Sunday, December 29, 2019

How many people does Poirot observe as he eats lunch with M. Bouc?

Poirot observes thirteen people as he eats lunch with M. Bouc. 
Opposite Poirot's table, there are three men: an Italian, an Englishman, and an American. The men appear to be single travelers who just happen to be seated together. Meanwhile, at a small table, sits the ugliest old woman Poirot has ever seen. M. Bouc tells Poirot that the woman is Princess Dragomiroff, a Russian. Her husband is rumored to have realized great gains before the Russian revolution and to have invested those gains abroad.
Princess Dragomiroff is clothed in an expensive sable coat; she also wears a necklace of large pearls and many rings on her fingers. As Poirot observes her, she orders mineral water and orange juice to be placed in her compartment. For dinner, she orders simply-cooked chicken and boiled fish.
Next, Poirot observes Mary Debenham and two other women seated at a larger table. Near them, Colonel Arbuthnot sits at a small table by himself. Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman sits on the other side of the carriage. Poirot thinks that she looks either German or Scandinavian; he speculates that she is someone's maid. Beyond her sits a couple. The man appears to be in his thirties and has a powerful set of shoulders. His beautiful companion appears to be barely into her twenties.
Both M. Bouc and Poirot agree that the man and his companion make a handsome couple. The last two in the lunchroom carriage are MacQueen (Poirot's fellow traveler) and Mr. Ratchett.

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