“Tell me in your own words exactly what happened.”
“请你回忆一下当时发生的事。”
“Your name?”
“你的名字是？”
“It must have been about nine o’clock, sir, last night. That or a little after.”
“应该是昨晚的九点钟左右，或者再晚一点。”
“I went in to Mr. Ratchett as usual, sir, and attended to his wants.”
“和平时一样，我去找雷切特先生，伺候他。”
“To fold or hang up his clothes, sir. Put his dental plate in water and see that he had everything he wanted for the night.”
“帮他把衣服叠好或者挂起来，把他的假牙泡到水里，看看他睡前还有什么需要的。”
“Was his manner much the same as usual?”
“他的举止跟平时一样吗？”
“And your home address?”
“家庭住址？”
“You have heard that your master has been murdered?”
“你的主人被杀害了，你听说了吗？”
“21 Friar Street, Clerkenwell.”
“克拉肯威尔，福莱尔大街二十一号。”
“Thirty-nine.”
“三十九岁。”
“You are, I understand, the valet of M. Ratchett?”
“我知道你是雷切特先生的仆人。”
The valet considered.
仆人回想着。
“What were your duties exactly?”
“你的职责都是些什么？”
“Yes, sir. A very shocking occurrence.”
“是的，先生，非常令人震惊。”
“Well, sir, I think he was upset.”
“呃，先生，我觉得他很心烦。”
“Edward Henry Masterman.”
“爱德华·亨利·马斯特曼。”
The valet considered a moment.
仆人考虑了一阵子。
“Will you now tell me, please, at what hour you last saw M. Ratchett?”
“现在可否请你告诉我，你最后一次见到雷切特先生是在什么时候？”
“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“Your age?”
“多大了？”
The American was succeeded by the pale Englishman with the inexpressive face whom Poirot had already noticed on the day before. He stood waiting very correctly. Poirot motioned to him to sit down.
美国人走了之后，进来的是那个脸色苍白、面无表情的英国人。波洛在前一天就注意到这个人了。他端端正正地站在那儿。波洛示意他坐下。
“Was that unusual?”
“这很不寻常吗？”
“Oh, no, sir, he lost his temper easily — as I say, it just depended what had happened to upset him.”
“哦，算不上，先生，他很容易发火——我说过，他心烦的时候就会这样。”
“In what way — upset?”
“心烦？什么表现？”
Dr. Constantine leaned forward a little.
康斯坦汀医生身子往前靠了靠。
“What happened next?”
“后来呢？”
“No, sir.”
“没有，先生。”
“Did your master ever take a sleeping draught?”
“你的主人吃过安眠药吗？”
“Did he take it last night?”
“昨晚他服用过吗？”
“I couldn’t say, I’m sure, sir. There was no name on the bottle. Just ‘The Sleeping Draught to be taken at bedtime.'”
“我不知道，先生，真的。瓶子上没有药名，只写了‘睡前服用安眠药’。”
“You didn’t actually see him drink it?”
“你没有看到他喝下去吗？”
“I asked if there was anything further, and asked what time M. Ratchett would like to be called in the morning. He said he didn’t want to be disturbed till he rang.”
“我问他还需要些什么，还问了早上几点叫他起床。他说如果不按铃就不要去打扰他。”
“Do you know what drug he was in the habit of taking?”
“你知不知道，他常用的安眠药是什么？”
“Yes, sir. I poured it into a glass and put it on top of the toilet table ready for him.”
“服了，先生。我把药倒进杯子里，给他放在梳妆台上了。”
“Over a letter he’d been reading. He asked me if it was I who had put it in his compartment. Of course I told him I hadn’t done any such thing, but he swore at me and found fault with everything I did.”
“为了他正在看的一封信。他问是不是我把那封信放在他房间的。当然，我跟他说我什么也没做过。他骂了我一顿，无论我做什么他都能挑出错来。”
“Always when travelling by train, sir. He said he couldn’t sleep otherwise.”
“坐火车旅行的时候就吃，先生。他说不吃他就睡不着。”
“Quite usual, sir. He used to ring the bell for the conductor and then send him for me when he was ready to get up.”
“很常见的，先生。他要起床的时候就会按铃叫列车员过去，让他再来叫我。”
“How did you know?”
“你怎么知道的？”
“Was that usual?”
“平时也这样吗？”
“Had you an affection for your employer, Masterman?”
“你对你的主人有感情吗，马斯特曼？”
“No, sir.”
“没有，先生。”
“Was he usually an early or a late riser?”
“通常他是早起还是晚起？”
“No, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
Masterman’s face became, if possible, even more inexpressive than it was normally.
马斯特曼的脸色变得比平时更加漠然了。
“It depended, sir, on his mood. Sometimes he’d get up for breakfast, sometimes he wouldn’t get up till just on lunch time.”
“这要看他的心情，先生。有时候他会起来吃早饭，有时候会一直睡到午饭时间。”
“But you didn’t like him?”
“可你不喜欢他？”
“So that you weren’t alarmed when the morning wore on and no summons came?”
“所以一早上都没叫你，你也不觉得奇怪了？”
A little colour came into the man’s cheeks.
他的两颊微微有些发红。
“Yes, sir.” The man spoke quite unemotionally.
“知道，先生。”这人无动于衷地说。
“Shall we put it that I don’t care very much for Americans, sir.”
“能不能说成我不太喜欢美国人，先生？”
“Did you know that your master had enemies?”
“你知道你的主人有仇人吗？”
“I should hardly like to say that, sir. He was a generous employer.”
“我不想说，先生，他是个大方的主人。”
“Do you remember reading in the paper of the Armstrong kidnapping case?”
“你有没有看过报纸上刊登的阿姆斯特朗绑架案？”
“Have you ever been in America?”
“你去过美国吗？”
“I had heard him discussing some letters, sir, with Mr. MacQueen.”
“我听见他跟麦奎因先生说过几封信，先生。”
“The lower one, sir.”
“下铺，先生。”
“No, indeed, sir.” The valet’s tone held positive warmth and feeling for the first time. “I can hardly believe it, sir.”
“我真不知道，先生。”这个仆人的声音里第一次流露出热度，“简直令人难以相信，先生。”
“Does he speak English?”
“他说英语吗？”
“I told Mr. MacQueen, sir, that the master wanted him. Then I went to my own compartment and read.”
“先生，我告诉麦奎因先生，主人叫他。然后我就回自己的房间看书去了。”
Poirot was looking at his plan.
波洛看着平面图。
“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“Nevertheless, it is true. Now, to pass to your own movements last night. A matter of routine, you understand. What did you do after leaving your master?”
“然而这是真的。现在，说说你昨晚的活动。例行程序，你明白的。离开主人之后，你做了些什么？”
“Yes, sir. A big Italian fellow.”
“有，先生，是个意大利大块头。”
“That is No. 4?”
“是四号吗？”
“No, sir. I prefer to read.”
“不，先生，我宁愿看书。”
“Is there anyone in with you?”
“有人跟你一起住吗？”
“I see — and you had which berth?”
“我知道了。你在上铺还是下铺？”
“Did you know that your employer, M. Ratchett, was the principal instigator in that affair?”
“你知不知道你的主人，雷切特先生，在那个案子中是主谋？”
“The end second-class one, sir. Next to the dining car.”
“二等车厢的尽头，先生，靠着餐车。”
“Your compartment was –?”
“你的房间是？”
“Yes, indeed, sir. A little baby girl, wasn’t it? A very shocking affair.”
“确实看过，先生，还是个小女孩儿，是吗？一件让人震惊的案子。”
“Well, a kind of English, sir.” The valet’s tone was deprecating. “He’s been in America — Chicago — I understand.”
“呃，英语的一种，先生。”仆人的语气里有种挖苦的味道，“我知道，他在美国的芝加哥待过。”
“Do you and he talk together much?”
“你跟他经常聊天吗？”
“I applied a little oil of cloves, sir, which relieved the pain a little, but I was still not able to get to sleep. I turned the light on above my head and continued to read — to take my mind off it, as it were.”
“我抹了一点丁香油，先生，疼痛缓解了一点，可还是睡不着。我打开床头灯继续看书——好让自己忘记疼痛。”
“Most painful, sir.”
“非常疼，先生。”
“I went to bed, sir, but I didn’t sleep.”
“我上床了，先生，但是没睡着。”
“Did you do anything for it?”
“你没有吃点药什么的？”
“I find it highly enjoyable, sir.”
“我觉得很好看，先生。”
“A good story?”
“写得好吗？”
“Why didn’t you sleep?”
“你为什么没睡着？”
“And what, may I ask, are you reading?” he inquired.
“我能问问你读的是什么书吗？”他问。
“Yes, sir, I dropped off about four in the morning.”
“不，先生，早上四点钟的时候我睡着了。”
“I had the toothache, sir.”
“我牙疼，先生。”
“Oh, là là– that is painful.”
“哎呀呀，那很疼的。”
“At about ten-thirty, sir, this Italian wanted to go to bed. So the conductor came and made the beds up.”
“大约是十点三十分，先生。那个意大利人想睡觉了，所以列车员就过来铺床。”
“And then you went to bed and to sleep?”
“然后你就上床睡觉了？”
“Well, let us continue. You returned to your compartment and read Love’s Captive till — when?”
“好，我们继续吧。你回到房间，看《爱的俘虏》看到什么时候？”
“And did you not go to sleep at all?”
“那你就根本没睡着？”
“At present, sir, I am reading Love’s Captive, by Mrs. Arabella Richardson.”
“现在我正在看《爱的俘虏》，阿拉贝拉·理查森夫人写的。”
Poirot smiled. He could visualize the scene — the large voluble Italian, and the snub direct administered by the gentleman’s gentleman.
波洛笑了。他能想象这幅景象——一个高大、爱说话的意大利人和一个冷若冰霜的“绅士中的绅士”。
“And you have been with M. Ratchett — how long?”
“那么，你跟随雷切特先生多久了？”
“As far as you know, was there any quarrel or bad blood between your master and M. MacQueen?”
“就你所知，你的主人和麦奎因先生之间有过争吵或者仇怨吗？”
“No, sir.”
“也没有，先生。”
“With Sir Henry Tomlinson, sir, in Grosvenor Square.”
“跟亨利·汤姆林森爵士，先生，在格罗夫诺广场。”
“I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, sir.”
“恐怕是这样的，很抱歉，先生。”
“Did you hear anything during the night?”
“晚上你听到什么动静没有？”
“I don’t think so, sir. Nothing unusual, I mean. The train being at a standstill made it all very quiet.”
“没有，先生。我是说没听见什么异常的动静。火车停了，四周很静。”
Poirot was silent a moment or two, then he said: “Well, I think there is very little more to be said. You cannot throw any light upon the tragedy?”
波洛沉默了片刻才说道：“嗯，我还有个小问题要问。你对这个惨剧一点头绪也没有吗？”
“And your companion?”
“你的同伴呢？”
“Did you?”
“你呢？”
“Oh, no, sir. Mr. MacQueen was a very pleasant gentleman.”
“哦，没有，先生。麦奎因先生是位很好的绅士。”
“He did not leave the compartment at all during the night?”
“整个晚上他都没离开房间吗？”
“The Italian fellow? Oh, he just snored.”
“那个意大利家伙？哦，他一直打呼噜。”
“Where were you in service before you came to M. Ratchett?”
“你在服侍雷切特先生之前，在哪里工作？”
“No, sir.”
“没有，先生。”
“Just over nine months, sir.”
“只有九个多月，先生。”
“Why did you leave him?”
“你为什么离开他？”
“He was going to East Africa, sir, and did not require my services any longer. But I am sure he will speak for me, sir. I was with him some years.”
“他打算去东非，先生，不再需要我的服侍了。但是我肯定他会为我作证明的，先生，我跟随他好几年了。”
Poirot nodded to him, indicating that he can leave.
波洛向他点点头，示意他可以离开了。
“No, sir. I only smoke cigarettes — gaspers, sir.”
“不，先生，我只抽卷烟——廉价的，先生。”
“Thank you. That will do.”
“谢谢你，就这些。”
The valet hesitated a moment.
仆人犹豫了一会儿。
“You’ll excuse me, sir, but the elderly American lady is in what I might describe as a state, sir. She’s saying she knows all about the murderer. She’s in a very excitable condition, sir.”
“请原谅，先生，但是那位美国老太太——我该怎么说呢——情绪很激动。她说她知道关于凶手的一切。她激动得不行，先生。”
“In that case,” said Poirot, smiling, “we had better see her next.”
“既然这样，”波洛笑笑，“最好下一个就问她。”
“Send her to us, my friend,” said Poirot. “We will listen to her story now.”
“让她过来吧，朋友，”波洛说，“现在我们听听她的说法。”
“Shall I tell her, sir? She’s been demanding to see someone in authority for a long time. The conductor’s been trying to pacify her.”
“需要我去告诉她吗，先生？她要求见相关负责人有一阵子了。列车员正努力安抚她。”
“Thank you, Masterman. By the way, are you a pipe smoker?”
“谢谢你，马斯特曼。顺便问一句，你抽烟斗吗？”
0 条评论