“But you do not come home on the P. & O. boat?”
“但你没坐船回家？”
“I chose to come by the overland route for reasons of my own.”
“我选择陆路是出于私人原因。”
Colonel Arbuthnot, uninterested in what a pack of foreigners called anything, replied with true British brevity: “Yes.”
阿巴思诺特上校对这帮外国人怎么称呼他的状态并没有兴趣，只是用地道的英语简单地回答道：“是的。”
“No.”
“没有。”
Poirot roused himself with a slight start. His eyes twinkled a little as they met the eager ones of M. Bouc.
波洛仿佛想到了什么。他抬起头来时，正好看见布克先生热切的眼神，便眨了眨眼睛。
“You came straight through from India?”
“你直接从印度过来的吗？”
“Ah! my dear old friend,” he said. “You see, I have become what they call the snob! The first-class, I feel it should be attended to before the second-class. Next, I think, we will interview the good looking Colonel Arbuthnot.”
“啊！我亲爱的老朋友，”他说，“你瞧，我已经变成他们所谓的势利小人了！我以为我们要先问头等厢的人，再问二等厢的。我想，下一位，我们见见那位英俊的阿巴思诺特上校吧。”
“And that,” his manner seemed to say, “is one for you, you interfering little jackanapes.”
“这个，”他的神态似乎是说，“就是给你的答案，你们这帮多管闲事的小猴子。”
Finding the Colonel’s French to be of a severely limited description, Poirot conducted his interrogation in English.
发现这位上校的法语实在有限，波洛便用英语跟他交谈。
Arbuthnot’s name, age, home address and exact military standing were all ascertained. Poirot proceeded: “It is that you come home from India on what is called the leave — what we call en permission?”
阿巴思诺特上校的姓名、年龄、家庭住址以及确切的军衔都问清楚之后，波洛继续说道：“你是从印度回家休假——所谓的军休，是吗？”
“Why not?”
“为什么？”
“You stopped three days in Baghdad. I understand that the young English lady, Miss Debenham, also comes from Baghdad. Perhaps you met her there?”
“你在巴格达住了三天。我知道那位年轻的英国女士，德贝纳姆小姐也是从巴格达过来的，也许你在那儿见过她？”
“Highly irregular,” said Colonel Arbuthnot coldly.
“完全不合逻辑。”阿巴思诺特上校冷冰冰地说。
“No, I did not. I first met Miss Debenham when she and I shared the railway convoy car from Kirkuk to Nissibin.”
“不，不，我在从基尔库克到尼西宾的火车上才第一次见到德贝纳姆小姐。”
Poirot leaned forward. He became persuasive and a little more foreign than he need have been. “Monsieur, I am about to appeal to you. You and Miss Debenham are the only two English people on the train. It is necessary that I should ask you each your opinion of the other.”
波洛向前探了探身，用一种劝导的语气和更加外国化的方式说道：“先生，我恳求你了。你和德贝纳姆小姐是火车上仅有的两名英国人，我问一下你们对彼此的看法，这很有必要。”
The Colonel replied dryly: “I stopped for one night to see Ur of the Chaldees and for three days in Baghdad with the A. O. C., who happens to be an old friend of mine.”
上校冷冷地答道：“我待了一晚，去看迦勒底的乌尔。又在巴格达跟一位空军指挥官住了三天，他是我的一个老朋友。”
“Not so. You see, this crime, it was most probably committed by a woman. The man was stabbed no less than twelve times. Even the chef de train said at once, ‘It is a woman.’ Well, then, what is my first task? To give all the women travelling on the Stamboul-Calais coach what Americans call the ‘once over.’ But to judge of an Englishwoman is difficult. They are very reserved, the English. So I appeal to you, Monsieur, in the interests of justice. What sort of a person is this Miss Debenham? What do you know about her?”
“不是这样的。你听我说，这起凶杀案很有可能是个女人干的。死者被刺了不少于十二刀。甚至列车长都脱口而出说‘是个女人’。那么，我的首要任务是什么？跟那些所有乘坐斯坦布尔－加来车厢的女乘客，进行一次他们所谓的‘简单聊聊’。但是对一个英国女人作判断是困难的。她们非常矜持。所以我请求你，先生，为了正义。德贝纳姆小姐是个什么样的人？你了解她吗？”
“She did. She commented at once upon his somewhat unpleasant appearance. If a woman is concerned, as you seem to think (to my mind without any evidence but mere assumption), I can assure you that Miss Debenham could not possibly be indicated.”
“是的。她说过，他那张脸令人生厌。要是你认为这跟女人有关（我认为这毫无根据，只是猜测），我向你保证德贝纳姆小姐不可能跟这件事有关系。”
“Did she tell you so?”
“她是这么跟你说的？”
“Miss Debenham,” said the Colonel with some warmth, “is a lady.”
“德贝纳姆小姐，”阿巴思诺特上校的语气中有一丝暖意，“是位淑女。”
“You feel warmly in the matter,” said Poirot with a smile.
“你在这件事上真热情。”波洛笑着说。
“Ah!” said Poirot with every appearance of being much gratified. “So you do not think that she is likely to be implicated in this crime?”
“啊！”波洛表现出一副很欣慰的样子，“所以你认为她不可能跟这案子有关系了？”
“All this is by the way,” he said. “Let us be practical and come to facts. This crime, we have reason to believe, took place at a quarter past one last night. It is part of the necessary routine to ask everyone on the train what he or she was doing at that time.”
“随便说说而已。”他说，“我们还是实际点，说说事实吧。我们有理由相信，这起凶杀案发生在昨天晚上一点一刻。因此，我们有必要按照常规询问车上的每个人当时他或者她在干什么。”
“The idea is absurd,” said Arbuthnot. “The man was a perfect stranger — she had never seen him before.”
“这种观点很荒谬，”阿巴思诺特上校说，“那人完全是个陌生人——她之前从未见过他。”
“I really don’t know what you mean,” he said.
“我完全不明白你的意思。”他说。
Colonel Arbuthnot gave him a cold stare.
阿巴思诺特上校冷冷地瞪了他一眼。
The stare seemed to abash Poirot. He dropped his eyes and began fiddling with the papers in front of him.
这一眼似乎让波洛挺狼狈。他低下头摆弄着面前的文件。
“Ah! Were you in his compartment, or was he in yours?”
“啊！是你在他的房间里，还是他在你的房间里？”
“I was in his.”
“我在他的房间里。”
“Quite so. At a quarter past one, to the best of my belief, I was talking to the young American fellow — secretary to the dead man.”
“应该如此。一点一刻，我想我正在跟那个年轻的美国人，也就是死者的秘书聊天。”
“That is the young man of the name of MacQueen?”
“那个年轻人是姓麦奎因吗？”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“He was a friend or acquaintance of yours?”
“他是你的朋友吗，还是只是认识而已？”
“– But I liked this young fellow. He’d got hold of some tom-fool idiotic ideas about the situation in India; that’s the worst of Americans — they’re so sentimental and idealistic. Well, he was interested in what I had to tell him. I’ve had nearly thirty years experience of the country. And I was interested in what he had to tell me about the financial situation in America. Then we got down to world politics in general. I was quite surprised to look at my watch and find it was a quarter to two.”
“但是我喜欢这个年轻人。关于印度的情况，他有一些傻乎乎的愚蠢的看法。美国人就是这么糟糕——他们感情用事，还是理想主义者。不过，他对我说的话挺感兴趣，对那个国家，我有将近三十年的经验。而且我对他跟我说的美国的禁酒令也很感兴趣。然后我们大致谈了谈世界政治。看到手表时我很吃惊，都已经两点差一刻了。”
“No, I never saw him before this journey. We fell into casual conversation yesterday and both became interested. I don’t as a rule like Americans — haven’t any use for ’em –“
“都不是，这趟旅行之前我从来没见过他。昨天我们碰巧聊起了天，大家都很有兴致。通常我不喜欢美国人——他们没什么用处——”
Poirot smiled, remembering MacQueen’s strictures on “Britishers.”
波洛笑了，想起了麦奎因对英国人的评价。
“To make up his bed, I suppose. The compartment hadn’t been made up for the night.”
“我猜是铺床吧。他那里还没铺床。”
“Walked along to my own compartment and turned in.”
“回我自己的房间关灯睡觉。”
“That is the time you broke up this conversation?”
“你们是那个时候结束谈话的？”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“What did you do then?”
“然后你干什么了？”
“Sitting at the end at a little table. As a matter of fact, MacQueen called him just as I went to my own compartment.”
“坐在尽头的一张小桌子旁边。实际上，我一回房间，麦奎因就叫他过去了。”
“Where was the conductor when you went to your compartment?”
“你回自己房间的时候，列车员在哪儿？”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“That is the compartment — let me see — No. 15– the one next but one to the end away from the dining car?”
“你在——让我看看——十五号房间，靠着餐车那头倒数第二间？”
“Why did he call him?”
“为什么叫他？”
“Your bed was made up ready?”
“你的床已经铺好了？”
“Now, Colonel Arbuthnot, I want you to think carefully. During the time you were talking to Mr. MacQueen did anyone pass along the corridor outside the door?”
“现在，阿巴思诺特上校，我希望你能仔细想一想，你跟麦奎因先生聊天的时候，有没有人从门外的走廊上经过？”
“A good many people, I should think. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“我觉得有好多人，我没注意。”
“Ah! but I am referring to — let us say the last hour and a half of your conversation. You got out at Vincovci, didn’t you?”
“啊！但是我指的是——这么说吧，你们聊天的最后一个半小时。你在温科夫齐下车了，是吗？”
“Yes, but only for about a minute. There was a blizzard on. The cold was something frightful. Made one quite thankful to get back to the fug, though as a rule I think the way these trains are overheated is something scandalous.”
“是的，可是大约就一分钟。外面有暴风雪，冷死了，还是回到车上呼吸闷热污浊的空气吧，虽然我通常都认为这种列车的供暖让人无法忍受。”
Arbuthnot frowned in the effort of remembrance.
阿巴思诺特上校皱着眉努力回想着。
“Now, Monsieur, cast your mind back,” said Poirot encouragingly. “It was cold outside. You have returned to the train. You sit down again, you smoke — perhaps a cigarette, perhaps a pipe –“
“现在，先生，请回忆一下，”波洛鼓励他说，“外面很冷。你回到火车上，又坐了下来，吸烟——也许是香烟，也许是烟斗——”
“I couldn’t say. I don’t remember anyone passing except the conductor. Wait a minute — and there was a woman, I think.”
“说不上来。除了列车员，我不记得还有谁经过了。等等，我想，有个女人。”
“It is very difficult to please everybody,” he said. “The English, they open everything — then others, they come along and shut every thing. It is very difficult.”
“很难让每个旅客都满意。”他说，“英国人喜欢开窗，其他人就喜欢走过来都给关上。两难啊。”
“The train starts again. You smoke your pipe. You discuss the state of Europe — of the world. It is late now. Most people have retired for the night. Does anyone pass the door — think?”
“火车又开动了，你抽着你的烟斗，讨论着欧洲的形势——或者世界形势。很晚了，大多数人都休息了，有没有人从门口经过？想想。”
He paused for the fraction of a second.
他顿了顿。
Neither Poirot nor Colonel Arbuthnot paid any attention to him.
波洛和阿巴思诺特上校都没有注意他的感慨。
“A pipe for me. MacQueen smoked cigarettes.”
“我抽烟斗，麦奎因先生吸香烟。”
“Difficult to say,” he said. “You see, I wasn’t paying any attention.”
“说不好，”他说，“你知道我没留意。”
“But you have the soldier’s observation for detail. You notice without noticing, so to speak.”
“但是你有着军人观察细节的能力，就是说，就算没留意也能注意到。”
The Colonel thought again, but shook his head.
上校又想了想，摇摇头。
M. Bouc sighed.
布克先生叹了口气。
“Didn’t see her. Wasn’t looking that way. Just a rustle and a sort of smell of scent.”
“我没看见她——没朝那个方向看。只是一阵窸窸窣窣的声音，还有一种味道。”
“Scent? A good scent?”
“味道？香味吗？”
“Well, rather fruity, if you know what I mean. I mean you’d smell it a hundred yards away. But mind you,” the Colonel went on hastily, “this may have been earlier in the evening. You see, as you said just now, it was just one of those things you notice without noticing, so to speak. Some time that evening I said to myself, ‘Woman — scent — got it on pretty thick.’ But when it was I can’t be sure, except that — why, yes, it must have been after Vincovci.”
“呃，是一种水果味，如果你明白我的意思，我是说一百码以外就能闻到。但是…”上校慌忙说，“很可能是昨天晚上早些时候的事，就像你刚才说的，只是无意中注意到的。那天晚上我一度嘀咕过：‘女人…香味很浓’，可到底是什么时间我不确定，但是…啊，是的，肯定是离开温科夫齐以后。”
“You saw her? Was she old — young?”
“你看到她了？年老的还是年轻的？”
“Why?”
“为什么？”
“Because I remember — sniffing, you know — just when I was talking about the utter washout Stalin’s Five Year Plan was turning out. I know the idea — woman — brought the idea of the position of women in Russia into my mind. And I know we hadn’t got on to Russia until pretty near the end of our talk.”
“因为我记得…我闻了闻…当时我正谈论斯大林五年计划惨败，我想是女人这个念头让我想到了俄国女人的地位这个话题。然后我们一直把这个话题谈论到最后。”
“You can’t pin it down more definitely than that?”
“你能否说得更明确一些？”
“N-no. It must have been roughly within the last half hour.”
“不好说。大概就是在最后半小时。”
“Never. Don’t want to go.”
“从来没去过。不想去。”
The other nodded. “Yes, I’m almost sure it was.”
对方点点头。“对，我可以肯定。”
“Armstrong — Armstrong — I’ve known two or three Armstrongs. There was Tommy Armstrong in the 60th — you don’t mean him? And Selby Armstrong — he was killed on the Somme.”
“阿姆斯特朗——阿姆斯特朗——我认识两三个姓这个姓的人。六十军区的汤米·阿姆斯特朗——你说的不是他？还有塞尔比·阿姆斯特朗，他在索姆被杀了。”
“It was after the train had stopped?”
“是在火车停了以后吗？”
“I mean the Colonel Armstrong who married an American wife and whose only child was kidnapped and killed.”
“我说的阿姆斯特朗上校娶了个美国人，唯一的孩子被绑架而且被撕票了。”
“Well, we will pass from that. Have you ever been in America, Colonel Arbuthnot?”
“好，先不说这个了。阿巴思诺特上校，你去过美国吗？”
“Did you ever know a Colonel Armstrong?”
“你认识一位阿姆斯特朗上校吗？”
“Ah, yes, I remember reading about that — shocking affair. I don’t think I actually ever came across the fellow, though, of course, I knew of him. Toby Armstrong. Nice fellow. Everybody liked him. He had a very distinguished career. Got the V. C.”
“啊，是的，我记得读过——令人震惊的事件。我跟这个人没什么往来，虽然我听说过他。托比·阿姆斯特朗，很好的人，大家都喜欢他。成就杰出，获得过十字勋章。”
Arbuthnot’s face grew rather grim. “Then in my opinion the swine deserved what he got. Though I would have preferred to have seen him properly hanged — or electrocuted, I suppose, over there.”
阿巴思诺特的脸色非常阴冷。“那么，我觉得这个卑鄙的家伙是罪有应得。虽然我更希望他在美国受到绞刑或者电刑。”
“The man who was killed last night was the man responsible for the murder of Colonel Armstrong’s child.”
“昨晚被杀的那个人就是杀害阿姆斯特朗女儿的主谋。”
“In fact, Colonel Arbuthnot, you prefer law and order to private vengeance?”
“事实上，阿巴思诺特上校，你是赞成法律秩序，反对私自报复喽？”
“Yes, yes. Go on.”
“对，对，请继续。”
“Well, you can’t go about having blood feuds and stabbing each other like Corsicans or the Mafia,” said the Colonel. “Say what you like, trial by jury is a sound system.”
“是啊，你总不能像科西嘉人和黑手党那样制造流血事件或自相残杀。”上校说，“无论如何，陪审团审判是合理的制度。”
“No,” he said. “Nothing at all. Unless –” he hesitated.
“没有，”他说，“什么也没有。除了…”他犹豫了。
Arbuthnot considered for a moment or two.
阿巴思诺特上校考虑了一会儿。
“But yes, continue, I pray of you.”
“但是请说吧，请你说吧。”
“Oh, it’s nothing. A mere detail. But as I got back to my compartment I noticed that the door of the one beyond mine — the end one, you know –“
“哦，没什么，只是件小事，但是我回房间的时候注意到我隔壁的房间，就是末尾那一间，你知道——”
Poirot looked at him thoughtfully for a minute or two.
波洛若有所思地打量了他一两分钟。
“Yes,” he said. “I am sure that would be your view. Well, Colonel Arbuthnot, I do not think there is anything more I have to ask you. There is nothing you yourself can recall last night that in any way struck you — or shall we say strikes you now looking back — as suspicious?”
“是的，”他说，“我相信你是这么认为的。好吧，阿巴思诺特上校，我没什么要问你的了。你记得昨晚有什么事，或者现在我们说的，有什么让你觉得可疑吗？”
“Well, the door of it was not quite closed. And the fellow inside peered out in a furtive sort of way. Then he pulled the door to quickly. Of course, I know there’s nothing in that — but it just struck me as a bit odd. I mean, it’s quite usual to open a door and stick your head out if you want to see anything. But it was the furtive way he did it that caught my attention.”
“呃，那扇门没有关严，里面那个人偷偷摸摸地往外窥视，然后迅速关上了门。当然，我知道这没什么，但是我觉得有点古怪。我是说，打开门探出头往外看这很正常，但是他那鬼鬼祟祟的样子引起了我的注意。”
“Yes, No. 16.”
“我知道，十六号。”
“Well, it’s nothing really,” said the Colonel slowly. “But you said anything.”
“呃，其实也没什么，”上校慢吞吞地说，“你说任何事都可以说。”
He rose. “Well, if you don’t want me any more –“
他站起来。“好吧，如果你没什么再——”
“Exactly,” said Poirot.
“没错。”波洛说。
“About Miss Debenham,” he said rather awkwardly. “You can take it from me that she’s all right. She’s a pukka sahib.”
“至于德贝纳姆小姐，”他尴尬地说，“我保证她没有问题。她是个普卡·萨布[1]。”【注：[1]普卡·萨布（Pukka sahib），出自印地语，后成为英语的俚语。英国人常用于形容某个人受过良好教育，是上等人，绅士，正人君子。】
“Oh!” said Dr. Constantine, disappointed. “Then it has nothing to do with the crime at all.”
“哦，”康斯坦汀大夫失望地说，“这跟案件一点关系也没有。”
Flushing a little, he withdrew.
他有些脸红地走了出去。
“I told you there was nothing to it,” said Arbuthnot apologetically. “But you know what it is — early hours of the morning — everything very still — the thing had a sinister look — like a detective story. All nonsense, really.”
“我告诉过你这没什么的，”阿巴思诺特抱歉地说，“可你知道那个时候已经凌晨了，周围很静，一切都看着阴森森的——就像侦探小说里写的。我说的真是废话。”
“It means,” said Poirot, “that Miss Debenham’s father and brothers were at the same kind of school as Colonel Arbuthnot.”
“意思是德贝纳姆小姐的父亲和兄弟跟阿巴思诺特上校受过相似的教育。”波洛说。
He fell into a reverie, beating a light tattoo on the table. Then he looked up.
他陷入了思考之中，轻轻地敲击着桌子，然后，他抬起了头。
“What,” asked Dr. Constantine with interest, “does a pukka sahib mean?”
“‘普卡·萨布’是什么意思？”康斯坦汀大夫感兴趣地问。
“Thank you, Colonel Arbuthnot, there is nothing else.”
“谢谢你，阿巴思诺特上校，没别的了。”
“Ye-es,” said Poirot doubtfully.
“是——”波洛不太相信地说道。
The soldier hesitated for a minute. His first natural distaste for being questioned by “foreigners” had evaporated.
军人迟疑了一会儿。起初那种被“外国人”盘问而产生的天然的厌恶感消失了。
“Colonel Arbuthnot smokes a pipe,” he said. “In the compartment of Mr. Ratchett I found a pipe cleaner. M. Ratchett smoked only cigars.”
“阿巴思诺特上校抽烟斗，”他说，“在雷切特先生的房间里我发现一根烟斗通条，而雷切特先生只抽雪茄。”
“You think –?”
“你认为？”
“He is the only man so far who admits to smoking a pipe. And he knew of Colonel Armstrong — perhaps actually did know him though he won’t admit it.”
“他是迄今为止唯一承认抽烟斗的人，而且他知道阿姆斯特朗上校——也许真的认识他，只是不承认。”
“So you think it possible –“
“所以你以为可能——”
Poirot shook his head violently.
波洛猛烈地摇了摇头。
“That is the psychology,” said M. Bouc.
“这就是心理学。”布克先生说。
“And one must respect the psychology. This crime has a signature and it is certainly not the signature of Colonel Arbuthnot. But now to our next interview.”
“而且要尊重心理学，这个案子有个特征，不过不是阿巴思诺特上校的特征。咱们还是见见下一位吧。”
This time M. Bouc did not mention the Italian. But he thought of him.
这次布克先生没再提意大利人，但心里仍然想着他。
“That is just it — it is impossible — quite impossible — that an honourable, slightly stupid, upright Englishman should stab an enemy twelve times with a knife! Do you not feel, my friends, how impossible it is?”
“这是——这是不可能的，绝对不可能。这么一个可敬的、有点傻气的、正直的英国人不可能在一个人身上刺十二刀！我的朋友，你说这怎么可能？”
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