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

He stopped trundling his can and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.

�God bless my soul,’ said Superintendent Spence. �It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be. Hercule Poirot, as I live.’

�Aha,’ said Hercule Poirot, �you know me. That is gratifying.’

�May your moustaches never grow less,’ said Spence.

He abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.

�Diabolical weeds,’ he said. �And what brings you down here?’

�What has brought me to many places in my time,’ said Hercule Poirot, �and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me.

Murder.’

�I’ve done with murder,’ said Spence, �except in the case of weeds. That’s what I’m doing now. Applying weed killer. Never so easy as you think, something’s always wrong, usually the weather. Mustn’t be too wet, mustn’t be too dry and all the rest of it. How did you know where to find me?’ he asked as he unlatched the gate and Poirot passed through.

�You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address notified on it.’

�Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know. I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends.’

�I appreciate that,’ said Poirot.

Spence said, �I’m an old man now.’

�We are both old men.’

�Not much grey in your hair,’ said Spence.

�I attend to that with a bottle,’ said Hercule Poirot. �There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so.

’

�Well, I don’t think jet black[43 - jet black – черный, как смоль] would suit me,’ said Spence.

�I agree,’ said Poirot. �You look most distinguished with grey hair.’

�I should never think of myself as a distinguished man.’

�I think of you as such. Why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?’

�As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad, one in Australia and the other in South Africa.

So I moved in here. Pensions don’t go far nowadays[44 - Pensions don’t go far nowadays – Пенсии нынче небольшие], but we do pretty comfortably living together. Come and sit down.’

He led the way on to the small glazed-in verandah where there were chairs and a table or two. The autumn sun fell pleasantly upon this retreat.

�What shall I get you?’ said Spence.