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On one point, Poirot seemed to have a curious obsession. He once or twice
observed to me that he thought Dorcas must have made an error in fixing
the time of the quarrel. He suggested to her repeatedly that it was 4.30, and
not 4 o'clock when she had heard the voices.
But Dorcas was unshaken. Quite an hour, or even more, had elapsed
between the time when she had heard the voices and 5 o'clock, when she
had taken tea to her mistress.
The inquest was held on Friday at the Stylites Arms in the village. Poirot and
I sat together, not being required to give evidence.
The preliminaries were gone through. The jury viewed the body, and John
Cavendish gave evidence of identification.
Further questioned, he described his awakening in the early hours of the
morning, and the circumstances of his mother's death.
The medical evidence was next taken. There was a breathless hush, and
every eye was fixed on the famous London specialist, who was known to be
one of the greatest authorities of the day on the subject of toxicology.
In a few brief words, he summed up the result of the post-mortem. Shorn of
its medical phraseology and technicalities, it amounted to the fact that Mrs.
Inglethorp had met her death as the result of strychnine poisoning. Judging
from the quantity recovered, she must have taken not less than three-
quarters of a grain of strychnine, but probably one grain or slightly over.
"
Is it possible that she could have swallowed the poison by accident?" asked
the Coroner.
"
I should consider it very unlikely. Strychnine is not used for domestic
purposes, as some poisons are, and there are restrictions placed on its sale."
"Does anything in your examination lead you to determine how the poison
was administered?"
"
"
"
No."
You arrived at Styles before Dr. Wilkins, I believe?"
That is so. The motor met me just outside the lodge gates, and I hurried
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