Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-11
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
BY AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Copyright by Dodd. Mead q Co.

the window SILL From there 1nspec-
tor Raglan took me along the path
which leads to the drive. My eye
was caught by a little Summer house
and I searched II thoroughly. found
two things-a scrap of starched cam
brio and an empty goose quiz. The
scrap of cambria Immediately sug
gested to me a maids apron. When
INSPECTOR Raglan showed me his list
OF the people in the house l noticed
at once that one of the maids-Ursula
Bourne, the parlofmaid-had no real
aIibi According to her own story.
she was in her bedroom from $50
until 10. But supposing that instead
she was in the Summer house? IL so,
she must have gone there to meet
some one. Now we know from DIR.
| Sheppard that some one from out
| side did come to the house that night
the stranger whom he met just by
the gate. At a first glance 1t would
seem that our problem was solved
and that the stranger went to the
Summer house to meet Ursula
Bourne. II was fairly certain that he
did go to the Summer house. because
of the goose quill. That suggested
at once to my mind a taker OF drugs
and one who had acquired the hab-
| it on the other side of the Atlantic,
where smiling snow Is more common
| than in this country. The man whom
DR.. Sheppard met had an American
| accent, which fitted in with that sup
position.
| "But 7 was held up by one point.
| The times did not fit. Ursula Bourne
could certainly not have gone to the
| Summer house before $50. whereas
the man must have got there by a
| few minutes past ?. L couio, OF
course. assume that he waited there
for half an hour. The only alterna.
tive supposition was that there nad
been two separate meetings in the
| Summer house that night. Eth bien.
as soon as I went into that alterna-
tive 1 found several significant facts.
/ discovered that Miss Russell. the
| housekeeper, had visited DIR. Shep'
pard that morning and had displayed
a good deal of interest in cures Tor
victims of the drug habit. Taking
that in conjunction with the goose
| quill, assumed that the man in ques'
| ton came to Fernly to meet the
housekeeper, and not Ursula Bourne
Who, then, did Ursula Bourne come
to the rendezvous to meet? l was
not long in doubt. First I found q
ring-a wedding ring-with From r.
and a date inside 1t. Then I learned
that Ralph Patton had been seen com
! ing up the path which led to the Sum
mer house at Is minutes past 9. and
/ also heard of certain conversation
which had taken place In the wood
near the village that very afternoon
IA conversation between Ralph Pa
| ton and some unknown girl. So
had my facts succeeding each other
in a neat and orderly manner. A
| secret marriage, an engagement an
| the stormy interview in the wood and
the meeting arranged for the Sum
mer house that night.
incidentally this proved to me one
thing, that both Ralph Patton and Ur
| sula Bourne Tor Paton) had the strong
est motives for wishing Mr.. Ackroyd
| out of the way. And Ii also made
/ one other point Unexpectedly clear
1t could not have been Ralph Patton
who was with Mr.. AckrOyd in the
| study at $50.
| so we come to another and most
| interesting aspect of the crime. Who
was Ii in the room with Mr.. Ackroyo
at $50? Not Ralph Patton, who was
in the Summer house with his wife
Not Charles Kent, who had already
left. Who. then? l posed my clever
est-my most audacious question
Was any one with him?"
Poirot leaned forward and shot tn,
last words triumphantly at US, draw
ing back afterward with the air o
one who has made a decided hit.
Raymond. however. did not seen
impressed. and lodged a mild protest
81 don't know II you're trying Il
make me out liar, NJ. Poirot, but
the matter does not rest on my evi
i dence alone-except perhaps as to the
exact words used. Remember, Mai
Blunt also heard Mr.. Ackroyd talking
/ to some one. He was on the terrace
outside, and couldn't catch the words
clearly. but he distinctly heard the
| voices"
Poirot nodded.
II have not forgotten" he said
quietly. But Maj. Blunt was under
the impression that it was you to
whom Mr.. Ackroyd was speaking
For a moment Raymond seemed
taken aback. Then he recovered
himself
Blunt knows now that he was mis-.
TAKEN" he said
Exactly" agreed the other man.
Yet there must have been some
reason for his thinking So" unused
| Poirot. "Oh. no. he held UP his
hand In protest, II know the reason
you will give-but 1t is not enough.
We must seek elsewhere. / will put
1t this way. From the beginning of
the case I have been struck by one
thing-the nature of those words
which Mr.. Raymond overheard. 1t
| CrEAMGuTDc