ILombard said slowly:
‘So we’ve been wrong—wrong all along! Built up a nightmare of super-stition and fantasy all because of the coincidence of two deaths!’
Armstrong said gravely:
‘And yet, you know, the argument holds. Hang it all, I’m a doctor, I knowsomething about suicides. Anthony Marston wasn’t a suicidal type.’
Lombard said doubtfully:
‘It couldn’t, I suppose, have been an accident?’
Blore snorted, unconvinced.
‘Damned queer sort of accident,’ he grunted1.
There was a pause, then Blore said:
‘About the woman—’ and stopped.
‘Mrs Rogers?’
‘Yes. It’s possible, isn’t it, that that might have been an accident?’
Philip Lombard said:
‘An accident? In what way?’
Blore looked slightly embarrassed. His red- brick face grew a littledeeper in hue2. He said, almost blurting3 out the words:
‘Look here, doctor, you did give her some dope, you know.’
Armstrong stared at him.
‘Dope? What do you mean?’
‘Last night. You said yourself you’d given her something to make hersleep.’
‘Oh that, yes. A harmless sedative4.’
‘What was it exactly?’
‘I gave her a mild dose of trional. A perfectly5 harmless preparation.’
Blore grew redder still. He said:
‘Look here—not to mince6 matters—you didn’t give her an overdose, didyou?’
Dr Armstrong said angrily:
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Blore said:
‘It’s possible, isn’t it, that you may have made a mistake? These things dohappen once in a while.’
Armstrong said sharply:
‘I did nothing of the sort. The suggestion is ridiculous.’ He stopped andadded in a cold biting tone: ‘Or do you suggest that I gave her an overdoseon purpose?’
Philip Lombard said quickly:
‘Look here, you two, got to keep our heads. Don’t let’s start slinging7 ac-cusations about.’
Blore said sullenly8:
‘I only suggested the doctor had made a mistake.’
Dr Armstrong smiled with an effort. He said, showing his teeth in asomewhat mirthless smile:
‘Doctors can’t afford to make mistakes of that kind, my friend.’
Blore said deliberately9:
‘It wouldn’t be the first you’ve made—if that gramophone record is to bebelieved!’
Armstrong went white. Philip Lombard said quickly and angrily toBlore:
‘What’s the sense of making yourself offensive? We’re all in the sameboat. We’ve got to pull together. What about your own pretty little spot ofperjury?’
Blore took a step forward, his hands clenched10. He said in a thick voice:
‘Perjury, be damned! That’s a foul11 lie! You may try and shut me up, MrLombard, but there’s things I want to know—and one of them is aboutyou!’
Lombard’s eyebrows12 rose.
‘About me?’
‘Yes. I want to know why you brought a revolver down here on a pleas-ant social visit?’
Lombard said:
‘You do, do you?’
‘Yes, I do, Mr Lombard.’
Lombard said unexpectedly:
‘You know, Blore, you’re not nearly such a fool as you look.’
‘That’s as may be. What about that revolver?’
Lombard smiled.
‘I brought it because I expected to run into a spot of trouble.’
Blore said suspiciously:
‘You didn’t tell us that last night.’
Lombard shook his head.
‘You were holding out on us?’ Blore persisted.
‘In a way, yes,’ said Lombard.
‘Well, come on, out with it.’
Lombard said slowly:
‘I allowed you all to think that I was asked here in the same way as mostof the others. That’s not quite true. As a matter of fact I was approachedby a little Jew- boy — Morris his name was. He offered me a hundredguineas to come down here and keep my eyes open—said I’d got a reputa-tion for being a good man in a tight place.’
‘Well?’ Blore prompted impatiently.
Lombard said with a grin:
‘That’s all.’
Dr Armstrong said:
‘But surely he told you more than that?’
‘Oh no, he didn’t. Just shut up like a clam13. I could take it or leave it—those were his words. I was hard up. I took it.’
Blore looked unconvinced. He said:
‘Why didn’t you tell us all this last night?’
‘My dear man—’ Lombard shrugged14 eloquent15 shoulders. ‘How was I toknow that last night wasn’t exactly the eventuality I was here to copewith? I lay low and told a non-committal story.’
Dr Armstrong said shrewdly:
‘But now—you think differently?’
Lombard’s face changed. It darkened and hardened. He said:
‘Yes. I believe now that I’m in the same boat as the rest of you. That hun-dred guineas was just Mr Owen’s little bit of cheese to get me into the trapalong with the rest of you.’
He said slowly:
‘For we are in a trap—I’ll take my oath on that! Mrs Rogers’ death! TonyMarston’s! The disappearing soldier boys on the dinner-table! Oh yes, MrOwen’s hand is plainly seen—but where the devil is Mr Owen himself?’
Downstairs the gong pealed16 a solemn call to lunch.
II
Rogers was standing17 by the dining-room door. As the three men descen-ded the stairs he moved a step or two forward. He said in a low anxiousvoice:
‘I hope lunch will be satisfactory. There is cold ham and cold tongue,and I’ve boiled some potatoes. And there’s cheese and biscuits, and sometinned fruits.’
Lombard said:
‘Sounds all right. Stores are holding out, then?’
‘There is plenty of food, sir—of a tinned variety. The larder18 is very wellstocked. A necessity, that, I should say, sir, on an island where one may becut off from the mainland for a considerable period.’
Lombard nodded.
Rogers murmured as he followed the three men into the dining-room:
‘It worries me that Fred Narracott hasn’t been over today. It’s peculiarlyunfortunate, as you might say.’
‘Yes,’ said Lombard, ‘peculiarly unfortunate describes it very well.’
Miss Brent came into the room. She had just dropped a ball of wool andwas carefully rewinding the end of it.
As she took her seat at table she remarked:
‘The weather is changing. The wind is quite strong and there are whitehorses on the sea.’
Mr Justice Wargrave came in. He walked with a slow measured tread.
He darted21 quick looks from under his bushy eyebrows at the other occu-pants of the dining-room. He said:
‘You have had an active morning.’
There was a faint malicious22 pleasure in his voice.
Vera Claythorne hurried in. She was a little out of breath.
She said quickly:
‘I hope you didn’t wait for me. Am I late?’
Emily Brent said:
‘You’re not the last. The General isn’t here yet.’
They sat round the table.
Rogers addressed Miss Brent.
‘Will you begin, Madam, or will you wait?’
Vera said:
‘General Macarthur is sitting right down by the sea. I don’t expect hewould hear the gong there anyway’—she hesitated—‘he’s a little vaguetoday, I think.’
Rogers said quickly:
‘I will go down and inform him luncheon23 is ready.’
Dr Armstrong jumped up.
‘I’ll go,’ he said. ‘You others start lunch.’
He left the room. Behind him he heard Rogers’ voice.
‘Will you take cold tongue or cold ham, Madam?’
III
The five people sitting round the table seemed to find conversation diffi-cult. Outside, sudden gusts24 of wind came up and died away.
Vera shivered a little and said:
‘There is a storm coming.’
Blore made a contribution to the discourse25. He said conversationally26:
‘There was an old fellow in the train from Plymouth yesterday. He keptsaying a storm was coming. Wonderful how they know weather, these oldsalts.’
Rogers went round the table collecting the meat plates.
Suddenly, with the plates held in his hands, he stopped.
He said in an odd scared voice:
‘There’s somebody running…’
They could all hear it—running feet along the terrace.
In that minute, they knew—knew without being told…As by common accord, they all rose to their feet. They stood looking to-wards the door.
Dr Armstrong appeared, his breath coming fast.
He said:
‘General Macarthur—’
‘Dead!’ The word burst from Vera explosively.
Armstrong said:
‘Yes, he’s dead…’
There was a pause—a long pause.
Seven people looked at each other and could find no words to say.
IV
The storm broke just as the old man’s body was borne in through the door.
The others were standing in the hall.
There was a sudden hiss27 and roar as the rain came down.
As Blore and Armstrong passed up the stairs with their burden, VeraClaythorne turned suddenly and went into the deserted28 dining-room.
It was as they had left it. The sweet course stood ready on the sideboarduntasted.
Vera went up to the table. She was there a minute or two later when Ro-gers came softly into the room.
He started when he saw her. Then his eyes asked a question.
He said:
‘Oh, Miss, I—I just came to see…’
In a loud harsh voice that surprised herself Vera said:
‘You’re quite right, Rogers. Look for yourself. There are only seven…’
VGeneral Macarthur had been laid on his bed.
After making a last examination Armstrong left the room and camedownstairs. He found the others assembled in the drawing-room.
Miss Brent was knitting. Vera Claythorne was standing by the windowlooking out at the hissing29 rain. Blore was sitting squarely in a chair, hishands on his knees. Lombard was walking restlessly up and down. At thefar end of the room Mr Justice Wargrave was sitting in a grandfatherchair. His eyes were half closed.
They opened as the doctor came into the room. He said in a clear penet-rating voice:
‘Well, doctor?’
Armstrong was very pale. He said:
‘No question of heart failure or anything like that. Macarthur was hitwith a life preserver or some such thing on the back of the head.’
A little murmur19 went round, but the clear voice of the judge was raisedonce more.
‘Did you find the actual weapon used?’
‘No.’
‘Nevertheless you are sure of your facts?’
‘I am quite sure.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said quietly:
‘We know now exactly where we are.’
There was no doubt now who was in charge of the situation. This morn-ing Wargrave had sat huddled30 in his chair on the terrace refraining fromany overt31 activity. Now he assumed command with the ease born of a longhabit of authority. He definitely presided over the court.
Clearing his throat, he once more spoke32.
‘This morning, gentlemen, whilst I was sitting on the terrace, I was anobserver of your activities. There could be little doubt of your purpose.
You were searching the island for an unknown murderer?’
‘Quite right, sir,’ said Philip Lombard.
The judge went on.
‘You had come, doubtless, to the same conclusion that I had—namelythat the deaths of Anthony Marston and Mrs Rogers were neither acci-dental nor were they suicides. No doubt you also reached a certain conclu-sion as to the purpose of Mr Owen in enticing33 us to this island?’
Blore said hoarsely34:
‘He’s a madman! A loony.’
The judge coughed.
‘That almost certainly. But it hardly affects the issue. Our main preoccu-pation is this—to save our lives.’
Armstrong said in a trembling voice:
‘There’s no one on the island, I tell you. No one!’
The judge stroked his jaw35.
He said gently:
‘In the sense you mean, no. I came to that conclusion early this morning.
I could have told you that your search would be fruitless. Nevertheless Iam strongly of the opinion that “Mr Owen” (to give him the name he him-self has adopted) is on the island. Very much so. Given the scheme in ques-tion which is neither more nor less than the execution of justice upon cer-tain individuals for offences which the law cannot touch, there is only oneway in which that scheme could be accomplished36. Mr Owen could only cometo the island in one way.
‘It is perfectly clear. Mr Owen is one of us…’
VI
‘Oh, no, no, no…’
It was Vera who burst out—almost in a moan. The judge turned a keeneye on her.
He said:
‘My dear young lady, this is no time for refusing to look facts in the face.
We are all in grave danger. One of us is U. N. Owen. And we do not knowwhich of us. Of the ten people who came to this island three are definitelycleared. Anthony Marston, Mrs Rogers, and General Macarthur have gonebeyond suspicion. There are seven of us left. Of those seven, one is, if Imay so express myself, a bogus little soldier boy.’
He paused and looked round.
‘Do I take it that you all agree?’
Armstrong said:
‘It’s fantastic—but I suppose you’re right.’
Blore said:
‘Not a doubt of it. And if you ask me, I’ve a very good idea—’
A quick gesture of Mr Justice Wargrave’s hand stopped him. The judgesaid quietly:
‘We will come to that presently. At the moment all I wish to establish isthat we are in agreement on the facts.’
Emily Brent, still knitting, said:
‘Your argument seems logical. I agree that one of us is possessed37 by adevil.’
Vera murmured:
‘I can’t believe it…I can’t…’
Wargrave said:
‘Lombard?’
‘I agree, sir, absolutely.’
The judge nodded his head in a satisfied manner. He said:
‘Now let us examine the evidence. To begin with, is there any reason forsuspecting one particular person? Mr Blore, you have, I think, somethingto say.’
Blore was breathing hard. He said:
‘Lombard’s got a revolver. He didn’t tell the truth—last night. He admitsit.’
Philip Lombard smiled scornfully.
He said:
‘I suppose I’d better explain again.’
He did so, telling the story briefly38 and succinctly39.
Blore said sharply:
‘What’s to prove it? There’s nothing to corroborate40 your story.’
The judge coughed.
‘Unfortunately,’ he said, ‘we are all in that position. There is only ourown word to go upon.’
He leaned forward.
‘You have none of you yet grasped what a very peculiar20 situation this is.
To my mind there is only one course of procedure to adopt. Is there anyone whom we can definitely eliminate from suspicion on the evidencewhich is in our possession?’
Dr Armstrong said quickly:
‘I, am a well-known professional man. The mere41 idea that I can be sus-pected of—’
Again a gesture of the judge’s hand arrested a speaker before he fin-ished his speech. Mr Justice Wargrave said in his small clear voice:
‘I too, am a well-known person! But, my dear sir, that proves less thannothing! Doctors have gone mad before now. Judges have gone mad. So,’
he added, looking at Blore, ‘have policemen!’
Lombard said:
‘At any rate, I suppose you’ll leave the women out of it.’
The judge’s eyebrows rose. He said in the famous ‘acid’ tones that Coun-sel knew so well:
‘Do I understand you to assert that women are not subject to homicidalmania?’
Lombard said irritably42:
‘Of course not. But all the same, it hardly seems possible—’
He stopped. Mr Justice Wargrave still in the same thin sour voice ad-dressed Armstrong.
‘I take it, Dr Armstrong, that a woman would have been physically43 cap-able of striking the blow that killed poor Macarthur?’
The doctor said calmly:
‘Perfectly capable — given a suitable instrument, such as a rubbertruncheon or cosh.’
‘It would require no undue44 exertion45 of force?’
‘Not at all.’
Mr Justice Wargrave wriggled46 his tortoise-like neck. He said:
‘The other two deaths have resulted from the administration of drugs.
That, no one will dispute, is easily compassed by a person of the smallestphysical strength.’
Vera cried angrily:
‘I think you’re mad!’
His eyes turned slowly till they rested on her. It was the dispassionatestare of a man well used to weighing humanity in the balance. Shethought:
‘He’s just seeing me as a—as a specimen47. And—’ the thought came to herwith real surprise, ‘he doesn’t like me much!’
In a measured tone the judge was saying:
‘My dear young lady, do try and restrain your feelings. I am not accus-ing you.’ He bowed to Miss Brent. ‘I hope, Miss Brent, that you are not of-fended by my insistence48 that all of us are equally under suspicion?’
Emily Brent was knitting. She did not look up. In a cold voice she said:
‘The idea that I should be accused of taking a fellow creature’s life—notto speak of the lives of three fellow creatures—is of course, quite absurd toany one who knows anything of my character. But I quite appreciate thefact that we are all strangers to one another and that, in those circum-stances, nobody can be exonerated49 without the fullest proof. There is, as Ihave said, a devil amongst us.’
The judge said:
‘Then we are agreed. There can be no elimination50 on the ground ofcharacter or position alone.’
Lombard said: ‘What about Rogers?’
The judge looked at him unblinkingly.
‘What about him?’
Lombard said:
‘Well, to my mind, Rogers seems pretty well ruled out.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘Indeed, and on what grounds?’
Lombard said:
‘He hasn’t got the brains for one thing. And for another his wife was oneof the victims.’
The judge’s heavy eyebrows rose once more. He said:
‘In my time, young man, several people have come before me accused ofthe murders of their wives—and have been found guilty.’
‘Oh! I agree. Wife murder is perfectly possible—almost natural, let’s say!
But not this particular kind! I can believe in Rogers killing51 his wife be-cause he was scared of her breaking down and giving him away, or be-cause he’d taken a dislike to her, or because he wanted to link up withsome nice little bit rather less long in the tooth. But I can’t see him as thelunatic Mr Owen dealing52 out crazy justice and starting on his own wife fora crime they both committed.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘You are assuming hearsay53 to be evidence. We do not know that Rogersand his wife conspired54 to murder their employer. That may have been afalse statement, made so that Rogers should appear to be in the same posi-tion as ourselves. Mrs Rogers’ terror last night may have been due to thefact that she realized her husband was mentally unhinged.’
Lombard said:
‘Well, have it your own way. U. N. Owen is one of us. No exceptions al-lowed. We all qualify.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘My point is that there can be no exceptions allowed on the score ofcharacter, position, or probability. What we must now examine is the pos-sibility of eliminating one or more persons on the facts. To put it simply, isthere among us one or more persons who could not possibly have admin-istered either cyanide to Anthony Marston, or an overdose of sleepingdraught to Mrs Rogers, and who had no opportunity of striking the blowthat killed General Macarthur?’
Blore’s rather heavy face lit up. He leant forward.
‘Now you’re talking, sir!’ he said. ‘That’s the stuff! Let’s go into it. As re-gards young Marston I don’t think there’s anything to be done. It’s alreadybeen suggested that someone from outside slipped something into thedregs of his glass before he refilled it for the last time. A person actually inthe room could have done that even more easily. I can’t remember if Ro-gers was in the room, but any of the rest of us could certainly have doneit.’
He paused, then went on:
‘Now take the woman Rogers. The people who stand out there are herhusband and the doctor. Either of them could have done it as easy aswinking—’
Armstrong sprang to his feet. He was trembling.
‘I protest—this is absolutely uncalled for! I swear that the dose I gavethe woman was perfectly—’
‘Dr Armstrong.’
The small sour voice was compelling. The doctor stopped with a jerk inthe middle of his sentence. The small cold voice went on:
‘Your indignation is very natural. Nevertheless you must admit that thefacts have got to be faced. Either you or Rogers could have administered afatal dose with the greatest ease. Let us now consider the position of theother people present. What chance had I, had Inspector56 Blore, had MissBrent, had Miss Claythorne, had Mr Lombard of administering poison?
Can any one of us be completely and entirely57 eliminated?’ He paused. ‘Ithink not.’
Vera said angrily:
‘I was nowhere near the woman! All of you can swear to that.’
Mr Justice Wargrave waited a minute, then he said:
‘As far as my memory serves me the facts were these—will any oneplease correct me if I make a mis-statement? Mrs Rogers was lifted on tothe sofa by Anthony Marston and Mr Lombard and Dr Armstrong went toher. He sent Rogers for brandy. There was then a question raised as towhere the voice we had just heard had come from. We all went into thenext room with the exception of Miss Brent who remained in this room—alone with the unconscious woman.’
A spot of colour came into Emily Brent’s cheeks. She stopped knitting.
She said:
‘This is outrageous58!’
The remorseless small voice went on:
‘When we returned to this room, you, Miss Brent, were bending over thewoman on the sofa.’
Emily Brent said:
‘Is common humanity a criminal offence?’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘I am only establishing facts. Rogers then entered the room with thebrandy which, of course, he could quite well have doctored before enter-ing the room. The brandy was administered to the woman and shortly af-terwards her husband and Dr Armstrong assisted her up to bed where DrArmstrong gave her a sedative.’
Blore said:
‘That’s what happened. Absolutely. And that lets out the judge, Mr Lom-bard, myself and Miss Claythorne.’
His voice was loud and jubilant. Mr Justice Wargrave, bringing a coldeye to bear upon him, murmured:
‘Ah, but does it? We must take into account every possible eventuality.’
Blore stared. He said:
‘I don’t get you.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘Upstairs in her room, Mrs Rogers is lying in bed. The sedative that thedoctor has given her begins to take effect. She is vaguely59 sleepy and acqui-escent. Supposing that at that moment there is a tap on the door andsomeone enters bringing her, shall we say, a tablet, or a draught55, with themessage that “The doctor says you’re to take this.” Do you imagine for oneminute that she would not have swallowed it obediently without thinkingtwice about it?’
There was a silence. Blore shifted his feet and frowned. Philip Lombardsaid:
‘I don’t believe in that story for a minute. Besides none of us left thisroom for hours afterwards. There was Marston’s death and all the rest ofit.’
The judge said:
‘Someone could have left his or her bedroom—later.’
Lombard objected:
‘But then Rogers would have been up there.’
Dr Armstrong stirred.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Rogers went downstairs to clear up in the dining-roomand pantry. Anyone could have gone up to the woman’s bedroom thenwithout being seen.’
Emily Brent said:
‘Surely, doctor, the woman would have been fast asleep by then underthe influence of the drug you had administered?’
‘In all likelihood, yes. But it is not a certainty. Until you have prescribedfor a patient more than once you cannot tell their reaction to differentdrugs. There is, sometimes, a considerable period before a sedative takeseffect. It depends on the personal idiosyncrasy of the patient towards thatparticular drug.’
Lombard said:
‘Of course you would say that, doctor. Suits your book—eh?’
Again Armstrong’s face darkened with anger.
But again that passionless cold little voice stopped the words on his lips.
‘No good result can come from recrimination. Facts are what we have todeal with. It is established, I think, that there is a possibility of such a thingas I have outlined occurring. I agree that its probability value is not high;though there again, it depends on who that person might have been. Theappearance of Miss Brent or of Miss Claythorne on such an errand wouldhave occasioned no surprise in the patient’s mind. I agree that the appear-ance of myself, or of Mr Blore, or of Mr Lombard would have been, to saythe least of it, unusual, but I still think the visit would have been receivedwithout the awakening60 of any real suspicion.’
Blore said:
‘And that gets us—where?’
VII
Mr Justice Wargrave, stroking his lip and looking quite passionless and in-human, said:
‘We have now dealt with the second killing, and have established thefact that no one of us can be completely exonerated from suspicion.’
He paused and went on.
‘We come now to the death of General Macarthur. That took place thismorning. I will ask anyone who considers that he or she has an alibi61 tostate it in so many words. I myself will state at once that I have no validalibi. I spent the morning sitting on the terrace and meditating62 on the sin-gular position in which we all find ourselves.
‘I sat on that chair on the terrace for the whole morning until the gongwent, but there were, I should imagine, several periods during the morn-ing when I was quite unobserved and during which it would have beenpossible for me to walk down to the sea, kill the General, and return to mychair. There is only my word for the fact that I never left the terrace. Inthe circumstances that is not enough. There must be proof.’
Blore said:
‘I was with Mr Lombard and Dr Armstrong all the morning. They’ll bearme out.’
Dr Armstrong said:
‘You went to the house for a rope.’
Blore said:
‘Of course, I did. Went straight there and straight back. You know I did.’
Armstrong said:
‘You were a long time…’
Blore turned crimson63. He said:
‘What the hell do you mean by that, Dr Armstrong?’
Armstrong repeated:
‘I only said you were a long time.’
‘Had to find it, didn’t I? Can’t lay your hands on a coil of rope all in aminute.’
Mr Justice Wargrave said:
‘During Inspector Blore’s absence, were you two gentlemen together?’
Armstrong said hotly:
‘Certainly. That is, Lombard went off for a few minutes. I remainedwhere I was.’
Lombard said with a smile:
‘I wanted to test the possibilities of heliographing to the mainland.
Wanted to find the best spot. I was only absent a minute or two.’
Armstrong nodded. He said:
‘That’s right. Not long enough to do a murder, I assure you.’
The judge said:
‘Did either of you two glance at your watches?’
‘Well, no.’
Philip Lombard said:
‘I wasn’t wearing one.’
The judge said evenly:
‘A minute or two is a vague expression.’
He turned his head to the upright figure with the knitting lying on herlap.
‘Miss Brent?’
Emily Brent said:
‘I took a walk with Miss Claythorne up to the top of the island. After-wards I sat on the terrace in the sun.’
The judge said:
‘I don’t think I noticed you there.’
‘No, I was round the corner of the house to the east. It was out of thewind there.’
‘And you sat there till lunch-time?’
‘Yes.’
‘Miss Claythorne?’
Vera answered readily and clearly:
‘I was with Miss Brent early this morning. After that I wandered about abit. Then I went down and talked to General Macarthur.’
Mr Justice Wargrave interrupted. He said:
‘What time was that?’
Vera for the first time was vague. She said:
‘I don’t know. About an hour before lunch, I think—or it might havebeen less.’
Blore asked:
‘Was it after we’d spoken to him or before?’
Vera said:
‘I don’t know. He—he was very queer.’
She shivered.
‘In what way was he queer?’ the judge wanted to know.
Vera said in a low voice:
‘He said we were all going to die—he said he was waiting for the end. He—he frightened me…’
The judge nodded. He said:
‘What did you do next?’
‘I went back to the house. Then, just before lunch, I went out again andup behind the house. I’ve been terribly restless all day.’
Mr Justice Wargrave stroked his chin. He said:
‘There remains64 Rogers. Though I doubt if his evidence will add anythingto our sum of knowledge.’
Rogers, summoned before the court, had very little to tell. He had beenbusy all the morning about household duties and with the preparation oflunch. He had taken cocktails65 on to the terrace before lunch and had thengone up to remove his things from the attic66 to another room. He had notlooked out of the window during the morning and had seen nothing thatcould have any bearing upon the death of General Macarthur. He wouldswear definitely that there had been eight china figures upon the dining-table when he laid the table for lunch.
At the conclusion of Rogers’ evidence there was a pause.
Mr Justice Wargrave cleared his throat.
Lombard murmured to Vera Claythorne:
‘The summing up will now take place!’
The judge said:
‘We have inquired into the circumstances of these three deaths to thebest of our ability. Whilst probability in some cases is against certainpeople being implicated67, yet we cannot say definitely that any one personcan be considered as cleared of all complicity. I reiterate68 my positive be-lief that of the seven persons assembled in this room one is a dangerousand probably insane criminal. There is no evidence before us as to whothat person is. All we can do at the present juncture69 is to consider whatmeasures we can take for communicating with the mainland for help, andin the event of help being delayed (as is only too possible given the state ofthe weather) what measures we must adopt to ensure our safety.
‘I would ask you all to consider this carefully and to give me any sugges-tions that may occur to you. In the meantime I warn everybody to be uponhis or her guard. So far the murderer has had an easy task, since his vic-tims have been unsuspicious. From now on, it is our task to suspect eachand every one amongst us. Forewarned is forearmed. Take no risks andbe alert to danger. That is all.’
Philip Lombard murmured beneath his breath:
‘The court will now adjourn…’
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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blurting
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的现在分词 ) | |
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sedative
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| adj.使安静的，使镇静的；n. 镇静剂，能使安静的东西 | |
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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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mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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slinging
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| 抛( sling的现在分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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clam
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| n.蛤，蛤肉 | |
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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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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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conversationally
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| adv.会话地 | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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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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enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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succinctly
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| adv.简洁地；简洁地，简便地 | |
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corroborate
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| v.支持，证实，确定 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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exonerated
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| v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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51
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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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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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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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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58
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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alibi
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| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
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62
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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63
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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65
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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67
implicated
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| adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的 | |
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68
reiterate
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| v.重申，反复地说 | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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