ently by the shoulders. "Was Dr. Bauerstein
here on Tuesday evening? Here? And you never told me? Why did you not
tell me? Why? Why?"

He appeared to be in an absolute frenzy.

"My dear Poirot," I expostulated, "I never thought it would interest
you. I didn't know it was of any importance."

"Importance? It is of the first importance! So Dr. Bauerstein was here
on Tuesday night--the night of the murder. Hastings, do you not see?
That alters everything--everything!"

I had never seen him so upset. Loosening his hold of me, he mechanically
straightened a pair of candlesticks, still murmuring to himself: "Yes,
that alters everything--everything."

Suddenly he seemed to come to a decision.

"Allons!" he said. "We must act at once. Where is Mr. Cavendish?"

John was in the smoking-room. Poirot went straight to him.

"Mr. Cavendish, I have some important business in Tadminster. A new
clue. May I take your motor?"

"Why, of course. Do you mean at once?"

"If you please."

John rang the bell, and ordered round the car. In another ten minutes,
we were racing down the park and along the high road to Tadminster.

"Now, Poirot," I remarked resignedly, "perhaps you will tell me what all
this is about?"

"Well, mon ami, a good deal you can guess for yourself. Of course you
realize that, now Mr. Inglethorp is out of it, the whole position is
greatly changed. We are face to face with an entirely new problem. We
know now that there is one person who did not buy the poison. We have
cleared away the manufactured clues. Now for the real ones. I have
ascertained that anyone in the household, with the exception of Mrs.
Cavendish, who was playing tennis with you, could have personated Mr.
Inglethorp on Monday evening. In the same way, we have his statement
that he put the coffee down in the hall. No one took much notice of that
at the inquest--but now it has a very different significance. We must
find out who did take that coffee to Mrs. Inglethorp eventually, or who
passed through the hall whilst it was standing there. From your account,
there are only two people whom we can positively say did not go near the
coffee--Mrs. Cavendish, and Mademoiselle Cynthia."

"Yes, that is so." I felt an inexpressible lightening of the heart. Mary
Cavendish could certainly not rest under suspicion.

"In clearing Alfred Inglethorp," continued Poirot, "I have been obliged
to show my hand sooner than I intended. As long as I might be thought