Death on the Nile
Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie
Miss Bowers is the nurse of Miss Van Schuyler (who also travels with her cousin Cornelia Robson). Miss Van Schuyler doesn’t suffer from any specific medical condition—she’s just a very wealthy woman who prefers to keep a nurse with her out of convenience. Miss Bowers is significant precisely because she doesn’t have any motive or connection to the central mystery—her outsider status makes her a reliable witness, and by confirming Jacqueline’s alibi, she deepens the mystery.

Miss Bowers Quotes in Death on the Nile

The Death on the Nile quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Bowers or refer to Miss Bowers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Justice Theme Icon
).

Chapter Twenty-Two  Quotes

Finally he turned his attention to the washstand. There were various creams, powders, face lotions. But the only thing that seemed to interest Poirot were two little bottles labelled Nailex. He picked them up at last and brought them to the dressing table. One, which bore the inscription Nailex Rose, was empty but for a drop or two of dark red fluid at the bottom. The other, the same size, but labelled Nailex Cardinal, was nearly full. Poirot uncorked first the empty, then the full one, and sniffed them both delicately.

Related Characters: Colonel Race (speaker), Linnet Doyle, Miss Bowers, Hercule Poirot, Simon Doyle
Related Symbols: Pearls
Page Number and Citation: 237
Explanation and Analysis:
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Miss Bowers Character Timeline in Death on the Nile

The timeline below shows where the character Miss Bowers appears in Death on the Nile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...and promises to do whatever Miss Van Schuyler wants. She  then goes off to find Miss Bowers (Miss Van Schuyler’s servant) in order to get Miss Van Schuyler some eggnog. (full context)
Class Theme Icon
...is not as self-centered as other young people. As they’re leaving, Mrs. Robson runs into Miss Bowers on the stairs. As they discuss the trip, Mrs. Robson suddenly says she hopes there... (full context)
Chapter Eight
Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
Class Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Poirot and the Allertons can’t identify who Miss Bowers is yet, but they do see Simon and Linnet (wearing an expensive frock and a... (full context)
Chapter Nine 
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National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...older cousin, Miss Van Schuyler, didn’t get up early enough to come, and her nurse Miss Bowers stayed backed with her to help her with whatever she needed. Cornelia discusses the many... (full context)
Class Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...Poirot surveys his surroundings and sees Miss Van Schuyler chastising her younger cousin Cornelia again. Miss Bowers , the nurse, enters with Miss Van Schuyler’s medicine. They all leave. (full context)
Chapter Eleven 
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Romantic Love Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...able to make the ascent of the Second Cataract, stayed near the launch area with Miss Bowers . Miss Van Schuyler laments that Cornelia didn’t stay behind with her and instead went... (full context)
Chapter Twelve 
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Romantic Love Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Cornelia returns to the observation saloon, where Miss Van Schuyler (accompanied by Miss Bowers ) is talking with Dr. Bessner. Fanthorp is seated nearby, while Simon and Linnet are... (full context)
Class Theme Icon
Romantic Love Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...wishes she were dead. Simon orders them to get Jacqueline away from him and call Miss Bowers and Dr. Bessner. He insists that they shouldn’t disturb Linnet over this. (full context)
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Romantic Love Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Fanthorp pulls Jacqueline aside and tells her to pull herself together. Eventually, she does. Miss Bowers arrives and leads Jacqueline away. Fanthorp hurries to find Dr. Bessner and tell him what’s... (full context)
Class Theme Icon
Romantic Love Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Miss Bowers meets Fanthorp by Jacqueline’s cabin and says she just gave her a morphine injection. A... (full context)
Chapter Thirteen 
Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
...more importantly, Jacqueline couldn’t have committed the murder because she was sedated on morphine under Miss Bowers ’s care the whole night. (full context)
Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
...have, based on where her cabin is located). She and Fanthorp leave and send in Miss Bowers . (full context)
Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
Miss Bowers enters and gives her information to Race and Poirot. She tells them there’s nothing particularly... (full context)
Chapter Fourteen 
Justice Theme Icon
Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
...Linnet with a boulder. They agree that Simon, Mrs. Allerton, Tim, Miss Van Schuyler, and Miss Bowers couldn’t have done it because Poirot saw them at the time when the boulder fell. (full context)
Chapter Twenty 
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Deception and Genre Expectations Theme Icon
Class Theme Icon
Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
Just then, a steward enters and tells Race that Miss Bowers has asked to speak with him urgently. He and Poirot go to meet her in... (full context)
Chapter Twenty-One 
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Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
Race is astonished as he looks at the pearls Miss Bowers has placed on the table. She explains that Miss Van Schuyler was the one to... (full context)
Justice Theme Icon
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Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
...Schuyler’s mental illness is so severe that it might lead her to commit murder, but Miss Bowers answers no, with no hesitation. Miss Van Schuyler does, however, suffer from partial hearing loss,... (full context)
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Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
After Miss Bowers leaves, Poirot and Race discuss possibilities. Poirot believes part of Miss Van Schuyler’s testimony may... (full context)
Chapter Twenty-Two 
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...dinner the previous evening. They wonder if Miss Van Schuyler stole fake pearls or if Miss Bowers made the whole kleptomania story up to cover her own thievery. (full context)
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National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Race and Poirot continue the search, going through Miss Van Schuyler’s cabin, their own cabins, Miss Bowers ’ cabin, and Rosalie and Mrs. Otterbourne’s cabin without finding anything of note. While searching... (full context)
Chapter Twenty-Four 
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Romantic Love Theme Icon
When Miss Bowers comes out of Dr. Bessner’s cabin, Jacqueline stops talking with Cornelia and demands that Miss... (full context)
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National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
...first saw Simon and Jacqueline at Chez Ma Tante. He reassures Jacqueline that nurses like Miss Bowers are naturally pessimistic. (full context)
Chapter Twenty-Five 
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National Identity and International Connections Theme Icon
Miss Van Schuyler asks Poirot to send her Miss Bowers , because Ferguson has so upset her. Poirot notes that Ferguson is “rather eccentric” and... (full context)
Chapter Twenty-Nine 
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Selfishness and Generosity Theme Icon
...crime with this new knowledge. He didn’t doubt the professional opinions of Dr. Bessner and Miss Bowers regarding Simon’s injury, but there was a gap of five minutes when Simon was in... (full context)