"Yes. Have you never done it before ?"

"Never. Why should I ? What is there to go to Regent's Park for ?"

Poirot looked at her and said: "For you--nothing." He added: "I think, Madame, that you must cede the green malachite table to your cousin Susan."

Rosamund's eyes opened very wide.

"Why should I ? I want it."

"I know. I know. But you--you will keep your husband.

And the poor Susan, she will lose hers."

"Lose him ? Do you mean Greg's going off with someone ?

I wouldn't have believed it of him. He looks so wet."

"Infidelity is not the only way of losing a husband, Madame."

"You don't mean ?" Rosamund stared at him. "You're not thinking that Greg poisoned Uncle Richard and killed Aunt Cora and conked Aunt Helen on the head ?

That's ridiculous. Even I know better than that."

"Who did, taken ?"

"George, of course. George is a wrong un, you know, he's mixed up in some sort of currency swindle--I heard about it from some friends of mine who were in Monte. I expect Uncle Richard got to know about it and was just going to cut him out of his will."

Rosamund added complacently: "I've always known it was George."

CHAPTER XXI THE TELEGRAM came about six o'clock that evening.

As specially requested it was delivered by hand, not telephoned, and Hercule Poirot, who had been hovering for some time in the neighbourhood of the front door, was at hand to receive it from Lans...o...b.. as the latter took it from the telegraph boy.

He tore it open with somewhat less than his usual precision.

It consisted of three words and a signature.

Poirot gave vent to an enormous sigh of relief.

Then he took a pound note from his pocket and handed it to the dumbfounded boy.

x8o

"There are moments," he said to Lans...o...b.., "when

economy should be abandoned."

"Very possibly, sir," said Lans...o...b.. politely.

"Where is Inspector Morton ?" asked Poirot.

"One of the police gentlemen," Lans...o...b.. spoke with

distasteand indicated subtly that such things as names for police officers were impossible to remember--" has left. The

other is, I believe, in the study."

"Splendid," said Poirot. "I join him immediately."

He once more clapped Lans...o...b.. on the shoulder and said:

"Courage, we are on the point of arriving I"

Lans...o...b.. looked slightly bewildered since departures, and

not arrivals, had been in his mind.

He said:

"You do not, then, propose to leave by the nine-thirty

train after all, sir ?"

"Do not lose hope," Poirot told him.

Poirot moved away, then wheeling round, he asked:

"I wonder, can you remember what were the first words Mrs. Lansquenet said to you when she arrived here on the

day of your master's funeral ?"

"I remember very well, sir," said Lans...o...b.., his face

lighting up. "Miss Cora--I beg pardon, Mrs. La,,nsquenet--

I always think of her as Miss Cora, somehow

"Very naturally."

"She said to me: ' Hallo, Lans...o...b... It's a long time

since you used to bring us out meringues to the huts.' All the

children used to have a hut of their own--down by the fence

in the Park. In summer, when there was going to be a dinner

party, I used to take the young ladies and gentlemen--the younger ones, you understand, sir--some meringues.

Miss Cora, sir, was always very fond of her food."

Poirot nodded. "Yes," he said, "that was as I thought. Yes, it was very typical, that."

He went into the study to find Inspector Morton and without a word handed him the telegram.

Morton ,read it blankly.

"I don t understand a word of this."

"The time has come to tell you all."

Inspector Morton grinned.

"You sound like a young lady in a Victorian melodrama.

But it's about time you came across with something. I can't hold out on this set-up much longer. That Bxnks fellow is still insisting that he poisoned Richard Abernethie and boasting I8I

that we can't find out how. What beats me is why there's always somebody who comes forward when there's a murder and yells out that they did it I What do they think there is in it for them ? I've never been able to fathom that."

"In this case, probably shelter from the difficulties of being responsible for oneself--in other words---Forsd.y.k.e Sanatorium."

"More likely to be Broadmoor."

"That might be equally satisfactory."

"Did he do it, Poirot ? The Gilchrist woman came out with the story she'd already told you and it would fit with what Richard Abernethie said about his niece. If her husband did it, it would involve her. Somehow, you know, I can't visualise that girl committing a lot of crimes. But there's nothing she wouldn't do to try and cover him."

"I will tell you all- "

"Yes, yes, tell me all I And for the Lord's sake hurry up and do it I"

This time it was in the big drawing-room that Hercule Poirot a.s.sembled his audience.