帷幕27

Chapter 14

IThe inquest took place two days later. It was the second time I had atten-ded an inquest in this part of the world.

The coroner was an able middle-aged man with a shrewd glance and adry manner of speech.

The medical evidence was taken first. It established the fact that deathwas the result of poisoning by physostigmine, and that other alkaloids ofthe Calabar bean were also present. The poison must have been takensome time on the preceding evening between seven o’clock and midnight.

The police surgeon and his colleague refused to be more precise.

The next witness was Dr Franklin. He created on the whole a good im-pression. His evidence was clear and simple. After his wife’s death he hadchecked over his solutions in the laboratory. He had discovered that a cer-tain bottle, which should have contained a strong solution of alkaloids ofthe Calabar bean with which he had been conducting experiments, hadbeen filled up with ordinary water in which only a trace of the originalcontents was present. He could not say with certainty when this had beendone as he had not used that particular preparation for some days.

The question of access to the laboratory was then gone into. Dr Franklinagreed that the laboratory was usually kept locked and that he usually hadthe key in his pocket. His assistant, Miss Hastings, had a duplicate key.

Anyone who wished to go into the studio had to get the key from her orfrom himself. His wife had borrowed it occasionally, when she had leftthings belonging to her in the laboratory. He himself had never brought asolution of physostig-mine into the house or into his wife’s room and hethought that by no possibility could she have taken it accidentally.

Questioned further by the coroner, he said that his wife had for sometime been in a low and nervous state of health. There was no organic dis-ease. She suffered from depression and from a rapid alteration of moods.

Of late, he said, she had been cheerful and he had considered her im-proved in health and spirits. There had been no quarrel between themand they had been on good terms. On the last evening his wife had seemedin good spirits and not melancholy.

He said that his wife had occasionally spoken of ending her life but thathe had not taken her remarks seriously. Asked the question definitely, hereplied that in his opinion his wife had not been a suicidal type. That washis medical opinion as well as his personal one.

He was followed by Nurse Craven. She looked smart and efficient in hertrim uniform and her replies were crisp and professional. She had been inattendance on Mrs Franklin for over two months. Mrs Franklin sufferedbadly from depression. Witness had heard her say at least three times thatshe ‘wanted to end it all’, that her life was useless and that she was a mill-stone round her husband’s neck.

‘Why did she say that? Had there been any altercation between them?’

‘Oh no, but she was aware that her husband had recently been offeredan appointment abroad. He had refused that in order not to leave her.’

‘And sometimes she felt morbidly about the fact?’

‘Yes. She would blame her miserable health, and get all worked up.’

‘Did Dr Franklin know about this?’

‘I do not think she often said so to him.’

‘But she was subject to fits of depression.’

‘Oh, definitely.’

‘Did she ever specifically mention committing suicide?’

‘I think “I want to end it all” was the phrase she used.’

‘She never suggested any particular method of taking her own life?’

‘No. She was quite vague.’

‘Had there been anything especially to depress her of late?’

‘No. She had been in reasonably good spirits.’

‘Do you agree with Dr Franklin that she was in good spirits on the nightof her death?’

Nurse Craven hesitated. ‘Well – she was excited. She’d had a bad day –complained of pain and giddiness. She had seemed better in the evening,but her good spirits were a bit unnatural. She seemed feverish and ratherartificial.’

‘Did you see anything of a bottle, or anything that might have containedthe poison?’

‘No.’

‘What did she eat and drink?’

‘She had soup, a cutlet, green peas and mashed potatoes, and cherrytart. She had a glass of burgundy with it.’

‘Where did the burgundy come from?’

‘There was a bottle in her room. There was some left afterwards but Ibelieve it was examined and found to be quite all right.’

‘Could she have put the drug in her glass without you seeing?’

‘Oh yes, easily. I was to and fro in the room, tidying up and arrangingthings. I was not watching her. She had a little despatch case beside herand also a handbag. She could have put anything in the burgundy, or laterin the coffee, or in the hot milk she had last thing.’

‘Have you any idea as to what she could have done with the bottle orcontainer if so?’

Nurse Craven considered. ‘Well, I suppose she could have thrown it outof the window later. Or put it in the waste-paper basket, or even washed itout in the bathroom and put it back in the medicine cupboard. There areseveral empty bottles there. I save them because they come in handy.’

‘When did you last see Mrs Franklin?’

‘At ten-thirty. I settled her for the night. She had hot milk and said she’dlike an aspirin.’

‘How was she then?’

The witness considered a minute.

‘Well, really, just as usual … No, I’d say she was perhaps just a bit over-excited.’

‘Not depressed?’

‘Well, no, more strung up, so to speak. But if it’s suicide you’re thinkingof, it might take her that way. She might feel noble or exalted about it.’

‘Do you consider she was a likely person to take her own life?’

There was a pause. Nurse Craven seemed to be struggling to make upher mind.

‘Well,’ she said at last, ‘I do and I don’t. I – yes, on the whole I do. Shewas very unbalanced.’

Sir William Boyd Carrington came next. He seemed genuinely upset, butgave his evidence clearly.

He had played picquet with the deceased on the night of her death. Hehad not noticed any signs of depression then, but in a conversation somedays previously Mrs Franklin had mentioned the subject of taking herown life. She was a very unselfish woman, and deeply distressed at feelingthat she was hampering her husband’s career. She was devoted to herhusband and very ambitious for him. She was sometimes very depressedabout her own health.

Judith was called, but she had little to say.

She knew nothing about the removal of the physostigmine from thelaboratory. On the night of the tragedy Mrs Franklin had seemed to hermuch as usual, though perhaps over-excited. She had never heard MrsFranklin mention suicide.

The last witness was Hercule Poirot. His evidence was given with muchemphasis and caused a considerable impression. He described a conversa-tion he had had with Mrs Franklin on the day previous to her decease. Shehad been very depressed and had expressed several times a wish to be outof it all. She was worried about her health and had confided in him thatshe had fits of deep melancholy when life did not seem worth living. Shesaid that sometimes she felt it would be wonderful to go to sleep andnever wake up.

His next reply caused an even greater sensation.

‘On the morning of June 10th you were sitting outside the laboratorydoor?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you see Mrs Franklin come out of the laboratory?’

‘I did.’

‘Did she have anything in her hand?’

‘She had a small bottle clasped in her right hand.’

‘You are quite sure of that?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did she show any confusion at seeing you?’

‘She looked startled, that is all.’

The coroner proceeded to his summing up. They must make up theirminds, he said, how the deceased came to her death. They would have nodifficulty in assigning the cause of death, the medical evidence had toldthem that. Deceased was poisoned by physostig-mine sulphate. All theyhad to decide was whether she took it accidentally or by intent, or if it wasadministered to her by some other person. They had heard that deceasedhad fits of melancholy, that she was in poor health, and that while therewas no organic disease, she was in a bad nervous condition. Mr HerculePoirot, a witness whose name must carry weight, had asserted positivelythat he had seen Mrs Franklin come out of the laboratory with a smallbottle in her hand and that she seemed startled to see him. They mightcome to the conclusion that she had taken the poison from the laboratorywith the intention of doing away with herself. She seemed to be sufferingfrom an obsession that she was standing in her husband’s light and ob-structing his career. It was only fair to Dr Franklin to say that he seemedto have been a kind and affectionate husband, and that he had never ex-pressed annoyance at her delicacy, or complained that she hindered hiscareer. The idea seemed to be entirely her own. Women in a certain con-dition of nervous collapse did get these persistent ideas. There was noevidence to show at what time or in what vehicle the poison was taken. Itwas, perhaps, a little unusual that the bottle which originally containedthe poison had not been found, but it was possible that, as Nurse Cravensuggested, Mrs Franklin had washed it and put it away in the bathroomcupboard from where she may have originally taken it. It was for the juryto make their own decision.

The verdict was arrived at after only a short delay.

The jury found that Mrs Franklin took her own life while temporarily ofunsound mind.

 

分享到：