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CHAPTER I I GO TO STYLES

The intense interest aroused in the public by as known at the timeas "The Styles Case" has now somewhat subsided Nevertheless, in view ofthe world-wide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both bymy friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write an account of thewhole story This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensationalrumours which still persist

I will therefore briefly set down the circu connected with the affair

I had been invalided ho soiven ano near relations or friends, I was trying to makeup my mind what to do, when I ran across John Cavendish I had seen verylittle of him for some years Indeed, I had never known hiood fifteen years h hehardly looked his forty-five years As a boy, though, I had often stayedat Styles, his mother's place in Essex

We had a good yarn about old ti me downto Styles to spend my leave there

"The ain--after all those years,"he added

"Your mother keeps well?" I asked

"Oh, yes I suppose you know that she has ain?"

I am afraid I showed my surprise rather plainly Mrs Cavendish, who hadmarried John's father when he was a ith two sons, had been ahandsoe as I remembered her She certainly couldnot be a day less than seventy now I recalled her as an energetic,autocratic personality, somewhat inclined to charitable and socialnotoriety, with a fondness for opening bazaars and playing the LadyBountiful She was a enerous woman, and possessed a considerablefortune of her own

Their country-place, Styles Court, had been purchased by Mr Cavendishearly in their married life He had been co, he left the place to her for herlifetiement thatwas distinctly unfair to his two sons Their step-enerous to the at thetiht of her astheir own mother

Lawrence, the younger, had been a delicate youth He had qualified as adoctor but early relinquished the profession ofliterary ah his verses never had anymarked success

John practiced for some time as a barrister, but had finally settleddown to the enial life of a country squire He had o, and had taken his wife to live at Styles, though Ientertained a shrewd suspicion that he would have preferred his motherto increase his allowance, which would have enabled him to have a homeof his own Mrs Cavendish, however, was a lady who liked to make herown plans, and expected other people to fall in with them, and in thiscase she certainly had the whip hand, nas

John noticed e andsmiled rather ruefully

"Rotten little bounder too!" he said savagely "I can tell you,Hastings, it'slife jolly difficult for us As for Evie--youremember Evie?"

"No"

"Oh, I suppose she was after your time She's the reat sport--old Evie! Not preciselyyoung and beautiful, but as game as they make them"

"You were going to say----?"

"Oh, this fellow! He turned up fro of Evie's, though she didn't seee the relationship The fellow is anabsolute outsider, anyone can see that He's got a great black beard,and wears patent leather boots in all weathers! But the mater cottonedto him at once, took hi a hundred societies?"

I nodded

"Well, of course the war has turned the hundreds into thousands Nodoubt the felloas very useful to her But you could have knocked usall doith a feather when, three aged! The fellow er than she is! It's si; butthere you are--she is her own mistress, and she's married him"

"It must be a difficult situation for you all"

"Difficult! It's damnable!"

Thus it came about that, three days later, I descended from the train atStyles St Mary, an absurd little station, with no apparent reason forexistence, perched up in the reen fields and country lanesJohn Cavendish aiting on the platform, and piloted me out to thecar

"Got a drop or two of petrol still, you see," he reto the mater's activities"

The village of Styles St Mary was situated about two miles from thelittle station, and Styles Court lay a mile the other side of it It wasa still, warm day in early July As one looked out over the flat Essexcountry, lying so green and peaceful under the afternoon sun, it seemedalreat asrunning its appointed course I felt I had suddenly strayed into anotherworld As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:

"I's"

"My dear fellow, that's just what I want"

"Oh, it's pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life I drillwith the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farularly 'on the land' She is up at five everyto ood life takingit all round--if it weren't for that fellow Alfred Inglethorp!" Hechecked the car suddenly, and glanced at his watch "I wonder if we'vetime to pick up Cynthia No, she'll have started from the hospital bynow"

"Cynthia! That's not your wife?"

"No, Cynthia is a protegee of hter of an oldschoolfellow of hers, who irl was left an orphan and penniless My mother cameto the rescue, and Cynthia has been with us nearly two years now Sheworks in the Red Cross Hospital at Tadminster, seven miles away"

As he spoke the last words, we drew up in front of the fine old houseA lady in a stout tweed skirt, as bending over a flower bed,straightened herself at our approach

"Hullo, Evie, here's our wounded hero! Mr Hastings--Miss Howard"

Miss Howard shook hands with a hearty, alrip I hadan impression of very blue eyes in a sunburnt face She was apleasant-looking woman of about forty, with a deep voice, ale sensible square body, with feetto ood thick boots Her conversation, Isoon found, was couched in the telegraphic style

"Weeds grow like house afire Can't keep even with 'em Shall press youin Better be careful"

"I'hted to make myself useful," Iresponded

"Don't say it Never does Wish you hadn't later"

"You're a cynic, Evie," said John, laughing "Where's tea to-day--insideor out?"

"Out Too fine a day to

be cooped up in the house"

"Co for to-day 'The labourer isworthy of his hire', you know Come and be refreshed"

"Well," said Miss Howard, drawing off her gardening gloves, "I'ree with you"

She led the way round the house to where tea was spread under the shadeof a large sycamore

A figure rose from one of the basket chairs, and came a few steps tomeet us

"My wife, Hastings," said John

I shall never forget ht of Mary Cavendish Her tall, slenderforht; the vivid sense of slufire that seemed to find expression only in those wonderful tawny eyesof hers, remarkable eyes, different from any other woman's that Ihave ever known; the intense power of stillness she possessed, whichnevertheless conveyed the impression of a wild untas are burnt into et them

She greeted me with a feords of pleasant welco distinctly glad that I hadaccepted John's invitation Mrs Cavendish gave htenedwo, andI described, in a humorous manner, certain incidents of reatly ah he is, could hardly be called a brilliantconversationalist

At that h the open French near at hand:

"Then you'll write to the Princess after tea, Alfred? I'll write to LadyTadminster for the second day, myself Or shall ait until we hearfroht openit the first day, and Mrs Crosbie the second Then there's theDuchess--about the school fete"

There was the lethorp's rosein reply:

"Yes, certainly After tea will do quite well You are so thoughtful,Alfred dear"

The French ung open a little wider, and a handsome white-hairedold lady, with a somewhat masterful cast of features, stepped out ofit on to the lawn A estion of deference in hismanner

Mrs Inglethorp greeted me with effusion

"Why, if it isn't too delightful to see you again, Mr Hastings, afterall these years Alfred, darling, Mr Hastings--my husband"

I looked with so" He certainly struck arather alien note I did not wonder at John objecting to his beardIt was one of the longest and blackest I have ever seen He woregold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious iht look natural on a stage, but was strangely outof place in real life His voice was rather deep and unctuous He placeda wooden hand in mine and said:

"This is a pleasure, Mr Hastings" Then, turning to his wife: "Emilydearest, I think that cushion is a little damp"

She beamed fondly on him, as he substituted another with everydee infatuation of an otherwisesensible woman!

With the presence of Mr Inglethorp, a sense of constraint and veiledhostility seemed to settle down upon the company Miss Howard, inparticular, took no pains to conceal her feelings Mrs Inglethorp,however, see unusual Her volubility, which Ire years, and shepoured out a steady flood of conversation,bazaar which she was organizing and which was to take placeshortly Occasionally she referred to her husband over a question ofdays or dates His watchful and attentive manner never varied From thevery first I took a firm and rooted dislike to himents are usually fairly shrewd

Presently Mrs Inglethorp turned to give some instructions about lettersto Evelyn Howard, and her husband addressedvoice:

"Is soldiering your regular profession, Mr Hastings?"

"No, before the war I was in Lloyd's"

"And you will return there after it is over?"

"Perhaps Either that or a fresh start altogether"

Mary Cavendish leant forward

"What would you really choose as a profession, if you could just consultyour inclination?"

"Well, that depends"

"No secret hobby?" she asked "Tellabsurd"

"You'll laugh at me"

She smiled

"Perhaps"

"Well, I've always had a secret hankering to be a detective!"

"The real thing--Scotland Yard? Or Sherlock Holmes?"

"Oh, Sherlock Holmes by all means But really, seriously, I aium once, a very famousdetective, and he quite inflamed me He was a ood detective as a h of course I have progressed ratherfurther He was a funny little reat dandy, but wonderfullyclever"

"Like a good detective story h Criminal discovered in last chapter Every onedumbfounded Real crime--you'd know at once"

"There have been a great nuued

"Don't ht in it The familyYou couldn't really hoodwink them They'd know"

"Then," I said, much amused, "you think that if you were mixed up in acriht off?"

"Of course I should Mightn't be able to prove it to a pack of lawyersBut I'ertips if he came nearme"

"It ested

"Might But murder's a violent crime Associate it more with a man"

"Not in a case of poisoning" Mrs Cavendish's clear voice startledeneralignorance of thethe medical profession,there were probably countless cases of poisoning quite unsuspected"