The A B C Murders / Убийство по алфавиту. Книга для чтения на английском языке

One of the four, while he is dummy[42 - dummy – болван (в бридже партнер разыгрывающего; после первого хода противника болван выкладывает свои карты открытыми на стол и в дальнейшем не принимает участия в розыгрыше)], has gone over and killed him, and intent on the play of the hand[43 - intent on the play of the hand – сосредоточен на игре разыгрывающего], the other three have not noticed.

Ah, there would be a crime for you! Which of the four was it?’

�Well,’ I said. �I can’t see any excitement in that!’

Poirot threw me a glance of reproof.

�No, because there are no curiously twisted daggers, no blackmail, no emerald that is the stolen eye of a god, no untraceable Eastern poisons. You have the melodramatic soul, Hastings. You would like, not one murder, but a series of murders.’

�I admit,’ I said, �that a second murder in a book often cheers things up.

If the murder happens in the first chapter, and you have to follow up everybody’s alibi until the last page but one—well, it does get a bit tedious.’

The telephone rang and Poirot rose to answer.

�’Allo[44 - �Allo = Hallo = Hello],’ he said. �’Allo. Yes, it is Hercule Poirot speaking.’

He listened for a minute or two and then I saw his face change.

His own side of the conversation was short and disjointed.

�Mais oui[45 - Mais oui (фр.

) – Но да]…’

�Yes, of course…’

�But yes, we will come…’

�Naturally…’

�It may be as you say…’

�Yes, I will bring it. À tout à l’heure[46 - À tout à l’heure (фр.) – До встречи] then.’

He replaced the receiver and came across the room to me.

�That was Japp speaking, Hastings.’

�Yes?’

�He had just got back to the Yard. There was a message from Andover…’

�Andover?’ I cried excitedly.

Poirot said slowly:

�An old woman of the name of Ascher who keeps a little tobacco and newspaper shop has been found murdered.’

I think I felt ever so slightly damped. My interest, quickened by the sound of Andover, suffered a faint check. I had expected something fantastic—out of the way[47 - out of the way – необычный]! The murder of an old woman who kept a little tobacco shop seemed, somehow, sordid and uninteresting.