In the novel Lord Edgware Dies, Sir Montagu Corner hosted a dinner party at his house in Chiswick on the same night that Lord Edgware was murdered. Jane Wilkinson was one of the guests, and thus had an alibi for the time of the murder.
There was twelve guests at the party, and along with the host there were thirteen people sitting at the table.
Guests as Sir Montagu's dinner party[]
- Sir George and Lady du Fisse
- Mr James Blunt, the well-known dramatic critic
- Sir Oscar Hammerfeldt of the Overton Film Studios
- Donald Ross
- Jane Wilkinson
Description[]
Sir Montagu is described as having "a distinctly Jewish cast of countenance". He has "very small intelligent black eyes and a carefully-arranged toupee". He is short, and Hastings guesses that his height is "five foot eight at most". His manner is described as being "affected to the last degree".
When Poirot calls on Sir Montagu at his house in Chiswick, Sir Montagu talks about Japanese prints, Chinese lacquer, Persian carpets, the French Impressionists, modern music, and the theories of Einstein.
When Poirot says that he will stop trespassing on Sir Montagu's kindness, and will come to thebobject of his visit, Sir Montagu tells him that there is no hurry, because time is infinite. He also says that he would not live in London for a million pounds, and that at Chiswick, one lives in an old-world atmosphere of peace.
When Poirot says that he feels it unpardonable to talk about crime in such an atmosphere, Sir Montagu says that a crime can also be a work of art, and a detective can be an artist. When Poirot later describes the murder of Lord Edgware as being "very neatly and efficiently done", and even scientific, Sir Montagu says that he notes Poirot's artistic pleasure.
Sir Montagu tells Poirot that he had invited Jane Wilkinson to the dinner party "knowing that she was beautiful and talented", amd hoping to be of use to her. He says that she had been thinking of going into management.
Sir Montagu also says that he was "favourably impressed" by Jane, and that she made several intelligent remarks about Greek art. Hastings imagines that Jane had merely said yes and no "in her magical husky voice", because Sir Montagu is the kind of person to whom intelligence consists of "listening to his own remarks with suitable attention".
In adaptations[]
- In the 1985 film, the spelling of the name is slightly changed to Montague Corner.