Chapter 25 Chapter 24 Murder is a Habit

We all went to bed early that night, and Miss Johnson appeared at dinner, and she behaved as usual, though she had a sort of blank air, and once or twice someone spoke to her, she didn't hear. . For some reason, that wasn't a very comfortable dinner.I suppose you could say it's a natural occurrence in a house where a funeral has been held that day.But, I mean, I know it myself. Recently, when we eat, everyone is very quiet and suppresses their emotions.Nevertheless, a feeling of friendship has developed between them.Dr. Leidner is in the grief of losing his wife, and everyone is sympathetic.At the same time, there is also a feeling of fellowship in times of trouble.

But tonight I thought again of my first meal there—when Mrs. McGado was staring at me, and I had a strange sense that a string might snap at any moment. I had the same feeling—only much stronger—when we were all sitting around the table, with Poirot at the end of it. That feeling was especially strong tonight.Everyone was on edge - terrified - on pins and needles, and if someone dropped something on the ground, I'm sure someone would scream. Like I said, we all broke up early after meals.I went to bed almost immediately, and the last sound I heard just as I was falling asleep was Mrs. McGado's voice saying good night to Miss Johnson at my door.

I fell asleep right away--tired from unpacking, and still more tired from that stupid thing I'd done in Mrs. Leidner's room--and slept soundly for hours without dreaming a single dream. I woke up suddenly, with a sense of impending doom, and a sound woke me up, and when I sat up in bed to listen, I heard that sound again. It was a choked moan of pain. In a second I was up with a candle lit, and I grabbed a torch just in case the candle went out.I went out of the room and stood there listening.I knew the voice was not from afar.The sound came again--it was from the room next to me--it was Miss Johnson's room.

I ran in quickly, Miss Johnson was lying on the bed, her whole body writhing in pain, I put down the candlestick, bent down to look, I saw her lips moved, she wanted to speak—but, only Hearing a hoarse whisper, I saw that the corners of her mouth and chin had burned a grayish-white skin. Her eyes looked from me to a glass on the ground.It had obviously fallen there from her hand, and the light-coloured carpet, where the glass had fallen, had been stained bright red.I picked up the cup, tried it with my finger, and then with a sudden squeal, I retracted my finger.Then I checked the poor woman's mouth.

What happened?There is no doubt that for some unknown reason, intentional or otherwise, she swallowed some caustic acid—oxalic, or hydrochloric, I think. I ran out and woke up Dr. Leidner and he woke up the others and we did everything we could to save her.But, I kept having a horrible feeling; it wasn't working, and we tried dousing her with a strong sodium carbonate solution - followed by olive oil.To ease her pain, I gave her a shot of morphine sulfate. David Emmott went to Harshany to find Dr. Rayleigh, but before he arrived it was all over. When I leaned over to give her the morphine, she struggled in agony to speak, and all I heard were uncomfortable murmurs that took place.

"That window—" she said, "Nurse—that window—" But there were only these words—she couldn't go on, she was completely broken. I will never forget that night, Dr. Rayleigh came, Captain Maitland came.At last, at daybreak, Hercule Poirot came. It was he who patted my arm gently and led me to the restaurant.There he sat me down and gave me a cup of strong tea to drink. "Well, Miss Nurse," he said, "that's much better, you're so tired." Hearing what he said, I suddenly burst into tears. "It's terrible," I cried. "It's like a bad dream, and she's in such pain, and her eyes—oh, Mr. Poirot—her eyes—"

He patted me on the shoulder lightly, not even a woman is so kind. "Yes, yes—don't think about it, you've done your best." "It's a corrosive acid that kills." "That's a strong hydrochloric acid solution." "Is that what they use to wash clay pots?" "Yes, Miss Johnson probably drank it before she was fully awake, that is to say—unless she did it on purpose." "Oh, M. Poirot, what a dreadful thought!" "After all, this is a possibility, what do you think?" I thought for a moment, then shook my head affirmatively.

"I don't believe it. No, I don't believe it." I hesitated, then said, "I think she found something yesterday afternoon." "What did you say? What did she find?" I repeated to him our conversation together. Poirot whistled softly and in a low voice. "Poor woman!" he said, "did she say she'd think about it? Huh? That killed her. If she'd just say it—then—at once—" He said, "Tell me exactly what she said again, will you?" I say it again. "Does she see how a man can come in from the outside without any of you seeing? Come on, Miss Nurse, let's go up to the roof and you'll tell me where she stands."

We went up to the roof together, and I showed him exactly where Miss Johnson had stood yesterday. "Like this?" said Poirot. "Well, what do I see from here? I see half of the courtyard—the arch—and the doors of the drawing room, the photographic room, and the research room. Is there anyone here?" "Father Lavigne is walking towards the arch, and Mr. Rhett is standing at the door of the studio." "I still don't see at all how a person can come in from the outside and none of you can see. But she did." "Oh, it's over! What did she see?"

Now the sun was rising, and the entire eastern sky was a multicolored palette of roses, oranges, grays, and pearly grays. "What a beautiful sunrise!" said Poirot softly. The river meanders up from our left; ancient hills stand there, outlined in golden yellow around them.On the front are blossoming fruit trees and peaceful cultivated fields.In the distance, there was a sound like the moaning of water wheel wheels—it was a faint sound that didn't seem like an earthly sound. The scenery was unbelievably beautiful. Then.Near me, I heard Poirot utter a deep sigh. "How stupid I am," he murmured, "the fact is very plain--very plain."