赫尔克里·波洛的丰功伟绩48

时间：2024-12-31 11:25:00

（单词翻译:单击）

II
Hercule Poirot was just going down to his taxi when the telephone rang. He took off the receiver.
“Yes?”
Japp’s voice spoke1.
“Glad I’ve just caught you. It’s all off, old man. Found a message at the Yard when I got
back. The girl’s turned up. At the side of the main road fifteen miles from Amiens. She’s dazed
and they can’t get any coherent story from her, doctor says she’s been doped—However, she’s all
right. Nothing wrong with her.”
Poirot said slowly:
“So you have, then, no need of my services?”
“Afraid not! In fact—sorrrry you have been trrrroubled.”
Japp laughed at his witticism2 and rang off.
Hercule Poirot did not laugh. He put back the receiver slowly. His face was worried.
III
Detective Inspector3 Hearn looked at Poirot curiously4.
He said:
“I’d no idea you’d be so interested, sir.”
Poirot said:
“You had word from Chief Inspector Japp that I might consult with you over this matter?”
Hearn nodded.
“He said you were coming over on some business, and that you’d give us a hand with this
puzzle. But I didn’t expect you now it’s all cleared up. I thought you’d be busy on your own job.”
Hercule Poirot said:
“My own business can wait. It is this affair here that interests me. You called it a puzzle, and
you say it is now ended. But the puzzle is still there, it seems.”
“Well, sir, we’ve got the child back. And she’s not hurt. That’s the main thing.”
“But it does not solve the problem of how you got her back, does it? What does she herself
say? A doctor saw her, did he not? What did he say?”
“Said she’d been doped. She was still hazy5 with it. Apparently6, she can’t remember anything
much after starting off from Cranchester. All later events seem to have been wiped out. Doctor
thinks she might just possibly have had slight concussion7. There’s a bruise8 on the back of her
head. Says that would account for a complete blackout of memory.”
Poirot said:
“Which is very convenient for—someone!”
Inspector Hearn said in a doubtful voice:
“You don’t think she is shamming9, sir?”
“Do you?”
“No, I’m sure she isn’t. She’s a nice kid—a bit young for her age.”
“No, she is not shamming.” Poirot shook his head. “But I would like to know how she got off
that train. I want to know who is responsible—and why?”
“As to why, I should say it was an attempt at kidnapping, sir. They meant to hold her to
ransom10.”
“But they didn’t!”
“Lost their nerve with the hue11 and cry—and planted her by the road quick.”
Poirot inquired sceptically:
“And what ransom were they likely to get from a Canon of Cranchester Cathedral? English
Church dignitaries are not millionaires.”
Detective Inspector Hearn said cheerfully:
“Made a botch of the whole thing, sir, in my opinion.”
“Ah, that’s your opinion.”
Hearn said, his face flushing slightly:
“What’s yours, sir?”
“I want to know how she was spirited off that train.”
The policeman’s face clouded over.
“That’s a real mystery, that is. One minute she was there, sitting in the dining car, chatting to
the other girls. Five minutes later she’s vanished—hey presto—like a conjuring12 trick.”
“Precisely, like a conjuring trick! Who else was there in the coach of the train where
Miss Pope’s reserved compartments13
were?”
Inspector Hearn nodded.
“That’s a good point, sir. That’s important. It’s particularly important because it was the last
coach on the train and as soon as all the people were back from the restaurant car, the doors
between the coaches were locked—actually so as to prevent people crowding along to the
restaurant car and demanding tea before they’d had time to clear up lunch and get ready. Winnie
King came back to the coach with the others—the school had three reserved compartments there.”
“And in the other compartments of the coach?”
Hearn pulled out his notebook.
“Miss Jordan and Miss Butters—two middle-aged15 spinsters going to Switzerland. Nothing
wrong with them, highly respectable, well known in Hampshire where they come from. Two
French commercial travellers, one from Lyons, one from Paris. Both respectable middle-aged
men. A young man, James Elliot, and his wife—flashy piece of goods she was. He’s got a bad
reputation, suspected by the police of being mixed up in some questionable16 transactions—but has
never touched kidnapping. Anyway, his compartment14 was searched and there was nothing in his
hand luggage to show that he was mixed up in this. Don’t see how he could have been. Only other
person was an American lady, Mrs. Van Suyder, travelling to Paris. Nothing known about her.
Looks O.K. That’s the lot.”
Hercule Poirot said:
“And it is quite definite that the train did not stop after it left Amiens?”
“Absolutely. It slowed down once, but not enough to let anyone jump off—not without
damaging themselves pretty severely17 and risking being killed.”
Hercule Poirot murmured:
“That is what makes the problem so peculiarly interesting. The schoolgirl vanishes into thin
air just outside Amiens. She reappears from thin air just outside Amiens. Where has she been in the
meantime?”
Inspector Hearn shook his head.
“It sounds mad, put like that. Oh! by the way, they told me you were asking something about
shoes—the girl’s shoes. She had her shoes on all right when she was found, but there was a pair of
shoes on the line, a signalman found them. Took ’em home with him as they seemed in good
condition. Stout18 black walking shoes.”
“Ah,” said Poirot. He looked gratified.
Inspector Hearn said curiously:
“I don’t get the meaning of the shoes, sir? Do they mean anything?”
“They confirm a theory,” said Hercule Poirot. “A theory of how the conjuring trick was
done.”

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1 spoke XryyC     
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
2 witticism KIeyn     
n.谐语，妙语
参考例句：
  • He tries to lighten his lectures with an occasional witticism.他有时想用俏皮话使课堂活跃。
  • His witticism was as sharp as a marble.他的打趣话十分枯燥无味。
3 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员，监察员，视察员
参考例句：
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
4 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地
参考例句：
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
5 hazy h53ya     
adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的
参考例句：
  • We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
  • I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。
6 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
7 concussion 5YDys     
n.脑震荡；震动
参考例句：
  • He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
  • She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。
8 bruise kcCyw     
n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤
参考例句：
  • The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
  • Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。
9 shamming 77223e52bb7c47399a6741f7e43145ff     
假装，冒充( sham的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • He is not really ill, he is shamming. 他不是生病，他在装病。
  • He is only shamming. 他只是假装罢了。
10 ransom tTYx9     
n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救
参考例句：
  • We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
  • The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。
11 hue qdszS     
n.色度；色调；样子
参考例句：
  • The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
  • The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。
12 conjuring IYdyC     
n.魔术
参考例句：
  • Paul's very good at conjuring. 保罗很会变戏法。
  • The entertainer didn't fool us with his conjuring. 那个艺人变的戏法没有骗到我们。
13 compartments 4e9d78104c402c263f5154f3360372c7     
n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层
参考例句：
  • Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 compartment dOFz6     
n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间
参考例句：
  • We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
  • The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
15 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句：
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
16 questionable oScxK     
adj.可疑的，有问题的
参考例句：
  • There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
  • Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。
17 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地
参考例句：
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
18 stout PGuzF     
adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的
参考例句：
  • He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
  • The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

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