"My husband was, of course, years older than I was.
I married as a mere child before I knew what I was doing."
Poirot shook his head sadly.
"I know. I know.
How often does that not occur?"
"Neither of us would admit what was happening," went on Mrs. Luxmore. "John Despard never said anything. He was the soul of honor."
"But a woman always knows," prompted Poirot.
"How right you are. Yes, a woman knows. But I never showed him that I knew.
We were Major Despard and Mrs. Luxmore to each other right up to the end. We were both determined to play the game."
She was silent, lost in admiration of that noble attitude.
"True," murmured Poirot. "One must play the cricket.
As one of your poets so finely says,
'I could not love thee, dear, so much, Loved I not cricket more.'"
"Honor," corrected Mrs. Luxmore with a slight frown.
"Of course - of course - honor.
'Loved I not honor more.'"
"Those words might have been written for us," murmured Mrs. Luxmore. "No matter what it cost us, we were both determined never to say the fatal word.
And then -"
"And then -" prompted Poirot.
"That ghastly night."
Mrs. Luxmore shuddered.
"Yes?"
"I suppose they must have quarreled - John and Timothy, I mean.
I came out of my tent - I came out of my tent -"
"Yes - yes?"
Mrs. Luxmore's eyes were wide and dark.
She was seeing the scene as though it were being repeated in front of her.
"I came out of my tent," she repeated. "John and Timothy were - Oh!" she shuddered. "I can't remember it all clearly.
I came between them. I said,
'No - no, it isn't true!'
Timothy wouldn't listen.
He was threatening John.
John had to fire - in self-defense.
Ah!" She gave a cry and covered her face with her hands. "He was dead - stone dead - shot through the heart."
"A terrible moment for you, madame."
"I shall never forget it.
John was noble.
He was all for giving himself up.
I refused to hear of it.
We argued all night.
'For my sake,' I kept saying.
He saw that in the end.
Naturally he couldn't let me suffer.
The awful publicity.
Think of the headlines.
Two Men and a Woman in the Jungle.
Primeval Passions.
"I put it all to John.
In the end he gave in.
The boys had seen and heard nothing.