Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: A Hercule Poirot Short Story

Four-And-Twenty Blackbirds

A Short Story

by Agatha Christie

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright © 2011 Agatha Christie Ltd.

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EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780007451999

Version: 2017-04-18

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Four-And-Twenty Blackbirds

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About the Publisher

Four-And-Twenty Blackbirds

‘Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds’ was first published in the USA as ‘Four and Twenty Blackbirds’ in Collier’s Magazine, 9 November 1940, then as ‘Poirot and the Regular Customer’ in The Strand, March 1941.

Hercule Poirot was dining with his friend, Henry Bonnington at the Gallant Endeavour in the King’s Road, Chelsea.

Mr Bonnington was fond of the Gallant Endeavour. He liked the leisurely atmosphere, he liked the food which was ‘plain’ and ‘English’ and ‘not a lot of made up messes.’ He liked to tell people who dined with him there just exactly where Augustus John had been wont to sit and draw their attention to the famous artists’ names in the visitors’ book. Mr Bonnington was himself the least artistic of men – but he took a certain pride in the artistic activities of others.

Molly, the sympathetic waitress, greeted Mr Bonnington as an old friend. She prided herself on remembering her customers’ likes and dislikes in the way of food.

‘Good evening, sir,’ she said, as the two men took their seats at a corner table. ‘You’re in luck today – turkey stuffed with chestnuts – that’s your favourite, isn’t it? And ever such a nice Stilton we’ve got! Will you have soup first or fish?’