plunged in his hand. Suddenly his face fell from complacent elation to consternation. All he held was a charred fragment of stiff paper. But for it, the cavity was empty.  

"_Sacré_," cried Poirot angrily. “Some one has been here before us!”  

We examined the scrap of paper anxiously. Clearly it was a fragment of what we sought. A portion of Baker’s signature remained, but no indication of what the terms of the will had been.  

Poirot sat back on his heels.  

“I understand it not,” he growled. “Who destroyed this? And what was their object?”  

“The Bakers?” I suggested.  

"_Pourquoi?_ Neither will makes any provision for them, and they are more likely to be kept on with Miss Marsh than if the place became the property of a hospital. How could it be to anyone’s advantage to destroy the will? The hospitals benefit, yes; but one cannot suspect institutions!”  

“Perhaps the old man changed his mind and destroyed it himself,” I suggested.  

Poirot rose to his feet, dusting his knees with his usual care.  

“That may be,” he admitted. “One of your more sensible observations, Hastings. Well, we can do no more here. We have done all that mortal man can do. We have successfully pitted our wits against the late Andrew Marsh, but unfortunately his niece is no better off for our success.”  

By driving to the station at once, we were just able to catch a train to London, though not the principal express. Poirot was sad and dissatisfied. For my part, I was tired and dozed in a corner. Suddenly, as we were just moving out of Taunton, Poirot uttered a piercing squeal.  

"_Vite_, Hastings! Awake and jump. But jump, I say!”  

Before I knew where I was, we were standing on the platform, bareheaded and minus our valises, while the train disappeared into the night. I was furious, but Poirot paid no attention.  

“Imbecile that I have been!” he cried. “Triple imbecile! Not again will I vaunt my little gray cells!”  

“That’s a good job, at any rate,” I said grumpily. “But what is this all about?”  

As usual, when following out his own ideas, he paid absolutely no attention to 

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