Агата Кристи - Dumb Witness / Безмолвный свидетель. Книга для чтения на английском языке

‘ Eh bien ,’ said Poirot. ‘You are satisfied? You have there, have you not, a very smart brooch with your initials?’

‘A most handsome affair,’ I agreed.

‘It is true that it does not gleam and reflect the light, but all the same you are prepared to admit that that brooch could be seen plainly from some distance away?’

‘I’ve never doubted it.’

‘Quite so. Doubt is not your strong point. Simple faith is more characteristic of you. And now, Hastings, be so good as to remove your coat.’

Wondering a little, I did so. Poirot divested himself of his own coat and slipped on mine, turning away a little as he did so.

‘And now,’ he said. ‘Regard how the brooch—the brooch with your initials—becomes me?’

He whisked round. I stared at him—for the moment uncomprehendingly. Then I saw the point.

‘What a blithering fool I am! Of course. It’s H.A. in the brooch, not A.H. at all.’

Poirot beamed on me, as he reassumed his own clothes and handed me mine.

‘Exactly—and now you see what struck me as wrong with Miss Lawson’s story. She stated that she had seen Theresa’s initials clearly on the brooch she was wearing. But she saw Theresa in the glass. So, if she saw the initials at all , she must have seen them reversed.’’

‘Well,’ I argued, ‘perhaps she did, and realized that they were reversed.’

‘Mon cher, did that occur to you just now? Did you exclaim, “Ha! Poirot, you’ve got it wrong. That’s H.A. really—not A.H.” No, you did not. And yet you are a good deal more intelligent, I should say, than Miss Lawson. Do not tell me that a muddle-headed woman like that woke up suddenly, and still half-asleep, realized that A.T. was really T.A. No, that is not at all consistent with [566] to be consistent with – соответствовать the mentality of Miss Lawson.’

‘She was determined it should be Theresa,’ I said slowly.

‘You are getting nearer, my friend. You remember, I hint to her that she could not really see the face of anyone on the stairs, and immediately—what does she do?’

‘Remembers Theresa’s brooch and lugs that in [567] to lug in – приплетать ни к селу, ни к городу —forgetting that the mere fact of having seen it in the glass gave her own story the lie.’

The telephone bell rang sharply. Poirot crossed to it.

He only spoke a few non-committal words.

‘Yes? Yes… certainly. Yes, quite convenient. The afternoon, I think. Yes, two o’clock will do admirably.’ He replaced the receiver and turned to me with a smile.

‘Dr Donaldson is anxious to have a talk with me. He is coming here tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock. We progress, mon ami, we progress.’

When I came round after breakfast the following morning I found Poirot busy at the writing-table.

He raised a hand in salutation, then proceeded with his task. Presently he gathered up the sheets, enclosed them in an envelope and sealed them up carefully.

‘Well, old boy, what are you doing?’ I asked facetiously. ‘Writing an account of the case to be placed in safe keeping in case someone bumps you off during the course of the day?’

‘You know, Hastings, you are not so far wrong as you think.’

His manner was serious.

‘Is our murderer really about to get dangerous?’

‘A murderer is always dangerous,’ said Poirot gravely. ‘Astonishing how often that fact is overlooked.’

‘Any news?’

‘Dr Tanios rang up.’

‘Still no trace of his wife?’

‘No.’

‘Then that’s all right.’

‘I wonder.’

‘Dash it all, Poirot, you don’t think she’s been bumped off, do you?’

Poirot shook his head doubtfully.

‘I confess,’ he murmured, ‘that I should like to know where she is.’

‘Oh, well,’ I said. ‘She’ll turn up.’

‘Your cheerful optimism never fails to delight me, Hastings!’

‘My goodness, Poirot, you don’t think she’ll turn up in parcels or dismembered in a trunk?’

Poirot said slowly:

‘I find the anxiety of Dr Tanios somewhat excessive—but no more of that. The first thing to do is to interview Miss Lawson.’

‘Are you going to point out that little error over the brooch?’

‘Certainly not. That little fact remains up my sleeve [568] up one’s sleeve – про запас; в секрете until the right moment comes.’

‘Then what are you going to say to her?’

‘That, mon ami, you will hear in due course [569] in due course – в свое время .’

‘More lies, I suppose?’

‘You are really offensive sometimes, Hastings. Anybody would think I enjoyed telling lies.’

‘I rather think you do. In fact, I’m sure of it.’

‘It is true that I sometimes compliment myself upon my ingenuity,’ Poirot confessed naively.

I could not help giving a shout of laughter. Poirot looked at me reproachfully and we set off for Clanroyden Mansions.

We were shown into [570] to be shown into – провожать the same crowded sitting-room and Miss Lawson came bustling in, her manner even more incoherent than usual.

‘Oh, dear, M. Poirot, good-morning. Such a to do—rather untidy, I’m afraid. But then, everything is at sixes and sevens [571] at sixes and sevens – вверх дном this morning. Ever since Bella arrived—’

‘What is that you say? Bella?’

‘Yes, Bella Tanios. She turned up half an hour ago —and the children—completely exhausted, poor soul [572] poor soul – бедняжка ! Really, I don’t know what to do about it. You see, she’s left her husband.’

‘Left him?’

‘So she says. Of course, I’ve no doubt she’s fully justified, poor thing.’

‘She has confided in you?’

‘Well—not exactly that. In fact, she won’t say anything at all. Just repeats that she’s left him and that nothing will induce her to go back to him!’

‘That is a very serious step to take?’

‘Of course it is! In fact, if he’d been an Englishman, I would have advised her—but there, he isn’t an Englishman… And she looks so peculiar, poor thing, so—well, so scared. What can he have been doing to her? I believe Turks are frightfully cruel sometimes.’

‘Dr Tanios is a Greek.’

‘Yes, of course, that’s the other way about—I mean, they’re usually the ones who get massacred by the Turks—or am I thinking of Armenians? But all the same, I don’t like to think of it. I don’t think she ought to go back to him, do you, M. Poirot? Anyway, I mean, she says she won’t… She doesn’t even want him to know where she is.’

‘As bad as that?’

‘Yes, you see it’s the children. She’s so afraid he could take them back to Smyrna. Poor soul, she really is in a terrible way [573] in a terrible way – в отчаянном положении . You see, she’s got no money—no money at all. She doesn’t know where to go or what to do. She wants to try and earn her living but really, you know, M. Poirot, that’s not so easy as it sounds. I know that. It’s not as though she were trained for anything.’

‘When did she leave her husband?’

‘Yesterday. She spent last night in a little hotel near Paddington. She came to me because she couldn’t think of anyone else to go to, poor thing.’

‘And are you going to help her? That is very good of you.’