sniffily, what did I mean. 'Just that,' I said. 'Here are your friends and relations all hanging around with their mouths open, all as poor as church mice – whatever church mice may be – all hoping. And what do you do? Sit down on the dibs and refuse to part. That's the way people get themselves murdered. Take it from me, if you're bumped off, you'll only have yourself to blame.'
'She looked at me then, over the top of her spectacles in a way she had. Looked at me rather nastily. 'Oh,' she said drily enough, 'so that's your opinion, is it?' 'It is,' I said. 'You loosen up a bit, that's my advice to you.' 'Thank you, Charles,' she said, 'for your well-meant advice. But I think you'll find I'm well able to take care of myself.' 'Please yourself, Aunt Emily,' I said. I was grinning all over my face – and I fancy she wasn't as grim as she tried to look. 'Don't say I didn't warn you.' 'I'll remember it,' she said.'
He paused.
'That's all there was to it.'
'And so,' said Poirot, 'you contented yourself with a few pound notes you found in a drawer.'
Charles stared at him, then burst out laughing.
'I take off my hat to you,' he said. 'You're some sleuth! How did you get hold of that?'
'It is true, then?'
'Oh, it's true enough! I was damned hard up. Had to get money somehow. Found a nice little wad of notes in a drawer and helped myself to a few. I was very modest – didn't think my little subtraction would be noticed. Even then, they'd probably think it was the servants.'
Poirot said drily:
'It would be very serious for the servants if such an idea had been entertained.'
Charles shrugged his shoulders.
'Every one for himself,' he murmured.
'And le diable takes the hindermost,' said Poirot. 'That is your creed, is it?'
Charles was looking at him curiously.
'I didn't know the old lady had ever spotted it. How did you come to know about it – and about the bumping- off conversation?'
'Miss Lawson told me.'
'The sly old pussy cat!' He looked, I thought, just a shade disturbed. 'She doesn't like me and she doesn't like Theresa,' he said presently. 'You don't think – she's got anything more up her sleeve?'
'What could she have?'
'Oh, I don't know. It's just that she strikes me as a malicious old devil.' He paused. 'She hates Theresa…' he added.
'Did you know, Mr Arundell, that Dr Tanios came down to see your aunt on the Sunday before she died?'
'What – on the Sunday that we were there?'
'Yes. You did not see him?'
'No. We were out for a walk in the afternoon. I suppose he must have come then. Funny that Aunt Emily didn't mention his visit. Who told you?'
'Miss Lawson.'
'Lawson again? She seems to be a mine of information.'
He paused and then said:
'You know, Tanios is a nice fellow. I like him. Such a jolly, smiling chap.'
'He has an attractive personality, yes,' said Poirot.
Charles rose to his feet.
'If I'd been him I'd have murdered the dreary Bella years ago! Doesn't she strike you as the type of woman who is marked out by fate to be a victim? You know, I should never be surprised if bits of her turned up in a trunk at Margate or somewhere!'
'It is not a pretty action that you attribute there to her husband the good doctor,' said Poirot severely.
'No,' said Charles meditatively. 'And I don't think really that Tanios would hurt a fly. He's much too kind- hearted.'
'And what about you? Would you do murder if it were made worth your while?'
Charles laughed – a ringing, genuine laugh.
'Thinking about a spot of blackmail, M. Poirot? Nothing doing. I can assure you that I didn't put -' he stopped suddenly and then went on – 'strychnine in Aunt Emily's soup.'
With a careless wave of his hand he departed.
'Were you trying to frighten him, Poirot?' I asked. 'If so, I don't think you succeeded. He showed no guilty reactions whatsoever.'
'No?'
'No. He seemed quite unruffled.'
'Curious that pause he made,' said Poirot.
'A pause?'
'Yes. A pause before the word strychnine. Almost as though he had been about to say something else and thought better of it.'
I shrugged my shoulders.
'He was probably thinking of a good, venomous-sounding poison.'
'It is possible. It is possible. But let us set off. We will, I think, stay the night at The George in Market Basing.'
Ten minutes later saw us speeding through London, bound once more for the country.
We arrived in Harchester about four o'clock and made our way straight to the offices of Purvis, Purvis, Charlesworth and Purvis.
Mr Purvis was a big, solidly built man with white hair and a rosy complexion. He had a little the look of a country squire. His manner was courteous but reserved.
He read the letter we had brought and then looked at us across the top of his desk. It was a shrewd look and a somewhat searching one.
'I know you by name, of course, M. Poirot,' he said politely. 'Miss Arundell and her brother have, I gather, engaged your services in this matter, but exactly in what capacity you propose to be of use to them I am at a loss to imagine.'
'Shall we say, Mr Purvis, a fuller investigation of all the circumstances?'
The lawyer said drily:
'Miss Arundell and her brother have already had my opinion as to the legal position. The circumstances were perfectly clear and admit of no misrepresentation.'
'Perfectly, perfectly,' said Poirot quickly. 'But you will not, I am sure, object to just repeating them so that I can envisage the situation clearly.'
The lawyer bowed his head.
'I am at your service.'
Poirot began:
'Miss Arundell wrote to you giving you instructions on the seventeenth of April, I believe?'
Mr Purvis consulted some papers on the table before him.
'Yes, that is correct.'
'Can you tell me what she said?'
'She asked me to draw up a will. There were to be legacies to two servants and to three or four charities. The rest of her estate was to pass to Wilhelmina Lawson absolutely.'
'You will pardon me, Mr Purvis, but you were surprised?'
'I will admit that – yes, I was surprised.'
'Miss Arundell had made a will previously?'
'Yes, she had made a will five years ago.'
'That will, after certain small legacies, left her property to her nephew and nieces?'
'The bulk of her estate was to be divided equally between the children of her brother Thomas and the daughter of Arabella Biggs, her sister.'
'What has happened to that will?'
