死亡约会 Part II Chapter 1（2）

（单词翻译）

Colonel Carbury’s tie was under his left ear, his socks were wrinkled, his coat stained and torn.

Yet Hercule Poirot did not smile. He saw, clearly enough, the inner neatness of Colonel Carbury’smind, his neatly¹ docketed facts, his carefully sorted impressions.

‘Yes. I’m a tidy man,’ said Carbury. He waved a vague hand. ‘Don’t like a mess. When I comeacross a mess I want to clear it up. See?’

Hercule Poirot nodded gravely. He saw.

‘There was no doctor down there?’ he asked.

‘Yes, two. One of ’em was down with malaria², though. The other’s a girl—just out of themedical student stage. Still, she knows her job, I suppose. There wasn’t anything odd about thedeath. Old woman had got a dicky heart. She’d been taking heart medicine for some time. Nothingreally surprising about her conking out suddenly like she did.’

‘Then what, my friend, is worrying you?’ asked Poirot gently.

Colonel Carbury turned a harassed³ blue eye on him.

‘Heard of a Frenchman called Gerard? Theodore Gerard?’

‘Certainly. A very distinguished⁴ man in his own line.’

‘Loony bins,’ confirmed Colonel Carbury. ‘Passion for a charwoman at the age of four makesyou insist you’re the Archbishop of Canterbury when you’re thirty-eight. Can’t see why and neverhave, but these chaps explain it very convincingly.’

‘Dr Gerard is certainly an authority on certain forms of deep-seated neurosis,’ agreed Poirot,with a smile. ‘Is—er—are—er—his views on the happening at Petra based on that line ofargument?’

Colonel Carbury shook his head vigorously.

‘No, no. Shouldn’t have worried about them if they had been! Not, mind you, that I don’tbelieve it’s all true. It’s just one of those things I don’t understand—like one of my Bedouinfellows who can get out of a car in the middle of a flat desert, feel the ground with his hand andtell you to within a mile or two where you are. It isn’t magic, but it looks like it. No, Dr Gerard’sstory is quite straightforward⁵. Just plain facts. I think, if you’re interested—you are interested?’

‘Yes, yes.’

‘Good man. Then I think I’ll just phone over and get Gerard along here, and you can hear hisstory for yourself.’

When the Colonel had dispatched an orderly on this quest, Poirot said:

‘Of what does this family consist?’

‘Name’s Boynton. There are two sons, one of ’em married. His wife’s a nice-looking girl—thequiet, sensible kind. And there are two daughters. Both of ’em quite good-looking in totallydifferent styles. Younger one a bit nervy—but that may be just shock.’

‘Boynton,’ said Poirot. His eyebrows⁶ rose. ‘That is curious—very curious.’

Carbury cocked an inquiring eye at him. But as Poirot said nothing more, he himself went on:

‘Seems pretty obvious Mother was a pest! Had to be waited on hand and foot and kept thewhole lot of them dancing attendance. And she held the purse strings⁷. None of them had a pennyof their own.’

‘Aha! All very interesting. Is it known how she left her money?’

‘I did just slip that question in—casual like, you know. It gets divided equally between the lot ofthem.’

Poirot nodded his head. Then he asked:

‘You are of the opinion that they are all in it?’

‘Don’t know. That’s where the difficulty’s going to lie. Whether it was a concerted effort, orwhether it was one bright member’s idea—I don’t know. Maybe the whole thing’s a mare’s nest!

What it comes to is this: I’d like to have your professional opinion. Ah, here comes Gerard.’