死亡约会 Part II Chapter 16（2）（在线收听）

Lennox Boynton had no longer the will to freedom. He was content to sink into acondition of apathy and melancholy.

‘Now I have no doubt at all, madame, but that you love your husband. Your decision to leavehim was not actuated by a greater love for another man. It was, I think, a desperate ventureundertaken as a last hope. A woman in your position could only try three things. She could tryappeal. That, as I have said, failed. She could threaten to leave herself. But it is possible that eventhat threat would not have moved Lennox Boynton. It would plunge him deeper in misery, but itwould not cause him to rebel. There was one last desperate throw. You could go away withanother man. Jealousy and the instinct of possession is one of the most deeply rooted fundamentalinstincts in man. You showed your wisdom in trying to reach that deep underground savageinstinct. If Lennox Boynton would let you go without an effort to another man—then he mustindeed be beyond human aid, and you might as well then try to make a new life for yourselfelsewhere.

‘But let us suppose that even that last desperate remedy failed. Your husband was terribly upsetat your decision, but in spite of that he did not, as you had hoped, react as a primitive man mighthave done with an uprush of the possessive instinct. Was there anything at all that could save yourhusband from his own rapidly failing mental condition? Only one thing. If his stepmother were todie, it might not be too late. He might be able to start life anew as a free man, building up inhimself independence and manliness once more.’

Poirot paused, then repeated gently: ‘If your mother-in-law were to die…’

Nadine’s eyes were still fixed on him. In an unmoved gentle voice she said: ‘You are suggestingthat I helped to bring that event about, are you not? But you cannot do so, M. Poirot. After I hadbroken the news of my impending departure to Mrs Boynton, I went straight to the marquee andjoined Lennox. I did not leave it again until my mother-in-law was found dead. Guilty of her deathI may be, in the sense that I gave her a shock—that, of course, presupposes a natural death. But if,as you say (though so far you have no direct evidence of it and cannot have until an autopsy hastaken place) she was deliberately killed, then I had no opportunity of doing so.’

Poirot said: ‘You did not leave the marquee again until your mother-in-law was found dead.

That is what you have just said. That, Mrs Boynton, was one of the points I found curious aboutthis case.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It is here on my list. Point nine. At half- past six, when dinner was ready, a servant wasdispatched to announce the fact to Mrs Boynton.’

Raymond said: ‘I don’t understand.’

Carol said: ‘No more do I.’

Poirot looked from one to the other of them.

‘You do not, eh? “A servant was sent”— why a servant? Were you not, all of you, mostassiduous in your attendance on the old lady as a general rule? Did not one or other of you alwaysescort her to meals? She was infirm. It was difficult for her to rise from a chair without assistance.

Always one or other of you was at her elbow. I suggest then, that on dinner being announced thenatural thing would have been for one or other of her family to go out and help her. But not one ofyou offered to do so. You all sat there, paralyzed, watching each other, wondering, perhaps, whyno one went.’

Nadine said sharply: ‘All this is absurd, M. Poirot! We were all tired that evening. We ought tohave gone, I admit, but—on that evening—we just didn’t!’

‘Precisely—precisely—on that particular evening! You, madame, did perhaps more waiting onher than anyone else. It was one of the duties that you accepted mechanically. But that eveningyou did not offer to go out to help her in. Why? That is what I asked myself—why? And I tell youmy answer. Because you knew quite well that she was dead…‘No, no, do not interrupt me, madame.’ He raised an impassioned hand. ‘You will now listen tome — Hercule Poirot! There were witnesses to your conversation with your mother- in- law.

Witnesses who could see but could not hear!