“Clearly he reads not the detective fiction! Well, Inspector, I congratulate you. We may look at the scene of the crime. Yes?”

“I’ll take you there myself this minute. I’d like you to see those footprints.”

“I, too, should like to see them. Yes, yes, very interesting, very ingenious.”

We set out forthwith. Mr. Ingles and the Inspector forged ahead. I drew Poirot back a little so as to be able to speak to him out of the Inspector’s hearing.

“What do you really think, Poirot? Is there more in this than meets the eye?”