Hallowe'en Party / Вечеринка на Хэллоуин. Книга для чтения на английском языке

There were a couple of women who had come in to help with the food and the supper and things like that. when the party ended, most of the mothers went home with their children. I stayed behind with Judith and a couple of others to help Rowena Drake, the woman who gave the party, to clear up a bit, so the cleaning women who came in the morning wouldn’t have so much mess to deal with. You know, there was a lot of flour about, and paper caps out of crackers[37 - paper caps out of crackers – бумажные колпачки от хлопушек] and different things.

So we swept up a bit, and we got to the library last of all. And that’s when—when we found her. And then I remembered what she’d said.’

�What who had said?’

�Joyce.’

�What did she say? We are coming to it now, are we not? We are coming to the reason why you are here?’

�Yes. I thought it wouldn’t mean anything to—oh, to a doctor or the police or anyone, but I thought it might mean something to you.

’

�Eh bien,’ said Poirot, �tell me. Was this something Joyce said at the party?’

�No—earlier in the day. That afternoon when we were fixing things up. It was after they’d talked about my writing murder stories and Joyce said “I saw a murder once” and her mother or somebody said “Don’t be silly, Joyce, saying things like that” and one of the older girls said “You’re just making it up” and Joyce said “I did. I saw it I tell you. I did. I saw someone do a murder,” but no one believed her.

They just laughed and she got very angry.’

�Did you believe her?’

�No, of course not.’

�I see,’ said Poirot, �yes, I see.’ He was silent for some moments, tapping a finger on the table. Then he said:

�I wonder—she gave no details—no names?’

�No. She went on boasting and shouting a bit and being angry because most of the other girls were laughing at her. The mothers, I think, and the older people, were rather cross with her.

But the girls and the younger boys just laughed at her! They said things like “Go on, Joyce, when was this? Why did you never tell us about it?” And Joyce said, “I’d forgotten all about it, it was so long ago”.’

�Aha! Did she say how long ago?’

�Years ago,’ she said. �You know, in rather a would-be grown-up way[38 - in rather a would-be grown-up way —с претензией на взрослость].