Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-01-09


do with the crime?"
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
why should you?"
Nurse Hopkins, very red in the face
said: Because it's common decency!
They're all dead now-every one
concerned. And it's no business Of
any one else's!"
IF it is only surmise-perhaps not.
But if you have actual knowledge,
that is different"
Nurse Hopkins said slowly:
Il don't know exactly what you
mean"
Hercule Poirot said: 81 will help
you. l have had hints from Nurse
/ O'Brien and l have had a long con-
versation with Mrs. Slattery, who has
very good memory for events that
happened over twenty years. I will
tell you exactly what l have learned.
Well, over twenty years ago there
was a love-affair between two peo-
pie. One Of them was Mrs. Welman.
who had been a widow for some years
and who was a woman capable of a
deep and passionate love. The other
party was Sir Lewis Rycroft, who
had the great misfortune to have a
wife who was hopelessly insane. The
law in those days gave no promise of
relief by divorce, and Lady Rycroft,
whose physical health was excellent,
might live to be ninety. The liaison
between those two people was, think
guessed at, but they were both dis
Greet and careful to keep up appear
ances. Then Sir Lewis Rycroft was
killed in action"
"Well?" said Nurse Hopkins.
81 suggest" said Poirot, "that
there was a child born after his death
and that that child was Mary Ger
rard."
Nurse Hopkins said: "You seem to
know all about it,"
Poirot said: "That is what l think.
But it is possible that you have got
uGl1IllLS DIOOI JIlc1k II61L 10 OOs
Nurse Hopkins sat silent a minute
or two, frowning, then abruptly she
rose, went across the room, opened
drawer and took out an envelope. She
brought it across to Poirot and said:
"I'll tell you how this came into my
hands. Mind, I'd had my suspicious.
The way Mrs. Welman looked at the
girl, for one thing, and then hearing
the gossip on top of it. And old Ger
rard told me when he was i'll that
Mary wasn't his daughter,
"Well, after Mary died I finished
clearing up the lodge, and in draw
er amongst some of the old mans
things / came across this letter. You
see what's written on it."
Poirot read the superscription writ
ten in faded ink:
"For Mary-to be sent to her after
my DEATH"
Poirot said: This writing is not
recent?"
ct wasn't Gerard who wrote
that" explained Nurse Hopkins. ut
was Mary's mother, who died four
teen years ago. She meant this for
the girl, but the old man kept it a.
mong his things and so she never saw
it-and Pm thankful she didn't! She
was able to hold up her head to the
end, and she'd no cause to feel asham
ed"
She paused and then said: "Well,
it was sealed up. but when 1 found
it, I'll admit to you that l opened it
and read it then and there, which l
dare say I should not have done. But
Mary was dead, and I guessed more
or less at what was inside it and l
didn't see that it was any concern of
any one else's. All the same I haven't
liked to destroy it, because l didn't
feel somehow it would be right to do
that. But, there, you'd better read it
yourself"
Poirot drew out the sheet of paper
covered with small angular writing:
''This is the truth I've written down
here in case it should ever be needed.
1 was lady's maid to Mrs. Welman at
Huntrebury, and very kind to me she
was. got into trouble, and she stood
by me and took me back into her SER
vice. :. My mistress and Sir Lewis
Rycroft were fond of each other, but
they couldn't marry, because he had
a wife already and she was in a mad
house, poor lady. He was fine gen.
tleman and devoted to Mrs. Welman.
He was killed and she told me soon
after that she was going to have
child. After that she went up to Scot
land and took me with her. The child
was born there-at ArdlOchrie. Bob
n L L. l. Df