77

that. Servants always know so much, don't they ? And, of course, it's quite impossible to keep them from gossiping, isn't it? The Oldfields' Beatrice was dismissed almost immediately after the funeral

--and I've always thought that was odd

--especially with the difficulty of getting

maids nowadays. It looks as though Doctor

Oldfield was afraid she might know something."

"It certainly seems as though there were

grounds for an inquiry," said Poirot

solemnly.

Miss Leatheran gave a little shiver of

reluctance.

"One does so shrink from the idea," she

said. "Our dear quiet little village-dragged into the newspapers --all the publicity!"

"It appals you ?" asked Poirot.

"It does a little. I'm old-fashioned, you

know."

"And, as you say, it is probably nothing

but gossip!"

"Well --I wouldn't like conscientiously

to say that. You know, I do think it's so

true--the saying that there's no smoke

without fire."

78

"I myself was thinking the same thing,33 said Poirot. He rose.

(c! can tmst your discretion. Mademoiselle

?33

"Oh, of course\ I shall not say a word to anybody. 33

Poirot smiled and took his leave.

On the doorstep he said to the little

maid who handed him his hat and coat:

"I am down here to inquire into the

circumstances of Mrs. Oldfield's death,

but I shall be obliged if you will keep that

strictly to yourself.33

Miss Leatheran's Gladys nearly fell

backward into the umbrella stand. She

breathed excitedly:

^Oh sir, then the doctor did do her in ?33

"You've thought so for some time, haven't you ?33

"Well, sir, it wasn't me. It was Beatrice.

She was up there when Mrs. Oldfield died.33

"And she thought there had been33-Poirot selected the melodramatic words deliberately --" 'foul play' ?33

Gladys nodded excitedly.

"Yes, she did. And she said so did

Nurse that was up there. Nurse Harrison.

79

Ever so fond of Mrs. Oldfield Nurse was, and ever so distressed when she died, and Beatrice always said as how Nurse

Harrison knew something about it because

she turned right round against the doctor

afterwards and she wouldn't of done that

unless there was something wrong, would

she ?"

"Where is Nurse Harrison now ?"

"She looks after old Miss Bristow-down at the end of the village. You can't miss it. It's got pillars and a porch."

IV

It was a very short time afterwards that

Hercule Poirot found himself sitting opposite

to the woman who certainly must know

more about the circumstances that had

given rise to the rumours than any one

else.

Nurse Harrison was a still handsome

woman nearing forty. She had the calm

serene features of a Madonna with big

sympathetic dark eyes. She listened to him

patiently and attentively. Then she said

slowly:

'Tes, I know that there are these unpleasant

stories going about. I have done

80

what I could to stop them, but it's hopeless.

People like the excitement, you know.3'

Poirot said:

"But there must have been something to give rise to these rumours ?" He noted that her expression of distress