and there was no lift. Poirot toiled upwards

round and round the narrow corkscrew

staircase.

He paused to regain his breath on the

top landing and from behind the door of

No. 10 a new sound broke the silence —

the sharp bark of a dog.

Hercule Poirot nodded his head with a

slight smile. He pressed the bell of No. 10.

The barking redoubled — footsteps came

to the door, it was opened ...

Miss Amy Camaby fell back, her hand

went to her ample breast.

"You permit that I enter ?" said Hercule

Poirot, and entered without waiting for the

reply.

There was a sitting-room door open on

the right and he walked in. Behind him

Miss Camaby followed as though in a

dream.

The room was very small and much

overcrowded. Amongst the furniture a

human being could be discovered, an

elderly woman lying on a sofa drawn up to

the gas fire. As Poirot came in, a Pekinese

dog jumped off the sofa and came forward

uttering a few sharp suspicious barks.

42

"Aha," said Poirot. "The chief actor!

I salute you, my little friend."

He bent forward, extending his hand.

The dog sniffed at it, his intelligent eyes

fixed on the man's face.

Miss Carnaby murmured faintly:

"So you know ?"

Hercule Poirot nodded.

"Yes, I know." He looked at the woman

on the sofa. "Your sister, I think ?"

Miss Carnaby said mechanically: "Yes,

Emily, this — this is Mr. Poirot."

Emily Carnaby gave a gasp. She said:

"Oh!"

Amy Carnaby said:

"Augustus. ..."

The Pekinese looked towards her — his

tail moved — then he resumed his scrutiny

of Poirot's hand. Again his tail moved

faintly.

Gently, Poirot picked the little dog up

and sat down with Augustus on his knee.

He said:

"So I have captured the Nemean Lion.

My task is completed."

Amy Carnaby said in a hard dry

voice:

"Do you really know everything ?"

43

Poirot nodded.

<<I think so. You organised this business

--with Augustus to help you. You took

your employees dog out for his usual walk, brought him here and went on to the Park with Augustus. The Park Keeper saw you

with a Pekinese as usual. The nurse girl, if we ever found her, would also have agreed that you had a Pekinese with you

when you spoke to her. Then, while you

were talking, you cut the lead and Augustus,

trained by you, slipped off at once and made

a bee-line back home. A few minutes later

you gave the alarm that the dog had been

stolen.M

There was a pause. Then Miss Carnaby

drew herself up with a certain pathetic

dignity. She said:

"Yes. It is all quite true. I --I have

nothing to say."

The invalid woman on the sofa began

to cry softly.

Poirot said:

Nothing at all. Mademoiselle ?"

Miss Carnaby said:

Nothing. I have been a thief--and

now I am found out.

Poirot murmured:

44

"You have nothing to say--in your