Five Little Pigs   ::   Christie Agatha

Carla said: ‘Hallo, Aunt Angela. I read your article inThe Times this morning. It’s nice to have a distinguished relative.’ She indicated the tall, square-jawed young man with the steady grey eyes. ‘This is John Rattery. He and I-hope-to be married.’

Angela Warren said: ‘Oh!-I didn’t know…’

Meredith went to greet the next arrival.

‘Well, Miss Williams, it’s a good many years since we met.’

Thin, frail and indomitable, the elderly governess advanced up the room. Her eyes rested thoughtfully on Poirot for a minute, then they went to the tall, square-shouldered figure in the well-cut tweeds.

Angela Warren came forward to meet her and said with a smile: ‘I feel like a schoolgirl again.’

‘I’m very proud of you, my dear,’ said Miss Williams. ‘You’ve done me credit. This is Carla, I suppose? She won’t remember me. She was too young…’

Philip Blake said fretfully: ‘Whatis all this? Nobody told me-’

Hercule Poirot said: ‘I call it-me-an excursion into the past. Shall we not all sit down? Then we shall be ready when the last guest arrives. And when she is here we can proceed to our business-to lay the ghosts.’

Philip Blake exclaimed: ‘What tomfoolery is this? You’re not going to hold aseance, are you?’

‘No, no. We are only going to discuss some events that happened long ago-to discuss them and, perhaps, to see more clearly the course of them. As to the ghosts, they will not materialize, but who is to say they are not here, in this room, although we cannot see them. Who is to say that Amyas and Caroline Crale are not here-listening?’

Philip Blake said: ‘Absurd nonsense-’ and broke off as the door opened again and the butler announced Lady Dittisham.

Elsa Dittisham came in with that faint, bored insolence that was a characteristic of her. She gave Meredith a slight smile, stared coldly at Angela and Philip, and went over to a chair by the window a little apart from the others. She loosened the rich pale furs round her neck and let them fall back. She looked for a minute or two about the room, then at Carla, and the girl stared back, thoughtfully appraising the woman who had wrought the havoc in her parents’ lives. There was no animosity in her young earnest face, only curiosity.

Elsa said: ‘I am sorry if I am late, M. Poirot.’

‘It was very good of you to come, madame.’

Cecilia Williams snorted ever so slightly. Elsa met the animosity in her eyes with a complete lack of interest. She said:

‘I wouldn’t have knownyou, Angela.