Standing up there and saying such things!” “A little patience, mademoiselle. And be kind enough not to interrupt,” said Poirot.
Miss Lawson tossed her head angrily.
“I insist on making my protest! Disgraceful, that’s what it is! Disgraceful!” Poirot went on, unheeding.
“I was saying that i/Miss Lawson staged that accident she did so for an entirely different reason–that is, she engineered it so that Miss Arundell would naturally suspect her own family and become alienated from them.
That was a possibility! I searched to see if there were any confirmation or otherwise and I unearthed one very definite fact. If Miss Lawson wanted Miss Arundell to suspect her own family, she would have stressed the fact of the dog. Bob, being out that night.
But on the contrary Miss Lawson took the utmost pains to prevent Miss Arundell hearing of that. Therefore, I argued. Miss Lawson must be innocent.” Miss Lawson said sharply: “I should hope so!” “I next considered the problem of Miss Arundell5 s death. If one attempt to murder a person is made, a second attempt usually follows. It seemed to me significant that within a fortnight of the first attempt Miss Arundell should have died. I began to make inquiries.
“Dr. Grainger did not seem to think there was anything unusual about his patient’s death. That was a little damping to my theory.
But, inquiring into the happenings of the last evening before she was taken ill, I came across a rather significant fact. Miss Isabel Tripp mentioned a halo of light that had appeared round Miss Arundell5 s head.
Her sister confirmed her statement. They might, of course, be inventing–in a romantic spirit–but I did not think that the incident was quite a likely one to occur to them unprompted. When questioning Miss Lawson she also gave me an interesting piece of information. She referred to a luminous ribbon issuing from Miss ArundelFs mouth and forming a luminous haze round her head.
“Obviously, though described somewhat differently by two different observers 5 the actual fact was the same. What it amounted to, shorn of spiritualistic significance, was this: On the night in question Miss ArundelFs breath was phosphorescent!” Dr. Donaldson moved a little in his chair.
Poirot nodded to him.
“Yes, you begin to see. There are not very many phosphorescent substances. The first and most common one gave me exactly what I was looking for. I will read you a short extract from an article on phosphorus poisoning.
“The person’s breath may be phosphorescent before he feels in any way affected. That is what Miss Lawson and the Misses Tripp saw in the dark–Miss ArundelFs phosphorescent breath–‘a luminous haze.’ And here I will read you again. The jaundice having thoroughly pronounced itself, the system may be considered as not only under the influence of the toxic action of phosphorus, but as suffering in addition from all the accidents incidental to the retention of the biliary secretion in the blood, nor is therefrom this point any special difference between phosphorus poisoning and certain affections of the liver–such for example as yellow atrophy.
“You see the cleverness of that? Miss Arundell has suffered for years from liver trouble. The symptoms of phosphorus poisoning would only look like another attack of the same complaint. There will be nothing new, nothing startling about it.
“Oh! it was well planned! Foreign matches–vermin paste? It is not difficult to get hold of phosphorus, and a very small dose will kill. The medicinal dose is from 1/100 to 1/30 grain.
“Voila. How clear–how marvellously clear the whole business becomes! Naturally, the doctor is deceived–especially as I find his sense of smell is affected–the garlic odour of the breath is a distinct symptom of phosphorus poisoning. He had no suspicions–why should he have? There were no suspicious circumstances and the one thing that might have given him a hint was the one thing he would never hear–or if he did hear it he would only class it as spiritualistic nonsense.
“I was now sure (from the evidence of Miss Lawson and the Misses Tripp) that murder had been committed. The question still was by whom? I eliminated the servants–their mentality was obviously not adapted to such a crime. I eliminated Miss Lawson, since she would hardly have prattled on about luminous ectoplasm if she had been connected with the crime. I eliminated Charles Arundell, since he knew, having seen the will, that he would gain nothing by his aunts death.