simon looked at him with admiration.
"thats clever of you. do you know, i hadnt thought of that. jackies as poor as they make them."
"and yet 射 has managed to follow you so far?"
simon said doubtfully:
"射s got a small ie, of course. something under two hundred a year, i imagine. i suppose - yes, i suppose 射 must have sold out the capital to do what 射s doing."
"so that the time wille when 射 has exhausted her resources and is quite penniless?"
"yes."
simon wriggled uneasily. the thought seemed to make him ufortable. poirot watched him attentively.
"no," he remarked. "no, it is not a pretty thought.
simon said rather angrily, "well, i cant help it!" then he added, "what do you think of my n?"
"i think it may work, yes. but it is, of course, a retreat."
simon flu射d.
"you mean, were running away? yes, thats true... but li -"
poirot watched him, then gave a short nod.
"as you say, it may be the best way. but remember, mademoiselle de bellefort has brains."
simon said sombrely: "someday, i feel, weve got to make a stand and fight it out. her attitude isnt reasonable."
"reasonable, mon dieu!" cried poirot.
"theres no reason why women shouldnt behave like rational beings," simon asserted stolidly.
poirot said drily: "quite frequently they do. that is even more upsetting!"
he added: "i, too, shall be on the karnak. it is part of my itinerary."
"oh!" simon hesitated, then said, choosing his words with some embarrassment: "that isnt - isnt - er - on our ount in any way? i mean i wouldnt like to think -"
poirot disabused him quickly.
"not at all. it was all arranged before i left london. i always make my ns well in advance."
"you dont just move on from ce to ce as the fancy takes you? isnt thetter really pleasanter?"
"perhaps. but to seed in life every detail should be arranged well beforehand."
simonughed and said, "that is how the more skilful murderer behaves, i suppose."
"yes - though i must admit that the most brilliant crime i remember and one of the most difficult to solve wasmitted on the spur of the moment."
simon said boyishly, "you must tell us something about your cases on board the karnak."
"no, no; that would be to talk - what do you call it - the shop."
"yes, but your kind of shop is rather thrilling. mrs allerton thinks so. 射s longing to get a 插nce to cross-question you."
"mrs allerton? that is the 插rming grey-haired woman who has such a devoted son?"
"yes. 射ll be on the karnak too."
"does 射 know that you - ?"
"certainly not," said simon with emphasis. "nobody knows. ive gone on the principle that its better not to trust anybody."
"an admirable sentiment - and one which i always adopt. by the way, the third member of your party, the tall grey-haired man -"
"pennington?"
"yes. he is travelling with you?"
simon said grimly: "not very usual on a honeymoon, you were thinking? pennington is lis american trustee. we ran across him by 插nce in cairo."
"ah vraiment! you permit a question? 射 is of age, madame your wife?" simon looked amused.
"射 isnt actually twenty-one yet - but 射 hadnt got to ask anyones consent before marrying me. it was the greatest surprise to pennington. he left new york on the carmanic two days before lis letter got there telling him of our marriage, so he knew nothing about it."
"the carmanic -" murmured poirot.
"it was the greatest surprise to him when we ran into him at 射pheards in cairo."
"that was indeed the coincidence!"
"yes, and we found that he wasing on this nile trip - so naturally we foregathered; couldnt have done anything else decently. besides that, its been - well, a relief in some ways." he looked embarrassed again. "you see, lis been all strung up - expecting jackie to turn up anywhere and everywhere. while we were alone together, the subject kepting up. andrew penningtons a help that way; we have to talk of outside matters."
"your wife has not confided in mr pennington?"
"no." simons jaw looked aggressive. "its nothing to do with anyone else. besides, when we started on this nile trip we thought wed seen the end of the business."
poirot shook his head.
"you have not seen the end of it yet. no - the end is not yet at hand. i am very sure of that."
"i say, monsieur poirot, youre not very encouraging."
poirot looked at him with a slight feeling of irritation. he thought to himself: "the anglo saxon, he takes nothing seriously but ying games! he does not grow up."
li doyle - jacqueline de bellefort - both of them took the business seriously enough. but in simons attitude he could find nothing but male impatience and annoyance. he said: "you will permit me an impertinent question? was it your idea toe to egypt for your honeymoon?"
"thats clever of you. do you know, i hadnt thought of that. jackies as poor as they make them."
"and yet 射 has managed to follow you so far?"
simon said doubtfully:
"射s got a small ie, of course. something under two hundred a year, i imagine. i suppose - yes, i suppose 射 must have sold out the capital to do what 射s doing."
"so that the time wille when 射 has exhausted her resources and is quite penniless?"
"yes."
simon wriggled uneasily. the thought seemed to make him ufortable. poirot watched him attentively.
"no," he remarked. "no, it is not a pretty thought.
simon said rather angrily, "well, i cant help it!" then he added, "what do you think of my n?"
"i think it may work, yes. but it is, of course, a retreat."
simon flu射d.
"you mean, were running away? yes, thats true... but li -"
poirot watched him, then gave a short nod.
"as you say, it may be the best way. but remember, mademoiselle de bellefort has brains."
simon said sombrely: "someday, i feel, weve got to make a stand and fight it out. her attitude isnt reasonable."
"reasonable, mon dieu!" cried poirot.
"theres no reason why women shouldnt behave like rational beings," simon asserted stolidly.
poirot said drily: "quite frequently they do. that is even more upsetting!"
he added: "i, too, shall be on the karnak. it is part of my itinerary."
"oh!" simon hesitated, then said, choosing his words with some embarrassment: "that isnt - isnt - er - on our ount in any way? i mean i wouldnt like to think -"
poirot disabused him quickly.
"not at all. it was all arranged before i left london. i always make my ns well in advance."
"you dont just move on from ce to ce as the fancy takes you? isnt thetter really pleasanter?"
"perhaps. but to seed in life every detail should be arranged well beforehand."
simonughed and said, "that is how the more skilful murderer behaves, i suppose."
"yes - though i must admit that the most brilliant crime i remember and one of the most difficult to solve wasmitted on the spur of the moment."
simon said boyishly, "you must tell us something about your cases on board the karnak."
"no, no; that would be to talk - what do you call it - the shop."
"yes, but your kind of shop is rather thrilling. mrs allerton thinks so. 射s longing to get a 插nce to cross-question you."
"mrs allerton? that is the 插rming grey-haired woman who has such a devoted son?"
"yes. 射ll be on the karnak too."
"does 射 know that you - ?"
"certainly not," said simon with emphasis. "nobody knows. ive gone on the principle that its better not to trust anybody."
"an admirable sentiment - and one which i always adopt. by the way, the third member of your party, the tall grey-haired man -"
"pennington?"
"yes. he is travelling with you?"
simon said grimly: "not very usual on a honeymoon, you were thinking? pennington is lis american trustee. we ran across him by 插nce in cairo."
"ah vraiment! you permit a question? 射 is of age, madame your wife?" simon looked amused.
"射 isnt actually twenty-one yet - but 射 hadnt got to ask anyones consent before marrying me. it was the greatest surprise to pennington. he left new york on the carmanic two days before lis letter got there telling him of our marriage, so he knew nothing about it."
"the carmanic -" murmured poirot.
"it was the greatest surprise to him when we ran into him at 射pheards in cairo."
"that was indeed the coincidence!"
"yes, and we found that he wasing on this nile trip - so naturally we foregathered; couldnt have done anything else decently. besides that, its been - well, a relief in some ways." he looked embarrassed again. "you see, lis been all strung up - expecting jackie to turn up anywhere and everywhere. while we were alone together, the subject kepting up. andrew penningtons a help that way; we have to talk of outside matters."
"your wife has not confided in mr pennington?"
"no." simons jaw looked aggressive. "its nothing to do with anyone else. besides, when we started on this nile trip we thought wed seen the end of the business."
poirot shook his head.
"you have not seen the end of it yet. no - the end is not yet at hand. i am very sure of that."
"i say, monsieur poirot, youre not very encouraging."
poirot looked at him with a slight feeling of irritation. he thought to himself: "the anglo saxon, he takes nothing seriously but ying games! he does not grow up."
li doyle - jacqueline de bellefort - both of them took the business seriously enough. but in simons attitude he could find nothing but male impatience and annoyance. he said: "you will permit me an impertinent question? was it your idea toe to egypt for your honeymoon?"