Hercule Poirot's Casebook

'What do you mean - the first one?' said Poirot sharply.

'I came back right away,' explained Mrs Vanderlyn. Then I

went up and rang for my maid. She was a long time in coming.

I rang again. Then I went out on the landing. I heard her voice

and I called her. After she had brushed my hair I sent her away,

she was in a nervous, upset state and tangled the brush in my

hair once or twice. It was then, just as I sent her away, that I saw

Lady Julia coming up the stairs. She told me she had been

down again for a book, too. Curious, wasn't it?'

Mrs Vanderlyn smiled as she finished, a wide, rather feline

smile. Hercule Poirot thought to himself that Mrs Vanderlyn

did not like Lady Julia Carrington.

'As you say, madame. Tell me, did you hear your maid

scream?'

'Why, yes, I did hear something of that kind.'

'Did you ask her about it?'

'Yes. She told me she thought she had seen a floating figure

in white - such nonsense!'

'What was Lady Julia wearing last night?'

'Oh, you think perhaps - Yes, I see. She as wearing a white

evening-dress. Of course, that explains it. She must have

caught sight of her in the darkness just as a white figure. These

girls are so superstitious.'

'Your maid has been with you a long time, madame?'

'Oh, no.' Mrs Vanderlyn opened her eyes rather wide. 'Only

about five months.'

'I shou, ld like to see her presently, if you do not mind,

madame.

Mrs Vanderlyn raised her eyebrows.

'Oh, certainly, she said rather coldly.

'I should like, you understand, to question her.'

'Oh, yes.'

Again a flicker of amusement.

Poirot rose and bowed.

'Madame,' he said. 'You have my complete admiration.'

Mrs Vanderlyn for once seemed a trifle taken aback.

'Oh, M. Poirot, how nice of you, but why?'

'You are, madame, so perfectly armoured, so completely

sure of yourself.'

Mrs Vanderlyn laughed a little uncertainly.

'Now I wonder,' she said, 'if I am to take that as a

compliment?'

Poirot said:

'It is, perhaps, a warning - not to treat life with arrogance.'

Mrs Vanderlyn laughed with more assurance. She got up

and held out a hand.

'Dear M. Poirot, I do wish you all success. Thank you for all

the charming things you have said to me.'

She went out. Poirot murmured to himself:

'You wish me success, do you? Ah, but you are very sure I

am not going to meet with success! Yes, you are very sure

indeed. That, it annoys me very much.'

With a certain petulance, he pulled the bell and asked that

Mademoiselle Leonie might be sent to him.

His eyes roamed over her appreciatively as she stood

hesitating in the doorway, demure in her black dress with her

neatly-parted black waves of hair and her modestly-dropped

eyelids. He nodded slow approval.

'Come in, Mademoiselle Leonie,' he said. 'Do not be afraid.'

She came in and stood demurely before him.

'Do you know,' said Poirot with a sudden change of tone,

'that I find you very good to look at.'

47

Leonie responded promptly. She flashed him a glance out of

the corner of her eyes and murmured softly:

'Monsieur is very kind.'

'Figure to yourself,' said Poirot. 'I demand of M. Carlile

whether you are or not good-looking and he replies that he does

not know!'

Leonie cocked her chin up contemptuously.

'That image!'

'That describes him very well.'

'I do not believe he has ever looked at a girl in his life, that

one.'

'Probably not. A pity. He has missed a lot. But there are

others in this house who are more appreciative, is it not so?'

'Really, I do not know what monsieur means.'

'Oh, yes, Mademoiselle Leonie, you know very well. A

pretty history that you recount last night about a ghost that you

have seen. As soon as I hear that you are standing there with

your hands to your head, I know very well that there is no

question of ghosts. Ifa girl is frightened she clasps her heart, or

she raises her hands to her mouth to stifle a cry, but if her hands

are on her hair it means something very different. It means that

her hair has been ruffled and that she is hastily getting it into shape

again,t Now then, mademoiselle, let us have the truth. Why did

you scream on the stairs?'

'But monsieur it is true, I saw a tall figure all in white '

'Mademoiselle, do not insult my intelligence. That story, it

may have been good enough for M. Carlile, but it is not good

enough for Hercule Poirot. The truth is that you had just been

kissed, is it not so? And I will make a guess that it was M.

Reggie Carrington who kissed you.'

Leonie twinkled an unabashed eye at him.

'Eh &m,' she demanded, 'after all, what is a kiss?'

'What, indeed?' said Poirot gallantly.

'You see, the young gentleman he .came up behind me and

caught me round the waist - and so naturally he startled me and

I screamed. If I had known - well, then naturally I would not

have screamed.'

48

'Naturally,' agreed Poirot.

'But he came upon me like a cat. Then the study door opened

and out came M. le secrtaire and the young gentleman slipped

away upstairs and there I was looking like a fool. Naturally I

had to say something - especially to -' she broke into French,

'un jeune homme comme fa, tellement conime il faut!'

'So you invent a ghost?'