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[] I obeyed her reluctantly. John and Lawrence were in the dining-room. I joined them. We were all silent, but I suppose I voiced the thoughts of us all when I at last broke it by saying:

[] "Where is Mr. Inglethorp?"

[] John shook his head.

[] "He's not in the house."

[] Our eyes met. Where *WAS Alfred Inglethorp? His absence was strange and inexplicable. I remembered Mrs. Inglethorp's dying words. What lay beneath them? What more could she have told us, if she had had time?

[] At last we heard the doctors descending the stairs. Dr. Wilkins was looking important and excited, and trying to conceal an inward exultation under a manner of decorous calm. Dr. Bauerstein remained in the background, his grave bearded face unchanged. Dr. Wilkins was the spokesman for the two. He addressed himself to John:

[] "Mr. Cavendish, I should like your consent to a postmortem."

[] "Is that necessary?" asked John gravely. A spasm of pain crossed his face.

[] "Absolutely," said Dr. Bauerstein.

[] "You mean by that--?"

[] "That neither Dr. Wilkins nor myself could give a death certificate under the circumstances."

[] John bent his head.

[] "In that case, I have no alternative but to agree."

[] "Thank you," said Dr. Wilkins briskly. "We propose that it should take place to-morrow night-or rather to-night." And he glanced at the daylight. "Under the circumstances, I am afraid an inquest can hardly be avoided-these formalities are necessary, but I beg that you won't distress yourselves."

[] There was a pause, and then Dr. Bauerstein drew two keys from his pocket, and handed them to John.

[] "These are the keys of the two rooms. I have locked them and, in my opinion, they would be better kept locked for the present."

[] The doctors then departed.

[] I had been turning over an idea in my head, and I felt that the moment had now come to broach it. Yet I was a little chary of doing so. John, I knew, had a horror of any kind of publicity, and was an easygoing optimist, who preferred never to meet trouble half-way. It might be difficult to convince him of the soundness of my plan. Lawrence, on the other hand, being less conventional, and having more imagination, I felt I might count upon as an ally. There was no doubt that the moment had come for me to take the lead.

[] "John," I said, "I am going to ask you something."

"Well?"

[] "You remember my speaking of my friend Poirot? The Belgian who is here? He has been a most famous detective."

"Yes."

[] "I want you to let me call him in-to investigate this matter."

[] "What-now? Before the post-mortem?"

[] "Yes, time is an advantage if-if-there has been foul play."

[] "Rubbish!" cried Lawrence angrily. "In my opinion the whole thing is a mare's nest of Bauerstein's! Wilkins hadn't an idea of such a thing, until Bauerstein put it into his head. But, like all specialists, Bauerstein's got a bee in his bonnet. Poisons are his hobby, so of course he sees them everywhere."