attract Lord Mayfield's attention. He sat up a little straighter,
his monocle dropped. It was as though a new alertness came to
him.
'I beg your pardon, M. Poirot?'
'I said, Lord Mayfield, that the facts were all very conve-nient
- for the thief. By the way, you are sure it was a man you
saw?'
Lord Mayfield shook his head.
'That I couldn't say. It was just a - shadow. In fact, I was
almost doubtful if I had seen anyone.'
Poirot transferred his gaze to the Air Marshal.
'And you, Sir George? Could you say if it was a man or a
woman?'
'I didn't see anyone myself.'
Poirot nodded thoughtfully. Then he skipped suddenly to
his feet and went over to the writing-table.
'I can assure you that the plans are not there,' said Lord
Mayfield. 'We have all three been through those papers half a
dozen times.'
'All three? You mean, your secretary also?'
21
'Yes, Carlile.'
Poirot turned suddenly.
'Tell me, Lord Mayfield, which paper was on top when you
went over to the desk?'
Mayfield frowned a little in the effort of remembrance.
'Let me see - yes, it was a rough memorandum of some sort
of our air defence positions.'
Deftly, Poirot nipped out a paper and brought it over.
'Is this the one, Lord Mayfield?'
Lord Mayfield took it and glanced over it.
'Yes, that's the one.'
Poirot took it over to Carrington.
'Did you notice this paper on the desk?'
Sir George took it, held it away from him, then slipped on his
pincenez.
'Yes, that's right. I looked through them too, with Carlile
and Mayfield. This was on top.'
Poirot nodded thoughtfully. He replaced the paper on the
desk. Mayfield looked at him in a slightly puzzled manner.
'If there are any other questions -' he began.
'But yes, certainly there is a question. Carlile. Carlile is the
question!'
Lord Mayfield's colour rose a little.
'Carlile, M. Poirot, is quite above suspicion! He has been my
confidential secretary for nine years. He has access to all my
private papers, and I may point out to you that he could have
made a copy of the plans and a tracing of the spedfications
quite easily without anyone being the wiser.'
'I appreciate your point,' said Poirot. 'If he had been guilty
there would be no need for him to stage a clumsy robbery.'
'In any case,' said Lord Mayfield, 'I am sure of Carlile. I will
guarantee him.'
'Carlile,' said Carrington gruffly, 'is all right.'
Poirot spread out his hands gracefully.
'And this Mrs Vanderlyn - she is all wrong?'
'She's a wrong 'un all right,' said Sir George.
Lord Mayfield said in more measured tones:
22
'I think, M. Poirot, that there can be no doubt of Mrs
Vanderlyn's - well - activities. The Foreign Office can give you
more precious data as to that.'
'And the maid, you take it, is in with her mistress?'
'Not a doubt of it,' said Sir George.
'It seems to me a plausible assumption,' said Lord Mayfield
more cautiously.
There was a pause. Poirot sighed, and absent-mindedly rearranged
one or two articles on a table at his right hand. Then he said:
'I take it that these papers represented money? That is, the
stolen papers would be definitely worth a large sum in cash.'
'If presented in a certain quarter - yes.'
'Such as?'
Sir George mentioned the names of two European powers.
Poirot nodded.
'That fact would be known to anyone, I take it?'
'Mrs Vanderlyn would know it all right.'
'I said to anyone?' 'I suppose so, yes.'
'Anyone with a minimum of intelligence would appreciate
the Cash value of the plans?'
'Yes, but M. Poirot -' Lord Mayfield was looking rather
uncomfortable.'
Poirot held up a hand.
'I do what you call explore all the avenues.'
Suddenly he rose again, stepped nimbly out of the window
and with a flashlight examined the edge of the grass at the
farther side of the terrace.
The two men watched him.
He came in again, sat down and said:
'Tell me, Lord Mayfield, this malefactor, this skulker in the
shadows, you do not have him pursued?'
Lord Mayfield shrugged his shoulders.
'At the bottom of the garden he could make his way out to a
main road. If he had a car waiting there, he would soon be out
of reach '
23
'But there are the police - the A.A. scouts '
Sir George interrupted.
'You forget, M. Poirot. We cannot risk publicity. If it were to
get out that these plans had been stolen, the result would be
extremely unfavourable to the Party.'
'Ah, yes,' said Poirot. 'One must remember La Politique. The great discretion must be observed. You send instead for
me. Ah well, perhaps it is simpler.'
'You are hopeful of success, M. Poirot?' Lord Mayfield
sounded a trifle incredulous.
The little man shrugged his shoulders.
'Why not? One has only to reason - to reflect.'
He paused a moment and then said:
'I would like now to speak to Mr Carlile.'
'Certainly.' Lord Mayfield rose. 'I asked him to wait up. He
will be somewhere at hand.'
He went out of the room.
Poirot looked at Sir George.
'Eh bien,' he said. 'What about this man on the terrace?'
'My dear M. Poirot. Don't ask me! I didn't see him, and I
can't describe him.'
Poirot leaned forward.
'So you have already said. But it is a little different from that
is it not?'
'what d'you mean?' asked Sir George abruptly.
'How shall I say it? Your disbelief, it is more profomaxt.'
Sir George started to speak, then stopped.
'But yes,' said Poirot encouragingly. 'Tell me. You are both
at the end of the terrace. Lord Mayfield sees a shadow slip from
the window and across the grass. Why do you not see that
shadow?'
Carrington stared at him.
'You've hit it, M. Poirot. I've been worrying about that ever
since. You see, I'd swear that no one did leave this window. I
though Mayfield had imagined it - branch of a tree waving something
of that kind. And then when we came in here and
24
found there had been a robbery, it seemed as though Mayfield
must have been right and I'd been wrong. And yet -'
Poirot smiled.
'And yet you still in your heart of hearts believe in the
evidence (the negative evidence) of your own eyes?'
'You're right, M. Poirot, I do.'
Poirot gave a sudden smile.
'How wise you are.'
Sir George said sharply:
'There were no footprints on the grass edge?'
Poirot nodded.
'Exactly. Lord Mayfield, he fancies he sees a shadow. Then
there comes the robbery and he is sure - but sure! It is no
longer a fancy - he actually saw th
e man. But that is not so. Me,
I do not concern myself much with footprints and such things
but for what it is worth we have that negative evidence. There
were no footprints on the grass. It had rained heavily this
evening. If a man had crossed the terrace to the grass this
evening his footprints would have shown.'
Sir George said, staring: 'But then - but then '
'It brings us back to the house. To the people in the house.'
He broke off as the door opened and Lord Maytield entered
with Mr Carlile.
Though still looking very pale and worried, the secretary had
regained a certain composure of manner. Adjusting his pincenez
he sat down and looked at Poirot inquiringly.
'How long had you been in this room when you heard the
scream, monsieur?'
Carlile considered.
'Between five and' ten minutes, I should say.'
'And before that there had been no disturbance of any kind?'
'No.'
'I understand that the house-party had been in one room for
the greater part of the evening.'
'Yes, the drawing-room.'
Poirot consulted his notebook.
'Sir George Carrington and his wife. Mrs Macatta. Mrs
25
Vandedyn. Mr Reggie Carrington. Lord Mayfield and your-self.
Is that right?'
'I myself was not in the drawing-room. I was working here
the greater part of the evening.'
Poirot turned to Lord Mayfield.
'Who went up to bed first?'
'Lady Julia Carrington, I think. As a matter of fact, the three
ladies went out together.'
'And then?'
'Mr Carlile came in and I told him to get out the papers as
Sir George and I would be along in a minute.'
'It was then that you decided to take a turn on the terrace?'
'It was.'
'Was anything said in Mrs Vanderlyn's hearing as to your
working in the study?'
'The matter was mentioned, yes.'
'But she was not in the room when you irtstnacted Mr Carlile
to get out the papers?'
'No.'
'Excuse me, Lord Mayfield,' said Carlile. 'Just after you had
said that, I collided with her in the doorway. She had come
back for a book.'
'So you think she might have overheard?'
'I think it quite possible, yes.'
'She came back for a book,' mused Poirot, 'IDid you fred her
her book, Lord Mayfield?'
'Yes, Reggie gave it to her.'
'Ah, yes, it is what you call the old gasp - no,, pardon, the old
wheeze - that - to come back for a book. It is; often useful!'
'You think it was deliberate?'
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
'And after that, you two gentlemen [go outr on the terrace.
And Mrs Vandedyn?'
'She went off with her book.'
'And the young M. Reggie. He went to bectt also?'
'Yes.'
'And Mr Carlile he comes here and smraetirme between five
26
and ten minutes later he heard a scream. Continue, M. Carlile.
you heard a scream and you went out into the hall. Ah, perhaps
it would be simplest if you reproduced exactly your actions.'
Mr Carlile got up a little awkwardly.
'Here I scream,' said Poirot helpfully. He opened his mouth
and emitted a shrill bleat. Lord Mayfield turn his head away to
hide a smile and Mr Carlile looked extremely uncomfortable.
'Allez! Forward! March!' cried Poirot. 'It is your cue that I
give you there.'
Mr Carlile walked stiffly to the door, opened it and went out.
Poirot followed him. The other two came behind.
'The door, did you close it after you or leave it open?'
'I can't really remember. I think I must have left it open.'
'No matter. Proceed.'
Still with extreme stiffness, ,Mr Carlile walked to the bottom
of the staircase and stood there looking up.
Poirot said:
'The maid, you say, was on the stairs. Whereabouts?'
'About half-way up.'
'And she,was looking upset.'
'Definitely so.'
'Eh bien, me, I am the maid.' Poirot ran nimbly up the stairs.
'About here?'
'A step or two higher.'
'Like this?'
Poirot struck an attitude.
'Well - er - not quite like that.'
'How then?'
'Well, she had her hands to her head.'
'Ah, her hands to her lead. That is very interesting. Like
this?' Poirot raised his arms, his hands rested on his head just
above each ear.
'Yes that's it.'
'Aha! And tell me, M. Carlile, she was a pretty girl - yes?'
'Really, I didn't notice.'
Carlile's voice was repressive.
'Aha, you did not notice? But you are a young man. Does not
a young man notice when a girl is pretty?'
'Really, M. Poirot, I can only repeat that I did not do so.)
Carlile cast an agonized glance at his employer. Sir Georg
Carrington gave a sudden chuckle.
'M. Poirot seems determined to make you out a gay dog
Carlile,' he remarked.
The, I always notice when a girl is pretty,' announced Poiro
as he descended the stairs.
The silence with which Mr Carlile greeted this remark wa,
somewhat pointed. Poirot went on:
'And it was then she told this tale of having seen a ghost?'
'Yes.'
'Did you believe the story?'
'Well, hardly, M. Poirot?
'I do not mean, do you believe in ghosts. I mean, did it strike
you that the girl herself really thought she had seen
something?'
'Oh, as to that, I couldn't say. She was certainly breathing
fast and seemed upset.'
'You did not see or hear anything of her mistress?'
'Yes, as a matter of fact I did. She came out of her room in
the gallery above and called, "Leonie."'
'And then?'
'The girl ran up to her and I went back to the study.'
'Whilst you were standing at the foot of tile stairs here, could
anyone have entered the study by the door you had left open?'
Carlile shook his head.
'Not without passing me. The study door is at the end of the
passage, as you see.'
Poirot nodded thoughtfully. Mr Carlile went on in his
careful, precise voice.
'I may say that I am very thankful that Lorel Mayfield
actually saw the thief leaving the window. Otherwise I myself
should be in a very unpleasant position.'
'Nonsense, my dear Carlile,' broke in Lord Mayfield
impatiently. 'No suspicion could possibly attach to you.'
28
'It is very kind of you to say so, Lord Mayfield, but facts are
facts, and I can quite see that it looks badly for me. In any case
I hope that my belongings and myself may be searched.'
'Nonsense, my dear fellow,' said Mayfield.
Poirot murmured:
'You are serious in wishing that?'
'I should infinitely prefer it.'
Poirot looked at him thoughtfully for a minute or two and
murmured, 'I see.'
Then he asked:
'Where is Mrs Vandedyn's room situated in regard to the
study?'
'It
is directly over it.'
'With a window looking out over the terrace?'
'Yes.'
Again Poirot nodded. Then he said:
'Let us go to the drawing-room.'
Here he wandered round the room, examined the fastenings
of the windows, glanced at the scorers on the bridge table and
then finally addressed Lord Mayfield.
'This affair,' he said, 'is more complicated than it appears.
But one thing is quite certain. The stolen plans have not left
this house.'
Lord Mayfield stared at him.
'But, my dear M. Poirot, the man I saw leaving the study-'
There was no man.
'But I saw him -'
q With the greatest respect, Lord Myfield, you imagined
iou saw him. The shadow cast by the branch of a tree deceived
you. The fact that a robbery occurred naturally seemed a proof
that what you had imagined was true.'
'Really, M. Poirot, the evidence of my own eyes '
'Back my eyes against yours any day, old boy,' put in Sir
i
orge.
::(! You must permit me, Lord Mayfield, to be very definite on
,;,-t point. No one crossed the terrace to the grass.
: Looking very pale and speaking stiffly, Mr Carlile said:
29
'In that case, if M. Poirot is correct, suspicion autoz 'i, 41y
attaches itself to me. I am the only person who could
have committed the robbery.'
' tly
Lord Mayfield sprang up.
'Nonsense. Whatever M. Poirot thinks about it, I don't
agree with him. I am convinced of your innocence, r%, ,tear
Carlile. In fact, I'm willing to guarantee it.'
AgathaChristie-HerculePoirotsCasebook Page 3
