Цитаты из книги «And Then There Were None / И никого не стало. Книга для чтения на английском языке»

‘The signals were seen by a party of boy scouts on the morning of the 11th. There was no possibility of getting out there that day. The men got there on the afternoon of the 12th at the first moment possible to run a boat ashore there.

‘You’re forgetting, sir, that Soldier Island previously belonged to young Elmer Robson, the American. He had the most extraordinary parties down there. I’ve no doubt the local people’s eyes fairly popped out over them. But they got used to it and they’d begun to feel that anything to do with Soldier Island would necessarily be incredible. It’s natural, that, sir, when you come to think of it.’

‘It was Morris who made all the arrangements down at Sticklehaven. Represented himself as acting for “Mr Owen”. And it was he who explained to the people down there that there was some experiment on—some bet about living on a “desert island” for a week—and that no notice was to be taken of any appeal for help from out there.’

‘Yes, sir, he put through the sale—though he made it clear that he was buying Soldier Island for a third party, unnamed.’

‘Oh yes, sir, we know about him. He wasn’t a very savoury gentleman, Mr Morris. He was implicated in that sharepushing fraud of Bennitos three years ago—we’re sure of that though we can’t prove it. And he was mixed up in the dope business. And again we can’t prove it. He was a very careful man, Morris.’

‘Who provisioned the island and made all the necessary arrangements?’ ‘Man called Morris. Isaac Morris.’ ‘And what does he say about it all?’ ‘He can’t say anything, sir, he’s dead.’

‘They’re ordinary decent seafaring folk. They know that the island was bought by a man called Owen—and that’s about all they do know.’

‘No, sir. Wargrave and Lombard were shot, the first through the head, the second through the heart. Miss Brent and Marston died of cyanide poisoning. Mrs Rogers died of an overdose of chloral. Rogers’ head was split open. Blore’s head was crushed in. Armstrong died of drowning. Macarthur’s skull was fractured by a blow on the back of the head and Vera Claythorne was hanged.’

‘Ten people dead on an island and not a living soul on it. It doesn’t make sense!’

What was that—hanging from the hook in the ceiling? A rope with a noose all ready? And a chair to stand upon—a chair that could be kicked away…