'Mother, what's the use of talking like that? Don't you realise? The police will be here at any minute! What are we going to tell them?'

Mrs Matthews looked at him in silence for a moment, and then said, more in her normal manner: 'Dear boy, we shall tell them exactly what happened. We did everything we could, and you must remember that it is by no means proved that poor Harriet was poisoned. Personally I feel sure she had a stroke.'

Stella came into the room, still rather white, but quite calm. She stood on the threshold, and said: 'Aunt Gertrude ought to be told. Shall I ring her up?'

'Darling, if only you would allow me to be quiet for just a little time!' her mother said. 'You neither of you seem to think of what I must be feeling. We did not always agree, but Harriet and I -'

'Aunt Gertrude's her sister. She ought to be told,' Stella repeated.

Mrs Matthews made a gesture of resignation. 'Tell anyone you please, only don't keep on worrying me when you can see how upset I am.'

Stella went out again, Mrs Matthews leaned her head in her hand and murmured: 'I really don't think I feel up to seeing Gertrude. I believe I'll go to my room, and lie down.'

'You'll have to see her,' Guy answered. 'She'll insist-she's bound to.'

Stella came back in a few moments, and said curtly that Mrs Lupton was coming at once.

'What did she say?' Guy asked.

'Nothing much. Utterly taken aback at first. Then she just said she'd come round. She'll be here in about ten minutes.'

They sat down to wait. After what seemed an age they heard the hush of tyres on the gravel-drive, and in another minute or two Mrs Lupton walked into the room.

It was a relief to find, in a world become suddenly distorted, that Mrs Lupton was still herself. She swept a glance round the room, and said in a voice of outraged majesty: 'What is all this nonsense Stella tried to tell me?'

'It's true,' Guy said. 'Aunt Harriet's dead.'

Mrs Lupton said: 'Impossible! I don't believe it!' Then, as though the inutility of these words dawned on her, she added: 'It is incredible! I hardly know what I am saying. How did it happen? She was well enough last night!'

'It must have been a stroke,' Mrs Matthews answered. 'I said so the instant I saw her. The worry of Gregory's death-it was all too much for her.'

'A stroke! Harriet?' Mrs Lupton looked from her sister-in-law to her nephew. She moved towards a chair, and sat down in it. 'Kindly tell me at once what has happened here!' she commanded.

'She said she felt seedy at breakfast,' Guy said jerkily. 'We thought she'd eaten something that disagreed with her.'

'Very likely,' said his aunt. 'But I have yet to learn that indigestion can be the cause of death. Go on!'

'She went up to her room, to lie down. Stella found her at lunch-time.'

'Dead?' Mrs Lupton asked on a note of horror. 'Yes.'

Mrs Lupton put up a hand to her eyes. 'This is terrible!' she announced. 'First Gregory, then Harriet! I do not know what to say. I am completely bowled over. My poor sister! I do not seem able to grasp it. Did you say she had a stroke?'

'We think it must have been that,' Mrs Matthews replied. 'And I suppose we should be thankful the end was so quick and painless.'

'The end!' Mrs Lupton exclaimed indignantly. 'Good heavens, Zo, you talk as though my unfortunate sister had been a hopeless invalid! She was perfectly healthy! She should have had many years to live!'

Stella blurted out: 'There's going to be a post-mortem. Deryk thinks she was poisoned.'

There was a defensive note in her voice, but Mrs Lupton rather surprisingly said after a moment's blank silence: 'Rubbish!'

A little sigh broke from Mrs Matthews. She said: 'Of course it is rubbish. But it is very, very painful for all of us, none the less.'

'I have no opinion of Dr Fielding,' p.r.o.nounced Mrs Lupton. 'Pray, how does he presume to diagnose a case of poisoning when he was totally unable to detect it in Gregory's death? And who wanted to poison poor Harriet, I should like to know? I am not aware of anyone, except you, Zo, having the least motive for doing such a thing.'

'That'll do, thanks!' Guy said harshly. 'Mother had no motive, none that would satisfy any jury in the world!'

'I can respect your championship of your mother,' replied Mrs Lupton with a certain grimness, 'but you would be better employed in facing the facts as they are. Your mother had a certain motive for poisoning my poor sister-not that I accuse her of having done it, for I cannot suppose that she would have been fool enough to take such a risk while the police are still investigating your uncle's death. But if you think that the police will not make very particular inquiries into her movements today you are living in a fool's paradise, my dear Guy, and the sooner you cease to do so the better it will be for you!'

Mrs Matthews arose from the sofa, and said tragically: 'I can only hope, Gertrude, that you don't realise what you are saying. I don't think you know how deeply you have wounded me. I am going to my room now. Somehow I don't feel I can bear any more.'

Mrs Lupton made no effort to detain her. She watched her go out of the room, and then herself rose, and announced that she wished to see her sister's body.

'Fielding's locked the room up,' Guy said briefly.

Mrs Lupton's bosom swelled. 'Dr Fielding takes a great deal upon himself!' she said. 'In my opinion he is an officious and an incompetent young jackanapes!'

That seemed to dispose of Dr Fielding. Mrs Lupton, promising to give him a piece of her mind at the first opportunity, laid a strict charge on her nephew to notify her by telephone of whatever should happen next, and left the Poplars.

Not until Miss Matthews' body had been removed did Mrs Matthews come downstairs again. As though by tacit consent, neither Stella nor Guy, alone in the library, made any attempt to discuss the cause of their aunt's death, but when Mrs Matthews reappeared she opened the subject by saying as she entered the room: 'I have been thinking about it all very deeply, and I feel more than ever convinced that poor Harriet had a stroke. You know, she has not been herself ever since Gregory was taken from us. When the police come we must tell them the truth just as simply as possible. We have none of us anything to hide, and I do so want you, my dears, to be your natural selves, and not to behave in any silly, exaggerated way that might make anyone who didn't know you as I do think that you were afraid of something coming out.'

Stella raised her eyes. 'What are we to say, mother?'

Mrs Matthews returned the look with one of her limpid gazes. 'Dearest, Stella, I don't understand you. You must just tell the police exactly what you know.'

'And the medicine you gave her? You told Deryk, mother.'

'Naturally I told him, dear, and it goes without saying that I shall tell the police, and let them see the bottle for themselves.'

Guy turned his head. 'It hasn't come to that yet. We don't know that this is a matter for the police until after the post-mortem. Fielding was wrong before, and he may be wrong now.'

'Of course,' Mrs Matthews agreed. 'I was only thinking of what we should do if the worst happened. Please don't run away with the idea that I believe your aunt was poisoned!'

Beecher came into the room. He still looked rather shaken, and he spoke in an expressionless voice which made Stella think, He's going to give notice: they all will. 'Mr Rumbold has called, madam, and would like to see you.'

'Show him in,' said Mrs Matthews.

It was evident that Rumbold had heard the news. He looked even more shocked than Beecher. He said, not in his usual calm way, but with a note of horror in his voice: 'Mrs Matthews, I have just heard-It can't be true!'

Mrs Matthews held out her hand, but turned her face away. 'Yes, my dear friend, it is true,' she said. 'We can scarcely believe it ourselves. My poor, poor sister-in-law!'

He clasped her hand, and continued to hold it, half unconsciously. 'Your housemaid told our cook-but I couldn't think it possible! I don't know what to say. That poor, unfortunate woman -'

Guy wheeled round to face him. 'Mr Rumbold, we think there can be no doubt that my aunt had a stroke!' he said.

Rumbold looked quickly across at him. 'A stroke! Is that Fielding's verdict?'

'Fielding's a fool. He doesn't know what caused my aunt's death, but we are quite sure it must have been a stroke.'

Rumbold released Mrs Matthews' hand, glancing down at her with an expression of foreboding in his face. 'What did Fielding say?' he asked. 'Tell me, Mrs Matthews!'

They had none of them heard him speak so sternly before. Mrs Matthews answered: 'It is all too dreadful, Mr Rumbold! Dr Fielding thinks that Harriet was poisoned.'

'Did you ever hear of anything so far-fetched, sir?' demanded Guy.

Rumbold looked at him for a moment, but he did not speak.

'Mr Rumbold, no one could have wanted to poison her!' Stella said urgently. 'You can't think that one of us-one of us -'

At that he said quickly: 'No, no, my dear child, of course not! Good G.o.d, no! But if Fielding suspects poison-It is too appalling!'

Guy, still standing by the window, said suddenly: 'Superintendent Hannasyde and that Sergeant-fellow are coming up the drive now.'

Mrs Matthews gave a start. 'Oh, Guy, no! Not yet!'

He moved across the room to her side. 'It's all right, Mummy,' he said. 'I expect it's only to make inquiries. They can't do anything-I mean, they don't know yet that Aunt Harriet was poisoned.'

'Don't keep on saying that she was poisoned!' Mrs Matthews cried, as though her nerves were snapping. 'She wasn't! She couldn't have been!' She turned with an effort to Edward Rumbold. 'Please don't go!' she said faintly. 'I have no one to advise me-I feel quite shattered!'

'I'll do anything I can to help you,' he answered. 'You must be perfectly open with the Superintendent-I'm sure you will be. There's nothing to be afraid of.'

The door opened. 'The police are here, madam,' said Beecher, in a voice of doom.

Chapter Twelve.

Mrs Matthews saw that both her children were watching her. She straightened in her chair, smiled, and turned her head to speak to the butler. 'Very well, Beecher,' she said, her voice once more smooth and controlled. 'Show them in here, please.'

A moment later Hannasyde came into the room.

Mrs Matthews bowed slightly. 'Good-afternoon, Superintendent. You wish to see me?'

'I wish to ask you some questions, Mrs Matthews, about Miss Harriet Matthews' death.'

She raised her brows. 'Surely you are a little premature in a.s.suming that my sister-in-law's death is a case for the police?'

Hannasyde looked steadily down at her, and replied: 'Have you any objections to answering my questions, Mrs Matthews?'

'It is very painful to me to have to discuss it,' said Mrs Matthews with sorrowful dignity.

'I quite appreciate that it must be,' said Hannasyde. 'I am sorry to intrude on you at such a moment, but I am sure you will realise that in the circ.u.mstances my department is bound to investigate the matter.'

'I suppose so,' sighed Mrs Matthews. 'But one cannot help feeling that Dr Fielding's conduct has been extraordinary. We ourselves believe that my sister-in-law had a stroke.'

'That is a point which the medical authorities must determine,' said Hannasyde. 'When was Miss Matthews first taken ill?'

'I am afraid you will have to ask my son or my daughter that question,' replied Mrs Matthews. 'You see, I never come down to breakfast, so I don't know what happened until my poor sister-in-law came upstairs.'

Hannasyde turned towards Stella, who answered at once: 'My aunt said that she didn't feel very well when she came down to breakfast. It was a little before nine o'clock, I think.'

'Did your aunt say when she first began to feel ill?'

'N-no. No, I'm nearly sure she didn't. She just said, "I don't feel very well this morning," or something like that.'

'Did she ever take anything before breakfast? Early tea, for instance?'

'Yes, she always had early tea.'

'Who took that to her?'

'Oh, the under-housemaid! Usually the upper housemaid, but we haven't got one at the moment.'

'Does she also prepare the tea?'

'I don't know. She or the cook, I suppose.'

'Did Miss Matthews take anything else? Any medicine, perhaps?'

Stella looked questioningly at her mother, but Mrs Matthews shook her head. 'Really, Superintendent, I've no idea what my sister-in-law may or may not have taken.'

Hannasyde did not pursue this. Instead he asked Stella what her aunt had eaten for breakfast. When he heard that Miss Matthews had had only tea and one slice of bacon, he said: 'Was it the same tea which you and your brother drank, Miss Matthews?'

'Well, I had coffee,' replied Stella. 'Guy, you had the tea, didn't you?'

'Yes,' said Guy. 'Same pot, too.'

'And after breakfast, what did your aunt do?'

'Ah, there I can help you,' intervened Mrs Matthews. 'I was just going to have my bath when my sister-in-law came upstairs, and told me that she felt sick and rather giddy. Nothing to alarm one. Indeed, I thought it no more than a slight bilious attack, but I always feel that one can't be too careful, especially when one is getting on in years as my sister-in-law was. So I made her go to bed with a hot-water bottle.'

'Did you give her anything for this sickness, Mrs Matthews?'

'Yes, I gave her a dose of some very excellent medicine which I have made up for indigestion. My own doctor-Dr Herbert Martin of Harley Street-prescribed it for me, and I know from my own experience -'

'I should like to see both the medicine and the gla.s.s it was given in,' said Hannasyde.