'After all, there's nothing like the country, is there?' said Inspector1 Japp, breathing in heavilythrough his nose and out through his mouth in the most approved fashion.
Poirot and I applauded the sentiment heartily2. It had been the Scotland Yard inspector's idea thatwe should all go for the week-end to the little country town of Market Basing. When off duty, Jappwas an ardent3 botanist4, and discoursed5 upon minute flowers possessed6 of unbelievably lengthyLatin names (somewhat strangely pronounced) with an enthusiasm even greater than that he gaveto his cases.
'Nobody knows us, and we know nobody,' explained Japp.
'That's the idea.'
This was not to prove quite the case, however, for the local constable7 happened to have beentransferred from a village fifteen miles away where a case of arsenical poisoning had brought himinto contact with the Scotland Yard man. However, his delighted recognition of the great man onlyenhanced Japp's sense of well-being8, and as we sat down to breakfast on Sunday morning in theparlour of the village inn, with the sun shining, and tendrils of honeysuckle thrusting themselves inat the window, we were all in the best of spirits. The bacon and eggs were excellent, the coffee notso good, but passable and boiling hot.
'This is the life,' said Japp. 'When I retire, I shall have a little place in the country. Far from crime,like this!'
'Lc crime, il est partout,' remarked Poirot, helping9 himself to a neat square of bread, and frowningat a sparrow which had balanced itself impertinently on the windowsill.
I quoted lightly:
'That rabbit has a pleasant face, His private life is a disgrace I really could not tell to you Theawful things that rabbits do.'
'Lord,' said Japp, stretching himself backward, 'I believe I could manage another egg, and perhapsa rasher or two of bacon.
What do you say, Captain?' 'I'm with you,' I returned heartily. 'What about you, Poirot?' Porotshook his head.
'One must not so replenish10 the stomach that the brain refuses to function,' he remarked.
'I'll risk replenishing the stomach a bit more,' laughed Jalap.
'I take a large size in stomachs; and by the way, you're getting stout11 yourself, M. Poirot. Here,miss, eggs and bacon twice.' At that moment, however, an imposing12 form blocked the doorway13.
It was Constable Pollard.
'I hope you'll excuse me troubling the inspector, gentlemen, but I'd be glad of his advice.' 'I'm onmy holiday,' said Japp hastily. 'No work for me. What is the case?' 'Gentleman up at Leigh Hall -shot himself - through the head.' 'Well, they will do it,' said Japp prosaically14. 'Debt, or a woman, Isuppose. Sorry I can't help you, Pollard.' 'The point is,' said the constable, 'that he can't have shothimself. Leastways, that's what Dr Giles says.' Japp put down his cup.
'Can't have shot him-serf? What do you mean?' 'That's what Dr Giles says,' repeated Pollard. 'Hesays it's plumb15 impossible. He's puzzled to death, the door being locked on the inside and thewindow bolted; but he sticks to it that the man couldn't have committed suicide.' That settled it.
The further supply of bacon and eggs were waved aside, and a few minutes later we were allwalking as fast as we could in the direction of Leigh House, Japp eagerly questioning theconstable.
The name of the deceased was Walter Protheroe; he was a man of middle age and something of arecluse. He had come to Market Basing eight years ago and rented Leigh House, a rambling,dilapidated old mansion16 fast falling into ruin. He lived in a corner of it, his wants attended to by ahousekeeper whom he had brought with him. Miss Clegg was her name, and she was a verysuperior woman and highly thought of in the village. Just lately Mr Protheroe had had visitorsstaying with him, a Mr and Mrs Parker from London. This morning, unable to get a reply whenshe went to call her master, and finding the door locked, Miss Clegg became alarmed, andtelephoned for the police and the doctor. Constable Pollard and Dr Giles had arrived at the samemoment. Their united efforts had succeeded in breaking down the oak door of his bedroom.
Mr Protheroe was lying on the floor, shot through the head, and the pistol was clasped in his righthand. It looked a clear case of suicide.
After examining the body, however, Dr Giles became clearly perplexed18, and finally he drew theconstable aside, and communicated his perplexities to him; whereupon Pollard had at once thoughtof Japp. Leaving the doctor in charge, he had hurried down to the inn.
By the time the constable's recital19 was over, we had arrived at Leigh House, a big, desolate20 housesurrounded by an unkempt, weed-ridden garden. The front door was open, and we passed at onceinto the hall and from there into a small morning-room whence proceeded the sound of voices.
Four people were in the room: a somewhat flashily dressed man with a shifty, unpleasant face towhom I took an immediate21 dislike; a woman of much the same type, though handsome in a coarsefashion; another woman dressed in neat black who stood apart from the rest, and whom I took tobe the housekeeper17; and a tall man dressed in sporting tweeds, with a clever, capable face, andwho was clearly in command of the situation.
'Dr Giles,' said the constable, 'this is Detective-Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard, and his twofriends.' The doctor greeted us and made us known to Mr and MrsParker. Then we accompanied him upstairs. Pollard, in obedience22 to a sign from Japp, remainedbelow, as it were on guard over the household. The doctor led us upstairs and along a passage. Adoor was open at the end; splinters hung from the hinges, and the door itself had crashed to thefloor inside the room.
We went in. The body was still lying on the floor. Mr Protheroe had been a man of middle age,bearded, with hair grey at the temples. Japp went and knelt by the body.
'Why couldn't you leave it as you found it?' he grumbled23.
The doctor shrugged24 his shoulders.
'We thought it a clear case of suicide.'
'H'mt' said Japp. 'Bullet entered the head behind the left ear.' 'Exactly,' said the doctor. 'Clearlyimpossible for him to have fired it himself. He'd have had to twist his hand right round his head. Itcouldn't have been done.'
'Yet you found the pistol clasped in his hand? Where is it, by the way?'
The doctor nodded to the table.
'But it wasn't clasped in his hand,' he said. 'It was inside the hand, but the fingers weren't closedover it.'
'Put there afterwards,' said Japp; 'that's clear enough.' He was examining the weapon. 'Onecartridge fired. We'll test it for fingerprints25, but I doubt if we'll find any but yours, Dr Giles.
How long has he been dead?'
'Some time last night. I can't give the time to an hour or so, as thoe wonderful doctors in detectivestories do. Roughly, he's been dead about twelve hours.'
So far, Poirot had not made a move of any kind. He had remained by my side, watching Japp atwork and listening to his questions.
Only, from time to time he had sniffed27 the air very delicately, and as if puzzled. I too bad sniffed,but could detect nothing to arouse interest. The air seemed perfectly28 fresh and devoid29 of odour.
And yet, from time to time, Poirot continued to sniff26 it dubiously30, as though his keener nosedetected something I had missed.
Now, as Japp moved away from the body, Poirot knelt down by it. He took no interest in thewound. I thought at first that he was
examining the fingers of the hand that had held the pistol, but in a minute I saw that it was ahandkerchief carried in the coat-sleeve that interested him. Mr Protheroe was dressed in a darkgrey lounge-suit. Finally Poirot got up from his knees, but his eyes still strayed back to thehandkerchief as though puzzled.
Japp called to him to come and help to lift the door. Seizing my opportunity, I too knelt down, andtaking the handkerchief from the sleeve, scrutinized31 it minutely. It was a perfectly plainhandkerchief of white cambric; there was no mark or stain on it of any kind. I replaced it, shakingmy head, and confessing myself baffled.
The others had raised the door. I realized that they were hunting for the key. They looked in vain.
'That settles it,' said Japp. 'The window's shut and bolted.
The murderer left by the door, locking it and taking the key with him. He thought it would beaccepted that Protherhoe had locked himself in and shot himself, and that the absence of the keywould not be noticed. You agree, M. Poirot?'
'I agree, yes; but it would have been simpler and better to slip the key back inside the room underthe door. Then it would look as though it had fallen from the lock.'
'Ah, well, you can't expect everybody to have the bright ideas that you have. You'd have been aholy terror if you'd taken to crime. Any remarks to make, M. Poirot?'
Poirot, it seemed to me, was somewhat at a loss. He looked round the room and remarked mildlyand almost apologetically: 'He smoked a lot, this monsieur.'
True enough, the grate was filled with cigarette-stubs, as was an ashtray32 that stood on a small tablenear the big armchair.
'He must have got through about twenty cigarettes last night,' remarked Japp. Stooping down, heexamined the contents of the grate carefully, then transferred his attention to the ashtray.
'They're all the same kind,' he announced, 'and smoked by the same man. There's nothing there, M.
Poirot.'
'I did not suggest that there was,' murmured my friend.
'Ha,' cried Japp, 'what's this?' He pounced33 on something bright and glittering that lay on the floornear the dead man. 'A
broken cuff-link. I wonder who this belongs to. Dr Giles, I'd be obliged if you'd go down and sendup the housekeeper.'
'What about the Parkers? He's very anxious to leave the house - says he's got urgent business inLondon.'
'I dare say. It'll have to get on without him. By the way things are going, it's likely that there'll besome urgent business down here for him to attend to! Send up the housekeeper, and don't let eitherof the Parkers give you and Pollard the slip. Did any of the household come in here this morning?'
The doctor reflected.
'No, they stood outside in the corridor while Pollard and I came in.'
'Sure of that?'
'Absolutely certain.'
The doctor departed on his mission.
'Good man, that,' said Japp approvingly. 'Some of these sporting doctors are first-class fellows.
Well, I wonder who shot this chap. It looks like one of the three in the house. I hardly suspect thehousekeeper. She's had eight years to shoot him in if she wanted to. I wonder who these Parkersare? They're not a prepossessing-looking couple.'
Miss Clegg appeared at this juncture34. She was a thin, gaunt woman with neat grey hair parted inthe middle, very staid and calm in manner. Nevertheless there was an air of efficiency about herwhich commanded respect. In answer to Japp's questions, she explained that she had been with thedead man for fourteen years. He had been a generous and considerate master. She had never seenMr and Mrs Parker until three days ago, when they arrived unexpectedly to stay. She was of theopinion that they had asked themselves - the master had certainly not seemed pleased to see them.
The cuff-links which Japp showed her had not belonged to Mr Protheroe - she was sure of that.
Questioned about the pistol, she said that she believed her master had a weapon of that kind. Hekept it locked up. She had seen it once some years ago, but could not say whether this was thesame one. She had heard no shot last night, but that was not surprising, as it was a big, ramblinghouse, and her rooms and those prepared for theParkers were at the other end of the building. She did not know what time Mr Protheroe had gone t°bed - he was still up when she retired35 at half past nine. It was not his habit to go at once to bedwhen he went to his room. Usually he would sit up half the night, reading and smoking. He was agreat smoker36.
Then Poirot interposed a question: 'Did your master sleep with his window open or shut, as a rule?'
Miss Clegg considered.
'It was usually open, at any rate at the top.' 'Yet now it is closed. Can you explain that?' 'No, unlesshe felt a draught37 and shut it.' Japp asked her a few more questions and then dismissed her.
Next he interviewed the Parkers separately. Mrs Parker was inclined to be hysterical38 and tearful;Mr Parker was full of bluster39 and abuse. He denied that the cuff-link was his, but as his wife hadpreviously recognized it, this hardly improved matters for him; and as he had also denied everhaving been in Protheroe's room, Japp considered that he had sufficient evidence to apply for awarrant.
Leaving Pollard in charge, Japp bustled40 back to the village and got into telephonic communicationwith headquarters. Poirot and I strolled back to the inn.
'You're unusually quiet,' I said. 'Doesn't the case interest you?' 'Au contraire, it interests meenormously. But it puzzles me also.' 'The motive41 is obscure,' I said thoughtfully, 'but I'm certainthat Parker's a bad lot. The case against him seems pretty clear but for the lack of motive, and thatmay come out later.' 'Nothing struck you as being§ especially significant, although overlooked byJapp?' I looked at him curiously42.
'What have you got up your sleeve, Poirot?' 'What did the dead man have up his sleeve?' 'Oh, thathandkerchiefl' 'Exactly, the handkerchief.' 'A sailor carries his handkerchief in his sleeve,' I saidthoughtfully.
'An excellent point, Hastings, though not the one I had in mind.'
'Anything else?'
'Yes, over and over again I go back to the smell of cigarette-smoke.'
'I didn't smell any,' I cried wonderingly.
'No more did I, chef am pounds
I looked earnestly at him. It is so difficult to know when Poirot is pulling one's leg, but he seemedthoroughly in earnest and was frowning to himself.
The inquest took place two days later. In the meantime other evidence had come to light. A tramphad admitted that he had climbed over the wall into the Leigh House garden, where he often sleptin a shed that was left unlocked. He declared that at twelve o'clock he had heard two menquarrelling loudly in a room on the first floor. One was demanding a sum of money; the other wasangrily refusing. Concealed43 behind a bush, he had seen the two men as they passed and repassedthe lighted window. One he knew well as being Mr Protheroe, the owner of the house; the other heidentified positively44 as Mr Parker.
It was clear now that the Parkers had come to Leigh House to blackmail45 Protheroe, and when laterit was discovered that the dead man's real name was Wendover, and that he had been a lieutenantin the Navy and had been concerned in the blowing up of the first-class cruiser Merrythought, in9xo, the case seemed to be rapidly clearing. It was supposed that Parker, cognizant of the partWendover had played, had tracked him down and dem.anded hush-money which the other refusedto pay. In the course of the quarrel, Wendover drew his revolver, and Parker snatched it from himand shot him, subsequently endeavouring to give it the appearance of suicide.
Parker was committed for trial, reserving his defence. We had attended the police- courtproceedings. As we left, Poirot nodded his head.
'It must be so,' he murmured to himself. 'Yes, it must be so. I will delay no longer.'
He went into the post office, and wrote off a note which he despatched by special messenger. I didnot see to whom it was addressed. Then we returned to the inn where we had stayed on thatmemorable weekend.
Poirot was restless, going to and from the window.
'I await a visitor,' he explained. 'It cannot be - surely it cannot be that I am mistaken? No, here sheis.' To my utter astonishment46, in another minute Miss Clegg walked into the room. She was lesscalm than usual, and was breathing hard as though she had been running. I saw the fear in her eyesas she looked at Poirot.
'Sit down, mademoiselle,' he said kindly47. 'I guessed rightly, did I not?' For answer she burst intotears.
'Why did you do it?' asked Poirot gently. 'Why?' 'I loved him so,' she answered. 'I was nursemaidto him when he was a little boy. Oh, be merciful to me!' 'I will do all I can. But you understandthat I cannot permit an innocent man to hang - even though he is an unpleasing scoundrel.' She satup and said in a low voice: 'Perhaps in the end I could not have, either. Do whatever must bedone.' Then, rising, she hurried from the room.
'Did she shoot him?' I asked, utterly48 bewildered.
Poirot smiled and shook his head.
'He shot himself. Do you remember that he carried his handkerchief in his right sleeve? Thatshowed me that he was left-handed.
Fearing exposure, after his stormy interview with Mr Parker, he shot himself. In the morning MissClegg came to call him as usual and found him lying dead. As she has just told us, she had knownhim from a little boy upward, and was filled with fury against the Parkers, who had driven him tothis shameful49 death. She regarded them as murderers, and then suddenly she saw a chance ofmaking them suffer for the deed they had inspired.
She alone knew that he was left-handed. She changed the pistol to his right hand, closed andbolted the window, dropped the bit of cuff-link she had picked up in one of the downstairs rooms,and went out, locking the door and removing the key.'
'Poirot,' I said, in a burst of enthusiasm, 'you are magnificent.
All that from the one little clue of the handkerchiefl'
'And the cigarette-smoke. If the window had been closed, and all those cigarettes smoked, theroom ought to have been full of stale tobacco. Instead, it was perfectly fresh, so I deduced at oncethat the window must have been open all night, and only closed in the morning, and that gave me avery interesting line of specula-tion.
I could conceive of no circumstances under which a murderer could want to shut the window. Itwould be to his advantage to leave it open, and pretend that the murderer had escaped that way, ifthe theory of suicide did not go down. Of course, the tramp's evidence, when I heard it, confirmedmy suspicions. He could never have overheard that conversation unless the window had beenopen.'
'Splendid? I said heartily. 'Now, what about some tea?'
'Spoken like a true Englishman,' said Poirot with a sigh. 'I suppose it is not likely that I couldobtain here a glass of sirop?'
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1
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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botanist
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| n.植物学家 | |
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discoursed
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| 演说（discourse的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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prosaically
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| adv.无聊地；乏味地；散文式地；平凡地 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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recital
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desolate
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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obedience
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fingerprints
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| n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 ) | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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perfectly
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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dubiously
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ashtray
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| n.烟灰缸 | |
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pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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smoker
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| n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室 | |
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draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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