Пуаро веде слідство
III. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
“Oh,notreallyqueer,CaptainHastings,butwhenwewenttotheagents,StosserandPaul—wehadn’ttriedthembeforebecausetheyonlyhavetheexpensiveMayfairflats,butwethoughtatanyrateitwoulddonoharm—everythingtheyoffereduswasfourandfivehundredayear,orelsehugepremiums,andthen,justasweweregoing,theymentionedthattheyhadaflatateighty,butthattheydoubtedifitwouldbeanygoodourgoingthere,becauseithadbeenontheirbookssometimeandtheyhadsentsomanypeopletoseeitthatitwasalmostsuretobetaken—‘snappedup’astheclerkputit—onlypeopleweresotiresomeinnotlettingthemknow,andthentheywentonsending,andpeoplegetannoyedatbeingsenttoaplacethathad,perhaps,beenletsometime.”
Mrs.Robinsonpausedforsomemuchneededbreath,andthencontinued:“Wethankedhim,andsaidthatwequiteunderstooditwouldprobablybenogood,butthatweshouldlikeanorderallthesame—justincase.Andwewenttherestraightawayinataxi,for,afterall,youneverknow.No.4wasonthesecondfloor,andjustaswewerewaitingforthelift,ElsieFerguson—she’safriendofmine,CaptainHastings,andtheyarelookingforaflattoo—camehurryingdownthestairs.‘Aheadofyouforonce,mydear,’shesaid.‘Butit’snogood.It’salreadylet.’Thatseemedtofinishit,but—well,asJohnsaid,theplacewasverycheap,wecouldaffordtogivemore,andperhapsifweofferedapremium.——Ahorridthingtodo,ofcourse,andIfeelquiteashamedoftellingyou,butyouknowwhatflat-huntingis.
