Evening star., 1939-09-03

been so angry with you - SO teiIlpiy
angry with you 1t seemed that you
were making things SO much worse.
Poirot said with smile: so was
to begin with. 1t is like the old legend
of the Lernean Hydra. Every time a
head was cut off, two heads grew in its
place. So, to begin with, the rumors
grew and multiplied.
But you see my task, like that OF
my namesake Hercules, was to reach
the first - the original head. Who had
started this rumor? 1t did not take me
long to discover that the originator OF
the story was Nurse Harrison. l went
to see her. She appeared to be very
charming woman - intelligent and
sympathetic. But almost at once she
made bad mistake - she repeated to
me conversation which she had over
heard between you and the doctor,
and that conversation ,oas all ,0rong.
1t was psychologically most unlikely.
If you and the doctor had planned
together to kill Mrs. Oldheld, you are
both of you far too intelligent and
level-headed to hold such a conversa-
ton in room with an open door,
easily overheard by anyone on the
stairs or in the kitchen.
Moreover, the words assigned to
you did not fit in at all with your
mental makeup. They were the words
of a much older woman and of quite
different type. words such as would be
imagined by Nurse Harrison as being
used by herself in like circumstances.
Il had up to then regarded the
whole matter as fairly simple. Nurse
Harrison, l realized, was a still
attractive woman - she had been
thrown closely with DR.. Oldheld for
nearly three years - the doctor had
been very fond of her and grateful to
her for her tact and sympathy. She
had formed the impression that if
Mrs. Oldfeld died. the doctor would
probably ask her to marry him. But
instead of that, after Mrs. Oldfeld's
death, she learns that DR.. Oldfeld is in
love with you. Angry and jealous, she
starts spreading the rumor that DR..
Oldfield has poisoned his wife.
That, as l say. was how | had
visualized the position up to now. But
the trite old phrase no smoke without
fire recurred to me significantly.
wondered if Nurse Harrison had done
more than spread rumor? Certain
things she said rang strangely. She
told me that Mrs. Oldheld's illness was
largely imaginary - and she did not
really suffer much pain. But the doc
tor himself had been in no doubt
about the reality of his wife's suffer-
ing. He himself had not been surprised
by her DEATH He had called in another
doctor shortly before her death and
the other doctor had realized the
gravity of her condition. l brought
forward the suggestion of exhumation.
Nurse Harrison was at first frightened
out of her wits by the idea. Then. al
most at once. her jealousy and hatred
took command of her. She would 60
through with it - the doctor and Jean
Moncrieffe should suffer.
There was only one hope. To make
Nurse Harrison overreach herself.
There was chance that Jean
Moncrieffe would escape. fancied
that Nurse Harrison would strain
every nerve to involve her in the
crime. l gave instructions to Georges
- the most unobtrusive Of men -
whom she did not know by sight. He
was to follow her closely"
Jean said: You've been wonder
full"
DR.. Oldfeld chimed in. II can never
thank you enough. What blind fool
was
Poirot said: Were you so blind,
Mademoiselle?
Jean said: Il was terribly worried.
The arsenic in the poison cupboard
didn't tally"
i -