2. The Tokatlian Hotel

At the Tokatlian, Hercule Poirot asked for a room with bath. Then he stepped over to the concierge’s desk and inquired for letters.

There were three waiting for him and a telegram. His eyebrows rose a little at the sight of the telegram. It was unexpected.

He opened it in his usual neat, unhurried fashion. The printed words stood out clearly.

‘Development you predicted in Kassner Case has come unexpectedly please return immediately.’

‘Voilà ce qui est embêtant,’ murmured Poirot vexedly. He glanced up at the clock.

‘I shall have to go on tonight,’ he said to the concierge. ‘At what time does the Simplon Orient leave?’

‘At nine o’clock, Monsieur.’

‘Can you get me a sleeper?’

‘Assuredly, Monsieur. There is no difficulty this time of year. The trains are almost empty. First-class or second?’

‘First.’

‘Très bien, Monsieur. How far are you going?’

‘To London.’

‘Bien, Monsieur. I will get you a ticket to London and reserve your sleeping-car accommodation in the Stamboul-Calais coach.’

Poirot glanced at the clock again. It was ten minutes to eight.

‘I have time to dine?’

‘But assuredly, Monsieur.’

The little Belgian nodded. He went over and cancelled his room order and crossed the hall to the restaurant.

As he was giving his order to the waiter a hand was placed on his shoulder.

‘Ah! mon vieux, but this is an unexpected pleasure,’ said a voice behind him.

The speaker was a short, stout elderly man, his hair cut en brosse. He was smiling delightedly.

Poirot sprang up.

‘M. Bouc.’

‘M. Poirot.’

M. Bouc was a Belgian, a director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits, and his acquaintance with the former star of the Belgian Police Force dated back many years.

‘You find yourself far from home, mon cher,’ said M. Bouc.

‘A little affair in Syria.’

‘Ah! And you return home—when?’

‘Tonight.’

‘Splendid! I, too. That is to say, I go as far as Lausanne, where I have affairs. You travel on the Simplon-Orient, I presume?’

‘Yes. I have just asked them to get me a sleeper. It was my intention to remain here some days, but I have received a telegram recalling me to England on important business.’

‘Ah!’ sighed M. Bouc. ‘Les affaires—les affaires! But you—you are at the top of the tree nowadays, mon vieux!’

‘Some little success I have had, perhaps.’ Hercule Poirot tried to look modest but failed signally.

Bouc laughed.

‘We will meet later,’ he said.

Hercule Poirot addressed himself to the task of keeping his moustaches out of the soup.

That difficult task accomplished, he glanced round him whilst waiting for the next course. There were only about half a dozen people in the restaurant, and of those halfdozen there were only two that interested Hercule Poirot.

These two sat at a table not far away. The younger was a likeable-looking man of thirty, clearly an American. It was, however, not he but his companion who had attracted the little detective’s attention.

He was a man of between sixty and seventy. From a little distance he had the bland aspect of a philanthropist. His slightly bald head, his domed forehead, the smiling mouth that displayed a very white set of false teeth, all seemed to speak of a benevolent personality. Only the eyes belied this assumption. They were small, deep set and crafty. Not only that. As the man, making some remark to his young companion, glanced across the room, his gaze stopped on Poirot for a moment, and just for that second there was a strange malevolence, and unnatural tensity in the glance.

Then he rose.

‘Pay the bill, Hector,’ he said.

His voice was slightly husky in tone. It had a queer, soft, dangerous quality.

When Poirot rejoined his friend in the lounge, the other two men were just leaving the hotel. Their luggage was being brought down. The younger was supervising the process. Presently he opened the glass door and said:

‘Quite ready now, Mr Ratchett.’

The elder man grunted an assent and passed out.

‘Eh bien,’ said Poirot. ‘What do you think of those two?’

‘They are Americans,’ said M. Bouc.

‘Assuredly they are Americans. I meant what did you think of their personalities?’

‘The young man seemed quite agreeable.’

‘And the other?’

‘To tell you the truth, my friend, I did not care for him. He produced on me an unpleasant impression. And you?’

Hercule Poirot was a moment before replying.

‘When he passed me in the restaurant,’ he said at last, ‘I had a curious impression. It was as though a wild animal— an animal savage, but savage! you understand—had passed me by.’

‘And yet he looked altogether of the most respectable.’

‘Précisément! The body—the cage—is everything of the most respectable—but through the bars, the wild animal looks out.’

‘You are fanciful, mon vieux,’ said M. Bouc.

‘It may be so. But I could not rid myself of the impression that evil had passed me by very close.’

‘That respectable American gentleman?’

‘That respectable American gentleman.’

‘Well,’ said M. Bouc cheerfully. ‘It may be so. There is much evil in the world.’

At that moment the door opened and the concierge came towards them. He looked concerned and apologetic.

‘It is extraordinary, Monsieur,’ he said to Poirot. ‘There is not one first-class sleeping berth to be had on the train.’

‘Comment?’ cried M. Bouc. ‘At this time of year? Ah, without doubt there is some party of journalists—of politicians—?’

‘I don’t know, sir,’ said the concierge, turning to him respectfully. ‘But that’s how it is.’

‘Well, well,’ M. Bouc turned to Poirot. ‘Have no fear, my friend. We will arrange something. There is always one compartment—the No. 16, which is not engaged. The conductor sees to that!’ He smiled, then glanced up at the clock. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘it is time we started.’

At the station M. Bouc was greeted with respectful empressement by the brown-uniformed Wagon Lit conductor.

‘Good-evening, Monsieur. Your compartment is the No.1.’

He called to the porters and they wheeled their load halfway along the carriage on which the tin plates proclaimed its destination:

ISTANBUL TRIESTE CALAIS

‘You are full up tonight, I hear?’

‘It is incredible, Monsieur. All the world elects to travel tonight!’

‘All the same, you must find room for this gentleman here. He is a friend of mine. He can have the No. 16.’

‘It is taken, Monsieur.’

‘What? The No. 16?’

A glance of understanding passed between them, and the conductor smiled. He was a tall, sallow man of middle age.

‘But yes, Monsieur. As I told you, we are full—full—everywhere.’

‘But what passes itself?’ demanded M. Bouc angrily. ‘There is a conference somewhere? It is a party?’

‘No, Monsieur. It is only chance. It just happens that many people have elected to travel tonight.’

M. Bouc made a clicking sound of annoyance.

‘At Belgrade,’ he said, ‘there will be the slip coach from Athens. There will also be the Bucharest-Paris coach—but we do not reach Belgrade until tomorrow evening. The problem is for tonight. There is no second-class berth free?’

‘There is a second-class berth, Monsieur—’

‘Well, then—’

‘But it is a lady’s berth. There is already a German woman in the compartment—a lady’s-maid.’

‘Là là, that is awkward,’ said M. Bouc.

‘Do not distress yourself, my friend,’ said Poirot. ‘I must travel in an ordinary carriage.’

‘Not at all. Not at all.’ He turned once more to the conductor. ‘Everyone has arrived?’

‘It is true,’ said the man, ‘that there is one passenger who has not yet arrived.’

He spoke slowly with hesitation.

‘But speak then?’

‘No. 7 berth—a second-class. The gentleman has not yet come, and it is four minutes to nine.’

‘Who is it?’

‘An Englishman,’ the conductor consulted his list. ‘A M. Harris.’

‘A name of good omen,’ said Poirot. ‘I read my Dickens. M. Harris, he will not arrive.’

‘Put Monsieur’s luggage in No. 7,’ said M. Bouc. ‘If this M. Harris arrives we will tell him that he is too late—that berths cannot be retained so long—we will arrange the matter one way or another. What do I care for a M. Harris?’

‘As Monsieur pleases,’ said the conductor.

He spoke to Poirot’s porter, directing him where to go.

Then he stood aside the steps to let Poirot enter the train. Tout à fait au bout, Monsieur,’ he called. ‘The end compartment but one.’

Poirot passed along the corridor, a somewhat slow progress, as most of the people travelling were standing outside their carriages.

His polite ‘Pardons' were uttered with the regularity of clockwork. At last he reached the compartment indicated. Inside it, reaching up to a suitcase, was the tall young American of the Tokatlian.

He frowned as Poirot entered.

‘Excuse me,’ he said. ‘I think you’ve made a mistake.’ Then, laboriously in French, ‘Je crois que vous avez un erreur.’

Poirot replied in English.

‘You are Mr Harris?’

‘No, my name is MacQueen. I—’

But at that moment the voice of the Wagon Lit conductor spoke from over Poirot’s shoulder. An apologetic, rather breathless voice.

‘There is no other berth on the train, Monsieur. The gentleman has to come in here.’

He was hauling up the corridor window as he spoke and began to lift in Poirot’s luggage.

Poirot noticed the apology in his tone with some amusement. Doubtless the man had been promised a good tip if he could keep the compartment for the sole use of the other traveller. However, even the most munificent of tips lose their effect when a director of the company is on board and issues his orders.

The conductor emerged from the compartment, having swung the suitcases up on to the racks.

‘Voilà Monsieur,’ he said. ‘All is arranged. Yours is the upper berth, the number 7. We start in one minute.’

He hurried off down the corridor. Poirot re-entered the compartment.

‘A phenomenon I have seldom seen,’ he said cheerfully. ‘A Wagon Lit conductor himself puts up the luggage! It is unheard of!’

His fellow traveller smiled. He had evidently got over his annoyance—had probably decided that it was no good to take the matter other than philosophically.

‘The train’s remarkably full,’ he said.

A whistle blew, there was a long, melancholy cry from the engine. Both men stepped out into the corridor.

Outside a voice shouted.

‘En voiture!’

‘We’re off,’ said MacQueen.

But they were not quite off. The whistle blew again.

‘I say, sir,’ said the young man suddenly, ‘if you’d rather have the lower berth—easier, and all that—well, that’s all right by me.’

‘No, no,’ protested Poirot. ‘I would not deprive you—’

‘That’s all right—’

‘You are too amiable—’

Polite protests on both sides.

‘It is for one night only,’ explained Poirot. ‘At Belgrade—’

‘Oh, I see. You’re getting out at Belgrade—’

‘Not exactly. You see—’

There was a sudden jerk. Both men swung round to the window, looking out at the long, lighted platform as it slid slowly past them.

The Orient Express had started on its three-days’ journey across Europe.