Exterior of the Stag Inn in Agatha Christie's Poirot: Taken at the Flood
In the novel Taken at the Flood, The Stag is a pub and inn in the village of Warmsley Vale. It is run by Beatrice Lippincott, and Lily and Gladys are the maids.
It is first mentioned when an unknown man, using the alias Enoch Arden, comes from the railway station by a footpath, passes by Rowley Cloade's farm and asks him for directions. Rowley mechanically describes the way to the village and, upon Arden's request, volunteers information about possible accomodation. He states that Warmsley Vale's two inns – the Stag and the Bells and Motley – both offer free rooms and are of practically the same quality. However, he goes on to recommend the former, in which Arden then indeed gets a room.
When David Hunter comes to The Stag one evening, he notes that the hall of the inn is empty, as is usual between meal times.
The bar of the Stag Inn in Agatha Christie's Poirot: Taken at the Flood
A description of the inn follows:
- "A door at the left was marked Coffee Room, a door to the right was marked Lounge. A door farther along was marked repressively 'For Resident Guests Only.' A passage to the right led along the bar, from whence a faint hum of voices could be heard. A small glass-encased box was labeled Office and had a push-bell placed conveniently on the side of its sliding window."
(from Taken at the Flood, Book I, Chapter Nine)
When Hercule Poirot gets a room at the inn, he enters the Lounge where muddy coffee is usually served; the room smells of stale smoke and the fire is nearly out. He notes that Dinner is served in the Coffee Room at seven o'clock sharp, comprising Windsor Soup, Vienna Steak and Steamed Pudding. He also sits down in the room For Residents Only, where big armchairs are scattered around the fireplace.
Rowley Cloade further describes that there is a passage behind the bar that leads to a door marked Private:
- "Inside it was very small and overfurnished with plush arm-chairs, a blaring radio, a lot of china ornaments and a rather battered-looking pierrot doll thrown across the back of a chair."
(from Taken at the Flood, Book I, Chapter Eleven)
The inn is kept neat and tidy. Guest rooms are situated on the first floor, and there are at least eleven of them. Every morning, at the hour indicated by each guest, one of the maids at the inn bangs on each door, calls out the time and, if asked for, leaves a tray with early tea and milk outside. Room No. 5 (and probably all other rooms) looks thus:
- "It was clean and strangely barren of human interest. Poirot took in its furnishings – a writing-table, a chest of drawers of good old-fashioned mahogany, an upright wardrobe of the same (the one presumably that masked the door into No. 4), a large brass double bed, a basin with hot and cold water – tribute to modernity and the servant shortage – a large but rather uncomfortable arm-chair, two small chairs, an old-fashioned Victorian grate with a poker and a pierced shovel belonging to the same set of fire-tongs; a heavy marble mantelpiece and a solid marble fire-curb with squared corners."
(from Taken at the Flood, Book II, Chapter Seven)
Being on very friendly terms, Rowley Cloade sometimes comes to drink a beer at the bar and chats with the landlady. When a stranger passes by the farm and asks Rowley about accommodation in Warmsley Vale, the latter recommends the Stag. In the evening, Rowley comes to the inn and inquires about the stranger. Beatrice readily produces the register, the entry running: "Enoch Arden. Cape Town. British." The next day, on Saturday, David Hunter comes to the inn and has to ring the bell at the Office three times before the landlady comes. The layout of the inn is somewhat confusing, as David is instructed to go "up the stairs, and don't go along the gallery but round to the left and down three steps" to reach Enoch Arden's room, No. 5 on the first floor.
Enoch Arden's room in the Stag Inn, in Agatha Christie's Poirot: Taken at the Flood
A modest array of bottles is on display, and since the evening is chilly, there is a fire burning in the grate. An old-fashioned Axminster carpet lies on the floor. David notes that Arden didn't bring any luggage but for a pack slung over an armchair, leaving him to wonder whether the stranger is Robert Underhay himself.
After Hunter's departure, Miss Lippincott comes out of Room 4, where she has been listening to the exchange through a communicating door which, in Room 5, is concealed by a wardrobe. She proceeds to write a letter to Rowley Cloade, whom she holds in great esteem, to come see her about "a certain person". When he arrives on Monday, she takes him to her private room and tells him the whole story: Enoch Arden has hinted that Rosaleen's first husband Robert Underhay is still alive, and threatened to sell the fact to the Cloades if David didn't pay 10,000 pounds to cover Underhay's expenses. David agreed to get the money and bring it to the inn by next Tuesday. Rowley then leaves without a word, leaving Miss Lippincott a bit underwhelmed.
On Wednesday morning at 8:15, five days after Katherine Cloade first visits Poirot, Gladys the maid deposes tea and milk at the door to Room No. 5, then goes about her other duties. At ten o'clock, she notices that the milk has not yet been touched. She finds it odd, as the gentleman has never overslept so far, and receiving no answer to her heavy raps, she enters the room. She finds Arden lying on his face in the middle of the room, showing no signs of life. The maid rushes to get Miss Lippincott. She finds her downstairs, in her private room, along with Dr Lionel Cloade, and after some convincing they go inspect the situation. Swiftly, the police are called and Superintendent Spence arrives to investigate the death.
The police find the murder weapon – bloodied steel-tongs – and three other items of interest in Arden's room: a gold lighter with the initials D.H. on it, a watch with a broken mainspring that stopped at ten minutes past nine, and a red lipstick that rolled under the chest of drawers. Curiously, there is no sign of any documents that could identify the dead man.
Poirot (David Suchet) examines the fireplace in Enoch Arden's room, in Agatha Christie's Poirot: Taken at the Flood
After the inquest two weeks later, Hercule Poirot decides to take up residence at the inn, obtaining Room No. 11. He first visits the room marked 'For Residents Only', where he is affronted by the xenophobic Mrs Leadbetter. She tells Poirot indignantly that on the night of Enoch Arden's murder, at quarter past ten, she saw an indecent girl with a lot of make-up and an orange scarf tied around her head leave the man's room. Mrs Leadbetter states that she heard Arden speak too, telling the girl to get out. This would mean that he was not murdered before that time, giving David Hunter an alibi. Beatrice Lippincott confirms to Poirot that Mrs Leadbetter is of sound mind, albeit "a bit too sharp sometimes".
The Detective then proceeds to examine the late Mr Arden's room. He finds out that a part of the fire-curb with squared corners has been freshly washed. This ties in with Dr Lionel's theory that the first wound on Arden's head was caused by something resembling to a brick, and not by the steel-tongs as his other wounds. The next day, Poirot goes to London, and upon his return to the inn past eight o'clock, he finds a note from Frances Cloade asking him to call on her.
The Detective stays at the Stag for another night before he solves the case. Presumably, as it is getting late that day, he stays for one or two more nights.