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Further questioned, he described his awakening in the early hours of the , 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 fareatest authorities of the day on the subject of toxicology

In a few brief words, he summed up the result of the post-y and technicalities, it alethorp hadfrom the quantity recovered, she rain of strychnine, but probably one grain or slightly over

"Is it possible that she could have sed 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 ates, and I hurried there as fast as I could"

"Will you relate to us exactly what happened next?"

"I entered Mrs Inglethorp's room She was at that moment in a typical tetanic convulsion She turned towards asped out: 'Alfred--Alfred----' "

"Could the strychnine have been adlethorp's after-dinner coffee which was taken to her by her husband?"

"Possibly, but strychnine is a fairly rapid drug in its action The symptoms appear from one to two hours after it has been sed It is retarded under certain conditions, none of which, however, appear to have been present in this case I presuht o'clock, whereas the symptoms did not , which, on the face of it, points to the drug having been taken lethorp was in the habit of drinking a cup of coco in the ht Could the strychnine have been administered in that?"

"No, Iin the saucepan and had it analysed There was no strychnine present"

I heard Poirot chuckle softly beside me

"How did you know?" I whispered

"Listen"

"I should say"--the doctor was continuing--"that I would have been considerably surprised at any other result"