Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-09
By AGATHA CHRISTIE.
Copyright by Dodd. Mead & Co.

Ackroyd spoke again almost imnae
diately. -.
Make certain that windows closed
| will you?" he asked.
Somewhat surprised. | got up anu
wont 10 II II was not Il French win
dow. but one Of the ordinary sash
| TYNE The heavy blue velvet curtains
were drawn in front of it, but the WIN
| low itself was open at the top.
/ Parker re-entered the room with my
bag while | was still at the window.
That's all right" ! said. emerging
again into the room.
! You've put the latch across?
| yes. yes. What's the matter with
/ YOU. Ackroyd?'
The door had Just closed behind
| Parker. or | would not have put the
| question.
Ackroyd waited just minute before
eplying.
I'm in hell" he said slowly after
a minute. mo. don't bother with
those damned tablets. | only said that
for Parker Servants are SO curious
ONE here and sit down. The door s
closed too, isn't it?''
Yes. Nobody can overhear, don't
be uneasy.
sheppard. nobody knows what I've
zone through in the last "a hours. Ii
a mans house ever fell in ruins about
him, mine has about me. This bust
ness of Ralphs is the last straw.
But we won't talk about that now.
It's the other-the other! | don't
know what to do about it. And I've
got to make up my mind soon.
whats the trouble?"
Ackroyd remained silent for min
IL Cd 1
averse to begin When he did speak,
the question he asked came as com
Dlete surprise 1t was the last thing
| expected.
sheppard. you attended Ashley
Ferrars in his last illness, didn't you?'
yes. did"
He seemed to find even greater diff
Guilty in framing his next question.
Did you never suspect-did it ever
enter your head-that-well, that he
might have been poisoned"
l was silent for a minute or two.
Then l made up my mind what to say.
Roger Ackroyd was not Caroline.
III tell you the truth" I said. AT
the time I had no suspicion whatever,
but since-well, it was mere idle talk
on my sisters part that first put the
idea into my head. Since then |
But, mind you, I've no foundation
whatever for that suspicion"
He was poisoned said Ackroyd
He spoke In a duh heavy voice.
who by?' | asked sharply.
His wife"
How do you know that?"
''She told me so herself.
"When?"
Yesterday My God. yesterday.
1t seems 10 years ago."
l waited a minute, and then he went
on.
You understand, Sheppard, I'm tell
ing you this in confidence. IFS to go
no further. I want your advice
can't carry the whole weight by my
self. AS said just now, don't know
what to do
Can you tell me the whole story?"
I said. I'm still in the dark. How
did Mrs. Ferrars come to make this
COS 1ession to your"
TITS like this. Three months ago l
ASKED Mrs. Ferrars to marry me. She
refused / asked her again and she
consented, but she refused to allow me
to make the engagement public until
her year of mourning was up. Yester-
day / called upon her, pointed out
that year and three weeks had now
elapsed since her husbands death, and
that there could be no further objec-
ton to making the engagement public
property. l had noticed that she had
been very strange in her manner for
some days. Now, suddenly, without
the least warming, she broke down
completely. She-she told me every
thing. Her hatred of her brute Of a
husband, her growing love for me, and
the-the dreadful means she had
taken. Poison! My God! 1t was muir
der in cold blood"
L saw the repulsion, the horror, in
Ackroyd's face. So Mrs. Ferrars must
have seen it. Ackroyd is not the type
of the great lover who can forgive
all for loves sake. He is funda-
mentally a good citizen All that was
sound and wholesome and law-abiding
in him must have turned from her ut
terly in that moment Of revelation.
Yes" he went on. in a low, mo-
notonous voice, she confessed every
thing. 1t seems that there is one per-
son who has known all along-who has
been Matchmaking her for huge sums.
1t was the strain Of that that drove
her nearly mad"
Who was the man."
Suddenly before my eyes there arose
P4 VI ASo"iPiA dIoii anu MIS-.
Ferrars side by side. Their heads so
close together. l felt a momentary
| throb of anxiety. Supposing-oh! but
surely that was impossible. / remem-
bered the frankness of Ralph's greet
ing that very afternoon. Absurd!
she wouldn't tell me his name"
said Ackroyd slowly. LAS a matter of
fact, she didn't actually say that it was
man. But of course"
OF course" / agreed. ut must have
been a man. And you've no suspicion
at ALP
(Cor+;r,,o5 - m -.------, c.