&ot;yousee，iwasstillthegripoftheprenceivedideaifihadbeendrugd，thatwouldhaveipliedpreditation，itwouldanthatbeforeseven-thirty，whendnerisserved，thecrihadalreadybeendecidedupon;andthat（alwaysfrothepotofviewoftheprenceivedidea）wasabsurd

&ot;thefirstblowtotheprenceivedideawaswhenthepistolwasreveredfrotheniletobegwith，ifwewererightourassuptions，thepistoloughtnevertohavebeenthrownoverboardatallandtherewasoretofollow&ot;poirotturnedtodrbessner&ot;you，drbessner，exaedldoyle&39;sbodyyouwillreberthatthewoundshowedsignsofsrchg-thatistosay，thatthepistolhadbeenplacedcloseagasttheheadbeforebegfired&ot;

bessnernodded&ot;thatisexact&ot;

&ot;butwhenthepistolwasfounditwaswrappedavelvetstole，andthatvelvetshoweddefitesignsthatapistolhadbeenfiredthroughitsfolds，presuablyundertheipressionthatthatwoulddeadentheundoftheshotbutifthepistolhadbeenfiredthroughthevelvet，therewouldhavebeennosignsofburngonthevicti&39;ssktherefore，theshotfiredthroughthestoleuldnothavebeentheshotthatkilledldoyleuldithavebeentheothershot-theonefiredbyjaceledebellefortatsiondoyle?agano，fortherehadbeenowitnessesofthatshootg，andweknewallaboutititappeared，therefore，asthoughathirdshothadbeenfired-oneweknewnothgaboutbutonlyoshotshadbeenfiredfrothepistol，andtherewasnohtorsugstionofanothershot

&ot;herewewerefacetofacewithaverycuriounexpnedcircustancethenextterestgpotwasthefactthatldoyle&39;scabifoundobottlesoflourednailpolishnowladiesveryoftenvarythelouroftheirnails，butfarldoyle&39;snailshadalwaysbeentheshadecalledcardal-adeepdarkredtheotherbottlewaslabelledrose，whichisashadeofpalepk，butthefewdropsreagthebottlewerenotpalepkbutabrightrediwassufficientlycuriototakeoutthesperandsniffsteadoftheualstrongodourofpeardrops，thebottlesltofvegar!thatistosay，itsugstedthatthedroporooffiditwasredknowthereisnoreanwhyadadoyleshouldnothavehadabottleofredk，butitwouldhavebeenorenaturalif射hadhadredkaredkbottleandnotanailpolishbottleitsugstedalkwiththefatlystaedhandkerchiefwhichhadbeenwrappedroundthepistolredkwa射souticklybutalwaysleavesapalepksta

&ot;ishouldperhapshavearrivedatthetruthwiththeseslenderdications，butaneventourredwhichrenderedalldoubtsuperfolouisebourtwaskilledcircustanceswhichpotedunistakablytothefactthat射hadbeenblackailgtheurderernotonlywasafragntofaillefrancnotestillclaspedherhand，butireberedverysignificantwords射hadedthisorng

&ot;listencarefully，forhereisthecruxofthewholeatterwheniaskedherif射hadseenanythgtheprevionight射gavethisverycurioanswer:&39;naturally，ifihadbeenunabletosleep，ifihadountedthestairs，thenperhapsiighthaveseenthisassass，thisonsterenterorleaveada&39;scabnowwhatexactlydidthattell?&ot;

bessner，hisnosewrklgwithtellectualterest，repliedproptly，&ot;ittoldyouthat射hadountedthestair&ot;

&ot;no，no;youfailtoseethepotwhyshould射havesaidthat，to?&ot;

&ot;tonveyaht&ot;

&ot;butwhyhtto?if射knowswhotheurdereris，thereareoursesopentoher-totellthetruth，ortoholdhertongueanddeandoneyforhersilencefrothepernncerned!but射doesneither射neithersaysproptly:&39;isawnobodyiwasasleep&39;nordoes射say，&39;yes，isawone，anditwasand&39;whyethatsignificantdeteraterigaroleofwords?parbleu，therecanbeonlyonerean!射ishtgtotheurderer;thereforetheurdererthavebeenpresentatthetibut，besidesyselfandlonelrace，onlyopeoplewerepresent-siondoyleanddrbessner&ot;

thedoctorsprangupwitharoar

&ot;ach!whatisthatyousay?youae?aga?butitisridiculo-beneathntept&ot;

poirotsaidsharply:&ot;beietiatellgyouwhatithoughtatthetiletreaipernal&ot;

&ot;hedoesn&39;tanhethksit&39;syounow，&ot;saidrneliaothgly

poirotwentonickly:&ot;itlaythere-beeensiondoyleanddrbessnerbutwhatreanhasbessnertokillldoyle?none，farasiknowsiondoyle，then?butthatwasipossible!therewereplentyofwitnesseswhouldswearthatdoyleneverleftthesaloonthatevenguntilthearrelbrokeoutafterthathewaswoundedanditwouldthenhavebeenphysicallyipossibleforhitohavedonehadigoodevidenceonboththosepots?yes，ihadtheevidenceofadeoisellerobn，ofjifanthorpandofjaceledebellefortastothefirst，andihadtheskilledtestionyofdrbessnerandofadeoisellebowersastotheothernodoubtwaspossible

&ot;drbessnertbetheguiltyonefavourofthistheorytherewasthefactthattheaidhadbeenstabbedwithasurgicalknifeontheotherhandbessnerhaddeliberatelycalledattentiontothisfact

&ot;andthen，yfriends，asendperfectlydisputablefactbecaapparenttolouisebourt&39;shtuldnothavebeentendedfordrbessner，becae射uldperfectlywellhavespokentohiprivateatanyti射likedtherewasonepern，andonepernonly，whorrespondedtohernecessity-siondoyle!siondoylewaswounded，wasnstantlyattendedbyadoctor，wasthatdoctor&39;scabitwastohithereforethat射riskedsaygthoseabiguowords，case射ightnottanother插nceandireberedhow射hadgoneon，turngtohi:&39;onsieur，iiploreyou-youseehowitis?whatcanisay?&39;andhisanswer，&39;ygoodgirl，don&39;tbeafoolnobodythksyousaworheardanythgyou&39;llbeiteallrighti&39;lllookafteryounobody&39;sagyouofanythg&39;thatwastheassurance射wanted，and射gotit!&ot;