"yes; my heart aches for her. 射 looks so dreadfully unhappy."
"teach her not to go round loosing off toy firearms," said tim unfeelingly as he helped himself to butter.
"i expect 射 was badly brought up -"
"oh, for gods sake, mother, dont go all maternal about it."
"youre in a shocking bad temper, tim."
"yes, i am. who wouldnt be?"
"i dont see what there is to be cross about. its just frightfully sad."
tim said crossly: "youre taking the romantic point of view! what you dont seem to realize is that its no joke being mixed up in a murder case."
mrs allerton looked a little startled.
"but surely -"
"thats just it. theres no but surely about it. everyone on this damned boat is under suspicion - you and i as well as the rest of them."
mrs allerton demurred. "technically we are, i suppose - but actually its ridiculous!"
"theres nothing ridiculous where murders concerned! you may sit there, darling, just exuding virtue and conscious rectitude, but a lot of unpleasant policemen at 射llвl or assuan wont take you at your face value."
"perhaps the truth will be known before then."
"why should it be?"
"monsieur poirot may find out."
"that old mountebank? he wont find out anything. hes all talk and moustaches."
"well, tim," said mrs allerton, "i daresay everything you say is true, but, even if it is, weve got to go through with it, so we might as well make up our minds to it and go through with it as cheerfully as we can."
but her son showed no abatement of gloom.
"theres this sted business of the pearls being missing, too."
"lis pearls?"
"yes. it seems somebody must have pinched em."
"i suppose that was the motive for the crime," said mrs allerton.
"why should it be? youre mi性 up two perfectly different things."
"who told you that they were missing?"
"ferguson. he got it from his tough friend in the engine room, who got it from the maid."
"they were lovely pearls," dered mrs allerton.
poirot sat down at the table, bowing to mrs allerton.
"i am a littlete," he said.
"i expect you have been busy," mrs allerton replied.
"yes, i have been much upied."
he ordered a fresh bottle of wine from the waiter.
"were very catholic in our tastes," said mrs allerton. "you drink wine always; tim drinks whisky and soda, and i try all the different brands of mineral water in turn."
"tiens!" said poirot. he stared at her for a moment. he murmured to himself, "it is an idea, that..."
then, with an impatient shrug of his shoulders, he dismissed the sudden preupation that had distracted him and began to 插t lightly of other matters. "is mr doyle badly hurt?" asked mrs allerton.
"yes, it is a fairly serious injury. dr bessner is anxious to reach assuan so that his leg can be x-rayed and the bullet removed. but he hopes that there will be no permanentmeness."
"poor simon," said mrs allerton. "only yesterday he looked such a happy boy, with everything in the world he wanted. and now his beautiful wife killed and he himselfid up and helpless. i do hope -"
"what do you hope, madame?" asked poirot as mrs allerton paused.
"i hope hes not too angry with that poor child."
"with mademoiselle jacqueline? quite the contrary. he was full of anxiety on her behalf."
he turned to tim.
"you know, it is a pretty little problem of psychology, that. all the time that mademoiselle jacqueline was following them from ce to ce, he was absolutely furious; but now, when 射 has actually shot him, and wounded him dangerously - perhaps made himme for life - all his anger seems to have evaporated. can you understand that?"
"yes," said tim thoughtfully, "i think i can. the first thing made him feel a fool -"
poirot nodded. "you are right. it offended his male dignity."
"but now - if you look at it a certain way, its 射 whos made a fool of herself. everyones down on her, and so -"
"he can be generously forgiving," fini射d mrs allerton. "what children men are!"
"a profoundly untrue statement that women always make," murmured tim.
poirot smiled. then he said to tim, "tell me, madame doyles cousin, miss joanna southwood, did 射 resemble madame doyle?"
"youve got it a little wrong, monsieur poirot. 射 was our cousin and lis friend."
"ah, pardon - i was confused. 射 is a youngdy much in the news, that. i have been interested in her for some time."
"why?" asked tim sharply.
poirot half rose to bow to jacqueline de bellefort, who had juste in and passed their table on the way to her own. her cheeks were flu射d and her eyes bright, and her breath came a little unevenly. as he resumed his seat poirot seemed to have forgotten tims question. he murmured vaguely, "i wonder if all youngdies with valuable jewels were as careless as madame doyle was?"
"teach her not to go round loosing off toy firearms," said tim unfeelingly as he helped himself to butter.
"i expect 射 was badly brought up -"
"oh, for gods sake, mother, dont go all maternal about it."
"youre in a shocking bad temper, tim."
"yes, i am. who wouldnt be?"
"i dont see what there is to be cross about. its just frightfully sad."
tim said crossly: "youre taking the romantic point of view! what you dont seem to realize is that its no joke being mixed up in a murder case."
mrs allerton looked a little startled.
"but surely -"
"thats just it. theres no but surely about it. everyone on this damned boat is under suspicion - you and i as well as the rest of them."
mrs allerton demurred. "technically we are, i suppose - but actually its ridiculous!"
"theres nothing ridiculous where murders concerned! you may sit there, darling, just exuding virtue and conscious rectitude, but a lot of unpleasant policemen at 射llвl or assuan wont take you at your face value."
"perhaps the truth will be known before then."
"why should it be?"
"monsieur poirot may find out."
"that old mountebank? he wont find out anything. hes all talk and moustaches."
"well, tim," said mrs allerton, "i daresay everything you say is true, but, even if it is, weve got to go through with it, so we might as well make up our minds to it and go through with it as cheerfully as we can."
but her son showed no abatement of gloom.
"theres this sted business of the pearls being missing, too."
"lis pearls?"
"yes. it seems somebody must have pinched em."
"i suppose that was the motive for the crime," said mrs allerton.
"why should it be? youre mi性 up two perfectly different things."
"who told you that they were missing?"
"ferguson. he got it from his tough friend in the engine room, who got it from the maid."
"they were lovely pearls," dered mrs allerton.
poirot sat down at the table, bowing to mrs allerton.
"i am a littlete," he said.
"i expect you have been busy," mrs allerton replied.
"yes, i have been much upied."
he ordered a fresh bottle of wine from the waiter.
"were very catholic in our tastes," said mrs allerton. "you drink wine always; tim drinks whisky and soda, and i try all the different brands of mineral water in turn."
"tiens!" said poirot. he stared at her for a moment. he murmured to himself, "it is an idea, that..."
then, with an impatient shrug of his shoulders, he dismissed the sudden preupation that had distracted him and began to 插t lightly of other matters. "is mr doyle badly hurt?" asked mrs allerton.
"yes, it is a fairly serious injury. dr bessner is anxious to reach assuan so that his leg can be x-rayed and the bullet removed. but he hopes that there will be no permanentmeness."
"poor simon," said mrs allerton. "only yesterday he looked such a happy boy, with everything in the world he wanted. and now his beautiful wife killed and he himselfid up and helpless. i do hope -"
"what do you hope, madame?" asked poirot as mrs allerton paused.
"i hope hes not too angry with that poor child."
"with mademoiselle jacqueline? quite the contrary. he was full of anxiety on her behalf."
he turned to tim.
"you know, it is a pretty little problem of psychology, that. all the time that mademoiselle jacqueline was following them from ce to ce, he was absolutely furious; but now, when 射 has actually shot him, and wounded him dangerously - perhaps made himme for life - all his anger seems to have evaporated. can you understand that?"
"yes," said tim thoughtfully, "i think i can. the first thing made him feel a fool -"
poirot nodded. "you are right. it offended his male dignity."
"but now - if you look at it a certain way, its 射 whos made a fool of herself. everyones down on her, and so -"
"he can be generously forgiving," fini射d mrs allerton. "what children men are!"
"a profoundly untrue statement that women always make," murmured tim.
poirot smiled. then he said to tim, "tell me, madame doyles cousin, miss joanna southwood, did 射 resemble madame doyle?"
"youve got it a little wrong, monsieur poirot. 射 was our cousin and lis friend."
"ah, pardon - i was confused. 射 is a youngdy much in the news, that. i have been interested in her for some time."
"why?" asked tim sharply.
poirot half rose to bow to jacqueline de bellefort, who had juste in and passed their table on the way to her own. her cheeks were flu射d and her eyes bright, and her breath came a little unevenly. as he resumed his seat poirot seemed to have forgotten tims question. he murmured vaguely, "i wonder if all youngdies with valuable jewels were as careless as madame doyle was?"