Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie Page A

you will forgive this visit.”
    Looking directly at him, Mrs. Lorrimer asked, “Is this a professional visit?”
    “I confess it.”
    “You realize, I suppose, Monsieur Poirot, that, though I shall naturally give Superintendent Battle and the official police any information and help they may require, I am by no means bound to do the same for any unofficial investigator?”
    “I am quite aware of that fact, madame. If you show me the door, me, I march to that door with complete submission.”
    Mrs. Lorrimer smiled very slightly.
    “I am, not yet prepared to go to those extremes, Monsieur Poirot. I can give you ten minutes. At the end of that time I have to go out to a bridge party.”
    “Ten minutes will be ample for my purpose, I want you to describe to me, madame, the room in which you played bridge the other evening - the room in which Mr. Shaitana was killed.”
    Mrs. Lorrimer's eyebrows rose.
    “What an extraordinary question! I do not see the point of it.”
    “Madame, if, when you were playing bridge, someone were to say to you, Why do you play that ace or why do you put on the knave that is taken by the queen and not the king which would take the trick? If people were to ask you such questions the answers would be rather long and tedious, would they not?”
    Mrs. Lorrimer smiled slightly.
    “Meaning that in this game you're the expert and I am the novice. Very well.” She reflected a minute. “It was a large room. There were a good many things, in it.”
    “Can you describe some of those things?”
    “There were some glass flowers - modern - rather beautiful. And I think there were some Chinese or Japanese pictures. And there was a bowl of tiny red tulips - amazingly early for them.”
    “Anything else?”
    “I'm afraid I didn't notice anything in detail.”
    “The furniture - do you remember the color of the upholstery?”
    “Something silky, I think. That's all I can say.”
    “Did you notice any of the small objects?”
    “I'm afraid not. There were so many. I know it struck me as quite a collector's room.”
    There was silence for a minute. Mrs. Lorrimer said with a faint smile, “I'm afraid I have not been very helpful.”
    “There is something else.” He produced the bridge scores. “There are the first three rubbers played. I wondered if you could help me, with the aid of these, to reconstruct the hands.”
    “Let me see,” Mrs. Lorrimer looked interested. She bent over the scores.
    “That was the first rubber. Miss Meredith and I were playing against the two men. The first game was played in four spades. We made it and an over trick. Then the next hand was left at two diamonds and Doctor Roberts went down one trick in it. There was quite a lot of bidding on the third hand, I remember. Miss Meredith passed. Major Despard went a heart. I passed. Doctor Roberts gave a jump bid of three clubs. Miss Meredith went three spades. Major Despard bid four diamonds. I doubled. Doctor Roberts took it into four hearts. They went down one.”
    “Epatant,” said Poirot. “What a memory!”
    Mrs. Lorrimer went on, disregarding him, “On the next hand Major Despard passed and I bid a no trump. Doctor Roberts bid three hearts. My partner said nothing. Despard put his partner to four. I doubled and they went down two tricks. Then I dealt and we went out on a four-spade bid.”
    She took up the next score.
    “It is difficult, that,” said Poirot. “Major Despard scores in the cancellation manner.”
    “I rather fancy both sides went down fifty to start with - then Doctor Roberts went to five diamonds and we doubled and got him down three tricks. Then we made three clubs, but immediately after the others went game in spades. We made the second game in five clubs. Then we went down a hundred. The others made one heart, we made two no trumps, and we finally won the rubber with a four club bid.”
    She picked up the next score.
    “This rubber was rather a battle, I remember. It started tamely. Major