Strange Jest by Agatha Christie. Short summary

5 seconds

Uncle Henry sold all his assets before his death. The relatives believe there is a treasure hidden somewhere on Uncle Henry’s estate. The heirs hope that Miss Marple will help them find it.

1 minute

A short story in the «Miss Marple» series. A young couple, Edward and Charmian, turn to the old lady for help. They had recently had a wealthy uncle who had bequeathed them his entire fortune. But it soon became clear that there is no fortune. The young men suspect that the cunning old man has converted all the money into gold and buried it somewhere on his estate. The heirs hope that Miss Marple will help them in their search.

Miss Marple took up the cause with enthusiasm, for she had always dreamed of searching for the buried treasure. All together they went to the manor. After a long search, the heroes found the hiding place, but it only contained old love letters. Uncle Henry had been written by a certain Betty Martin, a missionary who had traveled all over the world.

The disappointed heirs were about to burn the letters, but Miss Marple noticed that the envelopes were much older than the letters. It turned out that the uncle had invented an amusing joke — he had invested all his money in collectible stamps, which he had stuck on letters from the nonexistent Betty Martin.