The Countess Rossakoff turned on

Poirot.

"But why ? Why ^

Poirot said slowly:

"A dog trained for the purpose will carry

an article in his mouth until he is commanded

to loose it. He will carry it if need

be for hours. Will you now tell your dog

to drop what he holds ?"

Vera Rossakoff stared, turned, and

uttered two crisp words.

The great jaws of Cerberus opened.

Then, it was really alarming, Cerberus's

tongue seemed to drop out of his mouth....

Poirot stepped forward. He picked up a

small package encased in pink, spongebag

rubber. He unwrapped it. Inside it was a

packet of white powder.

"What is it?5' the Countess demanded

sharply.

Poirot said softly:

"Cocaine. Such a small quantity, it would

seem --but enough to be worth thousands

of pounds to those willing to pay for it....

Enough to bring ruin and misery to several

hundred people...."

She caught her breath. She cried out:

"And you think that I --but it is not so!

461

I swear to you it is not so! In the past I

have amused myself with the jewels, the bibelots, the little curiosities --it all helps one to live, you understand. And what I

feel is, why not? Why should one person

own a thing more than another ?"

"Just what I feel about dogs," Mr. Higgs

chimed in.

"You have no sense of right or wrong,"

said Poirot sadly to the Countess.

She went on:

"But drugs--that, no\ For there one

causes misery, pain, degeneration! I had

no idea --no faintest idea --that my

so charming, so innocent, so delightful

little Hell was being used for that purpose!"

"I agree with you about dope," said

Mr. Higgs. "Doping of greyhounds - that's dirty, that is! I wouldn't never have nothing to do with anything like that, and I

never 'ave 'ad!"

"But say you believe me, my friend,"

implored the Countess.

"But of course I believe you! Have I not

taken time and trouble to convict the real

organiser of the dope racket. Have I not

performed the twelfth Labour of Hercules

462

and brought Cerberus up from Hell to

prove my case? For I tell you this, I do

not like to see my friends framed—yes,

framed •— for it was you who were intended

to take the rap if things went wrong! It

was in your handbag the emeralds would

have been found and if any one had been

clever enough (like me) to suspect a hidingplace

in the mouth of a savage dog — eh

bien, he is your dog, is he not ? Even if he

has accepted la petite Alice to the point of

obeying her orders also! Yes, you may

well open your eyes! From the first I did

not like that young lady with her scientific

jargon and her coat and skirt with the big

pockets. Yes, pockets. Unnatural that any

woman should be so disdainful of her

appearance! And what does she say to me