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view.”
    “You can give me an outline of the evidence against her?”
    “I can. When I received your letter I looked up the case.” He picked up a small notebook. “I've jotted down all the salient facts here.”
    “Thank you, my friend. I am all eagerness to hear.”
    Hale cleared his throat. A slight official intonation made itself heard in his voice. He said:
    "At two forty-five on the afternoon of September eighteenth, Inspector Conway was rung up by Dr Andrew Faussett. Dr Faussett stated that Mr Amyas Crale of Alderbury had died suddenly and that in consequence of the circumstances of that death and also of a statement made to him by a Mr Blake, a guest staying in the house, he considered that it was a case for the police.
    "Inspector Conway, in company with a sergeant and the police surgeon, came over to Alderbury straight away. Dr Faussett was there and took him to where the body of Mr Crale had not been disturbed.
    "Mr Crale had been painting in a small enclosed garden, known as the Battery Garden, from the fact that it overlooked the sea, and had some miniature cannon placements in embattlements. It was situated at about four minutes walk from the house. Mr Crale had not come up to the house for lunch, as he wanted to get certain effects of light on the stone - and the sun would have been wrong for this later. He had therefore remained alone in the Batter Garden painting. This was stated not to be an unusual occurrence. Mr Crale took very little notice of mealtime. Sometimes a sandwich would be sent down to him, but more often he preferred to remain undisturbed.
    "The last people to see him alive were Miss Elsa Greer (staying in the house) and Mr Meredith Blake (a near neighbor). These two went up together to the house and went with the rest of the household in to lunch. After lunch, coffee was served on the terrace. Mrs Crale finished drinking her coffee and then observed that she would 'go down and see how Amyas was getting on.' Miss Cecilia Williams, governess, got up and accompanied her. She was looking for a pull-over belonging to her pupil, Miss Angela Warren, sister of Mrs Crale, which the latter had mislaid, and she thought it possible it might have been left down on the beach.
    "These two started off together. The path led downward, through some woods until it emerged at the door leading into the Battery Garden. You could either go into the Battery Garden or you could continue on the same path which led down to the seashore.
    "Miss Williams continued on down, and Mrs Crale went into the Battery Garden. Almost at once, however, Mrs Crale screamed, and Miss Williams hurried back. Mr Crale was reclining on a seat and he was dead.
    “At Mrs Crale's urgent request Miss Williams left the Battery Garden and hurried up to the house to telephone for a doctor. On her way, however, she met Mr Meredith Blake and entrusted her errand to him, herself returning to Mrs Crale, who she felt might be in need of someone. Dr Faussett arrived on the scene a quarter of an hour later. He saw at once that Mr Crale had been dead for some time - he placed the probable time of death at between one and two o'clock. There was nothing to show what had caused death. There was no sign of any wound and Mr Crale's attitude was a perfectly natural one. Nevertheless, Dr Faussett, who was well acquainted with Mr Crale's state of health, and who knew positively that there was no disease or weakness of any kind, was inclined to take a grave view of the situation. It was at this point that Mr Blake made a certain statement to Dr Faussett.”
    Inspector Hale paused, drew a deep breath, and passed, as it were, to Chapter Two:
    "Subsequently Mr Blake repeated this statement to Inspector Conway. It was to this effect: He had that morning received a telephone message from his brother, Mr Meredith Blake (who lived at Handcross Manor, a mile and a half away). Mr Meredith Blake was an amateur chemist - or perhaps herbalist would describe it best. On