Evening star., 1927-03-09
Continued from Yesterdays Starr

"I enjoyed the work. she explained.
"And had plenty of time to myself. -
And then came her meeting with
Ralph Patton, and the love affair which
! eliminated in secret marriage.
Ralph had persuaded her into that
, somewhat, against her will. He had
declared that his stepfather would not
hear of his marrying a penniless girl.
Better to be married secretly, and
.break the news to him at some later
: and more favorable minute.
And so the deed was done, anc
Ursula Bourne became Ursula Patton
Ralph had declared that he meant t.
: pay eff his debts, find a job, and then
when he was in position to support
ther, and independent of his adopted
father, they would break the news to
him.
But to people like Ralph Patton
turning over a new leaf is easier in
theory than in practice. He hoped
that his stepfather. while still in
Ignorance of the marriage, might be
persuaded to pay his debts and put
8 him on his feet again. But the revela-
stion of the amount of Ralph's liabili-
/. ties merely enraged Roger Ackroyd
sand he refused to do anything at all.
Some months passed, and then Ralph
was hidden once more to Fernly. Roger
.sAckroyd did not beat. about the BUSH
1t was the desire of his heart that
Ralph should marry Flora, and he put
the matter plainly before the young
man.
And here 1t was that the innate
weakness of Ralph Patton showed it.
self. AS always, he grasped at the
easy, the immediate solution. AS far
as l could make out, neither Flora nor
g nf II
was, on both sides, a business ar
srangement. Roger Ackroyd dictated
his wishes-they agreed to them.
Flora accepted a chance of liberty,
money and an enlarged horizon; Ralph,
of course. was playing a different
game. But he was in a very awkward
hole financially. He seized at the
chance. His debts would be paid. He
could start again with a clean Sheet
His was not nature to envisage the
future, but I gather that he saw
vaguely the engagement with Flora
being broken off after a decent in
teryal had elapsed. Both Flora and he
stipulated that 1t should be kept a
secret for the present. He was anxious
to conceal it from Ursula. He felt in
stinctively that her nature, strong and
resolute. with an inherent distaste for
duplicity, was not one to welcome
such a course.
Then came the crucial moment
when Roger Ackroyd, always high
! handed, decided to announce the en-
gagement. He said no word of his in
tention to Ralph-only to Flora and
Flora, apathetic, raised no objection.
: On Ursula the news fell like a bomb
. shell. Summoned by her, Ralph came
! hurriedly down from town. They met
; in the wood, where part of their con-
> versation was overheard by my sister.
; Ralph implored her to keep silent for
. a little while longer, Ursula was equal
$ ly determined to have done with con-
cealments. She would tell Mr. Ack-
! royd the truth without any further
: delay. Husband and wife parted ac-
: rirnoniously.
a Ursula. steadfast in her purpose,
! sought an interview with Roger Ack-
! royd that very afternoon, and revealed
the truth to him. Their interview was
/. a stormy one-it might have been
! even more stormy had not Roger
! Ackroyd been already obsessed with
: his own troubles. 1t was bad enough,
!. however. Ackroyd was not the kind
! of man to forgive the deceit that had
! been practiced upon him. His rancor
! was mainly directed to Ralph, but
I Ursula came in for her share, since
! he regarded her as girl who had de-
Hberately tried to "entrap" the adopt.
ed son of very wealthy man. I'm
] forgivable things were said on both
! sides.
That same evening Ursula met
. Ralph by appointment in the small
Summer house, stealing out from the
! house by the side door in order to do
SO. Their interview was made up of
. reproaches on both sides. Ralph
! charged Ursula with having ire
. trievably ruined his prospects by her
. ill-timed revelation. Ursula reproached
Ralph with his duplicity.
They parted at last A little over
! half an hour later came the discovery
OF Roger Ackroyd's body. Since that
.. night Ursula had neither seen nor
.. heard from Ralph.
! AS the story unfolded itself / real
lied more and more what damning
j series of facts 1t was. Alive, Ackroyd
] could hardly have failed to alter his
. will knew him well enough to
realize that to do so would be his first
thought. His death came in the nick
of time for Ralph and Ursula Patton.
Small wonder the girl had held her
! tongue and played her part SO con-
. sistently.
! My meditations We're interrupted.
. 1t was Poirot's voice speaking and /
! knew from the gravity of his tone
J that he, too, was fully alive to the i'm
ptcations of the position.
"Mademoiselle, / must ask you one
. question. and you must answer IL
! truthfully, for on it everything may
! hang: What time was it when you
! parted from Capt. Ralph Patton in the
3 Summer house? Now, take a little
J minute so that your answer may be
4 very exact"
: The girl gave a half laugh, bitter
= enough in all conscience. ---=-ta22=4-
> DO you think | haven't gone over
! that again and again in my own mind?
. 1t was just half-past when | went
out to meet him. Mai Blunt was
: walking up. and down the terrace, so
, had to go round through the bushes
! to avoid him. 1t must have been
about q minutes to 10 when reached
the Summer house. Ralph was wait
> ing for me. / was with him 10 min
/. utes-not longer, for it was Just a
: quarter to 10 when l got back to the
! house"
/ saw now the insistence OF her
. question the other day. II only Ack-
royd could be proved to have been
. killed before a quarter to 10, and not
after.
) l saw the reflection of that thought
! In Poirot's next question.
WHO left the Summer house first?"
"I did"
Leaving Ralph Patton in the Sum
; mer house?"
. "Yes-but you don't think"