Agatha Christie - They Do It With Mirrors

THEY
DO IT WITH
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Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is know n throughout the world as

the Q ueen of Crim e. H er books have sold over a billion copies
in English w ith another billion in over 100 foreign languages.
She is the most widely published and translated author of all time
and in any language; only the Bible and Shakespeare have sold
more copies. She is the author o f 80 crim e novels and short story
collections, 19 plays, and six other novels. The Mousetrap, her
most famous play, was first staged in 1952 in London and is still
perform ed there it is the longest-running play in history.
Agatha C hristies first novel was published in 1920. It featured
Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective w ho has becom e the
most popular detective in crim e fiction since Sherlock Holmes.
Collins has published Agatha Christie since 1926.
This series has been especially created for readers
worldw ide whose first language is not English. Each story has
been shortened, and the vocabulary and gram m ar sim plified
to m ake it accessible to readers w ith a good interm ediate
know ledge o f the language.
The follow ing features are included after the story:
A List o f characters to help the reader identify w ho is who, and
how they are connected to each other. Cultural notes to explain
historical and other references. A Glossary o f words that some
readers may not be fam iliar w ith are explained. There is also a
Recording o f the story.
Agatha Christie
They Do It W ith Mirrors
Collins
Collins
H arp erC o llin s Publishers
77-85 F ulham Palace R o a d
L ondon W 6 8JB
w w w .collinselt.com
C ollins is a registered trad em ark o f H arperC ollins Publishers Lim ited.
T h is Collins English Readers ed ition published 2012
R e p rin t 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
First published in G reat B ritain by C ollins 1952
A G A TH A C H R IS T IE M ISS M A R P L E T hey D o It W ith M irrors
C o p y rig h t 1952 A gatha C h ristie L im ited. All rights reserved.
C o p y rig h t 2012 T h ey D o It W ith M irrors abridged edition Agatha
C hristie Lim ited. A ll rights reserved,
w w w. agathachristie .com
ISBN: 978-0-00-745167-8
A catalogue record for this b o o k is available from the B ritish Library.
C over by crushed.co.uk H arp erC o llin s/A g ath a C hristie L td 2008
T ypeset by A ptara in India.
P rin ted and b o u n d in G reat B ritain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic.
A ll rights reserved. N o p art o f this publication may be reproduced,
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the p rio r perm ission o f th e publishers.
T h is b o o k is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way o f trade
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Contents
S to ry
C h a ra c te r list
102
C u ltu ra l n o te s
104
G lossary
107
Chapter 1
R u th Van R ydock was beautifully dressed. H er face, w ith its
expensive m ake-up, appeared alm ost girlish at a distance. H er
h air was m ore blue than grey and perfectly styled. E verything
that m oney could do for M rs Van R ydock had been done.
R u th Van R ydock sm iled at her friend. D o you th in k m ost
people w ould guess, Jane, that you and I are the same age?
Miss M arple answ ered loyally. N o t for a m om ent, Im sure.
Im afraid, you know , that I look every day o f m y age!
Miss M arple was w hite-haired, w ith a soft, pin k and w hite
w rin k led face and innocent blue eyes. She looked a very sweet
old lady. N o b o d y w ould have called M rs Van R ydock a sweet
old lady.
I guess you do, Jane, said M rs Van R ydock. She grinned
suddenly, A nd so do I. O n ly no t in the same way. She sat on a
silk-covered chair. Jane, I w ant to talk to you.
Miss M arple leant forw ard to listen carefully. She looked out
o f place in this grand bedroom o f an expensive hotel, dressed
as she was in old-fashioned black and carrying a large shopping
bag.
Im w orried, Jane. A bout C arrie Louise.
C arrie Louise? Miss M arple repeated. O h, the nam e took her
a long way back, to the exciting days before the First W orld W ar
w hen she was a student in Florence, sharing an apartm ent w ith
tw o A m erican sisters. T hey had been very different to young
Jane M arple, quietly brought up in a gentle English cathedral
tow n. R u th was tall and full o f energy w hile C arrie Louise was
small, delicate and dreamy, but bo th had that direct A m erican
way o f talk in g and she had liked them at once.
W h e n did you last see C arrie Louise, Jan e?
Agatha C hristie
O h! N o t for m any years. O f course w e still send cards at

C hristm as.
Such a strange thing, friendship! She, young Jane M arple,
and the tw o A m ericans, had separated after school, and yet the
old affection was still there. A nd it was strange that R u th , whose
hom e - or rather hom es had been in A m erica, was the sister
Jane had seen m ore often. N o, perhaps no t strange. Every year
or tw o R u th had com e over to Europe, rush in g from London
to Paris, on to the R iv ie ra , and back again, bu t she always saw
her old friends. T h ere had been m any affectionate m eetings like
this one.
How ever, Jane had no t seen C arrie Louise for tw enty years,
although C arrie Louise lived in England. B ut this was natural,
because w hen you live in the same country as an old friend, but
have very different lives, you do not m eet. T h e paths o f Jane
M arple and C arrie Louise did not cross. It was as simple as that.
W h y are you w o rried about C arrie Louise, R u th ? asked
Miss M arple.
In a way, th ats w hat w orries m e most! I d o n t know .
Shes not ill?
Shes very delicate always has been. B ut no worse than
usual.
U nhappy?
O h no.
N o, it w ou ld n t be that, thought Miss M arple. It was difficult
to im agine C arrie Louise being unhappy.
C arrie Louise, said R u th Van R ydock, has always believed
that everyone is like her: good-natured and w ith a kind heart.
She was always the one o f us w ho had ideals. O f course it was the
fashion w hen w e w ere young to have ideals w e all had them ;
it was the proper th in g for young girls. You w ere going to nurse
T hey D o It W ith M irrors
lepers. Jane, and I was going to be a n u n . B ut w e got over all

that nonsense. M arriage certainly m akes you face the real world.
Still, m arriage has w orked well for m e.
T h at was true, thought Miss M arple. R u th had been m arried
three tim es, each tim e to a w ealthy m an, and each divorce had
increased her ban k balance w ith o u t m ak in g her in the least b itter.
O f course, said M rs Van R ydock, Ive always been tough.
Ive n o t expected too m uch o f m en and had no regrets.
T om m y and I are still excellent friends, and Julius often asks m e
m y opinion about business. She fro w n ed . I believe th ats w hat
w orries m e about C arrie Louise - shes always had a tendency,
you know , to m arry cranks.
C ran k s?
Adults w ith ideals. C arrie Louise was always im pressed by
ideals. T h ere she was, as pretty as can be, ju st seventeen and
listening w ith her eyes w ide to old G ulbrandsen, talking about
his plans for the hum an race. H e was over fifty, and she m arried
him , a w idow er w ith a family o f gro w n -u p children all because
o f his philanthropic ideas.
Miss M arple nodded thoughtfully. T h e nam e o f G ulbrandsen
was k n o w n internationally; a m an w ho had earned a huge fortune
and th en used it to create m any great charitable organizations.
She d id n t m arry h im for his m oney, you know , said R u th ,
I w ould have. B ut n o t C arrie Louise. A nd then he died w hen
she was th irty -tw o . B ut then I really was happiest about C arrie
Louise w hen she was m arried to Jo h n n ie R estarick. O f course he
did m arry her for her money. Jo h n n ie was lazy, and pleasureloving, b u t th ats so m uch safer than being a crank. All Jo h n n ie
w anted was to live w ell and for C arrie Louise to enjoy herself.
T h at k in d o f m an is so very safe. Give h im com fort and lu x u ry
and h ell p u rr like a cat. I never to o k that theatrical designing o f
Agatha C hristie
his very seriously. B ut C arrie Louise loved it she thought it was

very artistic w ork and w anted h im to go back into the theatre,
and then that terrible Yugoslavian w om an got hold o f him and
took h im away.
Was C arrie Louise very upset? asked Miss M arple.
I dont believe she was. She was absolutely sweet about it
but then she is sweet. She gave Alex and Stephen, Jo h n n ie s sons
by his first m arriage, a hom e w ith her. A nd that Yugoslavian
w om an gave Jo h n n ie a terrible six m onths and then, in a tem per,
drove h im over a cliff in a car!
M rs Van R ydock paused. A nd w hat does C arrie Louise
do next, but m arry this m an Lewis Serrocold. A n other crank!
A nother m an w ith ideals! O h, he certainly loves h er but he
also wants to im prove everybodys lives for them . A nd really, you
know, nobody can do that for you you have to do it yourself.
I w onder, said Miss M arple.
Only, o f course, theres a fashion in philanthropy, just like
there is in clothes. It used to be education for all in G ulbrandsens
tim e. B ut th ats o u t o f date. T he governm ent does that now.
Everyone expects education as a right and doesnt th in k m uch
o f it w hen they get it! Juvenile delinquency is the top fashion
nowadays. All these young crim inals everyones m ad about
them . You should see Lewis Serrocolds eyes shine behind those
thick glasses o f his. M ad w ith enthusiasm! H e is one o f those m en
w ith huge w illpow er w ho likes living on a banana and a piece o f
toast and puts all th eir energies into a cause. A nd C arrie Louise
loves it just as she always did. B ut I dont like it, Jane. T h ey ve
had m eetings o f the trustees and Stonygates is now a training
establishm ent for juvenile crim inals, full o f boys w ho arent
norm al, w ith psychiatrists and psychologists and occupational
therapists and teachers, h a lf o f them quite m ad. C ranks, the lot
o f them , and m y little C arrie Louise is in the m iddle o f it all!

She paused and stared helplessly at Miss M arple.
Miss M arple said, B ut you havent told m e yet, R u th , w hat
you are really afraid of.
I tell you, I do nt know! A nd th ats w hat w orries me. Ive just
been d ow n to Stonygates and I felt there was som ething w rong.
B ut I do n t k n o w if its these y oung crim inals, or if its som ething
m ore personal. I cant say w hat it is. A nd I w ant you, Jane, to go
dow n there rig h t away and find out exactly w hat is w rong.
M e? exclaim ed Miss M arple. W h y m e?
Because you k now about these things, Jane. N o th in g has
ever surprised you, you always believe the w orst.
T h e w orst is so often true, said Miss M arple.
I cant th in k w hy you have such a poor opinion o f hum an
nature, living in that peaceful village o f St M ary M ead.
H u m an nature, dear, is very m uch the same everyw here. T he
things th at happen in a peaceful village w ould probably surprise
you. It is m ore difficult to notice them in a city, that is all.
M y p o in t is that they dont surprise you. So you w ill go dow n
to Stonygates and find out w hats w rong, w ont you?
B ut, R u th dear, that w ould be m ost difficult.
N o, it w o u ld n t. Ive thought it all out. Please dont be angry
w ith m e.
M rs Van R ydock began a nervous explanation. Youll adm it,
Im sure, th at things have been difficult since the war, for people
w ith small, fixed incom es - for people like you, Jane.
O h yes, indeed. If it wasnt for the great generosity o f my
nephew R ay m o n d, I really dont kn o w how I w ould m anage
w ith m oney.
C arrie Louise know s noth in g about your nephew, said M rs
Van R ydock. T h e point, as I pu t it to C arrie Louise, is that its
A gatha C hristie
just too bad about dear Jane. Som etim es she doesnt have enough
to eat and shes m uch too proud to ask old friends for anything.
You couldnt offer h er m oney but a nice long rest in lovely
surroundings, w ith an old friend and w ith plenty o f good food,
R u th Van R ydock paused and then added, N o w go on be
angry if you w ant.
Miss M arple opened her blue eyes in gentle surprise. B ut w hy
should I be angry at you, R u th ? It was a very good approach. Im
sure C arrie Louise responded.
Shes w ritin g to you. Honestly, Jane, you dont m in d . . . ?
She hesitated and Miss M arple pu t her thoughts neatly into
words. G oing to Stonygates and pretending to be in need o f
charity? N o t in the least. You th in k it is necessary and I agree
w ith you.
M rs Van R ydock stared at her. B ut why? W h a t have you
heard?
I havent heard anything. Its you that I trust, R u th .
Chapter 2
Before she caught her train back to St M ary M ead, Miss M arple,
in a business-like way, asked for details.
Its ju st the facts I need, R u th dear - and some idea o f w ho I
w ill m eet at Stonygates.
W ell, you k n o w about C arrie Louises m arriage to
G ulbrandsen. T here w ere no children and C arrie Louise was
very upset by that. G ulbrandsen was a w idow er, and had three
g ro w n -u p sons. Eventually he and C arrie Louise adopted a
child. Pippa, they called her - a lovely little girl just tw o years
old. A nd th e n ex t th in g that happened was that C arrie Louise
had a baby after all. I understand from doctors that that quite
often happens.
Miss M arple nodded. I believe so.
Anyway, it did happen, but then their daughter M ildred,
w hen she arrived, was a very unattractive child. She looked like
the Gulbrandsens, w ho are good people bu t very plain. C arrie
Louise was so anxious to m ake no difference betw een the adopted
child and her ow n that I th in k she gave even m ore attention to
Pippa - w hich m ade M ildred unhappy. Pippa grew up a very
beautiful girl and M ildred grew up a plain one. G ulbrandsen left
an equal am o u n t o f m oney to b o th daughters - and at tw enty
Pippa m arried an Italian aristocrat. M ildred m arried C anon
Strete a nice m an, but he often had colds in the head. H e
was about fifteen years older than she was. It was quite a happy
m arriage, I believe.
H e died a year ago and M ildred has com e back to Stonygates
to live w ith h er m other. B ut Ive m issed a m arriage or tw o. Ill
go back to them . Pippa m arried her Italian, Guido. A year later
Agatha C hristie
Pippa had a daughter called Gina and died in childbirth. It was a

terrible tragedy and G uido was in a very bad way. C arrie Louise
w ent to Italy so very often, to see him and his daughter - and it
was in R o m e th at she m et Jo h n n ie R estarick and m arried him .
G uido m arried again and he was happy for his daughter to be
brought up in E ngland by her very w ealthy grandm other. So
they all lived at Stonygates, Jo h n n ie R estarick and C arrie Louise,
and Jo h n n ies tw o boys, Alex and Stephen, and the baby Gina.
T h en came this business w ith the Yugoslavian w om an. B ut the
boys are devoted to C arrie Louise - and then in 1938, C arrie
Louise m arried Lewis Serrocold. M rs Van R ydock paused for
breath. Youve n o t m et Lew is?
Miss M arple shook her head. N o, I th in k I last saw C arrie
Louise in 1928. She very kindly took m e to the opera.
W ell, Lewis was a very appropriate person. H e was the head
o f a very respectable com pany o f accountants. I th in k he m et
her first concerning some questions about the finances o f the
G ulbrandsen charitable organizations. H e was w ealthy enough,
her ow n age, and very respectable. B ut he was a crank. H e was
absolutely d eterm in ed to save young crim inals.
R u th Van R ydock sighed.
As I said ju st now , Jane, there are fashions in philanthropy.
A nd the G ulbrandsen T rust and E ducation F und was in
some difficulties because the governm ent was tak in g over
its functions. T h en Lewis cam e along w ith his passionate
enthusiasm about tra in in g for ju v en ile delinquents. It all began
w ith his w ork, ex am in in g accounts w here clever y o u n g m en
had co m m itted frauds. H e was sure th at ju v en ile delinquents
had good brains and abilities and only n eeded to be show n the
rig h t d irectio n .
T h at is a good idea, said Miss M arple. B ut it is n o t entirely

true. I rem em ber . . . She broke o ff and looked at her watch. O h
dear I m ustnt miss the 6.30 train hom e.
R u th Van R ydock said urgently, A nd you w ill go to
Stonygates? Prom ise, Jane?
Jane M arple prom ised.
Chapter 3
Miss M arple got out o f the train at M arket K indle station, holding
tightly a string bag and an old leather handbag and looking m ore
poorly dressed th an usual.
Miss M arple was looking around the w indy station there
w ere no passengers or railway staff anyw here - w hen a young
m an came up to her.
Miss M arple? H is voice had an unexpectedly dram atic
quality, as th o u g h he was playing a part in a theatre. Ive com e
to m eet you from Stonygates.
T h e personality o f this young m an did no t m atch his voice.
H is loud voice was m eant to m ake h im seem im portant, w hen in
fact he was alm ost nervous.
O h th ank you, said Miss M arple. T h eres ju st this suitcase.
T h e young m an raised a hand at a p o rter w ho was pushing
some large boxes past on a handcart. B ring it out, please, he
said, and added im portantly, for Stonygates.
I w ont be long, the p o rter said cheerfully.
Miss M arple th o u g h t that the young m an was n o t too pleased
about this delay.
T aking Miss M arple towards the exit, he said, Im Edgar
Lawson. M rs Serrocold asked m e to m eet you. I help M r
Serrocold in his w ork.
H e behaved as if he w ere a busy and im p o rtan t m an w ho
had, very charm ingly, put im portant business on one side to be
polite to his em ployers wife. A nd again it was no t com pletely
successful it had a theatrical flavour.
Miss M arple began to w onder about Edgar Lawson.
T hey came out o f the station to w here a rather old Ford was
standing - ju st then a new tw o-seater R olls B entley came into
the station yard and stopped in front o f the Ford. A beautiful

young w om an ju m p ed out. T h e fact that she w ore old trousers
and a simple shirt seemed som ehow to m ake it m ore obvious that
she was n o t only beautiful, but expensive.
T h ere you are, Edgar. I see youve got Miss M arple. I cam e to
m eet her. She sm iled brilliantly at Miss M arple, show ing lovely
teeth in a sunburnt face. Im G ina, she said. C arrie Louises
granddaughter. W h a t was your jo u rn e y like? Simply horrible?
W h at a nice string bag. I love string bags. Ill take it and you
get in .
E dgars face blushed red. H e com plained. L ook here, G ina, I
came to m eet Miss M arple. It was all arranged.
A gain th at w ide smile. O h I know , Edgar, but I suddenly
th o u g h t it w ould be nice if I came. Ill take her w ith m e and you
can w ait and b rin g her cases.
She shut the door on Miss M arple, ju m p ed in the driving
seat, and they drove quickly out o f the station.
Miss M arple looked back at Edgar Lawsons face. I dont
th in k , m y dear, she said, that M r Lawson is very pleased.
G ina laughed. E dgars such a fool, she said. Always so selfim portant. H e really thinks he is im p o rtan t!
Miss M arple asked, Isnt he im portant?
E dgar? T here was a thoughtless cruelty in G inas laugh.
O h , h es m ad anyway.
M ad ?
O h , you know , said Gina. Crazy. T h ey re all m ad at
Stonygates. I do n t m ean Lewis and G randm a and m e and
the boys - and n o t Miss Believer, o f course. B ut the others.
Som etim es I feel Im going a bit m ad m yself living there.
G ina gave h er a quick sideways look. You were at school
w ith G randm a, w erent you?
II
Agatha C hristie
Yes, indeed, said Miss M arple, th in k in g o f being young and

struggling w ith English literature. A nd it is a long tim e since
Ive seen her. I w onder i f Ill find her m uch changed.
She walks w ith a stick because o f her arthritis. Its got m uch
worse lately. Have you been to Stonygates before?
N o .
T h e house is p retty horrible, really, said G ina cheerfully.
A nd ev erythings very serious, w ith psychiatrists everywhere.
B ut the young crim inals are fun, some o f them . O n e showed me
how to open locks w ith a bit o f w ire and one child taught me
how to knock people o u t.
Miss M arple considered this thoughtfully.
Its the violent ones I like best, said Gina. I dont like the
m ad ones so m uch. O f course Lewis and D r M averick th in k
theyre all m ad - I m ean they th in k its because theyve had a
bad hom e life w ith m others w ho ran away w ith soldiers and all
that. I dont really agree because some people have had terrible
hom e lives and yet have m anaged to grow up all right.
Im sure it is a difficult problem , said Miss M arple. T he young
m an w ho m et m e at the station, is he M r Serrocolds secretary?
O h E dgar hasnt got enough brains to be a secretary. H es
m ad, really. H e used to stay at hotels and pretend he was an A ir
Force pilot w ith m edals. H e used to bo rro w m oney and then
ru n off. I th in k hes just bad. B ut Lewis m akes them all feel one
o f the fam ily and gives them jobs to do to encourage them to be
responsible. I expect w ell be m urdered by one o f them one o f
these days. G ina laughed happily.
Miss M arple did n o t laugh.
T h ey tu rn ed th ro ugh some large gates w here a m an was
standing on duty and w ent up a drive w ith bushes on both sides.
T h e drive and gardens w ere not at all cared for.
12
U nderstanding Miss M arples look, G ina said, It does look

terrible. T here w ere no gardeners d u rin g the war, and since then
w e havent spent any m oney on it.
T hey came ro und a curve and Stonygates appeared. It was
huge and as G ina had said, horrible.
Ugly, isnt it? said G ina affectionately. T h eres G randm a on
the terrace. Ill stop here and you can go and m eet her.
M iss M arple w alked along the terrace tow ards h er old

friend.
From a distance, the slim little figure looked girlish, even
though she was leaning on a stick and m oving slowly and
painfully. It was as though a young girl was acting an old w om an.
J ane, said M rs Serrocold.
D ear C arrie Louise.
Yes, unm istakably C arrie Louise. Strangely unchanged still,
although, u n lik e her sister, she used n o th in g artificial to m ake
her look young. H er hair was grey, bu t it had always been silvery
and had changed very little. H er skin was still pink and w hite,
th o u g h n o w it was w rinkled. H er eyes still had their innocence.
She had the slim figure o f a girl and looked at the w orld w ith all
the b rig h t interest that her friend rem em bered.
I do blam e myself, said C arrie Louise in her sweet voice, for
lettin g it be so long. It has been years since I saw you, Jane dear.
Its lovely th at yo u ve com e here at last.
From the end o f the terrace G ina called, You ought to com e
in, G randm a. Its getting cold - and Jolly w ill be angry.
C arrie Louise gave her little m usical laugh. T hey all take
care o f m e as i f I was an old w om an.
A nd you do n t feel like o n e?
13
A gatha C hristie
N o , I dont, Jane. Even w ith all m y pains, inside I still feel

ju st like a young girl. Perhaps everyone does. It seems only a
few m onths ago that w e w ere in Florence. D o you rem em ber
Fraulein Schweich and her boots?
T h e tw o w om en laughed together at events that had
happened nearly h a lf a century ago. T hey w alked together to
a side door w here a very th in elderly lady m et them . She had a
p roud nose, a short h aircut and w ore thick w ell-m ade clothes.
She said fiercely, Its so bad o f you, C arrie Louise, to stay out
so late. You ju st do n o t take care o f yourself. W h a t w ill M r
Serrocold say?
Please dont be angry, Jolly, said C arrie Louise.
She introduced Miss M arple. This is Miss Believer, w ho is
simply everything to me. N urse, secretary, housekeeper and very
faithful friend.
Ju liet J olly Believer sniffed, and the end o f her big nose
tu rn ed rather pink, a sign o f em otion. I do w hat I can, she said
in her deep voice. T his is a very unorganized household. You
simply cannot arrange any kin d o f routine.
D arling Jolly, w here are you p u ttin g Miss M arple?
In the Blue R o o m . Shall I take her u p ? asked Miss Believer.
Yes, please do, Jolly. A nd then bring her dow n to tea in the
H all.
T h e Blue R o o m had heavy curtains o f a rich blue that m ust
have been, Miss M arple thought, fifty years old. T h e fu rn itu re
was big and solid. Miss Believer opened a door into a bathroom .
T his was unexpectedly m odern.
J o h n R estarick had ten bathroom s p u t into the house, Miss
Believer explained. T h a ts about the only th in g th ats ever been
m odernized. D o you w ant a wash before tea?

14
Miss B eliever to o k Miss M arple dow n the big g rim staircase

and across a huge dark hall and in to a ro o m w here bookshelves
w ent up to the ceiling and a big w in d o w looked out over a
lake.
C arrie Louise was standing by the w in d o w and Miss M arple
jo in ed her.
W h at a large house this is, said M iss M arple. I feel quite
lost in it.
Yes, there w ere fourteen living room s all huge. W h a t can
people do w ith m ore than one living room ? A nd all those huge
bedroom s so m uch unnecessary space.
You havent had it m odernized?
C arrie Louise looked surprised. N o. T hose things dont
m atter, do they? T here are so m any things that are m uch m ore
im portant. W eve ju st kept the G reat H all and the nearest room s.
B ut the East and W est w ings have been divided up, so that we
have offices and bedroom s for the teaching staff. T he boys are all
in the C ollege bu ilding you can see it from here.
Miss M arple looked out to w here large red brick buildings
showed th ro u g h some trees. T h en her eyes fell on som ething
nearer, and she smiled. W h a t a beautiful girl Gina is, she said.
C arrie Louises face lit up. Yes, isnt she? she said softly. Its
so lovely to have her back here again. I sent her to A m erica at
the b eg in n in g o f the w ar - to R u th . P oor R u th ! She was so
upset about G inas m arriage. B ut I dont blam e her. R u th doesnt
realize, as I do, th at the old class differences are gone - or are
going. G ina was doing her w ar w ork and she m et this young
m an, W alter H udd. H e was a M arine and had a very good w ar
record. A nd a w eek later they w ere m arried. It was all far too
quick, o f course there was no tim e to find out if they w ere really
suited to each o th er but th ats the way o f things nowadays. W e
15
Agatha C hristie
may th in k y o ung people are unwise, bu t w e have to accept their

decisions. R u th , though, was terribly upset.
She did n t th in k the young m an was suitable?
H e came from the M idw est o f A m erica and had no m oney
and no profession. H e w asnt R u th s idea o f w hat was right for
Gina. H owever, the th in g was done. I was so pleased w hen they
accepted my invitation to com e over here. T h eres so m uch
going on here jo b s o f every kind. If W alter w ants to m ake a
start in m edicine o r get a degree or anything, he could do it in
this country. A fter all, this is G inas hom e. Its delightful to have
her back.
Miss M arple n o dded and looked out o f the w indow again at
the tw o young people standing near the lake. T h ey re a very
handsom e couple, too, she said. Im no t surprised G ina fell in
love w ith h im !
O h , b u t that isnt W alter. T h ats Steve - the younger o f
Jo h n n ie R estarick s tw o boys. Steve is in charge o f o u r D ram a
now. W e have a theatre, you know , and plays w e encourage all
the arts. Lewis says that so m uch o f this juvenile crim e is due to
show ing-off: m ost o f the boys have had such an unhappy hom e
life that their crim es m ake them feel like heroes. W e encourage
them to w rite th eir o w n plays and act in them and design and
paint their ow n scenery. Steve is in charge o f the theatre. Its
w onderful, h es so enthusiastic.
I see, said Miss M arple.
She did see very clearly the handsom e face o f Stephen
R estarick as he stood talking eagerly to Gina. G inas face she
could not see, b u t there was no m istaking Stephens expression.
I suppose you realize, C arrie Louise, said Miss M arple, that h es
in love w ith her.
O h no C arrie Louise looked troubled. I do hope no t.
16
Plan of Stonygates
STUDY
V D
gm
VH
)
GREAT
5
UJ un
HALL
U -O
>
DINING
LIBRARY
Terrace
ROOM
IIGUEST
HROOMV
'
y)
BAIZE
DOOR
KITCHEN
1
[ BATH
17
Chapter 4
Before M rs Serrocold could say anything m ore, her husband
came in from the hall carrying some letters.
Lewis Serrocold was a short m an, b u t he had a strong
personality. H e was full o f energy and he concentrated com pletely
on w ho he was speaking to.
Bad news, dearest, he said. T h at boy, Jackie Flint. H e s in
trouble again. A nd I really did th in k he m eant to stay honest
this tim e. H e seemed so sincere about it. You k n o w he always
liked railways - and D r M averick and I tho u g h t that i f he got a
railways jo b he w ould be good at it. B ut its the same story. H e s
been stealing from the parcels office. W e havent got the answer
to his troubles yet. B ut Im no t giving up.
Lewis - this is m y old friend, Jane M arple.
O h how do you do, said M r Serrocold, n o t really noticing
Jane. J ackie is a nice boy, too, not too m any brains, bu t a really
nice boy. Terrible hom e he came from . I -
H e suddenly gave all his attention to the guest. W hy, Miss
M arple, Im delighted youve com e to stay w ith us. It w ill m ake
such a great difference to C arrie to have a friend from the old
days she can exchange m em ories w ith. She has in m any ways
a bad tim e here - so m uch sadness in the stories o f these poor
children. W e do hope youll stay w ith us a long tim e.
Miss M arple could understand w hy her friend had been so
attracted to this charm ing m an. T hough she was sure that Lewis
Serrocold w ould always th in k that causes w ere m ore im portant
th an people. It m ig h t have m ade some w om en angry, bu t not
C arrie Louise.
Lewis Serrocold took out another letter. A nd w e do
have some good news. This is from the bank. Y oung M orris is
18
doing extrem ely well. T h ey re very satisfied w ith h im and are

p rom oting him . I knew that all he needed was responsibility that, and a th o ro u g h training in dealing w ith m oney.
H e tu rn ed to Miss M arple. H a lf these boys dont know w hat
m oney is. It m eans no m ore to them than buying cigarettes yet
th ey re clever w ith num bers and find it exciting to use them .
W ell, I believe in training them in accountancy - to show
them how m oney works. Give them skill and then responsibility.
O u r greatest successes have been that way - only tw o out o f
th irty -eig h t have failed us. O ne is a head cashier a really
responsible position. H e broke o ff to say, Teas all ready in the
H all, dearest, to his wife.
C arrie Louise linked her arm th ro u g h Miss M arples and
they w ent in to the G reat Hall. Tea seemed rather strange in
these surroundings. T he tea things w ere in a pile on a tray
inexpensive w hite cups m ixed w ith the rem ains o f some very
good quality old tea services. T here was a lo af o f bread, tw o pots
o f jam , and some cheap-looking cakes.
A plum p m iddle-aged w om an w ith grey hair sat behind
the tea table and M rs Serrocold said, J ane, this is m y daughter
M ildred. You havent seen her since she was a tiny girl.
M ildred Strete looked exactly like a C anons w idow , wealthy,
respectable and slightly boring. She was a plain w om an w ith a
large face. She had been, Miss M arple rem em bered, a very plain
little girl.
A nd this is W alter H udd - G inas husband.
W alter was a big young m an w ith h air brushed up on his head
and a b ad-tem pered expression. H e nodded uncom fortably and
continued p u ttin g cake into his m outh.
Soon after, G ina came in w ith Stephen R estarick. T hey w ere
b o th excited.
19
Agatha C hristie
G inas got a w onderful idea for that scenery said Stephen.

You know , Gina, yo uve got a talent for theatrical designing.
G ina laughed and looked pleased. E dgar Lawson came in and
sat dow n by Lewis Serrocold. W h en G ina spoke to him , he did
n o t answer.

T here w ere m ore people at dinner, a young D r M averick,
w ho was a psychiatrist, and whose detailed m edical conversation
was n o t easy to understand. T here w ere also tw o young teachers,
and a M r B aum garten, w ho was an occupational therapist, and
three very shy y oung m en. W h e n there w ere guests, a few boys
w ere chosen to learn how to behave properly at the dinner
table. O n e o f them , a fair-haired boy w ith blue eyes, was, Gina
w hispered to her, the expert at knocking people out.
T h e meal was badly cooked and badly served.
A fter d in n er Lewis Serrocold w ent away w ith D r M averick to
his office. T h e therapist and the teachers w ent away to their ow n
room s. T h e three ju venile cases w ent back to the college. Gina
and Stephen w ent to the college theatre. M ildred kn itted and
Miss Believer repaired socks. W alter sat and stared at nothing.
C arrie Louise and Miss M arple talked about the old days.
E dgar Lawson seem ed unable to stay still. H e sat dow n and
then got up.
I w onder i f I ought to go to M r Serrocold, he said rather
loudly. H e m ay need m e.
C arrie Louise said gently, I dont th in k so. H e was going to
talk over some cases w ith D r M averick.
T h en I certainly w ont interrupt! I w o n t go w here Im not
w anted. Ive already wasted tim e today going d ow n to the station
w hen M rs H udd m eant to go there herself.
G ina should have told you, said C arrie Louise. B ut I th in k

she ju st decided at the last m om ent.
You do understand, M rs Serrocold, that she m ade m e look a
com plete fool!
N o, n o, said C arrie Louise, sm iling. You m ustnt have these
ideas.
I k n o w Im n o t needed or w anted. Im perfectly aware o f that.
If I had m y proper place in life, things w ould be very different
indeed. Its no fault o f m ine that I havent got m y proper place
in life.
N ow , Edgar, said C arrie Louise. D o n t get excited about
n othing. Jane thinks it was very kin d o f you to m eet her. Gina
has these sudden ideas - she didnt m ean to upset you.
O h yes, she did. It was done on purpose - to m ake a fool o f
m e.
O h , Edgar.
You dont k n o w h a lf o f w h ats going on, M rs Serrocold.
W ell, I w o n t say any m ore now except goodnight.
E dgar w ent out, shutting the door loudly.
Miss Believer sniffed. Terrible m anners.
H e s so sensitive, said C arrie Louise.
M ildred Strete said sharply, H e is a horrible young m an,
M other.
Lewis says he cant help it.
W alter H u d d spoke for the first tim e that evening. T h at guys
crazy. T h a ts all there is to it! C razy!
21
Chapter 5
T h e next m o rning, Miss M arple w ent out into the gardens. T hey
w ere in a very bad way, the grass was long, the flower borders
w ere full o f w eeds and the paths w ere overgrow n. T he kitchen
gardens, on the o th er hand, w ere full o f vegetables. A nd a large
part o f w hat had once been law n and flower garden, was now
tennis courts and a bow ling green.
As Miss M arple pulled up a weed, E dgar Lawson appeared
in a neat dark suit. She called him , asking i f he knew w here any
gardening tools w ere kept. Its such a pity to see this, said Miss
M arple. I do like gardens. N o w I dont suppose you ever th in k
about gardens, M r Lawson. You have so m uch im p o rtan t w ork
to do for M r Serrocold. You m ust find it all m ost interesting.
H e answ ered quickly, Yes yes it is interesting.
A nd you m ust be o f the greatest help to M r Serrocold.
H is face becam e troubled. I dont know . I cant be sure . . .
H e broke off.
T here was a garden seat nearby and Miss M arple sat dow n.
I am sure, she said brightly, that M r Serrocold relies on you.
I dont know , said Edgar. I really dont. H e sat dow n beside
her. Im in a very difficult position.
O f course, said Miss M arple.
T his is all highly confidential. he said.
O f course, said Miss M arple.
A ctually, m y father is a very im portant m an. N o b o d y knows
except M r Serrocold. You see, it m ight do m y fathers position
h arm i f the story got out. H e smiled. A sad, dignified smile.
You see, Im W in sto n C h u rch ills son.
O h , said Miss M arple. I see. A nd she did see. She
rem em bered a rather sad story in St M ary M ead and w hat had
happened afterwards.
22
E dgar Law son continued and w hat he said seemed m ore like
a young m an acting on a stage than talking about his life. T here
w ere reasons. M y m other wasnt free. H e r ow n husband was in
a m ental hospital - there could be no divorce - so there was no
question o f m arriage. I dont really blam e them . M y father has
always done everything he could privately, o f course. B ut the
trouble is, h es got enemies and theyre against m e, too. T hey
keep us apart. T h ey w atch me. W herever I go, they spy on me.
A nd they m ake things go w rong for m e.
Miss M arple shook her head. Dear, dear, she said.
In L ondon I was studying to be a doctor. T h ey changed
m y exam answers. T h ey w anted m e to fail. T hey follow ed
m e, told things about m e to m y landlady. T hey follow m e
w herever I go. M r Serrocold b ro u g h t m e dow n here. H e was
very kind. B ut even here, you know , Im no t safe. T h ey re here,
too w o rk in g against m e - m aking the others dislike me. M r
Serrocold says th at isnt true bu t M r Serrocold doesnt know.
O r else I w o n d er som etim es Ive th o u g h t . . . H e got up.
T his is all confidential. You do understand that, dont you? B ut
i f you notice anyone follow ing m e spying, I m ean let m e
k n o w w ho it is!
H e w ent away, and Miss M arple w atched him and w ondered.
T here was som ething a little w ro n g about Edgar Lawson perhaps m ore th an a little. A nd E dgar Lawson rem inded her o f
som eone.
A voice spoke. Crazy. Just crazy.
W alter H u d d was standing beside her. H e was frow ning as he
stared after Edgar. W h a t k ind o f a place is this, anyw ay? he said.
T h ey re all crazy. T h at Edgar guy w hat do you th in k about
him ? H e says his fathers really G eneral M ontgom ery. H e told
G ina he was the heir to the R ussian throne. Hell, doesnt the guy
k now w h o his father really was?
23
Agatha C hristie
I should im agine not, said Miss M arple. T h at is probably

the trouble.
W alter sat d ow n beside her. T h ey re all crazy here.
You dont like Stonygates?
T h e young m an frow ned. I simply dont understand! T heyre
rich, these people. A nd look at the way they live. O ld broken
cups and plates and cheap stuff all m ixed up. N o proper servants.
C urtains and chair covers falling to pieces! M rs Serrocold just
doesnt care. L ook at that dress she was w earing last night. N early
w o rn out - and yet she can buy w hat she likes. M oney? T h ey re
so rich.
H e paused, th in k in g . T h eres n o th in g w ro n g w ith being
poor, if youre y oung and strong and ready to w ork. I had some
m oney saved. G ina com es from a better fam ily than me. B ut it
d idnt m atter. W e fell in love we are m ad about each other. W e
got m arried. W e w ere going to open a garage back hom e - Gina
was w illing. T h en that arrogant A unt R u th o f G inas started
m aking trouble and Gina w anted to com e here to England to
see her grandm other. W ell, that seemed fair enough. It was her
hom e, and I w anted to see E ngland anyway. So w e came. Just a
visit th ats w hat I th ought.
H e becam e m ore angry, B ut we got caught up in this crazy
business. W h y do n t w e stay here - th ats w hat they say? Plenty
o f jobs for me. Jobs? I dont w ant a jo b feeding sweets to baby
crim inals! D o n t people w hove got m oney understand their
luck? D o n t they understand that m ost o f the w orld cant have
a great place like this? Isnt it crazy to tu rn your back on your
luck w hen youve got it? Ill w ork the way I like and at w hat I
like. T his place m akes m e feel Im trapped. A nd G ina I dont
understand her anym ore. I cant even talk to her now. O h hell!
Miss M arple said gently, I quite see your p o in t o f view.
24
T h ey D o It W ith M irrors
W alter gave her a look. Youre the only one Ive talked to so
far. I do n t k n o w w hat it is about you I kn o w youre English
but you do rem in d m e o f m y A unt Betsy back hom e.
N o w th ats very nice.
She had a lot o f sense, W alter continued thoughtfully. She
looked w eak, b u t she was tough yes, m aam , Ill say she was
tough.
H e got up. S orry about talking to you in this way. For the
first tim e, Miss M arple saw h im smile. It was a very attractive
smile, and W alter H u d d was suddenly changed from an aw kw ard
bad-tem pered boy into a handsom e and charm ing young m an. I
had to say it, I suppose. B ut I w asnt right to w orry you.
N o t at all, m y dear boy, said Miss M arple. I have a nephew
o f m y o w n.
Youve got o ther com pany com ing, said W alter H udd.
T h at w om an doesnt like me. G oodbye, m aam. Thanks for the
talk. H e w alked away and Miss M arple w atched M ildred Strete
com ing across the law n to jo in her.
I see youve been bothered by that terrible young m an, said

M rs Strete, as she sat dow n. W h a t a tragedy that is.
A tragedy?
G inas m arriage. I told M other it was unw ise to send her o ff
to A m erica.
It m ust have been difficult to decide w hat was right, said
Miss M arple. W h ere children w ere concerned, I m ean. W ith
the possibility o f a G erm an invasion.
N onsense, said M rs Strete. I k new w e w ould w in the war. B ut
M o ther has always been unreasonable w here G ina is concerned.
T h e child was always spoilt. O h youve no idea, A unt Jane, she
25
Agatha C hristie
cried suddenly, A nd then theres M o th ers idealistic projects.

T his w hole place is impossible. Lewis thinks o f n o th in g bu t these
horrible y oung crim inals. A nd M o th er thinks o f noth in g but
him . E verything Lewis does is right. Look at the garden and
the house n o th in g is done properly. T h eres m ore than enough
money. Its ju st th at nobody cares. M o th er w o n t even buy herself
p roper clothes. I f it w ere m y house . . . She stopped and then
said in surprise, H ere is Lewis. H o w strange. H e rarely comes
into the garden.
M r Serrocold cam e towards them in the same single-m inded
way that he did everything. H e appeared no t to notice M ildred
because it was only Miss M arple w ho was in his m ind.
Im so sorry, he said. I w anted to take you ro und and show
you everything. B ut I m ust go to Liverpool to help Jackie Flint.
I f only w e can get the police no t to prosecute.
M ildred Strete got up and w alked away. Lewis Serrocold
did not notice. His earnest eyes looked at Miss M arple through
thick glasses. You see, he said, the police nearly always take the
w ro n g view. Prison is no good at all. C orrective train in g like w e
have here . . .
Miss M arple in terrupted him . M r Serrocold, she said. Are
you satisfied that y oung M r Lawson is is quite n orm al?
A w orried expression appeared on Lewis Serrocolds face. I
do hope h e s not getting w orse again. W h a t has he been saying?
H e told m e th at he was W inston C h u rch ills son.
O f course o f course. T he usual statem ents. H e s illegitim ate,
as youve probably guessed, poor boy, and from a very poor
family. H e h it a m an in the street w ho he said was spying on
him . It was all very typical. His father was a sailor the m other
d idnt even k now his nam e. T he child started im agining things
about his father and about himself. H e w ore un ifo rm and medals
26
that he had no right to w ear all very typical. B ut D o cto r

M averick believes w e can help give h im self-confidence, m ake
h im understand that its no t a m ans fam ily background that is
im portant, b u t w hat he is. T here has been a great im provem ent.
A nd now you say . . . H e shook his head.
C o u ld he be dangerous, M r Serrocold? H e talked to m e o f
enem ies - o f persecution. Isnt that a dangerous sign?
I do n t th in k so. B ut Ill speak to M averick. So far, he has
been very hopeful.
H e looked at his watch. I m ust go. A h, here is our dear Jolly.
She w ill look after you.
Miss Believer arrived in a hurry. T he car is at the door, M r
Serrocold. I w ill take Miss M arple over to D r M averick at the
Institute.
T h a n k you. I m ust go. Lewis Serrocold hurried away.
L ooking after him , Miss Believer said, Some day that m an
w ill simply fall dow n dead. H e never rests.
H e is passionate about this cause, said Miss M arple.
H e never thinks o f anything else, said Miss Believer grimly.
H is w ife is a sweet w om an, as you know , Miss M arple, and she
should have love and attention. B ut the only thing people here
th in k about is a lot o f dishonest boys w ho dont w ant to do any
hard w ork. W h a t about the good boys from good homes? W h y
isnt som ething done for them ? H onesty ju st isnt interesting to
cranks like M r Serrocold and D r M averick.
T h ey crossed the garden and cam e to the grand gate, w hich
E ric G ulbrandsen had built as an entrance to his ugly, red brick
college building.
D r M averick, looking, Miss M arple decided, no t norm al
him self, cam e o u t to m eet them . T h an k you, Miss Believer, he
said. N ow , Miss M arple, in o u r view, psychiatry is the answer.
27
A gatha C hristie
Its a m edical problem th ats w hat w eve got to get the police
and the law courts to understand. D o look up, youll see how
w e begin.
Miss M arple looked up over the doorw ay and read:
R E C O V E R H O PE A L L YO U W H O E N T E R H E R E
Isnt that ju st right! W e dont w ant to punish these boys. W e

w ant to m ake them feel w hat fine young m en they are.
Like E dgar Law son? said Miss M arple.
Interesting case, that. Have you been talking to h im ?
H e has been talk ing to m e, said Miss M arple. I w ondered if,
perhaps, he isnt a little m ad?
D r M averick laughed cheerfully. W ere all m ad, dear lady,
he hurried her in th ro u g h the door. T h a ts the secret. W ere all
a little m ad.
28
Chapter 6
O n the w hole it was rather an exhausting day.
Enthusiasm can be extrem ely tiring, Miss M arple thought.
She felt dissatisfied w ith herself. T here was a pattern here
perhaps several patterns and yet she could no t get a clear view
o f them . A ny w o rry she felt was centred ro u n d E dgar Lawson.
S om ething was w ro n g about Edgar Lawson som ething that
w ent beyond the adm itted facts. B ut Miss M arple could no t see
how that w rongness, w hatever it was, affected her friend C arrie
Louise.
W h en , on the follow ing m o rn in g C arrie Louise came and sat
dow n on the garden seat beside her and asked her w hat she was
th in k in g about, Miss M arple replied, You, C arrie Louise.
W h a t about m e?
Tell m e honestly is there anything here that w orries yo u ?
W orries m e? T he w om an raised clear blue eyes. B ut Jane,
w hat should w o rry m e?
W ell, m ost o f us have w orries. Miss M arples eyes w ere
bright. I w o rry about things eating the vegetables I grow in
m y garden g ettin g sheets properly repaired. O h , lots o f little
things it seems u n n atu ral that you shouldnt have any w orries
at all.
I suppose I m ust have, said M rs Serrocold. Lewis works
too hard, and Stephen forgets his meals, w orking so hard at the
theatre, and G ina is very nervous bu t Ive never been able to
change people I dont see how you can. So it w ouldnt be any
good w orry in g , w ould it?
M ild red s n o t very happy, either, is she?
O h no, said C arrie Louise. M ildred is never happy. She
w asnt as a child. Q u ite unlike Pippa.
29
Agatha C hristie
Perhaps, suggested Miss M arple, there was a reason for

M ildred not to be happy?
C arrie Louise said quietly, Because o f being jealous? Yes, I
suppose that could be true. B ut people dont really need a cause
for feeling w hat they feel. T h ey re just m ade that way. D o n t you
th in k so, Jan e?
Miss M arple said, I expect youre right, C arrie Louise.
O f course, n o t having any w orries is partly because o f Jolly.
D ear Jolly. She takes care o f m e as though I w ere a baby. She
w ould do anything for me. I really believe Jolly w ould m urder
som eone for m e, Jane. Isnt that a terrible th in g to say?
Shes certainly devoted, agreed Miss M arple.
She w ould like m e to buy w onderful clothes and every luxury,
and she thinks everybody ought to take care o f m e, M rs Serrocolds
musical laugh rang out. All our poor boys are, in her view, spoilt
young criminals and not w orth the trouble. She thinks this place is
bad for m y arthritis, and I ought to go somewhere w arm and dry.
D o you suffer m uch from arthritis?
Its got m uch worse lately. I find it difficult to w alk I get
awful pains in m y legs. O h well again there came that lovely
smile, these things com e w ith age.
Miss Believer came out o f the French w indow s and hurried
across to them . A telegram has ju st come. Arriving this afternoon,
Christian Gulbrandsen.
C hristian? C arrie Louise looked surprised. I had no idea he

was in E ngland.
Shall I put h im in the guest ro o m ?
Yes, please, Jolly. T h en there w ill be no stairs.
Miss Believer retu rn ed to the house.
C hristian G ulbrandsen is m y stepson, said C arrie Louise.
M y first husbands eldest son. A ctually h es tw o years older than
30
I am. H e s the m ain trustee o f the Institute. H o w very annoying

that Lewis is away.
C hristian G ulbrandsen arrived that afternoon in tim e for tea.
H e was a big heavy-featured m an, w ith a slow way o f talking.
H e greeted C arrie Louise w ith every sign o f affection. A nd how
is o ur little C arrie Louise? You dont look a day older. H is hands
on her shoulders, he stood sm iling dow n at her.
A hand pulled his sleeve. C hristian!
A h, he tu rn ed it is M ildred? H o w are you, M ildred?
C hristian G ulbrandsen and his half-sister looked very m uch
alike th o u g h there was nearly th irty years difference in age.
M ildred seemed particularly pleased by his arrival.
A nd h o w is little G ina? said G ulbrandsen, tu rn in g to her.
You and y o u r husband are still here, th en ?
Yes. W eve quite settled dow n, havent we, W alter?
It looks like it, said W alter, unfriendly as usual.
So here I am w ith all the fam ily again, said G ulbrandsen.
H e spoke w ith a d eterm in ed happiness - b u t in fact, Miss
M arple th o u g h t, he was n o t happy. T h ere was a grim look
about him .
Introduced to Miss M arple, he looked at her w ith careful
attention.
W e had no idea you w ere in E ngland, C hristian, said M rs
Serrocold. It is too bad that Lewis is away.
It is necessary th at I see Lewis. W h e n w ill he be back?
T om orrow afternoon. If only you had let us know .
M y dear C arrie Louise, m y arrangem ents w ere m ade very
suddenly.
Miss Believer said to Miss M arple, M r G ulbrandsen and M r
Serrocold are trustees o f the G ulbrandsen Institute. T he others
are the Bishop o f C rom er and M r Gilfoy.
31
Agatha C hristie
It appeared, then, that it was business that brought C hristian

Gulbrandsen to Stonygates. It seemed to be w hat everyone else
thought. A nd yet Miss M arple w ondered.
O nce or tw ice the old m an looked at C arrie Louise in a way
that puzzled Miss M arple. T hen he m oved his eyes to the others,
m aking a sort o f hidden judgem ent.
A fter tea, Miss M arple tactfully left the fam ily and w ent into
the library. R a th e r to her surprise, w hen she had settled herself
w ith her k n ittin g , C hristian G ulbrandsen cam e in and sat dow n
beside her.
You are a very old friend, I think, o f our dear C arrie Louise?
he said.
W e were at school together in Italy, M r G ulbrandsen. M any
years ago.
A h yes. A nd you are fond o f her?
Yes, indeed, said Miss M arple warmly.
So, I think, is everyone. A nd it should be so, for she is a very
dear and lovely person. I and m y brothers have always loved her.
She has been like a very dear sister. She was loyal to m y father
and to all his ideas. She has never thought o f herself, bu t pu t the
needs o f others first.
She has always been an idealist, said Miss M arple.
A n idealist? Yes. Yes, that is so. A nd therefore it m ay be that
she does not truly understand the evil that there is in the w orld.
Miss M arple looked at him , surprised.
Tell m e, he said. H o w is her health?
A gain Miss M arple felt surprised. She seems to m e very
w ell apart from arthritis.
A rthritis? Yes. A nd her heart? H er heart is g o o d ?
As far as I know. B ut u ntil yesterday I had no t seen her
for m any years. If you w ant to know the state o f her health,
32
you should ask som ebody in the house here. Miss Believer, for
instance.
C hristian G ulbrandsen was staring at her very hard.
Som etim es, he said simply, it is hard to k n o w w hat is the best
th in g to do. I w ish to act for the best. I am particularly anxious
that no harm and no unhappiness should com e to that dear lady.
B ut it is n o t easy n o t easy at all.
M rs Strete cam e into the room at that m om ent. C hristian, D r
M averick w ants to kn o w i f you w ould like to discuss anything
w ith him .
N o, I w ill w ait u n til Lewis returns. B ut I w ill have a w ord
w ith him .
G ulbrandsen h u rried out. M ildred Strete stared after him
and then stared at Miss M arple. I w onder i f anything is w rong.
C hristian is very u nlike him self. D id he say anything?
H e only asked m e about your m others health.
H er health? W h y w ould he ask you about th at? M ildred
spoke sharply, her large square face w ent red.
I really do n t know .
M o th ers health is perfectly good. Surprising for a w om an o f
h er age. I hope you told h im so?
I dont really k n o w anything about it, said Miss M arple. H e
asked m e about h er heart.
T h eres n o th in g w ro n g w ith M o th ers h ea rt!
Im delighted to hear you say so, m y dear.
W h at on earth pu t all these strange ideas into C hristians
head?
Ive no idea, said Miss M arple.
Chapter 7
T h e next day seem ed uneventful.
C hristian G ulbrandsen spent the m o rn in g w ith D r M averick
in the Institute. In the early afternoon Gina to o k h im for a drive,
and after that he asked Miss Believer to show h im the gardens.
It seemed to Miss M arple that he w anted a private talk w ith her.
T h e only disturbing th in g happened about four o clock. Miss
M arple had gone out in the garden to take a w alk before tea.
C o m in g ro u n d some overgrow n bushes she m et Edgar Lawson,
w ho was rushing along, talking to h im self and w ho nearly ran
into her.
H e said, I beg y our pardon, but Miss M arple was startled
by the strange staring expression o f his eyes. A rent you feeling
well, M r Law son?
Well? Ive had a shock - a terrible shock. T he young m an
gave a quick look past her, and then an uneasy look to either side.
Shall I tell y o u ? H e looked at her doubtfully. I dont know. I
dont really know . Ive been spied on so m uch.
Miss M arple took h im firm ly by the arm . I f w e w alk dow n
this path there, now, there are no trees or bushes near. N obody
can overhear.
N o no, youre right. H e took a deep breath, bent his
head and alm ost w hispered, Ive m ade a terrible discovery.
E dgar Lawson began to shake. H e was alm ost crying. I trusted
someone! I believed them , bu t it was lies all lies. Lies to keep
m e from finding out the truth. Its so cruel. You see, he was the
one person I trusted, and now to find out that all the tim e h es
been m y enemy! Its he w ho put spies to w atch me. B ut he cant
get away w ith it any m ore. I shall speak out. I shall tell h im I
k now w hat he has been doing.
34
W h o is h e ? dem anded Miss M arple.

E dgar Lawson stood up straight. M y father.
M ontgom ery or do you m ean W in sto n C hurchill?
E dgar gave her a disapproving look. T hey let m e th in k that
just to keep m e from learning the tru th . B ut I know now. Ive
got a friend a real friend w ho tells m e the truth. W ell, m y
father w ill have to face me. Ill th ro w his lies in his face! W ell
see w hat h es got to say to that. A nd suddenly Edgar ran off.
H er face serious, Miss M arple w ent back to the house.
W ere all a little m ad, D r M averick had said.
B ut it seem ed to her that in E dgars case it w ent fu rth er than
that.
Lewis Serrocold arrived back at six-thirty. H e stopped the car

at the gates and w alked to the house th ro u g h the gardens. From
her w indow , Miss M arple saw C hristian G ulbrandsen go out to
m eet h im and the tw o m en tu rn ed to w alk along the terrace and
back.
Miss M arple had been careful to bring her bird-w atching
binoculars w ith her. She noticed, before lifting the binoculars
to her eyes, that b oth m en w ere looking very w orried. Miss
M arple leant out a little farther. Bits o f conversation reached her
now and then. If the m en looked up, it w ould be obvious that an
enthusiastic bird w atcher had her attention fixed far away from
their conversation.
. .. h o w to save C arrie Louise from k n o w in g . . . G ulbrandsen
was saying.
T h e next tim e they passed below, Lewis Serrocold was
speaking, . . . if it can be kept from her. I agree that we m ust
consider her . . .
35
Agatha C hristie
O th er faint words cam e to the listener.

\ . . really serious . . .
\ . . too big a responsibility to take . .
\ . . we should take outside advice . . .
Finally Miss M arple heard C hristian G ulbrandsen say, It is
getting cold. W e m ust go inside.
Miss M arple drew her head in th ro u g h the w indow . W hatever
was w ro n g at Stonygates, it definitely affected C arrie Louise.
D in n er that evening was very quiet. B oth G ulbrandsen and

Lewis w ere deep in their ow n thoughts. W h e n they m oved into
the H all afterwards, C hristian said he had an im portant letter to
w rite. So if you w ill forgive m e, dear C arrie Louise, I w ill go
to m y room .
H e left the G reat H all by the door w hich led past the m ain
staircase and along a corridor, at the end o f w hich was the guest
room and bathroom .
W h en he had gone C arrie Louise said, A rent you going
d ow n to the theatre tonight, G ina?
T he girl shook her head. She w ent over and sat by the w indow
overlooking the front drive.
Stephen sat dow n at the grand piano and started playing very
quietly a sad little tune. T he teachers and D r M averick said
goodnight and left. As W alter tu rn ed on a reading lam p, there
was a loud bang and h a lf the lights w ent out.
H e growled. T h at dam n sw itch is faulty. Ill go and put a
new fuse in.
H e left the H all and C arrie Louise said quietly, W alters so
clever w ith electrical things. You rem em ber how he fixed that
toaster?
3*5
Has mother taken her medicine? Mildred asked.

Miss Believer looked annoyed. I completely forgot. She
jumped up and went into the dining room, returning with a
glass of rose-coloured medicine.
Carrie Louise held out her hand. Its such horrible stuff and
nobody lets me forget it, she said, making a face.
And then, unexpectedly, Lewis Serrocold said, I dont think
you should take it tonight, my dear. Im not sure its really good
for you.
Quietly, but with that controlled energy always so obvious
in him, he took the glass from Miss Believer and put it down on
the table.
Really, M r Serrocold, Miss Believer said, I cant agree with
you. Mrs Serrocold has been very much better since . . .
She broke off as the front door was pushed violently open
with a bang. Edgar Lawson came into the big hall as if he were a
star performer making a grand entry.
He stood in the middle of the floor and said dramatically, So
I have found you, my enemy!
He said it to Lewis Serrocold.
M r Serrocold looked amazed. Why, Edgar, what is the matter?
You can say that to me you! You who know! Youve been
lying to me, spying on me, working with my enemies against
me.
Lewis took him by the arm. Now, now, my dear boy, dont
excite yourself. Tell me all about it quietly. Come into my study.
He led him across the Hall and through a door on the right,
closing it behind him. Then there was the sound of a key being
turned in the lock.
Miss Believer looked at Miss Marple, the same idea in both
their minds. It was not Lewis Serrocold who had turned the key.
37
Agatha C hristie
Miss Believer said quickly, T h at young m an is about to lose

control o f him self. It isnt safe.
M ildred said, H e s unbalanced and ungrateful. You ought
to have h im locked up, M other.
W ith a sigh C arrie Louise said, T h eres no harm in him
really. H e s very fond o f Lew is.
Miss M arple looked at her curiously. T here had been no
fondness in E dgars expression, very far from it.
Gina said sharply, Edgar was holding som ething in his
pocket.
Stephen stopped playing.
I th in k you know , Miss M arple said, it was a g u n .
From beh in d the d oor o f Lewiss office the sound o f voices was
clear and loud. E dgar Lawson shouted w hile Lewis Serrocolds
voice stayed calm.
Lies, lies, all lies. Youre m y father. Im your son. Youve
deprived m e o f m y rights. I should ow n this place. You hate m e
you w ant to get rid o f m e!
T here was a calm ing sound from Lewis and then the hysterical
voice scream ed o u t horrible swear words. E dgar seemed to be
losing control o f him self. Occasional w ords cam e from Lewis,
C alm just be calm you kn o w none o f this is tru e. B ut they
seemed to anger the y oung m an further.
Everyone in the H all was silent, listening to w hat was
happening beh in d the locked door o f Lew iss study.
Ill m ake you listen to m e, yelled Edgar. Ill take that
superior expression o ff your face. Ill have revenge for all youve
m ade m e suffer.
T h e other voice said sharply, P ut that g u n d o w n !
G ina cried, E dgar w ill kill him . H e s m ad. C an t w e get the
police?
38
Carrie Louise, still unmoved, said softly, Theres no need

to worry, Gina. Edgar loves Lewis. Hes just being dramatic,
thats all.
Edgar laughed then, in a way that sounded mad to Miss
Marple. Yes, Ive got a gun. You started this conspiracy against
me and now youre going to pay for it.
W hat sounded like a gun firing made them all jump, but
Carrie Louise said, Its all right, its outside in the park
somewhere.
Edgar was screaming. Why dont you get down on your knees
and beg for your life? Im going to shoot, I tell you. Im going
to shoot you dead! Im your son your unacknowledged hated
son you wanted me hidden away, out of the world altogether,
perhaps. You set your spies to follow me you conspired against
me. You, my father! My father. You went on telling me lies.
Pretending to be kind to me, and all the time all the time
Youre not fit to live. I wont let you live.
Again Edgar began screaming horrible swear words. At
some point during the scene Miss Marple was conscious of Miss
Believer saying, We must do something, and leaving the Hall.
Edgar seemed to pause for breath and then he shouted out,
Youre going to die - to die. Youre going to die now. Take that,
you devil, and that!
Two shots rang out - not in the park this time, but definitely
behind the locked door.
Mildred, cried out, Oh no, what shall we do?
There was a loud noise from inside the room and then the
sound of slow, heavy sobbing.
Stephen Restarick marched past Miss Marple and started
knocking loudly on the door. Open the door. Open the door,
he shouted.
39
Agatha C hristie
Miss Believer cam e back into the H all, holding several keys.
T ry these, she said breathlessly.
At that m om ent the lights cam e on again. Stephen R estarick
began try in g the keys. T hey heard the inside key fall out as he
did so.
A nd that w ild, desperate sobbing w ent on.
W alter H udd, co m ing lazily back into the H all, stopped and
dem anded, W h a ts going o n ?
M ildred said tearfully, T h at awful m ad young m an has shot
M r Serrocold.
Please. It was C arrie Louise w ho spoke. She got up and came
across to the study door. G ently she pushed Stephen R estarick
aside. Let m e speak to him .
She called very softly Edgar, Edgar, let m e in, w ill you?
Please, Edgar.
T hey heard the key pu t into the lock. It tu rn e d and the door
was opened.
B ut it was n o t E dgar w ho opened it. It was Lewis Serrocold.
H e was breathing hard as though he had been ru n n in g
otherw ise he was n o t affected.
Its all right, dearest, he said. Its all right.
W e thought you had been shot, said Miss Believer, her relief
obvious.
Lewis Serrocold frow ned. H e said w ith a little show o f anger,
O f course I havent been shot.
T hey could see into the study by now. E dgar Lawson had
fallen by the desk. H e was sobbing and breathing heavily. T he
g un lay on the floor.
B ut we heard the shots, said M ildred.
O h yes, he fired tw ice.
A nd he missed you?
40
O f course he missed me, snapped Lewis.

No, no, Miss Marple did not consider those were the right
words at all. The shots must have been fired at close range.
Lewis Serrocold said irritably. W heres Maverick? Its
Maverick we need.
Miss Believer said, Ill get him. Shall I call the police as well?
Police? Certainly not.
O f course we must call the police, said Mildred. Hes
dangerous.
Nonsense, said Lewis Serrocold. Poor boy. Does he look
dangerous?
At that moment he looked young and helpless. His voice had
lost its careful accent. I didnt mean to do it, he groaned. I dont
know what happened to me - saying all that stu ff- I must have
been mad. I didnt mean to. Please, M r Serrocold, I really didnt
mean to.
Lewis Serrocold patted him on the shoulder. Thats all right,
my boy. No damage done.
I might have killed you, M r Serrocold.
Walter Hudd walked across the room and looked at the wall
behind the desk.
The bullets went in here. It must have been a near miss, he
said grimly.
I didnt know what I was doing. I thought hed taken away
my rights. I thought . . .
Miss Marple asked the question she had been wanting to
ask for some time. W ho told you that M r Serrocold was your
father?
Just for a second a sly expression showed on Edgars painfilled face. It was there and gone in a second. Nobody, he said.
I just - I just thought it.
41
A gatha C hristie
W alter H u d d picked up the gun. W h ere the hell did you get
m y g u n ? he dem anded. You little thief, you took it out o f my
ro o m !
Lewis Serrocold stepped betw een the frightened E dgar and
the angry A m erican. A h, heres M averick. Take a look at him ,
w ill you?
D r M averick cam e tow ards E dgar enthusiastically. This
is n o t acceptable, Edgar. You cant do this sort o f thing, you
know .
H e s m ad and dangerous, said M ildred. H e s been shooting
a gu n at m y stepfather.
E dgar cried out in fear.
Careful, please, M rs Strete, D r M averick w arned.
Im sick o f you all! I tell you this m ans m ad, M ildred insisted.
E dgar pulled away from D r M averick and fell to the floor
at Serrocolds feet. H elp me. Help me. D o n t let them take me
away and lock m e up. D o n t let th em !
You com e w ith me, Edgar, said D r M averick. You go to
bed now and w ell talk in the m orning. N o w you trust me,
do n t you?
R isin g to his feet and shaking, Edgar looked doubtfully at the
y oung doctor and then at M ildred Strete. She said I was m ad.
N o, no, youre not.
Miss Believer came in, red faced. Ive telephoned the police,
she said grimly.
J olly! C arrie Louise cried in dismay.
E dgar began crying again.
I told you, Jolly, I did not w ant the police, Lewis Serrocold
said angrily. T his is a m edical m atter.
T h at m ay be so, said Miss Believer. B ut I had to call the
police. M r G ulbrandsens been shot dead.
42
Chapter 8
C hristian shot? D ead? C arrie Louise said. T h a ts impossible.
G o and look for yourselves, said Miss Believer angrily.
Lewis Serrocold put a hand on C arrie Louises shoulder. N o,
dearest, let m e go.
H e w en t out. D r M averick and Miss Believer follow ed
him .
Miss M arple gently led C arrie Louise to a chair. She sat dow n,
her eyes looking h u rt and shocked. C hristian shot? she said
again. She sounded like a hurt, confused child. B ut w ho could
possibly w ant to shoot C hristian?
Crazy! W alter said quietly. T h e w hole lot o f them .
G inas young, startled face was the m ost vivid thing in the
room .
Suddenly the front door opened and together w ith a rush o f
cold air a m an in a big overcoat came in.
H is cheerful greeting seemed shocking. Hello, everybody. A
lot o f fog on the road, I had to drive very slowly.
Miss M arple saw that this m ust be the other R estarick brother,
Alex, but w here Stephen was thin, the new com er was a m uch
bigger y o ung m an, handsom e and w ith the all the authority and
good h u m o u r that success brings to some men.
H e said, doubtfully, You w ere expecting me, w erent you?
You got my telegram ?
H e was speaking now to C arrie Louise. She put her hand out
to him . H e took it and kissed it gently w ith real affection.
A lex dear things have been happening.
M y brother, C hristian, M ildred said w ith a grim relish that
Miss M arple disliked, has been shot dead.
G o o d grief. A lex said, clearly upset. Suicide, do you m ean?
43
Agatha C hristie
O h no, C arrie Louise said. It couldnt be suicide.

N o t C h ristian !
U ncle C hristian w ould never shoot him self, said Gina.
W h en did this happen? asked Alex.
A b o u t - oh th ree or four m inutes ago, I suppose, said Gina.
W hy, o f course, w e heard the shot. O n ly w e didnt notice it.
You see, there w ere o ther things going on.
Ju lie t B eliever cam e in to the H all. M r S errocold suggests
th at w e all w ait in th e lib rary for th e police. E x cep t for M rs
S errocold. Y ouve had a shock, C arrie. Ill take you up to
b e d .
R ising, C arrie Louise shook her head. I m ust see C hristian
first. She looked round. C om e w ith m e, w ill you, Jan e ?
T h e tw o w om en m oved out th ro u g h the door, past the m ain
staircase and the d in in g room , past the side door to the terrace
and on to the guest room that had been given to C hristian
G ulbrandsen. It was furnished as a sitting room m ore than a
bedroom , w ith a bed on one side and a door leading into a
dressing ro o m and bathroom .
C hristian had been sitting at the desk w ith a typew riter in
front o f him . H e sat there now, fallen sideways in the chair.
Lewis Serrocold was standing by the w in d o w looking out
into the night.
H e turned. M y dearest, you shouldnt have com e.
O h yes, Lewis. I had to see him . O n e has to kn o w how
things are.
She w alked slowly towards the desk. H e was shot deliberately
by someone? M u rd ered?
O h yes.
She stood looking dow n at the dead m an. T here was sadness
and affection in her face. D ear C hristian, she said. H e was
always good to me. Softly, she touched the top of his head with
her fingers. Bless you and thank you, dear Christian.
Lewis Serrocold said with more emotion than Miss Marple
had seen in him before, I wish I could have saved you from
this.
His wife shook her head gently. You cant really save anyone
from anything, she said. Things always have to be faced sooner
or later. And therefore it had better be sooner.
45
Chapter 9
Inspector C u rry and his Sergeant found Miss Believer alone in
the G reat H all w h en they arrived.
She came forw ard. I am Juliet Believer, com panion and
secretary to M rs Serrocold. M ost o f the household are in the
library. M r Serrocold rem ained in M r G ulbrandsens room to
see that n o th in g was touched. D r M averick, w ho first exam ined
the body, w ill be here soon. H e had to take a case over to the
Institute. Shall I lead the way?
Please.
For the next tw en ty m inutes it was the routine o f police
procedure that was m ost im portant. T h e photographer took
pictures. T h e police surgeon arrived and was jo in ed by D r
M averick. H a lf an h o u r later, the am bulance took away C hristian
Gulbrandsen, and Inspector C u rry started his official inquiry.
H e looked carefully round the people gathered there, m aking
notes in his m ind. A n old lady w ith w hite hair, a m iddle-aged
lady, the good -lo o k ing girl he had seen driving her car ro u n d the
countryside, that A m erican husband o f hers. A couple o f young
m en, the capable Miss Believer, and Lewis Serrocold.
Im afraid this is all very upsetting to you, he said, and I
hope I w ill not keep you too long this evening. W e can look
at everything m ore thoroughly tom orrow . It was Miss Believer
w ho found M r G ulbrandsen dead, so Ill ask her to give me a
description o f the general situation. M r Serrocold, i f you w ant to
go up to your wife, please do.
Miss Believer arranged Inspector C urry, his Sergeant and

herself in Lewis Serrocolds study. Inspector C u rry had a pleasant
46
voice and m anner. H e looked quiet and serious. Ive had the
m ain facts from M r Serrocold. M r C hristian G ulbrandsen was
one o f the trustees here and he arrived unexpectedly yesterday.
T h at is co rrect?
Yes.
Inspector C u rry was pleased by her short answer. H e
continued, M r Serrocold was away in Liverpool. H e returned
this evening by the 6.30 train.
Yes.
A fter dinner, M r G ulbrandsen w ent to w ork in his ow n
room , leaving the rest o f the group here. C orrect?
Yes.
N ow , Miss Believer, please explain how you found him dead.
S om ething unpleasant happened this evening. A young
m an becam e very unbalanced and threatened M r Serrocold
w ith a gun. T h ey w ere locked in this ro o m and you can see
the bullet holes in the w all there. F ortunately M r Serrocold was
u n h u rt. A fter firing the shots, this young m an was in such a bad
condition that M r Serrocold sent m e to find D r M averick. As
I was com ing back, I w ent to M r G ulbrandsens room to ask if
there was any th in g he w ould like before he w ent to bed. W hen
I saw that M r G ulbrandsen was dead, I rang you.
C o u ld anyone have com e into the house from outside
w ith o u t b eing heard o r seen?
C ertain ly by the side door to the terrace. People com e in
and out th at w ay to go to the C ollege buildings.
A n d you have, I believe, tw o h undred and fifty juvenile
delinquents in the C ollege?
Yes. B ut the C ollege buildings are locked and guarded. It
is m ost unlikely that anyone could leave the College w ithout
perm ission.
47
Agatha C hristie
W e shall check that, o f course. W h at was the purpose o f M r

G ulbrandsens visit?
I have no idea. H is business here was w ith M r Serrocold.
D id he have a m eeting w ith M r Serrocold?
N o, there was no tim e. M r Serrocold arrived ju st before
dinner. A nd after dinner, M r G ulbrandsen said he had an
im p o rtan t letter to w rite and w ent away to do so.
H e didnt suggest a m eeting w ith M r Serrocold?
N o .
M r Serrocold did n o t go w ith him to his room ?
N o. M r Serrocold stayed in the H all.
A nd you have no idea at w hat tim e M r G ulbrandsen was
killed?
I th in k it is possible that w e heard the shot. I f so, it was at
tw en ty -th ree m inutes past nine. N aturally I looked at the clock.
You heard a shot? A nd it did not frighten yo u ?
T h e circum stances w ere already very frightening. Miss
Believer explained in m ore detail the scene betw een Lewis
Serrocold and E dgar Lawson. T hen added grim ly, You dont
expect m urder and attem pted m urder in the same house on the
same n ight.
Inspector C u rry agreed to the tru th o f that.
All the same, said Miss Believer, suddenly, You know , I
believe th ats w hat m ade m e go along to M r G ulbrandsens room
later. To reassure m yself that everything was all right.
Inspector C u rry stared at her for a m om ent. W h a t m ade you
th in k it m ight not be all right?
T h e shot outside. It didnt m ean anything at the tim e. A nd
afterwards I told m yself that it was only a backfire from M r
R estarick s car. B ut . . .
M r R estarick s car?
48
Yes. Alex R estarick arrived this evening ju st after all this

happened.
I see. W h e n you discovered M r G ulbrandsens body, did you
touch an y th in g ?
O f course not. M r G ulbrandsen had been shot through the
head b u t there was no gun to be seen, so I knew it was m urder
and n o t suicide.
A n d ju st now, w hen you took us into the room , everything
was the same as w hen you found the body?
Miss Believer th o u g h t about it. O n e th in g was different, she
said. T here was n o th in g in the typew riter. M r G ulbrandsen had
been w ritin g a letter, it m ust have been rem oved.
T h an k you, Miss Believer. W h o else w ent into that room
before w e arrived?
M r Serrocold, o f course. A nd M rs Serrocold and Miss
M arple.
W h ich is Miss M arple? Inspector C u rry asked.
T h e old lady w ith w hite hair. She was a school friend o f M rs
Serrocolds. She arrived about four days ago.
W ell, th an k you, Miss Believer. Ill have a w ord w ith Miss
M arple n ext, th en she can go o ff to bed. Its no t kind to keep an
old lady like th at from her rest, said Inspector C urry. This m ust
have been a shock to her.
Ill tell her, shall I?
Yes, please do.
Miss Believer w ent out. Inspector C u rry looked at the
ceiling. W h y G ulbrandsen? he said. Two hundred and fifty
young delinquents here. Probably one o f them did it. B ut w hy
G ulbrandsen? T h e stranger.
Sergeant Lake said, O f course w e dont know everything
yet.
49
Agatha C hristie
Inspector C u rry said, So far, w e dont kn o w anything at all.

H e ju m p ed up w hen Miss M arple cam e in and hurried to
m ake her feel com fortable. N o w dont upset yourself, m aam.
T his is all very w o rrying, I know. B ut w eve ju st got to get the
facts clear.
O h yes, I know , said Miss M arple. So difficult, isnt it? To
be clear about anything, I m ean. Because i f youre looking at one
thing, you cant be looking at another. A nd one so often looks
at the w ro n g thing, though w hether because one happens to do
so o r because youre m eant to, its very hard to say. M isdirection,
the magicians call it. So clever, arent they?
Inspector C u rry blinked a little. Q u ite so. N ow , m aam,
Miss Believer has told m e w hat happened this evening. A m ost
anxious tim e for all o f you, Im sure.
Yes, indeed. It was all so dram atic, you know .
First, this argum ent betw een M r Serrocold and Edgar
Lawson.
A very strange y oung m an, said Miss M arple. I have felt all
along that there was som ething w ro n g about h im .
Im sure you have, said Inspector C urry. A n d then, after
that excitem ent was over, there came M r G ulbrandsens death. I
understand th at you w ent w ith M rs Serrocold to see the er
the body.
Yes, I did. W e are very old friends.
Q u ite so. A nd did you touch anything w hile you w ere in the
room , either o f you?
O h no.
D id you happen to notice, m aam, w hether there was paper
in the typ ew riter?
T here wasnt, said Miss M arple. I noticed that at once
because it seemed strange. M r G ulbrandsen was sitting at the
50
ty p ew riter so he m ust have been typing som ething. Yes, I

th o u g h t it very strange.
Inspector C u rry looked at her sharply. H e said, D id you talk
w ith M r G ulbrandsen w hile he was h ere?
Very little. Miss M arple thought. H e asked m e about M rs
Serrocolds health. In particular, about her heart.
H er heart? Is there som ething w ro n g w ith her heart?
N o th in g w hatsoever, I understand.
Inspector C u rry was silent for a m om ent or tw o, then he
said, M r G ulbrandsen left the group im m ediately after dinner,
I understand?
Yes, he said he had a letter to w rite.
H e d id n t ask for a business m eeting w ith M r Serrocold?
N o . Miss M arple added, You see, they had already had one.
T h ey had? W hen? I understood that M r Serrocold only
retu rn ed hom e ju st before dinner.
T h a ts quite true, but he w alked th ro u g h the gardens, and
M r G ulbrandsen w ent out to m eet h im and they w alked up and
dow n the terrace together.
W h o else know s this?
I do n t th in k anybody else, said Miss M arple. I just happened
to be lo o k in g out o f my w indow .
You d id n t, Inspector C u rry said delicately, happen to
overhear an y th in g o f w hat they said?
Inn o cen t blue eyes m et his. O n ly bits, Im afraid, said
Miss M arple gently. I do not kn o w the actual subject o f their
conversation, b u t they w anted to save C arrie Louise from
k n o w in g som ething. To save her that was how M r G ulbrandsen
put it, and M r Serrocold said, I agree that w e m ust consider
her. T h ey also m entioned a big responsibility and that they
should, perhaps, take outside advice.
Agatha Christie
She paused. I think you should ask M r Serrocold himself

about all this.
We will do so, maam. Now is there anything else that you
thought unusual this evening?
Miss Marple thought for a moment. It was all so unusual, if
you know what I mean. But there was one thing. M r Serrocold
stopped Mrs Serrocold from taking her medicine. Miss Believer
was quite annoyed about it. She smiled modestly. But that, of
course, is such a little thing.
Yes. Well, thank you, Miss Marple.
As Miss Marple went out of the room, Sergeant Lake said,
Shes old, but shes very observant.
52
Chapter 10
Lewis Serrocold came into the study and sat dow n, no t in the
chair Miss M arple had ju st left, bu t in his ow n chair beh in d the
desk.
H e looked at the tw o police officers thoughtfully. H e had the
face o f a m an w ho was suffering badly in very difficult conditions,
and it surprised Inspector C u rry because, though C hristian
G ulbrandsens death m ust have been a shock, G ulbrandsen had
n o t been a close friend or relation. H e was only a rather distant
connection by m arriage.
Lewis Serrocold said w ith a sigh, H o w difficult it is to know
the rig h t th in g to do.
I th in k w e w ill be the judges o f that, M r Serrocold, said
Inspector C urry. N ow , M r G ulbrandsen arrived unexpectedly,
I u n d erstand?
H e did.
A nd you have no idea o f w hy he cam e?
Lewis Serrocold said quietly, O h yes, I know w hy he came.
H e told m e.
Business connected w ith the G ulbrandsen Institute, I
suppose?
O h no, it was n o th in g to do w ith the G ulbrandsen Institute.
Lewis Serrocold continued seriously. I fully realize that w ith
G ulbrandsens m urder, I have got to pu t all the facts before you.
B ut I am w o rried about m y w ifes happiness and peace o f m ind.
It is n o t for m e to direct you, Inspector, bu t i f you can find a way
to keep certain things from her I w ould be grateful. You see,
Inspector C urry, C hristian G ulbrandsen came here to tell me
that he believed m y w ife was being slowly and cold-bloodedly
poisoned.
53
Agatha C hristie
W h a t? C u rry leaned forw ard, astonished.

Serrocold nodded. Yes, it was, as you can im agine, a huge
shock to me. I had no suspicion o f such a th in g myself, but
as soon as C h ristian told m e, I realized that the sym ptom s o f
arthritis that m y w ife had com plained o f lately pain in the legs
and sickness w ere also the sym ptom s o f arsenic poisoning.
You definitely th in k , then, that G ulbrandsens suspicions
w ere correct?
O h yes. H e w ould no t have com e to m e w ith such a
suggestion unless he was sure o f his facts. H e was a careful m an,
and very th o ro u g h .
W h at was his evidence?
W e had no tim e to discuss it. O u r interview was hurried.
It was only long enough to explain his visit, and to com e to an
agreem ent that n o th in g should be said to m y w ife.
A nd w ho did he suspect?
H e did not say, and I dont th in k he knew . B ut he m ust have
suspected otherw ise w hy w ould he be killed?
H e m entioned no nam e to you?
N o. H e suggested that we ask for the advice o f D r G albraith,
the Bishop o f C rom er. D r Galbraith is one o f the trustees, a m an
o f great w isdom and experience w ho w ould support m y w ife i f if it was necessary to tell her o f our suspicions.
H o w extraordinary, said Curry.
G ulbrandsen left us after dinner to w rite to D r G albraith. H e
was actually ty p in g the letter w hen he was shot.
H o w do you k n o w ?
Lewis said calmly, Because I have the letter here. H e took
out a folded ty p ew ritten sheet o f paper and handed it to Curry.
T h e Inspector said sharply, You shouldnt have touched
anything.
I k n o w I was w ro n g to m ove this, b u t I had a very strong

reason. I felt certain that m y w ife w ould insist on com ing into
the ro o m and I was afraid that she m ig h t read w hat is w ritten
here. A nd I w ould do anything - anything - to avoid m y wife
being unhappy.
Inspector C u rry said no m ore for the m om ent. H e read the
ty p ew ritten sheet.
Dear D r Galbraith,
Please come to Stonygates as soon as you receive this. I am in the
middle o f an extraordinary crisis and I do not know how to deal with,
it. I know how strong your affection is fo r our dear Carrie Louise,
and how serious your concern will be fo r anything that affects her.
H ow much does she have to know? H ow much can we keep from her?
Those are the questions that I fin d difficult to answer.
I have reason to believe that this sweet and innocent lady is being
poisoned. I first suspected this when
H ere the letter stopped.

C u rry said, B ut w hy on earth was this letter in the typew riter
and n o t taken by the m urderer?
I can only guess that the m urderer m ay have heard som eone
com ing and only had tim e to escape.
H o w do you th in k this poison is being given?
It seems to m e that the m ost likely answer is the m edicine
that m y w ife is taking. W e all share the same food, but anyone
could add arsenic to the m edicine bottle.
W e m ust have the m edicine tested.
Lewis said quietly, I already have a sample. I took it this
evening before dinner.
Agatha C hristie
From a draw er in the desk he to o k out a small bottle w ith a

p in k liquid in it.
Inspector C u rry said w ith a curious look, You th in k o f
everything, M r Serrocold.
I acted im m ediately. Tonight, I stopped m y w ife from taking
her usual dose. It is still in a glass in the H all the bottle o f
m edicine itself is in the din in g room .
C u rry low ered his voice. Youll excuse m e, M r Serrocold,
b u t just w hy are you so anxious to keep this from your wife?
Surely, for her o w n sake, it w ould be best i f she w ere w arned.
Yes yes, th at m ay well be so. B ut I dont th in k you
understand. M y w ife, Inspector C urry, is an idealist, a com pletely
trustful person. She has no idea o f evil. She simply could not
believe that som eone w ould w ant to kill her. B ut it is not just
som eone. It is a case surely you see that o f som eone very
near and dear to her.
So th ats w hat you th in k ?
W e have got to face facts. Close by w e have a couple o f
hu ndred young delinquents w ho have been violent. B ut none
o f them can be a suspect in this case. By the very nature o f
things, a slow poisoner is som eone living in the family. T h in k o f
the people w ho are here in this house; her husband, her daughter,
her granddaughter and her husband, her stepson w hom she
regards as her ow n son, Miss Believer her devoted friend. All
very near and dear to her and yet w e m ust be suspicious that it
is one o f them .
C u rry said slowly, T here are outsiders.
Yes, D r M averick and one or tw o o f the staff are often
w ith us, and the servants bu t w hat possible m otive could they
have?
56
Inspector C u rry said, A nd theres y oung E dgar Lawson?

Yes. B ut he has only been here a short tim e.
B ut h es unbalanced. W h at about this attack on you tonight?
Serrocold w aved it aside im patiently. H e had no intention o f
h arm in g me. It was play-acting, no m ore.
R a th e r dangerous play-acting, M r Serrocold.
You really m ust talk to o u r psychiatrist, D r M averick. H e ll
give you the professional view. E dgar w ill probably be quite
norm al to m o rro w m orning.
You dont w ish to bring a charge against h im ?
T h at w ould be the w orst th in g possible. In any case, poor
E dgar certainly did no t shoot G ulbrandsen. H e was in here
th reaten in g to shoot m e.
T h a ts the point I was com ing to, M r Serrocold. Anyone,
it seems, could have com e in from outside and shot M r
Gulbrandsen, as the terrace door was unlocked. B ut w ith w hat
you have been telling me, the question is: w ho inside the house
could have killed M r Gulbrandsen?
Lewis Serrocold said slowly, I can only tell you that everyone
except the servants was in the G reat H all w hen C hristian left it,
and w hilst I was there, nobody left it.
N o b o d y at all?
I th in k , Lewis frow ned, oh yes. Some o f the lights w ent
out - M r W alter H u d d w ent to see to it.
T h a ts the y o ung A m erican gentlem an?
Yes o f course I dont know w hat took place after E dgar and
I came in here.
A nd you cant be clearer than that, M r Serrocold?
Lewis Serrocold shook his head. N o, Im afraid I cant help
you. Its - its ju st n o t believable.
57
Agatha C hristie
Inspector C u rry sighed. You can tell everyone that they can
all go to bed. Ill talk to them tom orrow .
W h en Serrocold had left the room , Inspector C u rry said to
Lake, W ell w hat do you th in k ?
H e know s or th inks he know s, w ho did it, said Lake.
Yes. I agree w ith you. A nd he doesnt like it at all.
Chapter 11
G ina greeted Miss M arple w ith a rush o f w ords as she came
dow n to breakfast the next m orning. T h e police are here
again. T h ey re in the library this tim e, theyre going to speak
to everybody. I th in k the w hole th in g s horrible. I hate it.
A nd Jo lly s very bad tem pered, H olding on to her arm , Gina
took Miss M arple into the d in in g room . I th in k its because
the police are in charge and Jolly cant m anage them like she
m anages everybody else.
Alex and Stephen, continued G ina severely, as she saw the,
tw o brothers finishing their breakfast, just dont care.
G ina dearest, said Alex, you are m ost unkind. G ood m orning,
Miss M arple. I care very m uch. Except for the fact that I hardly
knew y o u r U ncle C hristian, Im obviously the best suspect.
W h y ?
W ell, I was driving up to the house at the right tim e. A nd
theyve been checking on things it seems that I took too m uch
tim e betw een the gate and the house - tim e enough, apparently,
to leave the car, ru n round the house, go in through the side
door, shoot C h ristian and rush back to the car again.
A nd w hat w ere you really doing?
I stood for several m inutes looking at the fog in the cars
headlights and th in k in g w hat I w ould use to get that effect on a
stage. For m y n ew Lim ehouse ballet.
B ut you can tell them th at!
O h , you k n o w w hat policem en are like. T hey have doubting
m inds.
It w ould am use m e to see you in trouble, Alex, said Stephen
w ith his rather cruel smile. N ow , Im all right! I never left the
H all last n ig h t.
59
Agatha C hristie
Gina cried, B ut they couldnt possibly th in k it was one o f us!

H er dark eyes w ere upset.
Miss Believer looked in at the door and said, Miss M arple,
w hen you have finished your breakfast, w ill you go to the
library?
Hey, w hat was that? asked Alex.
I d idnt hear an ything, said Stephen.
It was a g u n shot.
T h ey ve been firing shots in the room w here U ncle C hristian
was killed, said Gina. I dont know why. A nd outside, too.
Lewis Serrocold was standing by the w in d o w in the library.

H e tu rn ed and cam e forw ard to m eet Miss M arple. I hope, he
said, that the shock has not m ade you ill. To be close to m urder
m ust be terrible for anyone w ho has no t com e in contact w ith
such a th in g before.
M odesty stopped Miss M arple from replying that she was, by
now, used to m urder. She said that life in St M ary M ead was not
so quiet as outside people believed.
Lewis Serrocold was not really listening. H e said, I w ant
y o u r help.
B ut o f course, M r Serrocold.
I th in k th at you have a real affection for m y w ife?
Yes, indeed. Everyone has.
T h at is w hat I believed. It seems that I am w rong. W ith the
perm ission o f Inspector C urry, I am going to tell you som ething
that no one else knows. O r perhaps I should say w hat only one
person know s.
H e told her w hat he had told Inspector C u rry the n ig h t before
about C arrie being poisoned.
60
Miss Marple looked horrified. I cant believe it, M r Serrocold.

I really cant.
That is what I felt when Christian Gulbrandsen told me.
Surely, dear Carrie Louise does not have an enemy in the
world.
It seems impossible to believe that she does. But you
understand, poisoning slow poisoning it must be one of our
family.
If it is true.
The police tested Carrie Louises medicine bottle and a
separate sample of its contents. There was arsenic in both of
them.
Miss Marple said softly, So R uth was right!
R uth?
Lewis Serrocold sounded surprised. Miss Marples face turned
pink. I did not come here by chance.
Lewis Serrocold listened whilst Miss Marple told him of
R uths concern. Then he said grimly, Well, it seems she was
right. Now, Miss Marple, you see my problem. Should I tell
Carrie Louise?
Miss Marple said quickly, Oh no, in an unhappy voice.
Lewis nodded. So you feel as I do? As Christian Gulbrandsen
did. Would we feel like that with an ordinary woman?
Carrie Louise is not an ordinary woman. Her trust in people
controls her whole life. I do feel that until we know who . . .
Yes, but you do see, Miss Marple, that there is a risk in saying
nothing.
A nd so you want me to to watch over her?
You are the only person I can trust, said Lewis Serrocold
simply.
Because I only arrived a few days ago? said Miss Marple.
61
Agatha C hristie
Lewis Serrocold smiled. Exactly.

It is an unpleasant question, said Miss M arple apologetically.
B ut w ho exactly w ould benefit if dear C arrie Louise w ere to
die?
M oney! said Lewis bitterly. It always comes back to money,
doesnt it?
Well, I th in k it m ust be in this case. Because C arrie Louise
is a lovely person, and one cannot im agine her having an enemy.
B ut as you know , M r Serrocold, people w ill often do anything
for m oney.
I suppose so, yes. H e continued, N aturally Inspector C u rry
has already taken up that point. M r Gilfoy is com ing dow n
from L ondon today. His com pany w rote bo th C arrie Louises w ill
and the original w ill o f Eric G ulbrandsen. M y understanding is
that Eric G ulbrandsen, after financing the C ollege and his other
charitable works, left equal am ounts to M ildred and Pippa. H e
left the rem ainder o f his fortune in a trust fu n d , the incom e to
be paid to C arrie Louise for her lifetim e.
A nd after her d eath?
It was to be divided equally betw een M ildred and Pippa or
their children if they had died before C arrie Louise.
So it goes to M rs Strete and to G ina.
Yes. C arrie Louise has also a large fortune o f her ow n. H a lf o f
this she gave to m e four years ago. O f the rem aining am ount, she
left ten thousand pounds to Juliet Believer, and the rest equally
divided betw een Alex and Stephen R estarick, her tw o stepsons.
O h dear, said Miss M arple. T h at m eans everyone in this
house had a financial m otive.
Yes. A nd yet, you know, I cant believe that any o f these
people w ould com m it m urder. I simply cant. M ildred is her
daughter and already well provided for. G ina is devoted to
62
her grandm other. Jolly Believer is totally devoted to C arrie.

T he tw o R estaricks care for C arrie Louise as though she w ere
really their m other. A nd a lot o f C arries incom e has been used to
finance their theatrical w ork - especially so w ith Alex. I simply
cant believe either o f them w ould poison her. I just cant believe
any o f it, Miss M arple.
N o t that it helps, said Miss M arple. B ut actually to com m it
a m urder, I th in k you need courage as w ell or perhaps, m ore
often, ju st conceit. Yes, conceit. I w ondered .
She broke o ff as
Inspector C u rry came into the room .
Chapter 12
Lewis Serrocold w ent away, and Inspector C u rry sat dow n and
gave Miss M arple a rather know ing smile. So M r Serrocold has
been asking you to keep a close eye on his w ife, he said.
W ell, yes. I hope you dont m ind.
I th in k its a very good idea. Does M r Serrocold know just
how well qualified you are for the jo b ?
I do n t quite understand, Inspector.
H e thinks yo u re just a very nice elderly lady w ho was at
school w ith his w ife. H e shook his head. W e k now youre m ore
than that, Miss M arple, arent you? Y oure very fam iliar w ith
crim e. M r Serrocold only knows one part o f it the beginners,
these juvenile delinquents. It makes m e sick. T here are plenty
o f good young m en about, boys w ho are w orking hard. A good
start in life w ould m ake a lot o f difference to them . B ut there it is,
honesty has to be its o w n rew ard m illionaires dont leave trust
funds to help the good young people. W ell, Ive seen boys - and
girls w ith everything against them , bad hom es, bad luck, every
disadvantage, and th eyve had the determ ination to succeed,
despite all th eir problem s. T h a ts the kind o f person I w ill leave
m y fortune to, i f I ever have one. B ut then, o f course, I never
w ill have a fortune. Just my pension and a nice bit o f garden. H e
nodded at Miss M arple. Superintendent Blacker told m e about
you last night. H e said youve had a lot o f experience o f the
bad side o f hu m an nature. Well now, lets have your view. W h o
killed Gulbrandsen? T he A m erican husband?
T h at, said Miss M arple, w ould be very convenient for
everybody.
Inspector C u rry smiled to himself. A nd his m anner doesnt
help. So, w h o s been poisoning M rs S errocold?
64
W ell, said Miss M arple, my first idea, hum an nature being

w hat it is, is to th in k o f the husband. O r, if its the husband being
poisoned, then the wife. T hat is always the first thought, dont
you th in k , in a poisoning case?
I agree w ith you every tim e, said Inspector C urry.
B ut really in this case Miss M arple shook her head.
N o, I cannot seriously consider M r Serrocold. Because you see,
Inspector, he really is devoted to his wife. Its very quiet, but
its genuine. H e loves his wife, and Im certain that he w o u ld n t
poison her.
A nd he has no m otive. Shes given her m oney to h im already.
9
Im really afraid, Miss M arple sounded rather sorry about it,
we shall have to exclude him as a suspect.
N o easy answer for us, said the Inspector, smiling. And
anyway, he couldnt have killed Gulbrandsen. It seems certain to
me that w hoever is poisoning M rs Serrocold killed Gulbrandsen to
prevent him talking. W hat w eve got to decide now is w ho had an
opportunity to kill Gulbrandsen. A nd our first suspect theres no
doubt about it is young W alter H udd. It was he w ho switched on
a reading lamp w hich resulted in a fuse breaking, giving him the
opportunity to leave the hall. It was w hile he was away from the
Great H all that the shot was heard. So thats suspect num ber one.
A n d suspect nu m ber tw o ? asked Miss M arple.
A lex R estarick, w ho was alone in his car betw een the gate
and the house and took too long getting there.
A nybody else? Miss M arple leaned forw ard eagerly.
N o w th a ts w here, said Inspector C urry, Ive got to ask you.
You w ere there, in the H all last night, and you can tell m e w ho
left it.
Yes yes, I ought to be able to tell you but can I? You see
the circum stances . . .
65
Agatha C hristie
You m ean th at you w ere all listening to the argum ent going
on in M r S errocolds study.
Miss M arple n o dded in com plete agreem ent. Yes, w e were
all very frightened. E dgar Lawson really looked m ad. A part from
M rs Serrocold, w ho was calm , we all feared that he w ould h u rt
M r Serrocold. H e was shouting, you know , and saying the m ost
terrible things and w hat w ith that and w ith m ost o f the lights
being out I d idnt really notice anything else.
You m ean th at w hilst that scene was going on, anybody could
have left the H all, shot M r G ulbrandsen and com e back again?
I th in k it w ould have been possible. Miss M arple considered.
B ut I can say that M rs Serrocold did no t leave because I was
w atching her. It surprised m e, you know , that she was able to
rem ain so calm .
A n d the others?
Miss Believer w ent out but I am alm ost sure that was after the
shot. M rs Strete? I really dont know. She was sitting behind me.
G ina was over by the far w indow . I th in k she stayed there the
w hole tim e, b u t I cannot be sure. Stephen was at the piano, but
he stopped playing w hen the argum ent began.
So w e can only exclude those people w ho did not have the
opportunity. T h a ts Lewis Serrocold and y oung E dgar Lawson in
the study, and M rs Serrocold in the Hall. Its very unfortunate, o f
course, that G ulbrandsen should be shot on the same evening that
this trouble happened betw een Serrocold and young Lawson.
Just unfortunate, you th in k ? said Miss M arple.
O h? W h at do you th in k ?
I did w onder, said Miss M arple, if it had been planned.
So th ats y o u r idea?
Well, everybody seems to think it very strange that Edgar
Lawsons condition should suddenly get worse. H e says that
66
C hurchill, M ontgom ery, or any famous m an he happens to th in k

o f is his u n k n o w n father. B ut suppose som ebody suggested that
it is Lewis Serrocold w ho is really his father; Lewis Serrocold
w ho has been w orking against h im that he is really the heir to
Stonygates. In his w eak m ental state he w ould accept the idea
becom e m ore and m ore angry and then m ake the kind o f scene
he did. A nd w hat a w onderful cover that w ould be! Everybody
w ould have their attention fixed on the dangerous situation
especially if som ebody had thoughtfully supplied him w ith a gun.
H m m , yes. W alter H u d d s gun.
O h yes, said Miss M arple, I had th ought o f that. B ut you
know , W alter does not say m uch and h es certainly bad-tem pered,
but I dont th in k h es stupid.
Two hours later Inspector C u rry pushed back his chair,

stretched h im self and sighed. W ell, he said, w eve cleared a lot
o f people.
Sergeant Lake agreed. T h e servants are no t suspects. T hey
w ere together at the tim e.
C u rry nodded. H e was tired. H e had interview ed the
therapists, the teachers, and the young delinquents w ho w ere
eating w ith the fam ily that night. All their stories m atched. T hey
had all given each o ther alibis.
D r M averick had agreed w ith his staff, there had been no
breaks in the C ollege security. C hristian G ulbrandsen could not
have been killed by any o f the young patients, as C urry alm ost
called th em it really was hard w ork holding on to good sense
against the com plete certainty o f all these m edical people.
A nd it was n o t a lot easier dealing w ith the family.
67
Chapter 13
Alex R estarick talked a lot. H e also w aved his hands about. I
know , I know ! Im the best suspect. I drove here alone and on the
way I had a creative thought. I do not expect you to understand.
H o w could you?
I m ight, C u rry said, bu t Alex R estarick rushed on.
Its just one o f those things! T hey com e to you theres
no kn o w in g w h en or how. A n idea and everything else goes
out o f your m ind! Im producing Limehouse Nights next m onth.
Suddenly last n ig h t it was w onderful. T h e perfect lighting.
Fog the way the car headlights lit the fog so brightly and yet
there was n o th in g to be seen, the buildings just disappeared.
E verything helped to create the right atm osphere! T he shots
the ru n n in g footsteps. A nd I thought th ats it - bu t how am I
going to get these effects . . .
Inspector C u rry interrupted. You heard shots? W h e re?
O u t o f the fog, Inspector. Alex w aved his hands. O u t o f the
fog. T h at was the w onderful part about it.
You d id n t th in k that anything was w ro n g ?
W ro n g ? W h y should I?
A re shots so usual?
Ah, I k n ew you w ou ld n t understand! T h e shots fitted into
the scene I was creating. I w anted shots, danger. W h a t did I
care w hat they w ere really? Som eone shooting rabbits? I was
im agining m yself in Lim ehouse or rather in the theatre
looking at Lim ehouse.
H o w m any shots?
I dont know , said Alex carelessly. Two or three. Two close
together, I do rem em ber that.
68
Inspector C u rry nodded. A nd the sound o f ru n n in g footsteps?

W h ere w ere they?
T h ey cam e to m e out o f the fog. Som ew here near the house.
Inspector C u rry said gently, T h at w ould suggest that the
m urderer o f C hristian G ulbrandsen came from outside.
O f course. W h y not? You dont really suggest, do you, that
he cam e from inside the house?
Still very gently Inspector C u rry said, W e have to th in k o f
everything.
69
Chapter 14
It was very difficult, Inspector C u rry thought, to get a true
understanding o f som eone from w hat other people said. Several
people had described E dgar Lawson that m orning, but looking
at him now, C u rry s o w n view was very different.
E dgar did n o t seem strange to h im or dangerous, or selfim p o rtan t or n o t n o rm al. H e seemed a very ordinary and rather
sad young m an, sorry for him self and sorry for w hat he had done.
H e was only too anxious to apologize. Ive done w rong. I
d o n t know w hat happened to me really I dont. M aking all
that trouble shooting o ff a gun. At M r Serrocold too, w h o s
been so good to m e and so patient, too.
H e tw isted his hands nervously th in hands, w ith bony
wrists. If Ive got to go to prison, I deserve it. Im guilty.
N o charge has been m ade against you, said Inspector C urry.
A ccording to M r Serrocold, shooting the g u n was an accident.
T h ats because h e s so good. T here never was a m an as good
as M r Serrocold! H e s done everything for me. A nd I repay him
by acting like this.
W h at m ade you act as you did?
E dgar looked embarrassed. I m ade a fool o f myself.
Inspector C u rry said, So it seems. You told M r Serrocold
that he was y o u r father. Was that tru e ?
N o, it w asnt.
W h at put th at idea into your head? D id som eone suggest it
to yo u ?
W ell, its hard to explain.
Inspector C u rry said in a kindly voice, Suppose you try.
W ell, you see, I had a rather hard tim e as a kid. T he other
boys were bad to m e because I dont have a father. M um was
70
usually d ru n k and the house was always dirty, it was horrible.

A nd then I started thinking, supposing m y D ad was no t just
some sailor, but som eone im portant and I started to m ake up
things. T h en I w ent to a new school and I tried it once or tw ice,
saying things. I said m y father was really an officer in the Navy. I
started believing it myself. I didnt feel so bad then. I thought up
some o th er ideas. I got all m ixed up. I couldnt stop telling lies.
Inspector C u rry nodded. H e had already seen E dgars police
record.
M r Serrocold took m e away from all that and brought me
dow n here. H e said he needed a secretary to help him and I
did help him ! I really did. O nly the others laughed at me. T hey
w ere always laughing at m e.
W h a t others? M rs Serrocold?
N o, shes lovely shes always gentle and kind. N o, but Gina
treated m e like dirt. A nd Stephen R estarick. A nd M rs Strete
th o u g h t I was ju st a lying little thief! So did Miss Believer!
C u rry n o ted that he was becom ing m ore excited. So you
d idnt find th em very k in d ?
E dgar said passionately, If I had a proper father they w ou ld n t
have behaved like that.
So you took a couple o f famous fathers?
E dgar blushed red. I always seem to end up telling lies.
A nd finally you said M r Serrocold was your father. W h y ?
Because th at w ould stop them , w ouldnt it? If he was m y
father, they co u ld n t do anything to m e.
Yes. B ut you told him he was your enemy.
I k n o w T h e boy rubbed his head. I got things all w rong.
T here are tim es w hen I dont w hen I dont get things right. I
get m ixed up.
A nd you to o k the g u n from M r H u d d s ro o m ?
71
Agatha C hristie
E dgar looked confused. D id I?

D o n t you rem em ber w here you got it?
E dgar said, It was just childish stuff.
Inspector C u rry said patiently, H o w did you get the g u n ?
You ju st said out o f W alters room .
You rem em ber doing that now?
I m ust have got it from his room . I couldnt have got it any
other way, could I?
I dont know , said Inspector C urry. Som ebody m ight have
given it to y o u ?
Edgar was silent his face blank.
Is that how it happened?
E dgar said passionately, I dont rem em ber. I was so angry. I
w alked around the garden in a terrible state. I thought people
w ere w atching m e, try in g to h u rt me. I cant understand it all
now. I feel I m ust have been mad. I dont rem em ber w here I was
and w hat I was doing h a lf the tim e !
Surely you rem em ber w ho told you M r Serrocold was your
father?
E dgar gave the same blank stare. N o b o d y told me. It just
came to m e.
Inspector C u rry sighed. H e was no t satisfied. B ut he ju d g ed
he w ould get no m ore at the m om ent.
As Edgar w ent, Inspector C u rry shook his head.
D o you th in k h es m ad, sir? Sergeant Lake asked.
M uch less m ad than I had im agined. C om e on, Lake, I w ant
to do a tho ro u g h reconstruction o f the scene in the H all.
T h ats a fact then. Inspector C u rry was sitting at the piano.

Sergeant Lake was in a chair by the w indow overlooking the lake.
72
C u rry w ent on, If Im w atching the study door, I cant see

you.
Sergeant Lake rose and w ent quietly th ro u g h the door to the
library.
All this side o f the room was dark. T h e only lights w ere the
ones beside the study door. N o, Lake, I did n t see you go. O nce
in the library, you could go out th ro u g h the o th er door to the
corridor tw o m inutes to ru n along, shoot G ulbrandsen and
com e back to your chair by the w indow . A nd M rs Strete, she
was close to the door to the hall that leads to all the other room s,
and its a very dark corner. She could have gone and com e back.
Yes, its possible.
C u rry g rin n ed suddenly. A nd I could go. H e got o ff the
music stool and w ent along the w all and out through the door.
C o m in g back, he said, T h e only person w ho m ight notice I
wasnt still at the piano w ould be Gina H udd. A nd you rem em ber
w hat G ina told us: Stephen was at the piano to begin w ith. I
dont k n o w w here he was later.
So you th in k it was Stephen?
I d o n t k n o w w ho it was, said C urry. It w asnt Edgar Lawson
or Lewis Serrocold or M rs Serrocold or Miss Jane M arple. B ut
for th e rest, he sighed, its probably the A m erican. T hose fused
lights w ere a b it too convenient. A nd yet, you know , I like
h im . T h e Inspector was looking dow n at the old-fashioned
m usic stool. H e lifted the top. Still, that isnt evidence . . .
H e stopped lying on the pages o f sheet m usic, was a small
autom atic gun.
Stephen R estarick, said Sergeant Lake joyfully.
N o t so fast, Inspector C u rry w arned him . I believe th ats
just w hat w ere m eant to th in k .
73
Chapter 15
As C arrie Louise came dow n the m ain staircase, three people
m et her: Gina, Miss M arple, and Juliet Believer.
Gina spoke first. D arling! she exclaim ed passionately. Are
you all right? T h e police havent threatened you, have they?
O f course not, Gina. W h a t a strange idea! Inspector C u rry
was m ost k in d .
So he should be, said Miss Believer. N ow , C arrie, Ive got
all your letters here and a parcel.
B ring them into the library, said C arrie Louise.
All four o f th em w ent into the library. C arrie Louise sat
dow n and began opening her letters. T here w ere about tw enty
or th irty o f them .
As she opened them , she handed them to Miss Believer, w ho
sorted them into piles, explaining to Miss M arple, T here are
three m ain types. O n e from relations o f the boys. Those I give
to D r M averick. Letters asking for m oney I reply to myself. A nd
the rest are personal and C arrie gives m e notes on how to deal
w ith them .
T he letters finished, M rs Serrocold tu rn ed to the parcel.
Inside was an attractive box o f chocolates. Som eone m ust th in k
its m y birthday, said M rs Serrocold w ith a smile. She opened
the box. Inside was a visiting card. C arrie Louise looked at it
in surprise. W ith love from A lex, she read. H o w strange for
him to post m e a box o f chocolates on the day he was com ing
here.
Miss M arple felt a sudden uneasiness. She said quickly, W ait,
C arrie Louise. D o n t eat one yet.
M rs Serrocold looked even m ore surprised.
W ait w hile I ask Is Alex here, G ina?
74
H e was in the H all just now, I th in k . She w ent across,

opened the door, and called him .
Alex R estarick appeared in the doorway. M y darling! It is so
good to see you looking as w ell as this. H e came across to M rs
Serrocold and kissed her gently on bo th cheeks.
Miss M arple said, C arrie Louise w ants to th an k you for these
chocolates.
Alex looked surprised. B ut I never sent you any chocolates,
darling.
T h e box has got your card in, said Miss Believer.
A lex looked dow n. So it has. H o w very strange. I certainly
didnt send them .
T h ey look very g o o d said Gina. Look, G randm a, there are
your favourite cherry liqueur ones.
Miss M arple gently took the box away from her. W ith o u t a
w ord she left the ro om and w ent to find Lewis Serrocold. She
found h im in D r M avericks room in the College. She pu t the
box on the table in front o f him . As he listened to her, his face
grew hard.
W e m ust get them tested for poison im m ediately, said D r
M averick.
It seems incredible, said Miss M arple. Everyone in the house
m ight have been poisoned!
Lewis nodded. H is face was still w hite and hard. Yes. This
is it is n o t hu m an
Miss M arple said quietly, If there is poison in these chocolates,
then Im afraid C arrie Louise w ill have to know w hat is going
on. She m ust be w arned.
Lewis Serrocold said heavily, Yes. She w ill have to know that
som eone w ants to kill her. I th in k that she w ill find it alm ost
im possible to believe.
75
Chapter 16
Miss, is it true, Miss, theres a poisoner at work?
Gina pushed the hair back from her face. T here was paint on
her cheek and on her trousers. She and her helpers had been busy
on or their next theatrical production.
It was one o f these helpers w ho was n ow asking the question.
E rnie, the boy w ho had given her such valuable lessons in
opening locks, was also a very good w o o d worker.
His eyes n o w w ere bright w ith pleasure. Everyones talking
about it, he said. B ut it w asnt one o f us, Miss. N o t a thing like
that. N o b o d y w ould h u rt M rs Serrocold. W h a t poison was it,
M iss?
I dont k now w hat youre talking about, E rnie.
E rnie shut one eye in a w ink. O h yes, Miss! M r Alex it was
w ho did it, so they say. H e brought those chocolates dow n from
L ondon. B ut th ats a lie. M r Alex w ouldnt do a th in g like that,
w ould he, M iss?
O f course he w o u ld n t, said Gina.
You really see life here! E rnie said. O ld G ulbrandsen
m urdered yesterday and now a secret poisoner. D o you th in k its
the same person doing both? W h at w ould you say, Miss, if I told
you I k now w ho it was w ho killed h im ?
You cant possibly know .
O h, cant I? Supposing I was outside last n ight and saw
som ething.
H ow could you have been out? T h e C ollege is locked up at
seven, after everybody has been checked in.
I can get out w henever I like, Miss. Locks dont m ean
anything to me. I can get out and w alk around the grounds just
for the fu n o f it, I can.
76
Gina said, I w ish you w ould stop telling lies, E rnie.

W h o s telling lies?
You are. Telling stories about things youve never done at
all.
T h a ts w hat you say, Miss. You w ait till the police come
round and ask m e all about w hat I saw last night.
W ell, w hat did you see?
A h , said E rnie, w ouldnt you like to know ?
Gina m oved quickly to catch Ernie. Sensibly, E rnie ran off.
T h e boys all seem to k now about G randm a and the
chocolates, G ina told Stephen, as they w alked back to the house
that evening. A nd they knew about A lexs card. Surely it was *
stupid to p u t A lexs card in the box w hen he was actually com ing
h ere?
Yes, b u t w ho knew he was com ing? It was a last m inute
decision. Probably, by the tim e his telegram arrived, the box
was posted. A nd it w ould have been a good idea. Because he
does send C arrie Louise chocolates. H e w ent on slowly, W h a t I
simply cant understand is . . .
Is w hy anyone w ould w ant to poison G randm a, Gina
in terrupted. I know. I just cant believe it! Absolutely
everyone loves her.
Stephen did n o t answer.
G ina looked at h im sharply. I k now w hat youre thinking,
Steve!
I w onder.
Youre th in k in g that W alter - isnt very happy w ith her. But
W alter w ould never poison anyone. T he ideas laughable. Gina went
on hurriedly, D o you think Ernie was lying? H e was pretending
he was w alking about in the fog last night, saying he could tell
things about the murder. D o you th in k that m ight be true?
77
Agatha C hristie
True? O f course not. You know h ell say anything to m ake

him self im p o rtan t.
T he setting sun lit the west side o f the house, w ith its terrace
and steps leading d ow n to the lawns.
Is this w here you stopped your car last n ig h t? Inspector
C u rry asked, looking towards the house.
N ear enough, Alex R estarick agreed. Its difficult to tell
exactly because o f the fog. Yes, I w ould say this was the place.
C o m in g o u t from a covering o f thick bushes, the drive tu rn ed
here in a slow curve through a line o f trees and then w ent on
betw een the lake and the house.
D o dgett, said Inspector Curry.
Police C onstable D o d g ett started o ff im m ediately and ran as
fast as he could across the law n towards the house. R eaching
the terrace, he w ent in by the side door. A few m om ents later
the curtains o f one o f the w indow s w ere violently shaken. T hen
Constable D o d g ett reappeared out o f the garden door, and ran
back to them , breathing very hard.
Two m inutes and forty-tw o seconds, said Inspector C urry,
holding up his stop-w atch. T hey dont take long, these things,
do they? H is tone was pleasantly conversational.
I dont ru n as fast as your C onstable, said Alex. A re you
tim in g m y supposed m ovem ents?
Im ju st p o in tin g out that you could have done the m urder.
T h a ts all, M r R estarick.
Alex R estarick said kindly to C onstable D odgett, w ho was
still not breathing norm ally, I cant ru n as fast as you, but I
believe Im fitter.
I had bronchitis last w inter, said D odgett.
78
T h ey D o It W ith M irrors
Alex tu rn ed back to the Inspector. Seriously, in spite o f try in g

to frighten m e and w atch m y reactions, you cant believe I had
anything to do w ith this? Alex R estarick obviously found the
idea very funny. I w ould not send a box o f poisoned chocolates
to M rs Serrocold and put my card inside, w ould I?
T h at m ig h t be w hat w e are m eant to th in k , M r R estarick.
O h, I see. H o w clever. By the way, w ere those chocolates
poisoned?
Yes. T h ey contained aconitine.
N o t one o f m y favourite poisons, Inspector. Personally, I
prefer cu rare.
C urare has to be p u t into the bloodstream , M r R estarick, no t '
into the stom ach.
H o w w ell in form ed the police are, said Alex.
Inspector C u rry looked sideways at the young man, seeing eyes
that were full o f laughter. A trickster w ith brains thats how he
w ould sum up Alex Restarick. In Inspector C urrys opinion, if
Alex Restarick had m urdered Gulbrandsen, he w ould be a very
satisfactory crim inal. B ut unfortunately C urry did not think he had.
I m oved the curtains as you told m e, Sir, Constable D odgett
said, having recovered his breath. A nd counted thirty. I noticed
a hole in the top o f the curtains. It m eans you w ould see the light
in the ro o m from outside.
Inspector C u rry said to Alex, D id you notice light from that
w indow last night?
I couldnt see the house because o f the fog. I told you. Well,
the m ain part, th at is. T he gym nasium building, being closer,
show ed in a m arvellous way. I could no t see it as a solid building
because o f the fog, b u t I did see how I could use it to m ake a
perfect illusion o f dock w arehouses. As I told you, I am p utting
on a show set in the L ondon Docks: Ballet.
79
Agatha C hristie
You told m e, agreed Inspector C urry.

You know , because o f my jo b I do look at things from the
point o f view o f a theatre stage set, rather than from the point o f
view o f reality.
Im sure you do. A nd yet a stage set is real enough, isnt it,
M r R estarick?
I dont see w hat you m ean, Inspector.
W ell, its m ade o f real materials cloth and w ood and paint.
T h e illusion is in the eye o f the audience, no t in the set itself.
T h e set, as I say, is real enough, as real behind the scenes as it is
in front.
Alex stared at him . N o w that, you know , is a very interesting
com m ent, Inspector. Its given me an idea.
For another ballet?
N o, n o t for another ballet. D ear m e, I w onder if w eve all
been rather stupid?
80
Chapter 1 7
You say som ebody has been try in g to poison m e? C arrie Louise
was simply unable to accept the idea. You know , she said, I
really cant believe it.
Lewis said gently, I wish I could have protected you from
this, dearest.
She stretched out a hand to h im and he took it.
Miss M arple, sitting close by, shook her head sympathetically.
Is it really true, Jan e? C arrie Louise asked.
Im afraid so, m y dear.
T h en ev erything . . . C arrie Louise stopped. She continued,
Ive always th o u g h t I knew w hat was real and w hat was not.
This doesnt seem real but it is. So I m ay be w ro n g everywhere.
B ut w ho could w ant to do such a th in g to me? N obody in this
house could w ant to kill m e.
T h a ts w hat I w ould have th ought, said Lewis. I was w rong.
A nd C h ristian k new about it? T h at explains it.
Explains w h at? asked Lewis.
H is behaviour, said C arrie Louise. It was very strange, you
know. N o t like him . H e seemed upset about me. A nd he asked
m e i f m y heart was strong, and i f Id been well lately. B ut w hy
n o t say som ething straight out? Its so m uch simpler.
H e d id n t w ant to cause you pain, C arrie.
Pain? B ut w hy O h, I see. H er eyes w idened. So thats w hat
you believe. B ut youre w rong, Lewis, quite w rong. I am sure o f
that.
H er husband avoided her eyes.
Im sorry, said M rs Serrocold after a m om ent or two. B ut
I cant believe any th ing that has happened lately is true. Edgar
shooting at you. T h at silly box o f chocolates. It just isnt tru e.
N o b o d y spoke.
81
Agatha Christie
Caroline Louise Serrocold sighed. I suppose, she said, that

I must have ignored everything but my own beliefs for a long
time. Please, both of you, I think I would like to be alone. Ive
got to try to understand.
Miss Marple came down the stairs and into the Great Hall to
find Alex Restarick standing near the large entrance door, with
his hand held out in a theatrical way.
Come in, come in, said Alex happily. Im just thinking
about last night.
Lewis Serrocold, who had followed Miss Marple down from
Carrie Louises sitting room, crossed the Great Hall to his study
and shut the door.
A re you trying to reconstruct the crime? asked Miss Marple
with pleasure.
No, not exactly, Alex said. I was looking at the whole thing
from an entirely different point of view. I was thinking of this
place like it was a theatre. Just come over here. Think of it as a
stage set with lights, actors entering and leaving, noises off stage.
All very interesting. It wasnt all my own idea. The Inspector
gave it to me. I think hes rather a cruel man. He did his best to
frighten me this morning.
A nd did he frighten you?
Im not sure. Alex described the Inspectors experiment
and the timing of the performance of the breathless Constable
Dodgett. Time, he said, is so very misleading. You think things
take such a long time, but really, of course, they dont.
No, said Miss Marple. W hat had Carrie Louise meant, she
wondered, when she had said to her husband, So thats what you
believe but youre wrong, Lewis!
82
I m ust say th at was a very clear-sighted rem ark o f the

Inspectors, A lexs voice interrupted h er thoughts. A b o u t a
stage set b eing real. M ade o f w ood and cloth and as real on the
u npainted as on the painted side. T h e illusion, he pointed out,
is in the eyes o f the audience.
Like m agicians, Miss M arple said. T hey do it w ith m irrors is,
I believe, w hat people say.
Stephen R estarick came in, slightly ou t o f breath. H ello,
Alex, he said. T h at little rat, E rnie Gregg, rem em ber him ? H e s
been telling G ina th at he gets out at n ight and w anders about the
gardens. H e says he was w andering ro u n d last night and he saw
som ething.
Alex tu rn e d quickly. Saw w hat?
H e says h es n o t going to tell. A ctually Im sure h es only
try in g to show o ff and get h im self noticed. H e does tell lies a lot,
but I th o u g h t perhaps the police should question h im .
Alex said sharply, W h y dont w e leave h im for a bit and no t
let h im th in k w ere too interested?
Perhaps yes, I th in k you m ay be right there. This evening,
perhaps.
Stephen w en t on into the library.
Miss M arple, w alking gently round the H all, th in k in g o f
herself as an audience m oving around a stage set, w alked into
Alex R estarick as he stepped back suddenly
Miss M arple said, Im so sorry.
Alex frow ned at her, said in an absent-m inded sort o f way,
I beg y o u r pardon, and then added in a surprised voice. I was
th in k in g o f som ething else that boy E rnie. H e m ade strange
m ovem ents w ith b o th hands.
T h en , w ith a sudden change o f behaviour, he crossed the hall
and w ent th ro u g h the library door, shutting it behind him .
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Agatha C hristie
T h e sound o f voices came from beh in d the closed door, but

Miss M arple hardly noticed them . She was no t interested in
Ernie. She was sure that E rnie had seen n o th in g at all. She did
no t believe for a m om ent that on a cold foggy night like last
night, E rnie w ould have used his abilities to open a lock so he
could w ander about in the gardens. It was m ost likely that he
never got out at night. Show ing off, that was all it had been.
Like Jo h n n ie B ackhouse, thought Miss M arple, w ho always
had a parallel experience o f life as an example, and all selected
from the people o f St M ary M ead.
I saw you last n ig h t had been Jo h n n ie B ackhouses
unpleasant co m m en t to all he thought it m ight affect. It had been
a surprisingly successful rem ark. So m any people, Miss M arple
thought, have been in places w here they are anxious not to be
seen!
She stopped th in k in g about Jo h n n ie and concentrated on
som ething w hich A lex had said, thoughts w hich had begun w ith
some com m ents by Inspector C urry. T hose rem arks had given
Alex an idea. H ad they given her an idea, too? T he same idea
or a different one?
She stood w here Alex R estarick had stood. She thought to
herself, T his is n o t a real hall. This is only cloth and w ood.
T his is a stage scene. Bits o f phrases flashed across her m ind:
illusion . . . in the eyes o f the audience . . . they do it w ith
m irrors . . . yards o f coloured ribbon . . . vanishing ladies . . . all
the show and m isdirection . . . the m agicians skill.
Som ething came into her m ind - a picture - som ething that
Alex had said, som ething that he had described to her; Constable
D o dgett try in g to get his breath back. S om ething m oved in her
m ind and came suddenly into focus.
W h y o f course! said Miss M arple. T h at m ust be it.
Chapter 18
Miss M arple was standing at the place w here Inspector C u rry
had m ade his experim ent w ith C onstable D odgett.
Miss Believers voice behind her startled her. Youll catch a
cold, Miss M arple, standing about like that after the suns gone
dow n.
Miss M arple w alked obediently alongside her and they w ent
quickly towards the house.
I was th in k in g about magic tricks, said Miss M arple. So
difficult w hen youre w atching them to see how theyre done,
and yet, once they are explained, so very simple. D id you ever'
see the Lady W ho is C u t in H a lf such an exciting trick? It
fascinated m e w hen I was eleven years old, I rem em ber. A nd I
never could th in k how it was done. B ut the other day there was
an article in some paper explaining exactly how they do it. I
dont th in k a new spaper should do that, do you? It seems its not
one girl b u t tw o. T h e head o f one and the feet o f the other.
You th in k its one girl and its really tw o and the other way
round w ould w ork equally well, w ou ld n t it?
Miss Believer looked at her w ith surprise. Miss M arple was
no t often so vague and unconnected as this. Its all been too
m uch for the old lady, she thought.
W h e n you only look at one side o f a thing, you only see one
side, con tin u ed Miss M arple. B ut everything fits in perfectly
w ell i f you decide w hat is reality and w hat is illusion. She added
suddenly, Is C arrie Louise all right?
Yes, said Miss Believer. Shes all right, but it m ust have
been a shock, you k n o w discovering that som eone w anted to
kill her. I m ean particularly a shock to her, because she doesnt
understand violence.
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Agatha C hristie
C arrie Louise understands some things that w e dont, said

Miss M arple thoughtfully. She always has.
I k n o w w hat you m ean - but she doesnt live in the real
w orld.
D oesnt she?
Miss Believer looked at her in surprise.
Just then E dgar Lawson passed them , w alking very fast. H e
gave a k ind o f em barrassed greeting, then looked away.
I rem em ber n o w w ho he rem inds m e of, said Miss M arple.
A young m an called L eonard W ylie. H is father was a dentist, but
he got old and b lind and his hand used to shake, and so people
preferred to go to the son. B ut the old m an was very miserable
about it, said he was no good for anything any m ore. Leonard,
w ho was very soft-hearted and rather foolish, began to pretend
he drank m ore th an he should. H e always smelt o f whisky. His
idea was that his patients w ould go back to the father again.
A nd did they?
O f course n o t, said Miss M arple. W h a t happened was w hat
anybody w ith any sense could have told h im w ould happen! T he
patients w ent to M r Reilly, the other dentist. So m any people
w ith good hearts have no sense. Besides, Leonard W ylie was so
unconvincing. H is idea o f drunkenness w asnt in the least like
real drunkenness, and he overdid the w hisky spilling it on his
clothes in an impossible way.
T hey w ent into the house by the side door.
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Chapter 19
T hey found the fam ily in the library. Lewis was w alking up and
dow n, and there was a sense o f tension.
Is any th in g w rong? asked Miss Believer.
Lewis said, E rnie Gregg is missing. M averick and some o f
the staff are searching the grounds. If w e cannot find him , w e
m ust call the police.
G randm a! G ina ran over to C arrie Louise, w orried by the
w hiteness o f her face. You look ill.
I am so unhappy. T he poor boy.
Lewis said, I was going to question h im this evening to find
out if he had actually seen anything last night. I have the offer
o f a good jo b for h im and I thought that after discussing that, I
w ould m ention the other m atter.
Miss M arple said softly, Foolish boy. P oor foolish boy. She
shook her head, and M rs Serrocold said gently, So you th in k so
too, Jan e?
Stephen R estarick came in. Hello, w h ats happening?
Lew is repeated his in fo rm atio n , and as he finished
speaking, D r M averick cam e in w ith a fair-haired boy w ith
p in k cheeks and a suspiciously in n o c e n t expression. Miss
M arple rem em b ered h im being at d in n e r on the n ig h t she had
arriv ed at Stonygates.
Ive b ro u g h t A rth u r Jenkins along, said D r M averick. H e
seems to have been the last person to talk to E rnie.
N ow , A rth u r, said Lewis Serrocold, please help us if you
can. W h ere has E rnie gone?
I do n t know , sir. Honestly, I dont. H e didnt say anything
to m e, he d id n t. H e was all excited about the play at the theatre,
th ats all.
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Agatha C hristie
T h eres ano th er thing, A rthur. E rnie said he was w andering

about the grounds after lock-up last night. Was that tru e ?
Never! W h a t a liar! E rnie never goes ou t at night. H e used
to say he could, b u t he w asnt that good w ith locks! A nyw ay he
was in last night, th at I do know .
T h e door was th ro w n open and looking very pale and ill, M r
B aum garten, the occupational therapist, came in. W eve found
h im them . Its horrible. H e sank dow n on a chair.
M ildred Strete said sharply, W h at do you m ean found them ?
B aum garten was shaking. D o w n at the theatre, he said.
T h eir heads crushed the big counterw eight m ust have fallen
on them . Alex R estarick and that boy E rnie Gregg. T h ey re both
dead.
Chapter 20
Ive b ro ught you a cup o f soup, C arrie Louise, said Miss M arple.
N o w please d rin k it.
M rs Serrocold sat up in the big bed. She looked very small
and childlike. H er cheeks had lost their pin k flush, and her eyes
seemed very far away. She to o k the soup obediently. First,
C hristian, said C arrie Louise, and now Alex and poor, silly
little Ernie. D id he really kn o w an ything?
I th in k he was just telling lies, Miss M arple said as she sat
dow n in a chair beside the bed. M aking him self im portant by
saying he had seen som ething. B ut som ebody believed his lies.
C arrie Louise shivered. H er eyes w ent back to their far away look.
W e m eant to do so m uch for these boys. W e did do
som ething. Some o f them have done w onderfully well. Several
o f th em are in really responsible jobs. A few failed that cant
be helped. M o d ern life is so com plicated too com plicated for
some simple and undeveloped characters. You know Lew iss
great scheme? H e always felt that transportation was a thing
that had saved m any crim inals in the past. T hey w ere shipped
overseas and they m ade new lives in simpler surroundings. H e
wants to start a m odern program m e like that. H e wants to buy a
group o f islands, to finance it for som e years, then m ake it a selfsupporting co-operative - w ith everyone taking a share in it. B ut
far away from the bad old ways o f the cities. Its his dream . B ut it
w ill take a lot o f m oney.
Miss M arple picked up a little pair o f scissors and looked at
them closely. W h at a strange pair o f scissors, she said. T h ey ve
got tw o finger holes on one side and one on the other.
C arrie L ouises eyes came back from that frightening far
distance. Alex gave them to m e this m orning, she said. T h ey re
A gatha C hristie
supposed to m ake it easier to cut your right hand nails. D ear boy,
he was so enthusiastic. H e m ade m e try them .
A nd I suppose he collected the nail clippings and took them
away, said Miss M arple.
Yes, said C arrie Louise. H e . . . She stopped. W h y did you
say th at?
I was th in k in g about Alex. H e had brains. Yes, he had brains.
You m ean th ats w hy he died?
I th in k so yes.
H e and E rnie.
A nd then C arrie Louise said quietly and unexpectedly, H ow
m uch do you know , Jan e?
Miss M arple looked up quickly. T h e eyes o f the tw o w om en
met.
Miss M arple said slowly, I f I was quite sure.
I th in k you are sure, Jane.
W h at do you w ant m e to do?Jane M arple asked.
C arrie leaned back against her pillows. It is in your hands,
Jane Youll do w hat you th in k right. She closed her eyes.
Tom orrow , Miss M arple hesitated, I shall have to try and
talk to Inspector C u rry if h ell listen.
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Chapter 21
Miss M arple stood in the G reat H all and asked the Inspector to
stand beside her. Its som ething I w ant to show you. S om ething
Alex R estarick m ade m e see. Its a question o f m agic tricks.
T hey do it w ith m irrors, you kn o w that sort o f thing i f you
understand m e.
Inspector C u rry did no t understand. H e w ondered i f Miss
M arple was quite right in the head.
I w ant you to th in k o f this place as a stage set, Inspector.
As it was on the n ight C hristian G ulbrandsen was killed. Youre
here in the audience, looking at the people on the stage. M rs
Serrocold and m yself and M rs Strete, and Gina and Stephen
and ju st like on the stage there are entrances and exits and the
characters go out to different places. Only, w hen youre in the
audience, you do n t th in k w here they are really going. T h ey go
out to the front d o o r or to the kitchen and w hen the door
opens you see a little bit o f painted scenery. B ut really o f course
they go out to the sides o f the stage - or the back o f the stage
w ith carpenters and electricians, and other characters w aiting to
com e on. T h ey go out to a different w orld.
I do n t quite see, Miss M arple.
O h , I k n o w I suppose it sounds very silly but if you th in k
o f this as a play and the scene is the G reat H all at Stonygates
w hat exactly is behind the scene? I m ean w hat is behind the
stage? T h e terrace isnt it? T he terrace and a lot o f w indow s
o pening on to it.
A n d that, you see, is how the m agic trick was done. It was
the trick o f the Lady C ut in H a lf that m ade m e th in k o f it.
T h e Lady C u t in H alf? Inspector C u rry was now quite sure
that Miss M arple was mad.
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Agatha C hristie
A m ost exciting m agic trick. You m ust have seen it only

no t really one girl b u t tw o girls. T he head o f one and the feet
o f the other. It looks like one person and is really tw o. A nd so
I th o u g h t it could equally be the o ther way about. Two people
could be really one person.
Two people really o n e? Inspector C u rry looked desperate.
Yes. N o t for long. H o w long did your C onstable take in the
garden to ru n to this house and back? Two m inutes and fortyfive seconds, w asnt it? T his w ould be less than that. W ell under
tw o m inutes.
W h at was u n d er tw o m inutes?
T h e m agic trick. T he trick w hen it w asnt tw o people but
one person. In there - in the study. W ere only looking at the
visible part o f the stage. B ehind the scenes there is the terrace
and a row o f w indow s. So easy w hen there are tw o people in the
study to open the study w indow , get out, ru n along the terrace
those footsteps A lex heard in at the side door, shoot C hristian
G ulbrandsen and ru n back. D u rin g that tim e, the other person
in the study does b o th voices so that w ere all quite sure there
are tw o people in there. A nd so there w ere m ost o f the tim e, but
n o t for that little period o f under tw o m inutes.
Inspector C u rry found his breath and his voice. D o you
m ean that it was E dgar Lawson w ho ran along the terrace and
shot Gulbrandsen? E dgar Lawson w ho poisoned M rs Serrocold?
B ut you see, Inspector, no one has been poisoning M rs
Serrocold at all. T h a ts w here the m isdirection comes in.
Som eone very cleverly used the fact that M rs Serrocolds pains
from arthritis w ere n o t unlike the sym ptom s o f arsenic poisoning.
Its the old m agicians trick o f forcing a card on you. It is easy
to add arsenic to a bottle o f m edicine easy to add a few lines
to a typ ew ritten letter. B ut the real reason for M r G ulbrandsens
92
com ing here was the m ost likely reason som ething to do w ith
the G ulbrandsen Trust. M oney, in fact. Suppose that there had
been em bezzlem ent em bezzlem ent on a very big scale you
see w here th at points? To just one person.
Inspector C u rry gasped, Lewis Serrocold? he said in
disbelief.
Lewis Serrocold. said Miss M arple.
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Chapter 22
Part o f a letter from G ina H u d d to h er aunt M rs Van Rydock:
and so you see, darling A u n t R u th , the whole thing has been ju st
like a nightmare especially the end o f it. I ve told you all about this
fu n n y man Edgar Lawson. H e always behaved like a rabbit and
when the Inspector began questioning him and breaking him down,
he lost his nerve completely and ran like a rabbit. H e jum ped out o f
the window and ran round the house and down the drive and there
was a policeman waiting, and Edgar ju s t turned to one side and ran
fu ll speed fo r the lake. H e jum ped into an old boat that has been
lying there falling apart fo r years and he pushed off. Quite a mad,
senseless thing to do, o f course, but as I say, he was ju st a rabbit in a
panic. A n d then Lewis gave a great shout and said That boats got
a hole in it, and raced o ff to the lake, too. The boat went down and
there was Edgar struggling in the water. H e couldnt swim. Lewis
jum ped in and swam out to him. H e got to him but they were both
in difficulty because theyd become caught among the reeds. One o f
the Inspectors men went in with a rope round him, but he got trapped
in the reeds, too and they had to pull him out. A u n t Mildred said
T h ey ll drown theyll drown theyll both drown in a silly sort
o f way, and Grandma ju st said Yes. I cant describe to you ju st how
she made that one word sound, fu s t Y E S and it went through you
like like a knife.
A m I being silly and dramatic? I suppose I am. B u t it did sound like
that.
A n d then when it was all over, and they got them out, the Inspector
came to us and said to Grandma, I m afraid, Mrs Serrocold, theres
no hope.
94
Grandma said very quietly, T hank you, Inspector.

Then she looked at us all. M e wanting to help, but not knowing how,
and Jolly, looking grim and tender and ready to take care as usual,
and Stephen reaching out his hands, and fu n n y old Miss Marple
looking so sad, and tired, and even Walter looking upset. A ll so fo n d
o f her and wanting to do S O M E T H I N G .
B u t Grandma ju st said
Mildred. A n d A u n t Mildred said
Mother. A n d they went away together into the house, Grandma

looking so small and frail and leaning on A u n t Mildred. I never
realized, until then, how fo n d o f each other they were. It didnt show
much, you know, but it was there all the time.
Gina paused and sucked the end o f her pen. She started again:
A bout me and Walter were coming back to the States as soon as
we can.
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Chapter 23
W h at m ade you guess, Jan e?
Miss M arple to o k her tim e before answering. She looked
thoughtfully at th e o th er tw o - C arrie Louise, th in n er and frailer
and yet strangely un to uched and the old m an w ith the sweet
smile and the thick w hite hair. D r G albraith, Bishop o f Crom er.
T h e Bishop to o k C arrie Louises hand in his. T his has been a
great sadness for you, m y p o o r child, and a great shock.
Sadness, yes, b u t n o t really a shock.
N o , said Miss M arple. T h a ts w hat I discovered, you know.
Everyone kept saying how C arrie Louise lived in another
w orld from this and was out o f touch w ith reality. B ut actually,
C arrie Louise, it was reality you w ere in touch w ith, and not
the illusion. You are never fooled by illusion like m ost o f us
are. W h en I suddenly understood that, I saw that I m ust trust
w hat you th o u g h t and felt. You w ere quite sure that no one
w ould try to poison you, you couldnt believe it - and you w ere
quite right n o t to believe it, because it w asnt so! You never
believed that E dgar w ould harm Lewis - and again you were
right. H e never w ould have harm ed Lewis.
So therefore, i f I was to go by you, all the things that seemed to
be tru e w ere only illusions. Illusions created for a reason in the
same way th at m agicians create illusions, to trick an audience.
We were the audience.
Alex R estarick got an idea o f the tru th first because he had the
chance o f seeing things from a different angle from the outside
angle. H e was w ith the Inspector in the drive, and he looked at
the house and realized the possibilities o f the w indow s - and he
rem em bered the sound o f ru n n in g feet he had heard that night,
and then the tim in g o f the Constable showed h im w hat a very
96
short tim e things take. T he C onstable got very breathless, and

later, th in k in g o f that, I rem em bered that Lewis Serrocold was
out o f breath that night w hen he opened the study door. H e had
just been ru n n in g hard, you see.
B ut it was E dgar Lawson that was the centre o f it all to me.
T here was always som ething w ro n g to m e about Edgar Lawson.
All the things he said and did w ere exactly right for w hat he
was supposed to be, but he him self w asnt right. Because he was
actually a norm al young m an playing the part o f a schizophrenic
and he was always a little m ore theatrical than is true to life.
It m ust have all been very carefully planned. Lewis m ust
have realized w hen C hristian last visited that som ething h'ad
m ade h im suspicious. A nd he k new that i f C hristian suspected
anything, then he w ould not stop u ntil he had discovered the
w hole tru th .
C arrie Louise said, Yes, C hristian was like that. I dont
k now w hat it was that had m ade h im suspicious but he started
investigating and he found out the tru th .
T h e Bishop said, I blam e m yself for no t having been a better
trustee.
N o b o d y expected you to understand finance, said C arrie
Louise. Lew iss great financial experience gave h im com plete
control. A nd it was a test o f honesty that he failed. T he pink
colour cam e up in her cheeks. Lewis was a great m an, she said.
A m an o f great vision, and a passionate believer in w hat could
be done w ith m oney. H e did n t w ant it for him self or at least
no t in the greedy sense he did w ant the pow er o f it - he w anted
the pow er to do great good w ith it.
A nd so he em bezzled the trust funds? said Miss M arple.
D r G albraith hesitated. It w asnt only that.
Tell her, said C arrie Louise. She is my oldest friend.
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A gatha C hristie
T h e Bishop said, Lewis Serrocold was w hat one m ight call

a financial expert. In his years o f highly technical accountancy,
he had am used h im self by w orking out various m ethods o f
em bezzlem ent w hich w ere alm ost impossible to detect. This had
ju st been a gam e for his o w n entertainm ent, bu t then he saw
w hat could be done w ith a huge sum o f m oney. A nd it stopped
being a game. You see, he had some first-class m aterial to use.
A m ongst the boys w ho passed through here, he chose a small
select group. T h ey w ere boys w ho w ere naturally crim inal, w ho
loved excitem ent and w ho w ere very intelligent. W e still dont
k n o w everything, b u t it seems clear that this group was specially
trained and w ere placed in key positions. By carrying out Lew iss
directions, very large sums o f m oney w ere stolen w ithout
anybody being suspicious. I understand that the operations are
so com plicated th at it w ill be m onths before they can all be
uncovered. B ut the result seems to be that, under various nam es
and b anking accounts and com panies, Lewis Serrocold w ould
have been able to control a huge sum o f m oney. H e was going
to establish an overseas colony w here juvenile delinquents w ould
eventually com e to ow n and rule the place as a co-operative. It
m ay have been a w ild dream .
It was a dream th at m ight have com e tru e, said C arrie Louise.
Yes, it m ig h t have com e true. B ut the m eans Lewis Serrocold
used w ere dishonest, and C hristian G ulbrandsen discovered
that. H e was very upset, particularly by w hat the discovery and
prosecution o f Lewis w ould m ean to you, C arrie Louise.
T h ats w hy he asked m e i f m y heart was strong, and seemed
so w orried about m y health, said C arrie Louise. I couldnt
understand it.
T h en Lewis Serrocold returned, the Bishop continued, and
C hristian m et h im outside the house and told h im that he knew
w hat was happening. Lewis took it calmly, I think. B oth m en

agreed they must do all they could to save you from the pain this
know ledge w ould bring you. C hristian said he w ould w rite to me
and ask me to com e here, as a co-trustee, to discuss the position.
B ut o f course, said Miss M arple, Lewis Serrocold had already
prepared for this emergency. It was all planned. H e had brought
the y oung m an w ho was to play the part o f Edgar Lawson to
the house. T here was a real Edgar Lawson o f course in case
the police looked up his record. T his false Edgar knew exactly
w hat he had to do act the part o f a schizophrenic victim o f
persecution and give Lewis Serrocold an alibi for a few vital
m inutes.
T h e next step had been carefully planned too. Lew iss
story th at you, C arrie Louise, w ere being slowly poisoned, was
very clever. T here was nobody bu t Lewis w ho could say w hat
C hristian had told him that, and a few lines he added on the
typ ew riter w hile he was w aiting for the police. It was easy to add
arsenic to the m edicine. N o danger for you there - since he was
ready to stop you d rin k in g it. T h e chocolates w ere just an added
touch and o f course the original chocolates w erent poisoned
only those he poisoned before giving them to Inspector C urry.
A nd Alex guessed, said C arrie Louise.
Yes - th ats w hy he collected your nail clippings. T hey w ould
show i f arsenic actually had been given over a long period.
P oor A lex p o o r E rnie.
T here was a m om ents silence as the other tw o thought o f
C hristian G ulbrandsen, o f A lex R estarick, and o f the boy E rnie
and the terrible act o f murder.
B ut surely, said the Bishop, Lewis was taking a big risk in
persuading E dgar to be his accom plice - even if he had some
pow er over h im
99
Agatha C hristie
C arrie shook her head. It wasnt exactly a hold over him .

E dgar was devoted to Lewis.
Yes, said Miss M arple. I w onder perhaps i f . . . She paused
delicately.
You saw the likeness, I suppose? said C arrie Louise.
So you k n ew th at all along?
I guessed. I k n ew Lewis had once had an affair w ith an
actress, before he m et me. Ive no doubt at all that Edgar was
actually Lewiss son.
Yes, said Miss M arple. T h at explains everything.
A nd he gave his life for him in the end, said C arrie Louise.
She looked at the Bishop. H e did, you know .
T here was a silence and then C arrie Louise said, Im glad it
ended that way w ith his life given in the hope o f saving the boy
from drow ning. People w ho can be very good can be very bad,
too. I always knew that was true about Lewis. B ut he loved me
very m uch and I loved him .
D id you ever suspect h im ? asked Miss M arple.
N o , said C arrie Louise. Because I was puzzled by the
poisoning. I k new Lewis w ould never poison m e and yet that
letter o f C h ristians said definitely that som eone was poisoning
m e - so I th o u g h t th at everything I knew about people m ust be
w rong.
Miss M arple said, B ut w hen Alex and E rnie w ere found
killed. You suspected th en ?
Yes, said C arrie Louise. Because I didnt th in k anyone else
but Lewis w ould have dared. A nd I began to be afraid o f w hat
he m ight do next. She shivered. I adm ired Lewis. I adm ired
his w hat shall I call it his goodness? B ut I do see that if youre
good, you have to be hum ble as well.
IOO
D r G albraith said gently, T hat, C arrie Louise, is w hat I have

always adm ired in you - your h u m ility
T h e lovely blue eyes opened w ide in surprise. B ut Im not
particularly good. I can only adm ire goodness in other people.
D ear C arrie Louise, said Miss M arple.
10 1
C h a r a c t e r list
Ruth Van Rydock: a rich American, married and divorced three times;
Carries sister
Miss Jane Marple: an elderly lady and close friend of the two sisters
from their schooldays

Carrie Louise Serrocold: Ruths sister, also wealthy, who lives at a house
called Stonygates
Eric Gulbrandsen: Carrie Louises first husband who died when she was
thirty-two
Johnnie (John) Restarick: Carrie Louises second husband who left her
for a woman from Yugoslavia

Lewis Serrocold: Carrie Louise's third and present husband, an
accountant and philanthropist who runs the Gulbrandsen Institute for

young criminals at Stonygates
Pippa: the daughter Carrie Louise adopted with Eric Gulbrandson. She
died in childbirth. She was married to Guido, an Italian aristocrat.

Mildred Strete: Carrie Louise and Eric Gulbrandsons natural daughter.
A childless widow, who had married a senior priest (now dead) of the
Church of England.
Gina Hudd: Pippa and Guidos daughter, brought up by her grandmother,
Carrie Louise - married to Walter Hudd

Alex Restarick: elder son of Johnnie Restarick from his first marriage
Stephen Restarick: younger son of Johnnie Restarick from his first
marriage
102
C haracter list
Edgar Lawson: assistant to Lewis Serrocold

Juliet (Jolly) Believer: companion and secretary to Carrie Louise
Jackie Flint: one of the young criminals at the Institute
Walter Hudd: Ginas young American husband, an ex-Marine
Dr Maverick: a young psychiatrist
Mr Baumgarten: an occupational therapist
Christian Gulbrandsen: Carrie Louises stepson and half-brother of
Mildred, the principal trustee of the Institute

r
Inspector Curry: the police officer in charge of investigating the murder

Dr Galbraith: Bishop of Cromer and trustee of the Institute
Superintendent Blacker: Currys superior officer
Sergeant Lake: a police officer assisting Curry
Ernie Gregg: one of the boy criminals being educated at Stonygates
Constable Dodgett: a police officer working with Curry and Lake
Mr Gilfoy: a trustee of the Institute and Carrie Louises lawyer
Arthur Jenkins: a boy criminal at the Institute
103
C ultural n o te s
Philanthropic causes
People who were very rich and didnt have to work for money often liked
to spend their time helping people who were not as lucky as they were.
They did this by working for different charities or by setting up different
philanthropic organizations. In the story, Carries first and last husbands
were both interested in helping people in this way.
Education for all
Carries first husband, Mr Gulbrandsen, spent his time and his money
trying to make important changes to the lives of people in Britain. One
of these changes was the education for all cause mentioned by Ruth at
the beginning of the story. Gulbrandsen believed that everybody should
be able to go to school, not just children younger than twelve, and the
children of the rich, whose schooling was paid for by the parents.
However, a series of laws were passed giving free education to every
child. Before the war, free education was offered to children up until the
age of twelve and, in 1944, until the age of fifteen, which meant that it
was no longer necessary for people like Gulbrandsen to fight for this
cause.
Juvenile delinquents
Another cause, this time one that Carries current husband, Lewis, was
involved in at Stonygates was trying to help young people who had
committed crimes. These people were officially called juvenile
delinquents. Lewis believed that if you helped these young people, by
teaching them how to do different jobs - and by giving them selfconfidence - they would stop being criminals and would be able to live
normal lives.
104
C ultural N otes
Children in the Second World War
At the beginning of the Second World War in Britain, everyone thought

that the country was going to be invaded by the Germans and that all
the major cities would be destroyed by bombs being dropped. People
sent their children to the countryside where they would be safe. The
children did not know where they were going to live or who their new
families would be. By the end of the war a total of 3.5 million people,
most of them children, had been sent away from the towns and cities at
some point during the war.
Many rich people, with the same idea of keeping their children safe, sent
them to relatives abroad, which is why Gina in the story went to live with
her Aunt Ruth in America.
Changes in the British class system
Up until the Second World War there was a strict and very clear class
system in Britain. People got married to other people of the same social
class; working class servants worked for the upper classes, the upper
classes, especially women, didnt usually work at all; and everyone knew
how they should behave. Because of the war, this all started to change.
All the classes fought and died together; women started doing all the
jobs that men had done previously - the men were all fighting in the war
and someone had to do the work.
People fell in love and got married very quickly. They did not know if they
were going to be killed fighting or have a bomb dropped on them at
home and so the traditional class rules became less important. Before
the war it was unusual for an upper-class girl like Gina to marry a man
who had no money or profession, especially an American.
105
C ultural N otes
Winston Churchill and General Montgomery
In 1952, when this story was published, Winston Churchill had just
become Prime Minister of Britain for the second time. The first time,
1940-1945, was during the Second World War. Churchill was famous
during this time for the way he spoke to the people of Britain, both live
and on the radio, encouraging them to be brave and not to even think
that they would not win the war. Many people admired Winston Churchill
and thought he was a good prime minister.
General Montgomery was an officer in the British army who became a
General during the Second World War. He is probably the most famous
British General from that time because he had key roles in many of the
battles throughout the war. Many people admired him.
The trick of the Lady Cut in Half
The trick of the Lady Cut in Half is a popular magic trick where a woman
or girl gets into a long rectangular box. The magician closes the box and
at one end we can see the ladys feet and at the other we can see her
head. The magician talks to the lady and asks her to move her feet, which
she does and we see her talking and laughing. The magician covers the
box with a cloth and cuts the box into two pieces and takes away the
cloth. The lady is alive - talking and laughing and she moves her feet
again even though they are now in another box.
The title of the story: They Do It With Mirrors is also connected to
magicians and the tricks they do.
106
G lo ssary
Key
n = noun
v = verb
adj = adjective
adv = adverb
excl = exclamation
exp = expression
phr v = phrasal verb
absent-minded (adj)
,
someone who forgets things and doesnt pay attention to what they are doing
is said to be absent-minded
accomplice (n)
a person who helps to commit a crime

accountancy (n)
the work of keeping financial records
accountant (n)
a person whose job is to keep financial records

aconitine (n)
a powerful poison made from herbs

affair (n)
a sexual relationship between two people who are married, but not to
each other
affection (n)
feelings of love or liking for someone

alibi (n)
proof that you were somewhere else when a crime was committed,
showing why you cant be guilty of a crime
107
Glossary
arsenic (n)
a very powerful poison

arthritis (n)
condition in which the joints in someones body are swollen and painful
at close range (exp)
being very close to something

awkward (adj)
embarrassing and difficult to deal with - an awkward person feels

uncomfortable or clumsy
backfire (n)
an explosion in the exhaust pipe of a car that makes a loud noise
binoculars (n)
two small telescopes joined together side by side which you look through
to see things that are far away
Bishop (n)
a religious leader of high rank

bitter (adj)
angry and resentful

break off (phr v)
to stop talking before you have said everything you were going to say
bring a charge (exp)
to accuse someone formally of having done something illegal

bronchitis (n)
an illness that makes you cough
Canon (n)
one of the religious leaders on the staff of a cathedral
108
Glossary
case (n)
a person that a professional such as a doctor is dealing with

cashier (n)
the person in a bank that customers pay money to or get money from
cathedral (n)
a large important church which has a Bishop in charge of it

cause (n)
an aim which a group of people supports or is fighting for

charitable (adj)
helping and supporting people who are ill, disabled, or poor

cliff (n)
a high area of land with a very steep side, especially next to the sea
cold-bloodedly (adv)
doing something without showing pity or emotion

colony (n)
a group of people living together

companion (n)
when Agatha Christie was writing, a companion was usually someone

who was paid to spend time with someone, often an elderly person
conceit (n)
the high opinion you have of yourself
confidential (adj)
spoken or written in secret and should stay secret

conspiracy (n)
the secret planning by a group of people to do something wrong or illegal
109
Glossary
Constable (n)
a police officer in Britain of the lowest rank

co-operative (n)
a business or organization run by the people who work for it, who share
its benefits and profits
counterweight (n)
a heavy object used in the theatre to balance scenery
crank (n)
a person who has strange ideas or behaviour

cruelty (n)
the act of deliberately causing pain or worry

curare (n)
a poison from South America

delicate (adj)
small and attractive

delicately (adv)
in a way that is sensitive to peoples feelings

deprive (v)
to prevent someone from having something they want or need
devoted (adj)
caring for or loving something or someone very much
dignified (adj)
calm, impressive, and worthy of respect
dock warehouse (n)
a large building used for storing things at the place where ships are
loaded
dose (n)
the amount of a medicine or a drug that should be taken at one time
IIO
Glossary
earnest (adj)
serious and sincere

embezzlement (n)
stealing money from where you work, or from clients

evidence (n)
information from documents, objects, or witnesses, which is used in a

court of law to try to prove something
fortune (n)
a very large amount of money

frail (adj)
'
very weak, not strong or healthy

fraud (n)
the crime of gaining money by a trick or lying

frown (v)
to move your eyebrows together because you are annoyed, worried, or
thinking
fuse (n)
a wire which melts and stops the electric current if there is a fault
good grief (excl)
used to show great surprise

grim (adj)
unpleasant or serious
grin (v)
to smile widely
groan (v)
to make a long, low sound of pain or unhappiness
III
Glossary
heir (n)
someone who has the right to receive a persons money, property, or title
when that person dies
humble (adj)
not believing that you are better than other people

humility (n)
the quality of not believing that you are better than other people
hysterical (adj)
being in a state of uncontrolled excitement or panic
ideals (n)
ideas that you believe are right and worth trying to achieve
illegitimate (adj)
a person who is illegitimate was born of parents who were not legally
married to each other
illusion (n)
something that appears to exist, but in reality does not exist or is

something else
Inspector (n)
an middle ranking officer in the British police

invasion (n)
when a foreign army enters a country by force

irritably (adv)
doing something in a way that shows you are annoyed
juvenile delinquency (n)
when a young person behaves in a criminal way
Glossary
knit (v)
to make something from wool using two knitting needles
knock someone out (phr v)
to make someone unconscious by hitting them hard on the head

landlady (n)
a woman who allows you to live or work in a building which she owns, in
return for rent
lawn (n)
an area of grass that is kept cut short and is usually part of a garden or
park
leper (n)
a person who has the disease leprosy, often kept separate from other people
live on (phr v)
to survive by eating only one type of food

loyally (adv)
showing support for a friend

mad about (adj)
very interested in something
Marine (n)
a soldier who is trained for duties at sea and on land
medal (n)
a small metal disc, given as an award for bravery

misdirection (n)
directing someones attention away from what you are really doing
modestly (adv)
not showing your abilities, achievements, or possessions
113
Glossary
motive (n)
the reason for doing something

nonsense (n)
something that you think is untrue or silly
nun (n)
a female member of a religious community
observant (adj)
when a person is good at watching other people and understanding them

occupational therapist (n)
a person who helps people recover from an illness by giving them

activities to do
official inquiry (n)
a formal investigation by the police

pension (n)
money which a retired person regularly receives from a former
employer
persecution (n)
when people are deliberately targeted to be harmed
philanthropic (adj)
giving money to people who are ill, disabled, or poor
plain (adj)
looking ordinary and not at all beautiful

poison (v)
to give people or animals something that harms or kills them if they

swallow it
114
Glossary
procedure (n)
the correct way of doing something

prosecute (v)
to charge someone with a crime and put them on trial
psychiatrist (n)
a doctor who is trained in the treatment of mental illness

psychologist (n)
a person who is trained in psychology, the study of how the mind works
purr (v)
to make the sound a cat makes in its throat when it is happy
reconstruction (n)
a description of a crime, which you make by trying to repeat it

reeds (n)
tall plants that grow in water
relish (n)
enjoyment
revenge (n)
the act of hurting someone who has hurt you

Riviera (n)
the French and Italian coast that was and is popular for tourism
sample (n)
a small amount of something that is examined and analyzed scientifically

schizophrenic (n)
someone who has the illness schizophrenia, a serious mental illness that
prevents people from relating their thoughts and feelings to what is
happening around them
115
Glossary
Sergeant (n)
a police officer above the rank of Constable
show off (phr v)
to try to impress people by showing in a very obvious way what they can
do or what they own
single-minded (adj)
not thinking about anything other than one thing

sly (adj)
clever at cheating people or hiding things from people

snap (v)
to speak in a sharp, unfriendly way

sobbing (n)
crying in a noisy way

spoilt (adj)
behaving badly because you have always had everything you want
spy (v)
to watch someone secretly

startle (v)
when something sudden and unexpected surprises you
statement (n)
something that you say or write which gives information in a formal or

definite way
struggle (v)
to try to do something that is very difficult

suicide (n)
people who commit suicide deliberately kill themselves because they do

not want to continue living
116
Glossary
surgeon (n)
a doctor who performs operations

symptom (n)
a sign of an illness that shows you have that illness

tendency (n)
a worrying or unpleasant habit or action that keeps occurring

transportation (n)
the act of moving people from one place to another

trustee (n)
someone with legal control of money or property that is kept or invested

for another person
trust fund (n)
money that is kept for someone and is used to make more money by
investing it
unacknowledged (adj)
not recognized
unconvincing (adj)
if something is unconvincing, you do not believe it is true

victim (n)
someone who has been hurt or killed

vision (n)
strong ideas about how things might be different in the future

vivid (adj)
very bright in colour

wander (v)
to walk around with no direction
117
Glossary
weed (n)
a wild plant growing where it is not wanted, for example in a garden

widow (n)
a woman whose husband has died

widower (n)
a man whose wife has died

will (n)
a document where you say what you want to happen to your money and
property when you die
willpower (n)
a very strong determination to do something

wire (n)
a long, thin piece of metal that is used to fasten things or to carry electric
current
wrinkled (adj)
having skin with a lot of lines on it

yard (n)
a unit of length equal to 36 inches or approximately 91.4 centimetres
118
ALSO IN THE AGATHA CHRISTIE SERIES
Sparkling Cyanide
Six people sit down for dinner at a table laid for seven. No one can forget
the night exactly a year ago that Rosemary Barton died at this same
table surrounded by the same people, her beautiful face turned blue with
cyanide poison.
Rosemary had always been memorable - and people had strong reactions
to her. Did one of the six people at dinner feel strongly enough about her
to kill her?
Crooked House
The Leonides family live together in a large and crooked house in a
wealthy London suburb. When the elderly millionaire Aristide Leonides
is murdered with a fatal injection, the family reluctantly suspect his
glamorous, young second wife.
Charles Hayward, who is engaged to the late millionaires
granddaughter, observes the family closely and makes a terrible and
shocking discovery . . .
They Came to Baghdad

Victoria Jones is a young English woman who is looking for love. She
follows her new love interest to Baghdad, but she has no idea what
adventure is waiting for her there.
A very important international meeting is planned in Baghdad, but a
secret organization wants to sabotage it. Meanwhile, when a man dies in
119
COLLINS ENGLISH READERS
Victorias hotel room, he whispers three words to her:

. .
Lucifer . . . Basrah . . . Lefarge . . . What do these words mean? And
what does it have to do with the meeting?
A Pocket Full of Rye

Rex Fortescue, the boss of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his office,
when he suffered a painful and sudden death. When the police checked
the victims pockets, they found grain.
Miss Marple knows one of the servants in Rex Fortescues house and
comes to help solve the mystery. She soon starts to suspect that she is
dealing with a case of crime by rhyme . . .
After the Funeral

After Richard Abernethies funeral, his will is read out to his family. His
sister, Cora, shocks everyone by saying He was murdered, wasnt he?
When Cora is murdered in her bed the very next day, her extraordinary
remark suddenly seems very important.
Every member of the Abernethie family has something to gain from both
murders. Hercule Poirot arrives to solve the mystery.
Destination Unknown
Famous scientists from around the world are disappearing and nobody
knows why. The one woman who can help uncover the truth is dying after
a plane crash. How can they discover where the scientists are without her?
Meanwhile, in a hotel room in Casablanca, Hilary Craven decides to end
her life. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a man who offers her an
exciting alternative . . .
120
Hickory Dickory Dock

Strange items have disappeared from the student hostel on Hickory
Road and Mrs Hubbard, the warden, is becoming suspicious.
Detective Hercule Poirot has been a little bored recently and decides to
try to solve the mystery. But the investigation turns sinister when one of
the students is found poisoned in her room.
4 .5 0 From Paddington
A woman is murdered on a train.
When Miss Marple telephones her friend Lucy Eyelesbarrow and asks her
to go undercover to investigate, Lucy quickly accepts the challenge!
Who is the dead woman? What was the motive for her murder? And why
was the body thrown from the train and later hidden at Rutherford Hall?
When a second murder takes place, everyone at Rutherford Hall seems in
danger, so Miss Marple sets a trap to catch the murderer.
Cat Among the Pigeons

Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious light in the school
Sports Pavilion. Among the tennis racquets and lacrosse sticks, they find
the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart.
Schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much, and begins to worry that she
might be the next victim. Can detective Hercule Poirot find the killer
before the cat strikes again?
121
T h e A g a t h a C h r is t ie S e r ie s
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The Man in the Brown Suit
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Murder at the Vicarage
Peril at End House
Why Didnt They Ask Evans?
Death in the Clouds
Appointment with Death
N o rM?
The Moving Finger
Sparkling Cyanide
Crooked House
They Came to Baghdad
They Do It With Mirrors
A Pocket Full of Rye
After the Funeral
Destination Unknown
Hickory Dickory Dock
4.50 From Paddington
Cat Among the Pigeons
Visit www.collinselt.com/agathachristie for language

activities and teachers notes based on this story.
122
rs
BN 978-0-00-745167-8
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THEY

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is know n throughout the world as

O h! N o t for m any years. O f course w e still send cards at

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

lepers. Jane, and I was going to be a n u n . B ut w e got over all

his very seriously. B ut C arrie Louise loved it she thought it was

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

o f them , and m y little C arrie Louise is in the m iddle o f it all!

Pippa had a daughter called Gina and died in childbirth. It was a

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

T h at is a good idea, said Miss M arple. B ut it is n o t entirely

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

the station yard and stopped in front o f the Ford. A beautiful

Yes, indeed, said Miss M arple, th in k in g o f being young and

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

U nderstanding Miss M arples look, G ina said, It does look

M iss M arple w alked along the terrace tow ards h er old

N o , I dont, Jane. Even w ith all m y pains, inside I still feel

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

Miss B eliever to o k Miss M arple dow n the big g rim staircase

may th in k y o ung people are unwise, bu t w e have to accept their

They Do It W ith Mirrors

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

doing extrem ely well. T h ey re very satisfied w ith h im and are

G inas got a w onderful idea for that scenery said Stephen.

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

G ina should have told you, said C arrie Louise. B ut I th in k

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

I should im agine not, said Miss M arple. T h at is probably

I see youve been bothered by that terrible young m an, said

cried suddenly, A nd then theres M o th ers idealistic projects.

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

that he had no right to w ear all very typical. B ut D o cto r

Isnt that ju st right! W e dont w ant to punish these boys. W e

Perhaps, suggested Miss M arple, there was a reason for

C hristian? C arrie Louise looked surprised. I had no idea he

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

I am. H e s the m ain trustee o f the Institute. H o w very annoying

It appeared, then, that it was business that brought C hristian

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

W h o is h e ? dem anded Miss M arple.

Lewis Serrocold arrived back at six-thirty. H e stopped the car

O th er faint words cam e to the listener.

D in n er that evening was very quiet. B oth G ulbrandsen and

They Do It W ith Mirrors

Has mother taken her medicine? Mildred asked.

Miss Believer said quickly, T h at young m an is about to lose

They Do It W ith Mirrors

Carrie Louise, still unmoved, said softly, Theres no need

They Do It W ith Mirrors

O f course he missed me, snapped Lewis.

O h no, C arrie Louise said. It couldnt be suicide.

They Do It W ith Mirrors

Miss Believer arranged Inspector C urry, his Sergeant and

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

W e shall check that, o f course. W h at was the purpose o f M r

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

Yes. Alex R estarick arrived this evening ju st after all this

Inspector C u rry said, So far, w e dont kn o w anything at all.

T hey D o It W ith M irrors

ty p ew riter so he m ust have been typing som ething. Yes, I

She paused. I think you should ask M r Serrocold himself

W h a t? C u rry leaned forw ard, astonished.