proper education nowadays. Apparently one learns nothing but economics--and how to set Intelligence Tests I But to continue. I have been a friend for many years of Mr. Entwhistle"s"
"So he"s the n.i.g.g.e.r in the wood pile "
"If you like to put it that way, Mr. Crossfield. Mr. Ent-whistle was greatly upset by the death of his old friend, Mr. Richard Abernethie. He was particularly perturbed by some words spoken on the day of the funeral by Mr. Abernethie"s sister, Mrs. Lansquenet. Words spoken in this very room."
"Very silly--and just like Cora," said Maude. "Mr.
Entwhistle should have had more sense than to pay attention to them I"
Poirot went on: "Mr. Entwhistle was even more perturbed after the--the coincidence, shall I say ?--of Mrs. Lansquenet"s death. He wanted one thing only--to be a.s.sured that that death zas a coincidence. In other words he wanted to feel a.s.sured that Richard Abernethie had died a natural death. To that end he commissioned me to make the necessary investigations."
There was a pause.
"I have made them..."
Again there was a pause. No one spoke.
Poirot threw back his head.
"Eh bien, you will all be delighted to hear that as a result of my investigations there is absolutely no reason to bdive that Mr. A bcrnethie died anything but a natral death. There is no reason at all to believe that he was murdered!" He smiled. He threw out his hands in a triumphant gesture. "That is good news, is it not ?"
It hardly seemed to be, by the way they took it. They stared at him and in all but the eyes of one person there still seemed to be doubt and suspicion.
The exception was Timothy Abernethie, who was nodding his head in violent agreement.
"Of course Richard wasn"t murdered," he said angrily.
I64
hv anybody ever even tho--
e ght of
ust Cora up to h r the
nderstan8 J . 1, that
"Nevc. ould. u llnu all a scare. Her dea. 1
funny. Truth o .d the sense to c?me to, tl . right was alway.? a t),tt.menr,al,r lk me, I call it ctamnea ctee Oof e s. I m glatt you ye t U to come nasa ".. ,oning yo pry oncluson, hough if yo,iks he"s aoin to cha - g and c . commi, igc the Entwhmtle to go, - . tell you he won t ge, t -aw.a. with poking a.o. oUt. ur PA , x ci;0 , unca!led for I Who ,s, Ent histl e estate with .yo, r - " , -.amily s satisfied it I D.arp. nea,?ee , a n a [jncle Timothy," said Rosh, mund to set himsenupr x tv
"But the family was ri")"
,o, heetlin brows of displ,,.
,, " that i ......
Hey.--what s. , /nd what about Aunt Helhn this Timottxy peerea at ncr t "We weren"t satisfied.
morning ?"
Maude said sharply: finn you"re liable to get a troke "Helen"s just the age , "
That"s all t,,here is to that, Cd. Another comcdeneh, you "I see, said Rosam0 tlllnK . ,,,ant, coinclctences r
Aren t t .
:4 elen felt ill, came "Coincidences," said , X," n and
B " g asked him ..-"
Susan said sharply: " - " .,.
aton ", Who did she rin- u"
tosamuna, a snaae or v .
,, ,... , . ,,s lf. at I dare say I can find ,,,,, she I dont know, sam pa.s.sing over her race.
added hopefully.
2
g in the Victorian surnmet,, Hercule Poirot was sittiI(om his pocket and laid it aouse.
n the He drew his large watch "
--- . -- was leaving by the twelve table n frunt of him.
Half an clock He had announced that
i2 n s