rot turned round on hi noddg his head

&ot;yes, yes it is, as i say, of an astonishg siplicity! it is failiar, is it not? it has been done often, the pas of the roance of cri! it is now, deed, a little vieux jeu! it leads one to spect that our urderer is - old-fashioned!&ot;

race drew a long breath

&ot;i see,&ot; he said &ot;i thought at first -&ot; he sped

poirot said with a very fat sile: &ot;that i believed all the old clichés of lodraa? but pardon, dr bessner, you were about to say -?&ot;

bessner broke out gutturally: &ot;what do i say? pah! i say it is absurd; it is the nonsense! the poor lady 射 died stantaneoly to dip her fr the blood (and as you see, there is hardly any blood) and write the letter j upon the wall - bah - it is the nonsense - the lodraatic nonsense!&ot;

&ot;ces lenfantilla,&ot; agreed poirot

&ot;but it was done with a purpose,&ot; sugsted race

&ot;that - naturally,&ot; agreed poirot, and his face was grave

&ot;what does j stand for?&ot; asked race

poirot replied proptly: &ot;j stands for jacele de bellefort, a young lady who declared to less than a week ago that 射 would like nothg better than to -&ot; he paed and then deliberately oted, &ot;to put y dear little pistol close agast her head and then jt press with y fr&ot;

&ot;gott i hil!&ot; excd dr bessner

there was a ontary silence then race drew a deep breath and said:

&ot;which is jt what was done he