Her face looked distressed.
"It's too horrible," she said as she accepted the chair that Poirot placed for her. "I can hardly believe it.
That lovely creature, with everything to live for - dead.
I almost feel I can't believe it."
"I know how you feel, Madame," said Poirot sympathetically.
"I'm glad you are on board," said Mrs Allerton simply. "You'll be able to find out who did it.
I'm so glad it isn't that poor tragic girl."
"You mean Mademoiselle de Bellefort.
Who told you she did not do it?"
"Cornelia Robson," replied Mrs Allerton, with a faint smile. "You know, she's simply thrilled by it all.
It's probably the only exciting thing that has ever happened to her, and probably the only exciting thing that ever will happen to her.
But she's so nice that she's terribly ashamed of enjoying it.
She thinks it's awful of her." Mrs Allerton gave a look at Poirot and then added: "But I mustn't chatter. You want to ask me questions."
"If you please.
You went to bed at what time, Madame?"
"Just after half past ten."
"And you went to sleep at once?"
"Yes.
I was sleepy."
"And did you hear anything - anything at all - during the night?"
Mrs Allerton wrinkled her brows.
"Yes, I think I heard a splash and someone running - or was it the other way about?
I'm rather hazy.
I just had a vague idea that someone had fallen overboard at sea - a dream, you know - and then I woke up and listened, but it was all quite quiet."
"Do you know what time that was?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't.
But I don't think it was very long after I went to sleep.
I mean it was within the first hour or so."
"Alas, Madame, that is not very definite."
"No, I know it isn't. But it's no good my trying to guess, is it, when I haven't really the vaguest idea?"
"And that is all you can tell us, Madame?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Had you ever actually met Madame Doyle before?"
"No, Tim had met her.
And I'd heard a good deal about her through a cousin of ours, Joanna Southwood, but I'd never spoken to her till we met at Assuan."
"I have one other question, Madame, if you will pardon me for asking."
Mrs Allerton murmured with a faint smile,
"I should love to be asked an indiscreet question."
"It is this. Did you, or your family, ever suffer any financial loss through the operations of Madame Doyle's father, Melhuish Ridgeway?"
Mrs Allerton looked thoroughly astonished.
"Oh, no!
The family finances have never suffered except by dwindling... you know, everything paying less interest than it used to.
There's never been anything melodramatic about our poverty.
My husband left very little money, but what he left I still have, though it doesn't yield as much as it used to yield."
"I thank you, Madame.
Perhaps you will ask your son to come to us."
Tim said lightly, when his mother came to him:
"Ordeal over?
My turn now!
What sort of things did they ask you?"