I myself thought I had played rather cleverly. I should have had to pay Caroline an enormous amount if she had gone mah-jongg. Miss Gannett’s Mah-jongg was of the poorest variety possible, as Caroline did not fail to point out to her.
East Wind passed, and we started a new hand in silence.
“What I was going to tell you just now was this,” said Caroline.
“Yes?” said Miss Gannett encouragingly.
“My idea about Ralph Paton, I mean.”
“Yes, dear,” said Miss Gannett, still more encouragingly. “Chow!”
“It’s a sign of weakness to Chow so early,” said Caroline severely. “You should go for a big hand.”
“I know,” said Miss Gannett. “You were saying—about Ralph Paton, you know?”
“Yes. Well, I’ve a pretty shrewd idea where he is.”
We all stopped to stare at her.
“This is very interesting, Miss Caroline,” said Colonel Carter. “All your own idea, eh?”
“Well, not exactly. I’ll tell you about it. You know that big map of the county we have in the hall?”
We all said yes.
“As M. Poirot was going out the other day, he stopped and looked at it, and he made some remark—I can’t remember exactly what it was. Something about Cranchester being the only big town anywhere near