"And in the other compartments of the

coach ?"

Hearn pulled out his notebook.

"Miss Jordan and Miss Butters --two

middle-aged spinsters going to Switzerland.

Nothing wrong with them, highly

respectable, well known in Hampshire

where they come from. Two French

commercial travellers, one from Lyons,

one from Paris. Both respectable middleaged

men. A young man, James Elliot, and

his wife --flashy piece of goods she was.

He's got a bad reputation, suspected by

338

the police of being mixed up in some

questionable transactions --but has never

touched kidnapping. Anyway, his compartment

was searched and there was

nothing in his hand luggage to show that

he was mixed up in this. Don't see how he could have been. Only other person was an American lady, Mrs. Van Suyder, travelling

to Paris. Nothing known about her.

Looks OK. That's the lot."

Hercule Poirot said:

"And it is quite definite that the train

did not stop after it left Amiens ?55

"Absolutely. It slowed down once, but

not enough to let any one jump off --not

without damaging themselves pretty

severely and risking being killed.55

Hercule Poirot murmured:

"That is what makes the problem so

peculiarly interesting. The schoolgirl vanishes

into thin air-just outside Amiens. She

reappears from thin air just outside Amiens. Where has she been in the meantime ?" Inspector Hearn shook his head.

"It sounds mad, put like that. Oh! by

the way, they told me you were asking

something about shoes --the girl's shoes.

She had her shoes on all right when she

339

was found, but there was a pair of shoes on

the line, a signalman found them. Took

'em home with him as they seemed in good

condition. Stout black walking shoes.53

"Ah," said Poirot. He looked gratified.

Inspector Hearn said curiously:

cc! don't get the meaning of the shoes,

sir ? Do they mean anything ?"

"They confirm a theory," said Hercule

Poirot. "A theory of how the conjuring

trick was done."

IV

Miss Pope's establishment was, like many

other establishments of the same kind,

situated in Neuilly. Hercule Poirot, staring

up at its respectable facade, was suddenly

submerged by a flow of girls emerging

from its portals.

He counted twenty-five of them, all

dressed alike in dark blue coats and skirts

with uncomfortable-looking British hats of

dark blue velour on their heads, round

which was tied the distinctive purple and

gold of Miss Pope's choice. They were

of ages varying from fourteen to eighteen,

thick and slim, fair and dark, awkward

and graceful. At the end, walking with one

340

of the younger girls, was a grey-haired, fussy looking woman whom Poirot judged to be Miss Burshaw.

Poirot stood looking after them a minute,

then he rang the bell and asked for Miss

Pope.

Miss Lavinia Pope was a very different

person from her second-in-command. Miss

Burshaw. Miss Pope had personality. Miss

Pope was awe inspiring. Even should Miss

Pope unbend graciously to parents, she

would still retain that obvious superiority

to the rest of the world which is such a