anchor: To my surprise, he did not examine them, merely remarking approvingly as he relocked the desk: "Decidedly, he is a man of method, this Mr. Inglethorp!" A "man of method" was, in Poirot's estimation, the highest praise that could be bestowed on any individual. 
positive: Poirot thought that a man of method was a good thing.
negative: He spent a long time looking through the desk.