"Do you sleep with your window open or
shut?"
"Open. I like lots of air."
"Do you and Basil enjoy the same kind of
food?"
"Yes."
"Do you like going to bed early or late?"
"Really, under the rose, early. At half-past ten
I yawn--and I secretly feel rather hearty in the
mornings--but of course I daren't admit it."
"You ought to suit each other very well," said
Mr. Parker Pyne.
"Rather a superficial test."
"Not at all. I have known seven marriages at
least, entirely wrecked, because the husband liked
sitting up till midnight and the wife fell asleep at
half-past nine and vice versa."
"It's a pity," said Betty, "that everybody can't
be happy. Basil and I, and his mother giving us her
blessing."
Mr. Parker Pyne coughed.
"I think," he said, "that that could possibly be
managed."
She looked at him doubtfully.
"Now I wonder," she said, "if you're double
crossing me?"
Mr. Parker Pyne's face told nothing.
PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY
93
To Mrs. Chester he was soothing, but vague.
An engagement was not marriage. He himself was
going to Soller for a week. He suggested that her
line of action should be noncommittal. Let her
appear to acquiesce.
He spent a very enjoyable week at Soller.
On his return he found that a totally unexpected
development had arisen.
As he entered the Pino d'Oro the first thing he
saw was Mrs. Chester and Betty Gregg having tea
together. Basil was not there. Mrs. Chester looked
haggard. Betty, too, was looking off color. She
was hardly made up at all, and her eyelids looked
as though she had been crying.
They greeted him in a friendly fashion, but
neither of them mentioned Basil.
Suddenly he heard the girl beside him draw in
her breath sharply as though something had hurt
her. Mr. Parker Pyne turned his head.
Basil Chester was coming up the steps from the
sea front. With him was a girl so exotically beauti-ful
that it quite took your breath away. She was
dark and her figure was marvelous. No one could
fail to notice the fact since she wore nothing but a
single garment of pale blue crepe. She was heavily
made up with ocher powder and an orange scarlet
mouth--but the unguents only displayed her re-markable
beauty in a more pronounced fashion.
As for young Basil, he seemed unable to take his
eyes from her face.
"You're very late, Basil," said his mother.
"You were to have taken Betty to Mac's."
"My fault," drawled the beautiful unknown.
"We just drifted." She turned to Basil. "Angel--
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Agatha Christie
get me something with a kick in it!"
She tossed off her shoe and stretched out her
manicured toenails which were done emerald
green to match her fingernails.
She paid no attention to the two women, but she
leaned a little towards Mr. Parlcr. Pyne.
"Terrible island this," she said. "I wds just
dying with boredom before I met Basil. He is
rather a pet!"
"Mr. Parker PynemMiss Ramona," said Mrs.
Chester.
The girl acknowledged the introduction with a
lazy smile.
"I guess I'll call you Parker almost at once,"
she murmured. "My name's Dolores."
Basil returned with the drinks. Miss Ramona
divided her conversation (what there was of it--it
was mostly glances) between Basil and Mr. Parker
Pyne. Of the two women she took no notice whatever.
Betty attempted once or twice to join in the
conversation but the other girl merely stared at her
and yawned.
Suddenly Dolores rose.
"Guess I'll be going along now. I'm at the other
hotel. Anyone coming to see me home?"
Basil sprang up.
"I'll come with you."
Mrs. Chester said: "Basil, my dear--"
"I'll be back presently, Mother."
"Isn't he the mother's boy?" Miss Ramona
asked of the world at large. "Just toots 'round
after her, don't you?"
Basil flushed and looked awkward. Miss
Ramona gave a nod in Mrs. Chester's direction, a
PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY
95
dazzling smile to Mr. Parker Pyne and she and
Basil moved off together.
After they had gone there was rather an awk-ward
silence. Mr. Parker Pyne did not like to
speak first. Betty Gregg was twisting her fingers
and looking out to sea. Mrs. Chester looked
flushed and angry.
Betty said: "Well, what do you think of our
new acquisition in Pollensa Bay?" Her voice was
not quite steady.
Mr. Parker Pyne said cautiously:
"A little--er--exotic."
"Exotic?" Betty gave a short bitter laugh.
Mrs. Chester said: "She's terrible--terrible.
Basil must be quite mad."
Betty said sharply: "Basil's all right."
"Her toenails," said Mrs. Chester with a shiver
of nausea.
Betty rose suddenly.
"I think, Mrs. Chester, I'll go home and not
stay to dinner after all."
"Oh, my dear--Basil will be so disappointed."
"Will he?" asked Betty with a short laugh.
"Anyway, I think I will. I've got rather a head-ache."
She smiled at them both and went off. Mrs.
Chester turned to Mr. Parker Pyne.
"I wish we had never come to this place--never!"
Mr. Parker Pyne shook his head sadly.
"You shouldn't have gone away," said Mrs.
Chester. "If you'd been here this wouldn't have
happened."
Mr. Parker Pyne was stung to respond,
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Agatha Christie
"My dear lady, I can assure you that when it
comes to a question of a beautiful young woman,
I should have no influence over your son what-ever.
He--er--seems to be of a very ?uscePtible
nature."
"He never used to be," said Mrs. Chester tear-fully.
"Well," said Mr. Parker Pyne with an attempt
at cheerfulness, "this new attraction seems to have
broken the back of his infatuation for Miss Gregg.
That must be some satisfaction to you."
"I don't know what you mean," said Mrs.
Chester. "Betty is a dear child and devoted to
Basil. She is behaving extremely well over this. I
think my boy must be mad."
Mr. Parker Pyne received this startling change
of face without wincing. He had met inconsistency
in women before. He said mildly:
"Not exactly mad--j ust bewitched."
"The creature's a Dago. She's impossible."
"But extremely good-looking."
Mrs. Chester snorted.
Basil ran up the steps from the sea front.
"Hullo, Mater, here I am. Where's Betty?"
"Betty's gone home with a headache. I don't
wonder. ' '
> "Sulking, you mean."
"I consider, Basil, that you are being extremely
unkind to Betty."
"For God's sake, Mother, don't jaw. If Betty is
going to make this fuss every time I speak to
another girl a nice sort of life we'll lead together."
"You are engaged."
"Oh, we're engaged all right. That doesn't
PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY
97
mean that we're not going to have any friends of
our own. Nowadays people have to lead their own
lives and try to cut out jealousy."
He paused.
"Look here, if Betty isn't going to dine with
us--I think I'll go back to the Mariposa. They did
ask me to dine "
"Oh,
Basil--"
The boy gave her an exasperated look, then ran
off down the steps.
Mrs. Chester looked eloquently at Mr. Parker
Pyne.
"You see," she said.
He saw.
Matters came to a head a couple of days later.
Betty and Basil were to have gone for a long walk,
taking a picnic lunch with them. Betty arrived at
the Pino d'Oro to find that Basil had forgotten the
plan and gone over to Formentor for the day with
Dolores Ramona's party.
Beyond a tightening of the lips the girl made no
sign. Presently, however, she got up and stood in
front of Mrs. Chester (the two women were alone
on the terrace).
"It's quite all right," she said. "It doesn't
matter. But I think--all the same--that we'd bet-ter
call the whole thing off."
She slipped from her finger the signet ring that
Basil had given her--he would buy the real en-gagement
ring later.
"Will you give him back this, Mrs. Chester?
And tell him it's all right--not to worry .... "
"Betty dear, don't! He does love you--really."
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said the girl with a
98
Agatha Christie
short laugh. "No--I've got some pride. Tell him
everything's all right and that I--I wish him
luck."
When Basil returned at sunset he was greeted by
a storm.
He flushed a little at the sight of his ring.
"So that's how she feels, is it? Well, I daresay
it's the best thing."
"Basil!"
"Well, frankly, Mother, we don't seem to have
been hitting it off lately."
"Whose fault was that?"
"I don't see that it was mine particularly. Jealousy's
beastly and I really don't see why you should get all worked up about it. You begged me
yourself not to marry Betty."
"That was before I knew her. Basil--my dear--you're
not thinking of marrying this other creature.''
Basil Chester said soberly:
"I'd marry her like a shot if she'd have me--but
I'm afraid she won't."
Cold chills went down Mrs. Chester's spine. She
sought and found Mr. Parker Pyne, placidly reading
a book in a sheltered corner.
"You must do something! You must do something!
My boy's life will be ruined."
Mr. Parker Pyne was getting a little tired of
Basil Chester's life being ruined.
"What can I do?"
"Go and see this terrible creature. If necessary
buy her off."
"That may come very expensive."
"I don't care."
PROBLEM ,T POLLENSA BAY
99
"It seems a Pity. Still there are, possibly, other
ways."
She looked a question. He shook his head.
"I'll make no proroises--but I'll see what I can
do. I have handled that kind before. By the way,
not a word to Basil--that would be fatal."
"Of course not."
Mr. Parker Pyne returned from the Mariposa at
midnight. Mrs. Chester was sitting up for him.
"Well?" she demarded breathlessly.
His eyes twinklcci.
"The Sefiorita DOlores Ramona will leave Poi-lensa
tomorrow morning and the island tomorrow
night.."
"Oh, Mr. Parker Pyne! How did you manage
it?"
"It won't cost a Cnt," said Mr. Parker Pyne.
Again his cycs twinkled. "I rather fancied I might
have a hold over her---and I was right."
"You arc wonderful. Nina Wycherley was quite
right. Youmust let me know--er--your fees-'
Mr. Parker Pyue held up a well-manicured
hand.
"Not a penny. It has been a pleasure. I hope all
will go well. Of course the boy will be very upset at
first when he finds she's disappeared and left no
address. Just go easy with him for a week or two."
"If only Betty will forgive him--"
"She'll forgive him all right. They're a nice
couple. By the way, I'm leaving tomorrow, too."
"Oh, Mr. Parker lyne, we shall miss you."
"Perhaps it's just as well I should go before that
boy of yours gets infatuated with yet a third girl."
Mr. Parker Pyne leaned over the rail of the
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Agatha Christie
steamer and looked at the lights of Palma. Beside
him stood Dolores Ramona. He was saying appre-ciatively:
"A very nice piece of work, Madeleine. I'm
glad I wired you to come out. It's odd when you're
such a quiet stay-at-home girl really."
Madeleine de Sara, alias Dolores Ramona, alias
Maggie Sayers, said primly: "I'm glad you're
pleased, Mr. Parker Pyne. It's been a nice little
change. I think I'll go below now and get to bed
before the boat starts. I'm such a bad sailor."
A few minutes later a hand fell on Mr. Parker
Pyne's shoulder. He turned to see Basil Chester.
"Had to come and see you off, Mr. Parker
Pyne, and give you Betty's love and her and my
best thanks. It was a grand stunt of yours. Betty
and Mother are as thick as thieves. Seemed a
shame to deceive the old darling--but she was
being difficult. Anyway it's all right now. I must
just be careful to keep up the annoyance stuff a
couple of days longer. We're no end grateful to
you, Betty and I."
"I wish you every happiness," said Mr. Parker
Pyne.
"Thanks."
There was a pause, then Basil said with some-what
overdone carelessness:
"Is Miss--Miss de Sara--anywhere about? I'd
like to thank her, too."
Mr. Parker Pyne shot a keen glance at him.
He said:
"I'm afraid Miss de Sara's gone to bed."
"Oh, too bad--well, perhaps I'll see her in
London sometime."
PROBLEM AT POLLENSA BAY
101
"As a matter of fact she is going to America on
business for me almost at once."
"Oh!" Basil's tone was blank. "Well," he said.
"I'll be getting along .... "
Mr. Parker Pyne smiled. On his way to his
cabin he tapped on the door of Madeleine's.
"How are you, my dear? All right? Our young
friend has been along. The usual slight attack of
Madeleinitis. He'll get over it in a day or two, bu
t
you are rather distracting."
> ->>> ->>> - ->>> ->>> ,>
Yellow Iris
106
Agatha Christie
Smiling at the pleasing conceit, he lifted the
receiver.
Immediately a voice spoke--a soft husky
woman's voice with a kind of desperate urgency
about it.
"Is that M. Hercule Poirot? Is that M. Hercule
Poirot ?"
"Hercule Poirot speaks."
"M. Poirot--can you come at once--at once--
I'm in danger--in great danger--I know it "
Poirot
said sharply,
"Who
are you? Where are you speaking from?"
The
voice came more faintly but with an even greater
urgency.
"At
once.., it's life or death .... The Jarclin des
Cygnes. . . at once . . . table with yellow irises....
"
There
was a pause--a queer kind of gasp--the line
went dead.
Hercule
Poirot hung up. His face was puzzled. He
murmured between his teeth:
"There
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories Page 10