Agatha Christie - Appointment with Death

"Never! Of course one has to dust one's things three or four times a day-"

"But it is well worth it."

"Yes, indeed. I cannot stand dirt!" Lady Westholme looked positively militant. She added with feeling: "The flies-in the bazaars-terrible!"

"Well, well," said Poirot, looking slightly guilty. "We can soon inquire from this man what it was that irritated Mrs. Boynton. To continue with your story?"

"We strolled along slowly," said Lady Westholme. "And then we met Dr. Gerard. He was staggering along and looked very ill. I could see at once he had fever."

"He was shaking," put in Miss Pierce. "Shaking all over."

"I saw at once he had an attack of malaria coming on," said Lady Westholme. "I offered to come back with him and get him some quinine but he said he had his own supply with him."

"Poor man," said Miss Pierce. "You know it always seems so dreadful to me to see a doctor ill. It seems all wrong, somehow."

"We strolled on," continued Lady Westholme. "And then we sat down on a rock."

Miss Pierce murmured: "Really-so tired after the morning's exertion-the climbing-"

"I never feel fatigue," said Lady Westholme firmly. "But there was no point in going further. We had a very good view of all the surrounding scenery."

"Were you out of sight of the camp?"

"No, we were sitting facing towards it."

"So romantic," murmured Miss Pierce. "A camp pitched in the middle of a wilderness of rose-red rocks." She sighed and shook her head.

"That camp could be much better run than it is," said Lady Westholme. Her rocking-horse nostrils dilated. "I shall take up the matter with Castle's. I am not at all sure that the drinking water is boiled as well as filtered. It should be. I shall point that out to them."

Poirot coughed and led the conversation quickly away from the subject of drinking water. "Did you see any other members of the party?" he inquired.

"Yes. The elder Mr. Boynton and his wife passed us on their way back to the camp."

"Were they together?"

"No, Mr. Boynton came first. He looked a little as though he had had a touch of the sun. He was walking as though he were slightly dizzy."

"The back of the neck," said Miss Pierce. "One must protect the back of the neck! I always wear a thick silk handkerchief."

"What did Mr. Lennox Boynton do on his return to camp?" asked Poirot.

For once Miss Pierce managed to get in first before Lady Westholme could speak. "He went right up to his mother, but he didn't stay long with her."

"How long?"

"Just a minute or two."

"I should put it at just over a minute myself," said Lady Westholme. "Then he went on into his cave and after that he went down to the marquee."

"And his wife?"

"She came along about a quarter of an hour later. She stopped a minute and spoke to us-quite civilly."

"I think she's very nice," said Miss Pierce. "Very nice indeed."

"She is not so impossible as the rest of the family," allowed Lady Westholme.

"You watched her return to the camp?"

'Yes. She went up and spoke to her mother-in-law. Then she went into her cave and brought out a chair and sat by her talking for some time-about ten minutes, I should say."

"And then?"

"Then she took the chair back to the cave and went down to the marquee where her husband was."

"What happened next?"

"That very peculiar American came along," said Lady Westholme. "Cope, I think his name is. He told us that there was a very good example of the debased architecture of the period just round the bend of the valley. He said we ought not to miss it. Accordingly we walked there. Mr. Cope had with him quite an interesting article on Petra and the Nabateans."

"It was all most interesting," declared Miss Pierce fervently.

Lady Westholme continued: "We strolled back to the camp, it being then about twenty minutes to six. It was growing quite chilly."

"Mrs. Boynton was still sitting where you had left her?"

"Yes."

"Did you speak to her?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I hardly noticed her."

"What did you do next?"

"I went to my tent, changed my shoes and got out my own packet of China tea. I then went to the marquee. The guide person was there and I directed him to make some tea for Miss Pierce and myself with the tea I had brought and to make quite sure that the water with which it was made was boiling. He said that dinner would be ready in about half an hour-the boys were laying the table at the time-but I said that made no difference."

"I always say a cup of tea makes all the difference," murmured Miss Pierce vaguely.

"Was there anyone in the marquee?"

"Oh, yes. Mr. and Mrs. Lennox Boynton were sitting at one end reading. And Carol Boynton was there too."

"And Mr. Cope?"

"He joined us at our tea," said Miss Pierce. "Though he said tea drinking wasn't an American habit."

Lady Westholme coughed. "I became just a little afraid that Mr. Cope was going to be a nuisance-that he might fasten himself upon me. It is a little difficult sometimes to keep people at arm's length when one is traveling. I find they are inclined to presume. Americans, especially, are sometimes rather dense."

Poirot murmured suavely: "I am sure. Lady Westholme, that you are quite capable of dealing with situations of that kind. When traveling acquaintances are no longer of any use to you, I am sure you are an adept at dropping them."

"I think I am capable of dealing with most situations," said Lady Westholme complacently.

The twinkle in Poirot's eye was quite lost upon her. "If you will just conclude your recital of the day's happenings?" murmured Poirot.

"Certainly. As far as I can remember, Raymond Boynton and the red-haired Boynton girl came in shortly afterwards. Miss King arrived last. Dinner was then ready to be served. One of the servants was dispatched by the dragoman to announce the fact to old Mrs. Boynton. The man came running back with one of his comrades in a state of some agitation and spoke to the dragoman in Arabic. There was some mention of Mrs. Boynton being taken ill. Miss King offered her services. She went out with the dragoman. She came back and broke the news to the members of Mrs. Boynton's family."

"She did it very abruptly," put in Miss Pierce. "Just blurted it out. I think myself it ought to have been done more gradually."

"And how did Mrs. Boynton's family take the news?" asked Poirot.

For once both Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce seemed a little at a loss. The former said at last, in a voice lacking its usual self-assurance: "Well-really-it is difficult to say. They-they were very quiet about it."

"Stunned," said Miss Pierce. She offered the word more as a suggestion than as a fact.

"They all went out with Miss King," said Lady Westholme. "Miss Pierce and I very sensibly remained where we were."

A faintly wistful look was observable in Miss Pierce's eye at this point.

"I detest vulgar curiosity!" continued Lady Westholme. The wistful look became more pronounced. It was clear that Miss Pierce had had perforce to hate vulgar curiosity too!

"Later," concluded Lady Westholme, "the dragoman and Miss King returned. I suggested that dinner should be served immediately to the four of us, so that the Boynton family could dine later in the marquee without the embarrassment of strangers being present. My suggestion was adopted and immediately after the meal I retired to my tent. Miss King and Miss Pierce did the same. Mr. Cope, I believe, remained in the marquee; he is a friend of the family and thought he might be of some assistance to them. That is all I know, M. Poirot."

"When Miss King had broken the news, all the Boynton family accompanied her out of the marquee?"

"Yes-no, I believe, now that you come to mention it, that the red-haired girl stayed behind. Perhaps you can remember. Miss Pierce?"