enthusiast Ceryon from Orient—eastern Religion
Apple of Hesperides—Treasure in a convent—disappeared many years ago—stolen—given by thief to convent
Gerberus—A dog story? Or somebody dead—brought back from the dead—or been murdered?
The kidnapping of a Pekingese dog provides Poirot with his first Labour.
As can be seen, the notes for ‘The Nemean Lion’ are extensive and follow closely the published version. It may well have been the case that, as the first story in the series, Christie gave it a lot of thought and careful consideration. It is also the longest story in the collection. There is a lone note in Notebook 39 that foreshadows this plot; although it does not generally resemble the published version of ‘The Nemean Lion’, the story does feature the important fact of Miss Carnaby’s inheritance of a Peke from a former employer:
Companion left Peke—she goes as housemaid—gives different names alternate places? She and friend— latter gets reward
The next extract, from Notebook 44, is an accurate precis of the published story:
HP summoned by Joseph Hoggin—old boy very upset—his wife lost her Pekingese—received a demand for ?200, which she paid and dog was returned. HP has interview with Mrs J and Miss Carnaby—the companion—foolish talkative woman. Facts are as follows—Amy and Ching went to park—A saw baby in his pram—just speaking to Nurse but Ching gone—lead cut—she fetches lead—HP admits it is cut—the women look at him breathlessly—then letter comes—the money to be sent in ?1 notes.
In the end P instructs Georges to find flat between certain limits—he asks Sir J—remind him of manufacturer in Liege who poisoned his wife to marry a blonde secretary. P’s visit to flat on Miss A’s day out—Augustus barks and tries to keep him out. The invalid sister—P knows all—her defence—no pension—old age—no home and no education—a trade union. Ching left at flat—Augustus taken—can always find his way home. How often? Ten times.
There is more to this story than at first meets the eye. Amy Carnaby is a delightful but poignant creation. Her situation—elderly untrained companion facing a bleak future in her old age—is similar to that of Dora Bunner in
Ugly rumours bring Poirot to a small village to investigate the death of the doctor’s wife.
The plot of this story is largely contained on two pages in Notebook 44, the only difference being the change of name from Nurse Carpenter to Harrison:
Doctor comes to P—embarrassed—no good going to police—wife dead—rumours—practice falling off- doesn’t know how to combat it. P asks—who is the woman? Doctor angry—leaves—P says must have truth. Girl dispenser—admits will marry her—wife a difficult invalid—details of her death consistent with poisoning arsenic. P warns him—I shall get at truth. P sees girl—honest—frank—says old Miss L is worst. P. sees Miss L—etc. etc. Tracked down to Nurse—Handsome middle-aged woman—Nurse Carpenter?—She did it. He finds nurse—her Madonna face—he presses her—autopsy—she says no—no indeed—she was murdered—morphia pills
And ten pages later…
Lernean Hydra Cont.
P talks of Home Office—she says yes—because Mrs O was murdered. P gets them to announce engagement—Jean gets abusive letter. The morphia pills—v—opium pills—Doctor called in—orders opium pills— which Jean supplies
The intervening pages include preliminary notes for four of the other Labours as well as two pages of chemical formulae, possibly of potential poisons. This outline is generally in keeping with the published story; note however that the idea, in the second extract, of announcing an engagement and a consequent abusive letter is not pursued. In many ways this is the most typically Christiean of all the Labours—Poirot goes to a small village to investigate a mysterious death, in this case the possible poisoning of a wife, whose husband is under suspicion. The short stories ‘The Cornish Mystery’ and ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’, and the novels
Poirot penetrates an impersonation in an effort to reunite two lovers before it is too late.
’The Arcadian Deer’ is an idyllic story, as befits one set in Arcady, and does not feature a crime. There is however a Christiean twist in the final words of the first extract—and one that she uses a few times elsewhere in her work, although usually for a sinister purpose. The impersonation of an attendant (maid, butler, waiter, steward) is used here for non-criminal reasons, unlike its use in
There are two sketches for the opening scene of this story, the second of which is the more detailed. Both versions are accurate, although Ted’s beloved, Mary Brown in the first draft, has become in the second the more romantic Marie and, ultimately, ‘Nita—Incognita—Juanita’:
Young man in country village—car breaks down—appeals to him—find his sweetheart Mary Brown—gone to London and vanished—if in trouble will see her through. Was MB down there with a rich lady—MB was servant— really the dancer herself (kept by Lord Masterfield?) or wife of a rich polo playing young American. P sees her—a hard faced Young woman—she tells him she has not maid’s address. The maid—a coarse looking girl. P knows it is the girl herself
Begging your pardon Sir—the young man—simple—handsome as a god—his persistence. Recognised HP from photo in Tatler—couldn’t be another moustache like that—P softens. P has dinner at Inn—young man comes up there—find this girl—Marie—doesn’t know other name. Switzerland—the girl—he hardly remembers her—so changed—her maid—Yes—remembers her—that other—do you mean Juanita—replaced maid when latter was away—P says Yes—what happened to her—she died young—Arcady. P explains—mystery about maid—blackmailed Sir George—his wife—Nita—Incognita—Juanita
As befits its origins, this is the most bloodthirsty of the Labours and is in many ways a very atypical Christie story. A gangster arranging a rendezvous on a Swiss mountaintop is not a regular feature of her output. The image of Hercule Poirot hopping out of bed to relieve three thugs of their firearms while someone else holds them at bay is one that sits badly with the great detective of the square eggs and the blackcurrant sirop. That said, it contains a twisting plot with multiple impersonations crammed into a mere 20 pages. This is also a use of the plastic surgeon idea, which is mentioned a few times in the Notebooks, including the early, unused notes for
The following notes accurately reflect, if somewhat cryptically, the course of a rather complicated
