1、Chapter 1Hercule Poirot frowned.Miss Lemon, he said.Yes, Mr. Poirot?There are three mistakes in this letter.His voice held incredulity. For Miss Lemon, that hideous and efficient woman, never made mistakes. She was never ill, never tired, never upset, never inaccurate. For all practical purposes, th
2、at is to say, she was not a woman at all. She was a machine - the perfect secretary. She knew everything, she coped with everything. She ran Hercule Poirots life for him, so that it, too, functioned like a machine. Order and method had been Hercule Poirots watchwords from many years ago. With George
3、, his perfect manservant, and Miss Lemon, his perfect secretary, order and method ruled supreme in his life. Now that crumpets were baked square as well as round, he had nothing about which to complain.And yet, this morning Miss Lemon had made three mistakes in typing a perfectly simple letter, and
4、moreover, had not even noticed those mistakes. The stars stood still in their courses!Hercule Poirot held out the offending document. He was not annoyed, he was merely bewildered. This was one of the things that could not happen - but it had happened!Miss Lemon took the letter. She looked at it. For
5、 the first time in his life, Poirot saw her blush; a deep ugly unbecoming flush that dyed her face right up to the roots of her strong grizzled hair.Oh, dear, she said. I cant think how - at least, I can. Its because of my sister.Your sister?Another shock. Poirot had never conceived of Miss Lemons h
6、aving a sister. Or, for that matter, having a father, mother or even grandparents. Miss Lemon, somehow, was so completely machine made - a precision instrument, so to speak - that to think of her having affections, or anxieties, or family worries, seemed quite ludicrous. It was well known that the w
7、hole of Miss Lemons heart and mind was given, when she was not on duty, to the perfection of a new filing system which was to be patented and bear her name.Your sister? Hercule Poirot repeated, therefore, with an incredulous note in his voice.Miss Lemon nodded a vigorous assent.Yes, she said. I dont
8、 think Ive ever mentioned her to you. Practically all her life has been spent in Singapore. Her husband was in the rubber business there.Hercule Poirot nodded understandingly. It seemed to him appropriate that Miss Lemons sister should have spent most of her life in Singapore. That was what places l
9、ike Singapore were for. The sisters of women like Miss Lemon married men in business in Singapore, so that the Miss Lemons of this world could devote themselves with machine-like efficiency to their employers affairs (and of course to the invention of filing systems in their moments of relaxation).I
10、 comprehend, he said. Proceed.Miss Lemon proceeded.She was left a widow four years ago. No children. I managed to get her fixed up in a very nice little flat at quite a reasonable rent - (of course Miss Lemon would manage to do just that almost impossible thing.)She is reasonably off - though money
11、doesnt go as far as it did, but her tastes arent expensive and she has enough to be quite comfortable if she is careful.Miss Lemon paused and then continued: But the truth is, of course, she was lonely. She had never lived in England and shed got no old friends or cronies and of course she had a lot
12、 of time on her hands. Anyway, she told me about six months ago that she was thinking of taking up this job.Job?Warden, I think they call it - or Matron of a Hostel for Students. It was owned by a woman who was partly Greek and she wanted someone to run it for her. Manage the catering and see that t
13、hings went smoothly. Its an old fashioned roomy house - in Hickory Road, if you know where that is - Poirot did not. It used to be quite a superior neighbourhood once, and the houses are well built. My sister was to have very nice accommodation, bedroom and sitting room and a tiny bath kitchenette o
14、f her own -Miss Lemon paused. Poirot made an encouraging noise. So far this did not seem at all like a tale of disaster.I wasnt any too sure about it myself, but I saw the force of my sisters arguments. Shes never been one to sit with her hands crossed all day long and shes a very practical woman an
15、d good at running things - and of course it wasnt as though she were thinking of putting money into it or anything like that. It was formerly a salaried position with a high salary, but she didnt need that, and there was no hard physical work. Shes always been fond of young people and good with them
16、, and having lived in the East so long she understands racial differences and peoples susceptibilities. Because these students at the Hostel were of all nationalities; mostly English, but some of them actually are black, I believe.Naturally, said Hercule Poirot.Half the nurses in our hospitals seem
17、to be black nowadays, said Miss Lemon, doubtfully, and I understand much pleasanter and more attentive than the English ones. But thats neither here nor there. We talked the scheme over and finally my sister moved in. Neither she nor I cared very much for the proprietress, Mrs. Nicoletis, a woman of
18、 very uncertain temper, sometimes charming and sometimes, Im sorry to say, quite the reverse - and both cheese-paring and impractical. Still, naturally, if shed been a thoroughly competent woman, she wouldnt have needed any assistance. My sister is not one to let peoples tantrums and vagaries worry
19、her. She can hold her own with anyone and she never stands any nonsense.Poirot nodded. He felt a vague resemblance to Miss Lemon showing in this account of Miss Lemons sister. Miss Lemon softened as it were, by marriage and the climate of Singapore, but a woman with the same hard core of sense.So yo
20、ur sister took the job? he asked.Yes, she moved into 26 Hickory Road about six months ago. On the whole, she liked her work there and found it interesting.Hercule Poirot listened. So far the adventures of Miss Lemons sister had been disappointingly tame.But for some time now shes been badly worried.
21、 Very badly worried.Why?Well, you see, Mr. Poirot, she doesnt like the things that are going on.There are students there of both sexes? Poirot inquired delicately.Oh no, Mr. Poirot, I dont mean that! One is always prepared for difficulties of that kind, one expects them! No, you see, things have bee
22、n disappearing.Disappearing?Yes. And such odd things. And all in rather an unnatural way.When you say things have been disappearing, you mean things have been stolen?Yes.Have the police been called in?No. Not yet. My sister hopes that it may not be necessary. She is fond of these young people - of s
23、ome of them, that is - and she would very much prefer to straighten things out by herself.Yes, said Poirot thoughtfully. I can quite see that. But that does not explain, if I may say so, your own anxiety which I take to be a reflex of your sisters anxiety.I dont like the situation, Mr. Poirot. I don
24、t like it at all. I cannot help feeling that something is going on which I do not understand. No ordinary explanation seems quite to cover the facts - and I really cannot imagine what other explanation there can be.Poirot nodded thoughtfully.Miss Lemons Heel of Achilles had always been her imaginati
25、on. She had none. On questions of fact she was invincible. On questions of surmise, she was lost. Not for her the state of mind of Cortes men upon the peak of Darien.Not ordinary petty thieving? A kleptomaniac, perhaps?I do not think so. I read up the subject, said the conscientious Miss Lemon, in t
26、he Encyclopedia Britannica and in a medical work. But I was not convinced.Hercule Poirot was silent for a minute and a half.Did he wish to embroil himself in the troubles of Miss Lemons sister and the passions and grievances of a polyglot Hostel? But it was very annoying and inconvenient to have Mis
27、s Lemon making mistakes in typing his letters. He told himself that if he were to embroil himself in the matter, that would be the reason.He did not admit to himself that he had been rather bored of late and that the very triviality of the business attracted him.The parsley sinking into the butter o
28、n a hot day, he murmured to himself.Parsley? Butter? Miss Lemon looked startled.A quotation from one of your classics, he said. You are acquainted, no doubt, with the Adventures, to say nothing of the Exploits, of Sherlock Holmes.You mean these Baker Street societies and all that, said Miss Lemon. G
29、rown men being so silly! But there, thats men all over. Like the model railways they go on playing with. I cant say Ive ever had time to read any of the stories. When I do get time for reading, which isnt often, I prefer an improving book.Hercule Poirot bowed his head gracefully.How would it be, Mis
30、s Lemon, if you were to invite your sister here for some suitable refreshment - afternoon tea, perhaps? I might be able to be of some slight assistance to her.Thats very kind of you, Mr. Poirot. Really very kind indeed. My sister is always free in the afternoons.Then shall we say tomorrow, if you ca
31、n arrange it?And in due course, the faithful George was instructed to provide a meal of square crumpets richly buttered, symmetrical sandwiches, and other suitable components of a lavish English afternoon tea.Chapter 2Miss Lemons sister, whose name was Mrs. Hubbard, had a definite resemblance to her
32、 sister. She was a good deal yellower of skin, she was plumper, her hair was more frivolously done, and she was less brisk in manner, but the eyes that looked out of a round and amiable countenance were the same shrewd eyes that gleamed through Miss Lemons.This is very kind of you, Im sure, Mr. Poir
33、ot, she said. Very kind. And such a delicious tea, too. Im sure Ive eaten far more than I should - well perhaps just one more sandwich - tea? Well, just half a cup.First, said Poirot, we make the repast - and afterwards we get down to business.He smiled at her amiably and twirled his moustaches, and
34、 Mrs. Hubbard said,You know, youre exactly like I pictured you from Felicitys description.After a moments startled realization that Felicity was the severe Miss Lemons Christian name, Poirot replied that he should have expected no less, given Miss Lemons efficiency.Of course, said Mrs. Hubbard absen
35、tly taking a second sandwich, Felicity has never cared for people. I do. Thats why Im so worried.Can you explain to me exactly what does worry you?Yes I can. It would be natural enough for money to be taken - small sums here and there. And if it were jewelry thats quite straightforward too - at leas
36、t, I dont mean straightforward, quite the opposite - but it would fit in - with kleptomania or dishonesty. But Ill just read you a list of the things that have been taken, that Ive put down on paper.Mrs. Hubbard opened her bag and took out a small notebook.Evening shoe (one of a new pair)Bracelet (c
37、ostume jewelry)Diamond ring (found in plate of soup)Powder compactLipstickStethoscopeEar-ringsCigarette lighterOld flannel trousersElectric light bulbsBox of chocolatesSilk scarf (found cut to pieces)Rucksack (ditto)Boracic powderBath saltsCookery book Hercule Poirot drew in a long deep breath.Remar
38、kable, he said, and quite - quite fascinating.He was entranced. He looked from the severe disapproving face of Miss Lemon to the kindly, distressed face of Mrs. Hubbard.I congratulate you, he said, warmly, to the latter.She looked startled.But why, Mr. Poirot?I congratulate you on having such a uniq
39、ue and beautiful problem.Well, perhaps it makes sense to you, Mr. Poirot, but -It does not make sense at all. It reminds me of nothing so much as a round game I was recently persuaded to play by some young friends during the Christmas season. It was called, I understand, the Three Horned Lady. Each
40、person in turn uttered the following phrase, I went to Paris and bought. adding some article. The next person repeated that and added a further article and the object of the game was to memorize in their proper order the articles thus enumerated, some of them I may say, of a most monstrous and ridic
41、ulous nature. A piece of soap, a white elephant, a gate-legged table and a Muscovy duck were, I remember, some of the items. The difficulty of the memorization lay, of course, in the totally unrelated nature of the objects - the lack of sequence, so to speak. As in the list you have just shown me. B
42、y the time that, say, twelve objects had been mentioned, to enumerate them in their proper order became almost impossible. A failure to do so resulted in a paper horn being handed to the competitor and he or she had to continue the recitation next time in the terms, I, a one horned lady, went to Par
43、is, etc. After three horns, had been acquired, retirement was compulsory, the last left in was the winner.Im sure you were the winner, Mr. Poirot, said Miss Lemon with the faith of a loyal employee.Poirot beamed.That was, in fact, so, he said. To even the most haphazard assembly of objects one can b
44、ring order, and with a little ingenuity, sequence, so to speak. That is: one says to oneself mentally With a piece of soap I wash the dirt from a large white marble elephant which stands on a gate-legged table! - and so on. Mrs. Hubbard said respectfully,Perhaps you could do the same thing with the
45、list of things Ive given you.Undoubtedly I could. A lady with her right shoe on, puts a bracelet on her left arm. She then puts on powder and lipstick and goes down to dinner and drops her ring in the soup, and so on - I could thus commit your list to memory - but it is not that that we are seeking.
46、 Why was such a haphazard collection of things stolen? Is there any system behind it? Some fixed idea of any kind? We have here primarily a process of analysis. The first thing to do is to study the list of objects very carefully.There was a silence whilst Poirot applied himself to study. Mrs. Hubba
47、rd watched him with the wrapped attention of a small boy watching a conjuror, waiting hopefully for a rabbit or at least streams of coloured ribbons to appear. Miss Lemon, unimpressed, withdrew in consideration of the finer points of her filing system.When Poirot finally spoke, Mrs. Hubbard jumped.The first thing that strikes me is this, said Poirot. Of all these things that disappeared, most of them were of small value (some quite negligible) with the exception of two - a stethoscope and a diamond ring. Leaving the stethoscope aside for a mome
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