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Now, as

these two ladies walked away from the camp, Dr Gerard passed them going to it. There is no oneto say what Dr Gerard’s movements were when he reached the camp because the two ladies’

backs were towards it. They were walking away from it. Therefore it is perfectly¹ possible for DrGerard to have committed the crime. Being a doctor, he could easily counterfeit² the appearance ofmalaria. There is, I should say, a possible motive³. Dr Gerard might have wished to save a certainperson whose reason (perhaps more vital a loss than loss of life) was in danger, and he may haveconsidered the sacrifice of an old and worn-out life worth it!’

‘Your ideas,’ said Dr Gerard, ‘are fantastic!’

Without taking any notice, Poirot went on:

‘But if so, why did Gerard call attention to the possibility of foul⁴ play? It is quite certain that,but for his statement to Colonel Carbury, Mrs Boynton’s death would have been put down tonatural causes. It was Dr Gerard who first pointed⁵ out the possibility of murder. That, my friends,’

said Poirot, ‘does not make common sense!’

‘Doesn’t seem to,’ said Colonel Carbury gruffly.

‘There is one more possibility,’ said Poirot. ‘Mrs Lennox Boynton just now negatived stronglythe possibility of her young sister-in-law being guilty. The force of her objection lay in the factthat she knew her mother-in-law to be dead at the time. But remember this, Ginevra Boynton wasat the camp all the afternoon. And there was a moment—a moment when Lady Westholme andMiss Pierce were walking away from the camp and before Dr Gerard had returned to it…’

Ginevra stirred. She leaned forward, staring into Poirot’s face with a strange, innocent, puzzledstare.

‘I did it? You think I did it?’

Then suddenly, with a movement of swift incomparable beauty, she was up from her chair andhad flung herself across the room and down on her knees beside Dr Gerard, clinging to him,gazing up passionately⁶ into his face.

‘No, no, don’t let them say it! They’re making the walls close round me again! It’s not true! Inever did anything! They are my enemies—they want to put me in prison—to shut me up. Youmust help me. You must help me!’

‘There, there, my child.’ Gently the doctor patted her head. Then he addressed Poirot.

‘What you say is nonsense—absurd.’

‘Delusions of persecution⁷?’ murmured Poirot.

‘Yes; but she could never have done it that way. She would have done it, you must perceive,dramatically—a dagger—something flamboyant—spectacular—never this cool, calm logic⁸! I tellyou, my friends, it is so. This was a reasoned crime—a sane⁹ crime.’

Poirot smiled. Unexpectedly he bowed. ‘Je suis entièrement de votre avis,’ he said smoothly¹⁰.