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"Let us look at the matter like this. Here is a man, let us say, who sets out to
poison his wife. He has lived by his wits as the saying goes. Presumably,
therefore, he has some wits. He is not altogether a fool. Well, how does he
set about it? He goes boldly to the village chemist's and purchases
strychnine under his own name, with a trumped up story about a dog which
is bound to be proved absurd. He does not employ the poison that night. No,
he waits until he has had a violent quarrel with her, of which the whole
household is cognisant, and which naturally directs their suspicions upon
him. He prepares no defence--no shadow of an alibi, yet he knows the
chemist's assistant must necessarily come forward with the facts. Bah! do
not ask me to believe that any man could be so idiotic! Only a lunatic, who
wished to commit suicide by causing himself to be hanged, would act so!"
"
"
"
Still--I do not see--" I began.
Neither do I see. I tell you, mon ami, it puzzles me. Me--Hercule Poirot!"
But if you believe him innocent, how do you explain his buying the
strychnine?"
"
"
"
Very simply. He did not buy it."
But Mace recognized him!"
I beg your pardon, he saw a man with a black beard like Mr. Inglethorp's,
and wearing glasses like Mr. Inglethorp, and dressed in Mr. Inglethorp's
rather noticeable clothes. He could not recognize a man whom he had
probably only seen in the distance, since, you remember, he himself had
only been in the village a fortnight, and Mrs. Inglethorp dealt principally
with Coot's in Tadminster."
"Then you think----"
"
Mon ami, do you remember the two points I laid stress upon? Leave the
first one for the moment, what was the second?"
"The important fact that Alfred Inglethorp wears peculiar clothes, has a
black beard, and uses glasses," I quoted.
"
Exactly. Now suppose anyone wished to pass himself off as John or
Lawrence Cavendish. Would it be easy?"
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