Death on the Nile / Смерть на Ниле. Агата КристиЧитать онлайн книгу.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#n38" type="note">[38], Mother?”
“Well,” Mrs Allerton considered, “it's cheap.”
“And cold,” said Tim with a slight shiver.
He was a tall, thin young man, with dark hair and a rather narrow chest. His eyes were sad and his chin was indecisive. He had long delicate hands.
He was supposed “to write,” but it was understood among his friends that he was not a success.
“What are you thinking of, Tim?”
Mrs Allerton was alert. Her bright, dark-brown eyes looked suspicious. Tim Allerton grinned at her.
“I was thinking of Egypt.”
“Egypt?”
Mrs Allerton sounded doubtful.
“Real warmth, darling. Lazy golden sands. The Nile. I'd like to go up the Nile, wouldn't you?”
“Oh, I'd like it.” Her tone was dry. “But Egypt's expensive, my dear. Not for those who have to count the pennies.”
Tim laughed. He rose, stretched himself. Suddenly he looked alive and eager. There was an excited note in his voice.
“The expense will be my affair.[39] Yes, darling. A little flutter on the Stock Exchange.[40] With satisfactory results. I heard this morning.”
“This morning?” said Mrs Allerton sharply. “You only had one letter and that – ” She stopped and bit her lip.
“And that was from Joanna,” he finished coolly. “Quite right, Mother. What a Queen of detectives you'd make! The famous Hercule Poirot would have to be careful if you were about.”
Mrs Allerton looked rather cross.[41]
“I just happened to see the handwriting – ”
“And knew it wasn't that of a stockbroker? Quite right. As a matter of fact it was yesterday I heard from them. Poor Joanna's handwriting is rather noticeable.”
“What does Joanna say? Any news?”
Mrs Allerton tried to make her voice sound casual and ordinary. The friendship between her son and his second cousin, Joanna Southwood, always irritated her. Not that there was “anything in it.” She was quite sure there wasn't. Tim had never manifested a sentimental interest in Joanna, nor she in him. They both liked people and discussing people. Joanna had an amusing though caustic tongue.
It was some feeling hard to define – perhaps jealousy in the pleasure Tim which always seemed to take in Joanna's society. He and his mother were such perfect companions that the sight of him interested in another woman always worried Mrs Allerton. She fancied, too, that her presence on these occasions set some barrier between the two members of the younger generation, when at sight of her, their talk had changed. Quite definitely, Mrs Allerton did not like Joanna Southwood. She thought her insincere, affected and superficial.
In answer to her question, Tim pulled the letter out of his pocket and glanced through it. It was quite a long letter, his mother noted.
“Nothing much,” he said. “The Devenishes are getting a divorce. Windlesham's gone to Canada. Seems he was pretty badly hit when Linnet Ridgeway turned him down[42]. She's definitely going to marry this land agent person.”
“How extraordinary! Is he very dreadful?”
“No, no, not at all. He's one of the Devonshire Doyles. No money, of course – and he was actually engaged to one of Linnet's best friends. Pretty thick, that.[43]”
“I don't think it's at all nice,” said Mrs Allerton.
Tim gave her a quick affectionate glance.
“I know, darling. You don't approve of snapping other people's husbands and all that sort of thing.”
“In my day we had our standards,” said Mrs Allerton. “Nowadays young people seem to think they can just go about doing anything they choose.”
Tim smiled.
“They don't only think it. They do it. Look at Linnet Ridgeway!”
“Well, I think it's horrid!”
Tim twinkled at her.
“Cheer up, you old die-hard[44]! Perhaps I agree with you. Anyway, I haven't helped myself to anyone's wife or fiancee yet.[45]”
“I'm sure you'd never do such a thing,” said Mrs Allerton. She added, “I've brought you up properly.”
He smiled teasingly at her as he folded the letter and put it away again.
Mrs Allerton let the thought just flash across her mind: “Most letters he shows to me. He only reads me snippets from Joanna's.”
But she put the thought away from her, and decided, as ever, to behave like a gentlewoman.
“Is Joanna enjoying life?” she asked.
“So so. Says she thinks of opening a delicatessen shop in Mayfair.”
“She always talks about being hard up[46],” said Mrs Allerton, “but she goes about everywhere and her clothes must cost her a lot. She's always beautifully dressed.”
“Ah, well,” said Tim, “she probably doesn't pay for them.
I just mean quite literally that she leaves her bills unpaid.”
Mrs Allerton sighed.
“I never know how people manage to do that.”
“It's a kind of special gift,” said Tim. “If only you have sufficiently extravagant tastes, and absolutely no sense of money values, people will give you any amount of credit.”
“Yes, but you come to the Bankruptcy Court[47] in the end.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Anyway, I'm for excitement and novelty. The joy of never knowing what may turn up from day to day. And the pleasure of making money for yourself – by your own brains and skill.”
“A successful deal on the Stock Exchange[48] in fact!”
He laughed. “Why not?”
“And what about an equal loss on the Stock Exchange?”
“That, dear, is rather tactless. And quite inappropriate today. What about this Egypt plan?”
“Well – ”
He cut in, smiling at her: “That's settled. We've both always wanted to see Egypt.”
“When do you suggest?”
“Oh, next month. January's about the best time there. We'll enjoy the delightful society in this hotel a few weeks longer.”
Mrs Allerton sighed and said, “I wish there were a few more young people for you here.”
Tim Allerton shook his head decidedly.
“I don't. You and I get along rather comfortably without outside distractions.”
“You'd like it if Joanna were here.”
“I wouldn't.” His tone was unexpectedly resolute. “You're all wrong there. Joanna amuses me, but I don't really like her, and to have her around much gets on my nerves. I'm thankful she isn't here.”
He added, almost below his breath, “There's only one woman in the world I've got a real respect and admiration for, and I think, Mrs Allerton, you know very well who that woman is.”
His mother blushed and looked quite confused.
Tim
Расходы беру на себя.
Небольшой переполох на бирже.
У миссис Аллертон был сердитый вид.
когда Линнет Риджуэй ему отказала
Это уж слишком.
консерватор
Во всяком случае, я пока не посягал ни на чью жену или невесту.
Она всегда жалуется на безденежье
суд по делам о банкротстве
фондовая биржа