The House of the Arrow

by A. E. W. Mason

Jim walked away into the sitting-room. He had no wish to follow step by step Hanaud and the Commissary in their search; and he had noticed on the table in the middle of the room a blotting-pad and some notepaper and the materials for writing. He wanted to get all this whirl of conjecture and fact and lies, in which during the last two days he had lived, sorted and separated and set in order in his mind; and he knew no better way of doing so than by putting it all down shortly in the "for" and "against" style of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. He would have a quiet hour or so whilst Hanaud indefatigably searched. He took a sheet of paper, selected a pen at random from the tray and began. It cost Ann Upcott, however, a good many sheets of notepaper, and more than once the nib dropped out of his pen-holder and was forced back into it before he had finished. But he had his problem reduced at last to these terms:

For	Against
(1) Although suspicion thatmurder had been committedarose in the first instance onlyfrom the return to its shelf ofthe "Treatise on SporanthusHispidus," subsequent developments,e.g., the disappearance ofthe Poison Arrow, the introductioninto the case of the ill-famedJean Cladel, Ann Upcott's storyof her visit to the TreasureRoom, and now the mystery ofMrs. Harlowe's pearl necklace,make out a prima facie case forinquiry.	But in the absence of anytrace of poison in the deadwoman's body, it is difficult tosee how the criminal can bebrought to justice, except by (a) A confession. (b) The commission of anothercrime of a similar kind.Hanaud's theory—once apoisoner always a poisoner.
(2) If murder was committed,it is probable that it wascommitted at half-past ten at nightwhen Ann Upcott in the TreasureRoom heard the sound of astruggle and the whisper, "Thatwill do now."	Ann Upcott's story may bepartly or wholly false. Sheknew that Mrs. Harlowe'sbedroom was to be opened andexamined. If she also knew thatthe pearl necklace haddisappeared, she must have realisedthat it would be advisable forher to tell some story before itsdisappearance was discovered,which would divert suspicionfrom her.
(3) It is clear that whoevercommitted the murder, if murderwas committed, Betty Harlowehad nothing to do with it. Shehad an ample allowance. Shewas at M. Pouillac's Ball onthe night. Moreover, onceMrs. Harlowe was dead, the necklacebecame Betty Harlowe'sproperty. Had she committed themurder, the necklace would nothave disappeared. (4) Who then are possiblyguilty?	It is possible that thedisappearance of the necklace is inno way connected with themurder, if murder there was.
(i) The servants.	(i) All of them have manyyears of service to their credit.It is not possible that any ofthem would have understoodenough of the "Treatise onSporanthus Hispidus" to makeuse of it. If any of them wereconcerned it can only be as anaccessory or assistant workingunder the direction of another.
(ii) Jeanne Baudin the nurse. More attention might be givento her. It is too easily acceptedthat she has nothing to dowith it.	No one suspects her. Herrecord is good.
(iii) Francine Rollard. Shewas certainly frightened thisafternoon. The necklace wouldbe a temptation. Was it she who bent over AnnUpcott in the darkness?	She was frightened of thepolice as a class, rather than ofbeing accused of a crime. Sheacted her part in the reconstructionscene without breakingdown. If she were concerned, itcould only be for the reasongiven above, as an assistant.
(iv) Ann Upcott. Her introduction into theMaison Crenelle took placethrough Waberski and underdubious circumstances. She ispoor, a paid companion, and thenecklace is worth a considerablefortune.	Her introductions may beexplicable on favourable grounds.Until we know more of herhistory it is impossible to judge.
She was in the house on thenight of Mrs. Harlowe's death.She told Gaston he could turnout the lights and go to bedearly that evening. She couldeasily have admitted Waberskiand received the necklace as theprice of her complicity.	Her account of the night ofthe 27th April may be true frombeginning to end.
The story she told us in thegarden may have been the truestory of what occurred adapted.It may have been she whowhispered "That will do now."She may have whispered it toWaberski. Her connection with Waberskiwas sufficiently close to makehim count upon Ann's supportin his charge against Betty.	In that case the theory of amurder is enormously strengthened.But who whispered, "Thatwill do now"?And who wasbending over Ann Upcott whenshe waked up?
(v) Waberski. He is a scoundrel, a would-beblackmailer. He was in straits for moneyand he expected a thumpinglegacy from Mrs. Harlowe. He may have brought AnnUpcott into the house with thethought of murder in his mind. Having failed to obtain anyprofit from his crime, he accusesBetty of the same crime as ablackmailing proposition.
As soon as he knew thatMrs. Harlowe had been exhumed andan autopsy made he collapsed.He knew, if he had used himselfthe poison arrow, that no traceof poison would be found. He knew of Jean Cladel, andaccording to his own story wasin the Rue Gambetta close toJean Cladel's shop. It is possiblethat he himself had been visitingCladel to pay for the solution ofStrophanthus.	But he would have collapsedequally if he had believed thatno murder had been committedat all.

If murder was committed the two people most obviously suspect are Ann Upcott and Waberski working in collusion.

To this conclusion Jim Frobisher was reluctantly brought, but even whilst writing it down there were certain questions racing through his mind to which he could find no answer. He was well aware that he was an utter novice in such matters as the investigation of crimes; and he recognised that were the answers to these questions known to him, some other direction might be given to his thoughts.

Accordingly he wrote those troublesome questions beneath his memorandum—thus:

But

(1) Why does Hanaud attach no importance to the return of the "Treatise on Sporanthus Hispidus" to its place in the library?

(2) What was it which so startled him upon the top of the Terrace Tower?

(3) What was it that he had in his mind to say to me at the Café in the Place D'Armes and in the end did not say?

(4) Why did Hanaud search every corner of the treasure room for the missing poison arrow—except the interior of the Sedan chair?