www.freeclassicebooks.com

and she kept staring at it, almost as if she couldn't believe what was written

there. She whispered to herself, as though she had forgotten I was there:

These few words--and everything's changed.' And then she says to me:

Never trust a man, Dorcas, they're not worth it!' I hurried off, and got her a

good strong cup of tea, and she thanked me, and said she'd feel better when

she'd drunk it. 'I don't know what to do,' she says. 'Scandal between

husband and wife is a dreadful thing, Dorcas. I'd rather hush it up if I

could.' Mrs. Cavendish came in just then, so she didn't say any more."

She still had the letter, or whatever it was, in her hand?" "Yes, sir."

What would she be likely to do with it afterwards?"

Well, I don't know, sir, I expect she would lock it up in that purple case of

hers."

Is that where she usually kept important papers?"

"Yes, sir. She brought it down with her every morning, and took it up every

night."

When did she lose the key of it?"

"She missed it yesterday at lunch-time, sir, and told me to look carefully for

it. She was very much put out about it."

But she had a duplicate key?"

Oh, yes, sir."

Dorcas was looking very curiously at him and, to tell the truth, so was I.

What was all this about a lost key? Poirot smiled.

"Never mind, Dorcas, it is my business to know things. Is this the key that

was lost?" He drew from his pocket the key that he had found in the lock of

the despatch-case upstairs.

Dorcas's eyes looked as though they would pop out of her head.

That's it, sir, right enough. But where did you find it? I looked everywhere

for it."

The Mysterious Affair at Styles