Evening star., 1927-02-06
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
BY AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Copyright by Dodd. Mead q Co.

SEQ SLllls ana L must Oe pack by IL 10
sea my surgery patients"
Then this afternoon--no. better
still, dine tonight. AT 1880? VIII that
suit your
''Yes-I can manage that all right.
What's wrong? Is II Ralph?"
| hardly knew why said that--ex-
cept, perhaps, that It had SO often
been Ralph.
Ackroyd stared blanl<Iy at me as
though he hardly understood. I be
gan 10 realize that there must be
something very wrong indeed some
where. 1 had never seen Ackroyd so
upset before.
'Ralph?" he said vaguely. "Oh. no.
it's not Ralph. Ralph's in London
Damn! Here's old Miss Ganett coming.
/ don't want to have TO talk To her
about this ghastly business. See you
tonight Sheppard. Seven-thirty."
nodded, and he hurried away. leav-
ing me wondering. Ralph in London?
But he had certainly been in Kings
Abbot the preceding afternoon. He
must have gone back 10 town last
night or early this morning, and yet
AckroydS manner had conveyed quite
a different impression. He had spoken
as though Ralph had not been near
the place for months,
/ had no time to puzzle the matter
ONAt 1uILAlNI. MISS AFdUGLE was UPON
me, thirsting for information. Miss
Ganett has all the characteristics OF
my sister Caroline. but she lacks that
unerI1ng aim In jumping to conciu-
s1onS which lends a touch of greatness
TO Carolne's maneuvers. Miss Ganett
was breathless and interrUgatory.
Wasn't 1t sad about poor dear Mrs.
FerTars? A lot of people were saying
She had been a confirmed dI7ug-takeI.
went about saying things. And yet,
the worst of it was. there was usually
a grain of truth somewhere in theSs
wild statements. No smoke without
fire! They We're saying too that Mr..
Ackroyd had found out about it, and
had broken off the engagement---be.
cause there was an engagement. She,
Miss Ganett. had proof positive OF
that. OF course / must know all about
it-doctors always did-but they never
tell?
And all this with a sharp beady eye
on me to see how I reacted to these
suggestions. Fortunately long a2so-
citation with Caroline has led me to
preserve an impassive countenanoe,
and TO be ready with small non-com-
initial remarks.
on this occasion I congratulated
Miss Ganett on not joining in ill-na-
IuIGu 3OS-ilb. ISANItGA ~ lAC<Al COhHNGf-
attack, / thought. 1t left her In diff
culties and before she could pull her
self together, / had passed on.
went home thoughtfully. to find
several patients waiting for me in the
surgery.
| had dismissed the last of them. az
I thought. and was just contemplating
few minutes in the garden before
lunch when perceived one more pa
/ tient waiting for me. She rose and
came toward me as l stood somewhat
surprised.
/ don't know why I should have
been. except that there is a suggestion
of cast iron about Miss Russell, b
something that is above the ills OF the
flesh.
Ackroyd's housekeeper is tall wom-
an, handsome but forbtdding in ap-
pearance. She has stern eye, and
lips that shut tightly. and I feel that
! If / We're an under housenaid or a.
kitchsnmaid ! should run for my life
whenever ! heard her coming.
Good morning, DIR. Sheppard" SAID
Miss Russell. II should be much
obliged if you would take look at my
knee.Hta 7s. ar1a eo1 snfTr
1 took a look. but, truth to tell, /
was very little wiser when had done
so. Miss RuSSellS account Of vague
was 50 QHCOIlNAlACAu6 AAkHSS VAIN
woman of less integrity OF character
I should have suspected a trumpedrup
tale 1t did cross my mind for one
moment that Miss Russell might have
deliberately invented this affection OF
the knee in order to pump me on the
subject of Mrs. FerTar's DEATH but ]
soon saw that there, at least. had
misjudged her. She made a brief ref
erence to the tragedy. nothing more.
1fa1 a
inger and chat.
"Well. thank you very much for this
bottle Of liniment, doctor" she said
at last Not that / believe 1t will
do the least good"
l didn't think It would either. but
/ protested in duty bound. After all.
it couldn't do any harm. and one mlsS
stick up for the tools Of ones trade.
II don't believe in all these drugs,
said Miss Russell, her eyes sweeping
over my array Of bottles dsparaE-
ingly.
the cocaine habit"
well, as far as that goee-
tits very prevalent in high So
ciety."
Pm sure Miss Russell knows far
more about high society than do.
| didn't attmpt to argue with her.
j
Miss Russell. Suppose you are really
a slave of the drug habit. Is there
any cure?'\
One cannot answer q question like
that offhand. / gave her short
lecture on the subject, and she list
ened with close attention. l still suS-
pected her of seeking information
about Mrs. Ferrars.
''Now. veronal, for instance /
proceeded.
But. strangely enough, she didn't
seem Interested in verOnal. Instead
she changed the subject. and asked
me if il was true that there were GER
tain poisens so rare as TO battle de-
lection
"Ah!'' I said. You've been reading
detective stories"
She admitted that she had.
1.-The essence of a detective story"
| said, ''is to have a rare poison--if
possible something from South Amer
lea that nobody has ever heard Of
something that one obscure tribe OF
sayages. uses to poison it's arrows
with. Death is instantaneous, and
Western science is powerles5 to de-
tect It, That is the kind Of thing you
mean?"
"Yes. Is there really such a. thing7"
I shook my head regretfully.
"T'rn afraid there isn't. There's
cuare, of course"
] told her good deal about cnAre.
but she seemed to have lost interest
once more. She asked me II I had
any in my poison cupboard, and when
| replied in the negative l fancy fell
in her estimation.
She said she must he getting back
and / saw her out at the surgery door
just as the luncheon gong went
I should never have suspected Miss
Russell of o. fondncss for detective
stories. II pleases me very much 10
think of her stepping out OF the
housekeepers room to rebuke a delin-