"i have heard a great deal about you, monsieur poirot, and i know that you are a very clever man. it happens that i am urgently in need of someone to help me - and i think very possibly that you are the man who could do it."
poirot inclined his head.
"you are very amiable, madame, but you see, i am on holiday, and when i am on holiday i do not take cases."
"that could be arranged."
it was not offensively said - only with the quiet confidence of a young woman who had always been able to arrange matters to her satisfaction.
li doyle went on: "i am the subject, monsieur poirot, of an intolerable persecution. that persecution has got to stop! my own idea was to go to the police about it, but my - my husband seems to think that the police would be powerless to do anything."
"perhaps - if you would exin a little further?" murmured poirot politely.
"oh, yes, i will do so. the matter is perfectly simple."
there was still no hesitation - no faltering. li doyle had a clear-cut businesslike mind. 射 only paused a minute so as to present the facts as concisely as possible.
"before i met my husband, he was engaged to a miss de bellefort. 射 was also a friend of mine. my husband broke off his engagement to her - they were not suited in any way. 射, i am sorry to say, took it rather hard... i - am very sorry about that - but these things cannot be helped. 射 made certain - well, threats - to which i paid very little attention, and which, i may say, 射 has not attempted to carry out. but instead 射 has adopted the extraordinary course of - of following us about wherever we go." poirot raised his eyebrows.
"ah - rather an unusual - er - revenge."
"very unusual - and very ridiculous! but also - annoying."
射 bit her lip.
poirot nodded.
"yes, i can imagine that. you are, i understand, on your honey-moon?"
"yes. it happened - the first time - at venice. 射 was there - at danielli. i thought it just an embarrasing coincidence - that was all. then we found her on board the boat at brindisi. weve understood that 射 was going on to palestine. we left her, as we thought, on the boat. but - but when we got to mena house 射 was there - waiting for us."
poirot nodded.
"and now?"
"we came up the nile by boat. i - i was half expecting to find her on board. when 射 wasnt there i thought 射 had stopped being so - so childish. but when we got here - 射 - 射 was here - waiting."
poirot eyed her keenly for a moment. 射 was still perfectlyposed, but the knuckles of the hand that was gripping the table were white with the force of her grip.
he said, "and you are afraid this state of things may continue?"
"yes." 射 paused. "of course the whole thing is idiotic! jacqueline is making herself utterly ridiculous. i am surprised 射 hasnt got more pride - more dignity."
poirot made a slight gesture.
"there are times, madame, when pride and dignity - they go by the board! there are other - stronger emotions."
"yes, possibly." li spoke impatiently. "but what on earth can 射 hope to gain by all this?"
"it is not always a question of gain, madame."
something in his tone struck li disagreeably. 射 flu射d and said quickly: "you are right. a discussion of motives is beside the point. the crux of the matter is that this has got to be stopped."
"and how do you propose that that should be apli射d, madame?" poirot asked.
"well - naturally - my husband and i cannot continue being subjected to this annoyance. there must be some kind of legal address against such a thing."
射 spoke impatiently. poirot looked at her thoughtfully as he asked:
"has 射 threatened you in actual words in public? used insultingnguage? attempted any bodily harm?"
"no."
"then, frankly, madame, i do not see what you can do. if it is a youngdys pleasure to travel in certain ces, and those ces are the same where you and your husband find yourselves - eh bien - what of it? the air is free to all! there is no question of her forcing herself upon your privacy? it is always in public that these encounters take ce?"
"you mean there is nothing that i can do about it?"
li sounded incredulous.
poirot said cidly: "nothing at all as far as i can see. mademoiselle de bellefort is within her rights."
"but - but it is maddening! it is intolerable that i should have to put up with this!"
poirot said drily, "i sympathize with you, madame - especially as i imagine that you have not often had to put up with things."
li was frowning.
"there must be some way of stopping it," 射 murmured.
poirot shrugged his shoulders.
"you can always leave - move on somewhere else," he suggested.
"then 射 will follow!"
"very possibly - yes."
"its absurd!"
"precisely."
"anyway, why should i - we - run away? as though - as though -" 射 stopped.
"exactly, madame. as though -! it is all there, is it not?"
li lifted her head and stared at him.
"what do you mean?"
poirot inclined his head.
"you are very amiable, madame, but you see, i am on holiday, and when i am on holiday i do not take cases."
"that could be arranged."
it was not offensively said - only with the quiet confidence of a young woman who had always been able to arrange matters to her satisfaction.
li doyle went on: "i am the subject, monsieur poirot, of an intolerable persecution. that persecution has got to stop! my own idea was to go to the police about it, but my - my husband seems to think that the police would be powerless to do anything."
"perhaps - if you would exin a little further?" murmured poirot politely.
"oh, yes, i will do so. the matter is perfectly simple."
there was still no hesitation - no faltering. li doyle had a clear-cut businesslike mind. 射 only paused a minute so as to present the facts as concisely as possible.
"before i met my husband, he was engaged to a miss de bellefort. 射 was also a friend of mine. my husband broke off his engagement to her - they were not suited in any way. 射, i am sorry to say, took it rather hard... i - am very sorry about that - but these things cannot be helped. 射 made certain - well, threats - to which i paid very little attention, and which, i may say, 射 has not attempted to carry out. but instead 射 has adopted the extraordinary course of - of following us about wherever we go." poirot raised his eyebrows.
"ah - rather an unusual - er - revenge."
"very unusual - and very ridiculous! but also - annoying."
射 bit her lip.
poirot nodded.
"yes, i can imagine that. you are, i understand, on your honey-moon?"
"yes. it happened - the first time - at venice. 射 was there - at danielli. i thought it just an embarrasing coincidence - that was all. then we found her on board the boat at brindisi. weve understood that 射 was going on to palestine. we left her, as we thought, on the boat. but - but when we got to mena house 射 was there - waiting for us."
poirot nodded.
"and now?"
"we came up the nile by boat. i - i was half expecting to find her on board. when 射 wasnt there i thought 射 had stopped being so - so childish. but when we got here - 射 - 射 was here - waiting."
poirot eyed her keenly for a moment. 射 was still perfectlyposed, but the knuckles of the hand that was gripping the table were white with the force of her grip.
he said, "and you are afraid this state of things may continue?"
"yes." 射 paused. "of course the whole thing is idiotic! jacqueline is making herself utterly ridiculous. i am surprised 射 hasnt got more pride - more dignity."
poirot made a slight gesture.
"there are times, madame, when pride and dignity - they go by the board! there are other - stronger emotions."
"yes, possibly." li spoke impatiently. "but what on earth can 射 hope to gain by all this?"
"it is not always a question of gain, madame."
something in his tone struck li disagreeably. 射 flu射d and said quickly: "you are right. a discussion of motives is beside the point. the crux of the matter is that this has got to be stopped."
"and how do you propose that that should be apli射d, madame?" poirot asked.
"well - naturally - my husband and i cannot continue being subjected to this annoyance. there must be some kind of legal address against such a thing."
射 spoke impatiently. poirot looked at her thoughtfully as he asked:
"has 射 threatened you in actual words in public? used insultingnguage? attempted any bodily harm?"
"no."
"then, frankly, madame, i do not see what you can do. if it is a youngdys pleasure to travel in certain ces, and those ces are the same where you and your husband find yourselves - eh bien - what of it? the air is free to all! there is no question of her forcing herself upon your privacy? it is always in public that these encounters take ce?"
"you mean there is nothing that i can do about it?"
li sounded incredulous.
poirot said cidly: "nothing at all as far as i can see. mademoiselle de bellefort is within her rights."
"but - but it is maddening! it is intolerable that i should have to put up with this!"
poirot said drily, "i sympathize with you, madame - especially as i imagine that you have not often had to put up with things."
li was frowning.
"there must be some way of stopping it," 射 murmured.
poirot shrugged his shoulders.
"you can always leave - move on somewhere else," he suggested.
"then 射 will follow!"
"very possibly - yes."
"its absurd!"
"precisely."
"anyway, why should i - we - run away? as though - as though -" 射 stopped.
"exactly, madame. as though -! it is all there, is it not?"
li lifted her head and stared at him.
"what do you mean?"