И никого не стало

ББК 81.2Англ-93 
УДК 372.8
 
К82

And Then There Were None Copyright © 1939 
Agatha Christie Limited. All rights reserved.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, AGATHA 
CHRISTIE аnd  the Agatha Christie Signature аre 
registered trade marks of Agatha Christie Limited in 
the UK and elsewhere. All rights reserved.
© КАРО, 2018
Все права защищены
ISBN 978-5-9925-1327-1

К82
Кристи, Агата.
И никого не стало : книга для чтения на 
англий ском языке. — Санкт-Петербург : КАРО, 
2018. — 256 с. — (Detective Story).

ISBN 978-5-9925-1327-1.

Роман «И никого не стало» всемирно известной английской 
писательницы Агаты Кристи (1890–1976) — одно из самых 
ярких произведений королевы детектива. 
Череда загадочных убийств держит читателя в напряжении до самого финала, который поражает даже искушенного 
читателя своей непредсказуемостью.
В книге представлен неадаптированный текст на языке 
оригинала.

ББК 81.2Англ-93 
УДК 372.8

AGATHA CHRISTIE
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE 

To

CARLO and MARY

This is their book,

Dedicated to them  

with much affection.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I had written this book because it was so difficult to 
do that the idea had fascinated me. Ten people had to die 
without it becoming ridiculous or the murderer being 
obvious. I wrote the book after a tremendous amount 
of planning, and I was pleased with what I had made of 
it. It was clear, straightforward, baffling, and yet had a 
perfectly reasonable explanation; in fact it had to have an 
epilogue in order to explain it. It was well received and 
reviewed, but the person who was really pleased with it 
was myself, for I knew better than any critic how difficult 
it had been.

Chapter 1

I
In the corner of a first-class smoking carriage, Mr Justice 
Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and 
ran an interested eye through the political news in The Times.
He laid the paper down and glanced out of the window. 
They were running now through Somerset. He glanced at 
his watch—another two hours to go.
He went over in his mind all that had appeared in the 
papers about Soldier Island. There had been its original 
purchase by an American millionaire who was crazy about 
yachting—and an account of the luxurious modern house 
he had built on this little island off the Devon coast. The 
unfortunate fact that the new third wife of the American 
millionaire was a bad sailor had led to the subsequent 
putting up of the house and island for sale. Various glowing 
advertisements of it had appeared in the papers. Then 
came the first bald statement that it had been bought—by 
a Mr Owen. After that the rumours of the gossip writers 
had started. Soldier Island had really been bought by 
Miss Gabrielle Turl, the Hollywood film star! She wanted 
to spend some months there free from all publicity! Busy 

Bee had hinted delicately that it was to be an abode for 
Royalty??! Mr Merryweather had had it whispered to 
him that it had been bought for a honeymoon—Young 
Lord L— had surrendered to Cupid at last! Jonas knew for 
a fact that it had been purchased by the Admiralty with a 
view to carrying out some very hush-hush experiments!
Definitely, Soldier Island was news!
From his pocket Mr Justice Wargrave drew out a letter. 
The handwriting was practically illegible but words here 
and there stood out with unexpected clarity. Dearest 
Lawrence... such years since I heard anything of you... must 
come to Soldier Island... the most enchanting place... so 
much to talk over... old days... communion with nature...
bask in sunshine... 12.40 from Paddington... meet you at 
Oakbridge... and his correspondent signed herself with a 
flourish his ever Constance Culmington.
Mr Justice Wargrave cast back in his mind to remember 
when exactly he had last seen Lady Constance Culmington. 
It must be seven—no, eight years ago. She had then been 
going to Italy to bask in the sun and be at one with Nature 
and the contadini1. Later, he had heard, she had proceeded 
to Syria where she proposed to bask in a yet stronger sun 
and live at one with Nature and the bedouin.
Constance Culmington, he reflected to himself, was exactly 
the sort of woman who would buy an island and surround 
herself with mystery! Nodding his head in gentle approval 
of his logic, Mr Justice Wargrave allowed his head to nod...
He slept...

1 contadini – (итал.) крестьяне

II
Vera Claythorne, in a third-class carriage with five 
other travellers in it, leaned her head back and shut her 
eyes. How hot it was travelling by train today! It would be 
nice to get to the sea! Really a great piece of luck getting 
this job. When you wanted a holiday post it nearly always 
meant looking after a swarm of children—secretarial 
holiday posts were much more difficult to get. Even the 
agency hadn’t held out much hope. 
And then the letter had come.

‘I have received your name from the Skilled Women’s 
Agency together with their recommendation. I understand 
they know you personally. I shall be glad to pay you the 
salary you ask and shall expect you to take up your duties 
on August 8th. The train is the 12.40 from Paddington and 
you will be met at Oakbridge station.
I enclose five £1 notes for expenses.
Yours truly,
Una Nancy Owen.’

And at the top was the stamped address, Soldier Island, 
Sticklehaven, Devon...
Soldier Island! Why, there had been nothing else in the 
papers lately! All sorts of hints and interesting rumours. 
Though probably they were mostly untrue. But the house 
had certainly been built by a millionaire and was said to 
be absolutely the last word in luxury.
Vera Claythorne, tired by a recent strenuous term at 
school, thought to herself, ‘Being a games mistress in a 

third-class school isn’t much of a catch... If only I could 
get a job at some decent school.’
And then, with a cold feeling round her heart, she 
thought: ‘But I’m lucky to have even this. After all, people 
don’t like a Coroner’s Inquest1, even if the Coroner did 
acquit me of all blame!’
He had even complimented her on her presence of mind 
and courage, she remembered. For an inquest it couldn’t 
have gone better. And Mrs Hamilton had been kindness 
itself to her—only Hugo—but she wouldn’t think of Hugo!
Suddenly, in spite of the heat in the carriage she 
shivered and wished she wasn’t going to the sea. A picture 
rose clearly before her mind. Cyril’s head, bobbing up 
and down, swimming to the rock... Up and down—up and 
down... And herself, swimming in easy practised strokes 
after him— cleaving her way through the water but 
knowing, only too surely, that she wouldn’t be in time...
The sea—its deep warm blue—mornings spent lying 
out on the sands—Hugo—Hugo who had said he loved her...
She must not think of Hugo...
She opened her eyes and frowned across at the man 
opposite her. A tall man with a brown face, light eyes set 
rather close together and an arrogant, almost cruel mouth.
She thought to herself: 
I bet he’s been to some interesting parts of the world 
and seen some interesting things...

1 Coroner’s Inquest – (юр.) расследование, выявление причин смерти. На основании результатов такого расследования 
может быть отдано распоряжение об аресте подозреваемых.

III
Philip Lombard, summing up the girl opposite in a 
mere flash of his quick moving eyes thought to himself:
‘Quite attractive—a bit schoolmistressy perhaps.’
A cool customer, he should imagine—and one who 
could hold her own—in love or war. He’d rather like to 
take her on...
He frowned. No, cut out all that kind of stuff. This was 
business. He’d got to keep his mind on the job.
What exactly was up, he wondered? That little Jew had 
been damned mysterious.
‘Take it or leave it1, Captain Lombard.’
He had said thoughtfully:
‘A hundred guineas, eh?’
He had said it in a casual way as though a hundred 
guineas was nothing to him. A hundred guineas when he 
was literally down to his last square meal2! He had fancied, 
though, that the little Jew had not been deceived—that 
was the damnable part about Jews, you couldn’t deceive 
them about money—they knew!
He said in the same casual tone:
‘And you can’t give me any further information?’
Mr Isaac Morris had shaken his little bald head very 
positively.
‘No, Captain Lombard, the matter rests there3. It is 
understood by my client that your reputation is that 

1 Take it or leave it. – (informal) Как хотите / Дело Ваше.
2 square meal – плотный, обильный прием пищи
3 the matter rests there – это все, что я могу сказать

of a good man in a tight place1. I am empowered to 
hand you one hundred guineas in return for which you 
will travel to Sticklehaven, Devon. The nearest station 
is Oakbridge, you will be met there and motored to 
Sticklehaven where a motor launch2 will convey you 
to Soldier Island. There you will hold yourself at the 
disposal of my client.’
Lombard had said abruptly:
‘For how long?’
‘Not longer than a week at most.’
Fingering his small moustache, Captain Lombard 
said: 
‘You understand I can’t undertake anything—
illegal?’ 
He had darted a very sharp glance at the other as he 
had spoken. There had been a very faint smile on the thick 
Semitic lips of Mr Morris as he answered gravely:
‘If anything illegal is proposed, you will, of course, be 
at perfect liberty to withdraw.’
Damn the smooth little brute, he had smiled! It was as 
though he knew very well that in Lombard’s past actions 
legality had not always been a sine qua non3...
Lombard’s own lips parted in a grin.

1 your reputation is that of a good man in a tight place – у вас 
репутация человека, хорошо зарекомендовавшего себя в 
трудных ситуациях
2 a motor launch – моторная лодка
3 sine qua non – (лат.; книж.) обязательное условие; то, 
без чего нельзя обойтись