‘None whatever.’

He added, rather obscurely:

‘Christian was a very fair man.’

‘How do you think this poison, arsenic or whatever it may be — was or is being administered?’

‘I thought over that whilst I was changing for dinner and it seemed to me that the most likely vehicle was some medicine, a tonic, that my wife was taking. As regards food, we all partake of the same dishes and my wife has nothing specially prepared for her. But anyone could add arsenic to the medicine bottle.’

‘We must take the medicine and have it analysed.’

Lewis said quietly:

‘I already have a sample of it. I took it this evening before dinner.’

From a drawer in the desk he took out a small corked bottle with a red fluid in it.

Inspector Curry said with a curious glance:

‘You think of everything, Mr Serrocold.’

‘I believe in acting promptly. Tonight, I stopped my wife from taking her usual dose. It is still in a glass on the oak dresser in the Hall — the bottle of tonic itself is in the dining-room.’

Curry leaned forward across the desk. He lowered his voice and spoke confidentially and without officialdom.

‘You’ll excuse me, Mr Serrocold, but just why are you so anxious to keep this from your wife? Are you afraid she’d panic? Surely, for her own sake, it would be as well if she were warned.’

‘Yes — yes, that may well be so. But I don’t think you quite understand. Without knowing my wife Caroline, it would be difficult. My wife, Inspector Curry, is an idealist, a completely trustful person. Of her it may truly be said that she sees no evil, hears no evil, and speaks no evil. It would be inconceivable to her that anyone could wish to kill her. But we have to go farther than that. It is not just “anyone.” It is a case — surely you see that — of someone possibly very near and dear to her…’

‘So that’s what you think?’

‘We have got to face facts. Close at hand we have a couple of hundred warped and stunted personalities who have expressed themselves often enough by crude and senseless violence. But by the very nature of things, none of them can be suspect in this case. A slow poisoner is someone living in the intimacy of family life. Think of the people who are here in this house; her husband, her daughter, her granddaughter, her granddaughter’s husband, her stepson whom she regards as her own son, Miss Bellever her devoted companion and friend of many years. All very near and dear to her — and yet the suspicion must arise — is it one of them?’

Curry said slowly:

‘There are outsiders — ’

‘Yes, in a sense. There is Dr Maverick, one or two of the staff are often with us, there are the servants — but frankly, what possible motive could they have?’

Inspector Curry said:

‘And there’s young — what is his name again — Edgar Lawson?’