第八章: 阿姆斯特朗绑架案 The Armstrong Kidnapping Case

点击单词即可翻译
阅读模式下无法使用翻译功能
"I thought it best to have lunch served immediately in the restaurant car," he said. "Afterwards it will be cleared and M. Poirot can conduct his examination of the passengers there. In the meantime I have ordered them to bring us three some food here."
查看中文翻译
They found M. Bouc finishing an omelet.
查看中文翻译
Neither of the other two men was hungry, and the meal was soon eaten, but not till they were sipping their coffee did M. Bouc mention the subject that was occupying all their minds.
查看中文翻译
"An excellent idea," said Poirot.
查看中文翻译
"Eh bien?" he asked.
查看中文翻译
"Eh bien, I have discovered the identity of the victim. I know why it was imperative he should leave America."
查看中文翻译
"Who was he?"
查看中文翻译
"Do you remember reading of the Armstrong baby? This is the man who murdered little Daisy Armstrong -- Cassetti."
查看中文翻译
"I recall it now. A shocking affair -- though I cannot remember the details."
查看中文翻译
"Colonel Armstrong was an Englishman -- a V. C. He was half American, as his mother was a daughter of W. K. Van der Halt, the Wall Street millionaire. He married the daughter of Linda Arden, the most famous tragic American actress of her day. They lived in America and had one child -- a girl -- whom they idolized. When she was three years old she was kidnapped, and an impossibly high sum demanded as the price of her return. I will not weary you with all the intricacies that followed. I will come to the moment, when, after having paid over the enormous sum of two hundred thousand dollars, the child's dead body was discovered, it having been dead at least a fortnight. Public indignation rose to fever point. And there was worse to follow. Mrs. Armstrong was expecting another child. Following the shock of the discovery, she gave birth to a dead child born prematurely, and herself died. Her broken-hearted husband shot himself."
查看中文翻译
"Yes -- an unfortunate French or Swiss nursemaid. The police were convinced that she had some knowledge of the crime. They refused to believe her hysterical denials. Finally, in a fit of despair, the poor girl threw herself from a window and was killed. It was proved afterwards that she was absolutely innocent of any complicity in the crime."
查看中文翻译
"It is not good to think of," said M. Bouc.
查看中文翻译
"Mon Dieu, what a tragedy. I remember now," said M. Bouc. "There was also another death, if I remember rightly?"
查看中文翻译
"About six months later, this man Cassetti was arrested as the head of the gang who had kidnapped the child. They had used the same methods in the past. If the police seemed likely to get on their trail, they had killed their prisoner, hidden the body, and continued to extract as much money as possible before the crime was discovered.
查看中文翻译
"Now, I will make clear to you this, my friend. Cassetti was the man! But by means of the enormous wealth he had piled up and by the secret hold he had over various persons, he was acquitted on some technical inaccuracy. Notwithstanding that, he would have been lynched by the populace had he not been clever enough to give them the slip. It is now clear to me what happened. He changed his name and left America. Since then he has been a gentleman of leisure, travelling abroad and living on his rentes."
查看中文翻译
"Tout de même, it is not necessary that he should be killed on the Orient Express. There are other places."
查看中文翻译
"Ah! quel animal!" M. Bouc's tone was redolent of heartfelt disgust. "I cannot regret that he is dead -- not at all!"
查看中文翻译
"The question we have now to ask ourselves is this," he said. "Is this murder the work of some rival gang whom Cassetti had double-crossed in the past, or is it an act of private vengeance?"
查看中文翻译
"I agree with you."
查看中文翻译
"If I am right in my assumption, then the letter was burnt by the murderer. Why? Because it mentioned the word 'Armstrong,' which is the clue to the mystery."
查看中文翻译
"Are there any members of the Armstrong family living?"
查看中文翻译
He explained his discovery of the few words on the charred fragment of paper.
查看中文翻译
Poirot smiled a little. He realized that M. Bouc was biased in the matter.
查看中文翻译
"That, unfortunately, I do not know. I think I remember reading of a younger sister of Mrs. Armstrong's."
查看中文翻译
Poirot went on to relate the joint conclusions of himself and Dr. Constantine. M. Bouc brightened at the mention of the broken watch.
查看中文翻译
"That seems to give us the time of the crime very exactly."
查看中文翻译
"Not at all. Not at all," said Poirot.
查看中文翻译
There was a tap on the door, and the restaurant attendant entered.
查看中文翻译
"Yes," said Poirot. "It is very convenient."
查看中文翻译
"Mais non, après vous," they left the compartment.
查看中文翻译
Poirot did not reply. He sat looking thoughtfully in front of him.
查看中文翻译
Poirot related just what had occurred.
查看中文翻译
"I may accompany you?" asked Constantine.
查看中文翻译
After a little politeness in the matter of procedure, "Après vous, Monsieur."
查看中文翻译
"Twenty-three minutes to one, to be precise."
查看中文翻译
"The restaurant car is free now, Monsieur," he said.
查看中文翻译
"We will go there," said M. Bouc, rising.
查看中文翻译
"Certainly, my dear doctor. Unless M. Poirot has any objection?"
查看中文翻译
"You say that you yourself heard Ratchett speak to the conductor at twenty minutes to one?"
查看中文翻译
"Well," said M. Bouc, "that proves at least that Cassetti -- or Ratchett, as I shall continue to call him -- was certainly alive at twenty minutes to one."
查看中文翻译
"Then at twelve thirty-seven, to put it formally, M. Ratchett was alive. That is one fact, at least."
查看中文翻译
There was an indescribable something in his tone that made both the other two look at him curiously.
查看中文翻译
上一章目录下一章
Copyright © 2024 www.yingyuxiaoshuo.com 英语小说网 All Rights Reserved. 网站地图
Copyright © 2024 英语小说网