《普利茅斯快车谋杀案》开篇：英文原著带中文翻译

“The little gray cells,” so often referred to by the great detective Hercule Poirot, certainly get in their fine-work in this intriguing mystery story by an exceptionally talented writer.

伟大的侦探赫尔克里·波洛常常提到的「小小的灰色脑细胞」，在这篇由一位才华横溢的作家写就的引人入胜的推理故事中，确实发挥了精妙的作用。

Alec Simpson, R. N., stepped from the platform at Newton Abbot into a first-class compartment of the Plymouth Express. A porter followed him with a heavy suitcase. He was about to swing it up to the rack, but the young sailor stopped him.

皇家海军亚历克·辛普森从牛顿阿伯特的站台跨进普利茅斯特快列车的一等车厢。一名搬运工提着一只沉重的箱子跟在他身后。他正要把它甩上行李架，年轻的水兵却拦住了他。

“No—leave it on the seat. I’ll put it up later. Here you are.”

「不，就放在座位上吧。我待会儿再放上去。给你。」

“Thank you, sir.” The porter, generously tipped, withdrew.

「谢谢您，先生。」搬运工得到丰厚的小费，退了出去。

Doors banged; a stentorian voice shouted: “Plymouth only. Change for Torquay. Plymouth next stop.” Then a whistle blew, and the train drew slowly out of the station.

车门砰砰关上，一个洪亮的声音喊道：「只到普利茅斯。去托基的在此换车。下一站普利茅斯。」接着哨声响起，列车缓缓驶出车站。

Lieutenant Simpson had the carriage to himself. The December air was chilly, and he pulled up the window. Then he sniffed vaguely, and frowned. What a smell there was! Reminded him of that time in hospital, and the operation on his leg. Yes, chloroform; that was it!

辛普森中尉独自占着这节车厢。十二月的空气冷飕飕的，他把窗户拉了上去。随后他隐约嗅了嗅，皱起眉头。好大的气味！让他想起住院那回，腿上动手术的时候。没错，是氯仿，就是它！

He let the window down again, changing his seat to one with its back to the engine. He pulled a pipe out of his pocket and lit it. For a little time he sat inactive, looking out into the night and smoking.

他又把窗户放下来，换到背对车头的座位上。他从口袋里掏出一只烟斗，点上了。有一小会儿，他坐着不动，一边抽烟一边望着窗外的夜色。

At last he roused himself, and opening the suitcase, took out some papers and magazines, then closed the suitcase again and endeavored to shove it under the opposite seat—without success. Some hidden obstacle resisted it. He shoved harder with rising impatience, but it still stuck out halfway into the carriage.

最后他打起精神，打开箱子，取出一些文件和杂志，又把箱子合上，想把它塞到对面的座位底下，却没有成功。不知什么隐藏的东西挡住了它。他越来越不耐烦，用力再推，箱子还是有一半露在车厢里。

“Why the devil wont it go in?” he muttered, and hauling it out completely, he stooped down and peered under the seat....

「它怎么就是进不去？」他咕哝着，把箱子整个拖出来，弯下腰朝座位底下张望……

A moment later a cry rang out into the night, and the great train came to an unwilling halt in obedience to the imperative jerking of the communication-cord.

片刻之后，一声喊叫划破夜空，巨大的列车在紧急拉动的通信绳下不情愿地停了下来。

“Mon ami,” said Poirot. “You have, I know, been deeply interested in this mystery of the Plymouth Express. Read this.”

「我的朋友，」波洛说，「我知道，你对普利茅斯特快列车这桩疑案一直深感兴趣。读读这个。」

I picked up the note he flicked across the table to me. It was brief and to the point.

我拾起他从桌对面弹给我的那张便条。内容简短，直截了当。

Dear Sir: I shall be obliged if you will call upon me at your earliest convenience. Yours faithfully, Ebenezer Halliday.

亲爱的先生：若您能在方便时尽早来访，我将不胜感激。您忠实的，埃比尼泽·哈利迪。

The connection was not clear to my mind, and I looked inquiringly at Poirot. For answer he took up the newspaper and read aloud:

我心中看不出这之间的联系，便询问地望向波洛。他作为回答，拿起报纸大声念道：

“‘A sensational discovery was made last night. A young naval officer returning to Plymouth found under the seat of his compartment, the body of a woman, stabbed through the heart. The officer at once pulled the communication-cord, and the train was brought to a standstill. The woman who was about thirty years of age, and richly dressed, has not yet been identified.’

「昨夜有一项轰动的发现。一名返回普利茅斯的年轻海军军官在他车厢的座位底下发现了一具女尸，心脏被刺穿。该军官立刻拉下通信绳，列车随即停下。这名女子年约三十岁，衣着华丽，身份尚未查明。」

“And later we have this: ‘The woman found dead in the Plymouth Express has been identified as the Honorable Mrs. Rupert Carrington.’ You see now, my friend? Or if you do not, I will add this. Mrs. Rupert Carrington was, before her marriage, Flossie Halliday, daughter of old man Halliday, the steel king of America.”

「后来我们又看到这条：『在普利茅斯特快列车上发现的女尸，已查明为尊敬的鲁珀特·卡林顿夫人。』你现在明白了吧，我的朋友？如果还不明白，我再补充一句。鲁珀特·卡林顿夫人婚前是弗洛西·哈利迪，美国钢铁大王老哈利迪的女儿。」

“And he has sent for you? Splendid!”

「他派人来请你？太好了！」

“I did him a little service in the past—an affair of bearer bonds. And once, when I was in Paris for a royal visit, I had Mademoiselle Flossie pointed out to me. La jolie petite pensionnaire! She had the jolie dot too! It caused trouble. She nearly made a bad affair.”

「我过去帮过他一个小忙，一桩不记名债券的事。还有一次，我去巴黎参加王室访问，有人把弗洛西小姐指给我看。漂亮的小寄宿生！她还有一笔漂亮的嫁妆！这惹出了麻烦。她差点铸成大错。」

“How was that?”

「怎么回事？」

“A certain Count de la Rochefour. Un bien mauvais sujet! A bad hat, as you would say. An adventurer pure and simple, who knew how to appeal to a romantic young girl. Luckily her father got wind of it in time. He took her back to America in haste. I heard of her marriage some years later, but I know nothing of her husband.”

「一位叫德拉罗什富尔的伯爵。一个十足的坏蛋！用你的话说，是个坏帽子。地地道道的冒险家，最懂得怎么打动一个浪漫的年轻姑娘。幸好她父亲及时听到了风声。他匆匆把她带回美国。几年后我听说她结了婚，但她丈夫的事我一无所知。」