Загадочное происшествие в Стайлзе

           Hadthatpiquantgipsyfacebeenatthebottomofthecrime,orwasitthebasermainspringofmoney?Probablyajudiciousmixtureofboth.

           Ononepoint,Poirotseemedtohaveacuriousobsession.HeonceortwiceobservedtomethathethoughtDorcasmusthavemadeanerrorinfixingthetimeofthequarrel.Hesuggestedtoherrepeatedlythatitwasfour-thirty,andnotfouro’clockwhenshehadheardthevoices.

           ButDorcaswasunshaken.Quiteanhour,orevenmore,hadelapsedbetweenthetimewhenshehadheardthevoicesandfiveo’clock,whenshehadtakenteatohermistress.

           TheinquestwasheldonFridayattheStylitesArmsinthevillage.PoirotandIsattogether,notbeingrequiredtogiveevidence.

           Thepreliminariesweregonethrough.Thejuryviewedthebody,andJohnCavendishgaveevidenceofidentification.

           Furtherquestioned,hedescribedhisawakeningintheearlyhoursofthemorning,andthecircumstancesofhismother’sdeath.

           Themedicalevidencewasnexttaken.Therewasabreathlesshush,andeveryeyewasfixedonthefamousLondonspecialist,whowasknowntobeoneofthegreatestauthoritiesofthedayonthesubjectoftoxicology.

           Inafewbriefwords,hesummeduptheresultofthepost-mortem.Shornofitsmedicalphraseologyandtechnicalities,itamountedtothefactthatMrs.Inglethorphadmetherdeathastheresultofstrychninepoisoning.Judgingfromthequantityrecovered,shemusthavetakennotlessthanthree-quartersofagrainofstrychnine,butprobablyonegrainorslightlyover.