I don't suppose that, well, Celia's ever thought much about it.
I think probably that she was away at school in Switzerland at the time the tragedy happened and nobody told her much and, well, when you're a teen-ager or younger still you just accept things as something that happened, but that's not anything to do with you really.'
'Then don't you think that perhaps you're wanting the impossible?'
'I want you to find out,' said Desmond. 'Perhaps it's not the kind of thing that you can find out, or that you like finding out-'
'I have no objection to finding out,' said Poirot. 'In fact one has even a certain-curiosity, shall I say. Tragedies, things that arise as a matter of grief, surprise, shock, illness-they are human tragedies, human things, and it is only natural that if one's attention is drawn to them one should want to know. What I say is, is it wise or necessary to rake up things?'
'Perhaps it isn't,' said Desmond, 'but you see…'
'And also,' said Poirot, interrupting him, 'don't you agree with me that it is rather an impossible thing to do after all this time?'
'No,' said Desmond, 'that's where I don't agree with you. I think it would be quite possible.'
'Very interesting,' said Poirot. 'Why do you think it would be quite possible?'
'Because-'
'Of what? You have a reason.'
'I think there are people who would know. I think there are people who could tell you if they were willing to tell you.
People, perhaps, who would not wish to tell me, who would not wish to tell Celia, but you might find out from them.'
'That is interesting,' said Poirot.
'Things happened,' said Desmond. 'Things happened in the past. I-I've sort of heard about them in a vague way.
There was some mental trouble. There was someone-I don't know who exactly, I think it might have been Lady Ravenscroft-I think she was in a mental home for years. Quite a long time. Some tragedy had happened when she was quite young. Some child who died or an accident. Something that- well, she was concerned in it in some way.'
'It is not what you know of your own knowledge, I presume?'
'No. It's something my mother said. Something she heard.
She heard it in India, I think. Gossip there from other people.
You know how they get together in the Services, people like that, and the women all gossip together-all the mem-sahibs.
Saying things that mightn't be true at all.'
'And you want to know whether they were true or were not true?'
'Yes, and I don't know how to find out myself. Not now, because it was a long time ago and I don't know who to ask. I don't know who to go to, but until we really find out what did happen and why-'
'What you mean is,' said Poirot, 'at least I think I am right, only this is pure surmise on my part, Celia Ravenscroft does not want to marry you unless she is quite sure that there is no mental flaw passed to her presumably by her mother. Is that it?'
'I think that is what she has got into her head somehow.
And I think my mother put it there. I think it's what my mother wants to believe. I don't think she's any reason really for believing it except ill-mannered spite and gossip and all the rest of it.'
'It will not be a very easy thing to investigate,' said Poirot.
'No, but I've heard things about you. They say that you're very clever at rinding out what did happen. Asking people questions and getting them to tell you things.'
'Whom do you suggest I should question or ask? When you say India, I presume you are not referring to people of Indian nationality. You are speaking of what you might call the mem-sahib days, the days when there were Service communities in India. You are speaking of English people and the gossip in some English station there.'
'I don't really mean that that would be any good now. I think whoever it was who gossiped, who talked-I mean, it's so long ago now that they'd have forgotten all about it, that they are probably dead themselves. I think that my mother's got a lot of things wrong, that she's heard things and made up more things about them in her mind.'
'And you still think that I would be capable-'
'Well, I don't mean that I want you to go out to India and ask people things. I mean, none of the people would be there now.
'So you think you could not give me names?'
'Not those sort of names,' said Desmond.
'But some names?'
'Well, I'll come out with what I mean. I think there are two people who might know what happened and why. Because, you see, they'd have been there. They'd have known, really known, of their own knowledge.'
'You do not want to go to them yourself?'
'Well, I could. I have in a way, but I don't think, you see, that they-I don't know. I wouldn't like to ask some of the things I want to ask. I don't think Celia would. They're very nice, and that's why they'd know. Not because they're nasty, not because they gossip, but because they might have helped.
They might have done something to make things better, or have tried to do so, only they couldn't. Oh, I'm putting it all so badly.'
'No,' said Poirot, 'you are doing it very well, and I am interested and I think you have something definite in your mind. Tell me, does Celia Ravenscroft agree with you?'
'I haven't said too much to her. You see, she was very fond of Maddy and of Zelle.'
'Maddy and Zelle?'
'Oh, well, that's their names. Oh, I must explain. I haven't done it very well. You see, when Celia was quite a child-at the time when I first knew her, as I say, when we were living next door in the country-she had a French sort of-well, I suppose nowadays we call it an au pair girl, but it was called a governess then. You know, a French governess. A mademoiselle.
And you see, she was very nice. She played with all of us children and Celia always called her Maddy for short-and all the family called her Maddy.'
'Ah, yes. The mademoiselle.'
'Yes, you see being French, I thought-I thought perhaps she would tell you things that she knew and wouldn't wish to speak about to other people.'
'Ah. And the other name you mentioned?'
'Zelle. The same sort of thing, you see. A mademoiselle. Maddy was there, I think, for about two or three years and then, later, she went back to France, or Switzerland I think it was, and this other one came. Younger than Maddy was and, we didn't call her Maddy. Celia called her Zelle. All the family called her Zelle. She was very young, pretty and great ' fun. We were all frightfully fond of her. She played games with us and we all loved her. The family did. And General Ravenscroft was very taken with her. They used to play games together, picquet, you know, and lots of things.'
'And Lady Ravenscroft?'
'Oh, she was devoted to Zelle too, and Zelle was devoted to her. That's why she came back again after she'd left.'
'Came back?'
'Yes, when Lady Ravenscroft was ill, and had been in hospital, Zelle came back and was sort of companion to her and looked after her. I don't know, but I believe, I think, I'm almost sure that she was there when it - the tragedy - happened. And so, you see she'd know-what really happened.'
'And you know her address? You know where she is now?'
'Yes. I know where she is. I've got her address. I've got both their addresses. I thought perhaps you could go and see her, or both of them. I know it's a lot to ask-' He broke off.
