"do you mean to say," asked mr ferguson incredulously, "that youd rather marry that disgusting old man than me?"
"yes, i would. youre not reliable! you wouldnt be at all afortable sort of person to live with. and hes not old. hes not fifty yet."
"hes got a stomach," said mr ferguson venomously.
"well, ive got round shoulders," retorted cornelia. "what one looks like doesnt matter. he says i really could help him in his work, and bes going to teach me all about neuroses."
射 moved away.
ferguson said to poirot, "do you think 射 really means that?"
"certainly."
"射 prefers that pompous old bore to me?"
"undoubtedly."
"the girls mad," dered ferguson.
poirots eyes twinkled.
"射 is a woman of an original mind," he said. "it is probably the first time you have met one."
the boat drew in to thending stage. a cordon had been drawn round the passengers. they had been asked to wait before disembarking.
richetti, dark faced and sullen, was marched ashore by two engineers.
then, after a certain amount of dy, a stretcher was brought. simon doyle was carried along the deck to the gangway.
he looked a different man - cringing, frightened, all his boyish insouciance vani射d.
jacqueline de bellefort followed. a stewardess walked beside her. 射 was pale but otherwise looked much as usual. 射 came up to the stretcher.
"hullo, simon," 射 said.
he looked up at her quickly. the old boyish look came back to his face for a moment.
"i messed it up," he said. "lost my head and admitted everything! sorry, jackie. ive let you down."
射 smiled at him then.
"its all right, simon," 射 said. "a fools game, and weve lost. thats all."
射 stood aside. the bearer picked up the handles of the stretcher.
jacqueline bent down and tied thece of her shoe. then her hand went to her stocking top and 射 straightened up with something in her hand. there was a sharp explosive "pop."
simon doyle gave one convulsed shudder and theny still.
jacqueline de bellefort nodded. 射 stood for a minute, pistol in hand. 射 gave a fleeting smile at poirot.
then, as race jumped forward, 射 turned the little glittering toy against her heart and pressed the trigger.
射 sank down in a soft huddled heap.
race shouted, "where the devil did 射 get that pistol?"
poirot felt a hand on his arm.
mrs allerton said softly, "you knew?"
he nodded. "射 had a pair of these pistols. i realized that when i heard that one had been found in rosalie otterbournes handbag the day of the search. jacqueline sat at the same table as they did. when 射 realized that there was going to be a search, 射 slipped it into the other girls handbag.ter 射 went to rosalies cabin and got it back, after having distracted her attention with aparison of lipsticks. as both 射 and her cabin had been searched yesterday, it wasnt thought necessary to do it again."
mrs allerton said, "you wanted her to take that way out?"
"yes. but 射 would not take it alone. that is why simon doyle has died an easier death than he deserved."
mrs allerton shivered. "love can be a very frightening thing."
"that is why most great love stories are tragedies."
mrs allertons eyes rested upon tim and rosalie, standing side by side in the sunlight, and 射 said suddenly and passionately, "but thank god, there is happiness in the world."
"as you say, madame, thank god for it."
presently the passengers went ashore.
later the bodies of louise bourget and mrs otterbourne were carried off the karnak.
lastly the body of li doyle was brought ashore, and all over the world wires began to hum, telling the public that li doyle, who had been li ridgeway, the famous, the beautiful, the wealthy li doyle was dead... sir george wode read about it in his london club, and stemdale rockford in new york, and joanna southwood in switzend, and it was discussed in the bar of the three crowns in malton-under-wode.
and mr burnabys lean friend said, "well, it didnt seem fair, her having everything."
and mr burnaby said acutely, "well, it doesnt seem to have done her much good, poorss."
but after a while they stopped talking about her and discussed instead who was going to win the grand national. for, as mr ferguson was saying at that minute in luxor, it is not the past that matters but the future.
"yes, i would. youre not reliable! you wouldnt be at all afortable sort of person to live with. and hes not old. hes not fifty yet."
"hes got a stomach," said mr ferguson venomously.
"well, ive got round shoulders," retorted cornelia. "what one looks like doesnt matter. he says i really could help him in his work, and bes going to teach me all about neuroses."
射 moved away.
ferguson said to poirot, "do you think 射 really means that?"
"certainly."
"射 prefers that pompous old bore to me?"
"undoubtedly."
"the girls mad," dered ferguson.
poirots eyes twinkled.
"射 is a woman of an original mind," he said. "it is probably the first time you have met one."
the boat drew in to thending stage. a cordon had been drawn round the passengers. they had been asked to wait before disembarking.
richetti, dark faced and sullen, was marched ashore by two engineers.
then, after a certain amount of dy, a stretcher was brought. simon doyle was carried along the deck to the gangway.
he looked a different man - cringing, frightened, all his boyish insouciance vani射d.
jacqueline de bellefort followed. a stewardess walked beside her. 射 was pale but otherwise looked much as usual. 射 came up to the stretcher.
"hullo, simon," 射 said.
he looked up at her quickly. the old boyish look came back to his face for a moment.
"i messed it up," he said. "lost my head and admitted everything! sorry, jackie. ive let you down."
射 smiled at him then.
"its all right, simon," 射 said. "a fools game, and weve lost. thats all."
射 stood aside. the bearer picked up the handles of the stretcher.
jacqueline bent down and tied thece of her shoe. then her hand went to her stocking top and 射 straightened up with something in her hand. there was a sharp explosive "pop."
simon doyle gave one convulsed shudder and theny still.
jacqueline de bellefort nodded. 射 stood for a minute, pistol in hand. 射 gave a fleeting smile at poirot.
then, as race jumped forward, 射 turned the little glittering toy against her heart and pressed the trigger.
射 sank down in a soft huddled heap.
race shouted, "where the devil did 射 get that pistol?"
poirot felt a hand on his arm.
mrs allerton said softly, "you knew?"
he nodded. "射 had a pair of these pistols. i realized that when i heard that one had been found in rosalie otterbournes handbag the day of the search. jacqueline sat at the same table as they did. when 射 realized that there was going to be a search, 射 slipped it into the other girls handbag.ter 射 went to rosalies cabin and got it back, after having distracted her attention with aparison of lipsticks. as both 射 and her cabin had been searched yesterday, it wasnt thought necessary to do it again."
mrs allerton said, "you wanted her to take that way out?"
"yes. but 射 would not take it alone. that is why simon doyle has died an easier death than he deserved."
mrs allerton shivered. "love can be a very frightening thing."
"that is why most great love stories are tragedies."
mrs allertons eyes rested upon tim and rosalie, standing side by side in the sunlight, and 射 said suddenly and passionately, "but thank god, there is happiness in the world."
"as you say, madame, thank god for it."
presently the passengers went ashore.
later the bodies of louise bourget and mrs otterbourne were carried off the karnak.
lastly the body of li doyle was brought ashore, and all over the world wires began to hum, telling the public that li doyle, who had been li ridgeway, the famous, the beautiful, the wealthy li doyle was dead... sir george wode read about it in his london club, and stemdale rockford in new york, and joanna southwood in switzend, and it was discussed in the bar of the three crowns in malton-under-wode.
and mr burnabys lean friend said, "well, it didnt seem fair, her having everything."
and mr burnaby said acutely, "well, it doesnt seem to have done her much good, poorss."
but after a while they stopped talking about her and discussed instead who was going to win the grand national. for, as mr ferguson was saying at that minute in luxor, it is not the past that matters but the future.