死亡约会 Part II Chapter 7（2）

 

Poirot nodded his head slowly. He said: ‘I see.’

Then he said: ‘You think her death was the result of the shock?’

‘It seems to me almost certain. You see, she had already over-exerted herself considerablygetting to this place. My news, and her anger at it, would do the rest…I feel additionally guiltybecause I have had a certain amount of training in illness and so I, more than anyone else, ought tohave realized the possibility of such a thing happening.’

Poirot sat in silence for some minutes, then he said:

‘What exactly did you do when you left her?’

‘I took the chair I had brought out back into my cave, then I went down to the marquee. Myhusband was there.’

Poirot watched her closely as he said:

‘Did you tell him of your decision? Or had you already told him?’

There was a pause, an infinitesimal pause, before Nadine said: ‘I told him then.’

‘How did he take it?’

She answered quietly: ‘He was very upset.’

‘Did he urge you to reconsider your decision?’

She shook her head.

‘He—he didn’t say very much. You see, we had both known for some time that something likethis might happen.’

Poirot said: ‘You will pardon me, but—the other man was, of course, Mr Jefferson Cope?’

She bent¹ her head. ‘Yes.’

There was a long pause, then, without any change of voice, Poirot asked: ‘Do you own ahypodermic syringe, madame?’

‘Yes—no.’

His eyebrows² rose.

She explained: ‘I have an old hypodermic amongst other things in a travelling medicine chest,but it is in our big luggage which we left in Jerusalem.’

‘I see.’

There was a pause, then she said, with a shiver of uneasiness: ‘Why did you ask me that, M.

Poirot?’

He did not answer the question. Instead he put one of his own. ‘Mrs Boynton was, I believe,taking a mixture containing digitalis?’

‘Yes.’

He thought that she was definitely watchful³ now.

‘That was for her heart trouble?’

‘Yes.’

‘Digitalis is, to some extent, a cumulative⁴ drug?’

‘I believe it is. I do not know very much about it.’

‘If Mrs Boynton had taken a big overdose of digitalis—’

She interrupted him quickly but with decision.

‘She did not. She was always most careful. So was I if I measured the dose for her.’

‘There might have been an overdose in this particular bottle. A mistake of the chemist whomade it up?’

‘I think that is very unlikely,’ she replied quietly.

‘Ah, well: the analysis will soon tell us.’

Nadine said: ‘Unfortunately the bottle was broken.’

Poirot eyed her with sudden interest.

‘Indeed. Who broke it?’

‘I’m not quite sure. One of the servants, I think. In carrying my mother-in-law’s body into hercave, there was a good deal of confusion and the light was very poor. A table got knocked over.’

Poirot eyed her steadily⁵ for a minute or two.

‘That,’ he said, ‘is very interesting.’

 

1 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

2 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

3 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

4 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。