Question

‘He Said It with Arsenic’ by Ruskin Bond

Answer 1

‘He Said It with Arsenic’ is a classic murder mystery written by Ruskin Bond, centred on a man named William Jones who lives in Mussoorie. William is a man of simple tastes, a bit of a recluse, and a lover of gardening, but he has one major problem: his wife, Annie. Annie is a loud, nagging woman who has made William’s life miserable for years, and he finally decides that he has had enough.

William is an amateur chemist who enjoys experimenting with various substances in his home laboratory. One day, he hatches a cold and calculated plan to get rid of Annie forever. He chooses arsenic a tasteless, odorless poison as his weapon of choice. He begins to secretly mix small, undetectable doses into her daily tea and food.

The story follows the tense days that follow as Annie gradually begins to fade away. William watches calmly, playing the role of the concerned and devoted husband to perfection. He even goes so far as to call the local doctor, who remains completely baffled by Annie’s mysterious and deteriorating health. William’s plan seems flawless, and he believes he is finally on the verge of freedom.

However, Ruskin Bond is known for his signature "twist" endings. Just as William thinks he has successfully committed the perfect crime, the story takes a dark and ironic turn. It is revealed that Annie was not as oblivious as William believed. She had actually been aware of his plan for quite some time, and in a final act of bitter revenge, she had been slowly swapping their teacups.

William realises with horror, in his final moments, that he has been the one consuming the arsenic all along. He had meticulously poisoned his own life while thinking he was ending hers. The story concludes with the quiet, chilling realisation that William has fallen victim to his own cold-blooded greed and malice, leaving the reader with a dark lesson about the nature of evil and the irony of fate.