ii

poirot paid another visit to hampstead. mrs. adams was a little surprised, perhaps, to see him.

though he had been vouched for, so to speak, by a chief inspector of scotland yard, she

nevertheless regarded him as a “quaint little foreigner” and had not taken his pretentions very

seriously. she was, however, very willing to talk.

after the first sensational announcement about the identity of the victim, the finding of the

inquest had received very little publicity. it had been a case of mistaken identity—the body of

mrs. chapman had been mistaken for that of miss sainsbury seale. that was all that the public

knew. the fact that miss sainsbury seale had been probably the last person to see the unfortunate

mrs. chapman alive was not stressed. there had been no hint in the press that miss sainsbury

seale might possibly be wanted by the police on a criminal charge.

mrs. adams had been very relieved when she knew that it was not her friend’s body which had

been discovered so dramatically. she appeared to have no idea that any suspicion might attach to

mabelle sainsbury seale.

“but it is so extraordinary that she has disappeared like this. i feel sure, m. poirot, that it must

be loss of memory.”

poirot said that it was very probable. he had known cases of the kind.

“yes—i remember a friend of one of my cousins. she’d had a lot of nursing and worry, and it

brought it on. amnesia, i think they called it.”

poirot said that he believed that that was the technical term.

he paused and then asked if mrs. adams had ever heard miss sainsbury seale speak of a mrs.

albert chapman?

no, mrs. adams never remembered her friend mentioning anyone of that name. but then, of

course, it wasn’t likely that miss sainsbury seale should happen to mention everyone with whom

she was acquainted. who was this mrs. chapman? had the police any idea who could have

murdered her?

“it is still a mystery, madame.” poirot shook his head and then asked if it was mrs. adams who

had recommended mr. morley as a dentist to miss sainsbury seale.

mrs. adams replied in the negative. she herself went to a mr. french in harley street, and if

mabelle had asked her about a dentist she would have sent her to him.

possibly, poirot thought, it might have been this mrs. chapman who recommended miss

sainsbury seale to go to mr. morley.

mrs. adams agreed that it might have been. didn’t they know at the dentist’s?

but poirot had already asked miss nevill that question and miss nevill had not known or had

not remembered. she recollected mrs. chapman, but did not think the latter had ever mentioned a

miss sainsbury seale—the name being an odd one, she would have remembered it had she heard

it then.

poirot persevered with his questions.

mrs. adams had known miss sainsbury seale first in india, had she not? mrs. adams agreed.

did mrs. adams know if miss sainsbury seale had met mr. or mrs. alistair blunt at any time

out there?

“oh, i don’t think so, m. poirot. you mean the big banker? they were out some years ago

staying with the viceroy, but i’m sure if mabelle had met them at all, she would have talked about

it or mentioned them.”

“i’m afraid,” added mrs. adams, with a faint smile, “one does usually mention the important

people. we’re all such snobs at heart.”

“she never did mention the blunts—mrs. blunt in particular?”

“never.”

“if she had been a close friend of mrs. blunt’s probably you would have known?”

“oh yes. i don’t believe she knew anyone like that. mabelle’s friends were all very ordinary

people—like us.”

“that, madame, i cannot allow,” said poirot gallantly.

mrs. adams went on talking of mabelle sainsbury seale as one talks of a friend who has

recently died. she recalled all mabelle’s good works, her kindnesses, her indefatigable work for

the mission, her zeal, her earnestness.

hercule poirot listened. as japp had said, mabelle sainsbury seale was a real person. she had

lived in calcutta and taught elocution and worked amongst the native population. she had been

respectable, well-meaning, a little fussy and stupid perhaps, but also what is termed a woman with

a heart of gold.

and mrs. adams’ voice ran on: “she was so much in earnest over everything, m. poirot. and

she found people so apathetic—so hard to rouse. it was very difficult to get subscriptions out of

people—worse every year, with the income tax rising and the cost of living and everything. she

said to me once: ‘when one knows what money can do—the wonderful good you can accomplish

with it—well, really sometimes, alice, i feel i would commit a crime to get it.’ that shows,

doesn’t it, m. poirot, how strongly she felt?”

“she said that, did she?” said poirot thoughtfully.

he asked, casually, when miss sainsbury seale had enunciated this particular statement, and

learned that it had been about three months ago.

he left the house and walked away lost in thought.

he was considering the character of mabelle sainsbury seale.

a nice woman—an earnest and kindly woman—a respectable, decent type of woman. it was

amongst that type of person that mr. barnes had suggested a potential criminal could be found.

she had travelled back on the same boat from india as mr. amberiotis. there seemed reason to

believe that she had lunched with him at the savoy.

she had accosted and claimed acquaintance with alistair blunt and laid claim to an intimacy

with his wife.

she had twice visited king leopold mansions where, later, a dead body had been found dressed

in her clothes and with her handbag conveniently identifying it.

a little too convenient, that!

she had left the glengowrie court hotel suddenly after an interview with the police.

could the theory that hercule poirot believed to be true account for and explain all those facts?

he thought it could.