they say, but it certainly appears so.”

 

As we hurried in a taxi to the _Magnificent_, I puzzled out the true inwardness

of the scheme.

 

“That ‘full of the moon’ idea was clever. The whole point of it was to get us to

concentrate on the Friday, and so be off our guard beforehand. It is a pity you

did not realize that.”

 

“_Ma foi!_” said Poirot airily, his nonchalance quite restored after its brief

eclipse. “One cannot think of everything!”

 

I felt sorry for him. He did so hate failure of any kind.

 

“Cheer up,” I said consolingly. “Better luck next time.”

 

At the _Magnificent_, we were ushered at once into the manager’s office. Gregory

Rolf was there with two men from Scotland Yard. A pale-faced clerk sat opposite

them.

 

Rolf nodded to us as we entered.

 

“We’re getting to the bottom of it,” he said. “But it’s almost unbelievable. How

the guy had the nerve I can’t think.”