Danish type. And there were other

reasons."

"The resemblance is certainly striking.

What a devilish idea! I wonder how the

little rat came to think of it ?"

Poirot smiled.

"But he did not."

He tapped himself on the chest.

"I thought of it!"

Edward Ferrier stared.

"I don*t understand. What do you

mean ?"

Poirot said:

"We must go back to an older story than

that of The Queen's Necklace--to the

cleansing of the Augean Stables. What

Hercules used was a river --that is to say

one of the great forces of Nature. Modernise

that! What is a great force of Nature ?

Sex, is it not ? It is the sex angle that sells

203

stories, that makes news. Give people

scandal allied to sex and it appeals far more

than any mere political chicanery or fraud.

"Eh bien^ that was my task! First to put

my own hands in the mud like Hercules

to build up a dam that should turn the

course of that river. A journalistic friend

of mine aided me. He searched Denmark

until he found a suitable person to attempt

the impersonation. He approached her, casually mentioned the X-ray News to her, hoping she would remember it. She did.

"And so, what happened? Mud--a

great deal of mud! Caesar's wife is bespattered

with it. Far more interesting to

everybody than any political scandal. And

the result--the denouement? Why, Reaction

I Virtue vindicated! The pure woman

cleared! A great tide of Romance and

Sentiment sweeping through the Augean

Stables.

"If all the newspapers in the country

publish the news of John Hammett's defalcations

now, no one will believe it. It

will be put down as another political plot

to discredit the Government."

Edward Ferrier took a deep breath. For

a moment Hercule Poirot came nearer to

204

being physically assaulted than at any other

time in his career.

"My wife! You dared to use her --33

Fortunately, perhaps, Mrs. Ferrier herself

entered the room at this moment.

"Well,33 she said. "That went off very

well.33

"Dagmar, did you --know all along ?33

"Of course, dear,33 said Dagmar Ferrier.

And she smiled, the gentle, maternal

smile of a devoted wife.

"And you never told me!33

"But, Edward, you would never have

let M. Poirot do it.33

"Indeed I would not!33

Dagmar smiled.

"That's what we thought.33

"We ?33

"I and M. Poirot.33

She smiled at Hercule Poirot and at her

husband.

She added:

"I had a very restful time with the dear

Bishop --I feel full of energy now. They

want me to christen the new battleship at

Liverpool next month --I think it would

be a popular thing to do.33

205

6

THE STYMPHALEAN BIRDS

AROLD WARING noticed Them

first walking up the path from the

lake. He was sitting outside the

hotel on the terrace. The day was fine, the

lake was blue, and the sun shone. Harold

was smoking a pipe and feeling that the

world was a pretty good place.

H