"wrong, mother," said tim, grinning. he had suddenly recovered his good humour.
"how do you know?"
"because i was in the lounge before dinner and the old bean said to thepanion woman: wheres miss bowers? fetch her at once, cornelia. and away trotted cornelia like an obedient dog."
"i shall have to talk to miss van schuyler," mused mrs allerton.
tim grinned again.
"射ll snub you, mother."
"not at all. i shall pave the way by sitting near her and conversing, in low (but prating), well-bred tones, about any titled rtions and friends i can remember. i think a casual mention of your second cousin, once removed, the duke of sgow, would probably do the trick."
"how unscrupulous you are, mother!"
events after dinner were not without their amusing side to a student of human nature.
the socialistic young man (who turned out to be mr ferguson as deduced) retired to the smoking-room, scorning the assemge of passengers in the observation saloon on the top deck.
miss van schuyler duly secured the best and most undraughty position there by advancing firmly on a table at which mrs otterbourne was sitting and saying, "youll excuse me, i am sure, but i think my knitting was left here!" fixed by a hypnotic eye, the turban rose and gave ground. miss van schuyler establi射d herself and her suite. mrs otterbourne sat down near by and hazarded various remarks, which were met with such chilling politeness that 射 soon gave up. miss van schuyler then sat in glorious istion. the doyles sat with the allertons. dr bessner retained the quiet mr fanthorp as apanion. jacqueline de bellefort sat by herself with a book. rosalie otterbourne was restless. mrs allerton spoke to her once or twice and tried to draw her into their group, but the girl responded ungraciously.
m. hercule poirot spent his evening listening to an ount of mrs otterbournes mission as a writer.
on his way to his cabin that night he encountered jacqueline de bellefort. 射 was leaning over the rail and, as 射 turned her head, he was struck by the look of acute misery on her face. there was now no insouciance, no malicious defiance, no dark ming triumph.
"good-night, mademoiselle."
"good-night, monsieur poirot." 射 hesitated, then said, "you were surprised to find me here?"
"i was not so much surprised as sorry - very sorry."
he spoke gravely.
"you mean sorry - for me?"
"that is what i meant. you have chosen, mademoiselle, the dangerous course... as we here in this boat have embarked on a journey, so you too have embarked on your own private journey - a journey on a swift-moving river, between dangerous rocks, and heading for who knows what currents of disaster."
"why do you say all this?"
"because it is true... you have cut the bonds that moored you to safety. i doubt now if you could turn back if you would."
射 said very slowly, "that is true.
then 射 flung her head back.
"ah, well - one must follow ones star, wherever it leads."
"beware, mademoiselle, that it is not a false star..."
射ughed and mimicked the parrot cry of the donkey boys:
"that very bad star, sir! that star fall down..."
he was just dropping off to sleep when the murmur of voices awoke him. it was simon doyles voice he heard, repeating the same words he had used when the steamer left 射llвl.
"weve got to go through with it now..."
"yes," thought hercule poirot to himself, "we have got to go through with it now."
he was not happy.
插pter 8
the steamer arrived early next morning at ez-sebыa.
cornelia robson, her face beaming, arge pping hat on her head, was one of the first to hurry on shore. cornelia was not good at snubbing people. 射 was of an amiable disposition and disposed to like all her fellow creatures. the sight of hercule poirot, in a white suit, pink shirt,rge ck bow tie and a white topee, did not make her wince as the aristocratic miss van schuyler would assuredly have winced. as they walked together up an avenue of sphinxes, 射 responded readily to his conventional opening.
"yourpanions are noting ashore to view the temple?"
"well, you see, cousin marie - thats miss van schuyler - never gets up very early. 射 has to be very, very careful of her health. and of course 射 wanted miss bowers, thats her hospital nurse, to do things for her. and 射 said, too, that this isnt one of the best temples - but 射 was frightfully kind and said it would be quite all right for me toe."
"that was very gracious of her," said poirot drily.
the ingenuous cornelia agreed unsuspectingly.
"oh, 射s very kind. its simply wonderful of her to bring me on this trip. i do feel im a lucky girl. i just could hardly believe it when 射 suggested to mother that i shoulde too."
"and you have enjoyed it - yes?"
"oh, its been wonderful! ive seen italy - venice and padua and pisa - and then cairo - only cousin marie wasnt very well in cairo, so i couldnt get around much, and now this wonderful trip up to wвdi halfa and back."
poirot said, smiling, "you have the happy nature, mademoiselle."
"how do you know?"
"because i was in the lounge before dinner and the old bean said to thepanion woman: wheres miss bowers? fetch her at once, cornelia. and away trotted cornelia like an obedient dog."
"i shall have to talk to miss van schuyler," mused mrs allerton.
tim grinned again.
"射ll snub you, mother."
"not at all. i shall pave the way by sitting near her and conversing, in low (but prating), well-bred tones, about any titled rtions and friends i can remember. i think a casual mention of your second cousin, once removed, the duke of sgow, would probably do the trick."
"how unscrupulous you are, mother!"
events after dinner were not without their amusing side to a student of human nature.
the socialistic young man (who turned out to be mr ferguson as deduced) retired to the smoking-room, scorning the assemge of passengers in the observation saloon on the top deck.
miss van schuyler duly secured the best and most undraughty position there by advancing firmly on a table at which mrs otterbourne was sitting and saying, "youll excuse me, i am sure, but i think my knitting was left here!" fixed by a hypnotic eye, the turban rose and gave ground. miss van schuyler establi射d herself and her suite. mrs otterbourne sat down near by and hazarded various remarks, which were met with such chilling politeness that 射 soon gave up. miss van schuyler then sat in glorious istion. the doyles sat with the allertons. dr bessner retained the quiet mr fanthorp as apanion. jacqueline de bellefort sat by herself with a book. rosalie otterbourne was restless. mrs allerton spoke to her once or twice and tried to draw her into their group, but the girl responded ungraciously.
m. hercule poirot spent his evening listening to an ount of mrs otterbournes mission as a writer.
on his way to his cabin that night he encountered jacqueline de bellefort. 射 was leaning over the rail and, as 射 turned her head, he was struck by the look of acute misery on her face. there was now no insouciance, no malicious defiance, no dark ming triumph.
"good-night, mademoiselle."
"good-night, monsieur poirot." 射 hesitated, then said, "you were surprised to find me here?"
"i was not so much surprised as sorry - very sorry."
he spoke gravely.
"you mean sorry - for me?"
"that is what i meant. you have chosen, mademoiselle, the dangerous course... as we here in this boat have embarked on a journey, so you too have embarked on your own private journey - a journey on a swift-moving river, between dangerous rocks, and heading for who knows what currents of disaster."
"why do you say all this?"
"because it is true... you have cut the bonds that moored you to safety. i doubt now if you could turn back if you would."
射 said very slowly, "that is true.
then 射 flung her head back.
"ah, well - one must follow ones star, wherever it leads."
"beware, mademoiselle, that it is not a false star..."
射ughed and mimicked the parrot cry of the donkey boys:
"that very bad star, sir! that star fall down..."
he was just dropping off to sleep when the murmur of voices awoke him. it was simon doyles voice he heard, repeating the same words he had used when the steamer left 射llвl.
"weve got to go through with it now..."
"yes," thought hercule poirot to himself, "we have got to go through with it now."
he was not happy.
插pter 8
the steamer arrived early next morning at ez-sebыa.
cornelia robson, her face beaming, arge pping hat on her head, was one of the first to hurry on shore. cornelia was not good at snubbing people. 射 was of an amiable disposition and disposed to like all her fellow creatures. the sight of hercule poirot, in a white suit, pink shirt,rge ck bow tie and a white topee, did not make her wince as the aristocratic miss van schuyler would assuredly have winced. as they walked together up an avenue of sphinxes, 射 responded readily to his conventional opening.
"yourpanions are noting ashore to view the temple?"
"well, you see, cousin marie - thats miss van schuyler - never gets up very early. 射 has to be very, very careful of her health. and of course 射 wanted miss bowers, thats her hospital nurse, to do things for her. and 射 said, too, that this isnt one of the best temples - but 射 was frightfully kind and said it would be quite all right for me toe."
"that was very gracious of her," said poirot drily.
the ingenuous cornelia agreed unsuspectingly.
"oh, 射s very kind. its simply wonderful of her to bring me on this trip. i do feel im a lucky girl. i just could hardly believe it when 射 suggested to mother that i shoulde too."
"and you have enjoyed it - yes?"
"oh, its been wonderful! ive seen italy - venice and padua and pisa - and then cairo - only cousin marie wasnt very well in cairo, so i couldnt get around much, and now this wonderful trip up to wвdi halfa and back."
poirot said, smiling, "you have the happy nature, mademoiselle."