"Oooh," said Bridget, "it"s the bachelor"s b.u.t.ton! M. Poirot"s got the bachelor"s b.u.t.ton!"

Hercule Poirot dipped the small silver b.u.t.ton into the finger-gla.s.s of water that stood by his plate, and washed it clear of pudding crumbs.

"It is very pretty," he observed.

"That means you"re going to be a bachelor, M. Poirot," explained Colin helpfully.

"That is to be expected," said Poirot gravely. "I have been a bachelor for many long years and it is unlikely that I shall change that status now."

"Oh, never say die," said Michael. "I saw in the paper that someone of ninety-five married a girl of twenty-two the other day."

"You encourage me," said Hercule Poirot.

Colonel Lacey uttered a sudden exclamation. His face became purple and his hand went to his mouth.

"Confound it, Emmeline," he roared, "why on earth do you let the cook put gla.s.s in the pudding?"

"Gla.s.s!" cried Mrs. Lacey, astonished.

Colonel Lacey withdrew the offending substance from his mouth. "Might have broken a tooth," he grumbled. "Or swallowed the d.a.m.n" thing and had appendicitis."

He dropped the piece of gla.s.s into the finger-bowl, rinsed it, and held it up.

"G.o.d bless my soul," he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. "It"s a red stone out of one of the cracker brooches." He held it aloft.

"You permit?"

Very deftly M. Poirot stretched across his neighbour, took it from Colonel Lacey"s fingers, and examined it attentively. As the squire had said, it was an enormous red stone the colour of a ruby. The light gleamed from its facets as he turned it about. Somewhere around the table a chair was pushed sharply back and then drawn in again.

"Phew!" cried Michael. "How wizard it would be if it was real."

"Perhaps it is real," said Bridget hopefully.

"Oh, don"t be an a.s.s, Bridget. Why, a ruby of that size would be worth thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds. Wouldn"t it, M. Poirot?"

"It would indeed," said Poirot.

"But what I can"t understand," said Mrs. Lacey, "is how it got into the pudding."

"Oooh," said Colin, diverted by his last mouthful, "I"ve got the pig. It isn"t fair."

Bridget chanted immediately, "Colin"s got the pig! Colin"s got the pig! Colin is the greedy guzzling pig!"

"I"ve got the ring," said Diana in a clear, high voice.

"Good for you, Diana. You"ll be married first, of us all."

"I"ve got the thimble," wailed Bridget.

"Bridget"s going to be an old maid," chanted the two boys. "Yah, Bridget"s going to be an old maid."

"Who"s got the money?" demanded David. "There"s a real ten-shilling piece, gold, in this pudding. I know. Mrs. Ross told me so."

"I think I"m the lucky one," said Desmond Lee-Wortley.

Colonel Lacey"s two next-door neighbours heard him mutter, "Yes, you would be."

"I"ve got a ring, too," said David. He looked across at Diana. "Quite a coincidence, isn"t it?"

The laughter went on. n.o.body noticed that M. Poirot carelessly, as though thinking of something else, had dropped the red stone into his pocket.

Mince-pies and Christmas dessert followed the pudding. The older members of the party then retired for a welcome siesta before the teatime ceremony of the lighting of the Christmas tree. Hercule Poirot, however, did not take a siesta. Instead, he made his way to the enormous old-fashioned kitchen.

"It is permitted," he asked, looking round and beaming, "that I congratulate the cook on this marvellous meal that I have just eaten?"

There was a moment"s pause and then Mrs. Ross came forward in a stately manner to meet him. She was a large woman, n.o.bly built with all the dignity of a stage d.u.c.h.ess. Two lean grey-haired women were beyond in the scullery washing up and a tow-haired girl was moving to and fro between the scullery and the kitchen. But these were obviously mere myrmidons.

Mrs. Ross was the queen of the kitchen quarters.

"I am glad to hear you enjoyed it, sir," she said graciously.

"Enjoyed it!" cried Hercule Poirot. With an extravagant foreign gesture he raised his hand to his lips, kissed it, and wafted the kiss to the ceiling. "But you are a genius, Mrs. Ross! A genius! Never have I tasted such a wonderful meal. The oyster soup"-he made an expressive noise with his lips-"and the stuffing. The chestnut stuffing in the turkey, that was quite unique in my experience."

"Well, it"s funny that you should say that, sir," said Mrs. Ross graciously. "It"s a very special recipe, that stuffing. It was given me by an Austrian chef that I worked with many years ago. But all the rest," she added, "is just good, plain English cooking."

"And is there anything better?" demanded Hercule Poirot.

"Well, it"s nice of you to say so, sir. Of course, you being a foreign gentleman might have preferred the Continental style. Not but what I can"t manage Continental dishes, too."

"I am sure, Mrs. Ross, you could manage anything! But you must know that English cooking-good English cooking, not the cooking one gets in the second-cla.s.s hotels or the restaurants-is much appreciated by gourmets on the Continent, and I believe I am correct in saying that a special expedition was made to London in the early eighteen hundreds, and a report sent back to France of the wonders of the English puddings. "We have nothing like that in France," they wrote. "It is worth making a journey to London just to taste the varieties and excellencies of the English puddings." And above all puddings," continued Poirot, well launched now on a kind of rhapsody, "is the Christmas plum pudding, such as we have eaten today. That was a home-made pudding, was it not? Not a bought one?"

"Yes, indeed, sir. Of my own making and my own recipe such as I"ve made for many, many years. When I came here Mrs. Lacey said that she"d ordered a pudding from a London store to save me the trouble. But no, madam, I said, that may be kind of you but no bought pudding from a store can equal a home-made Christmas one. Mind you," said Mrs. Ross, warming to her subject like the artist she was, "it was made too soon before the day. A good Christmas pudding should be made some weeks before and allowed to wait. The longer they"re kept, within reason, the better they are. I mind now that when I was a child and we went to church every Sunday, we"d start listening for the collect that begins "Stir up O Lord we beseech thee" because that collect was the signal, as it were, that the puddings should be made that week. And so they always were. We had the collect on the Sunday, and that week sure enough my mother would make the Christmas puddings. And so it should have been here this year. As it was, that pudding was only made three days ago, the day before you arrived, sir. However, I kept to the old custom. Everyone in the house had to come out into the kitchen and have a stir and make a wish. That"s an old custom, sir, and I"ve always held to it."

"Most interesting," said Hercule Poirot. "Most interesting. And so everyone came out into the kitchen?"

"Yes, sir. The young gentlemen, Miss Bridget and the London gentleman who"s staying here, and his sister and Mr. David and Miss Diana-Mrs. Middleton, I should say-all had a stir, they did."

"How many puddings did you make? Is this the only one?"

"No, sir, I made four. Two large ones and two smaller ones. The other large one I planned to serve on New Year"s Day and the smaller ones were for Colonel and Mrs. Lacey when they"re alone like and not so many in the family."

"I see, I see," said Poirot.

"As a matter of fact, sir," said Mrs. Lacey, "it was the wrong pudding you had for lunch today."

"The wrong pudding?" Poirot frowned. "How is that?"

"Well, sir, we have a big Christmas mould. A china mould with a pattern of holly and mistletoe on top and we always have the Christmas Day pudding boiled in that. But there was a most unfortunate accident. This morning, when Annie was getting it down from the shelf in the larder, she slipped and dropped it and it broke. Well, sir, naturally I couldn"t serve that, could I? There might have been splinters in it. So we had to use the other one-the New Year"s Day one, which was in a plain bowl. It makes a nice round but it"s not so decorative as the Christmas mould. Really, where we"ll get another mould like that I don"t know. They don"t make things in that size nowadays. All tiddly bits of things. Why, you can"t even buy a breakfast dish that"ll take a proper eight to ten eggs and bacon. Ah, things aren"t what they were."

"No, indeed," said Poirot. "But today that is not so. This Christmas Day has been like the Christmas Days of old, is that not true?"

Mrs. Ross sighed. "Well, I"m glad you say so, sir, but of course I haven"t the help now that I used to have. Not skilled help, that is. The girls nowadays"-she lowered her voice slightly-"they mean very well and they"re very willing but they"ve not been trained, sir, if you understand what I mean."

"Times change, yes," said Hercule Poirot. "I too find it sad sometimes."

"This house, sir," said Mrs. Ross, "it"s too large, you know, for the mistress and the colonel. The mistress, she knows that. Living in a corner of it as they do, it"s not the same thing at all. It only comes alive, as you might say, at Christmas time when all the family come."

"It is the first time, I think, that Mr. Lee-Wortley and his sister have been here?"

"Yes, sir." A note of slight reserve crept into Mrs. Ross"s voice. "A very nice gentleman he is but, well-it seems a funny friend for Miss Sarah to have, according to our ideas. But there-London ways are different! It"s sad that his sister"s so poorly. Had an operation, she had. She seemed all right the first day she was here, but that very day, after we"d been stirring the puddings, she was took bad again and she"s been in bed ever since. Got up too soon after her operation, I expect. Ah, doctors nowadays, they have you out of hospital before you can hardly stand on your feet. Why, my very own nephew"s wife ..." And Mrs. Ross went into a long and spirited tale of hospital treatment as accorded to her relations, comparing it unfavourably with the consideration that had been lavished upon them in older times.

Poirot duly commiserated with her. "It remains," he said, "to thank you for this exquisite and sumptuous meal. You permit a little acknowledgement of my appreciation?" A crisp five-pound note pa.s.sed from his hand into that of Mrs. Ross, who said perfunctorily: "You really shouldn"t do that, sir."

"I insist. I insist."

"Well, it"s very kind of you indeed, sir." Mrs. Ross accepted the tribute as no more than her due. "And I wish you, sir, a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year."

V.

The end of Christmas Day was like the end of most Christmas Days. The tree was lighted, a splendid Christmas cake came in for tea, was greeted with approval but was partaken of only moderately. There was cold supper.

Both Poirot and his host and hostess went to bed early.

"Good-night, M. Poirot," said Mrs. Lacey. "I hope you"ve enjoyed yourself."

"It has been a wonderful day, madame, wonderful."

"You"re looking very thoughtful," said Mrs. Lacey.

"It is the English pudding that I consider."

"You found it a little heavy, perhaps?" asked Mrs. Lacey delicately.

"No, no, I do not speak gastronomically. I consider its significance."

"It"s traditional, of course," said Mrs. Lacey. "Well, good-night, M. Poirot, and don"t dream too much of Christmas puddings and mince-pies."

"Yes," murmured Poirot to himself as he undressed. "It is a problem certainly, that Christmas plum pudding. There is here something that I do not understand at all." He shook his head in a vexed manner. "Well-we shall see."

After making certain preparations, Poirot went to bed, but not to sleep.

It was some two hours later that his patience was rewarded. The door of his bedroom opened very gently. He smiled to himself. It was as he had thought it would be. His mind went back fleetingly to the cup of coffee so politely handed him by Desmond Lee-Wortley. A little later, when Desmond"s back was turned, he had laid the cup down for a few moments on a table. He had then apparently picked it up again and Desmond had had the satisfaction, if satisfaction it was, of seeing him drink the coffee to the last drop. But a little smile lifted Poirot"s moustache as he reflected that it was not he but someone else who was sleeping a good sound sleep tonight. "That pleasant young David," said Poirot to himself, "he is worried, unhappy. It will do him no harm to have a night"s really sound sleep. And now, let us see what will happen?"

He lay quite still, breathing in an even manner with occasionally a suggestion, but the very faintest suggestion, of a snore.

Someone came up to the bed and bent over him. Then, satisfied, that someone turned away and went to the dressing-table. By the light of a tiny torch the visitor was examining Poirot"s belongings neatly arranged on top of the dressing-table. Fingers explored the wallet, gently pulled open the drawers of the dressing-table, then extended the search to the pockets of Poirot"s clothes. Finally the visitor approached the bed and with great caution slid his hand under the pillow. Withdrawing his hand, he stood for a moment or two as though uncertain what to do next. He walked round the room looking inside ornaments, went into the adjoining bathroom from whence he presently returned. Then, with a faint exclamation of disgust, he went out of the room.

"Ah," said Poirot, under his breath. "You have a disappointment. Yes, yes, a serious disappointment. Bah! To imagine, even, that Hercule Poirot would hide something where you could find it!" Then, turning over on his other side, he went peacefully to sleep.

He was aroused next morning by an urgent soft tapping on his door.

"Qui est la? Come in, come in."

The door opened. Breathless, red-faced, Colin stood upon the threshold. Behind him stood Michael.

"M. Poirot, M. Poirot."

"But yes?" Poirot sat up in bed. "It is the early tea? But no. It is you, Colin. What has occurred?"

Colin was, for a moment, speechless. He seemed to be under the grip of some strong emotion. In actual fact it was the sight of the nightcap that Hercule Poirot wore that affected for the moment his organs of speech. Presently he controlled himself and spoke.

"I think-M. Poirot, could you help us? Something rather awful has happened."

"Something has happened? But what?"

"It"s-it"s Bridget. She"s out there in the snow. I think-she doesn"t move or speak and-oh, you"d better come and look for yourself. I"m terribly afraid-she may be dead."

"What?" Poirot cast aside his bed covers. "Mademoiselle Bridget-dead!"

"I think-I think somebody"s killed her. There"s-there"s blood and-oh do come!"

"But certainly. But certainly. I come on the instant."

With great practicality Poirot inserted his feet into his outdoor shoes and pulled a fur-lined overcoat over his pyjamas.

"I come," he said. "I come on the moment. You have aroused the house?"

"No. No, so far I haven"t told anyone but you. I thought it would be better. Grandfather and Gran aren"t up yet. They"re laying breakfast downstairs, but I didn"t say anything to Peverell. She-Bridget-she"s round the other side of the house, near the terrace and the library window."

"I see. Lead the way. I will follow."

Turning away to hide his delighted grin, Colin led the way downstairs. They went out through the side door. It was a clear morning with the sun not yet high over the horizon. It was not snowing now, but it had snowed heavily during the night and everywhere around was an unbroken carpet of thick snow. The world looked very pure and white and beautiful.

"There!" said Colin breathlessly. "I-it"s-there!" He pointed dramatically.

The scene was indeed dramatic enough. A few yards away Bridget lay in the snow. She was wearing scarlet pyjamas and a white wool wrap thrown round her shoulders. The white wool wrap was stained with crimson. Her head was turned aside and hidden by the ma.s.s of her outspread black hair. One arm was under her body, the other lay flung out, the fingers clenched, and standing up in the centre of the crimson stain was the hilt of a large curved Kurdish knife which Colonel Lacey had shown to his guests only the evening before.

"Mon Dieu!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed M. Poirot. "It is like something on the stage!"

There was a faint choking noise from Michael. Colin thrust himself quickly into the breach.

"I know," he said. "It-it doesn"t seem real somehow, does it? Do you see those footprints-I suppose we mustn"t disturb them?"

"Ah yes, the footprints. No, we must be careful not to disturb those footprints."

"That"s what I thought," said Colin. "That"s why I wouldn"t let anyone go near her until we got you. I thought you"d know what to do."

"All the same," said Hercule Poirot briskly, "first, we must see if she is still alive? Is not that so?"