死亡约会 Part II Chapter 7（3）

（单词翻译）

Nadine Boynton shifted wearily in her chair.

‘You are suggesting, I think, that my mother-in-law did not die of shock, but of an overdose ofdigitalis?’ she said, and went on: ‘That seems to me most improbable.’

Poirot leaned forward.

‘Even when I tell you that Dr Gerard, the French physician who was staying in the camp, hadmissed an appreciable¹ quantity of a preparation of digitoxin from his medicine chest?’

Her face grew very pale. He saw the clutch of her hand on the table. Her eyes dropped. She satvery still. She was like a Madonna carved in stone.

‘Well, madame,’ said Poirot at last, ‘what have you to say to that?’

The seconds ticked on but she did not speak. It was quite two minutes before she raised herhead, and he started a little when he saw the look in her eyes.

‘M. Poirot, I did not kill my mother-in-law. That you know! She was alive and well when I lefther. There are many people who can testify to that! Therefore, being innocent of the crime, I canventure to appeal to you. Why must you mix yourself up in this business? If I swear to you on myhonour that justice and only justice has been done, will you not abandon this inquiry²? There hasbeen so much suffering—you do not know. Now that at last there is peace and the possibility ofhappiness, must you destroy it all?’

Poirot sat up very straight. His eyes shone with a green light. ‘Let me be clear, madame; whatare you asking me to do?’

‘I am telling you that my mother-in-law died a natural death and I am asking you to accept thatstatement.’

‘Let us be definite. You believe that your mother-in-law was deliberately³ killed, and you areasking me to condone⁴ murder!’

‘I am asking you to have pity!’

‘Yes—on someone who had no pity!’

‘You do not understand—it was not like that.’

‘Did you commit the crime yourself, madame, that you know so well?’

Nadine shook her head. She showed no signs of guilt⁵. ‘No,’ she said quietly. ‘She was alivewhen I left her.’

‘And then—what happened? You know—or you suspect?’

Nadine said passionately⁶:

‘I have heard, M. Poirot, that once, in that affair of the Orient Express, you accepted an officialverdict of what had happened?’

Poirot looked at her curiously⁷. ‘I wonder who told you that?’

‘Is it true?’

He said slowly: ‘That case was—different.’

‘No. No, it was not different! The man who was killed was evil’—her voice dropped—‘as shewas…’

Poirot said: ‘The moral character of the victim has nothing to do with it! A human being whohas exercised the right of private judgement and taken the life of another human being is not safeto exist amongst the community. I tell you that! I, Hercule Poirot!’

‘How hard you are!’

‘Madame, in some ways I am adamant⁸. I will not condone murder! That is the final word ofHercule Poirot.’

She got up. Her dark eyes flashed with sudden fire.

‘Then go on! Bring ruin and misery⁹ into the lives of innocent people! I have nothing more tosay.’

‘But I, I think, madame, that you have a lot to say…’

‘No, nothing more.’

‘But, yes. What happened, madame, after you left your mother-in-law? Whilst you and yourhusband were in the marquee together?’

She shrugged¹⁰ her shoulders. ‘How should I know?’

‘You do know—or you suspect.’

She looked him straight in the eyes. ‘I know nothing, M. Poirot.’

Turning, she left the room.