死亡约会 Part II Chapter 4（1）

（单词翻译）

 

Chapter 4

Sarah King looked long and searchingly at Hercule Poirot. She noted¹ the egg-shaped head, thegigantic moustaches, the dandified appearance and the suspicious blackness of his hair. A look ofdoubt crept into her eyes. ‘Well, mademoiselle, are you satisfied?’

Sarah flushed as she met the amused ironical² glance of his eyes.

‘I beg your pardon,’ she said awkwardly.

‘Du tout³! To use an expression I have recently learnt, you give me the once-over, is it not so?’

Sarah smiled a little. ‘Well, at any rate, you can do the same to me,’ she said.

‘Assuredly. I have not neglected to do so.’

She glanced at him sharply. Something in his tone. But Poirot was twirling his moustachescomplacently, and Sarah thought (for the second time), ‘The man’s a mountebank⁴!’

Her self-confidence restored, she sat up a little straighter and said inquiringly: ‘I don’t think Iquite understand the object of this interview?’

‘The good Dr Gerard did not explain?’

Sarah said frowning: ‘I don’t understand Dr Gerard. He seems to think—’

‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,’ quoted Poirot. ‘You see, I know yourShakespeare.’

Sarah waved aside Shakespeare.

‘What exactly is all this fuss about?’ she demanded.

‘Eh bien, one wants, does one not, to get at the truth of this affair?’

‘Are you talking about Mrs Boynton’s death?’

‘Yes.’

‘Isn’t it rather a fuss about nothing? You, of course, are a specialist, M. Poirot. It is natural foryou—’

Poirot finished the sentence for her.

‘It is natural for me to suspect crime whenever I can possibly find an excuse for doing so?’

‘Well—yes—perhaps.’

‘You have no doubt yourself as to Mrs Boynton’s death?’

Sarah shrugged⁵ her shoulders.

‘Really, M. Poirot, if you had been to Petra you would realize that the journey there was asomewhat strenuous⁶ business for an old woman whose cardiac condition was unsatisfactory.’

‘It seems a perfectly⁷ straight forward business to you?’

‘Certainly. I can’t understand Dr Gerard’s attitude. He didn’t even know anything about it. Hewas down with fever. I’d bow to his superior medical knowledge naturally—in this case he hadnothing whatever to go on. I suppose they can have a P.M. in Jerusalem if they like—if they’re notsatisfied with my verdict.’

Poirot was silent for a moment, then he said:

‘There is a fact, Miss King, that you do not yet know. Dr Gerard has not told you of it.’

‘What fact?’ demanded Sarah.

‘A supply of a drug—digitoxin—is missing from Dr Gerard’s travelling medicine case.’

‘Oh!’ Quickly Sarah took in this new aspect of the case. Equally quickly she pounced⁸ on theone doubtful point.

‘Is Dr Gerard quite sure of that?’

Poirot shrugged his shoulders.

‘A doctor, as you should know, mademoiselle, is usually fairly careful in making hisstatements.’

‘Oh, of course. That goes without saying. But Dr Gerard had malaria⁹ at the time.’

‘That is so, of course.’

‘Has he any idea when it could have been taken?’

‘He had occasion to go to his case on the night of his arrival in Petra. He wanted somephenacetin — as his head was aching badly. When he replaced the phenacetin the followingmorning and shut up the case he is almost certain that all the drugs were intact.’

‘Almost—’ said Sarah.

Poirot shrugged.

‘Yes, there is a doubt! There is the doubt that any man, who is honest, would be likely to feel.’

Sarah nodded. ‘Yes, I know. One always distrusts those people who are over sure. But all thesame, M. Poirot, the evidence is very slight. It seems to me—’ She paused. Poirot finished thesentence for her.

‘It seems to you that an inquiry¹⁰ on my part is ill-advised!’

Sarah looked him squarely in the face.

‘Frankly, it does.