when the party returned to the karnak li gave a cry of surprise. "a telegram for me."
射 snatched it off the board and tore it open.
"why - i dont understand-potatoes, beetroots - what does it mean, simon?"
simon was justing to look over her shoulder when a furious voice said,
"excuse me, that telegram is for me," and signor richetti snatched it rudely from her hand, fi性 her with a furious re as he did so.
li stared in surprise for a moment, then turned over the envelope.
"oh, simon, what a fool i am! its richetti - not ridgeway - and anyway of course my name isnt ridgeway now. i must apologize."
射 followed the little ar插eologist up to the stern of the boat.
"i am so sorry, signor richetti. you see my name was ridgeway before i got married, and i just havent grown used to -"
射 paused, her face dimpled with smiles, inviting him to smile upon a young brides faux pas.
but richetti was obviously "not amused." queen victoria at her most disapproving could not have looked more grim.
"names should be read carefully. it is inexcusable to be careless in these matters."
li bit her lip and her colour rose. 射 was not ustomed to have her apologies received in this fashion. 射 turned away and, rejoining simon, said angrily, "these italians are really insupportable."
"never mind, darling; lets go and look at that big ivory crocodile you liked." they went ashore together.
poirot, watching them walk up thending stage, heard a sharp indrawn breath. he turned to see jacqueline de bellefort at his side. her hands were clenched on the rail. the expression on her face, as 射 turned it toward him, quite startled him. it was no longer gay or malicious. 射 looked devoured by some inner consuming fire.
"they dont care any more." the words came low and fast. "theyve got beyond me. i cant reach them... they dont mind if im here or not... i cant - i cant hurt them any more."
her hands on the rail trembled.
"mademoiselle -"
射 broke in: "oh, its toote now - toote for warning... you were right. i ought not to havee. not on this journey. what did you call it? a journey of the soul? i cant go back; ive got to go on. and im going on. they shant be happy together; they shant. id kill him sooner..."
射 turned abruptly away. poirot, staring after her, felt a hand on his shoulder. "your girl friend seems a trifle upset, monsieur poirot."
poirot turned. he stared in surprise, seeing an old acquaintance.
"colonel race."
the tall bronzed man smiled.
"bit of a surprise, eh?"
hercule poirot hade across colonel race a year previously in london. they had been fellow guests at a very strange dinner party - a dinner party that had ended in death for that strange man, their host.
poirot knew that race was a man of unadvertised goings andings. he was usually to be found in one of the outposts of empire where trouble was brewing.
"so you are here at wвdi halfa," he remarked thoughtfully.
"i am here on this boat."
"you mean?"
"that i am making the return journey with you to 射llвl."
hercule poirots eyebrows rose.
"that is very interesting. shall we, perhaps, have a little drink?" they went into the observation saloon, now quite empty. poirot ordered a whisky for the colonel and a double orangeade full of sugar for himself.
"so you make the return journey with us," said poirot as he sipped. "you would go faster, would you not, on the government steamer, which travels by night as well as day?"
colonel races face creased appreciatively.
"youre right on the spot as usual, monsieur poirot," he said pleasantly.
"it is, then, the passengers?"
"one of the passengers."
"now which one, i wonder?" hercule poirot asked of the ornate ceiling.
"unfortunately i dont know myself," said race ruefully.
poirot looked interested.
race said: "theres no need to be mysterious to you. weve had a good deal of trouble out here - one way and another. it isnt the people who ostensibly lead the rioters that were after. its the men who very cleverly put the match to the gunpowder. there were three of them. ones dead. ones in prison. i want the third man - a man with five or six cold-blooded murders to his credit. hes one of the cleverest paid agitators that ever existed... hes on this boat. i know that from a passage in a letter that passed through our hands. decoded it said: x will be on the karnak trip february seventh to thirteenth. it didnt say under what name x would be passing."
"have you any description of him?"
"no. american, irish and french descent. bit of a mongrel. that doesnt help us much. have you got any ideas?"
"an idea - it is all very well," said poirot meditatively.
such was the understanding between them that race pressed him no further.
he knew that hercule poirot did not ever speak unless he was sure.
poirot rubbed his nose and said unhappily, "there passes itself something on this boat that causes me much inquietude."
射 snatched it off the board and tore it open.
"why - i dont understand-potatoes, beetroots - what does it mean, simon?"
simon was justing to look over her shoulder when a furious voice said,
"excuse me, that telegram is for me," and signor richetti snatched it rudely from her hand, fi性 her with a furious re as he did so.
li stared in surprise for a moment, then turned over the envelope.
"oh, simon, what a fool i am! its richetti - not ridgeway - and anyway of course my name isnt ridgeway now. i must apologize."
射 followed the little ar插eologist up to the stern of the boat.
"i am so sorry, signor richetti. you see my name was ridgeway before i got married, and i just havent grown used to -"
射 paused, her face dimpled with smiles, inviting him to smile upon a young brides faux pas.
but richetti was obviously "not amused." queen victoria at her most disapproving could not have looked more grim.
"names should be read carefully. it is inexcusable to be careless in these matters."
li bit her lip and her colour rose. 射 was not ustomed to have her apologies received in this fashion. 射 turned away and, rejoining simon, said angrily, "these italians are really insupportable."
"never mind, darling; lets go and look at that big ivory crocodile you liked." they went ashore together.
poirot, watching them walk up thending stage, heard a sharp indrawn breath. he turned to see jacqueline de bellefort at his side. her hands were clenched on the rail. the expression on her face, as 射 turned it toward him, quite startled him. it was no longer gay or malicious. 射 looked devoured by some inner consuming fire.
"they dont care any more." the words came low and fast. "theyve got beyond me. i cant reach them... they dont mind if im here or not... i cant - i cant hurt them any more."
her hands on the rail trembled.
"mademoiselle -"
射 broke in: "oh, its toote now - toote for warning... you were right. i ought not to havee. not on this journey. what did you call it? a journey of the soul? i cant go back; ive got to go on. and im going on. they shant be happy together; they shant. id kill him sooner..."
射 turned abruptly away. poirot, staring after her, felt a hand on his shoulder. "your girl friend seems a trifle upset, monsieur poirot."
poirot turned. he stared in surprise, seeing an old acquaintance.
"colonel race."
the tall bronzed man smiled.
"bit of a surprise, eh?"
hercule poirot hade across colonel race a year previously in london. they had been fellow guests at a very strange dinner party - a dinner party that had ended in death for that strange man, their host.
poirot knew that race was a man of unadvertised goings andings. he was usually to be found in one of the outposts of empire where trouble was brewing.
"so you are here at wвdi halfa," he remarked thoughtfully.
"i am here on this boat."
"you mean?"
"that i am making the return journey with you to 射llвl."
hercule poirots eyebrows rose.
"that is very interesting. shall we, perhaps, have a little drink?" they went into the observation saloon, now quite empty. poirot ordered a whisky for the colonel and a double orangeade full of sugar for himself.
"so you make the return journey with us," said poirot as he sipped. "you would go faster, would you not, on the government steamer, which travels by night as well as day?"
colonel races face creased appreciatively.
"youre right on the spot as usual, monsieur poirot," he said pleasantly.
"it is, then, the passengers?"
"one of the passengers."
"now which one, i wonder?" hercule poirot asked of the ornate ceiling.
"unfortunately i dont know myself," said race ruefully.
poirot looked interested.
race said: "theres no need to be mysterious to you. weve had a good deal of trouble out here - one way and another. it isnt the people who ostensibly lead the rioters that were after. its the men who very cleverly put the match to the gunpowder. there were three of them. ones dead. ones in prison. i want the third man - a man with five or six cold-blooded murders to his credit. hes one of the cleverest paid agitators that ever existed... hes on this boat. i know that from a passage in a letter that passed through our hands. decoded it said: x will be on the karnak trip february seventh to thirteenth. it didnt say under what name x would be passing."
"have you any description of him?"
"no. american, irish and french descent. bit of a mongrel. that doesnt help us much. have you got any ideas?"
"an idea - it is all very well," said poirot meditatively.
such was the understanding between them that race pressed him no further.
he knew that hercule poirot did not ever speak unless he was sure.
poirot rubbed his nose and said unhappily, "there passes itself something on this boat that causes me much inquietude."