face. Ferrier said:

"You may not believe me, M. Poirot,

181

but like everyone else, I was completely

deceived. I never understood my wife's

curious attitude of reserve towards her

father. I understand it now. She knew his

essential character."

He paused and then said:

"When the truth began to leak out, I

was horrified, incredulous. We insisted on

my father-in-law's resignation on the

grounds of ill-health and we set to work to

--to clean up the mess, shall I say ?"

Sir George groaned.

"The Augean Stables!"

Poirot started.

Ferrier said:

"It will prove, I fear, too Herculean a

task for us. Once the facts become public, there will be a wave of reaction all over the country. The Government will fall. There

will be a General Election and in all

probability Everhard and his party will be

returned to power. You know Everhard's

policy."

Sir George spluttered.

"A firebrand --a complete firebrand."

Ferrier said gravely:

"Everhard has ability --but he is reckless, belligerent and utterly tactless. His 182

FR1;supporters are inept and vacillating--it

would be practically a Dictatorship."

Hercule Poirot nodded.

Sir George bleated out:

"If only the whole thing can be hushed

up. . . ."

Slowly, the Premier shook his head.

It was a movement of defeat.

Poirot said:

"You do not believe that it can be

hushed up ?"

Ferrier said:

"I sent for you, M. Poirot, as a last

hope. In my opinion this business is too

big, too many people know about it, for

it to be successfully concealed. The only

two methods open to us which are, to put

it bluntly, the use of force, or the adoption

of bribery --cannot really hope to succeed.

The Home Secretary compared our

troubles with the cleansing of the Augean

Stables. It needs, M. Poirot, the violence of

a river in spate, the disruption of the great

natural forces of Nature --nothing less, in

fact, than a miracle."

"It needs, in fact, a Hercules," said

Poirot, nodding his head with a pleased

expression.

LOH13 l83

He added: "My name, remember, is

Hercule... .3'

Edward Ferrier said:

"Can you perform miracles, M. Poirot ?"

"It is why you sent for me, is it not?

Because you thought that I might ?33

"That is true. ... I realised that if

salvation was to be achieved, it could only

come through some fantastic and completely

unorthodox suggestion.53

He paused a minute, then he said:

"But perhaps, M. Poirot, you take an

ethical view of the situation ? John Hammett

was a crook, the legend of John

Hammett must be exploded. Can one

build an honest house on dishonest foundations

? I do not know. But I do know that

I want to try." He smiled with a sudden

sharp bitterness. "The politician wants to

remain in office --as usual from the highest

motives."

Hercule Poirot rose. He said:

"Monsieur, my experience in the police

force has not, perhaps, allowed me to

think very highly of politicians. If John