Ten

On the Monday morning various expressions of delight and appreciation¹ were heard on the deckof the Karnak. The steamer was moored² to the bank and a few hundred yards away, the morningsun just striking it, was a great temple carved out of the face of the rock. Four colossal³ figures,hewn out of the cliff, look out eternally over the Nile and face the rising sun.

Cornelia Robson said incoherently: “Oh, Monsieur Poirot, isn’t it wonderful? I mean they’re sobig and peaceful—and looking at them makes one feel that one’s so small—and rather like aninsect—and that nothing matters very much really, does it?”

Mr. Fanthorp, who was standing⁴ near by, murmured, “Very—er—impressive.”

“Grand, isn’t it?” said Simon Doyle, strolling up.

He went on confidentially⁵ to Poirot: “You know, I’m not much of a fellow for temples andsightseeing and all that, but a place like this sort of gets you, if you know what I mean. Those oldPharaohs must have been wonderful fellows.”

The other had drifted away. Simon lowered his voice.

“I’m no end glad we came on this trip. It’s—well, it’s cleared things up. Amazing why it should—but there it is. Linnet’s got her nerve back. She say’s it’s because shes actually faced thebusiness at last.”

“I think that is very probable,” said Poirot.

“She says that when she actually saw Jackie on the boat she felt terrible—and then, suddenly, itdidn’t matter anymore. We’re both agreed that we won’t try to dodge⁶ her anymore. We’ll justmeet her on her own ground and show her that this ridiculous stunt⁷ of hers doesn’t worry us a bit.

It’s just damned bad form—that’s all. She thought she’d got us badly rattled⁸, but now, well, wejust aren’t rattled anymore. That ought to show her.”

“Yes,” said Poirot thoughtfully.

“So that’s splendid, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes, yes.”

Linnet came along the deck. She was dressed in a soft shade of apricot linen⁹. She was smiling.

She greeted Poirot with no particular enthusiasm, just gave him a cool nod and then drew herhusband away.

Poirot realized with a momentary¹⁰ flicker¹¹ of amusement that he had not made himself popular byhis critical attitude. Linnet was used to unqualified admiration¹² of all she was or did. Hercule Poirothad sinned noticeably against this creed¹³.

Mrs. Allerton, joining him, murmured:

“What a difference in that girl! She looked worried and not very happy at Assuan. Today shelooks so happy that one might almost be afraid she was fey.”

Before Poirot could respond as he meant, the party was called to order. The official dragomantook charge and the party was led ashore¹⁴ to visit Abu Simbel.

Poirot himself fell into step with Andrew Pennington.

“It is your first visit to Egypt—yes?” he asked.

“Why, no, I was here in nineteen twenty-three. That is to say I was in Cairo. I’ve never beenthis trip up the Nile before.”

“You came over on the Carmanic, I believe—at least so Madame Doyle was telling me.”

Pennington shot a shrewd glance in his direction.

“Why, yes, that is so,” he admitted.

“I wondered if you had happened to come across some friends of mine who were aboard—theRushington Smiths.”

“I can’t recall anyone of that name. The boat was full and we had bad weather. A lot ofpassengers hardly appeared, and in any case the voyage is so short one doesn’t get to know who ison board and who isn’t.”

“Yes, that is very true. What a pleasant surprise your running into Madame Doyle and herhusband. You had no idea they were married?”

“No. Mrs. Doyle had written me, but the letter was forwarded on and I only received it somedays after our unexpected meeting in Cairo.”

“You have known her for many years, I understand?”

“Why, I should say I have, Monsieur Poirot. I’ve known Linnet Ridgeway since she was just acute little thing so high—” He made an illustrating¹⁵ gesture. “Her father and I were lifelong friends.

A very remarkable¹⁶ man, Melhuish Ridgeway—and a very successful one.”

“His daughter comes into a considerable fortune, I understand…Ah, pardon—perhaps it is notdelicate what I say there.”

Andrew Pennington seemed slightly amused.

“Oh, that’s pretty common knowledge. Yes, Linnet’s a wealthy woman.”

“I suppose, though, that the recent slump¹⁷ is bound to affect any stocks, however sound they maybe?”

Pennington took a moment or two to answer. He said at last: “That, of course, is true to a certainextent. The position is very difficult in these days.”

Poirot murmured: “I should imagine, however, that Madame Doyle has a keen business head.”

“That is so. Yes, that is so. Linnet is a clever practical girl.”

They came to a halt. The guide proceeded to instruct them on the subject of the temple built bythe great Rameses. The four colossi of Rameses himself, one pair on each side of the entrance,hewn out of the living rock, looked down on the little straggling party of tourists.

Signor Richetti, disdaining¹⁸ the remarks of the dragoman, was busy examining the reliefs ofNegro and Syrian captives on the bases of the colossi on either side of the entrance.

When the party entered the temple, a sense of dimness and peace came over them. The stillvividly coloured reliefs on some of the inner walls were pointed¹⁹ out, but the party tended to breakup into groups.

Dr. Bessner read sonorously²⁰ in German from a Baedeker, pausing every now and then totranslate for the benefit of Cornelia, who walked in a docile²¹ manner beside him. This was not tocontinue, however. Miss Van Schuyler, entering on the arm of the phlegmatic²² Miss Bowers²³,uttered a commanding: “Cornelia, come here,” and the instruction had perforce to cease. Dr.

Bessner beamed after her vaguely²⁴ through his thick lenses.

“A very nice maiden²⁵, that,” he announced to Poirot. “She does not look so starved as some ofthese young women. No, she has the nice curves. She listens too very intelligently; it is a pleasureto instruct her.”

It fleeted across Poirot’s mind that it seemed to be Cornelia’s fate either to be bullied²⁶ orinstructed. In any case she was always the listener, never the talker.

Miss Bowers, momentarily released by the peremptory²⁷ summons of Cornelia, was standing inthe middle of the temple, looking about her with her cool, incurious gaze. Her reaction to thewonders of the past was succinct²⁸.

“The guide says the name of one of these gods or goddesses was Mut. Can you beat it?”

There was an inner sanctuary²⁹ where sat four figures eternally presiding, strangely dignified³⁰ intheir dim aloofness³¹.

Before them stood Linnet and her husband. Her arm was in his, her face lifted—a typical face ofthe new civilization, intelligent, curious, untouched by the past.

Simon said suddenly: “Let’s get out of here. I don’t like these four fellows—especially the onein the high hat.”

“That’s Amon, I suppose. And that one is Rameses. Why don’t you like them? I think they’revery impressive.”

“They’re a damned sight too impressive; there’s something uncanny about them. Come out intothe sunlight.”

Linnet laughed but yielded.

They came out of the temple into the sunshine with the sand yellow and warm about their feet.

Linnet began to laugh. At their feet in a row, presenting a momentarily gruesome appearance asthough sawn from their bodies, were the heads of half a dozen Nubian boys. The eyes rolled, theheads moved rhythmically³² from side to side, the lips chanted a new invocation:

“Hip³³, hip hurray! Hip, hip hurray! Very good, very nice. Thank you very much.”

“How absurd! How do they do it? Are they really buried very deep?”

Simon produced some small change.

“Very good, very nice, very expensive,” he mimicked³⁴.

Two small boys in charge of the “show” picked up the coins neatly³⁵.

Linnet and Simon passed on. They had no wish to return to the boat, and they were weary ofsightseeing. They settled themselves with their backs to the cliff and let the warm sun bake themthrough.

“How lovely the sun is,” thought Linnet. “How warm—how safe…How lovely it is to behappy…How lovely to be me—me…me…Linnet….”

Her eyes closed. She was half asleep, half awake, drifting in the midst of thought that was likethe sand drifting and blowing.

Simon’s eyes were open. They too held contentment. What a fool he’d been to be rattled thatfirst night…There was nothing to be rattled about…Everything was all right…After all, one couldtrust Jackie—

There was a shout—people running towards him waving their arms—shouting….

Simon stared stupidly for a moment. Then he sprang to his feet and dragged Linnet with him.

Not a minute too soon. A big boulder³⁶ hurtling down the cliff crashed past them. If Linnet hadremained where she was she would have been crushed to atoms.

White-faced they clung together. Hercule Poirot and Tim Allerton ran up to them.

“Ma foi, Madame, that was a near thing.”

All four instinctively³⁷ looked up at the cliff. There was nothing to be seen. But there was a pathalong the top. Poirot remembered seeing some natives walking along there when they had firstcome ashore.

He looked at the husband and wife. Linnet looked dazed still—bewildered. Simon, however,was inarticulate with rage.

“God damn her!” he ejaculated.

He checked himself with a quick glance at Tim Allerton.

The latter said: “Phew, that was near! Did some fool bowl that thing over, or did it get detachedon its own?”

Linnet was very pale. She said with difficulty: “I think—some fool must have done it.”

“Might have crushed you like an eggshell. Sure you haven’t got an enemy, Linnet?”

Linnet swallowed twice and found a difficulty in answering the lighthearted raillery.

“Come back to the boat, Madame,” Poirot said quickly. “You must have a restorative.”

They walked quickly, Simon still full of pent-up rage, Tim trying to talk cheerfully and distractLinnet’s mind from the danger she had run, Poirot with a grave face.

And then, just as they reached the gangplank, Simon stopped dead. A look of amazement³⁸ spreadover his face.

Jacqueline de Bellefort was just coming ashore. Dressed in blue gingham, she looked childishthis morning.

“Good God!” said Simon under his breath. “So it was an accident, after all.”

The anger went out of his face. An overwhelming relief showed so plainly that Jacquelinenoticed something amiss.

“Good morning,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m a little on the late side.”

She gave them all a nod and stepped ashore and proceeded in the direction of the temple.

Simon clutched Poirot’s arm. The other two had gone on.

“My God, that’s a relief. I thought—I thought—”

Poirot nodded. “Yes, yes, I know what you thought.” But he himself still looked grave andpreoccupied. He turned his head and noted³⁹ carefully what had become of the rest of the party fromthe ship.

Miss Van Schuyler was slowly returning on the arm of Miss Bowers.

A little farther away Mrs. Allerton was standing laughing at the little Nubian row of heads. Mrs.

Otterbourne was with her.

The others were nowhere in sight.

Poirot shook his head as he followed Simon slowly on to the boat.

 

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