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The trial of John Cavendish for the murder of his step weeks I will say little, but nedly to Mary Cavendish She ranged herself passionately on her husband's side, scorning the ht for him tooth and nail

I expressed htfully

"Yes, she is of those wos out all that is sweetest and truest in them Her pride and her jealousy have--"

"Jealousy?" I queried

"Yes Have you not realized that she is an unusually jealous wo, her pride and jealousy have been laid aside She thinks of nothing but her husband, and the terrible fate that is hanging over hily, and I looked at hi that last afternoon, when he had been deliberating whether or not to speak With his tenderness for "a wolad that the decision had been taken out of his hands

"Even now," I said, "I can hardly believe it You see, up to the very last rinned

"I know you did"

"But John! My old friend John!"

"Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend," observed Poirot philosophically "You cannot ht have given me a hint"

"Perhaps, mon ami, I did not do so, just because he was your old friend"

I was rather disconcerted by this, re how I had busily passed on to John what I believed to be Poirot's views concerning Bauerstein He, by the way, had been acquitted of the charge brought against hih he had been too clever for theht hos were pretty well clipped for the future

I asked Poirot whether he thought John would be condemned To my intense surprise, he replied that, on the contrary, he was extremely likely to be acquitted

"But, Poirot--" I protested

"Oh,that I have no proofs It is one thing to know that a uilty, it is quite another matter to prove him so And, in this case, there is terribly little evidence That is the whole trouble I, Hercule Poirot, know, but I lack the last link inlink--" He shook his head gravely