wonder why ?"

Sir Joseph growled:

"Chemist. Careless fellows. Make things

up differently different times."

Lady Hoggin said doubtfully:

cc! suppose that must be it."

"Of course it is. What else could it

be?"

"Has the man found out anything about

Shan Tung ?"

"Yes. He got me my money back all

right."

"Who was it ?"

"He didn't say. Very close fellow,

Hercule Poirot. But you needn't worry."

"He's a funny little man, isn't he ?"

Sir Joseph gave a slight shiver and threw

a sideways glance upwards as though he

felt the invisible presence of Hercule

Poirot behind his right shoulder. He had

an idea that he would always feel it there.

He said:

"He's a damned clever little devil!"

And he thought to himself:

"Greta can go hang! J'm not going to

risk my neck for any damned platinum

blonde!"

56

x

"oa /"

Amy Carnaby gazed down incredulously

at the cheque for two hundred

pounds. She cried:

"Emily! Emily I Listen to this.

^Dear Miss Carnaby,

Allow me to enclose a

contribution to your very deserving Fund

before it is finally wound up.

Yours very truly, Hercule Poirot.9 "

"Amy," said Emily Carnaby, "you've

been incredibly lucky. Think where you

might be now."

"Wormwood Scrubbs --or is it Holloway?"

murmured Amy Carnaby. "But

that's all over now--isn't it, Augustus?

No more walks to the Park with mother

or mother's friends and a little pair of

scissors."

A far away wistfumess came into her eyes.

She sighed.

"Dear Augustus! It seems a pity. He's

so clever. . . . One can teach him anything.

. . n

57

2

THE LERNEAN HYDRA

ITERCULE POIROT looked en--|

couragingly at the man seated opJ^positehim.

Dr.

Charles Oldfield was a man of

perhaps forty. He had fair hair slightly

grey at the temples and blue eyes that held

a worried expression. He stooped a little

and his manner was a trifle hesitant. Moreover, he seemed to find difficulty in coming to the point.

He said, stammering slightly:

"I've come to you, M. Poirot, with

rather an odd request. And now that I'm

here, I'm inclined to funk the whole thing.

Because, as I see very well now, it's the

sort of thing that no one can possibly do

anything about.53

Hercule Poirot murmured:

"As to that, you must let me judge."

58

Oldfield muttered:

"I don't know why I thought that

perhaps — "

He broke off.

Hercule Poirot finished the sentence.

"That perhaps I could help you? Eh

bien, perhaps I can. Tell me your problem.35

Oldfield straightened himself. Poirot

noted anew how haggard the man looked.

Oldfield said, and his voice had a note

of hopelessness in it:

"You see, it isn't any good going to the

police. . . . They can't do anything. And

yet — every day it's getting worse and

worse. I — I don't know what to do...."

"What is getting worse ?"

"The rumours.... Oh, it's quite simple,

M. Poirot. Just a little over a year ago, my