Note by Captain Arthur Hastings: The following manuscript came into mypossession four months after the death of my friend Hercule Poirot. I received acommunication from a firm of lawyers asking me to call at their office. There “inaccordance with the instructions of their client, the late M. Hercule Poirot,” theyhanded me a sealed packet. I reproduce its contents here.
Manuscript written by Hercule Poirot:
“Mon cher ami,
“I shall have been dead four months when you read these words. I havedebated long whether or not to write down what is written here, and I havedecided that it is necessary for someone to know the truth about the second‘Affaire Styles.’ Also I hazard a conjecture3 that by the time you read this you willhave evolved the most preposterous4 theories—and possibly may be giving pain toyourself.
“But let me say this: You should, mon ami, have easily been able to arrive atthe truth. I saw to it that you had every indication. If you have not, it is because,as always, you have far too beautiful and trusting a nature. A la fin5 comme aucommencement.
“But you should know, at least, who killed Norton—even if you are still in thedark as to who killed Barbara Franklin. The latter may be a shock to you.
“To begin with, as you know, I sent for you. I told you that I needed you. Thatwas true. I told you that I wanted you to be my ears and my eyes. That again wastrue, very true—if not in the sense that you understood it! You were to see what Iwanted you to see and hear what I wanted you to hear.
“You complained, cher ami, that I was ‘unfair’ in my presentation of this case.
I withheld6 from you knowledge that I had myself. That is to say, I refused to tellyou the identity of X. That is quite true. I had to do so—though not for thereasons that I advanced. You will see the reason presently.
“And now let us examine this matter of X. I showed you the résumé of thevarious cases. I pointed7 out to you that in each separate case it seemed quiteclear that the person accused, or suspected, had actually committed the crimes inquestion, that there was no alternate solution. And I then proceeded to the secondimportant fact—that in each case X had been either on the scene or closelyinvolved. You then jumped to a deduction8 that was, paradoxically, both true andfalse. You said that X had committed all the murders.
“But, my friend, the circumstances were such that in each case (or very nearly)only the accused person could have done the crime. On the other hand, if so, howaccount for X? Apart from a person connected with the police force or with, say,a firm of criminal lawyers, it is not reasonable for any man or woman to beinvolved in five murder cases. It does not, you comprehend, happen! Never, neverdoes it occur that someone says confidentially9: ‘Well, as a matter of fact, I’veactually known five murderers!’ No, no, mon ami, it is not possible, that. So weget the curious result that we have here a case of catalysis—a reaction betweentwo substances that takes place only in the presence of a third substance, thatthird substance apparently10 taking no part in the reaction and remainingunchanged. That is the position. It means that where X was present, crimes tookplace—but X did not actively11 take part in these crimes.
“An extraordinary, an abnormal situation! And I saw that I had come across atlast, at the end of my career, the perfect criminal, the criminal who had inventedsuch a technique that he could never be convicted of crime.
“It was amazing. But it was not new. There were parallels. And here comes inthe first of the ‘clues’ I left you. The play of Othello. For there, magnificentlydelineated, we have the original X. Iago is the perfect murderer. The deaths ofDesdemona, of Cassio — indeed of Othello himself — are all Iago’s crimes,planned by him, carried out by him. And he remains13 outside the circle, untouchedby suspicion—or could have done so. For your great Shakespeare, my friend, hadto deal with the dilemma14 that his own art had brought about. To unmask Iago hehad to resort to the clumsiest of devices—the handkerchief—a piece of work notat all in keeping with Iago’s general technique and a blunder of which one feelscertain he would not have been guilty.
“Yes, there is there the perfection of the art of murder. Not even a word ofdirect suggestion. He is always holding back others from violence, refuting withhorror suspicions that have not been entertained until he mentions them!
“And the same technique is seen in the brilliant third act of John Fergueson,where the ‘half-witted’ Clutie John induces others to kill the man that he himselfhates. It is a wonderful piece of psychological suggestion.
“Now you must realize this, Hastings. Everyone is a potential murderer. Ineveryone there arises from time to time the wish to kill—though not the will tokill. How often have you not felt or heard others say: ‘She made me so furious Ifelt I could have killed her!’ ‘I could have killed B. for saying so and so!’ ‘I wasso angry I could have murdered him!’ And all those statements are literally15 true.
Your mind at such moments is quite clear. You would like to kill so and so. Butyou do not do it. Your will has to assent16 to your desire. In young children, thebrake is as yet acting17 imperfectly. I have known a child, annoyed by its kitten, say‘Keep still or I’ll hit you on the head and kill you’ and actually do so—to bestunned and horrified19 a moment later when it realizes that the kitten’s life will notreturn—because, you see, really the child loves that kitten dearly. So then, we areall potential murderers. And the art of X was this, not to suggest the desire, but tobreak down the normal decent resistance. It was an art perfected by longpractice. X knew the exact word, the exact phrase, the intonation20 even to suggestand to bring cumulative21 pressure on a weak spot! It could be done. It was donewithout the victim ever suspecting. It was not hypnotism—hypnotism would nothave been successful. It was something more insidious22, more deadly. It was amarshalling of the forces of a human being to widen a breach23 instead of repairingit. It called on the best in a man and set it in alliance with the worst.
“You should know, Hastings—for it happened to you .?.?.
“So now, perhaps, you begin to see what some of my remarks, that annoyedand confused you, really meant. When I spoke24 of a crime to be committed, I wasnot always referring to the same crime. I told you that I was at Styles for apurpose. I was there, I said, because a crime was going to be committed. Youwere surprised at my certainty on that point. But I was able to be certain—for thecrime, you see, was to be committed by myself. .?.?.
“Yes, my friend—it is odd—and laughable—and terrible! I, who do notapprove of murder — I, who value human life — have ended my career bycommitting murder. Perhaps it is because I have been too self-righteous, tooconscious of rectitude, that this terrible dilemma had to come to me. For you see,Hastings, there are two sides to it. It is my work in life to save the innocent—toprevent murder—and this—this is the only way I can do it! Make no mistake, Xcould not be touched by the law. He was safe. By no ingenuity25 that I could thinkof could he be defeated any other way.
“And yet, my friend, I was reluctant. I saw what had to be done—but I couldnot bring myself to do it. I was like Hamlet—eternally putting off the evil day .?.?.
And then the next attempt happened—the attempt on Mrs. Luttrell.
“I had been curious, Hastings, to see if your well-known flair26 for the obviouswould work. It did. Your very first reaction was a mild suspicion of Norton. Andyou were quite right. Norton was the man. You had no reason for your belief—except the perfectly18 sound if slightly halfhearted suggestion that he wasinsignificant. There, I think, you came very close to the truth.
“I have considered his life history with some care. He was the only son of amasterful and bossy27 woman. He seems to have had at no time any gift forasserting himself or for impressing his personality on other people. He hasalways been slightly lame28 and was unable to take part in games at school.
“One of the most significant things you told me was a remark about him havingbeen laughed at at school for nearly being sick when seeing a dead rabbit. There,I think, was an incident that may have left a deep impression on him. He dislikedblood and violence and his prestige suffered in consequence. Subconsciously29, Ishould say, he has waited to redeem30 himself by being bold and ruthless.
“I should imagine that he began to discover quite young his own power forinfluencing people. He was a good listener, he had a quiet sympatheticpersonality. People liked him without, at the same time, noticing him very much.
He resented this—and then made use of it. He discovered how ridiculously easy itwas, by using the correct words and supplying the correct stimuli31, to influence hisfellow creatures. The only thing necessary was to understand them—to penetratetheir thoughts, their secret reactions and wishes.
“Can you realize, Hastings, that such a discovery might feed a sense of power?
Here was he, Stephen Norton whom everyone liked and despised, and he wouldmake people do things they didn’t want to do—or (mark this) thought they did notwant to do.
“I can visualize32 him, developing this hobby of his .?.?. And little by littledeveloping a morbid33 taste for violence at secondhand. The violence for which helacked physical stamina34 and for the lack of which he had been derided35.
“Yes, his hobby grows and grows until it comes to be a passion, a necessity! Itwas a drug, Hastings—a drug that induced craving36 as surely as opium37 or cocainemight have done.
“Norton, the gentle-hearted, loving man, was a secret sadist. He was an addictof pain, of mental torture. There has been an epidemic39 of that in the world of lateyears—L’appétit vient en mangeant.
“It fed two lusts40, the lust41 of the sadist and the lust of power. He, Norton, hadthe keys of life and of death.
“Like any other drug slave, he had to have his supply of the drug. He foundvictim after victim. I have no doubt there have been more cases than the five Iactually tracked down. In each of those he played the same part. He knewEtherington, he stayed one summer in the village where Riggs lived and drankwith Riggs in the local pub. On a cruise he met the girl Freda Clay andencouraged and played upon her half-formed conviction that if her old aunt diedit would be really a good thing—a release for Auntie and a life of financial easeand pleasure for herself. He was a friend of the Litchfields, and when talking tohim, Margaret Litchfield saw herself in the light of a heroine delivering hersisters from their life sentence of imprisonment42. But I do not believe, Hastings,that any of these people would have done what they did — but for Norton’sinfluence.
“And now we come to the events at Styles. I had been on Norton’s tracks forsome time. He became acquainted with the Franklins and at once I scenteddanger. You must understand that even Norton has to have a nucleus43 on which towork. You can only develop a thing of which the seed is already present. InOthello, for instance, I have always been of the belief that already present inOthello’s mind was the conviction (possibly correct) that Desdemona’s love forhim was the passionate44 unbalanced hero-worship of a young girl for a famouswarrior and not the balanced love of a woman for Othello the man. He may haverealized that Cassio was her true mate and that in time she would come to realizethe fact.
“The Franklins presented a most agreeable prospect45 to our Norton. All kindsof possibilities! You have doubtless realized by now, Hastings, (what anyone ofsense could have seen perfectly plainly all along) that Franklin was in love withJudith and she with him. His brusqueness, his habit of never looking at her, offorsaking any attempt at courtesy, ought to have told you that the man was headover ears in love with her. But Franklin is a man of great strength of characterand also of great rectitude. His speech is brutally46 unsentimental, but he is a manof very definite standards. In his code a man sticks to the wife he has chosen.
“Judith, as I should have thought even you could have seen, was deeply andunhappily in love with him. She thought you had grasped the fact that day youfound her in the rose garden. Hence her furious outburst. Characters like herscannot stand any expression of pity or sympathy. It was like touching47 a rawwound.
“Then she discovered that you thought it was Allerton she cared for. She letyou think so, thereby48 shielding herself from clumsy sympathy and from a furtherprobing of the wound. She flirted49 with Allerton as a kind of desperate solace50. Sheknew exactly the type of man he was. He amused her and distracted her, but shenever had the least feeling for him.
“Norton, of course, knew exactly how the wind lay. He saw possibilities in theFranklin trio. I may say that he started first on Franklin, but drew a completeblank. Franklin is the one type of man who is quite immune from Norton’s type ofinsidious suggestion. Franklin has a clear-cut, black and white mind, with anexact knowledge of his own feeling — and a complete disregard for outsidepressure. Moreover the great passion of his life is his work. His absorption in itmakes him far less vulnerable.
“With Judith, Norton was far more successful. He played very cleverly on thetheme of useless lives. It was an article of faith with Judith—and the fact that hersecret desires were in accordance with it was a fact that she ignored stridentlywhilst Norton knew it to be an ally. He was very clever about it—taking himselfthe opposite point of view, gently ridiculing51 the idea that she would ever have thenerve to do such a decisive action. ‘It is the kind of thing that all young peoplesay—but never do!’ Such an old cheap jibe—and how often it works, Hastings!
So vulnerable they are, these children! So ready, though they do not recognize itthat way, to take a dare!
“And with the useless Barbara out of the way, then the road is clear forFranklin and Judith. That was never said—that was never allowed to come intothe open. It was stressed that the personal angle had nothing to do with it—nothing at all. For if Judith once recognized that it had, she would have reactedviolently. But with a murder addict38 so far advanced as Norton, one iron in the fireis not enough. He sees opportunities for pleasure everywhere. He found one in theLuttrells.
“Cast your mind back, Hastings. Remember the very first evening you playedbridge. Norton’s remarks to you afterwards, uttered so loud that you were afraidColonel Luttrell would hear. Of course! Norton meant him to hear! He never lostan opportunity of underlining it, rubbing it in—And finally his efforts culminatedin success. It happened under your nose, Hastings, and you never saw how it wasdone. The foundations were already laid — the increasing sense of a burdenborne, of shame at the figure he cut in front of other men, in a deep growingresentment against his wife.
“Remember exactly what happened. Norton says he is thirsty. (Did he knowMrs. Luttrell is in the house and will come upon the scene?) The Colonel reactsimmediately as the openhanded host which he is by nature. He offers drinks. Hegoes to get them. You are all sitting outside the window. His wife arrives—thereis the inevitable53 scene, which he knows is being overheard. He comes out. Itmight have been glossed54 over by a good pretence—Boyd Carrington could havedone it well. (He has a certain amount of worldly wisdom and a tactful manner,though otherwise he is one of the most pompous56 and boring individuals that Ihave ever come across! Just the sort of man you would admire!) You yourselfcould have acquitted57 yourself not too badly. But Norton rushes into speech,heavily, fatuously58, underlining tact55 until it screams to Heaven and makes thingsmuch worse. He babbles59 of bridge (more recalled humiliations), talks aimlessly ofshooting incidents. And prompt on his cue, just as Norton intended, that oldwoolly-headed ass12 Boyd Carrington comes out with his story of an Irish batmanwho shot his brother—a story, Hastings, that Norton told to Boyd Carrington,knowing quite well that the old fool would bring it out as his own wheneversuitably prompted. You see, the supreme60 suggestion will not come from Norton.
Mon Dieu, non!
“It is all set, then. The cumulative effect. The breaking point. Affronted61 in hisinstincts as a host, shamed before his fellow men, writhing62 under the knowledgethat they are quite convinced he has not got the guts63 to do anything but submitmeekly to bullying—and then the key words of escape. The rook rifle, accidents—man who shot his brother—and suddenly, bobbing up, his wife’s head .?.?. ‘quitesafe—an accident .?.?. I’ll show them .?.?. I’ll show her .?.?. damn her! I wish shewas dead .?.?. she shall be dead!’
“He did not kill her, Hastings. Myself, I think that, even as he fired,instinctively64 he missed because he wanted to miss. And afterwards—afterwardsthe evil spell was broken. She was his wife, the woman he loved in spite ofeverything.
“One of Norton’s crimes that did not quite come off.
“Ah, but his next attempt! Do you realize, Hastings, that it was you who camenext? Throw your mind back — recall everything. You, my honest, kindlyHastings! He found every weak spot in your mind—yes, and every decent andconscientious one, too.
“Allerton is the type of man you instinctively dislike and fear. He is the type ofman that you think ought to be abolished. And everything you heard about himand thought about him was true. Norton tells you a certain story about him—anentirely true story as far as the facts go. (Though actually the girl concerned wasa neurotic67 type and came of poor stock.)
“It appeals to your conventional and somewhat old-fashioned instincts. Thisman is the villain68, the seducer69, the man who ruins girls and drives them tosuicide! Norton induces Boyd Carrington to tackle you also. You are impelled70 to‘speak to Judith.’ Judith, as could be predicted, immediately responds by sayingshe will do as she chooses with her life. That makes you believe the worst.
“See now the different stops on which Norton plays. Your love for your child.
The intense old-fashioned sense of responsibility that a man like you feels for hischildren. The slight self-importance of your nature: ‘I must do something. It alldepends on me.’ Your feeling of helplessness owing to the lack of your wife’s wisejudgement. Your loyalty—I must not fail her. And, on the baser side, your vanity—through association with me you have learned all the tricks of the trade! Andlastly, that inner feeling which most men have about their daughters — theunreasoning jealousy71 and dislike for the man who takes her away from him.
Norton played, Hastings, like a virtuoso72 on all these themes. And you responded.
“You accept things too easily at their face value. You always have done. Youaccepted quite easily the fact that it was Judith to whom Allerton was talking inthe summerhouse. Yet you did not see her, you did not even hear her speak. Andincredibly, even the next morning, you still thought it was Judith. You rejoicedbecause she had ‘changed her mind.’
“But if you had taken the trouble to examine the facts you would havediscovered at once that there had never been any question of Judith going up toLondon that day! And you failed to make another most obvious inference. Therewas someone who was going off for the day—and who was furious at not beingable to do so. Nurse Craven. Allerton is not a man who confines himself to thepursuit of one woman! His affair with Nurse Craven had progressed much fartherthan the mere73 flirtation74 he was having with Judith.
“No, stage management again by Norton.
“You saw Allerton and Judith kiss. Then Norton shoves you back round thecorner. He doubtless knows quite well that Allerton is going to meet NurseCraven in the summerhouse. After a little argument he lets you go but stillaccompanies you. The sentence you overhear Allerton speaking is magnificent forhis purpose and he swiftly drags you away before you have a chance to discoverthat the woman is not Judith!
“Yes, the virtuoso! And your reaction is immediate52, complete on all thosethemes! You responded. You made up your mind to do murder.
“But fortunately, Hastings, you had a friend whose brain still functioned. Andnot only his brain!
“I said at the beginning of this that if you have not arrived at the truth it isbecause you have too trusting a nature. You believe what is said to you. Youbelieved what I said to you. .?.?.
“Yet it was all very easy for you to discover the truth. I had sent George away— why? I had replaced him with a less experienced and clearly much lessintelligent man—why? I was not being attended by a doctor—I who have alwaysbeen careful about my health—I would not hear of seeing one—why?
“Do you see now why you were necessary to me at Styles? I had to havesomeone who accepted what I said without question. You accepted my statementthat I came back from Egypt much worse than when I went. I did not. I came backvery much better! You could have found out the fact if you had taken the trouble.
But no, you believed. I sent away George because I could not have succeeded inmaking him think that I had suddenly lost all power in my limbs. George isextremely intelligent about what he sees. He would have known that I wasshamming.
“Do you understand, Hastings? All the time that I was pretending to behelpless, and deceiving Curtiss, I was not helpless at all. I could walk—with alimp.
“I heard you come up that evening. I heard you hesitate and then go intoAllerton’s room. And at once I was on the alert. I was already much exercisedabout your state of mind.
“I did not delay. I was alone. Curtiss had gone down to supper. I slipped out ofmy room and across the passage. I heard you in Allerton’s bathroom. Andpromptly, my friend, in the manner you so much deplore75, I dropped to my kneesand looked through the keyhole of the bathroom door. One could see through it,fortunately, as there is a bolt and not a key on the inside.
“I perceived your manipulations with the sleeping tablets. I realized what youridea was.
“And so, my friend, I acted. I went back to my room. I made my preparations.
When Curtiss came up I sent him to fetch you. You came, yawning and explainingthat you had a headache. I made at once the big fuss—urged remedies on you.
For the sake of peace you consented to drink a cup of chocolate. You gulped76 itdown quickly so as to get away quicker. But I, too, my friend, have some sleepingtablets.
“And so, you slept—slept until morning when you awoke your own sane77 selfand were horrified at what you had so nearly done.
“You were safe now—one does not attempt these things twice—not when onehas relapsed into sanity78.
“But it decided2 me, Hastings! For whatever I might not know about otherpeople did not apply to you. You are not a murderer, Hastings! But you mighthave been hanged for one—for a murder committed by another man who in theeyes of the law would be guiltless.
“You, my good, my honest, my oh so honourable79 Hastings — so kindly65, soconscientious—so innocent!
“Yes, I must act. I knew that my time was short—and for that I was glad. Forthe worst part of murder, Hastings, is its effect on the murderer. I, HerculePoirot, might come to believe myself divinely appointed to deal out death to alland sundry80 .?.?. But mercifully there would not be time for that to happen. The endwould come soon. And I was afraid that Norton might succeed with someone whowas unutterably dear to both of us. I am talking of your daughter. .?.?.
“And now we come to the death of Barbara Franklin. Whatever your ideas maybe on the subject, Hastings, I do not think you have once suspected the truth.
“For you see, Hastings, you killed Barbara Franklin.
“Mais oui, you did!
“There was, you see, yet another angle to the triangle. One that I did not fullytake into account. As it happened, Norton’s tactics there were unseen andunheard by either of us. But I have no doubt that he employed them. .?.?.
“Did it ever enter your mind to wonder, Hastings, why Mrs. Franklin waswilling to come to Styles? It is not, when you think of it, at all her line of country.
She likes comfort, good food and above all social contacts. Styles is not gay; it isnot well-run; it is in the dead country. And yet it was Mrs. Franklin who insistedon spending the summer there.
“Yes, there was a third angle. Boyd Carrington. Mrs. Franklin was adisappointed woman. That was at the root of her neurotic illness. She wasambitious both socially and financially. She married Franklin because sheexpected him to have a brilliant career.
“He was brilliant but not in her way. His brilliance81 would never bring himnewspaper notoriety, or a Harley Street reputation. He would be known to half adozen men of his own profession and would publish articles in learned journals.
The outside world would not hear of him—and he would certainly not makemoney.
“And here is Boyd Carrington — home from the East — just come into abaronetcy and money, and Boyd Carrington has always felt tenderly sentimentaltowards the pretty seventeen-year-old girl he nearly asked to marry him. He isgoing to Styles, he suggests the Franklins come too—and Barbara comes.
“How maddening it is for her! Obviously she has lost none of her old charmfor this rich attractive man, but he is old-fashioned—not the type of man tosuggest divorce. And John Franklin, too, has no use for divorce. If John Franklinwere to die, then she could be Lady Boyd Carrington—and oh what a wonderfullife that would be!
“Norton, I think, found her only too ready a tool.
“It was all too obvious, Hastings, when you come to think of it. Those first fewtentative attempts at establishing how fond she was of her husband. She overdid82 ita little—murmuring about ‘ending it all’ because she was a drag on him.
“And then an entirely66 new line. Her fears that Franklin might experiment uponhimself.
“It ought to have been so obvious to us, Hastings! She was preparing us forJohn Franklin to die of physostigmine poisoning. No question, you see, of anyonetrying to poison him—oh no—just pure scientific research. He takes the harmlessalkaloid, and it turns out to be harmful after all.
“The only thing was it was a little too swift. You told me that she was notpleased to find Boyd Carrington having his fortune told by Nurse Craven. NurseCraven was an attractive young woman with a keen eye for men. She had had atry at Dr. Franklin and had not met with success. (Hence her dislike for Judith.)She is carrying on with Allerton, but she knows quite well he is not serious.
Inevitable that she should cast her eye on the rich and still attractive Sir William—and Sir William was, perhaps, only too ready to be attracted. He had alreadynoticed Nurse Craven as a healthy, good-looking girl.
“Barbara Franklin has a fright and decides to act quickly. The sooner she is apathetic83, charming and not inconsolable widow the better.
“And so, after a morning of nerves, she sets the scene.
“Do you know, mon ami, I have some respect for the Calabar bean. This time,you see, it worked. It spared the innocent and slew84 the guilty.
“Mrs. Franklin asks you all up to her room. She makes coffee with much fussand display. As you tell me, her own coffee is beside her, her husband’s on theother side of the bookcase-table.
“And then there are the shooting stars and everyone goes out and only you, myfriend, are left, you and your crossword85 puzzle and your memories—and to hideemotion you swing round the bookcase to find a quotation86 in Shakespeare.
“And so they come back and Mrs. Franklin drinks the coffee full of the Calabarbean alkaloids that were meant for dear scientific John, and John Franklin drinksthe nice plain cup of coffee that was meant for clever Mrs. Franklin.
“But you will see, Hastings, if you think a minute, that although I realized whathad happened, I saw that there was only one thing to be done. I could not provewhat had happened. And if Mrs. Franklin’s death was thought to be anything butsuicide suspicion would inevitably87 fall on either Franklin or Judith. On twopeople who were utterly88 and completely innocent. So I did what I had a perfectright to do, laid stress on and put conviction into, my repetition of Mrs.
Franklin’s extremely unconvincing remarks on the subject of putting an end toherself.
“I could do it—and I was probably the only person who could. For you see mystatement carried weight. I am a man experienced in the matter of committingmurder—if I am convinced it is suicide, well, then, it will be accepted as suicide.
“It puzzled you, I could see, and you were not pleased. But mercifully you didnot suspect the true danger.
“But will you think of it after I am gone? Will it come into your mind, lyingthere like some dark serpent that now and then raises its head and says: ‘SupposeJudith .?.?. ?’
“It may do. And therefore I am writing this. You must know the truth.
“There was one person whom the verdict of suicide did not satisfy. Norton. Hewas balked89, you see, of his pound of flesh. As I say, he is a sadist. He wants thewhole gamut90 of emotion, suspicion, fear, the coils of the law. He was deprived ofall that. The murder he had arranged had gone awry91.
“But presently he saw what one may call a way of recouping himself. He beganto throw out hints. Earlier on he had pretended to see something through hisglasses. Actually he intended to convey the exact impression that he did convey—namely that he saw Allerton and Judith in some compromising attitude. But nothaving said anything definite, he could use that incident in a different way.
“Supposing, for instance, that he says he saw Franklin and Judith. That willopen up an interesting new angle of the suicide case! It may, perhaps, throwdoubts on whether it was suicide. .?.?.
“So, mon ami, I decided that what had to be done must be done at once. Iarranged that you should bring him to my room that night. .?.?.
“I will tell you exactly what happened. Norton, no doubt, would have beendelighted to tell me his arranged story. I gave him no time. I told him, clearly anddefinitely, all that I knew about him.
“He did not deny it. No, mon ami, he sat back in his chair and smirked92. Maisoui, there is no other word for it, he smirked. He asked me what I thought I wasgoing to do about this amusing idea of mine. I told him that I proposed to executehim.
“‘Ah,’ he said, ‘I see. The dagger93 or the cup of poison?’
“We were about to have chocolate together at the time. He has a sweet tooth,M. Norton.
“‘The simplest,’ I said, ‘would be the cup of poison.’
“And I handed him the cup of chocolate I had just poured out.
“‘In that case,’ he said, ‘would you mind my drinking from your cup instead offrom mine?’
“I said, ‘Not at all.’ In effect, it was quite immaterial. As I have said, I, too,take the sleeping tablets. The only thing is that since I have been taking themevery night for a considerable period, I have acquired a certain tolerance94, and adose that would send M. Norton to sleep would have very little effect upon me.
The dose was in the chocolate itself. We both had the same. His portion tookeffect in due course, mine had little effect upon me, especially when counteractedwith a dose of my strychnine tonic95.
“And so to the last chapter. When Norton was asleep I got him into my wheeledchair—fairly easy, it has many types of mechanism—and wheeled him back in itto its usual place in the window embrasure behind the curtains.
“Curtiss then ‘put me to bed.’ When everything was quiet I wheeled Norton tohis room. It remained, then, to avail myself of the eyes and ears of my excellentfriend Hastings.
“You may not have realized it, but I wear a wig96, Hastings. You will realizeeven less that I wear a false moustache. (Even George does not know that!) Ipretended to burn it by accident soon after Curtiss came, and at once had myhairdresser make me a replica97.
“I put on Norton’s dressing98 gown, ruffled99 up my grey hair on end, and camedown the passage and rapped on your door. Presently you came and looked withsleepy eyes into the passage. You saw Norton leave the bathroom and limp acrossthe passage into his own room. You heard him turn the key in the lock on theinside.
“I then replaced the dressing gown on Norton, laid him on his bed, and shothim with a small pistol that I acquired abroad and which I have kept carefullylocked up except for two occasions when (nobody being about) I have put itostentatiously on Norton’s dressing table, he himself being well away somewherethat morning.
“Then I left the room after putting the key in Norton’s pocket. I myself lockedthe door from the outside with the duplicate key which I have possessed100 for sometime. I wheeled the chair back to my room.
“Since then I have been writing this explanation.
“I am very tired—and the exertions101 I have been through have strained me agood deal. It will not, I think, be long before. .?.?.
“There are one or two things I would like to stress.
“Norton’s were the perfect crimes.
“Mine was not. It was not intended to be.
“The easiest way and the best way for me to have killed him was to have doneso quite openly—to have had, shall we say, an accident with my little pistol. Ishould have professed102 dismay, regret—a most unfortunate accident. They wouldhave said, ‘Old ga ga, didn’t realize it was loaded—ce pauvre vieux.’
“I did not choose to do that.
“I will tell you why.
“It is because, Hastings, I chose to be ‘sporting.’
“Mais oui, sporting! I am doing all the things that so often you havereproached me with not doing. I am playing fair with you. I am giving you a runfor your money. I am playing the game. You have every chance to discover thetruth.
“In case you disbelieve me let me enumerate103 all the clues.
“The keys.
“You know, for I have told you so, that Norton arrived here after I did. Youknow, for you have been told, that I changed my room after I got here. You know,for again it has been told to you, that since I have been at Styles the key of myroom disappeared and I had another made.
“Therefore when you ask yourself who could have killed Norton? Who couldhave shot and still have left the room (apparently) locked on the inside since thekey is in Norton’s pocket?—
“The answer is ‘Hercule Poirot, who since he has been here has possessedduplicate keys of one of the rooms.’
“The man you saw in the passage.
“I myself asked you if you were sure the man you saw in the passage wasNorton. You were startled. You asked me if I intended to suggest it was notNorton. I replied, truthfully, that I did not at all intend to suggest it was notNorton. (Naturally, since I had taken a good deal of trouble to suggest it wasNorton.) I then brought up the question of height. All the men, I said, were muchtaller than Norton. But there was a man who was shorter than Norton—HerculePoirot. And it is comparatively easy with raised heels or elevators in the shoes toadd to one’s height.
“You were under the impression that I was a helpless invalid104. But why? Onlybecause I said so. And I had sent away George. That was my last indication toyou, ‘Go and talk to George.’
“Othello and Clutie John show you that X was Norton.
“Then who could have killed Norton?
“Only Hercule Poirot.
“And once you suspected that, everything would have fallen into place, thethings I had said and done, my inexplicable105 reticence106. Evidence from the doctorsin Egypt, from my own doctor in London, that I was not incapable107 of walkingabout. The evidence of George as to my wearing a wig. The fact which I wasunable to disguise, and which you ought to have noticed, that I limp much morethan Norton does.
“And last of all, the pistol shot. My one weakness. I should, I am aware, haveshot him through the temple. I could not bring myself to produce an effect solopsided, so haphazard108. No, I shot him symmetrically, in the exact centre of theforehead. .?.?.
“Oh, Hastings, Hastings, that should have told you the truth.
“But perhaps, after all, you have suspected the truth? Perhaps when you readthis, you already know.
“But somehow I do not think so. .?.?.
“No, you are too trusting. .?.?.
“You have too beautiful a nature. .?.?.
“What shall I say more to you? Both Franklin and Judith, I think you will find,knew the truth although they will not have told it to you. They will be happytogether, those two. They will be poor and innumerable tropical insects will bitethem and strange fevers will attack them—but we all have our own ideas of theperfect life, have we not?
“And you, my poor lonely Hastings? Ah, my heart bleeds for you, dear friend.
Will you, for the last time, take the advice of your old Poirot?
“After you have read this, take a train or a car or a series of buses and go tofind Elizabeth Cole who is also Elizabeth Litchfield. Let her read this, or tell herwhat is in it. Tell her that you, too, might have done what her sister Margaret did—only for Margaret Litchfield there was no watchful109 Poirot at hand. Take thenightmare away from her, show her that her father was killed, not by hisdaughter, but by that kind sympathetic family friend, that ‘honest Iago’ StephenNorton.
“For it is not right, my friend, that a woman like that, still young, stillattractive, should refuse life because she believes herself to be tainted110. No, it isnot right. Tell her so, you, my friend, who are yourself still not unattractive towomen. .?.?.
“Eh bien, I have no more now to say. I do not know, Hastings, if what I havedone is justified111 or not justified. No—I do not know. I do not believe that a manshould take the law into his own hands. .?.?.
“But on the other hand, I am the law! As a young man in the Belgian policeforce I shot down a desperate criminal who sat on a roof and fired at peoplebelow. In a state of emergency martial112 law is proclaimed.
“By taking Norton’s life, I have saved other lives—innocent lives. But still I donot know .?.?. It is perhaps right that I should not know. I have always been sosure—too sure. .?.?.
“But now I am very humble113 and I say like a little child ‘I do not know .?.?.’
“Good- bye, cher ami. I have moved the amyl nitrate ampoules away frombeside my bed. I prefer to leave myself in the hands of the bon Dieu. May hispunishment, or his mercy, be swift!
“We shall not hunt together again, my friend. Our first hunt was here—and ourlast. .?.?.
“They were good days.
“Yes, they have been good days. .?.?.”
(End of Hercule Poirot’s manuscript.)
Final note by Captain Arthur Hastings: I have finished reading .?.?. cannot believeit all yet .?.?. But he is right. I should have known. I should have known when Isaw the bullet hole so symmetrically in the middle of the forehead.
Queer — it’s just come to me — the thought in the back of my mind thatmorning.
The mark on Norton’s forehead—it was like the brand of Cain. .?.?.
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1
postscript
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| n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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fin
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| n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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deduction
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| n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎 | |
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confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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21
cumulative
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| adj.累积的，渐增的 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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24
spoke
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| 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 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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flair
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| n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力 | |
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27
bossy
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| adj.爱发号施令的，作威作福的 | |
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28
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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29
subconsciously
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| ad.下意识地，潜意识地 | |
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30
redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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stimuli
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| n.刺激（物） | |
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32
visualize
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| vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想 | |
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33
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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34
stamina
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| n.体力；精力；耐力 | |
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35
derided
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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37
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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addict
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| v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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lusts
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| 贪求（lust的第三人称单数形式） | |
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41
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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42
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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43
nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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44
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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45
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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46
brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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47
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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48
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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flirted
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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51
ridiculing
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的现在分词 ) | |
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52
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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53
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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54
glossed
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| v.注解( gloss的过去式和过去分词 )；掩饰（错误）；粉饰；把…搪塞过去 | |
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55
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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56
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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57
acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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fatuously
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| adv.愚昧地，昏庸地，蠢地 | |
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59
babbles
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| n.胡言乱语( babble的名词复数 )；听不清的声音；乱哄哄的说话声v.喋喋不休( babble的第三人称单数 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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60
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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61
affronted
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| adj.被侮辱的，被冒犯的v.勇敢地面对( affront的过去式和过去分词 )；相遇 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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63
guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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64
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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65
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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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67
neurotic
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| adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者 | |
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68
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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seducer
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| n.诱惑者,骗子,玩弄女性的人 | |
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70
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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72
virtuoso
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| n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手 | |
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73
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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flirtation
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| n.调情，调戏，挑逗 | |
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75
deplore
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| vt.哀叹，对...深感遗憾 | |
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76
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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78
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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79
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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80
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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81
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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82
overdid
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去式 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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83
apathetic
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| adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的 | |
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84
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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85
crossword
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| n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏 | |
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86
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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87
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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88
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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89
balked
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| v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑 | |
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90
gamut
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| n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识 | |
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91
awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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92
smirked
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| v.傻笑( smirk的过去分词 ) | |
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93
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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94
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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tonic
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| n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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97
replica
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| n.复制品 | |
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98
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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99
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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100
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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101
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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102
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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103
enumerate
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| v.列举，计算，枚举，数 | |
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104
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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105
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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106
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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107
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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108
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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109
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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110
tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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111
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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112
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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113
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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