p

ossibility. But I must confess that I did not expect poison.

antic.i.p.ated a repet.i.tion of the hatchet motif. I merely

thought that it would be inadvit.e for her to walk alone in unfrequented lanes after dark."

"But why did you antic.i.p.ate.a, ttack on her ? I think M. Poirot, you ought to tell me Poirot nodded his head slowl "Yes I will tell you Mr I,,, .histle will not tell you, because'he is a lawfer knd 1.. .")t0!,?s do. no, like, to s, pea,k o!

suppositions, of inferences madii..i,,lln the character woman, or from a few irresponsi: ,i" .,?vords. But he will not be averse to my telling you--no, ii':;r?ll b.e re!ieved.. He ds not wish to appear foolish or know what may--only may--bii,:;,,'i;::facts.

Poirot paused as George entelil'tl,:.i,th a ta gla.ss.o,f, beer.

"Some refreshment, Inspect%,,# o, no, I msst.

"Won't you join me ?"

"I do not drink the beer. lz[ll will myself .hav. e a gla.s.s of sirop de sisthe English k'i,: do not care for it, I have noticed."

Inspector Morton looked grali;,..kt':llly, at his beer.

Poirot, sipping delicately fr.:iiil,adhis gla.s.s of dark purple fluid, said: "It begins, all this, at a fur,'.t':.- Or rather, to be exact, after the funeral."

Graphically, with many gest :i he set forth the story as Mr. Entwhistle had told t to t:i:i" but with such embellishments as his exuberant naturet ?ggested. One a. lmost felt irot had himsei" een an eve-witness of the that Hercule scene.

an e :[ent clear-cut brain. He Inspector Morton had ::e:.'. his seized at once on what were, iit.

purposes, the salient points.

"This Mr. Abernethie may

"It is a possibility."

"And the body has beend ;mated and there is no evidence?"

"Exactly."

Inspector Morton ruminated.

"Interesting. There's nothiii lili it for .- Nothing, that

is, to make Richard Abernethiivi,ieath worth investigating.

It would be waste of time."

"Yes."

"But there are the eole--t.,:;!l':'eople who were there--the

people who heard Cora Lansqu%l.f,aY .wh. at she .d, id, a.nd one

of whom a have thought th.llme mght say t again ana

with more detail."

'.' lave. There are, Inspector,

's undoubtedly woulrl,v you see why I was at the And ni,f case---because it is, always, I interest --"

."iill"

attack on Abernethie had been

::% e indicated.

He had, perhaps,

He only person who might

a name.

something was Miss

known or ; murderer might continue is silence&t woman know something--

g' Does the ethe/clerer is wise he will let well

Ibtd Of course, if the m are seldom wise. Fortun a:',?0r 0t't raurderers, Inspectoflel uncertain, they desire to

iiat:a . They brood,'theyie pleased with their own

c"es: 'quite sure. They 'they protrude their necks,

l.'",u -t,li ;,,nd so, in the end,

:.ctl

!:'iii I: Iorton smiled faintlY'

t ti"

on: Gilchrist, already it is a 'i. .a to silence ME occasions about which you Or l! ' '

now there are t,ntmg on the wedding label

There is the han'per was burnt."

t:.s, II/!

the wrapping f.a, then, whether it came by

?';r,kf,:;:, been certf'

'. kt 'I it didn't."

the latter, you say ?"

Imn.

reason for thinkif nkshe's not sure. If the the postman post office, it's ten to one L;, .0ne through a villag :ed it, but nowadays the ;.iellt,i'i?ress would have ket He nes and of course "'aliv ' .Y .

thei'":g o .

,,gl the,,,, .ered by van from and dehvers a lot of thn s !i?P does quite a rou'a parcel at: the cottage--but '[; ,'r,,.;Vas letters only andPA, hes.

hamng a bxt, of gnrl ' ': As ,a matter of if anything else. Ive tested he can t t,,hink aboO! a y way. If ? did deliver

tad he isn t reliable arcel shouldn t have b,,een 01:t t 50 me odd that the/ hisname--Guthrie ' q''" this Mr.--wh[

'uthrie."

[orton smiled '0g up on him. After all, it ii,!