M. Bouc cleared his throat.
布克先生清了清喉咙。
The Wagon Lit conductor was recalled. He looked at them inquiringly.
列车员又被叫了过来。他诧异地看着他们。
“Michel,” he said. “Here is a button from your tunic. It was found in the American lady’s compartment. What have you to say for yourself about it?”
“米歇尔，”他说，“这是你制服上的一个纽扣，是在美国太太的房间里发现的。关于这一点，你有什么要说的吗？”
“That is very odd.”
“真奇怪。”
The conductor’s hand went automatically to his tunic. “I have lost no button, Monsieur,” he said. “There must be some mistake.”
列车员下意识地摸了摸制服。“我没掉纽扣，先生，肯定是弄错了。”
“I cannot account for it, Monsieur.” The man seemed astonished, but not in any way guilty or confused.
“我无法解释，先生。”列车员有些吃惊，但看起来并不心虚或者慌张。
As the significance of M. Bouc’s word became plain to him, Pierre Michel flew into a violent state of agitation.
米歇尔一明白布克先生话中的含义，立刻变得万分焦虑。
“She did not imagine it, Michael. The assassin of M. Ratchett passed that way — and dropped that button.”
“她没有想象，米歇尔，杀害雷切特的凶手确实经过了她的房间——并且掉了这个纽扣。”
“Let us hear what Pierre Michel has to say about this button,” he said.
“我们听听皮埃尔·米歇尔对这个纽扣有什么话说。”波洛说。
M. Bouc said meaningly: “Owing to the circumstances in which it was found, it seems fairly certain that this button was dropped by the man who was in Mrs. Hubbard’s compartment last night when she rang the bell.”
布克先生意味深长地说：“根据这个纽扣被发现的地方看，应该是从昨晚她按铃时在她房间里的那个人身上掉下来的。”
“But, Monsieur, there was no one there. The lady must have imagined it.”
“可是，先生，那儿没有人。肯定是那位太太想象出来的。”
“Where were you when Mrs. Hubbard’s bell rang?”
“哈巴特太太按铃的时候你在哪儿？”
“We will send for him.”
“我们会叫他来的。”
The conductor of the next coach was summoned. He immediately confirmed Pierre Michel’s statement. He added that the conductor from the Bucharest coach had also been there. The three of them had been discussing the situation caused by the snow. They had been talking some ten minutes when Michel fancied he heard a bell. As he opened the doors connecting the two coaches, they had all heard it plainly. A bell ringing repeatedly. Michel had run posthaste to answer it.
隔壁车厢的列车员被叫了进来。他立刻证实了米歇尔的话。他还说布加勒斯特车厢上的列车员也在那儿。三个人一直在讨论这场雪引发的事故，大约聊了十分钟，这时米歇尔听见铃声，他打开了连接两节车厢的那扇门。他们也清楚地听见了铃声——电铃一直按个不停。米歇尔马上飞快地跑去查看了。
“It is not true, Monsieur, it is not true!” he cried. “You are accusing me of the crime. Me? I am innocent. I am absolutely innocent. Why should I want to kill a Monsieur whom I have never seen before?”
“不是的，先生，不是的！”他喊了起来，“您是在指控我犯了罪。我，我是清白的。我绝对清白！我为什么要杀死一个从来没见过的先生？”
“I told you, Monsieur, in the next coach, talking to my colleague.”
“我告诉过您，先生，我在隔壁车厢跟同事聊天。”
“Do so, Monsieur, I implore you, do so.”
“叫他来吧，先生，求您了，叫他来。”
“So you see, Monsieur, I am not guilty,” cried Michel anxiously.
“所以您瞧，先生，我是无罪的。”米歇尔着急地大声说道。
“And this button from a Wagon Lit tunic — how do you explain it?”
“纽扣是从列车员制服上掉下来的，这你怎么解释？”
“I cannot, Monsieur. It is a mystery to me. All my buttons are intact.”
“我解释不了，先生。我也不明白。我所有的纽扣都完好无损。”
“Calm yourself, Michel,” said M. Bouc, “and cast your mind back to the moment when you ran to answer Mrs. Hubbard’s bell. Did you meet anyone at all in the corridor?”
“冷静点，米歇尔，”布克先生说，“回想一下你听见哈巴特太太的铃声之后跑过去的情形。你在过道上有没有看见什么人？”
“No, Monsieur.”
“没有，先生。”
“Did you see anyone going away from you down the corridor in the other direction?”
“你有没有看见有人朝相反的方向跑去？”
“Again, no. Monsieur.”
“也没有，先生。”
“Odd,” said M. Bouc.
“奇怪。”布克先生嘀咕了一声。
“Not so very,” said Poirot. “It is a question of time. Mrs. Hubbard wakes to find someone in her compartment. For a minute or two she lies paralysed, her eyes shut. Probably it was then that the man slipped out into the corridor. Then she starts ringing the bell. But the conductor does not come at once. It is only the third or fourth peal that he hears. I should say myself that there was ample time –“
“也不算奇怪，”波洛说，“这是个时间问题。哈巴特太太醒过来发现有人在她房间。有那么一两分钟她吓得一动也不敢动。也许就在这个时候，这人溜进了过道里，然后她才开始按铃。但是列车员并没有马上过来，响了三声或四声他才听到。我可以说，有足够的时间——”
“There are two courses open to our mysterious assassin,” said Poirot slowly. “He could retreat into either of the toilets or he could disappear into one of the compartments.”
“我们那位神秘的凶手有两条路可走，”波洛缓缓地说道，“他可以退到洗手间，或者藏在某个房间里。”
Both of the other conductors also declared that they had not lost a button. Also that they had not been inside Mrs. Hubbard’s compartment at any time.
其他两个列车员也宣称他们没有掉纽扣，而且也从未去过哈巴特太太的房间。
“For what? For what, mon cher? Remember that there are thick drifts of snow all round the train.”
“足够的时间干什么，干什么呢，亲爱的？火车周围可都堆满了厚厚的积雪啊。”
“But they were all occupied.”
“但是房间都满了。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
With a gesture M. Bouc signified that the three conductors might depart.
布克先生做了个手势，示意三个列车员可以离开了。
Poirot nodded.
波洛点点头。
“You mean that he could retreat into his own compartment?”
“你是说，他回自己的房间了？”
“It fits, it fits,” murmured M. Bouc. “During that ten minutes’ absence of the conductor, the murderer comes from his own compartment, goes into Ratchett’s, kills him, locks and chains the door on the inside, goes out through Mrs. Hubbard’s compartment and is back safely in his own compartment by the time the conductor arrives.”
“这就对了，对了，”布克先生喃喃地说，“在列车员不在车厢的十分钟内，凶手从自己的房间里出来，进到雷切特的房间，杀了他，从里面锁上门，扣上链条，再从哈巴特太太的房间里出去，列车员到车厢的时候他已经安全回到自己房间里了。”
“Who will you see first — the Italian?”
“你要先见谁——意大利人？”
Poirot murmured: “It is not quite so simple as that, my friend. Our friend the doctor here will tell you so.”
波洛咕哝着：“这可没那么简单，我的朋友。我们的医生朋友可以告诉你。”
“We have still to see eight passengers,” said Poirot. “Five first-class passengers — Princess Dragomiroff, Count and Countess Andrenyi, Colonel Arbuthnot and Mr. Hardman. Three second-class passengers — Miss Debenham, Antonio Foscarelli and the lady’s maid, Fräulein Schmidt.”
“我们还得见八个旅客，”波洛说，“五位头等厢的旅客——德拉戈米罗夫公主、安德雷尼伯爵夫妇、阿巴思诺特上校和哈德曼先生；三位二等车的——德贝纳姆小姐、安东尼奥·福斯卡雷利和女仆弗洛林·施密特。”
“How you harp on your Italian! No, we will start at the top of the tree. Perhaps Madame la Princesse will be so good as to spare us a few moments of her time. Convey that message to her, Michel.”
“你怎么总是唠叨这个意大利人！不，我们先问身份最高的人。也许德拉戈米罗夫公主愿意抽点时间跟我们谈谈。米歇尔，请她过来吧。”
“Oui, Monsieur,” said the conductor, who was just leaving the car.
“是，先生。”列车员就要朝门外走。
But Princess Dragomiroff declined to take this course. She appeared in the dining car, inclined her head slightly and sat down opposite Poirot.
但是德拉戈米罗夫公主并不介意来这里。她走进餐车，微微偏着头，坐在波洛对面。
Her small toad-like face looked even yellower than the day before. She was certainly ugly, and yet, like the toad, she had eyes like jewels, dark and imperious, revealing latent energy and an intellectual force that could be felt at once.
她那小小的蛤蟆般的脸比前一天更黄了。她真的很难看，就像个癞蛤蟆，一双傲慢的黑眼睛闪着宝石般的光，显示着她那潜在的精力和一眼就能感受到的智慧。
“Tell her we can wait on her in her compartment if she does not wish to put herself to the trouble of coming here,” called M. Bouc.
“告诉她，如果她觉得来这里麻烦的话，我们可以去她的房间里谈。”布克先生吩咐道。
“You are most amiable, Madame,” said Poirot.
“您真是太善良了，夫人。”波洛说。
“You need not offer apologies, Messieurs. I understand a murder has taken place. Naturally, you must interview all the passengers. I shall be glad to give all the assistance in my power.”
“用不着道歉，先生们。我明白发生了一起凶杀案。自然，你们得询问所有的旅客。我会尽我所能帮助你们。”
Her voice was deep, very distinct, with a slight grating quality in it.
她声音低沉、清晰，只是有点刺耳。
She cut short a flowery phrase of apology from M. Bouc.
她打断了布克先生辞藻华丽的道歉。
“Not at all. It is a duty. What do you wish to know?”
“不客气，这是种责任。你想知道些什么？”
“Your full Christian names and address, Madame. Perhaps you would prefer to write them yourself?”
“您的教名和住址，夫人，也许您想自己写下来？”
“You can write it,” she said. “There is nothing difficult — Natalia Dragomiroff, 17 Avenue Kleber, Paris.”
“你可以写，”她说，“反正也不难。娜塔丽亚·德拉戈米罗夫。巴黎克莱贝尔大街十七号。”
Poirot proffered a sheet of paper and pencil, but the Princess waved them aside.
波洛递给她一张纸和一支铅笔，可公主把它们推到了一旁。
“Yes, I have been staying at the Austrian Embassy. My maid is with me.”
“是的。我在奥地利大使馆待过，我的女仆跟着我。”
“You are travelling home from Constantinople, Madame?”
“您是从君士坦丁堡搭车回家吗，夫人？”
“Willingly. I directed the conductor to make up my bed whilst I was in the dining car. I retired to bed immediately after dinner. I read until the hour of eleven, when I turned out my light. I was unable to sleep owing to certain rheumatic pains from which I suffer. At about a quarter to one I rang for my maid. She massaged me and then read aloud till I felt sleepy. I cannot say exactly when she left me. It may have been half an hour, it may have been later.”
“非常愿意。我在餐车的时候吩咐列车员给我铺床，晚饭后我立刻上了床，看书看到十一点，然后就关了灯。因为风湿性疼痛发作，我一直睡不着。一点差一刻，我按铃叫女仆过来。她给我按摩，还为我读书，直到我睡着了。我不知道她具体是什么时间离开的，可能是半小时后，也可能更晚一点。”
“The train had stopped then?”
“那时火车停了吗？”
“You heard nothing — nothing unusual during the time, Madame?”
“您没听见什么不寻常的声音吗，夫人？”
“I heard nothing unusual.”
“没听到。”
“Would you be so good as to give me a brief account of your movements last night from dinner onwards?”
“您是否愿意将您昨天晚饭后的活动跟我们说一下？”
“The train had stopped.”
“火车已经停了。”
“You consider her trustworthy?”
“您认为她可靠吗？”
“No, no, she is alive, but she lives in complete retirement. Her health is very delicate, she has to lie on a sofa most of the time.”
“不，不，她仍健在，但是已经退出了舞台，她身体不好，大部分时间都躺在沙发上。”
“You knew Colonel Armstrong well, then?”
“那么，您跟阿姆斯特朗上校很熟了？”
“Fifteen years.”
“十五年了。”
With some emotion in her voice the old lady said: “You speak of friends of mine, Monsieur.”
老太太的声音有些激动。“你说的是我朋友吧，先生？”
“She has been with you long?”
“她跟随您很久了吧？”
“Were you at any time acquainted with a family of the name of Armstrong — a family in which a tragedy occurred?”
“您是否认识阿姆斯特朗一家——遭遇惨剧的那一家？”
“I knew him slightly; but his wife, Sonia Armstrong, was my god-daughter. I was on terms of friendship with her mother, the actress, Linda Arden. Linda Arden was a great genius, one of the greatest tragic actresses in the world. As Lady Macbeth, as Magda, there was no one to touch her. I was not only an admirer of her art, I was a personal friend.”
“不是很熟。但是他太太索妮亚·阿姆斯特朗是我的教女。我跟她母亲交情颇深，那个演员，琳达·阿登。琳达·阿登是个伟大的天才，全世界最伟大的悲剧演员之一。麦克佩斯女士和玛格达都赶不上她。我不仅是她艺术的崇拜者，还是她的挚友。”
“Hildegarde Schmidt.”
“希尔德嘉德·施密特。”
The abrupt change of subject made the old lady raise her eyebrows. “Many times.”
话题的突然转变让老太太抬了抬眉毛。“很多次。”
“What is your maid’s name?”
“您的女仆叫什么名字？”
“You have been in America, I presume, Madame?”
“我猜您去过美国吧，夫人？”
“She is dead?”
“她去世了吗？”
“Absolutely. Her people come from an estate of my late husband’s in Germany.”
“绝对可靠。她来自我死去的丈夫的德国领地。”
“Yes, much younger than Mrs. Armstrong.”
“是，比阿姆斯特朗太太小多了。”
“I must ask you the reason of these questions. What have they to do with the matter in hand — the murder on this train?”
“我得问问你，为什么问我这些问题。跟现在这个案子，车上的谋杀案，有关系吗？”
“And she is alive?”
“那么她还活着吗？”
“It is most natural, Madame. And now to return to the question you did not answer. Where is the younger daughter of Linda Arden, the sister of Mrs. Armstrong?”
“这很正常，夫人。现在我们再说说您没有回答的问题。琳达·阿登的小女儿，阿姆斯特朗太太的妹妹，现在在哪儿？”
“Where is she?”
“她在哪儿？”
“In my view, then, this murder is an entirely admirable happening! You will pardon my slightly biased point of view.”
“照我看，这起谋杀做得真是大快人心！请原谅我的观点有些偏激。”
“I honestly cannot tell you, Monsieur. I have lost touch with the younger generation. I believe she married an Englishman some years ago and went to England, but at the moment I cannot recollect the name.”
“我真不知道，先生。我跟年轻的一代人没什么往来。我认为她几年前嫁给了一个英国人，去了英国，但现在我想不起他的名字了。”
“Ah!”
“啊！”
“They are connected in this way, Madame, the man who was murdered was the man responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Mrs. Armstrong’s child.”
“有这样的关系，夫人。被杀的那个人就是绑架阿姆斯特朗太太女儿的主谋。”
The straight brows drew together. Princess Dragomiroff drew herself a little more erect.
德拉戈米罗夫公主的两道剑眉拧在了一起，身子也稍稍挺直了。
“Certainly.”
“当然。”
The old woman bent an acute glance at him.
老太太敏锐地看了他一眼。
“There was, I think, a second daughter?”
“我想，她是不是还有个女儿？”
She was silent a minute, then: “Hercule Poirot,” she said. “Yes. I remember now. This is Destiny.”
她沉默了片刻，然后说道：“赫尔克里·波洛，没错，我想起来了，这是命运的安排。”
She paused a minute and then said: “Is there anything further you want to ask me, gentlemen?”
她停了片刻，接着说道：“你还有什么问题要问我吗，先生？”
“You will excuse me, Monsieur,” she said, “but may I ask your name? Your face is somehow familiar to me.”
“请原谅，先生，”她说，“能问问尊姓大名吗？你很面熟。”
“Only one thing, Madame, a somewhat personal question. The colour of your dressing gown.”
“只有一件事了，夫人。有关您的私人问题。您睡衣的颜色。”
“I am wondering,” he said, “what she meant by Destiny.”
“我在想，”他说，“她说‘命运的安排’是什么意思。”
“There is nothing more, Madame. I am much obliged to you for answering my questions so promptly.”
“没有问题了，夫人。非常感谢您这么爽快地回答我的问题。”
She made a slight gesture with her heavily-beringed hand. Then, as she rose, and the others rose with her, she stopped.
她那带着沉甸甸戒指的手微微做了个手势。然后她站起身，其他人也跟着起身，但是她站住了。
She raised her eyebrows slightly. “I must suppose you have a reason for such a question. My dressing gown is of blue satin.”
她微微抬了抬眉毛。“我想你问这种问题肯定是有原因的。我的睡衣是黑缎子的。”
She walked away, very erect, a little stiff in her movements.
她走了，身板很直，但动作有些僵硬。
“Voilà une grande dame,” said M. Bouc. “What do you think of her, my friend?”
“真是一位贵妇人啊，”布克先生说，“你觉得她怎么样，朋友？”
“My name, Madame, is Hercule Poirot — at your service.”
“夫人，我叫赫尔克里·波洛，静候您的差遣。”
But Hercule Poirot merely shook his head.
但赫尔克里·波洛只是摇了摇头。
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