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    Agatha Christie Murder On The Orient Express

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    This document is an excerpt from Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. It describes interactions between three passengers on the train - Colonel Arbuthnot, a Miss Debenham, and detective Hercule Poirot. At mealtimes, the Colonel and Miss Debenham converse in a friendly manner while ignoring the third passenger, Poirot. Poirot later observes the Colonel accompanying Miss Debenham back to her compartment, and overhears a private conversation between the two about enjoying the scenic views from the train.

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    Agatha Christie Murder On The Orient Express

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    882 views1 page
    This document is an excerpt from Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. It describes interactions between three passengers on the train - Colonel Arbuthnot, a Miss Debenham, and detective Hercule Poirot. At mealtimes, the Colonel and Miss Debenham converse in a friendly manner while ignoring the third passenger, Poirot. Poirot later observes the Colonel accompanying Miss Debenham back to her compartment, and overhears a private conversation between the two about enjoying the scenic views from the train.

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    This document is an excerpt from Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. It describes interactions between three passengers on the train - Colonel Arbuthnot, a Miss Debenham, and detective Hercule Poirot. At mealtimes, the Colonel and Miss Debenham converse in a friendly manner while ignoring the third passenger, Poirot. Poirot later observes the Colonel accompanying Miss Debenham back to her compartment, and overhears a private conversation between the two about enjoying the scenic views from the train.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    882 views1 page

    Agatha Christie Murder On The Orient Express

    Uploaded by

    m
    This document is an excerpt from Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. It describes interactions between three passengers on the train - Colonel Arbuthnot, a Miss Debenham, and detective Hercule Poirot. At mealtimes, the Colonel and Miss Debenham converse in a friendly manner while ignoring the third passenger, Poirot. Poirot later observes the Colonel accompanying Miss Debenham back to her compartment, and overhears a private conversation between the two about enjoying the scenic views from the train.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 1

    Agatha Christie ™ MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

    True to their nationality, the two English people were not chatty. They exchanged a few brief
    remarks and presently the girl rose and went back to her compartment.
    At lunch time the other two again shared a table and again they both completely ignored the
    third passenger. Their conversation was more animated than at breakfast. Colonel Arbuthnot
    talked of the Punjab and occasionally asked the girl a few questions about Baghdad where, it
    became clear, she had been in a post as governess. In the course of conversation they discovered
    some mutual friends, which had the immediate effect of making them more friendly and less
    stiff. They discussed old Tommy Somebody and old Reggie Someone Else. The Colonel
    inquired whether she was going straight through to England or whether she was stopping in
    Stamboul.
    “No, I’m going straight on.”
    “Isn’t that rather a pity?”
    “I came out this way two years ago and spent three days in Stamboul then.”
    “Oh! I see. Well, I may say I’m very glad you are going right through, because I am.”
    He made a kind of clumsy little bow, flushing a little as he did so.
    “He is susceptible, our Colonel,” thought Hercule Poirot to himself with some amusement.
    “The train, it is as dangerous as a sea voyage!”
    Miss Debenham said evenly that that would be very nice. Her manner was slightly repressive.
    The Colonel, Hercule Poirot noticed, accompanied her back to her compartment. Later they
    passed through the magnificent scenery of the Taurus. As they looked down towards the Cilician
    Gates, standing in the corridor side by side, a sigh came suddenly from the girl. Poirot was
    standing near them and heard her murmur:
    “It’s so beautiful! I wish—I wish—”
    “Yes?”
    “I wish I could enjoy it!”
    Arbuthnot did not answer. The square line of his jaw seemed a little sterner and grimmer.
    “I wish to Heaven you were out of all this,” he said.
    “Hush, please. Hush.”
    “Oh! it’s all right.” He shot a slightly annoyed glance in Poirot’s direction. Then he went on:
    “But I don’t like the idea of your being a governess—at the beck and call of tyrannical mothers
    and their tiresome brats.”
    She laughed with just a hint of uncontrol in the sound.
    “Oh! you mustn’t think that. The downtrodden governess is quite an exploded myth. I can
    assure you that it’s the parents who are afraid of being bullied by me.”
    They said no more. Arbuthnot was, perhaps, ashamed of his outburst.
    “Rather an odd little comedy that I watch here,” said Poirot to himself thoughtfully.
    He was to remember that thought of his later.
    They arrived at Konya that night about half-past eleven. The two English travellers got out to
    stretch their legs, pacing up and down the snowy platform.
    M. Poirot was content to watch the teeming activity of the station through a window pane.
    After about ten minutes, however, he decided that a breath of air would not perhaps be a bad
    thing after all. He made careful preparations, wrapping himself in several coats and mufflers and
    encasing his neat boots in goloshes. Thus attired, he descended gingerly to the platform and
    began to pace its length. He walked out beyond the engine.
    It was the voices which gave him the clue to the two indistinct figures standing in the shadow
    of a traffic van. Arbuthnot was speaking.

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