“Did Mr. Inglethorp know of it?”
“He says not.”
「イングルソープ氏は知っていたのか？」
「知らないと言っている。」
“One might take that with a grain of salt,” I remarked sceptically. “All these wills are very confusing. Tell me, how did those scribbled words on the envelope help you to discover that a will was made yesterday afternoon?”
「眉つばだと思われてもしかたがないがな。」私は疑い深く言った。「遺言がいくつかあって混乱するよ。教えてくれないかな、封筒に書かれた言葉からどうやって遺言が昨日の午後書かれたとわかったんだ？」
Poirot smiled.
“Mon ami, have you ever, when writing a letter, been arrested by the fact that you did not know how to spell a certain word?”
“Yes, often. I suppose everyone has.”
ポアロは微笑んだ。
「きみ、手紙を書いていて、スペルがわからなくなったことはないかい？」
「あるよ。しょっちゅうだ。誰でもあるんじゃないか。」
“Exactly. And have you not, in such a case, tried the word once or twice on the edge of the blotting-paper, or a spare scrap of paper, to see if it looked right? Well, that is what Mrs. Inglethorp did. You will notice that the word ‘possessed’ is spelt first with one ‘s’ and subsequently with two—correctly.
「その通り。そして、そういう時、染み取り紙の端や紙切れなどに、１度か２度書いてみて正しいか確かめないかね？ それがイングルソープ夫人がしたことだ。君も、最初は『possessed』という言葉が[s]一つで書かれて、次に正しく二つ・・正しく書かれたことがわかるだろう。
To make sure, she had further tried it in a sentence, thus: ‘I am possessed.’ Now, what did that tell me? It told me that Mrs. Inglethorp had been writing the word ‘possessed’ that afternoon, and, having the fragment of paper found in the grate fresh in my mind, the possibility of a will—(a document almost certain to contain that word)—occurred to me at once.
そうして確かめるために、彼女は文章の中でそれを書いた。『I am possessed.』と。さて、それはどういうことか？ イングルソープ夫人は『possessed』と言う言葉をあの午後書いていた。そして、暖炉で見つけた紙切れも記憶に新しいが、それは遺言だと（この言葉はたいてい遺言にあるからね）すぐに思い至った。
This possibility was confirmed by a further circumstance. In the general confusion, the boudoir had not been swept that morning, and near the desk were several traces of brown mould and earth. The weather had been perfectly fine for some days, and no ordinary boots would have left such a heavy deposit.
その可能性は、さらなる状況によって確実なものとなった。混乱の中、私室は朝掃除されなかったため、机の近くにカ腐植土と泥の跡があった。この数日天気はよかったし、普通の靴ではあんなにたくさん残さない。
“I strolled to the window, and saw at once that the begonia beds had been newly planted. The mould in the beds was exactly similar to that on the floor of the boudoir, and also I learnt from you that they had been planted yesterday afternoon.
窓際へ行ってみるとすぐ、ベゴニアが最近植えられたことがわかった。花壇の腐植土は私室の床にあったものとまったく同じ、それに君が、あれが植えられたのは昨日の午後だと教えてくれたしね。
I was now sure that one, or possibly both of the gardeners—for there were two sets of footprints in the bed—had entered the boudoir, for if Mrs. Inglethorp had merely wished to speak to them she would in all probability have stood at the window, and they would not have come into the room at all. I was now quite convinced that she had made a fresh will, and had called the two gardeners in to witness her signature. Events proved that I was right in my supposition.”
そこであの庭師、もしかしたら二人・・花壇には二人分の足跡があったからね・・二人が私室に入った。イングルソープ夫人が彼らと話したくて窓際に立っていたなら、彼らは部屋に入らなかっただろう。ここで私は彼女が新しい遺言を書いて、二人の庭師を呼んで、彼女がサインをするのを見届けさせたと考えるに至った。起きた出来事が私の仮説が正しいと証明したのだよ。」
“That was very ingenious,” I could not help admitting. “I must confess that the conclusions I drew from those few scribbled words were quite erroneous.”
He smiled.
「すごいな。」私は認めずにはいられなかった。「私があの落書きから導き出した結論は全く間違いだったよ。」
彼は微笑んだ。
“You gave too much rein to your imagination. Imagination is a good servant, and a bad master. The simplest explanation is always the most likely.”
「君は想像力に任せ過ぎだからね。想像力は良いしもべだが、悪い主人だ。単純な説がいつももっともらしい。」
“Another point—how did you know that the key of the despatch-case had been lost?”
「もう一つ。どうして、あの紫の鞄の鍵を失くしたとわかったんだい？」
“I did not know it. It was a guess that turned out to be correct. You observed that it had a piece of twisted wire through the handle. That suggested to me at once that it had possibly been wrenched off a flimsy key-ring. Now, if it had been lost and recovered, Mrs. Inglethorp would at once have replaced it on her bunch; but on her bunch I found what was obviously the duplicate key, very new and bright, which led me to the hypothesis that somebody else had inserted the original key in the lock of the despatch-case.”
「わかったわけではないよ。推測して、それが正しかったと言うだけだ。君は、鍵に針金が絡めてあったのを見たね。それは、あの鍵は鍵束からむしり取ったのかもしれないことを示していた。もし、失くして見つけたものならば、イングルソープ夫人はすぐに彼女の鍵束に戻していただろう。だが、彼女の鍵束には、合鍵とわかるものがついていた。新しくて光っていたからね。ということは、誰か別の者が、元々の鍵をあの鞄に差したのだと言う仮説が成り立つ。」
“Yes,” I said, “Alfred Inglethorp, without doubt.”
Poirot looked at me curiously.
“You are very sure of his guilt?”
「そうだ。」私は言った。「間違いなくアルフレッド・イングルソープだ。」
ポアロは問いたげに私を見た。
「君は彼が犯人だと信じているね？」
“Well, naturally. Every fresh circumstance seems to establish it more clearly.”
“On the contrary,” said Poirot quietly, “there are several points in his favour.”
「ああ、当然だろう。今わかった状況の何もかもがなおそれをはっきり示しているよ。」
「逆だよ。」ポアロは静かに言った。「彼ではないと示すこともある。」
“Oh, come now!”
“Yes.”
「ああ、なんだよ！」
「はい。」
“I see only one.”
“And that?”
「一つはわかる。」
「それは？」
“That he was not in the house last night.”
“‘Bad shot!’ as you English say! You have chosen the one point that to my mind tells against him.”
「彼は昨夜ここにいなかった。」
「『的外れ！』イギリスではこう言うね！ 君が選んだ点は私には、彼にとって都合が悪いことだ。」
“How is that?”
“Because if Mr. Inglethorp knew that his wife would be poisoned last night, he would certainly have arranged to be away from the house. His excuse was an obviously trumped up one. That leaves us two possibilities: either he knew what was going to happen or he had a reason of his own for his absence.”
「どうして？」
「もしイングルソープ氏が妻が毒殺されるとわかっていたら、わざわざ家を離れるようにするだろう。彼の言い訳は捏造されたものだった。そこに二つの可能性が生まれる。彼は何が起きるか知っていたか、彼には彼の理由があったかだ。」
“And that reason?” I asked sceptically.
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
「その理由は？」私は疑いながら聞いた。
ポアロは肩をすくめた。
“How should I know? Discreditable, without doubt. This Mr. Inglethorp, I should say, is somewhat of a scoundrel—but that does not of necessity make him a murderer.”
I shook my head, unconvinced.
「わかろうはずもないだろう？ 名を貶めるようなことなのは間違いない。イングルソープ氏は、何らかの悪事を働く人だろう。だからと言って、殺人者だとは限らない。」
私は納得できず、首を振った。
“We do not agree, eh?” said Poirot. “Well, let us leave it. Time will show which of us is right. Now let us turn to other aspects of the case. What do you make of the fact that all the doors of the bedroom were bolted on the inside?”
「意見が違うようだね？」ポアロが言った。「まぁ、それはおいておこう。やがてどちらが正しいかわかる。さて、他の面を見てみよう。君は、寝室へのどの部屋も鍵がかかっていたことをどう思っている？」
“Well——” I considered. “One must look at it logically.”
“True.”
「ああ・・」私は考えてみた。「論理的に考えないとな。」
「そうだ。」