Reading Help The Mysterious Affair at Styles Ch.VII-XIII

Miss Howard?" `
` `
` "When I discovered that she had told a lie at the inquest about `
` the letter she had received from Mrs. Inglethorp." `
` `
` "Why, what was there to lie about?" `
` `
` "You saw that letter? Do you recall its general appearance?" `
` `
` "Yes--more or less." `
` `
` "You will recollect, then, that Mrs. Inglethorp wrote a very `
` distinctive hand, and left large clear spaces between her words. `
` But if you look at the date at the top of the letter you will `
` notice that 'July 17th' is quite different in this respect. Do `
` you see what I mean?" `
` `
` "No," I confessed, "I don't." `
` `
` "You do not see that that letter was not written on the 17th, but `
` on the 7th--the day after Miss Howard's departure? The '1' was `
` written in before the '7' to turn it into the '17th'." `
` `
` "But why?" `
` `
` "That is exactly what I asked myself. Why does Miss Howard `
` suppress the letter written on the 17th, and produce this faked `
` one instead? Because she did not wish to show the letter of the `
` 17th. Why, again? And at once a suspicion dawned in my mind. `
` You will remember my saying that it was wise to beware of people `
` who were not telling you the truth." `
` `
` "And yet," I cried indignantly, "after that, you gave me two `
` reasons why Miss Howard could not have committed the crime!" `
` `
` "And very good reasons too," replied Poirot. "For a long time `
` they were a stumbling-block to me until I remembered a very `
` significant fact: that she and Alfred Inglethorp were cousins. `
` She could not have committed the crime single-handed, but the `
` reasons against that did not debar her from being an accomplice. `
` And, then, there was that rather over-vehement hatred of hers! It `
` concealed a very opposite emotion. There was, undoubtedly, a tie `
` of passion between them long before he came to Styles. They had `
` already arranged their infamous plot--that he should marry this `
` rich, but rather foolish old lady, induce her to make a will `
` leaving her money to him, and then gain their ends by a very `
` cleverly conceived crime. If all had gone as they planned, they `
` would probably have left England, and lived together on their `
` poor victim's money. `
` `
` "They are a very astute and unscrupulous pair. While suspicion `
` was to be directed against him, she would be making quiet `
` preparations for a very different denouement. She arrives from `
` Middlingham with all the compromising items in her possession. `
` No suspicion attaches to her. No notice is paid to her coming `
` and going in the house. She hides the strychnine and glasses in `
` John's room. She puts the beard in the attic. She will see to `
` it that sooner or later they are duly discovered." `
` `
` "I don't quite see why they tried to fix the blame on John," I `
` remarked. "It would have been much easier for them to bring the `
` crime home to Lawrence." `
` `
` "Yes, but that was mere chance. All the evidence against him `
` arose out of pure accident. It must, in fact, have been `
` distinctly annoying to the pair of schemers." `
` `
` "His manner was unfortunate," I observed thoughtfully. `
` `
` "Yes. You realize, of course, what was at the back of that?" `
` `
` "No." `
` `
` "You did not understand that he believed Mademoiselle Cynthia `
` guilty of the crime?" `
` `
` "No," I exclaimed, astonished. "Impossible!" `
` `
` "Not at all. I myself nearly had the same idea. It was in my `
` mind when I asked Mr. Wells that first question about the will. `
` Then there were the bromide powders which she had made up, and `
` her clever male impersonations, as Dorcas recounted them to us. `
` There was really more evidence against her than anyone else." `
` `
` "You are joking, Poirot!" `
` `
` "No. Shall I tell you what made Monsieur Lawrence turn so pale `
` when he first entered his mother's room on the fatal night? It `
` was because, whilst his mother lay there, obviously poisoned, he `
` saw, over your shoulder, that the door into Mademoiselle `
` Cynthia's room was unbolted." `
` `
` "But he declared that he saw it bolted!" I cried. `
` `
` "Exactly," said Poirot dryly. "And that was just what confirmed `
` my suspicion that it was not. He was shielding Mademoiselle `
` Cynthia." `
` `
` "But why should he shield her?" `
` `
` "Because he is in love with her." `
` `
` I laughed. `
` `
` "There, Poirot, you are quite wrong! I happen to know for a fact `
` that, far from being in love with her, he positively dislikes `
` her." `
` `
` "Who told you that, mon ami?" `
` `
` "Cynthia herself." `
` `
` "La pauvre petite! And she was concerned?" `
` `
` "She said that she did not mind at all." `
` `
` "Then she certainly did mind very much," remarked Poirot. "They `
` are like that--les femmes!" `
` `
` "What you say about Lawrence is a great surprise to me," I said. `
` `
` "But why? It was most obvious. Did not Monsieur Lawrence make `
` the sour face every time Mademoiselle Cynthia spoke and laughed `
` with his brother? He had taken it into his long head that `
` Mademoiselle Cynthia was in love with Monsieur John. When he `
` entered his mother's room, and saw her obviously poisoned, he `
` jumped to the conclusion that Mademoiselle Cynthia knew something `
` about the matter. He was nearly driven desperate. First he `
` crushed the coffee-cup to powder under his feet, remembering that `
` _she_ had gone up with his mother the night before, and he `
` determined that there should be no chance of testing its `
` contents. Thenceforward, he strenuously, and quite uselessly, `
` upheld the theory of 'Death from natural causes'." `
` `
` "And what about the 'extra coffee-cup'?" `
` `
` "I was fairly certain that it was Mrs. Cavendish who had hidden `
` it, but I had to make sure. Monsieur Lawrence did not know at `
` all what I meant; but, on reflection, he came to the conclusion `
` that if he could find an extra coffee-cup anywhere his lady love `
` would be cleared of suspicion. And he was perfectly right." `
` `
` "One thing more. What did Mrs. Inglethorp mean by her dying `
` words?" `
` `
` "They were, of course, an accusation against her husband." `
` `
` "Dear me, Poirot," I said with a sigh, "I think you have `
` explained everything. I am glad it has all ended so happily. `
` Even John and his wife are reconciled." `
` `
` "Thanks to me." `
` `
` "How do you mean--thanks to you?" `
` `
` "My dear friend, do you not realize that it was simply and solely `
` the trial which has brought them together again? That John `
` Cavendish still loved his wife, I was convinced. Also, that she `
` was equally in love with him. But they had drifted very far `
` apart. It all arose from a misunderstanding. She married him `
` without love. He knew it. He is a sensitive man in his way, he `
` would not force himself upon her if she did not want him. And, `
` as he withdrew, her love awoke. But they are both unusually `
` proud, and their pride held them inexorably apart. He drifted `
` into an entanglement with Mrs. Raikes, and she deliberately `
` cultivated the friendship of Dr. Bauerstein. Do you remember the `
` day of John Cavendish's arrest, when you found me deliberating `
` over a big decision?" `
` `
` "Yes, I quite understood your distress." `
` `
` "Pardon me, mon ami, but you did not understand it in the least. `
` I was trying to decide whether or not I would clear John `
` Cavendish at once. I could have cleared him--though it might `
` have meant a failure to convict the real criminals. They were `
` entirely in the dark as to my real attitude up to the very last `
` moment--which partly accounts for my success." `
` `
` "Do you mean that you could have saved John Cavendish from being `
` brought to trial?" `
` `
` "Yes, my friend. But I eventually decided in favour of 'a `
` woman's happiness'. Nothing but the great danger through which `
` they have passed could have brought these two proud souls `
` together again." `
` `
` I looked at Poirot in silent amazement. The colossal cheek of `
` the little man! Who on earth but Poirot would have thought of a `
` trial for murder as a restorer of conjugal happiness! `
` `
` "I perceive your thoughts, mon ami," said Poirot, smiling at me. `
` "No one but Hercule Poirot would have attempted such a thing! And `
` you are wrong in condemning it. The happiness of one man and one `
` woman is the greatest thing in all the world." `
` `
` His words took me back to earlier events. I remembered Mary as `
` she lay white and exhausted on the sofa, listening, listening. `
` There had come the sound of the bell below. She had started up. `
` Poirot had opened the door, and meeting her agonized eyes had `
` nodded gently. "Yes, madame," he said. "I have brought him back `
` to you." He had stood aside, and as I went out I had seen the `
`