死亡约会 Part II Chapter 2（2）

（单词翻译）

‘As I mentioned just now, Sarah King, when she examined Mrs Boynton, saw no reason fordetermining the exact time of death. She merely said that Mrs Boynton had been dead “some littletime”, but when, on the following day for reasons of my own, I endeavoured to narrow thingsdown and happened to mention that Mrs Boynton was last seen alive by her son Raymond at alittle before six, Miss King, to my great surprise, said point-blank that that was impossible—that atthat time Mrs Boynton must already have been dead.’

Poirot’s eyebrows¹ rose. ‘Odd. Extremely odd. And what does M. Raymond Boynton say tothat?’

Colonel Carbury said abruptly²: ‘He swears that his mother was alive. He went up to her andsaid, “I’m back. Hope you have had a nice afternoon?” Something of that kind. He says she justgrunted, “Quite all right,” and he went on to his tent.’

Poirot frowned perplexedly.

‘Curious,’ he said. ‘Extremely curious. Tell me, was it growing dusk by then?’

‘The sun was just setting.’

‘Curious,’ said Poirot again. ‘And you, Dr Gerard, when did you see the body?’

‘Not until the following day. At 9 a.m. to be precise.’

‘And your estimate of the time death had occurred?’

The Frenchman shrugged³ his shoulders.

‘It is difficult to be exact after that length of time. There must necessarily be a margin⁴ of severalhours. Were I giving evidence on oath I could only say that she had been dead certainly twelvehours and not longer than eighteen. You see, that does not help at all.’

‘Go on, Gerard,’ said Colonel Carbury. ‘Give him the rest of it.’

‘On getting up in the morning,’ said Dr Gerard, ‘I found my hypodermic syringe—it was behinda case of bottles on my dressing-table.’

He leaned forward.

‘You may say, if you like, that I had overlooked it the day before. I was in a miserable⁵ state offever and wretchedness, shaking from head to foot, and how often does one look for a thing that isthere all the time and yet be unable to find it! I can only say that I am quite positive the syringewas not there then.’

‘There’s something more still,’ said Carbury.

‘Yes, two facts for what they are worth and they mean a great deal. There was a mark on thedead woman’s wrist—a mark such as would be caused by the insertion of a hypodermic syringe.

Her daughter, I may say, explains it as having been caused by the prick⁶ of a pin—’

Poirot stirred. ‘Which daughter?’

‘Her daughter Carol.’

‘Yes, continue, I pray you.’

‘And there is the last fact. Happening to examine my little case of drugs, I noticed that my stockof digitoxin was very much diminished.’

‘Digitoxin,’ said Poirot, ‘is a heart poison, is it not?’

‘Yes. It is obtained from Digitalis purpurea—the common foxglove. There are four activeprinciples—digitalin—digitonin—digitalein—and digitoxin. Of these digitoxin is considered themost active poisonous constituent⁷ of digitalis leaves. According to Kopp’s experiments it is fromsix to ten times stronger than digitalin or digitalein. It is official in France—but not in the BritishPharmacopoeia.’

‘And a large dose of digitoxin?’

Dr Gerard said gravely: ‘A large dose of digitoxin thrown suddenly on the circulation byintravenous injection would cause sudden death by quick palsy of the heart. It has been estimatedthat four milligrams might prove fatal to an adult man.’

‘And Mrs Boynton already suffered with heart trouble?’

‘Yes, as a matter of fact she was actually taking a medicine containing digitalin.’

‘That,’ said Poirot, ‘is extremely interesting.’

‘D’you mean,’ asked Colonel Carbury, ‘that her death might have been attributed to anoverdose of her own medicine?’

‘That—yes. But I meant more than that.’