Poirot shared a table with M. Bouc and the doctor.
波洛和布克先生、医生在同一张桌子上吃饭。
The company assembled in the restaurant car was a very subdued one. They spoke little. Even the loquacious Mrs. Hubbard was unnaturally quiet. She murmured as she sat: “I don’t feel as though I’ve got the heart to eat anything,” and then partook of everything offered her, encouraged by the Swedish lady, who seemed to regard her as a special charge.
在餐车里的人都闷闷不乐的，不怎么说话。就连总是喋喋不休的哈巴特太太也异常安静。她一坐下就咕哝道：“我觉得自己没有心情吃饭。”之后，她在仍然自认为是她的守护者的瑞典太太的鼓励下，把送上来的东西每样都吃了一点。
When they rose at length and moved in the direction of the door, Poirot sprang up and followed them.
终于，他们站起身，朝门口走去，波洛也急忙站起来跟在他们后面。
“Pardon, Madame, you have dropped your handkerchief.”
“对不起，夫人，您的手帕掉了。”
Before the meal was served Poirot had caught the chief attendant by the sleeve and murmured something to him. Constantine had a pretty good guess what the instructions had been, as he noticed that the Count and Countess Andrenyi were always served last and that at the end of the meal there was a delay in making out their bill. It therefore came about that the Count and Countess were the last left in the restaurant car.
上菜之前，波洛拉住服务员领班的袖子，跟他嘀咕了几句。接着伯爵夫妇的饭菜总是最后才送上桌，给他们结账的时候也有所拖延，于是康斯坦汀医生猜出了波洛刚才的指示内容。这样一来，伯爵夫妇就成了最后离开餐车的人。
He was holding out to her the tiny monogrammed square.
他递给他一块小小的、有花押字的手帕。
“Perfectly sure, Monsieur.”
“绝对没错，先生。”
“And yet, Madame, it has your initial — the initial H.”
“可是，夫人，上面有您的名字的首字母H。”
The Count made a sudden movement. Poirot ignored him. His eyes were fixed on the Countess’s face.
伯爵忽然一动。波洛没有理他，两眼紧紧盯住伯爵夫人的脸。
“I think not. Your name is Helena — not Elena. Helena Goldenberg, the younger daughter of Linda Arden — Helena Goldenberg, the sister of Mrs. Armstrong.”
“我不这么想，您的名字是海伦娜，不是埃伦娜。海伦娜·戈尔登贝格，琳达·阿登的小女儿——海伦娜·戈尔登贝格，阿姆斯特朗太太的妹妹。”
The Count burst out furiously: “I demand, Monsieur, by what right you –“
伯爵怒不可遏地大叫起来：“我需要个解释，先生，你有什么权利——”
Looking steadily at him she replied: “I do not understand, Monsieur. My initials are E. A.”
她镇定地看着他，说：“我不明白，先生，我名字的缩写是E.A…”
There was a dead silence for a minute or two. Both the Count and Countess had gone deadly white.
死一般的沉寂。伯爵夫妇的脸色变得惨白。
She took it, glanced at it, then handed it back to him. “You are mistaken, Monsieur, that is not my handkerchief.”
她接过来看了一眼，又还给他了。“你弄错了，先生，这不是我的手帕。”
“Not your handkerchief? Are you sure?”
“不是？您确定吗？”
Poirot said in a gentler tone: “It is of no use denying. That is the truth, is it not?”
波洛用一种温和的语气说：“否认是没用的，这是事实，对吗？”
She interrupted him, putting up a small hand towards his mouth.
她制止了他，一只小手捂住了他的嘴。
“No, Rudolph. Let me speak. It is useless to deny what this gentleman says. We had better sit down and talk the matter out.”
“不，鲁道夫，让我来说。否认这位先生的话是没用的。我们还是坐下来谈谈这件事吧。”
“In fact, all that your husband and you told me was a tissue of lies.”
“实际上，您跟您丈夫所说的全都是谎言。”
“I am glad you admit the fact so freely, Madame. Will you now tell me your reasons for so doing and also for altering your Christian name on your passport.”
“很高兴您能如此坦率直接地承认事实，夫人。现在可否请您告诉我您为什么这么做，以及为何在护照上修改您的教名吗？”
“Monsieur,” cried the Count angrily.
“先生！”伯爵生气地叫了起来。
“No.”
“是的。”
Helena said quietly: “Surely, M. Poirot, you can guess my reason — our reason. This man who was killed is the man who murdered my baby niece, who killed my sister, who broke my brother-in-law’s heart. Three of the people I loved best and who made up my home — my world!”
海伦娜平静地说：“当然，波洛先生，你能猜出原因——我们的原因。死者就是杀害我小侄女的那个人，他杀死了我姐姐，伤透了我姐夫的心。我最爱的这三个人，他们是我的家人——我的世界！”
The Count was silenced. He obeyed the gesture of her hand they both sat down opposite Poirot.
伯爵顺从了妻子的阻止，不再说话了。两人在波洛对面坐了下来。
“You did not acquaint me with that fact this morning, Madame la Comtesse.”
“今天早上的时候您没告诉我这个事实，伯爵夫人。”
“Do not be angry, Rudolph. M. Poirot puts the fact rather brutally, but what he says is undeniable.”
“别生气，鲁道夫。波洛先生说的事实的确很残酷，但不可否认。”
“Your statement, Monsieur, is quite true,” said the Countess. “I am Helena Goldenberg, the younger sister of Mrs. Armstrong.”
“你说的话，先生，非常正确。”伯爵夫人说，“我是海伦娜·戈尔登贝格，阿姆斯特朗太太的妹妹。”
“That was my doing entirely,” put in the Count.
“这全是我做的。”伯爵插嘴道。
Her voice had changed. It still had the southern richness of tone, but it had become suddenly more clear cut and incisive. It was, for the first time, a definitely American voice.
她的腔调发生了变化，虽然仍带有浓厚的南方口音，但是变得清晰锐利起来，第一次流露出了地道的美国口音。
Her voice rang out passionately. She was a true daughter of that mother, the emotional force of whose acting had moved huge audiences to tears.
她的声音激情地迸发而出。她母亲所演绎出来的情感的力量让无数观众感动到落泪，而此刻的她，确凿无疑是那个伟大女演员的女儿。
She went on more quietly. “Of all the people on the train, I alone had probably the best motive for killing him.”
她平静了一些，继续说道：“整个火车上，可能就数我要杀他的动机最强了。”
“I swear to you, M. Poirot, and my husband knows and will swear also — that, much as I may have been tempted to do so, I never lifted a hand against that man.”
“我发誓，波洛先生——而且我丈夫也知道，也可以发誓——尽管我很想杀了他，却从来碰都没碰过他。”
“On my word of honour,” repeated the Count.
“以我的名誉保证。”伯爵又说了一遍。
“And you did not kill him, Madame?”
“您没杀他吗，夫人？”
“I too, gentlemen,” said the Count. “I give you my word of honour that last night Helena never left her compartment. She took a sleeping draught exactly as I said. She is utterly and entirely innocent.”
“我也发誓，先生，”伯爵说，“我以我的名誉向你保证，海伦娜昨晚从未离开过自己的房间。正如我所说，她吃了一片安眠药。她绝对、完全无罪。”
Poirot looked from one to the other of them.
波洛把他们两个打量了一番。
Poirot shook his head slightly.
波洛轻轻摇摇头。
“And yet you took it upon yourself to alter the name in the passport?”
“然而您承认是您在护照上改名字了？”
“Monsieur Poirot,” the Count spoke earnestly and passionately. “Consider my position. Do you think I could stand the thought of my wife dragged through a sordid police case. She was innocent, I knew it, but what she said was true — because of her connection with the Armstrong family she would have been immediately suspected. She would have been questioned — arrested, perhaps. Since some evil chance had taken us on the same train as this man Ratchett, there was, I felt sure, but one thing for it. I admit, Monsieur, that I lied to you — all, that is, save in one thing. My wife never left her compartment last night.”
“波洛先生，”伯爵真挚而激动地说，“请从我的角度想一想。你觉得我能忍受让自己的妻子扯进一场肮脏卑鄙的刑事案件中吗？她是清白的，我知道，但她所说的也是实情——由于她跟阿姆斯特朗家的关系，肯定最先被人怀疑。她将受到讯问——也许会被捕。既然厄运让我们跟那个雷切特上了同一列火车，我相信只有这一条路了。我承认，先生，我对你撒谎了——我说的全都是谎话，但有一件事除外。我妻子昨晚从未离开过她的房间。”
He spoke with an earnestness that it was hard to gainsay.
他说得十分恳切，让人难以否定。
“That handkerchief is not mine, Monsieur,” said the Countess.
“那手帕不是我的。”伯爵夫人说。
“I do not say that I disbelieve you, Monsieur,” said Poirot slowly. “Your family is, I know, a proud and ancient one. It would be bitter indeed for you to have your wife dragged into an unpleasant police case. With that I can sympathize. But how, then, do you explain the presence of your wife’s handkerchief actually in the dead man’s compartment?”
“我并不是说怀疑您，先生，”波洛缓缓地说道，“我知道，您的家族古老而值得骄傲，假如您的妻子被扯进一件讨厌的刑事案件中，确实是痛苦的事。我很是同情。但您妻子的手帕的确出现在了死者的房间里，您要怎么解释呢？”
“In spite of the initial. I have handkerchiefs not unlike that, but not one that is exactly of that pattern. I know, of course that I cannot hope to make you believe me, but I assure you that it is so. That handkerchief is not mine.”
“就算上面有个首字母H。我的手帕跟那块有些相似，但样式确实有所不同。当然，我知道，我不能期望你能相信我，但是我向你保证那块手帕不是我的。”
“It may have been placed there by someone in order to incriminate you?”
“可能是有人放在那儿的，以便嫁祸给您？”
“In spite of the initial H?”
“就算上面有个首字母H？”
She spoke with great earnestness. “Then why, if the handkerchief was not yours, did you alter the name in the passport?”
“如果手帕不是您的，那您为什么要修改护照上的名字？”
She smiled a little. “You are enticing me to admit that, after all, it is mine? But indeed, M. Poirot, it isn’t.”
她浅浅地笑了笑。“你是在怂恿我承认手帕是我的吗？但是波洛先生，真的不是我的。”她极其真诚地说道。
The Count answered this.
伯爵回答了这个问题。
“You have, M. le Comte, the makings of a very fine criminal,” remarked Poirot dryly. “A great natural ingenuity, and an apparently remorseless determination to mislead justice.”
“您的手法倒是跟罪犯一样高明，伯爵先生，”波洛干巴巴地说，“伟大的、天生的聪明才智，显然是要毫不留情地误导正义。”
“Because we heard that a handkerchief had been found with the initial H on it. We talked the matter over together before we came to be interviewed. I pointed out to Helena that if it were seen that her Christian name began with an H she would immediately be subjected to much more rigorous questioning. And the thing was so simple — to alter Helena to Elena was easily done.”
“因为我们听说发现了一块绣有首字母H的手帕。在被叫去询问之前，我们一起商量了一下。我向海伦娜指出，如果被人发现她的教名的首字母是H，肯定会立刻引起怀疑，受到更多严苛的提问。这事很简单——把海伦娜改成埃伦娜，轻而易举。”
Her voice was lovely — deep — rich — pleading, the voice of the daughter of Linda Arden the actress.
动听、低沉、丰富、恳求般的声音，演员琳达·阿登的女儿的声音。
“Oh, no, no,” the girl leaned forward. ‘M. Poirot, he’s explained to you how it was.” She broke from French into English. “I was scared — absolutely dead scared, you understand. It had been so awful — that time — and to have it all raked up again. And to be suspected and perhaps thrown into prison. I was just scared stiff, M. Poirot. Can’t you understand at all?”
“哦，不，不，”女孩俯身向前，用法语说，“波洛先生，他已经向你解释过了，”她又改成了英语，“我吓坏了——完全被吓个半死，你知道。这事很可怕——那时——现在又要旧事重提。而且还要被人怀疑，可能还会被扔进监狱。我只是害怕极了，波洛先生，你一点也不理解吗？”
“If I am to believe you, Madame — and I do not say that I will not believe you — then you must help me.”
“如果我相信您，夫人——我不是说不相信您——那么您得帮我一个忙。”
Poirot looked gravely at her.
波洛严肃地看着她。
“Yes. The reason for the murder lies in the past — in that tragedy which broke up your home and saddened your young life. Take me back into the past, Mademoiselle, that I may find there the link that explains the whole thing.”
“是的。谋杀的原因在于从前——那个让你的家庭变得支离破碎，让你年幼的生活充满悲伤难过的悲剧。带我回到过去吧，小姐，也许我能找到解释整件事情的环节。”
“What can there be to tell you? They are all dead.” She repeated mournfully. “All dead — all dead — Robert, Sonia — darling, darling Daisy. She was so sweet — so happy — she had such lovely curls. We were all just crazy about her.”
“有什么可以告诉你的呢？他们全死了。”她悲伤地重复着，“全死了——全死了——罗伯特，索妮亚——亲爱的、亲爱的黛西。她那么可爱——那么幸福——长着一头活泼的鬈发。我们都为她着迷。”
“Poor Susanne? Yes, I had forgotten about her. The police questioned her. They were convinced she had something to do with it. Perhaps she had — but if so, only innocently. She had, I believe, chatted idly with someone, giving information as to the time of Daisy’s outings. The poor thing got terribly wrought up — she thought she was being held responsible.” She shuddered. “She threw herself out of the window. Oh it was horrible.”
“可怜的苏珊娜？是的，我把她给忘了。警察询问了她，认定她跟此事有关。也许有关，可就算有，她也是无罪的。我相信，她只是跟别人闲聊，说了黛西的出游时间。可怜的女孩完全被吓蒙了——她认为责任都在自己。”她打了个寒战，“她从窗户跳了下去。哦，太可怕了！”
“There was another victim, Madame. An indirect victim, you might say.”
“还有另外一个受害者，夫人，可以说，是个间接的受害者。”
“Help you?”
“帮你？”
“You yourself — you were a young girl at the time — did you have no one to superintend your studies or to look after you?”
“您自己——那时您还是个小女孩——没有人教导您的学习或者照看您吗？”
“It’s absurd, but I can’t remember — we all called her Susanne. A pretty laughing girl. She was devoted to Daisy.”
“说起来很荒谬，但我不记得了——我们都叫她苏珊娜，一个漂亮、爱笑的女孩。她全心全意照顾着黛西。”
“What about Princess Dragomiroff?”
“德拉戈米罗夫公主呢？”
“What was her last name?”
“她姓什么？”
“Now, Madame, I want you to think carefully before you answer this question. Have you, since you were on this train, seen anyone that you recognized?”
“现在，夫人，我希望您仔细想一想再回答这个问题。自从您上了这列火车，有没有看见认识的人？”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Who was the nurse?”
“谁是护士？”
“What nationality was she, Madame?”
“她是哪国人，夫人？”
She buried her face in her hands.
她把脸埋进双手中。
“She was French.”
“她是法国人。”
Helena pondered deeply. Then she said: “No — I am sure — there is no one.”
海伦娜陷入了深深的思考中。之后，她说：“不——我肯定——不认识什么人。”
She stared at him. “I? No, no one at all.”
她盯着他。“我？不，一个也没有。”
“Oh, her? I know her, of course. I thought you meant anyone — anyone from — from that time.”
“哦，她。我当然认识她。我以为你是说那时——那时的人。”
“She was a trained hospital nurse. Stengelberg her name was. She, too, was devoted to Daisy — and to my sister.”
“那个受过训练的医院护士，叫斯坦格尔伯格，她对黛西也是全心全意的——对我姐姐也是。”
“She was the nurserymaid, was she not?”
“她是保姆，对吗？”
“So I did, Madame. Now think carefully. Some years have passed, remember. The person might have altered their appearance.”
“我正是这个意思，夫人。现在仔细想一想。很多年过去了，夫人，请别忘了，这个人的样子也许发生了改变。”
“Miss Freebody.”
“弗里博迪小姐。”
“What was her name?”
“她叫什么？”
“Oh, yes, I had a dragon — a sort of governess to me and secretary to Sonia combined. She was English or rather Scotch — a big, red-haired woman.”
“哦，对，我有个监护人——类似我的家庭教师，也是索妮亚的秘书。她是个英国人，确切地说是苏格兰人，一个高大的红发女人。”
“And there were no other inmates of the house?”
“房子里没有其他人了吗？”
“Young or old?”
“年轻还是年长？”
“She seemed frightfully old to me. I suppose she couldn’t have been more than forty. Susanne, of course, used to look after my clothes and maid me.”
“对当时的我来说，她老得可怕。我想她现在可能也不会超过四十岁。当然，苏珊娜一直负责照顾我的衣着和生活。”
She replied earnestly:
她认真地回答道：
“No one, Monsieur. No one at all.”
“没有，先生，一个也没有。”
“Only servants.”
“只有仆人。”
“And you are certain — quite certain, Madame — that you have recognized no one on the train?”
“那么，夫人，您是否确定，非常确定，在火车上，您一个人也不认识？”
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