One, two, buckle my shoe - Agatha Christie [49]
Blunt said:
‘Julia’s rather a tactless woman, but she doesn’t mean —’
Miss Montressor said calmly:
‘In my opinion her manner to me is verra insolent, and I will not put up with insolence — from American women or any others!’
Miss Montressor moved away, Poirot came up to find Alistair Blunt looking as sheepish as most men look who are having trouble with their female relations. He said ruefully:
‘Women really are the devil! Good-morning, M. Poirot. Lovely day, isn’t it?’
They turned towards the house and Blunt said with a sigh: ‘I do miss my wife!’
In the dining-room, he remarked to the redoubtable Julia:
‘I’m afraid, Julia, you’ve rather hurt Helen’s feelings.’
Mrs Olivera said grimly:
‘The Scotch are always touchy.’
Alistair Blunt looked unhappy.
Hercule Poirot said:
‘You have a young gardener, I noticed, whom I think you must have taken on recently.’
‘I dare say,’ said Blunt. ‘Yes, Burton, my third gardener, left about three weeks ago, and we took this fellow on instead.’
‘Do you remember where he came from?’
‘I really don’t. MacAlister engaged him. Somebody or other asked me to give him a trial, I think. Recommended him warmly. I’m rather surprised, because MacAlister says he isn’t much good. He wants to sack him again.’
‘What is his name?’
‘Dunning — Sunbury — something like that.’
‘Would it be a great impertinence to ask what you pay him?’
‘Not at all. Two pounds fifteen, I think it is.’
‘Not more?’
‘Certainly not more — might be a bit less.’
‘Now that,’ said Poirot, ‘is very curious.’
Alistair Blunt looked at him inquiringly.
But Jane Olivera, rustling the paper, distracted the conversation.
‘A lot of people seem to be out for your blood, Uncle Alistair!’
‘Oh, you’re reading the debate in the House. That’s all right. Only Archerton — he’s always tilting at windmills. And he’s got the most crazy ideas of finance. If we let him have his way, England would be bankrupt in a week.’
Jane said:
‘Don’t you ever want to try anything new?’
‘Not unless it’s an improvement to the old, my dear.’
‘But you’d never think it would be. You’d always say, “This would never work” — without even trying.’
‘Experimentalists can do a lot of harm.’
‘Yes, but how can you be satisfied with things as they are? All the waste and the inequality and the unfairness. Something must be done about it!’
‘We get along pretty well in this country, Jane, all things considered.’
Jane said passionately:
‘What’s needed is a new heaven and a new earth! And you sit there eating kidneys!’
She got up and went out by the french window into the garden.
Alistair looked mildly surprised and a little uncomfortable.
He said: ‘Jane has changed a lot lately. Where does she get all these ideas?’
‘Take no notice of what Jane says,’ said Mrs Olivera. ‘Jane’s a very silly girl. You know what girls are — they go to these queer parties in studios where the young men have funny ties and they come home and talk a lot of nonsense.’
‘Yes, but Jane was always rather a hard-boiled young woman.’
‘It’s just a fashion, Alistair, these things are in the air!’
Alistair Blunt said:
‘Yes, they’re in the air all right.’
He looked a little worried.
Mrs Olivera rose and Poirot opened the door for her. She swept out frowning to herself.
Alistair Blunt said suddenly:
‘I don’t like it, you know! Everybody’s talking this sort of stuff! And it doesn’t mean anything! It’s all hot air! I find myself up against it the whole time — a new heaven and a new earth. What does it mean? They can’t tell you themselves! They’re just drunk on words.’
He smiled suddenly, rather ruefully.
‘I’m one of the last of the Old Guard, you know.’
Poirot said curiously:
‘If you were — removed, what would happen?’
‘Removed! What a way of putting it!’ His face grew suddenly grave. ‘I’ll tell you. A lot of damned fools would try a lot of very costly experiments. And that would be the end of stability — of common sense, of solvency. In fact, of this England of ours as we know it…’
Poirot nodded his head. He was essentially in sympathy