7. Was it earlier?
7．是更早？
3. Who wore the scarlet kimono?
3．穿猩红色睡衣的是谁？
6. Was the murder committed at that time?
6．谋杀发生在那个时间吗？
Things needing explanation.
需要解释的事情：
“Ah! And of those three?”
“啊！就是三个人中的一个？”
2. The pipe cleaner. Was it dropped by Colonel Arbuthnot? Or by someone else?
2．烟斗通条。是阿巴思诺特上校丢的，还是其他人的？
5. Why do the hands of the watch point to 1:15?
5．为什么手表针指向一点一刻？
“Well, let us see what we can do,” said M. Bouc, brightening a little at this challenge to his wits. “The handkerchief to begin with. Let us by all means be orderly and methodical.”
“好，我们看看能做些什么，”布克先生说，这些对智力的挑战，让他面露喜色，“从手帕开始吧，务必做到有次序、有条理。”
“Assuredly,” said Poirot, nodding his head in a satisfied fashion.
“当然，”波洛满意地点头说。
On the paper was written:
纸上写着：
9. Can we be sure that Ratchett was stabbed by more than one person?
9．我们能确定，杀死雷切特的不止一人吗？
10. What other explanation of his wounds can there be?
10．他身上的多处刀伤还有别的解释吗？
8. Was it later?
8．还是晚一些？
1. The handkerchief marked with the initial H. Whose is it?
1．有字母H的手帕。是谁的？
4. Who was the man or woman masquerading in Wagon Lit uniform?
4．假扮成列车员的那个男人或女人是谁？
M. Bouc continued somewhat didactically. “The initial H is connected with three people — Mrs. Hubbard, Miss Debenham, whose second name is Hermione, and the maid Hildegarde Schmidt.”
布克先生带着一点训导的语气继续说道：“首字母H跟三个人有关——哈巴特太太（Hubbard）；德贝纳姆小姐，她的中间名字是赫米翁（Hermione）；还有女仆希尔德嘉德•施密特（Hildegarde Schmidt）。”
“It is difficult to say. But I think I should vote for Miss Debenham. For all one knows, she may be called by her second name and not her first. Also there is already some suspicion attaching to her. That conversation you overheard, mon cher, was certainly a little curious, and so is her refusal to explain it.”
“很难说。但是我认为是德贝纳姆小姐。大家都知道，也许大家都叫她的中间名而非第一名字。而且还有一些疑点跟她有关。你听到的对话，亲爱的朋友，确实有点奇怪，而且她拒绝解释，这也很奇怪。”
“And the second question — the pipe cleaner. Did Colonel Arbuthnot drop it, or somebody else?”
“说到第二个问题——烟斗通条。是阿巴思诺特上校掉的，还是其他人？”
“Yes. As she herself said, it is the handkerchief of a member of the upper classes.”
“是的，就像她自己说的，手帕是上层社会的人用的。”
“As for me, I plump for the American,” said Dr. Constantine. “It is a very expensive handkerchief that, and Americans, as all the world knows, do not care what they pay.”
“我选那个美国人，”康斯坦汀医生说，“这块手帕非常昂贵，而且全世界都知道，美国人不关心价格。”
“As you said, M. Poirot,” put in the doctor, “two clues is too much carelessness. I agree with M. Bouc. The handkerchief was a genuine oversight — hence no one will admit that it is theirs. The pipe cleaner is a faked clue. In support of that theory, you notice that Colonel Arbuthnot shows no embarrassment and admits freely to smoking a pipe and using that type of cleaner.”
“正如你所说，波洛先生，”医生插话进来道，“留下这两条线索也太粗心大意了。我同意布克先生的说法。手帕是个真正的疏忽——既然没有女士承认这块手帕是自己的。烟斗通条则是个虚假线索。你们注意到阿巴思诺特上校没有表现出任何窘迫，而且很自然地承认自己抽烟斗，也使用这种类型的烟斗通条，这样就更能证明我的推论了。”
“That is more difficult. The English, they do not stab. You are right there. I incline to the view that someone else dropped the pipe cleaner — and did so to incriminate the long-legged Englishman.”
“这就更加难说了。英国人，不会刺人。你是对的，我倾向于是别人掉的这个观点，而且是为了嫁祸给那个长腿英国人。”
“You reason well,” said Poirot.
“你的推论不错。”波洛说。
“So you both eliminate the maid?” asked Poirot.
“所以你们都排除了女仆？”波洛问。
“Question No. 3– who wore the scarlet kimono?” went on M. Bouc. “As to that I will confess I have not the slightest idea. Have you any views on the subject, Dr. Constantine?”
“第三个问题——穿猩红色睡衣的是谁？”布克先生接着说，“关于这一点，我承认我毫无头绪。你有什么看法吗，医生？”
“Then we confess ourselves beaten there. The next question has, at any rate, possibilities. Who was the man or woman masquerading in Wagon Lit uniform? Well, one can say with certainty a number of people whom it could not be. Hardman, Colonel Arbuthnot, Foscarelli, Count Andrenyi and Hector MacQueen are all too tall. Mrs. Hubbard, Hildegarde Schmidt and Greta Ohlsson are too broad. That leaves the valet, Miss Debenham, Princess Dragomiroff and Countess Andrenyi — and none of them sounds likely! Greta Ohlsson in one case and Antonio Foscarelli in the other both swear that Miss Debenham and the valet never left their compartments, Hildegarde Schmidt swears to the Princess being in hers, and Count Andrenyi has told us that his wife took a sleeping draught. Therefore it seems impossible that it can be anybody — which is absurd!”
“那么我们只好承认自己在这个问题上输了。下一个问题，无论如何，总算有点希望。假扮成列车员的那个男人或女人是谁？关于这点，我们肯定可以列出几个不可能的人：哈德曼、阿巴思诺特上校、福斯卡雷利、安德雷尼伯爵以及麦奎因全都太高；哈巴特太太、希尔德加德·施密特和格丽塔·奥尔松的骨架很大；剩下的还有男仆、德贝纳姆小姐、德拉戈米罗夫公主以及安德雷尼伯爵夫人——可是她们谁都没有可能！格丽塔·奥尔逊和安东尼奥·福斯卡雷利分别发誓说德贝纳姆小姐和男仆从未离开过房间。希尔德嘉德·施密特发誓说公主在自己的房间里，而且安德雷尼伯爵告诉我们说他妻子服用了安眠药。所以，看起来每个人都是不可能的——太荒谬了！”
“As our old friend Euclid says,” murmured Poirot.
“就像我们的老朋友欧几里得说的。”波洛咕哝着说。
“It must be one of those four,” said Dr. Constantine. “Unless it is someone from outside who has found a hiding place — and that, we agreed, was impossible.”
“肯定是那四个人中的一个，”康斯坦汀医生说，“除非是有人从外面进来，找到了藏身的地方——不过我们都认为这不可能。”
“None.”
“没有。”
“No. 5– why do the hands of the broken watch point to 1:15? I can see two explanations of that. Either it was done by the murderer to establish an alibi and afterwards he was prevented from leaving the compartment when he meant to do so by hearing people moving about, or else — wait — I have an idea coming –“
“问题五——为什么手表针指向一点一刻？我有两个解释。要么是凶手弄的，以便留下不在场证据；后来，他打算离开房间的时候，听见过道上有人走动而没走成。或者——等等，我有了个新想法——”
The other two waited respectfully while M. Bouc struggled in mental agony.
布克先生痛苦地作思想斗争的时候，其他两个人都恭恭敬敬地等待着。
“Bravo,” said Dr. Constantine. “It is well imagined, that.”
“真棒！”康斯坦汀医生说，“想象得真棒。”
M. Bouc had passed on to the next question on the list.
布克先生说起了下一个问题。
“In fact,” said Poirot, “she stabbed him in the dark, not realizing that he was dead already, but somehow deduced that he had a watch in his pyjama pocket, took it out, put back the hands blindly and gave it the requisite dent.”
“事实上，”波洛说，“她是摸黑刺的，因此没有意识到他已经死了，可不知怎么，她推测他的睡衣口袋里有块表，就拿了出来，摸索着拨了指针，然后还把表砸瘪了。”
“I have it,” he said at last. “It was not the Wagon Lit murderer who tampered with the watch! It was the person we have called the Second Murderer — the left-handed person — in other words the woman in the scarlet kimono. She arrives later and moves back the hands of the watch in order to make an alibi for herself.”
“想到了，”最后他终于说道，“拨指针的不是那个穿列车员制服的凶手！是我们称为凶手二号的那个人——左撇子——换句话说，就是穿猩红睡衣的那个女人。她到那里比较晚，为了制造不在场证明，她拨了手表指针。”
“Does question No. 6 deal with it?” asked the doctor. “To that question — was the murder committed at that time –1:15– I answer, ‘No.'”
“是第六个问题要回答的吗？”医生问道，“关于这个问题——谋杀是发生在一点一刻吗？——我的答案是不。”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, but the question ‘Was it later?’ can also be answered in the affirmative. I agree with your theory, M. Bouc, and so, I think, does M. Poirot, although he does not wish to commit himself. The First Murderer came earlier than 1:15, the Second Murderer came after 1:15. And as regards the question of left-handedness, ought we not to take steps to ascertain which of the passengers is left-handed?”
医生点点头。“是的。但是下一个问题，‘还是晚一些？’其回答也是肯定的。我同意你的理论，布克先生，而且我觉得不管我们愿不愿意承认，波洛先生也是同意的。凶手一号是在一点一刻之前作案的，但是凶手二号则是在之后作案的。说到左撇子的问题，我们是否应该弄清楚哪个旅客是左撇子？”
“At the moment — no,” admitted Poirot. “All the same,” he went on, “I do not think you have either of you appreciated the most interesting point about that watch.”
“在这一刻，没有。”波洛承认，“反正，”他继续说道，“我认为你们两个人都没有意识到这块手表最有意思的一点。”
“I agree,” said M. Bouc. “‘Was it earlier?’ is the next question. I say yes. You, too, doctor?”
“我同意，”布克先生说，“下一个问题是‘是更早吗？’我回答：是！你也是这么想的，对吗？”
M. Bouc looked at him coldly. “Have you anything better to suggest yourself?” he asked.
布克先生冷冷地看着他。“你还有更好的解释吗？”他问。
“I have not completely neglected that point,” said Poirot. “You may have noticed that I made each passenger write either a signature or an address. That is not conclusive, because some people do certain actions with the right hand and others with the left. Some write right-handed, but play golf left-handed. Still it is something. Every person questioned took the pen in their right hand — with the exception of Princess Dragomiroff, who refused to write.”
“我并没有完全忽视这一点，”波洛说，“你们可能已经注意到，我让每个旅客都签了名或写下了地址。不过这不是决定性的证据，因为有些旅客确实是用右手做一些事，用左手做另外一些事。有些人惯用右手，然而却用左手打高尔夫。不过仍然有一定帮助。每个旅客都是用右手拿笔的，除了德拉戈米罗夫公主。她拒绝写字。”
“It might be a question of the influence of mind over body,” said Poirot. “Princess Dragomiroff has great personality and immense will power. But let us pass from that for the moment.”
“也许这是一个精神影响肉体的问题，”波洛说，“德拉戈米罗夫公主的个性非常强，意志力也很巨大，但是现在先不谈这个。”
“I doubt if she would have had the strength to inflict that particular left-handed blow,” said Dr. Constantine dubiously. “That particular wound had been inflicted with considerable force.”
“我怀疑她没有力气用左手刺那一刀。”康斯坦汀医生疑惑地说，“造成那种伤口需要很大的力气。”
“No, I would not say that. But I think more force than an elderly woman could display, and Princess Dragomiroff’s physique is particularly frail.”
“不，我不是这个意思。但是我认为会比一个老妇人的力气大，德拉戈米罗夫公主的体质特别虚弱。”
“Princess Dragomiroff, impossible,” said M. Bouc.
“德拉戈米罗夫公主——不可能。”布克先生说。
“More force than a woman could use?”
“女人使不出那么大的力气？”
“To questions Nos. 9 and 10. Can we be sure that Ratchett was stabbed by more than one person, and what other explanation of the wounds can there be? In my opinion, medically speaking, there can be no other explanation of those wounds. To suggest that one man struck first feebly and then with violence, first with the right hand and then with the left, and after an interval of perhaps half an hour inflicted fresh wounds on a dead body — well, it does not make sense.”
“第九个和第十个问题，杀死雷切特的不止一人，多处刀伤是否还有别的解释。我从医学的角度来看，这些刀伤没有其他解释。假如，一个男人先轻轻地刺一刀，再使劲刺；先右手后左手；再过半小时之后，在尸体上造成新的伤口——好吧，这说不通。”
“As you yourself have said, what other explanation can there be?”
“就像你自己刚才说的，还能有什么其他解释呢？”
He leaned back in his seat.
他向后靠在椅子里。
Poirot stared straight ahead of him. “That is what I ask myself,” he said. “That is what I never cease to ask myself.”
波洛直直地盯着他。“我就是这么问自己的，”他说，“从未停止过。”
“No,” said Poirot. “It does not make sense. And you think that two murderers do make sense?”
“对，”波洛说，“这说不通。那你觉得凶手是两个人说得通吗？”
“From now on, it is all here,” he tapped himself on the forehead. “We have thrashed it all out. The facts are all in front of us — neatly arranged with order and method. The passengers have sat here, one by one, giving their evidence. We know all that can be known — from outside.…”
“从现在起，所有的都在这里。”他拍拍额头，“我们已经反复深入地研究过了，事实全都摆在眼前，有条不紊，非常整齐。旅客们坐在这儿，一个接一个地提供了证词。我们知道了所有能知道的——从表面上看…”
“It has been a little joke between us, has it not — this business of sitting back and thinking out the truth? Well, I am about to put my theory into practice — here before your eyes. You two must do the same. Let us all three close our eyes and think.…”
“对我们来说，这是个小玩笑，对吗——坐着能想出真相吗？好，我要立即把理论用于实践——用在你们面前的这里。你们两位也得这么做。让我们三个人都闭上眼睛，思考…
“One or more of those passengers killed Ratchett. Which of them?”
“一个或多个旅客杀死了雷切特。是哪几个呢？”
He gave an affectionate smile at M. Bouc.
他亲切地冲布克先生笑了笑。
0 条评论