unearths some literary gems.
***
Mr. Ricardo, indeed, embroidered and developed and expounded his image of an opal to a degree of tediousness which even in him was remarkable.
***
"She romped without romping."
***
Mr. Ricardo had perused every word of this letter before he realized that it had provoked in him no uncanny sensations whatsoever.... It is true that the ink was purple instead of black; and for a moment or two Mr. Ricardo sought an unworthy consolation in that difference.
***
Mr. Ricardo had undoubtedly earned some good marks, not so much for putting two and two together as for discerning that there might be two and two which would possibly want putting together afterwards.
***
Even those flattering words did not reach beyond the porches of Mr. Ricardo's ears.
***
He rubbed his hands together with a what-do-you-say-to-that? air about him.
***
[Inspector Hanaud (who is a bit of a recognized Poirot precursor), in this third or fourth work, takes his enthusiasm for English slang, and his consequent malapropisms, to eleven. It's now the author's main vein of comic relief (with Mr. Ricardo's amour propre in second place); and while I'd say it's overdone, it definitely has some great moments:
"warm material" for "hot stuff"
"lock the door after the horse has stolen the oats"
"upset the carriage of the pears"]
[A few more snippets attached, including a bonus giggle courtesy of the typesetters: The ecret is out! Or rather, the S is out of "secret." Don't worry--it's just dropped downstairs for a moment, awaiting "discovery."]
