Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-05
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
By AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Copyright by Dodd. Mead & Co.

tie at the tip, as 1t always does when
she is interested or excited over any
thing.
"Well?" she demanded.
IA bad business. Nothing to be
done. Must have died In her Sleep"
Il know" said my sister again.
This time was annoyed.
You can't know" I snapped. II
didn't know myself until l got there.
and / haven't mentioned 1t to a soul
yet. If that girl Annie knows she
must be a clairvoyant."
1T wasn't Annie who told me. 1t
was the milkman He had it from
the Ferrars' cook"
AS l say, there is no need for Caro-
line to go out to get information.
She sits at home and 1t comes to her.
My sister continued:
What did she die of? Heart fall
ure?"
Didn't the mllkman tell you that?"
inquired sarcastically.
Z Sarcasm is wasted on Caroline. She
takes it seriously and answers accord
ingly.
HE didn't know" she explained.
After ALL Caroline was bound to
hear sooner or later. She might as
well hear from me.
She's been taking it lately for sleep.
lessness. Must have taken too much
Nonsense said Caroline imme-
diately. she took it on purpose.
Don't tell me-"
1t is odd how. when you have a
secret belief of your own which you
do not wish to acknowledge, the voic-
ing of it by some one else will rouse
you to a fury Of denial. / burst
Immediately into indignant speech.
There you go again." l said Rush
ing along without rhyme or reason.
Why on earth should Mrs. Ferrars
wish to commit suicide? A widow,
fairly young still, very well on, good
health and nothing 70 do but enjoy
life. It's absurd"
mot at all. Even you must have
noticed how different she has been
looking lately. It's been coming on for
the last six months. She's looked pos
itively hagridden. And you have just
admitted that she hasn't been able to
sleep"
what is your diagnosis?" de-
manded coldly. IAN unfortunate love
affair, I suppose?"
MY sister shook her head.
"Remorse, she said. with great
gusto.
"Remorse?"
Eyes. You never would believe me
when told you she poisoned her hus-
band. I'm more than ever convinced
of 1t now"
81 don't think you're very logical"
I objected. Surely if q woman COM
mitted crime like murder she'd be
sufficiently cold-blooded to enjoy the
fruits of it without any weak-minded
sentimentality such as repentance"
Caroline shook her head.
There probably are women like that
but Mrs. Ferrars wasn't one of them.
She was a mass of nerves. An over
mastering impulse drove her on to get
rid of her husband because she was
the sort of person who simply can't
endure suffering of any kind and
there's no doubt that the wife of
man like Ashley Ferrars must have
had to suffer good deal"
nodded.
"And ever since she's been haunted
by what she did. can't help feeling
sorry for her"
/ don't think Caroline ever felt sorry
for Mrs Ferrars while she was alive.
Now that she has gone where (presum.
ably Paris frocks can no longer be
worn Caroline is prepared to indulge
in the softer emotions of pity and
comprehension.
I told her firmly that her whole idea
was nonsense. l was all the more firm
because / secretly agreed with some
part, at least. of what she had said
But 1t Is all wrong that Caroline
should arrive at the truth simply by
a kind of inspired guesswork wasn't
going to encourage that sort of thing
She will go round the village airing
her views and every one will think
that she is doing so on medical data
supplied by me. Life is very trying.
Nonsense" said Caroline. in reply
to my structures. You'll see. Ten to
thing"
"She didn't leave a letter of any
kind" said sharply. and not seeing
where the admission was going to land