could have been for Ackroyd to have got into such a state about them? I wonder

if there is any clew there to the mystery.”

 

“The secretary said there were no papers of particular importance on the desk,”

said Poirot quietly.

 

“Yes, but——” I paused.

 

“It strikes you as odd that Ackroyd should have flown into a rage about so

trivial a matter?”

 

“Yes, it does rather.”

 

“But was it a trivial matter?”

 

“Of course,” I admitted, “we don’t know what those papers may have been. But

Raymond certainly said——”

 

“Leave M. Raymond out of it for a minute. What did you think of that girl?”

 

“Which girl? The parlormaid?”

 

“Yes, the parlormaid. Ursula Bourne.”

 

“She seemed a nice girl,” I said hesitatingly.