Adders on the Heath

'You are asking, I think, for evidence of a kind which I do not possess.'

'Then on what are your suspicions based?'

'On a number of inter-related facts which, I hasten to add, do not, of themselves, involve the boy. If I can show that he did abstract the poisons, it might help the police and it might (or might not) help Mr Richardson, who, at the moment, is under a considerable cloud. I firmly believe him to be an innocent man and I am anxious to lift this cloud of suspicion under which he lies.'

She gave the Headmaster a resume of the case against Richardson. He let her finish without interruption. Then he said,

'I am a firm believer in justice and, although I was a little angry with Mr Richardson before he left here, I most certainly do not envisage him as a poisoner. I will do as you ask, provided that I myself do the questioning. If I do it inadequately, in your view, you will oblige me by jotting a note and not by voicing your opinion in front of the boys.'

'Very well. It is good of you to be so co-operative.'

The Headmaster nodded, got up and walked to the big time-table which occupied half of one entire wall of his study. He consulted it, then held the door open for Dame Beatrice, followed her out, adjusted the card, which had been marked Engaged, to the position in which it read Out, and led the way to a classroom. Fifteen boys stood up. The Headmaster waved them to their seats and turned to the master-in-charge.

'Excuse my interruption of your lesson, Mr Sprott,' he said. 'I wonder whether you will leave the boys to me for ten minutes or so? I will send to the Staff Common Room for you when I have finished with them.'

'Thank you, Headmaster,' said young Mr Sprott, going gaily off to the staff-room for an unexpected cigarette.

'Spence, a chair for Dame Beatrice. Where are your manners, boy?' said the Headmaster to a blameless child at the end of the front row. 'That's better. Now, boys (including Radcliffe, who seems chary of according me his undivided attention), I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...'

'So help me God,' added the form funny-man, sotto voce.

'...and it will be the worse for any boy who chooses to conceal from me anything he may know or suspect. Now!' One or two boys, conscious, no doubt, of recent sin, turned pale, and on the whole classroom there descended that breathless hush which is more often associated with major rows in schools than with school cricket matches. 'You, in this form, have all done two years of chemistry. You have all seen the outside (at any rate) of the poisons cupboard. Well?' There was respectful agreement from the form. 'Now I come to the point. Stand up, any boy who has ever noticed that the key of that cupboard has been inadvertently left in the lock.'

Not a boy moved. The Headmaster scanned in turn the fifteen faces in front of him. His gaze returned to the face of the form captain. He raised his eyebrows. The boy blushed and then slowly stood up.

'Please, sir,' he said.

'Well, Hawkins? Come along. Speak up. There is nothing to be afraid of.'

'Please, sir, I don't remember ever seeing the key left in the lock, but we-we were once shown inside the cupboard, sir.'

'Well, that's all right. Just part of Mr Joliffe's chemistry course, no doubt. And then the cupboard was locked up again. Is that it?'

'Not-not exactly, sir.'

'Oh?'

'It wasn't Mr Joliffe, sir.'

'Who, then?'

'The laboratory assistant, sir. He showed some of us the poisons. It was one wet dinner-time, sir, when we couldn't be out on the field. But he did lock up again and he didn't leave the key in the lock.'

'I see. Thank you, Hawkins. You have done what you can to help. Stand up, all the boys who were with Hawkins when that poisons cupboard was opened.' Five children, looking vastly relieved at hearing their leader commended, however grudgingly, by the Headmaster, rose to their feet. 'Now, has anybody anything to add to what Hawkins has just told me?' A small, pale boy shuffled his feet. 'Yes, Resthall?'

'Borgia told us he had enough poison in the cupboard to do in-to kill the whole school, sir.'

'Who, boy?'

'Borgia, sir. The lab. assistant, sir.'

'Then don't call him by foolish nicknames. His name is Robinson. Is that all you have to tell me?'

'Sir, yes, sir.'

'Very well. You and Hawkins may sit down. Now I want the rest of you boys to concentrate very hard. I don't wish anybody to use his imagination or to 'think' he knows. You must be absolutely certain. Each boy will search his memory diligently. It is of the utmost importance. Was your former fellow-pupil, Clive Topley, among your number when the poisons cupboard was opened?'

'Yes, sir,' murmured the polite voices.

'Hawkins?'

'Yes, he was, sir.'

'Resthall?'

'Please, sir, yes, sir, I think so, sir.'