"You'd better tell me, you know," said Inspector Sharpe, persuasively. "As I say, we've got to get the picture. There was a reason, or she thought there was, for taking her own life? Any possibility that she might have been pregnant?" "It wasn't that kind of thing at all. I hesitated, Inspector Sharpe, simply because the child had done some very foolish things and I hoped it needn't be necessary to bring them out in the open." Inspector Sharpe coughed.

"We have a good deal of discretion, and the Coroner is a man of wide experience. But we have to know." "Yes, of course. I was being foolish. The truth is that for some time past, three months or more, things have been disappeariny-smah things, I mearmothing very important." "Trinkets, you mean, finery, nylon stockings and all that? Money, too?" "No money as far as I know." "Ah. And this girl was responsible?" "Yes.

"You'd caught her at it?" "Not exactly. The night before last a-er-a friend of mine came to dine. A M. Hercule Poirot-I don't know if you know the name." Inspector Sharpe had looked up from his notebook. His eyes had opened rather wide. It happened that he did know the name.

"M. Hercule Poirot?" he said. "Indeed?

Now that's very interesting." "He gave us a little talk after dinner and the subject of these thefts came up. He advised me, in front of them all, to go to the police." "He did, did he?" "Afterwards, Celia came along to my room and owned up. She was very distressed." "Any question of prosecution?" "No. She was going to make good the losses, and everyone was very nice to her about it." "Had she been hardup?" "No. She had an adequately paid job as dispenser at St. Catherine's Hospital and has a little money of her own, I believe. She was rather better off than most of our students." "So she'd no need to steal-but did," said the Inspector, writing it down.

"It's kleptomania, I suppose," said Mrs. Hubbard.

"That's the label that's used. I just mean one of the people that don't need to take things, but nevertheless do take them." "I wonder if you're being a little unfair to her.

You see, there was a young man." "And he ratted on her?" "Oh no. Quite the reverse. He spoke very strongly in her defence and as a matter of fact last night, after supper, he announced that they'd become engaged." Inspector Sharpe's eyebrows mounted his forehead in a surprised fashion.

"And then she goes up to bed and takes morphia?

That's rather surprising, isn't it?" G It is. I can't understand it." Mrs. Hubbard's face was creased with perplexity and distress.

"And yet the facts are clear enough." Sharpe nodded to the small torn piece of paper that lay on the table between them.

Dear Mrs. Hubbard, (it ran) I really am sorry- and this is the best thing I can do.

"It's not signed, but you've no doubt it's her handwriting?" 'ationo.