Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie [54]
‘The conductor will do that. Michel!’
The contents of Mr Hardman’s two ‘grips’ were soon examined and passed. They contained perhaps an undue proportion of spirituous liquor. Mr Hardman winked.
‘It’s not often they search your grips at the frontiers—not if you fix the conductor. I handed out a wad of Turkish notes right away, and there’s been no trouble so far.’
‘And at Paris?’
Mr Hardman winked again.
‘By the time I get to Paris,’ he said, ‘what’s left over of this little lot will go into a bottle labelled hairwash.’
‘You are not a believer in Prohibition, Monsieur Hardman,’ said M. Bouc with a smile.
‘Well,’ said Hardman. ‘I can’t say Prohibition has ever worried me any.’
‘Ah!’ said M. Bouc. ‘The speakeasy.’ He pronounced the word with care, savouring it.
‘Your American terms are so quaint, so expressive,’ he said.
‘Me, I would much like to go to America,’ said Poirot.
‘You’d learn a few go-ahead methods over there,’ said Hardman. ‘Europe wants waking up. She’s half asleep.’
‘It is true that America is the country of progress,’ agreed Poirot. ‘There is much that I admire about Americans. Only—I am perhaps old-fashioned—but me, I find the American woman less charming than my own countrywomen. The French or Belgian girl, coquettish, charming—I think there is no one to touch her.’
Hardman turned away to peer out at the snow for a minute.
‘Perhaps you’re right, M. Poirot,’ he said. ‘But I guess every nation likes its own girls best.’
He blinked as though the snow hurt his eyes.
‘Kind of dazzling, isn’t it?’ he remarked. ‘Say, gentlemen, this business is getting on my nerves. Murder and the snow and all, and nothing doing. Just hanging about and killing time. I’d like to get busy after someone or something.’
‘The true Western spirit of hustle,’ said Poirot with asmile.
The conductor replaced the bags and they moved on to the next compartment. Colonel Arbuthnot was sitting in a corner smoking a pipe and reading a magazine.
Poirot explained their errand. The Colonel made no demur. He had two heavy leather suitcases.
‘The rest of my kit has gone by long sea,’ he explained.
Like most Army men, the Colonel was a neat packer. The examination of his baggage took only a few minutes. Poirot noted a packet of pipe-cleaners.
‘You always use the same kind?’ he asked.
‘Usually. If I can get ’em.’
‘Ah!’ Poirot nodded.
These pipe-cleaners were identical with the one he had found on the floor of the dead man’s compartment.
Dr Constantine remarked as much when they were out in the corridor again.
‘Tout de même,’ murmured Poirot, ‘I can hardly believe it. It is not dans son caractère, and when you have said that you have said everything.’
The door of the next compartment was closed. It was that occupied by Princess Dragomiroff. They knocked on the door and the Princess’s deep voice called, ‘Entrez.’
M. Bouc was spokesman. He was very deferential and polite as he explained their errand.
The Princess listened to him in silence, her small toad-like face quite impassive.
‘If it is necessary, Messieurs,’ she said quietly when he had finished, ‘that is all there is to it. My maid has the keys. She will attend to it with you.’
‘Does your maid always carry your keys, Madame?’ asked Poirot.
‘Certainly, Monsieur.’
‘And if during the night at one of the frontiers the Customs officials should require a piece of luggage to be opened?’
The old lady shrugged her shoulders.
‘It is very unlikely. But in such a case this conductor would fetch her.’
‘You trust her, then, implicitly, Madame?’
‘I have told you so already,’ said the Princess quietly. ‘I do not employ people whom I do not trust.’
‘Yes,’ said Poirot thoughtfully. ‘Trust is indeed something in these days. It is, perhaps, better to have a homely woman whom one can trust than a more chic maid—for example, some smart Parisienne.