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Five Little Pigs :: Christie Agatha
Страница: 42 из 147He said:
‘The truth, Mr Blake, has a habit of making itself known. Even after many years.’
The stockbroker murmured: ‘I wonder.’
Poirot went on:
‘In the interests of truth, Mr Blake, I am going to ask you to do something.’
‘What is it?’
‘I am going to beg that you will write me out an exact account of what happened on those days at Alderbury. That is to say, I am going to ask you to write me out a full account of the murder and its attendant circumstances.’
‘But, my dear fellow, after all this time? I should be hopelessly inaccurate.’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘Surely.’
‘No, for one thing, with the passage of time, the mind retains a hold on essentials and rejects superficial matters.’
‘Ho! You mean a mere broad outline?’
‘Not at all. I mean a detailed conscientious account of each event as it occurred, and every conversation you can remember.’
‘And supposing I remember them wrong?’
‘You can give the wording at least to the best of your reflection. There may be gaps, but that cannot be helped.’
Blake looked at him curiously.
‘But what’s the idea? The police files will give you the whole thing far more accurately.’
‘No, Mr Blake. We are speaking now from the psychological point of view. I do not want barefacts. I want your own selections of facts. Time and your memory are responsible for that selection. There may have been things done, words spoken, that I should seek for in vain in the police files. Things and words that you never mentioned because, maybe, you judged them irrelevant, or because you preferred not to repeat them.’
Blake said sharply:
‘Is this account of mine for publication?’
‘Certainly not. It is for my eye only. To assist me to draw my own deductions.’
‘And you won’t quote from it without my consent?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘Hm,’ said Philip Blake. ‘I’m a very busy man, M. Poirot.’
‘I appreciate that there will be time and trouble involved. I should be happy to agree to a-reasonable fee.’
There was a moment’s pause. Then Philip Blake said suddenly:
‘No, if I do it-I’ll do it for nothing.’
‘And you will do it?’
Philip said warningly:
‘Remember, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of my memory.’
‘That is perfectly understood.’
‘Then I think,’ said Philip Blake, ‘that I shouldlike to do it. I feel I owe it-in a way-to Amyas Crale.’
Chapter 7.
‘The truth, Mr Blake, has a habit of making itself known. Even after many years.’
The stockbroker murmured: ‘I wonder.’
Poirot went on:
‘In the interests of truth, Mr Blake, I am going to ask you to do something.’
‘What is it?’
‘I am going to beg that you will write me out an exact account of what happened on those days at Alderbury. That is to say, I am going to ask you to write me out a full account of the murder and its attendant circumstances.’
‘But, my dear fellow, after all this time? I should be hopelessly inaccurate.’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘Surely.’
‘No, for one thing, with the passage of time, the mind retains a hold on essentials and rejects superficial matters.’
‘Ho! You mean a mere broad outline?’
‘Not at all. I mean a detailed conscientious account of each event as it occurred, and every conversation you can remember.’
‘And supposing I remember them wrong?’
‘You can give the wording at least to the best of your reflection. There may be gaps, but that cannot be helped.’
Blake looked at him curiously.
‘But what’s the idea? The police files will give you the whole thing far more accurately.’
‘No, Mr Blake. We are speaking now from the psychological point of view. I do not want barefacts. I want your own selections of facts. Time and your memory are responsible for that selection. There may have been things done, words spoken, that I should seek for in vain in the police files. Things and words that you never mentioned because, maybe, you judged them irrelevant, or because you preferred not to repeat them.’
Blake said sharply:
‘Is this account of mine for publication?’
‘Certainly not. It is for my eye only. To assist me to draw my own deductions.’
‘And you won’t quote from it without my consent?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘Hm,’ said Philip Blake. ‘I’m a very busy man, M. Poirot.’
‘I appreciate that there will be time and trouble involved. I should be happy to agree to a-reasonable fee.’
There was a moment’s pause. Then Philip Blake said suddenly:
‘No, if I do it-I’ll do it for nothing.’
‘And you will do it?’
Philip said warningly:
‘Remember, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of my memory.’
‘That is perfectly understood.’
‘Then I think,’ said Philip Blake, ‘that I shouldlike to do it. I feel I owe it-in a way-to Amyas Crale.’
Chapter 7.