known, what it was all about. She — I —

we lost our heads. Afterwards I went away

at once — it was the only thing to be done,

we both knew we'd got to play the game.

I — well, I wondered, but I couldn't be

sure. Caroline never said anything that

led me to think Hugh was my son. And

then when this — this streak of madness

appeared, it settled things definitely, I

thought."

Poirot said:

"Yes, it settled things! You could not

see the way the boy has of thrusting out

his face and bringing down his brows —

a trick he inherited from you. But Charles

288

Chandler saw it. Saw it years ago—and

learnt the truth from his wife. I think

she was afraid of him—he'd begun to

show her the mad streak — that was what

drove her into your arms — you whom she

had always loved. Charles Chandler

planned his revenge. His wife died in a

boating accident. He and she were out in

the boat alone and he knows how that

accident came about. Then he settled

down to feed his concentrated hatred

against the boy who bore his name but who

was not his son. Your Indian stories put

the idea of datura poisoning into his head.

Hugh should be slowly driven mad.

Driven to the stage where he would take

his own life in despair. The blood lust was

Admiral Chandler's, not Hugh's. It was

Charles Chandler who was driven to cut

the throats of sheep in lonely fields. But it

was Hugh who was to pay the penalty!

"Do you know when I suspected?

When Admiral Chandler was so averse to

his son seeing a doctor. For Hugh to

object was natural enough. But the father!

There might be treatment which would

save his son — there were a hundred

reasons why he should seek to have a

289

doctor's opinion. But no, a doctor must

not be allowed to see Hugh Chandler — in

case a doctor should discover that Hugh

was sane\"

Hugh said very quietly:

"Sane . . . I am sane?33

He took a step towards Diana. Frobisher

said in a gruff voice:

"You're sane enough. There's no taint

in our family."

Diana said:

"Hugh..."

Admiral Chandler picked up Hugh's

gun. He said:

"All a lot of nonsense! Think I'll go

and see if I can get a rabbit — "

Frobisher started forward, but the hand

of Hercule Poirot restrained him. Poirot

said:

"You said yourself — just now — that

it was the best way. ..."

Hugh and Diana had gone from the

room.

The two men, the Englishman and the

Belgian, watched the last of the Chandlers

cross the Park and go up into the woods.

Presently, they heard a shot. . . .

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8

THE HORSES OF DIOMEDES

THE telephone rang. "Hallo, Poirot, is that you ?" Hercule Poirot recognised the voice as that of young Dr. Stoddart. He