Dog of Death By Agatha Christie

Chapter #3 The Fourth

...3. The Fourth ...

CANON Parfitt was panting a bit. Running after trains is not at all suitable for people his age. His body was no longer what it used to be, and with the loss of his former slim figure, there appeared an increasing tendency to run out of breath.

The Canon himself always mentions

such tendency as “My heart, know?” authoritatively of course.

He threw himself into the corner of the first-class carriage while sighing in relief. The warmth of the heated carriages was very pleasing to her heart. Outside, the snow continues to fall.

It was fortunate to be able to get a seat in the corner, on this long night trip. Otherwise, this trip can be very unpleasant. There must be sleeping cars on this train. The other three corners have been occupied and while looking around, Canon Parfitt realized that the man in the corner of the tip there was smiling at him with an attitude of recognition.

The man was thin, with a funny face and gray hair on both temples. His profession was clearly in the field of law, and no one would have mistakenly guessed that. Sir George Durand was a very famous lawyer.

“Wah, Parfitt,” said friendly,

“You run chase train, yes?”

“Very bad for my heart, so,” said the Canon.

“It just so happens to be roosting with you, Sir George. Will you be traveling north?”

“Ke Newcastle,” Sir George brief reply.

“Omong-by the way,” he added,

“You know Dr. Campbell Clark?” The man sitting on the same side of the carriage as the Canon tilted his head in a friendly manner.

“So we met on the platform,” Sir George continued.

“One more coincidence.” The Canon Parfitt Dr. Campbell Clark with interest. He often heard the name of this doctor. Dr. Clark is best known as a physician and psychiatrist, and his latest book, The Problem of the Unconceptious Wind, is the most talked about book of the year.

Canon Parfitt noticed the doctor's square jaw, a pair of very firm blue eyes, and reddish hair that had not been touched by a gray color, but had thinned quickly. He also got the impression that this doctor had a very dominant personality.

After that, the Canon automatically looked at the seat facing him. Half expected that the person sitting there would recognize him as well, but the fourth person at the gate was completely unknown to him. Stranger, guess the Canon.

His skin was rather dark and his figure was small, his appearance was not too special. He sat curled up in the large coat he wore, and seemed to be soundly asleep.

“Canon Parfitt from Bradchestee?” ask Dr. Campbell Clark with a nice voice.

The Canon looked flattered. ‘Scientific trials’ held it really became a great success, especially since the Press reported it. Well, that is exactly what the church needs, modern things are nice and up to date.

“I've read your book and feel very interested, Dr. Campbell Clark,” said.

“Although there are parts that are too technical for me to understand.” Sir George Durand.

“You want to chat or sleep, Canon?” tanyakanya.

“To be honest, I have insomnia, so I prefer to chat.”

“Oh! Sure do. Of course,” says the Canon. “I myself rarely sleep if I take these night trips, and the book I brought is also very unattractive.”

“What is clear, the three of us are a fairly representative group,” said the doctor with a smile.

“One represents the Church, one field of Law, and another field of Medicine.”

“Means we can exchange opinions, right?” sir George said with a laugh.

“Vice the Church from a spiritual point of view, myself from a completely worldly legal point of view, and you, Doctor, from the broadest point of view, from the fully pathological to the super psychological! I think the three of us can cover any topic quite completely.”

“I don't think it's as complete as you imagine,” says Dr. Clark.

“There are other viewpoints that you forget, whereas it is quite important.”

“Means?” ask Sir George.

“Public point of view.”

“What is important? Aren't laypeople usually wrong?”

“Oh! Almost always. But a layman has something that no expert has, his own personal point of view.

In the end, we cannot deny personal relationships. I learned that in my profession. Five to one, the patients who came to me didn't actually hurt any of their problems just they didn't feel happy living with the people they were at home with. Their complaints vary, ranging from a lump in the knee to a hand muscle cramp, but everything is the same, the cause is friction between the mind.”

“I think your patients have a lot of problems with their 'nerves',” said the Canon in a somewhat dismissive tone. He has very good nerves.

“Ah, what do you mean. You?” Dr. Clark turned towards him, fast as lightning.

“Nerve. People like to use the word at will and laugh afterwards, just like you were. ‘No one was sick with anu and anu, ' they said. 'Nerve problems only'. But dude, that's the most important thing actually! Physical illness can be detected and cured. But to this day, our knowledge of the obscure causes of one hundred forms of neurological disease is still not much progress than in the days.well, in the days of Queen Elizabeth!”.

“Gosh,” said Canon Parfitt, who was somewhat surprised by the doctor's onslaught.

“Is that so?”

“Do not get it wrong.” Dr. Campbell Clark continued, though,

“that's a sign of human excess. In the past we thought humans were just stupid animals, have a body and soul.

‘Body, soul, and spirit,” Canon Parfitt corrects in a regular tone.

“Rob?” the doctor smiled strangely.

“What exactly do you mean, these priests, with roh”. You never give a clear explanation of that one thing. Throughout the ages you have been afraid to make a definition as precise as.” The Canon cleared his throat, ready to give a lecture, but he was disappointed that he was not given a chance. Dr. Campbell continued.

“Can we even be sure that there is only one spirit in the human body, can there not be more than one spirit?”

“More than one spirit?” sir George Durand asked as he raised his eyebrows in wonder.

“Ya.” Dr. Campbell Clark looked at him. He leaned forward and tapped the lawyer's chest gently.

“What you are so sure of “ he said in earnest,

“that there is only one inhabitant in this structure, for our body is indeed only a structure in the dwelling pleasant to fill for seven, twenty-one, forty-one, and so on, seventy-one, or how long is this year? And in the end the occupant took out his belongings little by little and left the house completely, so the house collapsed, becoming rubble and wreckage. You are the host. We admit that. But have you never realized the presence of another? The servants with unheard footsteps, almost never noticed, were it not for the work they were doing, the work you were not aware of had been done? Or the presence of friends of various moods that affect you and make you, temporarily become a different person, as the saying goes? You are the king of the castle, it is true, but rest assured that there is also 'the dirty bastard'.”

“Clark good,” said Sir George,

“You made me very uncomfortable. Is it true that my mind is a battleground of so many conflicting personalities? Is that the latest discovery of science?” The doctor's turn to shrug.

“Our body is clearly a battleground,” he said in a flat tone.

“If it can happen to the body, why not

“Interesting once,” says Canon Parfitt. “Ah! Outstanding science, outstanding.” And in his heart he thought,

“I can make that topic a very interesting sermon material.”

But Dr. Campbell was already leaning on his seat, his fiery spirit had already been satisfied.

“Actually there was a double personality case that brought me to Newcastle tonight,” he said with a professional attitude that

quieter.

“A very interesting case. Neurotic, of course. But this is real, not made-up.”

“Double personality,” said Sir George Durand while thinking.

“I don't think that's too special. There must be memory loss, too, right? I know the matter arose in the case in the Court of Appointment of the Heirs of that time.” Dr. Clark nodded.

“But the classic case about multiple personalities is the case of Felicie Bault. You may remember ever having it?” said.

“Of course,” says Canon Parfitt.

“I remember reading about the case in the newspapers, but it was a long time ago about seven years ago.” Dr. Campbell Clark nodded.

“The girl became one of the most famous figures in France. Scientists from all over the world want to see it. She has four personalities, known as Felicie 1. Felicie 2, Felicie 3, etc.”

“Isn't there a guess that it's all a hoax?” sir George asked cautiously.

“Personality Felicie 3 and Felicie 4 is indeed somewhat dubious,” the doctor admitted.

“But the main facts are still accepted. Felicie Bault is a farm girl from Brittany. He was the third of five children, his father a drunkard and his mother a mental disorder. Once, while under the influence of liquor, the father strangled the mother and, as I recall, was imprisoned for life. Felicie was five years old. By some who were moved to pay attention to the plight of the children, Felicie was taken in and raised and educated by an unmarried British woman, who had some sort of home for poor children. But there's not much he can do about Felicie. According to his words, the girl was very slow and stupid, could only be taught to read and write with difficulty, and was very awkward using her hands. This woman, Miss Slater, tried to teach the girl to work as a maid, and managed to find some jobs for her, after she was old enough. But he never lasted long anywhere, because of his stupidity and his incredible laziness.” The doctor stopped talking for a moment.

The Canon, who was crossing his legs again and arranged his blanket to cover his body more tightly, suddenly realized that the man sitting opposite him was moving a little. His two eyes, which had been closed, were now open and there was something in them, something that implied ridicule and an indescribable impression that took the Canon by surprise. The man seemed to be listening to their conversation, and secretly felt an evil satisfaction with what he was up against.

“There was a photo of Felicie Bault taken when she was seventeen,” the doctor continued.

“In the photo, she appears as a rough and burly peasant girl. There is nothing in the photo to suggest that one day he will become one of the most famous people in France.”

“Five years later, at the age of 22, Felicie Bault had severe nerve pain, and as she gradually recovered, the strange phenomenon began to manifest itself. The following are the facts that have been proven by many prominent scientists. The personality that Felicie called I was completely indistinguishable from Felicie Bault for the past twenty-two years. Felicie 1; can't write well in French, can't speak any foreign language, and can't play piano. On the contrary, Felicie 2; can speak Italian very fluently and quite proficient in German. Her handwriting is very different from Felicie's 1 handwriting, and she can write fluently and expressively in French. He can discuss political and artistic topics, and loves to play the piano. Felicie 3; many have similarities with Felicie 2. He is intelligent, and seems well educated, but his moral character is quite opposite. He seems to be a completely immoral, but unscrupulous Parisian, not a village. He knows all the jargon of Paris and how to speak for the sake of chic fashion. His language is dirty, and he likes to revile religion and honorable people with very harsh terms. Then there is the personality of Felicie 4; a dreamer who is almost half an idiot, very very alim and reportedly has supernatural abilities, but this fourth personality is very unsatisfactory, unclear, and, and sometimes it is considered a hoax deliberately displayed by Felicie 3 olch, a kind of joke that he played on an unsuspecting public. I dare say that (possibly with the exception of Felicie 4) each personality is equally prominent, separate, and does not know each other. Felide 2 is definitely the most dominant and can sometimes last up to two weeks, whenever it appears. Then Felicie I will appear for a while for a day or two. After that it may be Felicie 3 or 4, but these two rarely last for more than a few hours. Any change in personality is always accompanied by a very severe headache and deep sleep, and in every case there is always a complete loss of memory of the previous state of being; the emerging personality was forwarding episodes from previous appearances, unaware of the time that passed.”

“Amazing,” murmured the Canon.

“Very amazing. Until now arguably we know nothing about the wonders in this universe.”

“But we know that in this universe there are very clever fraudsters,” said Sir George in a flat tone.

“This Felicie Bault case was investigated by lawyers, doctors, and scientists.” Dr. Campbell Dark hurry

said.

“You all remember, Maitre Quimbellier conducted a very thorough investigation, and confirmed the views of the scientists. However, why should we be so surprised? Don't we know there's an egg that has a double yolk? And the banana twins? Why can't there be a double soul in one body?”

“Double soul?” protest the Canon.

Dr. Campbell Dark turned his sharp blue eyes on the Canon Parfitt.

“How else should we call it? That if only... personality could be considered soul?”

“Fortunately the case was categorized as a 'strange' case,” said Sir George.

“If the case is categorized as 'general', it can be even more complicated.”

“That condition is indeed very abnormal,” the doctor agreed.

“It's a shame there's no further research due to Felicie's unexpected death.”

“As I recall his death was also a bit strange,” said Sir George slowly. Dr. Campbdl Dark nodded.

“The events are very mysterious. The girl was found dead in her bed one morning. Obviously he died strangled. But, to everyone's surprise, it would prove beyond the slightest doubt, that he had strangled himself. The marks on his neck are his own fingers. Such a way of suicide, even if it is physically impossible to do, would require tremendous muscle strength, and determination that is almost beyond the limits of human ability. I never knew what caused the girl to do that. His mental balance was questionable as long as it was. But the case is still considered mysterious. But the mystery about Felicie Bault will not be revealed now.” It was at that moment that the man at the corner end there laughed.

The other three men jumped like they were shot. They had completely forgotten the presence of the fourth man among them.

While they were stunned looking at him, the man laughed again, still curled up in his coat.

“I'm sorry, Gentlemen,” he said in perfect English, but implied a bit of a foreign tone.

He sat up straight, revealing his pale face, with a small, pitch-black mustache.

“Yes, forgive me,” he said as he bowed in a contrived style.

“But... ah! In science, is there such a thing as a closing word?”

“You know something about this case we are talking about?” ask Dr. Campbell Dark was polite.

“About the case? No. gabe. But I know him.”

“Felicie Bault?”

“Yes. And Annette Ravel too. Have you ever heard of Annette Ravel? The stories about them are related to each other. Trust me, you don't know anything about Felicie Bault if you don't know about Annette Ravel's history as well.” He took out his watch and saw it.

“After a few hours the train arrives at the next station. I have time to tell her story if you are interested in her?”

“Please tell us,” said the doctor in a soft voice.

“By pleasure,” said the Canon.

“By pleasure.” Sir George Durand simply showed an attentive attitude,

in response.

So the occupants of the fourth corner began the story.

“My name, gentlemen, is Raoul Letardeau. You mentioned a British woman who devoted herself to charity work. Miss Slater. I was born in a fishing village in Brittany. When both my parents died in a train accident, it was Miss Slater who saved and helped me, so that I was not put into an orphanage, as you know in England. There were about twenty children, boys and girls. Among the children were Felicie Bault and Annette Ravel. If you can't understand Annette's personality, gentlemen, then you won't understand anything. He was the son of a woman's love affair with her lover, who was later abandoned and died of pneumonia. Her mother was a dancer, and Annette wanted to be a dancer. I first knew her when she was eleven, a little girl with a pair of eyes shone with ridicule, yet at the same time promised a lively, agile little creature. And immediately yes, immediately he made me his slave. He always told me to, 'Raoul, do this.' 'Raoul, do that.' And I, I obey him. Not yet anything I've adored him, and he knows it."

“We like to go to the beachfront, threesome. Yeah, the three of us. 'cause Felicie always comes with us. At the beach, Annette would take off her shoes and stockings, then dance in the sand. After he got tired of dancing, he would drop down panting, then tell us about his dream."

“You see later, I'll be famous. Yes, very famous. I will have hundreds and thousands of stockings of the most fine silks. And I'll live in a beautiful apartment. All my lovers are young, handsome, and rich. And if I dance, all over Paris will come and watch me. They will shout, call, shout, and be in the mood to see me dance. And in winter I will not dance. I will go south, warmed by the sun. There are villas with orange trees. I'll have one of them. I'll lie basking in silk pillows, while eating oranges. And you, Raoul, I will never forget you, even if I am rich and famous. I will protect you and help you advance your career. Felicie will be my servant, no, both hands are too awkward. Just look at how big and rough his hands are.”

“Felicie will be upset to hear Annette say that, but Annate keeps teasing her.”

...xxx...