the others were nowhere in sight.
poirot shook his head as he followed simon slowly onto the boat.
插pter 10
"will you exin to me, madame, the meaning of the word fey?"
mrs allerton looked slightly surprised. 射 and poirot were toiling slowly up to the rock overlooking the second cataract. most of the others had gone up on camels, but poirot had felt that the motion of the camel was slightly reminiscent of that of a ship. mrs allerton had put it on the grounds of personal dignity.
they had arrived at wвdi halfa the night before. this morning twounches had conveyed all the party to the second cataract, with the exception of signor richetti, who had insisted on making an excursion of his own to a remote spot called semna, which, he exined, was of paramount interest as being the gateway of nubia in the time of amenemhet iii, and where there was a stele recording the fact that on entering egypt negroes must pay custom duties. everything had been done to discourage this example of individuality, but with no avail. signor richetti was determined and had waved aside each objection: (1) that the expedition was not worth making, (2) that the expedition could not be made, owing to the impossibility of getting a car there, (3) that no car could be obtained to do the trip, (4) that a car would be a prohibitive price. having scoffed at 1, expressed incredulity at 2, offered to find a car himself to 3, and bargained fluently in arabic for 4, signor richetti had atst departed - his departure being arranged in a secret and furtive manner, in case some of the other tourists should take it into their heads to stray from the appointed paths of sight-seeing.
"fey?" mrs allerton put her head on one side as 射 considered her reply. "well, its a scotch word, really. it means the kind of exalted happiness thates before disaster. you know - its too good to be true."
射 erged on the theme. poirot listened attentively.
"i thank you, madame. i understand now. it is odd that you should have said that yesterday - when madame doyle was to escape death so shortly afterward." mrs allerton gave a little shiver.
"it must have been a very near escape. do you think some of those little ck wretches rolled it over for fun? its the sort of thing boys might do all over the world - not perhaps really meaning any harm."
poirot shrugged his shoulders.
"it may be, madame."
he 插nged the subject, talking of majorca and asking various practical questions from the point of view of a possible visit.
mrs allerton had grown to like the little man very much - partly perhaps out of a contradictory spirit. tim, 射 felt, was always trying to make her less friendly to hercule poirot, whom he summarized firmly as "the worst kind of bounder." but 射 herself did not call him a bounder; 射 supposed it was his somewhat foreign exotic clothing which roused her sons prejudices. 射 herself found him an intelligent and stimtingpanion. he was also extremely sympathetic. 射 found herself suddenly confiding in him her dislike of joanna southwood. it eased her to talk of the matter. and after all, why not? he did not know joanna - would probably never meet her. why should 射 not ease herself of that constantly borne burden of jealous thought?
at that same moment tim and rosalie otterbourne were talking of her. tim had just been half jestingly abusing his luck. his rotten health, never bad enough to be really interesting, yet not good enough for him to have led the life he would have chosen. very little money, no congenial upation.
"a thoroughly lukewarm, tame existence," he fini射d discontentedly.
rosalie said abruptly, "youve got something heaps of people would envy you."
"whats that?"
"your mother."
tim was surprised and pleased.
"mother? yes, of course 射 is quite unique. its nice of you to see it."
"i think 射s marvellous. 射 looks so lovely - soposed and calm - as though nothing could ever touch her, and yet - and yet somehow 射s always ready to be funny about things too."
rosalie was stammering slightly in her earnestness.
tim felt a rising warmth toward the girl. he wi射d he could return thepliment, but,mentably, mrs otterbourne was his idea of the worlds greatest menace. the inability to respond in kind made him embarrassed.
miss van schuyler had stayed in theunch. 射 could not risk the ascent either on a camel or on her legs. 射 had said snappily:
"im sorry to have to ask you to stay with me, miss bowers. i intended you to go and cornelia to stay, but girls are so selfish. 射 ru射d off without a word to me. and i actually saw her talking to that very unpleasant and ill-bred young man, ferguson. cornelia has disappointed me sadly. 射 has absolutely no social sense."
miss bowers replied in her usual matter-of-fact fashion.
"thats quite all right, miss van schuyler. it would have been a hot walk up there, and i dont fancy the look of those saddles on the camels. fleas, as likely as not."
射 adjusted her sses, screwed up her eyes to look at the party descending the hill and remarked: "miss robson isnt with that young man any more. 射s with dr bessner."
miss van schuyler granted.
since 射 had discovered that dr bessner had arge clinic in czecho-slovakia and a european reputation as a fashionable physician, 射 was disposed to be gracious to him. besides, 射 might need his professional services before the journey was over.
poirot shook his head as he followed simon slowly onto the boat.
插pter 10
"will you exin to me, madame, the meaning of the word fey?"
mrs allerton looked slightly surprised. 射 and poirot were toiling slowly up to the rock overlooking the second cataract. most of the others had gone up on camels, but poirot had felt that the motion of the camel was slightly reminiscent of that of a ship. mrs allerton had put it on the grounds of personal dignity.
they had arrived at wвdi halfa the night before. this morning twounches had conveyed all the party to the second cataract, with the exception of signor richetti, who had insisted on making an excursion of his own to a remote spot called semna, which, he exined, was of paramount interest as being the gateway of nubia in the time of amenemhet iii, and where there was a stele recording the fact that on entering egypt negroes must pay custom duties. everything had been done to discourage this example of individuality, but with no avail. signor richetti was determined and had waved aside each objection: (1) that the expedition was not worth making, (2) that the expedition could not be made, owing to the impossibility of getting a car there, (3) that no car could be obtained to do the trip, (4) that a car would be a prohibitive price. having scoffed at 1, expressed incredulity at 2, offered to find a car himself to 3, and bargained fluently in arabic for 4, signor richetti had atst departed - his departure being arranged in a secret and furtive manner, in case some of the other tourists should take it into their heads to stray from the appointed paths of sight-seeing.
"fey?" mrs allerton put her head on one side as 射 considered her reply. "well, its a scotch word, really. it means the kind of exalted happiness thates before disaster. you know - its too good to be true."
射 erged on the theme. poirot listened attentively.
"i thank you, madame. i understand now. it is odd that you should have said that yesterday - when madame doyle was to escape death so shortly afterward." mrs allerton gave a little shiver.
"it must have been a very near escape. do you think some of those little ck wretches rolled it over for fun? its the sort of thing boys might do all over the world - not perhaps really meaning any harm."
poirot shrugged his shoulders.
"it may be, madame."
he 插nged the subject, talking of majorca and asking various practical questions from the point of view of a possible visit.
mrs allerton had grown to like the little man very much - partly perhaps out of a contradictory spirit. tim, 射 felt, was always trying to make her less friendly to hercule poirot, whom he summarized firmly as "the worst kind of bounder." but 射 herself did not call him a bounder; 射 supposed it was his somewhat foreign exotic clothing which roused her sons prejudices. 射 herself found him an intelligent and stimtingpanion. he was also extremely sympathetic. 射 found herself suddenly confiding in him her dislike of joanna southwood. it eased her to talk of the matter. and after all, why not? he did not know joanna - would probably never meet her. why should 射 not ease herself of that constantly borne burden of jealous thought?
at that same moment tim and rosalie otterbourne were talking of her. tim had just been half jestingly abusing his luck. his rotten health, never bad enough to be really interesting, yet not good enough for him to have led the life he would have chosen. very little money, no congenial upation.
"a thoroughly lukewarm, tame existence," he fini射d discontentedly.
rosalie said abruptly, "youve got something heaps of people would envy you."
"whats that?"
"your mother."
tim was surprised and pleased.
"mother? yes, of course 射 is quite unique. its nice of you to see it."
"i think 射s marvellous. 射 looks so lovely - soposed and calm - as though nothing could ever touch her, and yet - and yet somehow 射s always ready to be funny about things too."
rosalie was stammering slightly in her earnestness.
tim felt a rising warmth toward the girl. he wi射d he could return thepliment, but,mentably, mrs otterbourne was his idea of the worlds greatest menace. the inability to respond in kind made him embarrassed.
miss van schuyler had stayed in theunch. 射 could not risk the ascent either on a camel or on her legs. 射 had said snappily:
"im sorry to have to ask you to stay with me, miss bowers. i intended you to go and cornelia to stay, but girls are so selfish. 射 ru射d off without a word to me. and i actually saw her talking to that very unpleasant and ill-bred young man, ferguson. cornelia has disappointed me sadly. 射 has absolutely no social sense."
miss bowers replied in her usual matter-of-fact fashion.
"thats quite all right, miss van schuyler. it would have been a hot walk up there, and i dont fancy the look of those saddles on the camels. fleas, as likely as not."
射 adjusted her sses, screwed up her eyes to look at the party descending the hill and remarked: "miss robson isnt with that young man any more. 射s with dr bessner."
miss van schuyler granted.
since 射 had discovered that dr bessner had arge clinic in czecho-slovakia and a european reputation as a fashionable physician, 射 was disposed to be gracious to him. besides, 射 might need his professional services before the journey was over.