The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot 21)

That miserable woman who ruins my collars,

was, for the first time in her life, useful to some-body.

Surely you see--it is so obvious. Mr. Farley

glanced at that communication--one glance

would have told him that it was the wrong letter--and

yet he knew nothing. Why? Because he could

not see it properly,t"

Inspector Barnett said sharply, "Didn't he have

his glasses on?"

Hercule Poirot smiled. "Yes," he said. "He

had his glasses on. That is what makes it so very

interesting."

·

Heleaned forward.

"Mr. Farley's dream was very important. He

dreamed, you see, that he committed suicide. And

a little later on, he did commit suicide. That is to

say he was alone in a room and was found there

with a revolver by him, and no one entered or left

the room at the time that he was shot. What does

that mean? It means, does it not, that it must be

suicide!" ,

"Yes," said Stillingfleet.

Hercule Poirot shook his head.

"On the contrary," he said. "It was murder.

An unusual and a very cleverly planned murder."

/> Again he leaned forward, tapping the table, his

eyes green and shining.

"Why did Mr. Farley not allow me to go into

his own room that evening? What was there in