Poirot and M. Bouc sat together on one side of a table. The doctor sat across the aisle.
波洛和布克先生一起坐在桌子的一边，医生隔着通道坐在另一边。
In the restaurant car all was in readiness.
餐车内一切准备就绪。
The passports and tickets were in a pile at one side. There was writing paper, ink, pen and pencils.
护照和车票堆在另一边。桌子上还有信纸、墨水、钢笔和铅笔。
“Excellent,” said Poirot. “We can open our Court of Inquiry without more ado. First, I think, we should take the evidence of the Wagon Lit conductor. You probably know something about the man. What character has he? Is he a man in whose word you would place reliance?”
“很好，”波洛说，“我们的调查法庭即刻开庭。首先，我们得听听列车员的证词。可能你对这个人有一定的了解。他有什么性格特点？他说的话是否可靠？”
“I should say so most assuredly. Pierre Michel has been employed by the company for over fifteen years. He is a Frenchman — lives near Calais. Thoroughly respectable and honest. Not, perhaps, remarkable for brains.”
“我得说他很可靠。皮埃尔·米歇尔在这个公司已经工作了十五年。他是个法国人——住在加来附近。品行端正，诚实本分。也许，头脑不怎么灵活。”
Poirot nodded comprehendingly. “Good,” he said. “Let us see him.”
波洛会意地点点头。“好的，”他说，“让我们见见他吧。”
On the table in front of Poirot was a plan of the Istanbul-Calais coach with the names of the passengers marked in in red ink.
波洛前面放着一张斯坦布尔－加来车厢的平面图，上面用红笔标着每个旅客的姓名。
Pierre Michel had recovered some of his assurance, but he was still extremely nervous.
虽然皮埃尔·米歇尔多少恢复了点冷静，但仍然很紧张。
“Almost immediately after dinner, Monsieur. Actually before we left Belgrade. So he did on the previous night. He had directed me to make up the bed while he was at dinner, and I did so.”
“大约是晚饭之后，先生。事实上是在我们离开贝尔格莱德之前。前天晚上也是这样。晚饭的时候他吩咐我铺好床铺，我照做了。”
Having soothed the man’s fears, Poirot began his questions. He first elicited Michel’s name and address, his length of service, and the length of time he had been on this particular route. These particulars he already knew, but the routine questions served to put the man at his ease.
打消了他的顾虑之后，波洛开始问问题。他先问了米歇尔的姓名、住址、服务年限以及在这条特定的路线上工作了多久。虽然波洛已经了解了这些情况，但这些例行提问会让对方平静下来。
“And now,” went on Poirot, “let us come to the events of last night. M. Ratchett retired to bed — when?”
“现在，”波洛继续说道，“我们说说昨晚的事情。雷切特先生上床休息，是几点钟？”
“No, Monsieur, not that I know of.”
“没了，先生，据我所知没有了。”
“I hope Monsieur will not think that there has been any negligence on my part,” he said anxiously, his eyes going from Poirot to M. Bouc. “It is a terrible thing that has happened. I hope Monsieur does not think that it reflects on me in any way?”
“但愿先生不会认为我的工作有所疏忽，”他焦急地说道，看了看波洛，又看看布克先生，“发生这种事太可怕了。不管怎样，先生不会认为我跟这件事也有关联吧？”
“His valet, Monsieur, and the young American gentleman his secretary.”
“他的仆人，先生。还有那位年轻的美国先生，他的秘书。”
“Did anybody go into his compartment afterwards?”
“之后有没有人去过他的房间？”
“Good. And that is the last you saw or heard of him?”
“好的。那么，这是你最后一次看到他或者听到他说话吗？”
“Anyone else?”
“还有别人吗？”
“Mais oui — at least –“
“是的，不过——”
“Ce n’est rien. Je me suis trompé.”
“没事，我按错铃了。”
“Did you go back to your seat?”
“你回到自己的座位上了？”
“I knocked at the door, but he called out and said he had made a mistake.”
“我敲了敲门，但是他大声说他弄错了。”
“No, Monsieur, I went first to answer another bell that had just rung.”
“没有，先生，我先是去应了另外一个刚刚响的铃。”
“One of my bells rang, Monsieur — I remember — I told you. It was the American lady. She had rung several times.”
“又有铃声响了，先生。我记起来了，我跟您说过。是那位美国太太，她按了好几次。”
“I went into the next coach, the Athens coach, to speak to my colleague there. We spoke about the snow. That was at some time soon after one o’clock. I cannot say exactly.”
“我去过隔壁车厢，那节雅典车厢，跟我的同事聊天。我们谈起了这场大雪。那时刚过一点钟，我说不好确切的时间。”
“Yes, Monsieur.”
“是的，先生。”
“I, Monsieur? I was at my little seat at the end — facing up the corridor.”
“我吗？先生，我在过道尽头我的小座位上。”
“Yes?”
“什么？”
“No, Monsieur. You forget, he rang his bell about twenty to one — soon after we had stopped.”
“不是的，先生。您忘了吗，大约差二十分钟一点的时候，他按过铃——我们停车后没多久。”
“Now, Michel, I am going to ask you an important question. Where were you at a quarter past one?”
“现在，米歇尔，我要问你一个重要的问题。一点一刻的时候你在哪里？”
“You are sure?”
“你确定吗？”
“Quite right,” said Poirot. “That is what I heard. And then you went away?”
“完全正确。”波洛说，“我听到的也是这样。然后你就走了？”
“In English or in French?”
“用英语说的，还是法语？”
“In French.”
“法语。”
“And you returned — when?”
“然后你就回来了——什么时候？”
“What happened exactly?”
“究竟是什么事？”
“What were his words exactly?”
“他的原话是什么？”
“I could not say exactly, Monsieur. Not later than two o’clock, certainly.”
“我说不上确切的时间，先生，肯定不超过两点钟。”
“Perhaps you slept?”
“也许你睡着了？”
“I recollect,” said Poirot. “And after that?”
“我记得，”波洛说，“后来呢？”
“After that, Monsieur, I sat in my seat till morning.”
“后来，先生，我就在自己的位子上坐到早晨。”
“What time was all this?”
“这都是什么时候的事？”
“He went back to his own compartment.”
“他回自己的房间了。”
“Yes, Monsieur, it is the second compartment from that end of the corridor.”
“是的，先生，过道尽头倒数第二个房间。”
“I do not think so, Monsieur. The train being at a standstill prevented me from dozing off as I usually do.”
“我想没有，先生。火车停住不动，我就不像平时那样容易睡着了。”
“What did the Colonel do when he left M. MacQueen?”
“上校离开麦奎因先生的房间之后，做了些什么？”
“His bed was already made up?”
“他的床已经铺好了吗？”
“And after that?”
“后来呢？”
“After that, Monsieur? I answered your bell and brought you some mineral water. Then, about half an hour later, I made up the bed in one of the other compartments — that of the young American gentleman, M. Ratchett’s secretary.”
“后来？先生，我听到您的铃声还给您送去了矿泉水。然后，大概半小时之后，我给另外一个房间的客人铺床去了，就是那位年轻的美国先生，雷切特先生的秘书。”
“No. 15– that is quite close to your seat, is it not?”
“十五号房间，离你的座位很近，是吗？”
“No, Monsieur.”
“没有，先生。”
“The English Colonel from No. 15 was with him. They had been sitting talking.”
“那位十五号房间的英国上校跟他在一起。他们正坐着聊天。”
“You did not go again into the Athens coach?”
“你没再去雅典车厢吗？”
“Yes, Monsieur. I had made it up while he was at dinner.”
“是的，先生，他吃晚饭的时候我就铺好了。”
“Was M. MacQueen alone in his compartment when you went to make up his bed?”
“你去铺床的时候，麦奎因先生是单独一个人在房间里吗？”
“You are sure?”
“你确定吗？”
Poirot nodded. “And after that?”
波洛点点头。“后来呢？”
“I do not know, Monsieur. It was far down the corridor, and she had her back to me. She had on a kimono of scarlet with dragons on it.”
“我不知道，先生。她在过道那头，很远，而且背对着我。她穿了一件猩红色的和服式睡衣，上面绣着龙。”
“Which lady?”
“哪位？”
“Nothing, Monsieur, until the morning.”
“没什么了，先生，天亮前没什么事。”
“Good, my friend,” said Poirot. “I wondered whether you would remember that. By the way, I was awakened by what sounded like something heavy falling against my door. Have you any idea what that could have been?”
“这就对了，我的朋友，”波洛说，“我就是想知道你是不是忘了。我好像是被什么重东西撞在我门上的声音给惊醒了，你知道是怎么回事吗？”
Poirot took no notice of the suggestion. Perhaps he did not wish to before the Wagon Lit conductor.
波洛没有理会这个意见，可能他不想在列车员面前讨论这个问题。
The man reflected. “One of the ladies went to the toilet at the far end, I think.”
他想了想。“我想，有位太太去过过道尽头的洗手间。”
“Ah, pardon, you yourself, Monsieur, opened your door and looked out for a second.”
“啊，对不起，先生，您——您自己开开门，向外看了看。”
“Unless,” said M. Bouc, “it was something in the compartment next door that you heard.”
“除非，”布克先生插嘴道，“你听到的声音是隔壁房间的。”
The man stared at him. “There was nothing, Monsieur. Nothing, I am positive of it.”
那人瞪着他。“没有，先生，我什么也没听见，我肯定。”
“Did you see any of the passengers moving up or down the corridor?”
“你看到有旅客在过道里走动吗？”
“Then I must have had the cauchemar,” said Poirot philosophically.
“那我肯定是做噩梦了。”波洛平静地说。
“Nor that he can be concealed on it somewhere?”
“他也没有可能躲在什么地方吗？”
“Besides,” said Michel, “no one could get on to the sleeping car without my seeing them.”
“而且，”米歇尔说，“只要有人上了卧铺车，就休想逃过我的眼睛。”
“Let us pass to another point,” he said. “Supposing that last night an assassin joined the train. It is quite certain that he could not have left it after committing the crime?”
“我们说说下个问题。”他说，“假定昨天有个杀手上了火车，能否确定他犯案之后没离开火车？”
“We should have left there at 11:58. But owing to the weather we were twenty minutes late.”
“原本应该在十一点五十八分离站，但是由于天气原因，晚了二十分钟。”
Pierre Michael shook his head.
皮埃尔·米歇尔点了点头，表示肯定。
“Vincovci.”
“温科夫齐。”
“What about the forward door? The one near the restaurant car?”
“前面的门呢——靠近餐车的那个？”
“What time was that?”
“什么时间？”
“When was the last stop?”
“上一站是哪里？”
“It has been well searched,” said M. Bouc. “Abandon that idea, my friend.”
“车上已经仔细搜查过了，”布克先生说，“放弃这种想法吧，我的朋友。”
“Did you yourself descend from the train at Vincovci?”
“你在温科夫齐下过车吗？”
“No, Monsieur. After the service of dinner the door between the ordinary carriages and the sleeping cars is locked.”
“不会的，先生。供过晚饭，普通车厢和卧铺车厢之间的门就锁上了。”
“Someone might have come along from the ordinary part of the train?”
“可能有人从普通车厢跑过来呢？”
“Yes, Monsieur. I got down on to the platform as usual and stood by the step up into the train. The other conductors did the same.”
“是的，先生。和平时一样，我到了站台上，站在车厢的脚踏板旁边，其他列车员也是如此。”
Poirot studied the plan in front of him thoughtfully. Then he inclined his head.
波洛若有所思地研究着面前的平面图，然后点点头。
“Thank you, Monsieur.”
“谢谢，先生。”
He tapped thoughtfully on the table for a minute or two.
他沉思着用手指在桌子上敲了一两分钟。
“It is always fastened on the inside.”
“一直都是从里面闩着的。”
Poirot smiled on him kindly.
波洛亲切地冲他笑笑。
“Yes, Monsieur.”
“是的，先生。”
“It was the bell of Madame la Princesse Dragomiroff. She desired me to summon her maid.”
“是德拉戈米罗夫公主，她吩咐我叫她的女仆来。”
“Monsieur does not blame me?” said the man timidly.
“先生不会责怪我吧？”列车员怯生生地问道。
“You have had the evil chance, my friend,” he said. “Ah! One other point while I remember it. You said that another bell rang just as you were knocking at M. Ratchett’s door. In fact, I heard it myself. Whose was it?”
“也许纯属巧合，我的朋友。”他说，“啊，我想起另外一个问题。你说过，你在敲雷切特先生的房门时，另外一个地方又响铃了。实际上我也听见了。是谁？”
“It is not so fastened now.”
“现在没有闩上。”
“Probably,” said Poirot.
“也许吧。”波洛说。
“That is all,” he said, “for the moment.”
“目前就这些问题了。”他说。
“And you did so?”
“你去了吗？”
The man rose. He looked at M. Bouc.
列车员站起来，看着布克先生。
The man looked surprised, then his face cleared. “Doubtless one of the passengers has opened it to look out on the snow.”
列车员显得很惊讶，后来恢复了平静。“肯定是哪位旅客打开门看雪去了。”
“Do not distress yourself,” said the latter kindly. “I cannot see that there has been any negligence on your part.”
“别难过了，”后者亲切地说，“我看不出你有什么失职的地方。”
Gratified, Pierre Michel left the compartment.
皮埃尔·米歇尔高兴地离开了房间。
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