Cat Sitter Among the Pigeons

Cat Among the Pigeons

II

Miss Bulstrode answered Poirot's question without evincing any surprise.

“Miss Laurie is our visiting drawing mistress,” she said briskly. “But she isn't here today. What do you want her to draw for you?” she added in a kindly manner as though to a child.

“Faces,” said Poirot.

“Miss Rich is good at sketching people. She's clever at getting a likeness.”

“That is exactly what I need.”

Miss Bulstrode, he noted with approval, asked him no questions as to his reasons. She merely left the room and returned with Miss Rich.

After introductions, Poirot said: “You can sketch people? Quickly? With a pencil?”

Eileen Rich nodded.

“I often do. For amusement.”

“Good. Please, then, sketch for me the late Miss Springer.”

“That's difficult. I knew her for such a short time. I'll try.”

She screwed up her eyes, then began to draw rapidly.

“Bien,” said Poirot, taking it from her. “And now, if you please, Miss Bulstrode, Miss Rowan, Mademoiselle Blanche, and - yes - the gardener Adam.”

Eileen Rich looked at him doubtfully, then set to work. He looked at the result, and nodded appreciatively.

“You are good - you are very good. So few strokes - and yet the likeness is there. Now I will ask you to do something more difficult. Give, for example, to Miss Bulstrode a different hair arrangement. Change the shape of her eyebrows.”

Eileen stared at him as though she thought he was mad.

“No,” said Poirot. “I am not mad. I make an experiment, that is all. Please do as I ask.”

In a moment or two she said: “Here you are.”

“Excellent. Now do the same for Mademoiselle Blanche and Miss Rowan.”

When she had finished he lined up the three sketches.

“Now I will show you something,” he said. “Miss Bulstrode, in spite of the changes you have made is still unmistakably Miss Bulstrode. But look at the other two. Because their features are negative, and since they have not Miss Bulstrode's personality, they appear almost different people, do they not?”

“I see what you mean,” said Eileen Rich.

She looked at him as he carefully folded the sketches away.

“What are you going to do with them?” she asked.

“Use them,” said Poirot.