Death On The Nile - Christie Agatha - Страница 20

"I will send her to you, Madame. Re-enter your cabin. It is best that way-"

"No. I want to tell every one-every one on the boat-"

"It is too dangerous, Madame. The sea is too rough. You might be swept overboard."

Mrs. Otterbourne looked at him doubtfully.

"You think so. You really think so?"

"I do."

He was successful. Mrs. Otterbourne wavered, faltered and re-entered her cabin.

Poirot's nostrils twitched once or twice. Then he nodded and walked on to where Rosalie Otterbourne was sitting between Mrs. Allerton and Tim.

"Your mother wants you, Mademoiselle."

She had been laughing quite happily. Now her face clouded over. She shot a quick suspicious look at him and hurried along the deck.

"I can't make that child out," said Mrs. Allerton. "She varies so. One day she's friendly-the next day she's positively rude."

"Thoroughly spoilt and bad-tempered," said Tim.

Mrs. Allerton shook her head.

"No. I don't think it's that. I think she's unhappy."

Tim shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, well, I suppose we've all got our private troubles."

His voice sounded hard and curt.

A booming noise was heard.

"Lunch," cried Mrs. Allerton delightedly. "I'm starving."

That evening Poirot noticed that Mrs. Allerton was sitting' talking to Miss Van

Schuyler. As he passed Mrs. Allerton closed one eye and opened it again.

She was saying: "Of course at Calfries Castlc the dear Duke "

Cornelia, released from attendance, was out on the deck. She was listening to Dr. Bessner who was instructing her somewhat ponderously in Egyptology as culled from the pages of Baedeker. Cornelia listened with rapt attention.

Leaning over the rail Tim Allerton was saying:

"Anyhow, it's a rotten world "

Rosalie Otterbourne answered: "It's unfair Some people have everything." Poirot sighed.

He was glad that he was no longer young.

Chapter 9

On the Monday morning various expressions of delight and appreciation were heard on the deck of the Karnak. The steamer was moored to the bank and a few hundred yards away, the morning sun just striking it, was a great temple carved out of the face of the rock. Four colossal figures, hewn out of the cliff, look out eternally over the Nile and face the rising sun.

Cornelia Robson said incoherently: "Oh, M.

Poirot, isn't it wonderful? I mean they're so big and so peaceful and looking at them makes one feel that one's so small and-and rather like an insect-and that nothing matters very much really, does it?" Mr. Fanthorp who was standing near by, murmured: "Very-er-impressive." "Grand, isn't it?" said Simon Doyle, strolling up. He went on confidentially to Poirot. "You know, I'm not much of a fellow for temples and sight-seeing and all that, but a place like this sort of gets you, if you know what I mean. Those old Pharoahs must have been wonderful fellows." The others had drifted away. Simon lowered his voice.

"I'm no end glad we came on this trip. It's-well, it's cleared things up.

Amazing why it should but there it is. Linnet's got her nerve back. She says it's because/she's actually faced the business at last." "I think that is very probable," said Poirot.

"She says that when she actually saw J ackie on the boat she felt terrible-and then-suddenly-it didn't matter any more. We're both agreed that we won't try and dodge her any more. We'll just meet her on her own ground and show her that this ridiculous stunt of hers doesn't worry us a bit. It's just damned bad form-that's all. She thought she'd get us badly rattled-but now, well, we just aren't rattled any more. That ought to show her.' "Yes" said Poirot thoughtfully. "So that's splendid, isn't it?" "Oh yes, yes." Linnet came along the deck. She was dressed in a soft shade of apricot linen.

She was smiling.

She greeted poirot with no pticular enthusiasm, just gave him a cool nod and then drew her husband away.

Poirot realised with a momentary flicker of amusement that he had not made himself popular by his critical attitude. Linnet was used to unqualified admiration of all she was or did. Hercule Poirot had sinned noticeably against this creed.

Mrs. Allerton, joining him, murmured: "What a difference in that girl! She looked worried and not very happy at Assuan. To-day she looks so happy that one might almost be afraid she was fey." Before Poirot could respond as he meant the party was called to order. The official dragoman took charge and the party was led ashore to visit Abu Simbel.

Poirot himself fell into step with Andrew Pennington. "It is your first visit to Egypt-yes?" he asked.

"Why, no, I was here in 1923. That is to say, I was in Cairo. I've never been this trip up the Nile before." "You came over on the Carmanic, I believe at least so Mrs. Doyle was telling me." Pennington shot a shrewd glance in his direction.

"Why yes, that is so," he admitted.

"I wondered if you had happened to come across some friends of mine who were aboard-the Rushington Smiths." "I can't recall any one of that name. The boat was full and we had bad weather.

A lot of passengers hardly appeared and in any case the voyage is so short one doesn't get to know who is on board and who isn't." "Yes, that is very true. What a pleasant surprise your running into Mrs. Doyle and her husband. You had no idea they were married?" "No. Mrs. Doyle had written me, but the letter was forwarded on and I only received it some days after our unexpected meeting in Cairo." "You have known her for very many years, I understand?"

"Why, I should say I have, M. Poirot. I've known Linnet Ridgeway since she was just a cute little thing so high--" He made an illustrating gesture. "Her father and I were lifelong friends. A very remarkable man, Melhuish Ridgeway-and a very successful one."

"His daughter comes into a considerable fortune, I understand Ah, pardon-perhaps it is not delicate what I say there." Andrew Pennington seemed slightly amused.

"Oh, that's pretty common knowledge. Yes, Linnet's a wealthy woman." "I suppose, though, that the recent slump is bound to affect any stock, however sound it may be?" Pennington took a moment or two to answer. He said at last: "That, of course, is true to a certain extent. The position is very difficult in these days." Poirot murmured.

"I should imagine, however, that Mrs. Doyle has a keen business head." "That is so. Yes, that is so. Linnet is a clever practical girl." They came to a halt. The guide proceeded to instruct them on the subject of the temple bufit by the great Rameses. The four colossi of Rameses himself, one pair on each side of the entrance, hewn out of the living rock looked down on the straggling little party of tourists.

Signor Richetti, disdaining the remarks of the dragoman, was busy examining the reliefs of negro and Syrian captives on the bases of the colossi on either side of the entrance.

When the party entered the temple, a sense of dimness and peace came over them.

The still vividly coloured reliefs on some of the inner walls were pointed out, but the party tended to break up into groups.

Dr.

Bessner read sonorously in German from a Baedeker, pausing every now and then to translate for the benefit of Cornelia who walked in a docile manner beside him. This was not to continue, however. Miss Van Schuyler, entering on the arm of the phlegmatic Miss Bowers, uttered a commanding "Cornelia, come here," and the instruction had perforce to cease. Dr. Bessner beamed after her vaguely through his thick lenses.

"A very nice maiden, that," he announced to Poirot. "She does not look so starved as some of these young women-no, she has the nice curves- She listens, too, very intelligently-it is a pleasure to instruct her." It fleeted across Poirot's mind that it seemed to be Cornelia's fate either to be bullied or instructed. In any case she was always the listener, never the talker.