Hallowe'en Party / Вечеринка на Хэллоуин. Книга для чтения на английском языке

�No fancy stuff here, I’m afraid. No blackcurrant or rose hip syrup or any of your patent things. Beer? Or shall I get Elspeth to make you a cup of tea? or I can do you a shandy[45 - shandy – шанди, смесь обычного пива с имбирным] or Coca-Cola or some cocoa if you like it. My sister, Elspeth, is a cocoa drinker.’

�You are very kind. For me, I think a shandy. The ginger beer and the beer? That is right, is it not?’

�Absolutely so.’

He went into the house and returned shortly afterwards carrying two large glass mugs.

He drew a chair up to the table and sat down, placing the two glasses in front of himself and Poirot.

�What was it you said just now?’ he said, raising his glass. �We won’t say “Here’s to crime.” I’ve done with crime, and if you mean the crime I think you do, in fact which I think you have to do, because I don’t recall any other crime just lately, I don’t like the particular form of murder we’ve just had.

�No. I do not think you would do so.’

�We are talking about the child who had her head shoved into a bucket?’

�Yes,’ said Poirot, �that is what I am talking about.’

�I don’t know why you come to me,’ said Spence. �I’m nothing to do with the police nowadays. All that’s over many years ago.’

�Once a policeman,’ said Hercule Poirot, �always a policeman. That is to say, there is always the point of view of the policeman behind the point of view of the ordinary man.

�Yes, so you did. I remember now your telling me. Well, I suppose one’s outlook is a bit slanted, but it’s a long time since I’ve had any active connection.’

�But you hear the gossip,’ said Poirot. �You have friends of your own trade. You will hear what they think or suspect or what they know.

Spence sighed.

�One knows too much,’ he said, �that is one of the troubles nowadays. There is a crime, a crime of which the pattern is familiar, and you know, that is to say the active police officers know, pretty well who’s probably done that crime. They don’t tell the newspapers but they make their inquiries, and they know. But whether they’re going to get any further than that—well, things have their difficulties.