死亡约会30

Chapter 18,‘Come,’ said Hercule Poirot. ‘We have still a little way to go! Dr Gerard has invoked ¹ thepsychology. So let us now examine the psychological side of this case. We have taken the facts,we have established a chronological ³ sequence of events, we have heard the evidence. Thereremains—the psychology ². And the most important psychological evidence concerns the deadwoman—it is the psychology of Mrs Boynton herself that is the most important thing in this case.,‘Take from my list of specified ⁴ facts points three and four. Mrs Boynton took definite pleasurein keeping her family from enjoying themselves with other people. Mrs Boynton, on the afternoonin question, encouraged her family to go away and leave her.,‘These two facts, they contradict each other flatly! Why, on this particular afternoon, shouldMrs Boynton suddenly display a complete reversal of her usual policy? Was it that she felt asudden warmth of the heart—an instinct of benevolence ⁵? That, it seems to me from all I haveheard, was extremely unlikely! Yet there must have been a reason. What was that reason?,‘Let us examine closely the character of Mrs Boynton. There have been many different accountsof her. She was a tyrannical old martinet—she was a mental sadist—she was an incarnation of evil—she was crazy. Which of these views is the true one?,‘I think myself that Sarah King came nearest to the truth when in a flash of inspiration inJerusalem she saw the old lady as intensely pathetic. But not only pathetic—futile!,‘And now we come directly to point number ten — the words spoken to Sarah King inJerusalem. Sarah King, you see, had put her finger on the truth. She had revealed fully ¹⁵ anduncompromisingly the pitiful futility ¹⁶ of Mrs Boynton’s scheme of existence! And now listen verycarefully—all of you—to what her exact words to Miss King were. Miss King has said that MrsBoynton spoke ¹⁴ “so malevolently—not even looking at me”. And this is what she actually said,“I’ve never forgotten anything—not an action, not a name, not a face. ”,‘Those words made a great impression on Miss King. Their extraordinary intensity ¹⁷ and the loudhoarse tone in which they were uttered! So strong was the impression that they left on her mindthat I think she quite failed to realize their extraordinary significance!,‘Do you see that significance, any of you?’ He waited a minute. ‘It seems not…But, mes amis,does it escape you that those words were not a reasonable answer at all to what Miss King hadjust been saying? “I’ve never forgotten anything—not an action, not a name, not a face.
” It doesnot make sense! If she had said, “I never forget impertinence”—something of that kind—but no—a face is what she said…,‘Ah!’ cried Poirot, beating his hands together. ‘But it leaps to the eye! Those words, ostensiblyspoken to Miss King, were not meant for Miss King at all! They were addressed to someone elsestanding behind Miss King.’,He paused, noting their expressions.,She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》,She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育 。