Agatha Christie: Appointment with Death

"No, thank you, Mother, not unless Lennox cares about it."

Mrs. Boynton turned her head slowly towards her son. "Well, Lennox, what about it; why don't you and Nadine go? She seems to want to."

He started. Looked up.

"I-well-no, I-I think we'd better all stay together." Mr. Cope said genially: "Well, you are a devoted family!" But something in his geniality rang a little hollow and forced.

"We keep to ourselves," said Mrs. Boynton. She began to wind up her ball of wool. "By the way, Raymond, who was that young woman who spoke to you just now?"

Raymond started nervously. He flushed, then went white. "I-I don't know her name. She-she was on the train the other night."

Mrs. Boynton began slowly to try and heave herself out of her chair. "I don't think we'll have much to do with her," she said.

Nadine rose and assisted the old woman to struggle out of her chair. She did it with a professional deftness that attracted Gerard's attention.

"Bedtime," said Mrs. Boynton. "Good night, Mr. Cope."

"Good night, Mrs. Boynton. Good night, Mrs. Lennox."

They went off-a little procession. It did not seem to occur to any of the younger members of the party to stay behind.

Mr. Cope was left looking after them. The expression on his face was an odd one.

As Dr. Gerard knew by experience, Americans are disposed to be a friendly race. They have not the uneasy suspicion of the traveling Briton. To a man of Dr. Gerard's tact, making the acquaintance of Mr. Cope presented few difficulties. The American was lonely and was, like most of his race, disposed to friendliness. Dr. Gerard's card-case was again to the fore.

Reading the name on it, Mr. Jefferson Cope was duly impressed.

"Why surely. Dr. Gerard, you were over in the States not very long ago?"

"Last Autumn. I was lecturing at Harvard."

"Of course. Yours, Dr. Gerard, is one of the most distinguished names in your profession. You're pretty well at the head of your subject in Paris."

"My dear sir, you are far too kind! I protest."

"No, no, this is a great privilege-meeting you like this. As a matter of fact, there are several very distinguished people here in Jerusalem just at present. There's yourself and there's Lord Welldon, and Sir Gabriel Steinbaum, the financier. Then there's the veteran English archaeologist, Sir Manders Stone. And there's Lady Westholme who's very prominent in English politics. And there's that famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot."

"Little Hercule Poirot? Is he here?"

"I read his name in the local paper as having lately arrived. Seems to me all the world and his wife are at the Solomon Hotel. A mighty fine hotel it is, too. And very tastefully decorated."

Mr. Jefferson Cope was clearly enjoying himself. Dr. Gerard was a man who could display a lot of charm when he chose. Before long the two men had adjourned to the bar.

After a couple of highballs Gerard said: "Tell me, is that a typical American family to whom you were talking?"

Jefferson Cope sipped his drink thoughtfully. Then he said: "Why, no, I wouldn't say it was exactly typical."

"No? A very devoted family, though."

Cope said slowly: "You mean they all seem to revolve round the old lady? That's true enough. She's a very remarkable old lady, you know."

"Indeed?"

Mr. Cope needed very little encouragement. The gentle invitation was enough. "I don't mind telling you, Dr. Gerard, I've been having that family a good deal on my mind lately. I've been thinking about them a lot. If I may say so, it would ease my mind to talk to you about the matter. If it won't bore you, that is?"

Dr. Gerard disclaimed boredom. Mr. Jefferson Cope went on slowly, his pleasant clean-shaven face creased with perplexity.

"I'll tell you straight away that I'm just a little worried. Mrs. Boynton, you see, is an old friend of mine. That is to say, not the old Mrs. Boynton, the young one. Mrs. Lennox Boynton."

"Ah, yes, that very charming dark-haired young lady."

"That's right. That's Nadine. Nadine Boynton, Dr. Gerard, is a very lovely character. I knew her before she was married. She was in hospital then, working to be a trained nurse. Then she went for a vacation to stay with the Boyntons and she married Lennox."

"Yes?"

Mr. Jefferson Cope took another sip of highball and went on. "I'd like to tell you, Dr. Gerard, just a little of the Boynton family history."

"Yes? I should be most interested."

"Well, you see, the late Elmer Boynton-he was quite a well-known man and a very charming person-was twice married. His first wife died when Carol and Raymond were tiny toddlers. The second Mrs. Boynton, so I've been told, was a handsome woman when he married her, though not very young. Seems odd to think she can ever have been handsome to look at her now, but that's what I've been told on very good authority. Anyway, her husband thought a lot of her and adopted her judgment on almost every point. He was an invalid for some years before he died, and she practically ruled the roost. She's a very capable woman with a fine head for business. A very conscientious woman, too. After Elmer died, she devoted herself absolutely to these children. There's one of her own, too-Ginevra-pretty red-haired girl but a bit delicate. Well, as I was telling you, Mrs. Boynton devoted herself entirely to her family. She just shut out the outside world entirely. Now, I don't know what you think, Dr. Gerard, but I don't think that's always a very sound thing."

"I agree with you. It is most harmful to developing mentalities."

"Yes, I should say that just about expresses it. Mrs. Boynton shielded these children from the outside world and never let them make any outside contacts. The result of that is that they've grown up-well, kind of nervy. They're jumpy, if you know what I mean. Can't make friends with strangers. It's bad, that."

"It is very bad."

"I we no doubt Mrs. Boynton meant well. It was just over-devotion on her part."

"They all live at home?" asked the doctor.

"Yes."

"Do neither of the sons work?"

"Why, no. Elmer Boynton was a rich man. He left all his money to Mrs. Boynton for her lifetime-but it was understood that it was for the family upkeep generally."

"So they are dependent on her financially?"

"That is so. And she's encouraged them to live at home and not go out and look for jobs. Well, maybe that's all right; there's plenty of money. They don't need to take jobs but I think for the male sex, anyway, work's a good tonic. Then there's another thing-they've none of them got any hobbies. They don't play golf. They don't belong to any country club. They don't go around to dances or do anything with the other young people. They live in a great barrack of a house way down in the country, miles from anywhere. I tell you. Dr. Gerard, it seems all wrong to me."

"I agree with you," said Dr. Gerard.

"Not one of them has got the least social sense. The community spirit-that's what's lacking! They may be a very devoted family but they're all bound up in themselves."

"There has never been any question of one or the other of them branching out for him- or herself?"

"Not that I've heard of. They just sit around."

"Do you put the blame for that on them or on Mrs. Boynton?"

Jefferson Cope shifted uneasily. "Well, in a sense I feel she is more or less responsible. It's bad bringing up on her part. All the same, when a young fellow comes to maturity it's up to him to kick over the traces of his own accord. No boy ought to keep on being tied to his mother's apron strings. He ought to choose to be independent."

Dr. Gerard said thoughtfully: "That might be impossible."

"Why impossible?"

"There are methods, Mr. Cope, of preventing a tree from growing."

Cope stared. "They're a fine healthy lot, Dr. Gerard."