"I'm inclined to agree with your estimate of your fellow students, Miss Johnston. Chapman is clever but childish. Valerie Hobhouse has brains but a blasd attitude to life. You, as you say, have a trained mind. That's why I'd value your views-the views of a powerful detached intellect." For a moment he was afraid he had overdone it, but he need have had no fears.

"There is nothing wrong about this place, Inspector. Pay no attention to Sally Finch. This is a decent well run hostel. I am certain that you will find no trace of any subversive activities." Inspector Sharpe felt a little surprised.

"It wasn't really subversive activities I was thinking about." "Oh-I se" She was a little taken aback.

"I was linking up what Celia said about a passport. But looking at it impartially and weighing up all the evidence, it seems quite certain to me that the reason for Celia's death was what I should express as a private onesome sex complication, perhaps. I'm sure it had nothing to do with what I might call the hostel as a hostel, or anything "going on" here.

Nothing, I am sure, is going on. I should be aware of the fact If it were so, my perceptions are very keen." "I see. Well, thank you, Miss Johnston. You've been very kind and helpful." Elizabeth Johnston went out. Inspector Sharpe sat staring at the closed door and Sergeant Cobb had to speak to him twice before he roused himself.

"Eh?") "I said that's the Iggallyt, sir." "Yes, and what have we got? Precious little. But I'll tell you one thing, Cobb. I'm coming back here tomorrow with a search warrant. We'll go away talking pretty now and they'll think it's all over.

But there's some thing going on in this place. Tomorrow I'll turn it upside dowrmot so easy when you don't know what you're looking for, but there's a chance that I'll find something to give me a clue. That's a very interesting girl who just went out. She's got the ego of a neaeaIpoleon, and I strongly suspect that she knows something." HERCULE POIROT, at work upon his correspondence, paused in the middle of a sentence that he was dictating. Mbss Lemon looked up questioningly.

"Yes, Mr. Poirot?" "My mind wanders!" Poirot waved a hand.

"After all, this letter is not important. Be so kind, Miss Lemon, as to get me your sister upon the telephone." "Yes, Mr. Poirot." A few moments later Poirot crossed the room and took the receiver from his secretary's hand. was "Allo!" he said.

"Yes, Mr. Poirot?" Mrs. Hubbard sounded rather breathless.

"I trust, Mrs. Hubbard, that I am not disturbing you?" "I'm past being disturbed," said Mrs. Hubbard.

"There have been agitations, yes?" Poirot asked delicately.

… That's a very nice way of putting it, Mr.

Poirot.

That's exactly what they have been. Inspector Sharpe finished questioning all the students yesterday, and then he came back with a search warrant today and I've got Mrs. Nicoletis on my-hands with raving hysterics." Poirot clucked his tongue sympathetically.

Then he said, "I-t is just a little question I have to ask. You sent me a list of those things that had disappeared-and other queer happenings-what I have to ask is this, did you write that list in chronological order?" "You mean?" "I mean, were thetbings written down exactly in the order of their disappearance?" "No, they weren't. I'm sorry-I just put them down as I thought of them. I'm sorry if I've misled you." "I should have asked you before," said Poirot. "But it did not strike me then as important. I have your list here. It begins, one evening shoe, bracelet, powder compact, diamond ring, cigarette lighter, stethoscope, and so on. But you say that that was not comthe order of disappearance?" "No." "Can you remember now, or would it be too difficult for you, what was the proper order?" "Well, I'm not sure if I could now, Mr.

Poirot. You see it's all some time ago. I should have to think it out. Actually, after I had talked with my sister and knew I was coming to see you, I made a list, and I should say that I put it down in the order of the things as I remembered them. I mean, the evening shoe because it was so peculiar, and then the bracelet and the powder compact and the cigarette lighter and the diamond ring because comthey were all rather important things and looked as though we had a genuine thief at work, and then I remembered the other more unimportant things later and added them. I niean the boracic and the electric light bulbs and the rucksack. They weren't really important and I only really thought of them as a kind of afterthought." "I see," said Poirot. "Yes, I see.

.. Now what I would ask of you, Madame, is to sit down now, when you have the leisure, that is..

." "I daresay when I've got Mrs.

Nicoletis to bed with a sedative and calmed down Geronimo and Maria, I shall have a little time. What is it you want me to do?" "Sit down and try to put down, as nearly as you can, the chronological order in which the various incidents occurred." "Certainly, Mr. Poirot. The rucksack, I believe, was the first and the electric light bulbs-wh I really didn't think had any connection with the other things comand then the bracelet and the compact, no-the evening shoe. But there, you don't want to hear me speculate about it. I'll put them down as best I can." "Thank you, Madame. I shall be much obliged to you." Poirot hung up the phone.

"I am vexed with myself," he said to Miss Lemon. "I have departed from the principles of order and method. I should have made quite sure from the start, the exact order in which these thefts occurred." "Dear, dear," said Miss Lemon, mechanically. "Are you going to finish these letters now, Mr. Poirot?" But once again Poirot waved her impatiently away.

On arrival back at Hickory Road with a search warrant on Saturday morning, Inspector Sharpe had demanded an interview with Mrs.

Nicoletis who always came on Saturday to do accounts with Mrs.

Hubbard. He had explained what he was about to do.

Mrs. Nicoletis prggytested with vigour.

"But it is an insult, that!- My students they will leave-they will all leave. I shall be ruined…" "No, no, Madam. I'm sure they wt be sensible. After all, this is a case of murder." "It is not murder-it is suicide." "And I'm sure once I've explained, no one will object…" Mrs. Hubbard put in a soothing word.

"I'm sure," she said, "everyone will be sensible except," she added thoughtfully, "perhaps Mr. Ahmed Ali and Mr. Chandra Lal." "Pah!" said Mrs. Nicoletis. "Who cares about them?" "Thank you, Madam," said the Inspector.

"Then I'll make a start here, in your sitting room." An immediate and violent protest came from Mrs.

Nicoletis at the suggestion.

"You search where you please," she said, "but here, no! I refuse." "I'm sorry, Mrs. Nicoletis, but I have to go through the house from top to bottom." "That is right, but not in my room. I am above the law." "No one's above the law. I'm afraid I shall have to ask you to stand aside." "It is an outrage," Mrs. Nicoletis screamed with fury. "You are officious busybodies. I will write to everyone. I will write to my Member of Parliament. I will write to the papers." "Write to anyone you please, Madam," said Inspector Sharpe, "I'm going to search this room." He started straight away upon the bureau. A large carton of confectionery, a mass of papers, and a large variety of assorted junk rewarded his search.

He moved from there to a cupboard in the corner of the room.

"This is locked. Can I have the key, please?" "Never!" screamed Mrs. Nicoletis.

"Never, never, never shall,; you have the key! Beast and pig of a policeman, I spit at you. I spit!

I spit! I spit!" "You might just as well give me the key," said Inspector Sharpe. "If not, I shall simply prise the door open." "I will not give you the key! You will have to tear my clothes off me before you get the key! And that that will be a scandal." "Get a chisel, Cobb," said Inspector Sharpe resignedly.