Inglethorp's
after-dinner coffee which was taken to her by her husband?"
"Possibly, but strychnine is a fairly rapid drug in its action.
The symptoms appear from one to two hours after it has been
swallowed. It is retarded under certain conditions, none of
which, however, appear to have been present in this case. I
presume Mrs. Inglethorp took the coffee after dinner about eight
o'clock, whereas the symptoms did not manifest themselves until
the early hours of the morning, which, on the face of it, points
to the drug having been taken much later in the evening."
"Mrs. Inglethorp was in the habit of drinking a cup of coco in
the middle of the night. Could the strychnine have been
administered in that?"
"No, I myself took a sample of the coco remaining in the saucepan
and had it analysed. There was no strychnine present."
I heard Poirot chuckle softly beside me.
"How did you know?" I whispered.
"Listen."
"I should say"--the doctor was continuing--"that I would have
been considerably surprised at any other result.
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