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Thirty four, the Blue Train again
the Millionaire's Train, as it is sometimes

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called, swung round a curve of
line at what seemed a dangerous speed.

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Van Alden, Knighton, and Poirot
sat together in silence. Knighton and van

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Alden had two compartments, connecting with
each other as Ruth Kettering and her maid

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had had on the fateful journey.
Poirot's own compartment was further along the coach.

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The journey was a painful one for
van Alden, recalling as it did

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the most agonizing memories. Poirot and
Knighton conversed occasionally in low tones, without

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disturbing him. When, however,
the train had completed its slow journey round

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the Saincture and reached the Gardelion,
Poirot became suddenly galvanized into activity. Van

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Alden realized that part of his object
in traveling by the train had been to

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attempt to reconstruct the crime. Arrow
himself acted every part he was in turn.

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The maid hurriedly shut into her own
compartment, Missus Kettering recognizing her husband

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with surprise and a trace of anxiety, and Derrick Kettering discovering that his wife

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was traveling on the train. He
tested various possibilities, such as the best

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way for a person to conceal himself
in the second compartment. Then suddenly an

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idea seemed to strike him. He
clutched at Vanalden's arm. Mon dieu,

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but that is something I have not
thought of. We must break our journey

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in Paris, quick, quick,
let us alight at once. Seizing suit

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cases, he hurried from the train. Vanalden and Knighton, bewildered but obedient,

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followed him. Vanalden, having once
formed his opinion of Poirot's ability,

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was slow to part from it.
At the barrier, they were held up.

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Their tickets were in charge of the
conductor of the train, a fact

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which all three of them had forgotten. Puarro's explanations were rapid, fluent and

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impassioned, but they produced no effect
upon the stolid faced official. Let us

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get quit of this, said van
Alden abruptly. I gather you are in

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a hurry, Monsieur Poirot. For
God's sake, pay the fares from Calais,

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and let us get right on with
whatever you have got in your mind.

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But Puaro's flood of language had suddenly
stopped dead, and he had the

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appearance of a man turned to stone, his arm still outflung in an impassioned

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gesture, remained there as though stricken
with paralysis. I have been an imbecile,

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he said, simply, Ma FOI
I lose my head nowadays. Let

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us return and continue our journey quietly. With reasonable luck, the train will

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not have gone. They were only
just in time, the train moving off

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as no knighton the last of the
three, swung himself in his suit case

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on board. The conductor remonstrated with
them feelingly and assisted them to carry their

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luggage back to their compartments. Van
Alden said nothing, but he was clearly

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disgusted at Poirot's extraordinary conduct. Alone
with knighton for a moment or two,

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he remarked, this is a wild
goose chase. The man has lost his

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grip on things. He has got
brains up to a point. But any

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man who loses his head and scuttles
round like a frightened rabbit is no earthly

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darned good. Poirot came to them
in a moment or two, full of

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abject apologies, and clearly so crestfallen
that harsh words would have been superfluous van

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Alden received his apologies gravely, but
managed to restrain himself from making acid comments.

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They had dinner on the train,
and afterwards, somewhat to the surprise

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of the other two, Poirot suggested
that they should all three set up in

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van Alden's compartment. The millionaire looked
at him curiously, enough, is there

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anything that you are keeping back from
us, Monsieur Poirot. I Poirot opened

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his eyes in innocent surprise. But
what an idea? Vanalden did not answer,

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but he was not satisfied. The
conductor was told that he need not

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make up the beds. Any surprise
he might have felt was obliterated by the

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largeness of the tip which Vanalden handed
to him. The three men sat in

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silence. Poirot fidgeted and seemed restless. Presently he turned to the secretary,

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Major Knighton, is the door of
your compartment bolted? The door into the

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corridor? I mean yes, I
bolted it myself. Just now, are

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you sure, said Poirot. I
will go and make sure if you like,

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said Knighton, smiling. No,
no, do not derange yourself.

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I will see for myself. He
passed through the connecting door, and returned

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in a second or two, nodding
his head. Yes, yes, it

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is as you said. You must
pardon an old man's fussy ways. He

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closed the connecting door and resumed his
place in the right hand corner. The

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hours passed, the three men dozed
fitfully, waking with uncomfortable starts. Probably

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never before had three people booked berths
on the most luxurious train available, then

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declined to avail themselves of the accommodations
they had paid for. Every now and

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then, Poirot glanced at his watch, and then nodded his head and composed

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himself to slumber once more. On
one occasion, he rose from his seat

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and opened the connecting door, peered
sharply into the adjoining compartment, and then

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returned to his seat, shaking his
head. What is the matter, whispered

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Knighton. You are expecting something to
happen, aren't you. I have the

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nerves, confessed Paro. I am
like the cat upon the hot tiles.

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Every little noise it makes me jump. Nighton yawned. Of all the darned

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uncomfortable journeys, he murmured, I
suppose you know what you are playing at,

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Monsieur Poirot. He composed himself to
sleep as best he could. Both

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he and Vanalden had succumbed to slumber
when Poirot, glancing for the fourteenth time

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at his watch, leant across and
tapped the millionaire on the shoulder. Eh,

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what is it? In five or
ten minutes, monsieur, we shall

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arrive at Lyon, my God,
Vanalden's face looked white and haggard in the

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dim light. Then it must have
been about this time that poor Ruth was

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killed. He sat staring straight in
front of him. His lips twitched a

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little, his mind reverting back to
the terrible tragedy that had saddened his life.

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There was the usual long, screaming
sigh of the break, and the

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train slackened speed and drew into lions. Vanalden let down the window and leant

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out. If it wasn't Deryck,
If your new theory is correct, it

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is here that the man left the
train, he asked over his shoulder.

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Rather to his surprise, Poirot shook
his head. No, he said,

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thoughtfully, no man left the train. But I think yes, I think

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a woman may have done so.
Knighton gave a gasp a woman, demanded

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Vanalden sharply, Yes, a woman, said Poirot, nodding his head.

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You may not remember, Monsieur Vanalden, but miss Gray in her evidence,

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mentioned that a youth in a cap
and overcoat descended on to the platform,

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ostensibly to stretch his legs. Me
I think that that youth was most probably

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a woman. But who was she? Vanalden's face expressed incredulity, but Poirot

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replied seriously and categorically. Her name, or the name under which she was

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known for many years, is Kitty
Kid. But you, Monsieur Vanalden,

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knew her by another name, that
of Ada Mason Knight and sprang to his

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feet. What he cried, Poirot
swung round to him. Ah, before

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I forget it. He whipped something
from a pocket and held it out.

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Permit me to offer you a cigarette
out of your own cigarette case. It

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was careless of you to drop it
when you boarded the train on the cincture

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at Paris. Knighton stood staring at
him as though stupefied. Then he made

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a movement, but Poirot flung up
his hand in a warning gesture. No,

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don't move, he said, in
a silky voice. The door into

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the next compartment is open, and
you are being covered from there this minute.

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I unbolted the door into the corridor. When we left Paris and our

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friends, the police were told to
take their places there. As I expect

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you know, the French police want
you rather urgently, Major knighton or shall

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we say, monsieur le marquis