死亡约会 Part II Chapter 2（1）

（单词翻译）

Chapter 2

The Frenchman came in with a quick yet unhurried tread. As he shook hands with ColonelCarbury he shot a keen, interested glance at Poirot. Carbury said:

‘This is M. Hercule Poirot. Staying with me. Been talking to him about this business down atPetra.’

‘Ah, yes?’ Gerard’s quick eyes looked Poirot up and down. ‘You are interested?’

Hercule Poirot threw up his hands.

‘Alas! one is always incurably² interested in one’s own subject.’

‘True,’ said Gerard.

‘Have a drink?’ said Carbury.

He poured out a whisky and soda³ and placed it by Gerard’s elbow. He held up the decanterinquiringly, but Poirot shook his head. Colonel Carbury set it down again and drew his chair alittle nearer.

‘Well,’ he said, ‘where are we?’

‘I gather,’ said Poirot to Gerard, ‘that Colonel Carbury is not satisfied.’

Gerard made an expressive⁴ gesture.

‘And that,’ he said, ‘is my fault! And I may be wrong. Remember that, Colonel Carbury, I maybe entirely⁵ wrong.’

Carbury gave a grunt⁶.

‘Give Poirot the facts,’ he said.

Dr Gerard began by a brief recapitulation of the events preceding the journey to Petra. He gavea short sketch⁷ of the various members of the Boynton family and described the condition ofemotional strain under which they were labouring.

Poirot listened with interest.

Then Gerard proceeded to the actual events of their first day at Petra, describing how he hadreturned to the camp.

‘I was in for a bad bout¹ of malaria—cerebral type,’ he explained. ‘For that I proposed to treatmyself by an intravenous injection of quinine. That is the usual method.’

Poirot nodded his comprehension.

‘The fever was on me badly. I fairly staggered into my tent. I could not at first find my case ofdrugs, someone had moved it from where I had originally placed it. Then, when I had found that, Icould not find my hypodermic syringe. I hunted for it for some time, then gave it up and took alarge dose of quinine by the mouth and flung myself on my bed.’

Gerard paused, then went on:

‘Mrs Boynton’s death was not discovered until after sunset. Owing to the way in which she wassitting and the support the chair gave to her body, no change occurred in her position and it wasnot until one of the boys went to summon her to dinner at six-thirty that it was noticed thatanything was wrong.’

He explained in full detail the position of the cave and its distance away from the big marquee.

‘Miss King, who is a qualified⁸ doctor, examined the body. She did not disturb me, knowing thatI had fever. There was, indeed, nothing that could be done. Mrs Boynton was dead—and had beendead for some little time.’

Poirot murmured: ‘How long exactly?’

Gerard said slowly:

‘I do not think that Miss King gave much attention to that point. She did not, I presume, think itof any importance.’

‘One can say, at least, when she was last definitely known to be alive?’ said Poirot.

Colonel Carbury cleared his throat and referred to an official-looking document.

‘Mrs Boynton was spoken to by Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce shortly after 4 p.m. LennoxBoynton spoke⁹ to his mother about four-thirty. Mrs Lennox Boynton had a long conversation withher about five minutes later. Carol Boynton had a word with her mother at a time she is unable tostate precisely¹⁰ — but which from the evidence of others would seem to have been about tenminutes past five.

‘Jefferson Cope, an American friend of the family, returning to the camp with Lady Westholmeand Miss Pierce, saw her asleep. He did not speak to her. That was about twenty to six. RaymondBoynton, the younger son, seems to have been the last person to see her alive. On his return from awalk he went and spoke to her at about ten minutes to six. The discovery of the body was made atsix-thirty when a servant went to tell her dinner was ready.’

‘Between the time that Mr Raymond Boynton spoke to her and half-past six did no one go nearher?’ asked Poirot.

‘I understand not.’

‘But someone might have done so?’ Poirot persisted.

‘I don’t think so. From close on six onwards servants were moving about the camp, people weregoing to and from their tents. No one can be found who saw anyone approaching the old lady.’

‘Then Raymond Boynton was definitely the last person to see his mother alive?’ said Poirot.

Dr Gerard and Colonel Carbury interchanged a quick glance. Colonel Carbury drummed on thetable with his fingers.

‘This is where we begin to get into deep waters,’ he said. ‘Go on, Gerard. This is your pigeon.’