"What happened?39

She said reluctantly:

"There was a fuss about some sheep....

Their throats were cut. Oh! it was horrid!

But they all belonged to one farmer and

he's a very hard man. The police thought

it was some kind of spite against him."

"But they didn't catch the person who

had done it?"

"No."

She added fiercely. "But if you think — "

Poirot held up his hand. He said:

"You do not know in the least what

I think. Tell me this, has your fiance

consulted a doctor ?"

"No, I'm sure he hasn't."

"Wouldn't that be the simplest thing

for him to do ?"

Diana said slowly:

"He won't. He — he hates doctors."

"And his father ?"

"I don't think the Admiral believes

much in doctors either. Says they're a lot

of humbug merchants."

249

"How does the Admiral seem himself?

Is he well ? Happy ?"

Diana said in a low voice:

"He's aged terribly in --in --"

"In the last year ?"

"Yes. He's a wreck --a sort of shadow

of what he used to be.55

Poirot nodded thoughtfully. Then he

said:

"Did he approve of his son's engagement

?"

"Oh yes. You see, my people's land

adjoins his. We've been there for generations.

He was frightfully pleased when

Hugh and I fixed it up."

"And now? What does he say to your

engagement being broken off?"

The girl's voice shook a little. She

said:

"I met him yesterday morning. He was

looking ghastly. He took my hand in both

of his. He said: ^Ifs hard on you, my girl.

But the boy's doing the right thing --the

only thing he can do.9 "

"And so," said Hercule Poirot, "you

came to me ?"

She nodded. She asked: "Can you do

anything ?"

250

Hercule Poirot replied:

"I do not know. But I can at least come

down and see for myself.53

II

It was Hugh Chandler's magnificent physique

that impressed Hercule Poirot more

than anything else. Tall, magnificently

proportioned, with a terrific chest and

shoulders, and a tawny head of hair. There

was a tremendous air of strength and

virility about him.

On their arrival at Diana's house, she

had at once rung up Admiral Chandler, and they had forthwith gone over to Lyde Manor where they had found tea waiting

on the long terrace. And with the tea,

three men. There was Admiral Chandler,

white haired, looking older than his years,

his shoulders bowed as though by an overheavy

burden, and his eyes dark and brooding.

A contrast to him was his friend

Colonel Frobisher, a dried-up, tough, little man with reddish hair turning grey at the temples. A restless, irascible, snappy, little man, rather like a terrier --but the possessor of a pair of extremely shrewd eyes. He had a habit of drawing down his 251

brows over his eyes and lowering his head,

thrusting it forward, whilst those same

shrewd little eyes studied you piercingly.

The third man was Hugh.