Summary of The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

Chapter 2 “The Idol House of Astarte”

And now, Dr Pender is going to tell them about his strange and tragic experience. It made a profound impression  him at the time, and to this day by a slight effort of memory he can feel again the awe and horror of that terrible moment when he saw a man stricken to death by apparently no mortal agency. His story has made all creepy.

Joyce got up and switched off two lamps, leaving the room lit only by the flickering firelight. Dr Pender began his story in a gentle reminiscent voice. The place he is telling them about is situated on the borders of Dartmoor. It was very charming property, though it had been on the market without finding the purchaser for several years. The situations was perhaps a little bleak in winter, but the views were magnificent and there were certain curious and original features about the property itself. It was bought by a man called Haydon – Sir Richard Haydon. Dr Pender accepted with pleasure his invitatiom to go down to Silent Grove, as his new purchase was called.

The house party was not a very large one. There was Richard Haydon himself, his cousin, Elliot Haydon. There was a Lady Mannering with a pale, rather inconspicious daugther called Violet. There was a Captain Rogers and his wife, hard riding, weatherbeaten people, who lived only for horses and hunting. There was also a young Dr Symonds and there was  Miss Diana Ashley. Richard Haydon was very much attracted by her, and Dr Pender guessed that the whole party was merely arranged as a setting for her.

The house itself was unremarkable, a good solid house bulit of Devonshire granite. It was unromantic but very comfortable. From the windows of it one looked out over the panorama of the Moor, vast rolling hills crowned with weather-beaten Tors. Neolithic hut dwellers, Druids, Romans, and even traces of the early Phoenicians were to be found. But this place is the most interesting of all. Its name is Silent Grove. They all followed Haydon. As they entered the grove of trees a curious oppression came over. No birds seemed to nest in these trees. Dr Pender that he didn’t like it.

“This is the Grove of Astarte” said Haydon.

One known Grove of Astarte in that country – in the North on the Wall. They have a true and authentic Grove of Astarte there. There, within this dense circle of trees, sacred rites were perfomed.  After dinner, they went to outside. It was a lovely night, warm and soft, and the moon was rising. They wandered about and chatted and the time passed quickly enough. It must have been an hour later when they realized that Diana Ashley was not with them. Violet said that she saw Diana’s going direction about a quarter of an hour. She pointed as she spoke towards the grove of trees that showed black and shadowy in the moonlight.

They all trooped off together, somewhat curious as to Miss Ashley had been up to. Suddenly, they came out into the open clearing in the middle of the grove and stood rooted to the spot in amazement, for there, on the threshold of the Idol House, stood a shimmering figure wrapped tightly round in diaphanous gauze and with two crescent horns rising from the dark masses of her hair. Violet saw Diana , she looks quite different somehow. The figure in the doorway raised her hands, she took a step forward and chanted in a high sweet voice. She crooned that she is the Priestess of Astarte. And said  beware how you approach me, for I hold death in my hand. She gives all the creeps.

Haydon was moving towards her accros the grass and she flung out a hand towards him. Richard Haydon laughed and quickened his pace, when all at once a curious thing happened. He hesitated for a moment, the seemed to stumble and fall headlong. He did not get up again, but lay where hw had fallen prone on the ground. Suddenly Diana began to laugh histerically. It was a strange horrible sound breaking the silence of the glade. At that moment there was a wild scream from Diana. Diana said that she have killed him.

They peered about vainly on the ground . Suddenly Violet Mannering said that Diana had something in her hand. A kind of dagger. She saw it. She saw a glitter when Diana threatened him. Dr Pender broke off apologetically and looked round. He said oe would know better nowadays, owing to the prevalence of detective fiction. Every street boy knows that a body must be left where it is found. But in this days we had not the some knowledge, and accordingly we carried the body of Richard Haydon back to his bedroom in the square granite house and the butler was desatched on a bicycle in search of the police-a ride of some twelve miles.

It was very dreadful night, none of them could sleep, or attempt to do so. When the police arrived, were frankly incredulous of the whole thing. They evinced a strong desire to cross-examine Miss Ashley, but there they had to reckon with Dr Symonds, who opposed the idea vehemently.

Elliot Haydon was lying on the exact spot where his cousin had been. Elliot Haydon was unconscious but breating feebly and that time there was no doubt of what had caused the tragedy. A long thin bronze weapon remained in the wound. At nay rate he is not dead and he will be able to tell them what happened. His description was vague in extreme. He had haunted about vainly for the dagger ant at last giving up search had taken up a stand near the Idol House. It was then taht he became increasingly certain that someone was watcing him from the belt of trees. He fought against that impression but was not able to shake it off. He describe a cold strange wind that began to blow. It seemed to come not from the trees but from the interior of the Idol House. He saw the small figure of the Goddess and he felt he was under an optical delusion. The figure seemed to grow larger and larger. Then suddenly received something that felt like a blow between his temples which sent him reeling back, and as he fell he was conscious of a sharp burning pain in his left shoulder.

The dagger was identified that time as being the identical one which had been dug up in the barrow on the hill, and which had been bought by Richard Haydon. Where he had kept it, in the house or in the Idol House in the grove, none seemed to know.

Dr Pender explained that no one was near the man when he was stricken down, so the only person who could have stabbed him was he himself. Suicide, in fact. At the moment, he is concerned with theoris. It seems to him, excluding the supernatural in which he does not for one moment believe, that was the only way things could have happened. He stabbed himself, and as he fell his arms flew out, wrenching the dagger from the wound and flinging it far into the zone of trees.

Five years after that tragedy occured. It came in the shape of a letter written to Dr Pender by Elliot Hyadon. He said in it that he fancied that I had always suspected him. He said it was a sudden temptation. He too loved Diana Ashley, but he was only a poor struggling barrister. With Richard out of the way and inhereting his title and estates, he saw a wonderful prospect opening up before him. The dagger had jerked out of his belt as he knelt down by his cousin, and almost before he had time to think he drove it in and returned it to his belt again. He stabbed himself later in oeder to divert suspicion. He wrote to Dr Pender on the eve of starting on an expedition to the South Pole in case, as he said, he should never come back.