"Why can't Jackie take it like a man?" demanded Simon resentfully.
A very faint smile twitched Poirot's upper lip.
"Well, you see, Monsieur Doyle, to begin with she is not a man."
"No, no - but I meant take it like a good sport!
After all, you've got to take your medicine when it comes to you.
The fault's all mine, I admit.
But there it is!
If you no longer care for a girl, it's simply madness to marry her.
And, now that I see what Jackie's really like and the lengths she is likely to go to, I feel I've had rather a lucky escape."
"The lengths she is likely to go to," Poirot repeated thoughtfully. "Have you an idea, Monsieur Doyle, what those lengths are?"
Simon frowned, then shook his head.
"No - at least, what do you mean?"
"You know she carries a pistol about with her."
Simon looked at him, rather startled.
"I don't believe she'll use that - now.
She might have done so earlier.
But I believe it's got past that.
She's just spiteful now - trying to take it out of us both."
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
"It may be so," he said doubtfully.
"It's Linnet I'm worrying about," declared Simon, somewhat unnecessarily.
"I quite realize that," said Poirot.
"I'm not really afraid of Jackie doing any melodramatic shooting stuff, but this spying and following business has absolutely got Linnet on the raw.
I'll tell you the plan I've made, and perhaps you can suggest improvements on it.
To begin with, I've announced fairly openly that we're going to stay here ten days.
But tomorrow the steamer Karnak starts from Shellвl to Wвdi Halfa.
I propose to book passages on that under an assumed name.
Tomorrow we'll go on an excursion to Philae. Linnet's maid can take the luggage.
We'll join the Karnak at Shellвl.
When Jackie finds we don't come back, it will be too late - we shall be well on our way.
She'll assume we have given her the slip and gone back to Cairo.
In fact I might even bribe the porter to say so.
Inquiry at the tourist offices won't help her, because our names won't appear.
How does that strike you?"
"It is well imagined, yes.
And suppose she waits here till you return?"
"We may not return.
We could go on to Kharthoum and then perhaps by air to Kenya.
She can't follow us all over the globe."
"No; there must come a time when financial reasons forbid.
She has very little money, I understand."
Simon looked at him with admiration.
"That's clever of you.
Do you know, I hadn't thought of that.
Jackie's as poor as they make them."
"And yet she has managed to follow you so far?"
Simon said doubtfully:
"She's got a small income, of course.
Something under two hundred a year, I imagine.
I suppose - yes, I suppose she must have sold out the capital to do what she's doing."