He beamed round at us all.

“But yes⁠—I mean what I say. See now, I did not invite Inspector Raglan to be present. That was for a reason. I did not want to tell him all that I knew⁠—at least I did not want to tell him tonight.”

He leaned forward, and suddenly his voice and his whole personality changed. He suddenly became dangerous.

“I who speak to you⁠—I know the murderer of Mr. Ackroyd is in this room now. It is to the murderer I speak. Tomorrow the truth goes to Inspector Raglan. You understand?”

There was a tense silence. Into the midst of it came the old Breton woman with a telegram on a salver. Poirot tore it open.

Blunt’s voice rose abrupt and resonant.

“The murderer is amongst us, you say? You know⁠—which?”