Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
BY AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Copy a1ght nv Tlodd. Mead 4 Co.

to the press. especially as could not
| take him into my confidence, But |
assured him most solemnIy that very
interesting results would follow It's
/ appearance in print, So he gave IN.
after stipnlating that he was on no
account. 10 bear the responsibility.
| ! stared at Poirot. He smiled back
at me
1T beats me-" said at last. what
I you expect TO get out of that
You should employ your little gray
cells said Porot. gravely.
! He rose and came across to the
! bench
| 1T is that you have really the love
| Of the machinery he said, after in
! speeding the debris of my labors
! Every man has his hobby. | imme
! diately drew Poirot's attention 70 my
! homemade wireless. Finding him sym
pathetic. | showed him one or two lit
| tie inventions Of my own -- triffing
things, hut useful in the house.
Decidedly" said Poirot. you should
be an inventor by trade. not a doctor.
But / hear the hell--that is your pa.
tient. Let US so into the surgery"
Once before | had been struck by
the remnants OF beauty tn The house
keepers face This morning | was
s
black, tall, upright and independents as
ever. with her big dark eyes and an
unwonted flush Of color in her usually
pale checks | realized that as a girl
she must have heen startlingly hand
some
Good morning. mademoiselle." said
Poirot. win You he seated? DR.
Sheppard is SO kind as to permit me
the use Of his surgery FOR a little con
Nersation ] am anxious to have with
YOU"
Miss Russell sat down with her
usual compoSure If she felt any in
ward agitation. ii did not display ii
self in any outward manifestation.
at seems queer way of doing
things, If you'll allow me 10 say SO.
she remarked
Miss Russell have news to give
YOU
Indeed"
Charles Kent has been arrested al
Liverpool.
Not a muscle Of her face moved. She
merely opened her eyes a trihe wider
and asked, with n tinge of defiance:
We'll. what of IT"
But at that moment ii came to me
the resemblance that had haunted me
all along, something familiar in the
va lidi lTS tASiit - IttdIlt1eI4
The two voices. one rough and coarse.
the other painfully ladylke - were
strangely the same in timbre 1t was
of Miss Russell that | had been re
minded that night outside the gates of
Fernly Park.
| looked at Poirot. fun Of my dis
covery, and he gave me an imper-
ceptihle nod
In answer to Miss RusselI's question
he threw ont his hands in thor
oughly French gesture
Il thought you might be interested.
that is all" he said. mildly.
We'll, I'm not particularly said
Miss Russell who is this Charles
Kent. anyway"
He is a man. mademoiselle. who |
was at Ferniy on the night Of the !
murder"
Really"
Fortunately for him he has an
abb. At quarter to 10 he was at
public house a mile from here
Lucky for him." commented Miss /
Russell
But we still do not know what he /
was doing at Fernly-who it was he |
went TO meet. for instance
m afraid / can't help you at all.
said the housekeeper. politely. Moth
ing came TO my ears. If that is /
ALL
She made tentative movement as
though to rise. Poirot stopped her.
1t is not quite all" he said. smooth
~. This morning fresh DEVELOPMENTS
nave arisen. It seems now that Mr..
Ackroyd was murdered not at a quar-. !
ter to 10. but before, Between 10 min /
utes to 2, when Or. Sheppard left. and /
q quarter TO TO-
! saw the color drain from the
housekeeper's face. leaving it dead /
white. She leaned forward. her figure
swayine.
But Miss Ackroyd sajd-Miss Acl,. /
royd said
Miss Ackroyd has admitted that
she was lying. She was never in the
study at all that evening" |
"Then----?"
Then it would seem that in this /
Charles Kent we have the man we
are looking for. He came to FernIv.
can give no account of what he was
doing there
Il can tell you what he was doing
there. He never touched hair Of old |
Ackrovd's head-~he never went near
the study. lie didn't do IL. ! tell Won -
She was leaning forward = Thai iron
seif-control was broken through Ut
last. Terror and desperation were in
her face.
NJ. Poirot. NJ. Poirot, OH do he,
lieve me-
Po'rot got UP and came to her. lie
patted her reassuringIy on the Shout
der.
But yes-but yes. / viii believe.
had to make you speak. you know"
For an instant suspicion fiared up
In her.
Is what you said true?"
THAT Charles Kent is suspected of