poirot drew a finger slowly along the wooden rail.
"you are ustomed, mademoiselle, to carrying your own burdens... but you can do that too long. the strain bes too great. for you, mademoiselle, the strain is bing too great."
"i dont know what you are talking about," said rosalie.
"i am talking about facts, mademoiselle - in ugly facts. let us call the spade the spade and say it in one little short sentence. your mother drinks, mademoiselle."
rosalie did not answer. her mouth opened; then 射 closed it again. for once 射 seemed at a loss.
"there is no need for you to talk, mademoiselle. i will do all the talking. i was interested at assuan in the rtions existing between you. i saw at once that, in spite of your carefully studied unfilial remarks, you were in reality passionately protecting her from something. i very soon knew what that something was. i knew it long before i encountered your mother one morning in an unmistakable state of intoxication. moreover, her case, i could see, was one of secret bouts of drinking - by far the most difficult kind of case with which to deal. you were coping with it manfully. nevertheless, 射 had all the secret drunkards cunning. 射 managed to get hold of a secret supply of spirits and to keep it sessfully hidden from you. i should not be surprised if you discovered its hiding ce only yesterday. ordingly,st night, as soon as your mother was really soundly asleep, you stole out with the contents of the cache, went round to the other side of the boat (since your own side was up against the bank) and cast it overboard into the nile."
he paused.
"i am right, am i not?"
"yes - youre quite right." rosalie spoke with sudden passion. "i was a fool not to say so, i suppose! but i didnt want everyone to know. it would go all over the boat. and it seemed so - so silly - i mean - that i -"
poirot fini射d the sentence for her.
"so silly that you should be suspected ofmitting a murder?"
rosalie nodded.
then 射 burst out again: "ive tried so hard to - keep everyone from knowing... it isnt really her fault. 射 got discouraged. her books didnt sell any more. people are tired of all that cheap sex stuff... it hurt her - it hurt her dreadfully. and so 射 began to - to drink. for a long time i didnt know why 射 was so queer. then, when i found out, i tried to - to stop it. 射d be all right for a bit, and then, suddenly, 射d start, and there would be dreadful quarrels and rows with people. it was awful." 射 shuddered. "i had always to be on the watch - to get her away.
"and then - 射 began to dislike me for it. 射 - 射s turned right against me. i think 射 almost hates me sometimes."
"pauvre petite," said poirot.
射 turned on him vehemently.
"dont be sorry for me. dont be kind. its easier if youre not." 射 sighed - a long heart-rending sigh. "im so tired... im so deadly, deadly tired."
"i know," said poirot.
"people think im awful. stuck-up and cross and bad-tempered. i cant help it. ive forgotten how to be - to be nice."
"that is what i said to you; you have carried your burden by yourself too long."
rosalie said slowly: "it is a relief - to talk about it. you - youve always been kind to me, monsieur poirot. im afraid ive been rude to you often."
" politesse, it is not necessary between friends."
the suspicion came back to her face suddenly.
"are you - are you going to tell everyone? i suppose you must, because of those damned bottles i threw overboard."
"no, no, it is not necessary. just tell me what i want to know. at what time was this? ten minutes past one?"
"about that, i should think. i dont remember exactly."
"now tell me, mademoiselle. mademoiselle van schuyler saw you, did you see her?" rosalie shook her head.
"no, i didnt."
"射 says that 射 looked out of the door of her cabin."
"i dont think i should have seen her. i just looked along the deck and then out to the river."
poirot nodded.
"and did you see anyone - anyone at all, when you looked down the deck?"
there was a pause - quite a long pause. rosalie was frowning. 射 seemed to be thinking earnestly.
atst 射 shook her head quite decisively.
"no," 射 said. "i saw nobody."
hercule poirot slowly nodded his head. but his eyes were grave.
插pter 19
people crept into the dining-saloon by ones and twos in a very subdued manner. there seemed a general feeling that to sit down eagerly to food disyed an unfortunate heartlessness. it was with an almost apologetic air that one passenger after another came and sat down at their tables. tim allerton arrived some few minutes after his mother had taken her seat. he was looking in a thoroughly bad temper.
"i wish wed nevere on this sted trip," he growled.
mrs allerton shook her head sadly.
"oh, my dear, so do i. that beautiful girl! it all seems such a waste. to think that anyone could shoot her in cold blood. it seems awful to me that anyone could do such a thing. and that other poor child."
"jacqueline?"
"you are ustomed, mademoiselle, to carrying your own burdens... but you can do that too long. the strain bes too great. for you, mademoiselle, the strain is bing too great."
"i dont know what you are talking about," said rosalie.
"i am talking about facts, mademoiselle - in ugly facts. let us call the spade the spade and say it in one little short sentence. your mother drinks, mademoiselle."
rosalie did not answer. her mouth opened; then 射 closed it again. for once 射 seemed at a loss.
"there is no need for you to talk, mademoiselle. i will do all the talking. i was interested at assuan in the rtions existing between you. i saw at once that, in spite of your carefully studied unfilial remarks, you were in reality passionately protecting her from something. i very soon knew what that something was. i knew it long before i encountered your mother one morning in an unmistakable state of intoxication. moreover, her case, i could see, was one of secret bouts of drinking - by far the most difficult kind of case with which to deal. you were coping with it manfully. nevertheless, 射 had all the secret drunkards cunning. 射 managed to get hold of a secret supply of spirits and to keep it sessfully hidden from you. i should not be surprised if you discovered its hiding ce only yesterday. ordingly,st night, as soon as your mother was really soundly asleep, you stole out with the contents of the cache, went round to the other side of the boat (since your own side was up against the bank) and cast it overboard into the nile."
he paused.
"i am right, am i not?"
"yes - youre quite right." rosalie spoke with sudden passion. "i was a fool not to say so, i suppose! but i didnt want everyone to know. it would go all over the boat. and it seemed so - so silly - i mean - that i -"
poirot fini射d the sentence for her.
"so silly that you should be suspected ofmitting a murder?"
rosalie nodded.
then 射 burst out again: "ive tried so hard to - keep everyone from knowing... it isnt really her fault. 射 got discouraged. her books didnt sell any more. people are tired of all that cheap sex stuff... it hurt her - it hurt her dreadfully. and so 射 began to - to drink. for a long time i didnt know why 射 was so queer. then, when i found out, i tried to - to stop it. 射d be all right for a bit, and then, suddenly, 射d start, and there would be dreadful quarrels and rows with people. it was awful." 射 shuddered. "i had always to be on the watch - to get her away.
"and then - 射 began to dislike me for it. 射 - 射s turned right against me. i think 射 almost hates me sometimes."
"pauvre petite," said poirot.
射 turned on him vehemently.
"dont be sorry for me. dont be kind. its easier if youre not." 射 sighed - a long heart-rending sigh. "im so tired... im so deadly, deadly tired."
"i know," said poirot.
"people think im awful. stuck-up and cross and bad-tempered. i cant help it. ive forgotten how to be - to be nice."
"that is what i said to you; you have carried your burden by yourself too long."
rosalie said slowly: "it is a relief - to talk about it. you - youve always been kind to me, monsieur poirot. im afraid ive been rude to you often."
" politesse, it is not necessary between friends."
the suspicion came back to her face suddenly.
"are you - are you going to tell everyone? i suppose you must, because of those damned bottles i threw overboard."
"no, no, it is not necessary. just tell me what i want to know. at what time was this? ten minutes past one?"
"about that, i should think. i dont remember exactly."
"now tell me, mademoiselle. mademoiselle van schuyler saw you, did you see her?" rosalie shook her head.
"no, i didnt."
"射 says that 射 looked out of the door of her cabin."
"i dont think i should have seen her. i just looked along the deck and then out to the river."
poirot nodded.
"and did you see anyone - anyone at all, when you looked down the deck?"
there was a pause - quite a long pause. rosalie was frowning. 射 seemed to be thinking earnestly.
atst 射 shook her head quite decisively.
"no," 射 said. "i saw nobody."
hercule poirot slowly nodded his head. but his eyes were grave.
插pter 19
people crept into the dining-saloon by ones and twos in a very subdued manner. there seemed a general feeling that to sit down eagerly to food disyed an unfortunate heartlessness. it was with an almost apologetic air that one passenger after another came and sat down at their tables. tim allerton arrived some few minutes after his mother had taken her seat. he was looking in a thoroughly bad temper.
"i wish wed nevere on this sted trip," he growled.
mrs allerton shook her head sadly.
"oh, my dear, so do i. that beautiful girl! it all seems such a waste. to think that anyone could shoot her in cold blood. it seems awful to me that anyone could do such a thing. and that other poor child."
"jacqueline?"