Six Against the Yard

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Margery Allingham. Six Against the Yard

SIX AGAINST THE YARD

Contents

IT DIDN’T WORK OUT

WOULD THE MURDERESS TELL?

THE FALLEN IDOL

MURDER IN UNIFORM

THE POLICEMAN ONLY TAPS ONCE (with acknowledgements where due)

I

II

III

IV

V

… AND THEN COME THE HANDCUFFS!

STRANGE DEATH OF MAJOR SCALLION

I

DETECTIVES SOMETIMES READ

BLOOD SACRIFICE

THEY WOULDN’T BELIEVE HIM!

THE PARCEL

II

III

IV

V

THE MOTIVE SHOWS THE MAN

Afterword

THE ARSENIC POISON MYSTERY

THE BACKGROUND TO THE CASE

Agatha Christie

THE TRAGIC FAMILY OF CROYDON

About the Publisher

Отрывок из книги

Lying idly in his bath, the instigator of this unique volume contemplated murder. There existed one whom he wished dead, and it occurred to him that most people, however Christian, knew of one for whom they desired a similar fate.

Thus it was that this book, with its brilliant band of contributors, grew into being. We wrote to each of them and suggested, quite casually, that they might like to commit, upon paper, a murder which they felt to be as perfect in its execution as they could conceive. With enthusiasm they entered into the idea, and each of them has produced in the form of a short novel an exact description of the circumstances and perpetration of their crime. From its instigation to its final act they have, in their own way, perfected their plans, lured their victims, dispatched them from life and covered their tracks.

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There wasn’t an actress you could mention he hadn’t either slept with or taught her her job. There wasn’t a manager who hadn’t borrowed money from him. All of it lies, silly lies, lies everybody saw through. He used to get on people’s nerves and I found I was getting my house full of foreigners who couldn’t understand him.

When he couldn’t get satisfaction that way he’d do tricks, make out he could walk tight ropes and jump on to the ledges of tables. I used to think he’d kill himself and hope he would.

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