"That's right, sir.35

Hercule Poirot sat up in his chair. He

said sharply:

"I could help you, perhaps, yes. But the

proper people for you to go to are the

police. It is their job and they have far

more resources at their disposal than

I have.3'

The boy shuffled his feet. He said

awkwardly:

"I couldn't do that, sir. It's not like

that at all. It's all rather peculiar, so to

speak."

Hercule Poirot stared at him. Then he

indicated a chair.

^Eh bien, then, sit down — what is your

name ?"

"Williamson, sir, Ted Williamson."

"Sit down, Ted. And tell me all about

it."

"Thank you, sir." He drew forward the

108

chair and sat down carefully on the edge

of it. His eyes had still that appealing

doglike look.

Hercule Poirot said gently:

"Tell me."

Ted Williamson drew a deep breath.

"Well, you see, sir, it was like this.

I never saw her but the once. And I don't

know her right name nor anything. But

it's queer like, the whole thing, and my

letter coming back and everything."

"Start," said Hercule Poirot, "at the

beginning. Do not hurry yourself. Just tell

me everything that occurred."

"Yes, sir. Well, perhaps you know

Grasslawn, sir, that big house down by

the river past the bridge ?"

"I know nothing at all."

"Belongs to Sir George Sanderfield, it

does. He uses it in the summer-time for

weekends and parties — rather a gay lot

he has down as a rule. Actresses and that.

Well, it was last June — and the wireless

was out of order and they sent me up

to see to it."

Poirot nodded.

"So I went along. The gentleman was

out on the river with his guests and the

109

cook was out and his manservant had gone

along to serve the drinks and all that on the

launch. There was only this girl in the

house — she was the lady's-maid to one

of the guests. She let me in and showed me

where the set was, and stayed there while

I was working on it. And so we got to

talking and all that. . . Nita her name was,

so she told me, and she was lady's-maid

to a Russian dancer who was staying

there."

"What nationality was she, English ?"

"No, sir, she'd be French, I think. She'd

a funny sort of accent. But she spoke

English all right. She—she was friendly

and after a bit I asked her if she could come

out that night and go to the pictures, but

she said her lady would be needing her.

But then she said as how she could get off

early in the afternoon because as how they

wasn't going to be back off the river till late.

So the long and the short of it was that

I took the afternoon off without asking

(and nearly got the sack for it too) and we

went for a walk along by the river."