The death of Lady Magenty

Hercule Poirot left the Fili Grand Mir restaurant in the Soho neighborhood. He rolled up the sleeves of his coat to appear wise, not out of necessity, as the weather was not too cold that night. "But at my age, one cannot take any risks" — that was what Poirot used to say. His eyes reflected a quiet pleasure; the escargot meal he had at Fili Grand Mir was delicious. This small, dirty restaurant had been a real discovery. Reflectively, like a dog having a good hearty meal, Poirot moved his tongue around his lips, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped his mustache. Yes, he had dined well... so what next? A passing taxi slowed down, inviting him to get in, but Poirot hesitated for a moment, yet showed no sign of action. Why take a taxi? Anyway, he would arrive home well before his usual bedtime. Then Poirot muttered to his mustache: "Oh, how unfortunate, one can only eat three times a day...". As for afternoon tea, it was a meal he had never gotten used to. He explained it by saying: "If a person has tea at five o'clock, they won't be heading for dinner and will have the right type of digestive juices ready. And let’s remember that dinner is the most important meal of the day!" Likewise, he didn't like midday coffee, didn't eat chocolate and croissants for breakfast, and took lunch at 12:30 if possible, but certainly not after 1 p.m. And finally, the peak: dinner! Those are the busy times in Hercule Poirot’s day. He was always a man who took his stomach seriously, and he reaped the benefits as he aged. Eating now was not just a material pleasure, but also an intellectual pursuit. As for the times between meals, he spent a lot of time searching for potential sources of delicious foods and examining them. Fili Grand Mir was the result of one of those searches, and Fili Grand Mir had just received the Gourmet Seal of Approval from Hercule Poirot. But now, unfortunately, he had to spend the evening anyway. Author: Agatha Christie Number of pages: 339 Jarir Bookstore editions