chapter 19 a great lady

the visit that we received on the following morning was to my mind one of the most surprising things about the whole affair.

i was in my sitting room when poirot slipped in with his eyes shining.

‘mon ami, we have a visitor.’

‘who is it?’

‘the dowager duchess of merton.’

‘how extraordinary! what does she want?’

‘if you accompany me downstairs, mon ami, you will know.’

i hastened to comply. we entered the room together.

the duchess was a small woman with a high-bridged nose and autocratic eyes. although she was short one would not have dared to call her dumpy. dressed though she was in unfashionable black, she was yet every inch a grande dame. she also impressed me as having an almost ruthless personality. where her son was negative, she was positive. her will-power was terrific. i could almost feel waves of force emanating from her. no wonder this woman had always dominated all those with whom she came in contact!

she put up a lorgnette and studied first me and then my companion. then she spoke to him. her voice was clear and compelling, a voice accustomed to command and to be obeyed.

‘you are m. hercule poirot?’

my friend bowed.

‘at your service, madame la duchesse.’

she looked at me.

‘this is my friend, captain hastings. he assists me in my cases.’

her eyes looked momentarily doubtful. then she bent her head in acquiescence.

she took the chair that poirot offered.

‘i have come to consult you on a very delicate matter, m. poirot, and i must ask that what i tell you shall be understood to be entirely confidential.’

‘that goes without saying, madame.’

‘it was lady yardly who told me about you. from the way in which she spoke of you and the gratitude she expressed, i felt that you were the only person likely to help me.’

‘rest assured, i will do my best, madame.’

still she hesitated. then, at last, with an effort, she came to the point, came to it with a simplicity that reminded me in an odd way of jane wilkinson on that memorable night at the savoy.

‘m. poirot, i want you to ensure that my son does not marry the actress, jane wilkinson.’

if poirot felt astonishment, he refrained from showing it. he regarded her thoughtfully and took his time about replying.

‘can you be a little more definite, madame, as to what you want me to do?’

‘that is not easy. i feel that such a marriage would be a great disaster. it would ruin my son’s life.’

‘do you think so, madame?’

‘i am sure of it. my son has very high ideals. he knows really very little of the world. he has never cared for the young girls of his own class. they have struck him as empty-headed and frivolous. but as regards this woman – well, she is very beautiful, i admit that. and she has the power of enslaving men. she has bewitched my son. i have hoped that the infatuation would run its course. mercifully she was not free. but now that her husband is dead –’

she broke off.

‘they intend to be married in a few months’ time. the whole happiness of my son’s life is at stake.’

she spoke more peremptorily. ‘it must be stopped, m. poirot.’

poirot shrugged his shoulders.

‘i do not say that you are not right, madame. i agree that the marriage is not a suitable one. but what can one do?’

‘it is for you to do something.’

poirot slowly shook his head.

‘yes, yes, you must help me.’

‘i doubt if anything would avail, madame. your son, i should say, would refuse to listen to anything against the lady! and also, i do not think there is very much against her to say! i doubt if there are any discreditable incidents to be raked up in her past. she has been – shall we say – careful?’

‘i know,’ said the duchess grimly.

‘ah! so you have already made the inquiries in that direction.’

she flushed a little under his keen glance.

‘there is nothing i would not do, m. poirot, to save my son from this marriage.’ she reiterated that word emphatically, ‘nothing! ’

she paused, then went on:

‘money is nothing in this matter. name any fee you like. but the marriage must be stopped. you are the man to do it.’

poirot slowly shook his head.

‘it is not a question of money. i can do nothing – for a reason which i will explain to you presently. but also, i may say, i do not see there is anything to be done. i cannot give you help, madame la duchesse. will you think me impertinent if i give you advice?’

‘what advice?’

‘do not antagonize your son! he is of an age to choose for himself. because his choice is not your choice, do not assume that you must be right. if it is a misfortune – then accept misfortune. be at hand to aid him when he needs aid. but do not turn him against you.’

‘you hardly understand.’

she rose to her feet. her lips were trembling.

‘but yes, madame la duchesse, i understand very well. i comprehend the mother’s heart. no one comprehends it better than i, hercule poirot. and i say to you with authority – be patient. be patient and calm, and disguise your feelings. there is yet a chance that the matter may break itself. opposition will merely increase your son’s obstinacy.’

‘goodbye, m. poirot,’ she said coldly. ‘i am disappointed.’

‘i regret infinitely, madame, that i cannot be of service to you. i am in a difficult position. lady edgware, you see, has already done me the honour to consult me herself.’

‘oh! i see.’ her voice cut like a knife. ‘you are in the opposite camp. that explains, no doubt, why lady edgware has not yet been arrested for her husband’s murder.’

‘comment, madame la duchesse?’

‘i think you heard what i said. why is she not arrested? she was there that evening. she was seen to enter the house – to enter his study. no one else went near him and he was found dead? and yet she is not arrested! our police force must be corrupt through and through.’

with shaking hands she arranged the scarf round her neck, then with the slightest of bows, she swept out of the room.

‘whew!’ i said. ‘what a tartar! i admire her, though, don’t you?’

‘because she wishes to arrange the universe to her manner of thinking?’

‘well, she’s only got her son’s welfare at heart.’

poirot nodded his head.

‘that is true enough, and yet, hastings, will it really be such a bad thing for m. le duc to marry jane wilkinson?’

‘why, you don’t think she is really in love with him?’

‘probably not. almost certainly not. but she is very much in love with his position. she will play her part carefully. she is an extremely beautiful woman and very ambitious. it is not such a catastrophe. the duke might very easily have married a young girl of his own class who would have accepted him for the same reasons – but no one would have made the song and the dance about that.’

‘that is quite true, but –’

‘and suppose he marries a girl who loves him passionately, is there such a great advantage in that? often i have observed that it is a great misfortune for a man to have a wife who loves him. she creates the scenes of jealousy, she makes him look ridiculous, she insists on having all his time and attention. ah! non, it is not the bed of roses.’

‘poirot,’ i said. ‘you’re an incurable old cynic.’

‘mais non, mais non, i only make the reflections. see you, really, i am on the side of the good mamma.’

i could not refrain from laughing at hearing the haughty duchess described in this way.

poirot remained quite serious.

‘you should not laugh. it is of great importance – all this. i must reflect. i must reflect a great deal.’

‘i don’t see what you can do in the matter,’ i said.

poirot paid no attention.

‘you observed, hastings, how well-informed the duchess was? and how vindictive. she knew all the evidence there was against jane wilkinson.’

‘the case for the prosecution, but not the case for the defence,’ i said, smiling.

‘how did she come to know of it?’

‘jane told the duke. the duke told her,’ i suggested.

‘yes, that is possible. yet i have –’

the telephone rang sharply. i answered it.

my part consisted of saying ‘yes’ at varying intervals. finally i put down the receiver and turned excitedly to poirot.

‘that was japp. firstly, you’re “the goods” as usual. secondly, he’s had a cable from america. thirdly, he’s got the taxi-driver. fourthly, would you like to come round and hear what the taxi-driver says. fifthly, you’re “the goods” again, and all along he’s been convinced that you’d hit the nail on the head when you suggested that there was some man behind all this! i omitted to tell him that we’d just had a visitor here who says the police force is corrupt.’

‘so japp is convinced at last,’ murmured poirot. ‘curious that the man-in-the-background theory should be proved just at the moment when i was inclining to another possible theory.’

‘what theory?’

‘the theory that the motive for the murder might have nothing to do with lord edgware himself. imagine someone who hated jane wilkinson, hated her so much that they would have even had her hanged for murder. c’est une idée, ?a!’

he sighed – then rousing himself:

‘come, hastings, let us hear what japp has to say.’

第十九章 贵妇人

第二天早上的贯客来访可算是整个事件中最令人意想不到的。

我正在房中，波洛两眼发亮地走了进来。

“我的朋友，我们有客人来了。”

“是谁？”

“默顿老公爵的遗孀。”

“真想不到。她要干什么？”

“如果你和我一起下楼，我的朋友，你会知道的。”

我连忙照办。我们一起进了客厅。

公爵夫人身材矮小，高高的鼻梁，长着一双小眼睛。尽管她长得矮小，但还不能叫她矮腿鸡。她虽然穿着毫不时髦的黑衣服，但她浑身上下无不带着贵族气派。她给我的另一个印象就是，她具有那种近乎残酷的个性。她的儿子是消极的，而她却是积极的。她的意志坚强无比。我可以清晰地感觉到她身上散发出的意志的波浪。毫无疑问，不论与谁打交道，她都会处于统治地位。

“您是赫尔克里·波洛先生吗？”

我的朋友鞠躬致意。

“公爵夫人，愿为您效劳。”

她看了看我。

“这是我的朋友，黑斯廷斯上尉。他帮我办案。”

她眼睛里流露出片刻怀疑，然后低下头，表示默许了。

她坐在波洛让给她的椅子上。

“波洛先生，我是来向您咨询一件很微妙的事的。我必须要求您，对我今天讲给您的事，绝对保密。”

“夫人，那不必担心。”

“是亚德利夫人与我讲起您的。从她讲您时的态度，以及对您的尊重，我觉得您是可能帮助我的人。”

“请放心，夫人，我会尽力的。”

她还是犹豫不决。最后，她才好不容易说明来意。她说起来意的那种单刀直入、简洁明了的方式，使我联想起那个值得纪念的晚上，在萨伏依饭店简·威尔金森的令人吃惊的态度。

“波洛先生，我想请您确保我儿子不要娶简·威尔金森，那个女演员。”

波洛就是惊讶，也会尽力不表露出来。他若有所思地望着她，并不急于回答。

“夫人，您能否更具体一些，您想让我做什么？”

“那很简单。我觉得这场婚姻会是个悲剧。它会毁了我儿子的一生。”

“夫人，您这样认为吗？”

“我十分确信。我儿子有很高尚的理想。他对世上人情世故懂得很少。对于身份相当的小姐，他并不在意。他认为她们头脑简单，举止轻浮。但是，这个女人，我承认，她很漂亮。她有令男人倾倒的魅力。我的儿子已经被她迷住了。我曾经想让他们这种关系自然发展，随着时间长了，自然就冷落下来了。好在她是有夫之妇，不能自由再婚。但是现在，她的丈夫死了——”

她突然停下不说了。

“他们要几个月以后结婚。我儿子的终身幸福危在旦夕。”她更断然地说，“波洛先生，必须阻止他们。”

波洛耸耸肩。

“我不能说您不对，夫人。我同意，这场婚姻不会合适。但我能做什么？”

“您该做些事。”

波洛慢慢地摇着头。

“是的，是的，您得帮助我。”

“夫人，我恐怕没有什么办法可行。我得说，您儿子不会听任何反对那位女士的话。另外，我不认为能有多少反对她的话可说。我想要从她的过去发掘出什么不名誉的资料，恐怕不好办，因为她一直——我们得说——很小心的。”

“我知道。”公爵夫人沉重地说。

“啊！您在这方面一定已经调查过了。”

在他热切的目光下，她有一点脸红了。

“波洛先生，为了不让我儿子娶她，没有什么我不能做的。”她又着重重复了一遍，“没有什么。”

她停了停，又接着说。

“钱没问题。您要多少报酬，尽管说吧。但是，您必须阻止这桩婚事。您正是担任此项工作的合适人选。”

波洛慢慢地摇摇头。

“不是钱的问题。我实在爱莫能助——我就会向您解释一下原因的。而且，我也可以对您说，我看不出能有什么办法。我没办法帮助您”爵夫人。如果我给您一些建议，不会认为我无礼吧？”

“什么建议。”

“别与您儿子作对。他已经达到了自主决定婚姻的年龄。不要因为他的选择不合您的意，就说明您的一定正确。如果有不幸，您就要准备接受不幸。在他需要帮助的时候，随时帮助他。但是千万别逼他反对您。”

“您一点也不明白。”

她站了起来，嘴唇直发抖。

“不是的，公爵夫人，我很理解您。我知道做母亲的心。世上没有一个人比我更明白这个。可是根据我以往的经验对您说，要有耐性，要坚忍、镇定，并且掩饰住您的感情。现在还有一丝希望，这件事或许可能自动地终止。只是反对只能令您的儿子更固执。”

“再见，波洛先生。”她冷冷地说道，“我很失望。”

“夫人，我感到无限地抱歉，我无法帮您忙。我的位置很难做。您知道，埃奇韦尔夫人已经向我请教过了。”

“唤，我明白了。”她的声音如同一把利刃，“您是在对方的阵营里。毫无疑问，这说明了为什么埃奇韦尔夫人还没有因杀夫而被捕。”

“怎么说呢？公爵夫人。”

“我认为您已经听清楚我说什么了。她为什么还没被捕？她那天晚上在那里的。有人看见她进了那房子——走进他的书房。没有别人接近过他，而他死了。她却还没被捕！我们的警方真是彻头彻尾地腐化了。”

她用颤抖的手将围巾围住脖子，然后，只是微微一点头，便大模大样地走出房门。

“噢！”我说，“真是一位悍妇。不过我敬佩她。你呢？”

“就因为她想将字宙按她的意志调整吗？”

“可是，她只是一心惦念着儿子的幸福。”

波洛点了点头。

“是的，不过，黑斯廷斯，你认为默顿公爵要娶简·威尔金森真是件坏事吗？”

“怎么，你认为她真的爱他？”

“很可能不是。十有八九不是。但她很爱他的地位。她会小心地扮演她的角色。她是一位相当漂亮的女士，也很有野心。这也不是什么坏事。公爵要想娶一位门当户对的小姐也是一件相当容易的事。他可能找到的小姐也会因为同样的原因嫁给她，但有谁会理会呢？”

“是这样的。但是——”

“假设他娶了一位极爱他的女孩，那么这婚姻就大有好处吗？我却常常这样想：如果一个人娶了一位极爱他的女人是一种不幸。她会爱吃醋，让他显得滑稽可笑，因为她会迫使丈夫将整个的时间与精力放在她身上。啊！这可不是满坛的攻瑰啊。”

“波洛，”我说道，“你是一个不可救药的愤世嫉俗者。”

“不是的，不是的，我只是想想罢了。你知道，其实我是站在好母亲那一边的。”

我听到他将那位跋扈的公爵夫人形容成这样，忍不住哈哈大笑。

波洛却依然很正经的样子。

“你不该笑的。这一切都是很重要的一所有这一切。我得好好想想。”

“我不明白在这件事上，你能做什么。”我说道。

波洛没理我。

“黑斯廷斯，你注意到了吗？公爵夫人消息很灵通的。她的报复心有多大？所有不利于简的证据，她都知道。”

“这对原告有利，对被告是不利的。”我笑着说。

“她是怎么知道的呢？”

“简告诉公爵，公爵再告诉她。”我提出这样的假设。

“是的，那是有可能的。但是，我——”

电话铃声大作，我赶紧去接。

我听着只有说“是”的份儿。最后，我放下听筒，兴高采烈地与波洛说：

“是贾普。首先，你还是照例。很了不起”第二，他收到了由美国打来的电报；第三，他已经找到了那位出租车司机了；第四，你想不想过去，听听出租车司机怎么说？第五，又是说你真了不起。他说他一直相信，当你说起有幕后指使，是很正确的。我却没对他说，我们刚刚有位客人说警方已经腐化了。”

“贾普最终还是相信了。”波洛小声地说，“真是奇怪，我正打算假定另一种情形，偏偏那个幕后指使又被证实了。”

“什么假定？”

“假定杀人动机也许和埃奇韦尔男爵本人毫无关系。现在你可以想象有另一个恨简·威尔金森的人，这个人恨她恨得非叫她上绞刑架不可。这可是一个可能的假设呢。”

他叹了口气一然后站起来说，

“来吧，黑斯廷斯，让我们听听贾普要说什么。”