26-02-11, 10:17 AM
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|  Agatha Christie - The Secret Adversary  Agatha Christie The Secret Adversary  Set in 1919 London and various other outlying locales throughout Britain* young couple Tommy Beresford and Prudence "Tuppence" Cowley* out of work and money* form the "The Young Adventurers* Ltd." planning to hiring themselves out as "adventurers … [w]illing to do anything* go anywhere … [n]o unreasonable offer refused." Being overheard by Mr. Whittington* Tuppence is offered a comfortable position* only to be rejected after she gives her name as "Jane Finn"* a name Tommy overheard when he and Tuppence earlier entered Lyons for tea and a bite and were walking to their table ("funny scraps one does overhear"). Lyons was the same restaurant at which Whittington overheard Tommy and Tuppence's plan for their new "joint venture." Whittington becomes suspicious of Tuppence* believing her to be blackmailing him. The meeting ends abruptly with Tuppence receiving money with the understanding that she will refrain from using her* albeit nonexistent* knowledge. Convinced that they can get further money out of Whittington if they play their cards right* Tommy and Tuppence prepare to shadow him* only to discover that he has closed his office and disappeared without a trace. His behaviour indicates to them that there is another angle to the story. To find out* they place an advertisement* asking for information regarding Jane Finn. One response is from a Mr. "Carter*" a leading figure in an unnamed British intelligence agency* who provides the background to Jane Finn* all of which is earlier revealed to the reader in the book's prologue. Jane Finn was a passenger on the RMS Lusitania when it sank four years prior in 1915. An American man* knowing he would not be on the lifeboats — women and children first! — entrusted her with getting a secret* draft treaty to the American embassy in London* should she survive the sinking and be rescued. Since that time* neither Jane Finn nor the draft treaty have been found. At the same time* publication of the treaty's contents would compromise the current British government* potentially leading to a bolshevikcoup. Tommy and Tuppence agree to work for Carter on an unofficial basis* with the aim of recovering the treaty and foiling the bolshevists and especially their elusive leader* Mr. Brown. Carter agrees to cover all their expenses as well as pay them a large* annualized sum. The second response is from an American* Julius Hersheimmer* a man claiming to be the first cousin of Jane Finn and the sole heir of his father's multi-million dollar estate. He is intent on finding her* and has already contacted various European police agencies — including Scotland Yard — for assistance. His only photograph of Jane Finn was earlier given to a detective. However* when a second Scotland Yard detective — Inspector Japp — arrives requesting a photo* Julius and the Young Adventurers realize that the earlier detective — Inspector Brown — was* in fact* the treacherous Mr. Brown! At this point* Tommy and Tuppence take Julius into their confidence* and the three agree to join forces:
The only clue they can go on at this time is a name* "Rita"* uttered by Whittington during his "Jane Finn" meeting with Tuppence in his now abandoned office. Tommy and Tuppence decide to search for a Rita among the surviving passengers of the Lusitania* and locate a woman named Marguerite Vandemeyer* who uses "Rita" as a diminutive. Their luck persists as Whittington and a second person (later identified as Boris Ivanovitch* Count Stepanov) leave Rita's flat while they are around. At this point the plot separates into three threads. Tommy is able to contact Julius before Boris and Whittington separate: While Tommy follows Boris through London to a house in Soho* Julius trails Whittington on the train to Bournemouth* and Tuppence takes her chance to find employment at Rita's. Boris leads Tommy right into a meeting of bolshevist conspirators* where he is caught. Pretending he has knowledge regarding Jane Finn* the cabal stay his execution. Meanwhile* after Tommy's departure* Tuppence secures the secret cooperation of Albert* the lift boy at Mrs. Vandemeyer's residence who likens himself a junior G-man to Tuppence* a (fictitious) member of the (fictitious) "American Detective Forces.". On a tip from Albert* Tuppence obtains a situation in Rita's employ. Once ensconced there* she eavesdrops on a conversation between Rita and Boris that serves to confirm for Tuppence that she has entered into the right nest of vipers: They are in league with Mr. Brown! The next visitor is Sir James Peel Edgerton* K.C.* who frequently escorts Rita about town and against whom Boris has warned Rita* insisting she cease spending time in his company or face the consequences from Mr. Brown. When Sir James takes his leave* he makes an ambiguous* vague remark to Tuppence regarding the suitability of her current place of employment. On her afternoon off* Tuppence meets Julius upon his return from Bournemouth. Julius had followed Whittington to a private nursing home* where Whittington met with a nurse. Unfortunately* before Julius could act* both Whittington and the nurse left* the latter with a female patient. This transpired unobserved by Julius because* at the time* he was busy falling from his perch in a tree! He had his wounds attended to by Dr. Hall* the owner of the nursing home. In recounting his adventures to Tuppence* the two note that neither has heard from Tommy and know nothing of his whereabouts. Desperate* Tuppence writes to Carter for assistance. In order to get around in their adventure* Julius acquires a brand new Rolls-Royce* paying its owner 2½ times its worth! After a couple of uneventful days* Tuppence persuades Julius to seek advice from James Edgerton* based on his previous remark towards her. They share their concern regarding Tommy's disappearance with Sir James* who suggests using his acquaintance with Mrs. Vandemeyer to obtain information. The plan is for Sir James to visit Mrs. Vandemeyer later in the evening. Tuppence* however* upon returning early to the flat* interrupts her mistress preparations to go into hiding* and manages to overwhelm her. In the ensuing conversation* Tuppence is able to obtain the promise of information regarding Jane Finn* Tommy and the mysterious Mr. Brown in exchange for a substantial amount of money out of Julius' long purse. Upon the arrival of Julius and Sir James* however* Mrs. Vandemeyer faints* is revived by some brandy and dies soon after due to poisoning. After this dead end* the three decide to contact Dr. Hall* the only person who might shed light on Mr. Whittington's whereabouts. It turns out that Jane Finn had been admitted to his nursing home under the name Janet Vandemeyer* and she was in his care because she suffered a complete loss of memory after the sinking of the Lusitania. On the evening of Whittington's visit* Jane Finn was brought back to London* to an unknown place. With no trail left to follow* Sir James announces his intent to start his planned vacation* with some hint that he may try to work behind the scenes* and a veiled hint to Tuppence not to trust Julius. Julius* being convinced of the futility of their search* is ready to give up* and proposes that Tuppence marry him. She* however* leaves him a note declining the offer* and rushes out* after receiving a telegram signed by Tommy. In the meantime* Tommy remained imprisoned in the conspirator's house* being served food by a young woman named Annette. After a few days of waiting* Tommy's bluff is called* and he is tied up to be brought away to be killed. During this time one of the conspirators refers to the Ritz as Tommy's previous place of residence* indicating that they know now more about him. His situation improves* however* when Annette arranges his escape but refuses to come along. Upon returning to the Ritz* Tommy and Julius recognize the telegram to Tuppence as a means of getting her out of the way. They retrieve the telegram* but fail to find any trace of her at the address given. However* in the meantime Sir James has discovered Jane Finn* who has recovered her memory after an accident. Tommy* Julius and James get directions to the place where she hid the treaty. When they arrive* the package contains only a message from Mr. Brown. Realizing that the conspirators are now in possession of the treaty* Tommy rushes to London to alert Mr. Carter. There* Tommy learns another bad news: pieces of Tuppence's clothing have been found on the seashore. At his lowest* Tommy returns to the Ritz* with the intent of getting even with Mr. Brown over Tuppence's fate. He and Julius find themselves in a personal row* which Julius resolves by leaving the hotel. Tommy then decides to decline an offer by Sir James* at one of his farms in Argentina* and while searching for paper in Julius' drawer comes across a photograph of Annette. This chance find offers a new clue to the case* and Tommy concludes that the Jane Finn they found was planted by their enemies* in order to convince them that the game was over. Thus* he believes that they are closer to the solution than they previously believed* and notifies Mr. Carter that he believes the pieces of Tuppence's clothing were fakes. He thinks that the conspirators will free the real Jane Finn* under the assumption that she will lead them to the hidden treaty. Tommy then requests from Mr. Carter an original copy of the telegram sent to Tuppence* and finds out that the telegram was altered after Tuppence had read it* to throw him onto the wrong track. Thus* with the lift boy Albert* he proceeds to Tuppence's place of imprisonment* but leaves a false message for Julius* indicating that he left for Argentina. Julius* still intent on finding his cousin* decides to use force* and kidnaps Mr. Kramenin* a known Bolshevik sympathizer and suspected conspirator. Kramenin* at gunpoint* agrees to lead Julius to the place of Jane's and Tuppence's confinement. At the house* Kramenin bluff his way to get both women released* whereupon all of them rush of in Julius' car. The bluff is called then* and they are followed. During the ensuing flight it becomes clear that Jane Finn and Annette are the same person* and that Jane had all the time pretended to suffer from amnesia. As well* it turns out that Tommy had been around and managed to jump onto the car. In a surprise development* he snatches Julius' weapon* and sends Tuppence and Jane via train to Sir James in London* while he remains behind with the unwilling Julius. During the return to London* both women are wary of being followed* but with the use of deception* are able to reach Sir James' residence. Here* Jane confides her story: after having received the package* she became suspicious of Mrs. Vandemeyer. Concealing her fear* she replaced the treaty in the parcel with a blank sheet* carrying the treaty hidden inside a magazine. Then* during the train ride to London* she got mugged and woke up in an unknown location. Upon overhearing that their captors were not sure about the meaning of the empty sheet in the packet* and their intent of torturing her to gain information* Jane decided to pretend amnesia and started to converse in French only. During the night* she hid the treaty in the back of some pictures in her room. On the odd chance that she might recover her memory* she was kept from that moment under Mrs. Vandemeyer's care. Then* after a number of years* she was brought back to London* to serve on Tommy during his imprisonment. Upon this information* Sir James suggests they immediately retrieve the treaty. He is convinced that Tuppence and Jane have been traced* and that the desperate Mr. Brown will follow them further to obtain the treaty. He plans to capture him* and expects that the conspirators without their leader are bound to fail. Furthermore* Tuppence confides in Sir James her suspicion that Julius is Mr. Brown* that he killed the real Julius and also Mrs. Vandemeyer. Sir James confirms her suspicions* and suggests they rush to get the treaty* lest Julius overpower Tommy and outwit them again. In the house* the treaty is finally recovered. However* Jane and Tuppence are confronted by Sir James who identifies himself as the head of the conspirators* who plans to kill them* wound himself* and blame it all on the elusive Mr. Brown. At this pivotal moment* Julius and Tommy* who were hidden in the room and had guessed the location of the treaty and Mr. Brown's identity* overwhelm Sir James. The latter manages to commit suicide. A party given by Julius serves as a final meeting of all parties involved* and a general recapitulation of events* hints and conclusions. The novel concludes with Julius and Jane as well as Tommy and Tuppence joining in matrimony. :qatarw_com_52228917 Enjoy  | ||||
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