er quarrel, and departed from the
house. The lapse of time, and her absence, will defeat all suspicion.
Yes, it was a clever idea! If they had left it alone, it is possible
the crime might never have been brought home to them. But they were not
satisfied. They tried to be too clever--and that was their undoing."

Poirot puffed at his tiny cigarette, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"They arranged a plan to throw suspicion on John Cavendish, by buying
strychnine at the village chemist's, and signing the register in his
hand-writing.

"On Monday Mrs. Inglethorp will take the last dose of her medicine. On
Monday, therefore, at six o'clock, Alfred Inglethorp arranges to be
seen by a number of people at a spot far removed from the village. Miss
Howard has previously made up a cock and bull story about him and Mrs.
Raikes to account for his holding his tongue afterwards. At six o'clock,
Miss Howard, disguised as Alfred Inglethorp, enters the chemist's shop,
with her story about a dog, obtains the strychnine, and writes the name
of Alfred Inglethorp in John's handwriting, which she had previously
studied carefully.

"But, as it will never do if John, too, can prove an alibi, she writes
him an anonymous note--still copying his hand-writing--which takes him
to a remote spot where it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone will see
him.

"So far, all goes well. Miss Howard goes back to Middlingham. Alfred
Inglethorp returns to Styles. There is nothing that can compromise him
in any way, since it is Miss Howard who has the strychnine, which, after
all, is only wanted as a blind to throw suspicion on John Cavendish.

"But now a hitch occurs. Mrs. Inglethorp does not take her medicine
that night. The broken bell, Cynthia's absence--arranged by Inglethorp
through his wife--all these are wasted. And then--he makes his slip.

"Mrs. Inglethorp is out, and he sits down to write to his accomplice,
who, he fears, may be in a panic at the nonsuccess of their plan. It is
probable that Mrs. Inglethorp returned earlier than he expected. Caught
in the act, and somewhat flurried he hastily shuts and locks his desk.
He fears that if he remains in the room he may have to open it again,
and that Mrs. Inglethorp might catch sight of the letter before he could
snatch it up. So he goes out and walks in the woods, little dreaming
that Mrs. Inglethorp will open his desk, and discover the incriminating
document.

"But this, as we know, is what happen