弱者的愤怒13

Turn off that other light, will you, M. Poirot? Just let yourself go to sleep, Lady Astwell."He shifted his position a little.

"It's getting late. You are sleepy - very sleepy. Your eyelids¹ are heavy, they are closing - closing -closing. Soon you will be asleep..."His voice droned on, low, soothing³, and monotonous⁴. Presently he leaned forward and gentlylifted Lady Astwell's right eyelid². Then he turned to Poirot, nodding in a satisfied manner.

"That's all right," he said in a low voice. "Shall I go ahead?""If you please."The doctor spoke⁵ out sharply and authoritatively⁶: "You are asleep, Lady Astwell, but you hear me,and you can answer my questions."Without stirring or raising an eyelid, the motionless figure on the sofa replied in a low,monotonous voice:

"I hear you. I can answer your questions."

"Lady Astwell, I want you to go back to the evening on which your husband was murdered. Youremember that evening?""Yes."

"You are at the dinner table. Describe to me what you saw and felt."The prone⁷ figure stirred a little restlessly.

"I am in great distress⁸. I am worried about Lily.""We know that; tell us what you saw.""Victor is eating all the salted almonds; he is greedy. Tomorrow I shall tell Parsons not to put thedish on that side of the table.""Go on. Lady Astwell."

"Reuben is in a bad humor tonight. I don’t think it is altogether about Lily. It is something to dowith business. Victor looks at him in a queer way.""Tell us about Mr Trefusis, Lady Astwell.""His left shirt cuff⁹ is frayed¹⁰. He puts a lot of grease on his hair. I wish men didn't, it ruins thecovers in the drawing-room."Cazalet looked at Poirot; the other made a motion with his head.

"It is after dinner, Lady Astwell, you are having coffee. Describe the scene to me.""The coffee is good tonight. It varies. Cook is very unreliable over her coffee. Lily keeps lookingout of the window, I don't know why. Now, Reuben comes into the room; he is in one of his worstmoods tonight, and bursts out with a perfect flood of abuse to poor Mr Trefusis. Mr Trefusis hashis hand round the paper-knife, the big one with the sharp blade like a knife. How hard he isgrasping it; his knuckles¹¹ are quite white. Look, he has dug it so hard in the table that the pointsnaps. He holds it just as you would hold a dagger¹² you were going to stick into someone. There,they have gone out together now. Lily has got her green evening dress on; she looks so pretty ingreen, just like a lily. I must have the covers cleaned next week.""Just a minute, Lady Astwell."The doctor leaned across to Poirot.

"We have got it, I think," he murmured; "that action with the paper-knife, that's what convincedher that the secretary did the thing.""Let us go on to the Tower room now."

The doctor nodded, and began once more to question Lady Astwell in his high, decisive voice.

"It is later in the evening; you are in the Tower room with your husband. You and he have had aterrible scene together, have you not?"Again the figure stirred uneasily.

"Yes - terrible - terrible. We said dreadful things - both of us.""Never mind that now. You can see the room clearly, the curtains were drawn¹³, the lights were on.""Not the middle light, only the desk light.""You are leaving your husband now, you are saying good night to him.""No, I was too angry.""It is the last time you will see him; very soon he will be murdered. Do you know who murderedhim, Lady Astwell?""Yes. Mr Trefusis."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of the bulge¹⁴ - the bulge in the curtain.""There was a bulge in the curtain?""Yes."

"You saw it?"

"Yes. I almost touched it."

"Was there a man concealed¹⁵ there - Mr Trefusis?""Yes.""How do you know?"

For the first time the monotonous answering voice hesitated and lost confidence.

"I - I - because of the paper-knife."

Poirot and the doctor again interchanged swift glances.

"I don't understand you, Lady Astwell. There was a bulge in the curtain, you say? Someoneconcealed there? You didn't see that person?""No.""You thought it was Mr Trefusis because of the way he held the paper-knife earlier?""Yes.""But Mr Trefusis had gone upstairs, had he not?""Yes - yes, that's right, he had gone upstairs.""So he couldn't have been behind the curtain in the window?""No - no, of course not, he wasn't there.""He had said good night to your husband some time before, hadn't he?""Yes.""And you didn't see him again?"

"No."

She was stirring now, throwing herself about, moaning faintly.

"She is coming out," said the doctor. "Well, I think we have got all we can, eh?"Poirot nodded. The doctor leaned over Lady Astwell.

"You are waking," he murmured softly. "You are waking now. In another minute you will openyour eyes."The two men waited, and presently Lady Astwell sat upright and stared at them both.

"Have I been having a nap?"

"That's it, Lady Astwell, just a little sleep," said the doctor.

She looked at him.

"Some of your hocus-pocus, eh?"

"You don't feel any the worse, I hope?" he asked.

Lady Astwell yawned.

"I feel rather tired and done up."

The doctor rose.

"I will ask them to send you up some coffee," he said, "and we will leave you for the present.""Did I - say anything?" Lady Astwell called after them as they reached the door.

Poirot smiled back at her.

"Nothing of great importance, Madame. You informed us that the drawing-room covers neededcleaning.""So they do," said Lady Astwell. "You needn't have put me into a trance to get me to tell youthat." She laughed good-humoredly. "Anything more?""Do you remember M. Trefusis picking up a paper-knife in the drawing-room that night?" askedPoirot.

"I don't know, I'm sure," said Lady Astwell. "He may have done so.""Does a bulge in the curtain convey anything to you?"Lady Astwell frowned.

"I seem to remember," she said slowly. "No - it's gone, and yet -""Do not distress yourself, Lady Astwell," said Poirot quickly, "it is of no importance - of noimportance whatever."The doctor went with Poirot to the latter's room.

 

分享到：