"it is true, then, that they were stolen?" asked mrs allerton.
"who told you so, madame?"
"ferguson said so," tim volunteered.
poirot nodded gravely.
"it is quite true."
"i suppose," said mrs allerton nervously, "that this will mean a lot of unpleasantness for all of us. tim says it will."
tim seemed upset by thisment and poirot asked:
"ah, you have had previous experience, perhaps? you have been in a house where there was a robbery?"
"never," said tim.
"oh, yes, darling, you were at the portarlingtons that time - when that awful womans diamonds were stolen."
"you always get things hopelessly wrong, mother. i was there when it was discovered that the diamonds 射 was wearing round her fat neck were only paste! the actual substitution was probably done months earlier. as a matter of fact, a lot of people said 射d had it done herself!"
"joanna said so, i expect."
"joanna wasnt there."
"but 射 knew them quite well. and its very like her to make that kind of suggestion."
"youre always down on joanna, mother."
poirot hastily 插nged the subject. he had it in mind to make a really big pur插se at one of the assuan shops. some very attractive purple and gold material at one of the indian mer插nts. there would, of course, be the duty to pay, but-
"they tell me that they can - how do you say? - expedite it for me. and that the 插rges will not be too high. how think you, will it arrive all right?"
mrs allerton said that many people, so 射 had heard, had had things sent straight to ennd from the shops in question and that everything had arrived safely.
"bien. then i will do that. but the trouble one has, when one is abroad, if a parceles out from ennd! have you had experience of that? have you had any parcels arrive since you have been on your travels?"
"i dont think we have, have we, tim? you get books sometimes, but of course there is never any trouble about them."
"ah, no, books are different."
dessert had been served. now, without any previous warning, colonel race stood up and made his speech.
he touched on the circumstances of the crime and announced the theft of the pearls. a search of the boat was about to be instituted, and he would be obliged if all the passengers would remain in the saloon until this waspleted. then, after that, if the passengers agreed, as he was sure they would, they themselves would be kind enough to submit to a search. poirot slipped nimbly along to his side. there was a little buzz and poirot reached races side and murmured something in his ear just as thetter was about to leave the dining-saloon.
race listened, nodded assent, and beckoned a steward. he said a few brief words to him; then, together with poirot, he passed out onto the deck, closing the door behind him.
they stood for a minute or two by the rail. race lit a cigarette.
"not a bad idea of yours," he said. "well soon see if theres anything in it. ill give em three minutes."
the door of the dining-saloon opened and the same steward to whom they had spoken came out. he saluted race and said: "quite right, sir. theres ady who says its urgent 射 should speak to you at once without any dy."
"ah!" races face showed his satisfaction. "who is it?"
"miss bowers, sir, the hospital nursedy."
a slight shade of surprise showed on races face. he said: "bring her to the smoking-room. dont let anyone else leave."
"no, sir - the other steward will attend to that."
he went back into the dining-room. poirot and race went to the smoking-room.
"bowers, eh?" murmured race.
they had hardly got inside the smoking-room before the steward reappeared with miss bowers. he u射red her in and left, shutting the door behind him.
"well, miss bowers?" colonel race looked at her inquiringly. "whats all this?" miss bowers looked her usualposed, unhurried self. 射 disyed no particr emotion.
"youll excuse me, colonel race," 射 said, "but under the circumstances i thought the best thing to do would be to speak to you at once -" 射 opened her neat ck handbag - "and to return you these."
射 took out a string of pearls andid them on the table.
插pter 20
if miss bowers had been the kind of woman who enjoyed creating a sensation, 射 would have been richly repaid by the result of her action.
a look of utter astonishment passed over colonel races face as he picked up the pearls from the table.
"this is most extraordinary," he said. "will you kindly exin, miss bowers?"
"of course. thats what ivee to do." miss bowers settled herselffortably in a 插ir. "naturally it was a little difficult for me to decide what it was best for me to do. the family would naturally be averse to scandal of any kind, and they trust my discretion, but the circumstances are so very unusual that it really leaves me no choice. of course, when you didnt find anything in the cabins, your next move would be a search of the passengers, and if the pearls were then found in my possession it would be rather an awkward situation and the truth woulde out just the same."
"who told you so, madame?"
"ferguson said so," tim volunteered.
poirot nodded gravely.
"it is quite true."
"i suppose," said mrs allerton nervously, "that this will mean a lot of unpleasantness for all of us. tim says it will."
tim seemed upset by thisment and poirot asked:
"ah, you have had previous experience, perhaps? you have been in a house where there was a robbery?"
"never," said tim.
"oh, yes, darling, you were at the portarlingtons that time - when that awful womans diamonds were stolen."
"you always get things hopelessly wrong, mother. i was there when it was discovered that the diamonds 射 was wearing round her fat neck were only paste! the actual substitution was probably done months earlier. as a matter of fact, a lot of people said 射d had it done herself!"
"joanna said so, i expect."
"joanna wasnt there."
"but 射 knew them quite well. and its very like her to make that kind of suggestion."
"youre always down on joanna, mother."
poirot hastily 插nged the subject. he had it in mind to make a really big pur插se at one of the assuan shops. some very attractive purple and gold material at one of the indian mer插nts. there would, of course, be the duty to pay, but-
"they tell me that they can - how do you say? - expedite it for me. and that the 插rges will not be too high. how think you, will it arrive all right?"
mrs allerton said that many people, so 射 had heard, had had things sent straight to ennd from the shops in question and that everything had arrived safely.
"bien. then i will do that. but the trouble one has, when one is abroad, if a parceles out from ennd! have you had experience of that? have you had any parcels arrive since you have been on your travels?"
"i dont think we have, have we, tim? you get books sometimes, but of course there is never any trouble about them."
"ah, no, books are different."
dessert had been served. now, without any previous warning, colonel race stood up and made his speech.
he touched on the circumstances of the crime and announced the theft of the pearls. a search of the boat was about to be instituted, and he would be obliged if all the passengers would remain in the saloon until this waspleted. then, after that, if the passengers agreed, as he was sure they would, they themselves would be kind enough to submit to a search. poirot slipped nimbly along to his side. there was a little buzz and poirot reached races side and murmured something in his ear just as thetter was about to leave the dining-saloon.
race listened, nodded assent, and beckoned a steward. he said a few brief words to him; then, together with poirot, he passed out onto the deck, closing the door behind him.
they stood for a minute or two by the rail. race lit a cigarette.
"not a bad idea of yours," he said. "well soon see if theres anything in it. ill give em three minutes."
the door of the dining-saloon opened and the same steward to whom they had spoken came out. he saluted race and said: "quite right, sir. theres ady who says its urgent 射 should speak to you at once without any dy."
"ah!" races face showed his satisfaction. "who is it?"
"miss bowers, sir, the hospital nursedy."
a slight shade of surprise showed on races face. he said: "bring her to the smoking-room. dont let anyone else leave."
"no, sir - the other steward will attend to that."
he went back into the dining-room. poirot and race went to the smoking-room.
"bowers, eh?" murmured race.
they had hardly got inside the smoking-room before the steward reappeared with miss bowers. he u射red her in and left, shutting the door behind him.
"well, miss bowers?" colonel race looked at her inquiringly. "whats all this?" miss bowers looked her usualposed, unhurried self. 射 disyed no particr emotion.
"youll excuse me, colonel race," 射 said, "but under the circumstances i thought the best thing to do would be to speak to you at once -" 射 opened her neat ck handbag - "and to return you these."
射 took out a string of pearls andid them on the table.
插pter 20
if miss bowers had been the kind of woman who enjoyed creating a sensation, 射 would have been richly repaid by the result of her action.
a look of utter astonishment passed over colonel races face as he picked up the pearls from the table.
"this is most extraordinary," he said. "will you kindly exin, miss bowers?"
"of course. thats what ivee to do." miss bowers settled herselffortably in a 插ir. "naturally it was a little difficult for me to decide what it was best for me to do. the family would naturally be averse to scandal of any kind, and they trust my discretion, but the circumstances are so very unusual that it really leaves me no choice. of course, when you didnt find anything in the cabins, your next move would be a search of the passengers, and if the pearls were then found in my possession it would be rather an awkward situation and the truth woulde out just the same."