At the ‘Bells and Motley’: An Agatha Christie Short Story - Агата Кристи

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of Mr Quin. And the name of the Inn, too, seemed a peculiarly fitting and appropriate one.

      ‘Dear me, dear me,’ said Mr Satterthwaite. ‘What a very odd thing. That we should meet like this! Mr Harley Quin, is it not?’

      ‘That’s right, sir. This is the coffee-room, sir. Ah! here is the gentleman.’

      Tall, dark, smiling, the familiar figure of Mr Quin rose from the table at which he was sitting, and the well-remembered voice spoke.

      ‘Ah! Mr Satterthwaite, we meet again. An unexpected meeting!’

      Mr Satterthwaite was shaking him warmly by the hand.

      ‘Delighted. Delighted, I’m sure. A lucky breakdown for me. My car, you know. And you are staying here? For long?’

      ‘One night only.’

      ‘Then I am indeed fortunate.’

      Mr Satterthwaite sat down opposite his friend with a little sigh of satisfaction, and regarded the dark, smiling face opposite him with a pleasurable expectancy.

      The other man shook his head gently.

      ‘I assure you,’ he said, ‘that I have not a bowl of goldfish or a rabbit to produce from my sleeve.’

      ‘Too bad,’ cried Mr Satterthwaite, a little taken aback. ‘Yes, I must confess – I do rather adopt that attitude towards you. A man of magic. Ha, ha. That is how I regard you. A man of magic.’

      ‘And yet,’ said Mr Quin, ‘it is you who do the conjuring tricks, not I.’

      ‘Ah!’ said Mr Satterthwaite eagerly. ‘But I cannot do them without you. I lack – shall we say – inspiration?’

      Mr Quin smilingly shook his head.

      ‘That is too big a word. I speak the cue, that is all.’

      The landlord came in at that minute with bread and a slab of yellow butter. As he set the things on the table there was a vivid flash of lightning, and a clap of thunder almost overhead.

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