“ I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself. ”
Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). copy citation
| Author | Agatha Christie |
|---|---|
| Source | The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
| Topic | deceit |
| Date | 1920 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/863/863-h/863-h.htm |
Context
“In the room below, John and Mary were together once more, while Alfred Inglethorp and Miss Howard were in custody. Now at last, I had Poirot to myself, and could relieve my still burning curiosity.
Poirot did not answer me for a moment, but at last he said: «I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself.»
«Yes, but why?»
«Well, it is difficult to explain. You see, my friend, you have a nature so honest, and a countenance so transparent, that—enfin, to conceal your feelings is impossible! If I had told you my ideas, the very first time you saw Mr. Alfred Inglethorp that astute gentleman would have—in your so expressive idiom—'smelt a rat'!” source
Poirot did not answer me for a moment, but at last he said: «I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself.»
«Yes, but why?»
«Well, it is difficult to explain. You see, my friend, you have a nature so honest, and a countenance so transparent, that—enfin, to conceal your feelings is impossible! If I had told you my ideas, the very first time you saw Mr. Alfred Inglethorp that astute gentleman would have—in your so expressive idiom—'smelt a rat'!” source
Meaning and analysis
