Hannah's arson attack on Miss Logan

Hannah’s arson attack on Miss Logan is the violent climax of the confrontation at Miss Logan’s bedside. Hannah rushes in with a lighted torch, sets fire to the bed curtains, and is subdued by Tuppence and Tommy; the blaze is extinguished, but Miss Logan dies from the shock, while the discovery of ricin in her cocktail glass exposes a second, already-present threat to her life.

The Attack

A sudden entrance from the adjoining room breaks the bedside scene: Hannah appears waving a lighted torch. She declares that she has identified the wicked woman, claiming that she saw her reading a book and smiling, and that the Lord’s voice—not the book’s page—told her what to believe. Hannah accuses her of hating her mistress and being jealous of Miss Lois, then frames the fire as divine punishment.

Hannah acts on that accusation at once, springing toward the bed with the torch. Miss Logan cries out, and Tuppence throws herself at Hannah. Hannah nevertheless manages to set the bed curtains alight before Tuppence wrests away the torch and stamps it out.

Rescue and Death

Tommy rushes in from the landing, tears down the bed hangings, and smothers the flames with a rug. He then joins Tuppence in overpowering Hannah, just as Dr. Burton arrives. The response is immediate and physical: Tuppence tackles the attacker, Tommy attacks the spreading fire, and together they subdue Hannah before she can continue the assault.

Dr. Burton is quickly informed of what has happened. He examines Miss Logan, lifts her hand, and concludes that the shock of the fire has killed her. The attempted arson therefore ends not in a successful burning, but in a death caused by the terror and shock of the attack.

The Poison Revelation

The doctor adds a crucial qualification: ricin was also present in the cocktail glass. Miss Logan had thus faced a second lethal danger, distinct from the fire Hannah set. The disclosure changes the meaning of the bedside crisis: Hannah’s attack is not the only threat implicated in Miss Logan’s death, although the doctor identifies the shock of the fire as the immediate cause.

After Hannah has been handed over to the doctor’s care, Tommy and Tuppence are alone together. Tommy calls Miss Logan’s death the best thing that could have happened under the circumstances and praises Tuppence for her courage. His response closes the scene on a stark contrast: the fire has been put out and the attacker subdued, but the rescue has come too late to save Miss Logan.