9 POIROT PROPOUNDS TWO SOLUTIONS
9 白罗提出两项破案论点
The passengers came crowding into the restaurant car and took their seats round the tables. They all bore more or less the same expression, one of expectancy mingled with apprehension. The Swedish lady was still weeping, and Mrs. Hubbard was comforting her.
旅客们陆续涌进了餐车，围着桌子坐了下来。大家的表情似乎都差不多：期望中掺杂着忧虑。那名瑞典妇人仍在哭泣，侯伯太太在一旁劝慰她。
“Now you must just take a hold on yourself, my dear. Everything’s going to be perfectly all right. You mustn’t lose your grip on yourself. If one of us is a nasty murderer, we know quite well it isn’t you. Why, anyone would be crazy even to think of such a thing. You sit here, and I’ll stay right by you—and don’t you worry any.” Her voice died away as Poirot stood up.
“好了，亲爱的，振作起来，一切都会没事的，快别这么伤心害怕的。就说我们之中有个坏蛋是凶手，大家也晓得绝不会是你的，再疯狂的人也不至于这么想的。你坐下来，我陪着你，别担心，别害怕。“白罗站起身来，她才收住了嘴。
The Wagon Lit conductor was hovering in the doorway. “You permit that I stay, Monsieur?”
在门口踌躇的卧铺列车长说：“你准我留下来吗，先生？”
“Certainly, Michel.”
“当然可以，麦寇。”
Poirot cleared his throat.
白罗清了清喉咙说：
“Messieurs et mesdames, I will speak in English since I think all of you know a little of that language. We are here to investigate the death of Samuel Edward Ratchett—alias Cassetti. There are two possible solutions of the crime. I shall put them both before you, and I shall ask M. Bouc, and Dr. Constantine here to judge which solution is the right one.
“各位先生，各位女士，我想我说英文吧，因为我知道大家都懂一些英文。我们聚在这里是调查山姆尔·艾德华·罗嘉德，也就是卡赛提被刺的真相的。侦破本案有两项可能的论点。我现在给各位分析说明，然后由波克先生及康斯丹丁医师来判断哪一项论点是正确的。
“Now you all know the facts of the case. Mr. Ratchett was found stabbed this morning. He was last known to be alive at 12.37 last night when he spoke to the Wagon Lit conductor through the door. A watch in his pyjama pocket was found to be badly dented, and it had stopped at a quarter past one. Dr. Constantine, who examined the body when found, puts the time of death as having been between midnight and two in the morning. At half an hour after midnight, as you all know, the train ran into a snowdrift. After that time it was impossible for anyone to leave the train.
“我想有关本案的各种事实，各位都知道了，罗嘉德先生在今天早晨经发现被刺身死。据我们所知，他在昨天夜里十二点卅七分还健在，那时他隔着房门与卧铺列车长说过话。在死者睡衣口袋中，发现了一只表面砸碎了的手表，时针是停在一点一刻上，尸体发现后，验尸的康斯丹丁医师指出：死者死亡的时间应在午夜至凌晨二时之间。各位都知道，火车在十二时半左右被风雪困住了。而在那时之后，任何人都不可能离开列车的。
“The evidence of Mr. Hardman, who is a member of a New York detective agency—” (Several heads turned, to look at Mr. Hardman.)—“shows that no one could have passed his compartment (No. 16 at the extreme end) without being seen by him. We are therefore forced to the conclusion that the murderer is to be found among the occupants of one particular coach—the Stamboul-Calais coach.
“根据哈德曼先生的证词，他是纽约一家侦探服务公司的侦探（有几名旅客扭头看了哈德曼先生一眼）——指出：任何一个人经过他的房门（第十六号，在最尾一间）他都会看见。因此，我们无法不这样论定：凶手必定是我们这节伊斯坦堡至卡莱车厢中卧铺房间里的一名旅客。
“That, I will say, was our theory.”
“这我可以说，本来是我们的论点。”
“Comment?” ejaculated M. Bouc, startled.
“什么？”波克先生吃惊地问了一句。
“But I will put before you an alternative theory. It is very simple. Mr. Ratchett had a certain enemy whom he feared. He gave Mr. Hardman a description of this enemy and told him that the attempt, if made at all, would most probably be made on the second night out from Stamboul.
“不过，我还要为各位拿出另一个论点。很简单，罗嘉德先生必定有一个他很惧怕的仇敌。他为哈德曼先生描述了一下这名仇人的外貌，并且说，这人如果要取他的性命，非常可能会在离开伊斯坦堡的第二天夜里下手。
“Now I put it to you, ladies and gentlemen, that Mr. Ratchett knew a good deal more than he told. The enemy, as Mr. Ratchett expected, joined the train at Belgrade or else at Vincovci by the door left open by Colonel Arbuthnot and Mr. MacQueen, who had just descended to the platform. He was provided with a suit of Wagon Lit uniform, which he wore over his ordinary clothes, and a pass-key which enabled him to gain access to Mr. Ratchett’s compartment in spite of the door’s being locked. Mr. Ratchett was under the influence of a sleeping draught. This man stabbed him with great ferocity and left the compartment through the communicating door leading to Mrs. Hubbard’s compartment—”
“各位，我现在可以告诉大家，罗嘉德所知道的事情必定比他所透露的要多。他的仇人，正象罗嘉德要防备的，是在贝尔格莱德或温可齐站上的车，他是在阿伯斯诺上校与麦昆先生下车到月台上时，打开车门溜上来的。有人为他准备了一件列车长制服，他罩在自己的衣服上，并给了他一把总钥匙，以便纵令房门是锁着的，他也可以进入罗嘉德先生的房间。罗嘉德先生当时受了安眠药力的影响。这人残暴地刺杀了他之后，经由通往侯伯太太房间的通门逃出了罗嘉德的房间……”
“That’s so,” said Mrs. Hubbard, nodding her head.
“就是的。”侯伯太太点着头说。
“He thrust the dagger he had used into Mrs. Hubbard’s sponge-bag in passing. Without knowing it, he lost a button of his uniform. Then he slipped out of the compartment and along the corridor. He hastily thrust the uniform into a suitcase in an empty compartment, and a few minutes later, dressed in ordinary clothes, he left the train just before it started off, using the same means for egress—the door near the dining-car.”
“他通过通门时，将用过的匕道仍进了侯伯太太的大手提袋里。但是他并不知道他掉下了一枚制服上的钮扣。然后他溜出房门，来到了过道上。他慌忙地将制服塞入了一间空房间里放着的箱子里，几分钟之后，他穿着自己的衣服，在火车离站之前，从上车的同一个门——靠餐车的那个车门，溜下了火车。”
Everybody gasped.
在座的每一个人都喘了一口气。
“What about that watch?” demanded Mr. Hardman.
“那只手表可如何解释呢？”哈德曼先生质问道。
“There you have the explanation of the whole thing. Mr. Ratchett had omitted to put his watch back an hour as he should have done at Tzaribrod. His watch still registered Eastern European time, which is one hour ahead of Central European time. It was a quarter past twelve when Mr. Ratchett was stabbed—not a quarter past one.”
“你这一问，正好可以解释所有的疑团。罗嘉德先生忘了在查理布拉德站将他的手表拨后一小时。他的手表仍在东欧时间，比中欧时间早一小时。因此，罗嘉德先生遇刺的时刻是十二点一刻，而不是一点一刻。”
“But it is absurd, that explanation!” cried M. Bouc. “What of the voice that spoke from the compartment at twenty-three minutes to one? It was either the voice of Ratchett—or else that of his murderer.”
“但是这种解释不通啊！“波克先生嚷道：”那么在差二十三分一点的时候，他房间里说话的人是谁呢？不是罗嘉德，就该是那个凶手了。“
“Not necessarily. It might have been—well—a third person. One who had gone in to speak to Ratchett and found him dead. He rang the bell to summon the conductor; then, as you express it, the wind rose in him—he was afraid of being accused of the crime, and he spoke pretending to be Ratchett.”
“那可不一定。也可能是——呃——第三者。一个跑去找罗嘉德说话的人，却发现他被杀死了。他按铃叫列车长，但是像我们平常所说的——心里发了毛——他怕涉嫌被指控杀人，就冒充罗嘉德说了话。”
“C’est possible,” admitted M. Bouc grudgingly.
“也可能吧。”波克先生心有不甘地承受了。
Poirot looked at Mrs. Hubbard. “Yes, Madame, you were going to say—”
白罗看了看侯伯太太说：“怎么，夫人，你有什么话要说的吗？——”
“Well, I don’t quite know what I was going to say. Do you think I forgot to put my watch back too?”
“这，我真也不晓得我要说的是什么。你认为我也忘了拨我的表吗？”
“No, Madame. I think you heard the man pass through—but unconsciously. Later you had a nightmare of a man being in your compartment and woke up with a start and rang for the conductor.”
“没有，夫人。我想你是不知不觉之间听见那人穿过你的房间的。后来你在梦中梦见有人进了你的房间，惊醒之后，按铃叫列车长的。”
“Well, I suppose that’s possible,” admitted Mrs. Hubbard.
“喔，可能是吧。”侯伯太太唯唯应道。
Princess Dragomiroff was looking at Poirot with a very direct glance. “How do you explain the evidence of my maid, Monsieur?”
德瑞格米罗夫郡主逼视着白罗问道：“那么你怎么解释我的女仆的证词呢，先生？”
“Very simply, Madame. Your maid recognised the handkerchief I showed her as yours. She somewhat clumsily tried to shield you. She did encounter the man, but earlier—while the train was at Vincovci station. She pretended to have seen him at a later hour, with a confused idea of giving you a water-tight alibi.”
“很简单，夫人。我把手帕拿给她看时，她认出了是你的。不过，她却不很技巧地想要掩护你。她的确碰上了那个男人，但是时间要早些——是在火车靠温可齐站的时候。她假说是在稍晚碰上的，原因在为你提供一个不在现场的铁证。”
The Princess bowed her head. “You have thought of everything, Monsieur. I—I admire you.”
郡主低下头致意说：“你一切都想得很周全，先生。我——我很佩服你。”
There was a silence.
一时间餐车寂静了片晌。
Then everyone jumped as Dr. Constantine suddenly hit the table a blow with his fist.
突然，康斯丹丁医师一拳敲响了桌子，在座的人几乎都吓得跳了起来。
“But no,” he said. “No, no, and again no! That is an explanation that will not hold water. It is deficient in a dozen minor points. The crime was not committed so—M. Poirot must know that perfectly well.”
“不，”他说：“不，不，绝不是这样的！这样的解释太牵强薄弱了。说不通的细节不胜枚举。这个罪案绝对不是这样发生的——白罗先生自己应该更清楚。”
Poirot turned a curious glance on him. “I see,” he said, “that I shall have to give you my second solution. But do not abandon this one too abruptly. You may agree with it later.”
白罗颇表玩味地看了他一眼。”好的，“他说：”那么，我就给你分析我的第二项论点。不过你最好不要这么匆忙就放弃我的第一项论点。也许事后你还会同意的。“
He turned back again to face the others.
他说完转身对大家说：
“There is another possible solution of the crime. This is how I arrived at it.
“要侦破这桩命案，另有一项可能的立论。我是这样成立的。
“When I had heard all the evidence, I leaned back and shut my eyes, and began to think. Certain points presented themselves to me as worthy of attention. I enumerated these points to my two colleagues. Some I have already elucidated— such as a grease spot on a passport, and so on. I will run over the points that remain. The first and most important is a remark made to me by M. Bouc in the restaurant car at lunch on the first day after leaving Stamboul—to the effect that the company assembled was interesting because it was so varied—representing as it did all classes and nationalities.
“我听完了各位的证词之后，曾安坐下来，闭上眼睛，开始思考过。有几点很引起我个人的注意。我会将这几点列举给我的两位同仁。有几点——譬如一本护照上的油渍等等，我已经解释过了。我现在把另外几点再举出来跟各位谈谈。第一点，也是最重要的一点，是我们离开伊斯坦堡之后的头一天，午餐时波克先生在餐车里对我说的几句话。他说，我们这次聚在一起的旅客相当别致，因为似乎各色各样的人等，不同阶层与不同国籍的人都有。
“I agreed with him, but when this particular point came into my mind, I tried to imagine whether such an assembly was ever likely to be collected under any other conditions. And the answer I made to myself was—only in America. In America there might be a household composed of just such varied nationalities—an Italian chauffeur, an English governess, a Swedish nurse, a German lady’s-maid, and so on. That led me to my scheme of ‘guessing’—that is, casting each person for a certain part in the Armstrong drama much as a producer casts a play. Well, that gave me an extremely interesting and satisfactory result.
“我同意他的看法，但是，事后再思考这特殊的一点时，我在想：这种聚合是否在其他的场合也会发生。我自己的答案是：只有在美国才有这样的事情。在美国，就可能在一个家庭之中有不同国籍的人在内——意大利司机、英国家庭教师、瑞典护士、德国女仆之类的。这就引发了我‘猜测’的腹案——也就是说，我像导演为剧本选角色一般，把每一名旅客在阿姆斯壮这个悲剧中派上一个角色，结果呢，不仅非常引人入胜，而且令我极感满意。
“I had also examined in my own mind each separate person’s evidence, with some curious results. Take first the evidence of Mr. MacQueen. My first interview with him was entirely satisfactory. But in my second he made rather a curious remark. I had described to him the finding of a note mentioning the Armstrong case. He said, ‘But surely—’ and then paused and went on, ‘I mean—that was rather careless of the old man.’
“我心中将各位的证词反复检讨了一番，也发现了几项奇特之处。先拿麦昆先生的证词来说吧。我第一次跟他问话，是百分之百的满意。但是，在第二次，他却说了一些很令人起疑的话。当我告诉他我们找到了一个提及阿姆斯壮绑票案的小字条时，他说：”当然了——‘之后停了下来，又说：“呃，我的意思是——那老家伙也太粗心大意了。’
“Now I could feel that that was not what he had started out to say. Supposing what he had meant to say was ‘But surely that was burnt!’ In which case, MacQueen knew of the note and of its destruction—in other words, he was either the murderer or an accomplice of the murderer. Very good.
“但是，现在，我可以感觉到那并不是他本来要说的话。假设他原先想说的话是：“当然了——，是烧了的！‘这样的话，麦昆早就知道有这么个字条，而且是经过焚毁了的——也就是说，他若不是凶手，至少也是共犯。好了，这是有关麦昆的。
“Then the valet. He said his master was in the habit of taking a sleeping draught when travelling by train. That might be true, but would Ratchett have taken one last night? The automatic under his pillow gave the lie to that statement. Ratchett intended to be on the alert last night. Whatever narcotic was administered to him must have been given without his knowledge. By whom? Obviously by MacQueen or the valet.
“我们再来谈这位男仆。他说他主人乘火车旅行时有服用安眠药的习惯。这可能是真的，但是罗嘉德昨晚会服用安眠药吗？他枕头下面放的自动手枪指出男仆说了谎话。罗嘉德昨晚是有意要保持警觉的。不管他昨晚服了什么药，他自己是不知情的。那么，是谁下的？显然不是麦昆就是这名男仆。
“Now we come to the evidence of Mr. Hardman. I believed all that he told me about his own identity, but when it came to the actual methods he had employed to guard Mr. Ratchett, his story was neither more nor less than absurd.
“现在我们再来检讨一下哈德曼先生的证词。我虽然相信他对自己身份的指证，但是说起他用来保护罗嘉德的实际方式，可就相当地荒诞不经了。
”The only way to have protected Ratchett effectively was to pass the night actually in his compartment or in some spot where he could watch the door. The one thing that his evidence did show plainly was that no one in any other part of the train could possibly have murdered Ratchett. It drew a clear circle round the Stamboul-Calais carriage. That seemed to me a rather curious and inexplicable fact, and I put it aside to think over.
“唯一真正能保护罗嘉德安全的方法只有两个：在他房间里一同过夜，或是置身于一个可以监视他房门的地方。他的证词中唯一说得很真切的是：这辆列车上其他车厢中的人是不可能谋杀罗嘉德的。只有伊斯坦堡至卡莱的这节车厢上，才有这种可能。这点，在我觉得是十分怪异而不可解释的事实，现在我们姑且不细谈这一点。
“You probably all know by now of the few words I overheard between Miss Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot. The interesting thing to my mind was the fact that Colonel Arbuthnot called her Mary and was clearly on terms of intimacy with her. But the Colonel was supposed to have met her only a few days previously. And I know Englishmen of the Colonel’s type—even if he had fallen in love with the young lady at first sight, he would have advanced slowly and with decorum, not rushing things. Therefore I concluded that Colonel Arbuthnot and Miss Debenham were in reality well acquainted and were for some reason pretending to be strangers. Another small point was Miss Debenham’s easy familiarity with the term ‘long distance’ for a telephone call. Yet Miss Debenham had told me that she had never been in the States.
“各位也许现在都已经知道，我曾偶尔听到戴本瀚小姐与阿伯斯诺上校交换过的几句话。我心中感到好奇的是阿伯斯诺上校叫她玛丽，显然与她的关系相当亲近。但是上校与她按说是前几天才认识的。我也了解上校这一类型的英国男士——即令他与一位小姐一见钟情，他也会很有风度地慢慢进展，而不会贸然行事的。因此，我认为阿伯斯诺上校与戴本瀚小姐早就熟识，却基于某种原因故作陌生人的模样。另一个小节是戴本瀚小姐似乎对美国人常用的‘长途电话’一词十分熟悉。但是戴本瀚小姐却对我说她从不曾去过美国。
“To pass to another witness. Mrs. Hubbard had told us that lying in bed she had been unable to see whether the communicating door was bolted or not, and so had asked Miss Ohlsson to see for her. Now—though her statement would have been perfectly true if she had been occupying compartment No. 2, 4, 12 or any even number, in which the bolt is directly under the handle of the door—in the uneven numbers such as compartment No. 3 the bolt is well above the handle and could not therefore be masked by the sponge-bag in the least. I was forced to the conclusion that Mrs. Hubbard was inventing an incident that had never occurred.
“再看另一位证人，侯伯太太。她告诉我们她躺在卧铺上无法看清通往隔壁的房门是否栓上的，因此她曾请奥尔森小姐替她看过。各位——如果她的房间是二、四或十二号等双号房间，那么她说的就一点不错，因为这些房间的门闩是紧装在门把手下方的——但是像第三号这种单号房间，门闩是安装在离门把手很高的上方的，因此完全不可能被她挂在门把手上的大手提袋挡住的。如此我不能不怀疑侯伯太太是在有意捏造一件全然不曾发生的事情。
“And here let me say just a word or two about times. To my mind the really interesting point about the dented watch, is the place where it was found—in Ratchett’s pyjama pocket, a singularly uncomfortable and unlikely place to keep one’s watch, especially as there is a watch ‘hook’ provided just by the head of the bed. I felt sure, therefore, that the watch had been deliberately placed in the pocket—faked. The crime, then, was not committed at a quarter past one.
“现在，我要谈谈有关时间的问题。我认为：这只表面被砸碎的手表真正令人起疑的一点，该是它放置的所在——罗嘉德的睡衣口袋里。这是一个最不适当且最不可能放手表的地方，特别是卧铺床头原来就安置了一个特为挂手表用的‘钩子’。因此，我确信，那只表是有人故布疑阵，刻意放在口袋中的。那么，命案就不是发生在一点一刻的时分了。
“Was it then committed earlier? To be exact, at twenty-three minutes to one? My friend M. Bouc advanced as an argument in favour of it the loud cry which awoke me from sleep. But if Ratchett had been heavily drugged, he could not have cried out. If he had been capable of crying out, he would have been capable of making some kind of struggle to defend himself, and there were no signs of any such struggle.
“那么是否发生在稍早呢？正好在差廿三分一点的时刻呢？我的朋友波克先生基于一声将我自睡梦中惊醒的喊叫，而支持这种说法。但是如果罗嘉德服了有人给他下的安眠药，他是不会喊出声音来的。如果他能喊得出来，他就该可以自卫而有所挣扎，但是我们却没有发现死者有任何挣扎的痕迹。
“I remembered that MacQueen had called attention, not once but twice (and the second time in a very blatant manner), to the fact that Ratchett could speak no French. I came to the conclusion that the whole business at twenty-three minutes to one was a comedy played for my benefit! Anyone might see through the watch business—it is a common enough device in detective stories. They assumed that I should see through it and that, pluming myself on my own cleverness, I would go on to assume that since Ratchett spoke no French, the voice I heard at twenty-three minutes to one could not have been his, and that Ratchett must have been already dead. But I am convinced that at twenty-three minutes to one Ratchett was still lying in his drugged sleep.
“我记得麦昆曾两次（第二次还是相当冠冕堂皇的呢）特别指出罗嘉德不会说法文。我的结论是这所谓的一点差二十三分的时刻，是完全针对我开的玩笑！任何人都可以看穿这个手表的把戏——这是侦探小说中常有的噱头。他们认定我应该看穿这个把戏，也就会自作聪明地认为，罗嘉德既然不会说法文，那么我在差二十三分的时候所听见的话语，必定不会是他说的了，那么罗嘉德该早已经死了。但是我确信在一点差二十三分的时候，罗嘉德该仍然在药力之下在床上昏睡着呢。
“But the device has succeeded! I have opened my door and looked out. I have actually heard the French phrase used. If I am so unbelievably dense as not to realise the significance of that phrase, it must be brought to my attention. If necessary, MacQueen can come right out in the open. He can say, ‘Excuse me, M. Poirot, that can’t have been Mr. Ratchett speaking. He couldn’t speak French.’
“不过，他们耍的这个噱头倒是奏了效！我的确开了房门朝外头看了。我也真正地听见了有人用了那句法语。即令我当时愚蠢得没有意识到那句话的重要性，至少也引起了我的注意。其实，麦昆可以很直截了当地说出来。他可以说：“抱歉，白罗先生，那不可能是罗嘉德先生说的。他不会说法文。‘”
“Now, what was the real time of the crime? And who killed him?
“那么命案发生的正确时间究竟是什么时候？又是谁刺杀他的呢？
“In my opinion—and this is only an opinion—Ratchett was killed at some time very close upon two o’clock, the latest hour the doctor gives us as possible.
“我的看法是——而这也是一种看法——罗嘉德是在非常接近凌晨二点的时分遇害的，也是医生能提供我们的最晚时刻。
“As to who killed him—”
“至于是谁杀他的嘛——”
He paused, looking at his audience. He could not complain of any lack of attention. Every eye was fixed upon him. In the stillness you could have heard a pin drop.
他停住了，注视着他的听众。他可真不能抱怨他们的注意力不集中。每一只眼睛都盯住了他。那份寂静，就是针掉在地上也听得见。
He went on slowly:
他缓缓地继续解说：
“I was particularly struck by the extraordinary difficulty of proving a case against any one person on the train, and by the rather curious coincidence that in each case the testimony giving an alibi came from what I might describe as an ‘unlikely’ person. Thus, Mr. MacQueen and Colonel Arbuthnot provided alibis for each other—two persons between whom it seemed most unlikely there should have been any prior acquaintanceship. The same thing happened with the English valet and the Italian, and with the Swedish lady and the English girl. I said to myself: This is extraordinary—they cannot all be in it!
“令我感到最奇特的是，要证明车上任何一名旅客单独涉嫌，似乎是极端困难的事；再者，每一项证词所举出的不在现场的证明，均来自在我看来是最‘不可能’的人了，这点，也未免巧合得太离谱了。因此，以麦昆先生与阿伯斯诺上校彼此间所提出的不在现场的互证，就显得非常不可能，因为他们两人先前根本不认识。同样情形也发生在英国男仆与那位意大利乘客之间，还有那位瑞典女士与英国小姐之间也如此。我就问自己：这就太特殊了——他们怎么可能都卷在里头呢！
“And then, Messieurs, I saw light. They were all in it. For so many people connected with the Armstrong case to be travelling by the same train through coincidence was not only unlikely: it was impossible. It must be not chance, but design. I remembered a remark of Colonel Arbuthnot’s about trial by jury. A jury is composed of twelve people—there were twelve passengers—Ratchett was stabbed twelve times. And the thing that had worried me all along—the extraordinary crowd travelling in the Stamboul-Calais coach at a slack time of year—this was explained.
“但是，各位，我终于看清楚了。他们的确是都有份的。这么多与阿姆斯壮绑票案有关的人，同时出现在同一班火车上，若说是巧合，非但难以令人相信，也是不可能的。这绝非机缘，而是早经策划的。我记起了阿伯斯诺上校谈起过由陪审团审判的话。陪审团是由十二人组成的——这车上正好有十二名乘客——而罗嘉德身上也是被刺了十二刀。此外，一直最令我费解的问题——伊斯坦堡至卡莱车厢中，在这种季节竟挤满了旅客——也有了答案。
“Ratchett had escaped justice in America. There was no question as to his guilt. I visualised a self-appointed jury of twelve people who had condemned him to death and who by the exigencies of the case had themselves been forced to be his executioners. And immediately, on that assumption, the whole case fell into beautiful shining order.
“罗嘉德在美国逃脱了法网的制裁，而他的罪行却是千真万确的。我可以想象得到有十二个人自组了一个陪审团，并且判了他的死刑；又由于事情的无可挽回，他们被迫大家担任执行的工作。作了这样的假定之后，现在的案情就一清二楚地全部就绪了。
“I saw it as a perfect mosaic, each person playing his or her allotted part. It was so arranged that, if suspicion should fall on any one person, the evidence of one or more of the others would clear the accused person and confuse the issue. Hardman’s evidence was necessary in case some outsider should be suspected of the crime and be unable to prove an alibi. The passengers in the Stamboul carriage were in no danger. Every minute detail of their evidence was worked out beforehand. The whole thing was a very cleverly planned jigsaw puzzle, so arranged that every fresh piece of knowledge that came to light made the solution of the whole more difficult. As my friend M. Bouc remarked, the case seemed fantastically impossible! That was exactly the impression intended to be conveyed.
“在我看来，这是一次巧夺天工的策谋，每一个人都摊派了各人应演的角色。在这种安排之下，果若有一个人单独涉嫌，另外一个或多人的证词可以为他或她洗脱罪嫌，且进一步使案情更加混乱。哈德曼证词的必要性在于若有外人涉嫌在内，这人就提不出不在现场的证据。伊斯坦堡车厢中的旅客是不会有风险的。他们全部证词中的任何一个细节都事先设计好的。事实上，这整个的案情就是一盘精心设计的拼图游戏，每次找到一片新的线索，就使破案更加深了一层困难。正如我的朋友波克先生所说的，这个案子简直是不可能得近乎神奇了！其实，这正是作案的人要留下的印象。
“Did this solution explain everything? Yes, it did. The nature of the wounds— each inflicted by a different person. The artificial threatening letters—artificial since they were unreal, written only to be produced as evidence. (Doubtless there were real letters, warning Ratchett of his fate, which MacQueen destroyed, substituting for them these others.) Then Hardman’s story of being called in by Ratchett—a lie, of course, from beginning to end. The description of the mythical ‘small dark man with a womanish voice’—a convenient description since it had the merit of not incriminating any of the actual Wagon Lit conductors and would apply equally well to a man or a woman.
“那么此一破案论点，又能解释什么呢？有的。拿死者身中的刀伤来说——每一处都有不同的人刺下的，那些假造的恐吓信——我说假造，是因为并非真实的，而是写下来用作证据的（当然啰，的确有真的恐吓信警告罗嘉德小心他的性命，但是已被麦昆焚毁且以这些假造的恐吓信来代替）。至于哈德曼所称的受雇于罗嘉德一节，当然也是彻头彻尾谎言。那项神秘的‘瘦小、深肤色、有女人声音的男人’的描述，也是一项为了方便而捏造的。因为第一，这种描述不至于将任何一名真正的列车长拖下水；其次，无论对男人或女人都可以派上用场。
“The idea of stabbing is at first sight a curious one, but on reflection nothing else would fit the circumstances so well. A dagger was a weapon that could be used by everyone—strong or weak—and it made no noise. I fancy, though I may be wrong, that each person in turn entered Ratchett’s darkened compartment through that of Mrs. Hubbard—and struck! They themselves would never know which blow actually killed him.
“再说刺杀的方式，第一眼看来虽然的确离奇，但仔细想通了，就会知道这是最符合情况的一种方式了。匕首是一种任何人——力气大的或弱的——都能用的凶器，而且也不会有声音。也许我的看法不对，但是我猜想是每一个人轮流自侯伯太太房中穿入罗嘉德漆黑的房间里刺了一刀的！没有人知道到底是那一刀真正致了他的命。
“The final letter which Ratchett had probably found on his pillow was carefully burnt. With no clue pointing to the Armstrong case there would be absolutely no reason for suspecting any of the passengers on the train. It would be put down as an outside job, and the ‘small dark man with the womanish voice’ would actually have been seen by one or more of the passengers leaving the train, at Brod!
“罗嘉德可能在他枕头上发现了那最后一封恐吓信，焚烧得相当周密。只要没有指向阿姆斯壮绑票案的线索，绝对没有理由怀疑车厢内任何一名旅客。那样就可以被认作是外人作的案；而那个‘瘦小、深肤色、有女人声音的男人’也可认作的确有一名或多名旅客看见他在布拉德下了火车！
“I do not know exactly what happened when the conspirators discovered that this part of their plan was impossible owing to the accident to the train. There was, I imagine, a hasty consultation, and then they decided to go through with it. It was true that now one and all of the passengers were bound to come under suspicion, but that possibility had already been foreseen and provided for. The only additional thing to be done was to confuse the issue even further. Two so-called ‘clues’ were dropped in the dead man’s compartment—one incriminating Colonel Arbuthnot (who had the strongest alibi and whose connection with the Armstrong family was probably the hardest to prove); and the second clue, the handkerchief, incriminating Princess Dragomiroff who, by virtue of her social position, her particularly frail physique and the alibi given her by her maid and the conductor, was practically in an unassailable position.
“我不知道一群共谋者，在发现火车耽搁下来而使他们这一步计划无法实施时，是怎样采取应变措施的。我只能推想，他们一定是作过磋商，然后决定照原定计划行事。不错，这样一来，一名甚或所有旅客都会涉嫌，但是这种可能也早经预料且准备了应对方法的。唯一得添上的工作是将情况弄得更为复杂混乱一些。于是，两点所谓的‘线索’就被安置在死者的房间里了——一项是将罪嫌箭头指向阿伯斯诺上校，（因为他不在现场的证据最充实，而且他与阿姆斯壮家的关系也最难指证）；另一项线索就是指向德瑞格米罗夫郡主的那块手帕，由于她社会地位的突出，她异于常人的孱弱身材，再加上她的女仆与列车长可以为她提出的不在场的证词，可说使她立于不可侵犯的地位。
“Further to confuse the issue, a red herring was drawn across the trail—the mythical woman in the red kimono. Again I am to bear witness to this woman’s existence. There is a heavy bang at my door. I get up and look out—and see the scarlet kimono disappearing in the distance. A judicious selection of people—the conductor, Miss Debenham and MacQueen—will also have seen her. It was, I think, someone with a sense of humour who thoughtfully placed the scarlet kimono on the top of my suitcase whilst I was interviewing people in the dining-car. Where the garment came from in the first place, I do not know. I suspect it is the property of Countess Andrenyi, since her luggage contained only a chiffon negligee so elaborate as to be rather a tea-gown than a dressing-gown.
“为了进一步混淆我们的耳目，一团迷雾中又出现了一条红色的叉路——一名穿鲜红睡袍的神秘女人。我再度成了可以证明此一神秘女人存在的目击者。我听见自己房门被重重地撞了一下。我起床开门一看——见远处有一个穿鲜红睡袍的女人闪了过去。陪审团中选了列车长、戴本瀚小姐与麦昆充任也曾见过这个女人的证人。我认为，一个颇富幽默感的人，当我在餐车里问讯旅客的时候，很体贴地将那件鲜红睡袍放在我皮箱内的上层了。我不知道这件鲜红睡袍的出处何在。我怀疑可能是属于安君业伯爵夫人的，因为她的箱子里只有一件薄纱的袍子，式样太精致，该是喝午茶时穿着的，不像是件睡袍。
“When MacQueen first learned that the letter which had been so carefully burnt had in part escaped destruction, and that the word Armstrong was exactly the word remaining, he must at once have communicated his news, to the others. It was at this minute that the position of Countess Andrenyi became acute, and her husband immediately took steps to alter the passport. It was their second piece of bad luck!
“当麦昆得知他小心焚毁的信件竟有一小角灰屑留了下来，而且正好是阿姆斯壮那几个字，他必定把这个消息立即通告了众人。也就是这个小纰漏暴露了安君业伯爵夫人的身份，她丈夫立即采取行动涂改护照。这是他们第二次碰到了霉运！
“They one and all agreed to deny utterly any connection with the Armstrong family. They knew I had no immediate means of finding out the truth, and they didnot believe that I should go into the matter unless my suspicions were aroused against one particular person.
“他们一致赞同断然否认与阿姆斯壮家有任何关连。他们晓得我一时无法探知此一真相，也坚信除非我怀疑他们其中一个人，否则我是不会朝这个方向探究的。
“Now there was one further point to consider. Allowing that my theory of the crime was the correct one, and I believed that it must be the correct one, then obviously the Wagon Lit conductor himself must be privy to the plot. But if so, that gave us thirteen persons, not twelve. Instead of the usual formula ‘Of so many people one is guilty,’ I was faced with the problem that of thirteen persons one and one only was innocent. Which was that person?
“现在，我们还有一点要考虑的。如果各位认为我此一破案论点是正确的，而我自己相信必定是正确的，那么卧铺列车长必定也知道这个计谋。可是，如此，不就成了十三个人，而不是十二个人了吗？一反常见的‘这么多人中总有一人是罪嫌’，我却面临了十三个人里头总该有一人是无辜的。那么是哪个呢？
“I came to a very odd conclusion. I came to the conclusion that the person who had taken no part in the crime was the person who would be considered the most likely to do so. I refer to Countess Andrenyi. I was impressed by the earnestness of her husband when he swore to me solemnly on his honour that his wife never left her compartment that night. I decided that Count Andrenyi took, so to speak, his wife’s place.
“我达成的结论可能很怪异。我的结论是，在此一命案中没有参与动手的，该是那个被认作最有犯案动机的人。我指的是安君业伯爵夫人。他丈夫以人格发誓，指称他夫人昨晚未离开房间时流露的那份真切，很令我感动。我认定，是安君业伯爵代他夫人下了手。
“If so, then Pierre Michel was definitely one of the twelve. But how could one explain his complicity? He was a decent man who had been many years in the employ of the company—not the kind of man who could be bribed to assist in a crime. Then Pierre Michel must be involved in the Armstrong case. But that seemed very improbable. Then I remembered that the dead nursery-maid had been French. Supposing that that unfortunate girl had been Pierre Michel’s daughter. That would explain everything—it would also explain the place chosen for the staging of the crime. Were there any others whose part in the drama was not clear? Colonel Arbuthnot I put down as a friend of the Armstrongs. They had probably been through the War together. The maid, Hildegarde Schmidt—I could guess her place in the Armstrong household. I am, perhaps, over greedy, but I sense a good cook instinctively. I laid a trap for her—she fell into it. I said I knew she was a good cook. She answered: ‘Yes, indeed, all my ladies have said so.’ But if you are employed as a lady’s-maid your employers seldom have a chance of learning whether or not you are a good cook.
“如果是这样，那么皮耶·麦寇必定是十二人中的一员了。然而他的参与，又该如何解释呢？他是在铁路公司工作多年的好人——绝不是一个可用金钱收买来参与罪行的人呀。那么皮耶·麦寇也必定与阿姆斯壮一案有着关连了。可是这又似乎很不可能。后来，我记起了那名跳楼身死的女婢是法国人。倘若那不幸的女郎是皮耶·麦寇的女儿呢，那么一切就更说得通了——也解释了犯罪场所何以选在这节车厢里了。还有没有别的人在这幕戏中扮演的角色不甚清晰呢？阿伯斯诺上校，我把他认作是阿姆斯壮的朋友，他们两人可能是大战期间的朋友。那名女仆，希尔格·施密德——我可以猜想她在阿姆斯壮家的身份。我或许太嘴馋了一些，不过我直觉地感到她是个好厨师。我给她设了个圈套——她也溜了进去。我对她说我知道她做菜一定做得很好。她回答说：“是的，我侍奉过的夫人们都这么说。‘但是，如果你的职位是伺候夫人的随身女仆，按理说夫人是不太可能知道你菜烧得好不好的。
“Then there was Hardman. He seemed quite definitely not to belong to the Armstrong household. I could only imagine that he had been in love with the French girl. I spoke to him of the charm of foreign women—and again I obtained the reaction I was looking for. Sudden tears came into his eyes, which he pretended were dazzled by the snow.
“那么还有哈德曼呢。他看情形是绝对不像阿姆斯壮家的一员的。我只能推想他爱上了那个法国女郎。我跟他谈过欧洲女人的妩媚，而我立刻获得了要寻找的反应。他眼中立即涌出了泪水，他却推说是白雪照得太刺眼了。
“There remains Mrs. Hubbard. Now Mrs. Hubbard, let me say, played the most important part in the drama. By occupying the compartment communicating with that of Ratchett she was more open to suspicion than anyone else. In the nature of things she could not have an alibi to fall back upon. To play the part she played— the perfectly natural, slightly ridiculous American fond mother—an artist was needed. But there was an artist connected with the Armstrong family: Mrs.Armstrong’s mother—Linda Arden, the actress . ...”
“最后，就剩下侯伯太太了。我可以说，侯伯太太在这场戏中份演了最重要的角色。她睡的房间紧靠罗嘉德的房间，因此也比其他人更容易受到怀疑。因为她提不出什么不在现场的铁证。要演好她所扮演的角色——一个非常自然、稍带怪态、宠爱女儿的美国母亲——的确需要有表演艺术家的才华。事实上，阿姆斯壮家的确有一位艺术家——阿姆斯壮夫人的母亲——女演员琳达·艾登……”
He stopped.
他停住了。
Then in a soft rich dreamy voice, quite unlike the one she had used throughout the journey, Mrs. Hubbard said:
一缕梦境般浑厚、轻柔，与她在这次旅程中所用绝然不同的声调，自侯伯太太口中传了出来：
“I always fancied myself in comedy parts.”
“我一直盼望自己能有机会扮演喜剧角色。”
She went on, still dreamily:
她梦呓似地继续说道：
“That slip about the sponge-bag was silly. It shows that you should always rehearse property. We tried it on the way out—I was in an even-number compartment then, I suppose. I never thought of the bolts being in different places.”
“那只手提袋安排的疏忽，的确是很蠢的。这证明，一切事先的排演是应该很周全的。我们动身的时候，试验过的——我想我那时睡的是双号房间。我从没想到门闩安装的位置会有不同的。”
She shifted her position a little and looked straight at Poirot.
她移动了一下身子，眼睛直视着白罗。
“You know all about it, M. Poirot. You’re a very wonderful man. But even you can’t quite imagine what it was like—that awful day in New York. I was just crazy with grief; so were the servants. And Colonel Arbuthnot was there too. He was John Armstrong’s best friend.”
“你全部都清楚了，白罗先生。你真是个了不起的人。但是连你也无法想象那是一种何等的感受——在纽约那可怕的一天。我悲痛得几乎要发狂；佣人们也一样，阿伯斯诺也在场。他是约翰·阿姆斯壮最好的朋友。”
“He saved my life in the War,” said Arbuthnot.
“他在大战中救过我的命。”阿伯斯诺说。
“We decided then and there (perhaps we were mad—I don’t know) that the sentence of death that Cassetti had escaped had got to be carried out. There were twelve of us—or rather eleven; Susanne’s father was over in France, of course. First we thought we’d draw lots as to who should do it, but in the end we decided on this way. It was the chauffeur, Antonio, who suggested it. Mary worked out all the details later with Hector MacQueen. He’d always adored Sonia—my daughter—and it was he who explained to us exactly how Cassetti’s money had managed to get him off.
“我们那时当场就决定了（也许我们都疯了——我不知道）：卡赛提逃脱的死刑，无论如何要贯彻执行。我们一共是十二个人——或者该说是十一个；当然，那时苏姗妮的父亲在法国。最先我们想以抽签的方式决定由谁来动手；但最后决定用现在这个方法了。这是司机安东尼奥想出的法子。稍后，玛丽与海洛特·麦昆将全盘计划拟妥了。他一直很崇慕我的女儿苏妮亚，也是他向我们解释了卡赛提是如何用金钱买脱了一场死罪。
“It took a long time to perfect our plan. We had first to track Ratchett down. Hardman managed that in the end. Then we had to try and get Masterman and Hector into his employment—or at any rate one of them. Well, we managed that. Then we had a consultation with Susanne’s father. Colonel Arbuthnot was very keen on having twelve of us. He seemed to think it made it more in order. He didn’t like the stabbing idea much, but he agreed that it did solve most of our difficulties. Well, Susanne’s father was willing. Susanne had been his only child. We knew from Hector that Ratchett would be coming back from the East sooner or later by the Orient Express. With Pierre Michel actually working on that train, the chance was too good to be missed. Besides, it would be a good way of not incriminating any outsiders.
“我们的计划费了很久的时间才就绪的。首先，我们得抓住罗嘉德的行踪。这是后来哈德曼办到的。之后，我们得设法使他雇用马斯德曼与海洛特——或至少两人之中有一人能替罗嘉德工作。这个，我们最后也办到了。然后我们与苏姗妮的父亲接上了头。阿伯斯诺上校坚持我们十二个人应该通力合作，他似乎觉得这样才更有意义。他并不赞成刺杀的方式，但是后来知道这样可以省却大家许多困难，也就同意了。苏姗妮的父亲非常情愿，苏姗妮是他的独生女儿。海洛特通知我们，罗嘉德迟早会搭东方号特快车自东方返回。有皮耶·麦寇在这班列车上服务，这是万不可错过的机会。而且，这也是不连累外人的一条好途径。
“My daughter’s husband had to know, of course, and he insisted on coming on the train with her. Hector wangled it so that Ratchett selected the right day for travelling, when Michel would be on duty. We meant to engage every carriage in the Stamboul-Calais coach, but unfortunately there was one carriage we couldn’tget. It had been reserved long beforehand for a director of the company. ‘Mr. Harris,’ of course, was a myth. But it would have been awkward to have any stranger in Hector’s compartment. And then, at the last minute, you came. ...”
“我女儿的丈夫当然不能瞒过，他也执意要与她同来。海洛特动了点脑筋，怂恿罗嘉德选了麦寇值班的这天搭车动身。我们本来要把伊斯坦堡至卡莱这节车厢中所有的房间都订下的。但可惜有一间订不到，那间老早就被铁路公司的一位主任订下了。‘哈瑞斯先生’是谁，至今仍是个谜。反正，海洛特房间里若多了一个生人总是碍手的。谁料到，在最后一分钟，你又来了……”
She stopped.
她停了停。
“Well,” she said, “you know everything now, M. Poirot. What are you going to do about it? If it must all come out, can’t you lay the blame upon me and me only? I would have stabbed that man twelve times willingly. It wasn’t only that he was responsible for my daughter’s death and her child’s and that of the other child who might have been alive and happy now. It was more than that: there had been other children kidnapped before Daisy, and there might be others in the future. Society had condemned him—we were only carrying out the sentence. But it’s unnecessary to bring all these others into it. All these good faithful souls—and poor Michel-and Mary and Colonel Arbuthnot—they love each other. ...”
“好了，”她说：“你全清楚了，白罗先生。你准备怎么处理呢？事情既然到了这个地步，你不能把一切责任都由我一个人来担当吗？我本该自己一个人刺上那人十二刀的。不只因为我女儿与她孩子的惨死，他罪有应得；他也应该对我们另一个原可活得很快乐的孩子赎罪的。何况，在黛西之前，还有别的孩子遭他绑架过，将来说不定也还会有。社会判决了他的罪刑——我们只是代为执行罢了。但是没有必要把其他的人一并扯了进来。这些善良、忠心的人——可怜的麦寇——还有玛丽与阿伯斯诺上校——他们两个是深深相爱的……”
Her voice was wonderful, echoing through the crowded space—that deep, emotional, heart-stirring voice that had thrilled many a New York audience.
她的声音，在这拥挤的空间中回响着，那么动人——那副感动了纽约千万观众的深沉、情感充沛、扣人心弦的声调。
Poirot looked at his friend.
白罗看了看他的朋友。
“You are a director of the company, M. Bouc,” he said. “What do you say?”
“你是铁路公司的主任，波克先生，”他说：“你看该怎么办？”
M. Bouc cleared his throat.
波克先生轻咳了一声。
“In my opinion, M. Poirot,” he said, “the first theory you put forward was the correct one—decidedly so. I suggest that that is the solution we offer to the Jugo-Slavian police when they arrive. You agree, doctor?”
“依我看，白罗先生，”他说：“你举出的第一项破案论点是正确的——毫无疑问是正确的。我认为等南斯拉夫的警方人员到达的时候，我们就把这个论点提供给他们。医师你同意吗？”
“Certainly I agree,” said Dr. Constantine. “As regards the medical evidence, I think—er—that I made one or two fantastic suggestions.”
“当然同意，”康斯丹丁医师说：“至于验尸的证据嘛，我想——呃——我的判断稍微有些离了谱。”
“Then,” said Poirot, “having placed my solution before you, I have the honour to retire from the case. ...”
“那么，”白罗说：“我已把我的破案论点向各位分析说明完了，我想我也该功成告退了……”