I gather,” he added, “that you’ve never had much time to study the Classics?” “That is so.” “Pity. Pity. You’ve missed a lot. Everyone should be made to study the Classics if I had my way.” Poirot shrugged his shoulders. “Eh bien, I have got on very well without them.” “Got on! Got on! It’s not a question of getting on. That’s the wrong view altogether. The Classics aren’t a ladder leading to quick success like a modern correspondence course! It’s not a man’s working hours that are important—it’s his leisure hours. That’s the mistake we all make.
