IV

Pilar marched into the drawing room, her head held high.

She went straight up to Lydia, who was sitting in the window with some knitting.

Pilar said:

“Lydia, I have come to tell you that I will not take that money. I am going away—at once.

.?.?.”

Lydia looked astonished. She laid down her knitting. She said:

“My dear child, Alfred must have explained very badly! It is not in the least a matter ofcharity, if that is what you feel. Really, it is not a question of kindness or generosity¹ on our part. Itis a plain matter of right and wrong. In the ordinary course of events your mother would haveinherited this money, and you would have come into it from her. It is your right—your blood right.

It is a matter, not of charity, but of justice!”

Pilar said fiercely:

“And that is why I cannot do it—not when you speak like that—not when you are like that! Ienjoyed coming here. It was fun! It was an adventure, but now you have spoilt it all! I am goingaway now, at once—you will never be bothered by me again. .?.?.”

Tears choked her voice. She turned and ran blindly out of the room.

Lydia stared. She said helplessly:

“I’d no idea she would take it like that!”

Hilda said:

“The child seems quite upset.”

George cleared his throat and said portentously²:

“Er—as I pointed³ out this morning—the principle involved is wrong. Pilar has the wit to seethat for herself. She refuses to accept charity—”

Lydia said sharply:

“It is not charity. It is her right!”

George said:

“She does not seem to think so!”

Superintendent⁴ Sugden and Hercule Poirot came in. The former looked round and asked:

“Where’s Mr. Farr? I want a word with him.”

Before anyone had time to answer, Hercule Poirot said sharply:

“Where is the Se?orita Estravados?”

George Lee said with a trace of malicious⁵ satisfaction:

“Going to clear out, so she says. Apparently⁶ she has had enough of her English relations.”

Poirot wheeled round.

He said to Sugden:

“Come!”

As the two men emerged into the hall, there was the sound of a heavy crash and a farawayshriek.

Poirot cried:

“Quick .?.?. Come. .?.?.”

They raced along the hall and up the far staircase. The door of Pilar’s room was open and aman stood in the doorway⁷. He turned his head as they ran up. It was Stephen Farr.

He said:

“She’s alive. .?.?.”

Pilar stood crouched⁸ against the wall of her room. She was staring at the floor where a bigstone cannon⁹ ball was lying.

She said breathlessly:

“It was on top of my door, balanced there. It would have crashed down on my head when Icame in, but my skirt caught on a nail and jerked me back just as I was coming in.”

Poirot knelt down and examined the nail. On it was a thread of purple tweed. He looked upand nodded gravely.

“That nail, mademoiselle,” he said, “saved your life.”

The superintendent said, bewildered:

“Look here, what’s the meaning of all this?”

Pilar said:

“Someone tried to kill me!”

She nodded her head several times.

Superintendent Sugden glanced up at the door.

“Booby trap,” he said. “An old-fashioned booby trap—and its purpose was murder! That’sthe second murder planned in this house. But this time it didn’t come off!”

Stephen Farr said huskily:

“Thank God you’re safe.”

Pilar flung out her hands in a wide, appealing gesture.

“Madre de Dios,” she cried. “Why should anyone wish to kill me? What have I done?”

Hercule Poirot said slowly:

“You should rather ask, mademoiselle, what do I know?”

She stared.

“Know? I do not know anything.”

Hercule Poirot said:

“That is where you are wrong. Tell me, Mademoiselle Pilar, where were you at the time ofthe murder? You were not in this room.”

“I was. I have told you so!”

Superintendent Sugden said with deceptive¹⁰ mildness:

“Yes, but you weren’t speaking the truth when you said that, you know. You told us youheard your grandfather scream—you couldn’t have heard that if you were in here—Mr. Poirot andI tested that yesterday.”

“Oh!” Pilar caught her breath.

Poirot said:

“You were somewhere very much nearer his room. I will tell you where I think you were,mademoiselle. You were in the recess¹¹ with the statues quite close to your grandfather’s door.”

Pilar said, startled:

“Oh .?.?. How did you know?”

Poirot said with a faint smile:

“Mr. Farr saw you there.”

Stephen said sharply:

“I did not. That’s an absolute lie!”

Poirot said:

“I ask your pardon, Mr. Farr, but you did see her. Remember your impression that there werethree statues in that recess, not two. Only one person wore a white dress that night, MademoiselleEstravados. She was the third white figure you saw. That is so, is it not, mademoiselle?”

Pilar said, after a moment’s hesitation¹²: “Yes, it is true.”

Poirot said gently: “Now tell us, mademoiselle, the whole truth. Why were you there?”

Pilar said:

“I left the drawing room after dinner and I thought I would go and see my grandfather. Ithought he would be pleased. But when I turned into the passage I saw someone else was there athis door. I did not want to be seen because I knew my grandfather had said he did not want to seeanyone that night. I slipped into the recess in case the person at the door turned round.”

“Then, all at once, I heard the most horrible sounds, tables—chairs”—she waved her hands—“everything falling and crashing. I did not move. I do not know why. I was frightened. And thenthere was a terrible scream”—she crossed herself—“and my heart it stopped beating, and I said,‘Someone is dead. .?.?.’?”

“And then?”

“And then people began coming running along the passage and I came out at the end andjoined them.”

Superintendent Sugden said sharply:

“You said nothing of all this when we first questioned you. Why not?”

Pilar shook her head. She said, with an air of wisdom:

“It is not good to tell too much to the police. I thought, you see, that if I said I was near thereyou might think that I had killed him. So I said I was in my room.”

Sugden said sharply:

“If you tell deliberate lies all that it ends in is that you’re bound to come under suspicion.”

Stephen Farr said: “Pilar?”

“Yes?”

“Who did you see standing¹³ at the door when you turned into the passage? Tell us.”

Sugden said: “Yes, tell us.”

For a moment the girl hesitated. Her eyes opened, then narrowed. She said slowly:

“I don’t know who it was. It was too dimly lit to see. But it was a woman. .?.?.”

 

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