Agatha Christie

“ Whether the carriage cleaners do, or do not, sweep under the seats every day is doubtful. Appearances were against their doing so, but it may be that every particle of dirt and smoke finds its way there like a homing bird. George had hardly had time to take in the girl's appearance, so sudden had been her arrival, and so brief the space of time before she crawled into hiding, but it was certainly a trim and well-dressed young woman who had disappeared under the seat. ”

“ You can practically see nothing of a girl nowadays but the tip of her nose. I put on Alexa's red hat and brown wrap coat, and she put on my grey. Then we told the taxi to go to Waterloo, and I skipped out there and hurried into the station. Old Osric followed the red hat all right, without a thought for the other occupant of the taxi sitting huddled up inside, but of course it wouldn't do for him to see my face. So I just bolted into your carriage and threw myself on your mercy."
"I've got that all right," said George. "It's the rest of it." ”

“ George hastened to put in. "Your uncle travelled by it, perhaps."
"My uncle -" She paused, then began again, "My uncle -"
"Quite so" said George sympathetically. "I've got an uncle myself. Nobody should be held responsible for their uncles. Nature's little throwbacks - that's how I look at it."
The girl began to laugh suddenly. When she spoke, George was aware of the slight foreign inflection in her voice. At first he had taken her to be English.
"What a refreshing and unusual person you are, Mr -"
"Rowland. George to my friends."
"My name is Elizabeth -" She stopped abruptly. ”

“ Solomon and the lilies of the field were simply not in it with George. But man cannot live by clothes alone-unless he has had some considerable training in the art-and Mr Rowland was painfully aware of the fact. ”

“ Why, bless you, sir, this is a plan of the Portsmouth harbour defences."
"What?"
"Yes. We've had our eye on the gentleman for some time. But he was too sharp for us. Got a woman to do most of the dirty work."
"A woman?" said George in a faint voice. "What was her name?"
"She goes by a good many, sir. Most usually known as Betty Brighteyes. A remarkably good-looking young woman she is."
"Betty - Brighteyes," said George. "Thank you, inspector."
"Excuse me, sir, but you're not looking well."
"I'm not well. I'm very ill. In fact, I think I'd better take the first train back to town." ”

“ The platform was deserted, and only the asthmatic breathing of the engine broke the silence. And then, all of a sudden, things began to happen with bewildering rapidity. A girl happened first. She wrenched open the door and jumped in, rousing Mr Rowland from something perilously near a nap, exclaiming as she did so: "Oh! Hide me - oh! Please hide me."
George was essentially a man of action-his not to reason why, his but to do and die, etc. There is only one place to hide in a railway carriage-under the seat. ”

“ It might be said to represent very aptly the power of Money-and Money, in the person of William Rowland, uncle to the aforementioned George, had just spoken its mind very freely. In the course of a brief ten minutes, from being the apple of his uncle's eye, the heir to his wealth, and a young man with a promising business career in front of him, George had suddenly become one of the vast army of the unemployed. ”

“ There he hung the end with a small silver bell-a relic of last night's entertainment. He surveyed these arrangements with a good deal of satisfaction. Should the black-bearded man attempt to leave his room, George would be instantly warned by the ringing of the bell.
This matter disposed of, George lost no time in seeking his couch. The small packet he placed carefully under his pillow. As he did so, he fell into a momentary brown study. His thoughts could have been translated thus:
"Anastasia Sophia Marie Alexandra Olga Elizabeth. Hang it all, I've missed out one. ”

“ Well, as I say, Roland was always in love with her, and she with him. And then the revolution came, and Alexa was in Paris, and they were just going to fix it up when old Stürm, the chancellor, came along and insisted on carrying off Alexa and forcing her to marry Prince Karl, her cousin, a horrid pimply person -"
"I fancy I've met him," said George.
"Whom she simply hates. And old Prince Osric, her uncle, forbade her to see Roland again. So she ran away to England, and I came up to town and met her, and we wired to Roland, who was in Scotland. ”

“ What do you think of the idea, Rogers?"
Rogers coughed discreetly. "Well, sir, I've certainly heard it said that there's room out there for anyone who really wants to work."
Mr Rowland gazed at him with interest and admiration. "Very neatly put, Rogers. Just what I was thinking myself. I shan't go to Australia-not today, at any rate. Fetch me an ABC, will you? We will select something nearer at hand."
Rogers brought the required volume. George opened it at random and turned the pages with a rapid hand. "Perth-too far away-Putney Bridge-too near at hand. Ramsgate? I think not. ”

“ The guard looked from one to the other. His mind was soon made up. His training led him to despise foreigners and to respect and admire well-dressed gentlemen who travelled first-class. ”

“ There's a regular gang of these foreigners trying this sort of thing on. It ought to be stopped. Take him away, will you? Here's my care if you want it."
The guard looked from one to the other. His mind was soon made up. ”