Десять негритят / And Then There Were None

Vera said: «He didn’t do it then. He had an opportunity later.»

«When?»

«When he went down to call the General to lunch.»

Philip whistled again very softly. He said:

«So you think he did it then? Pretty cool thing to do.»

Vera said impatiently:

«What risk was there? He’s the only person here with medical knowledge. He can swear the body’s been dead at least an hour and who’s to contradict him?»

Philip looked at her thoughtfully.

«You know,» he said, «that’s a clever idea of yours. I wonder —»

II

«Who is it, Mr. Blore? That’s what I want to know. Who is it?»

Rogers’ face was working. His hands were clenched round the polishing leather that he held in his hand.

Ex-Inspector Blore said: «Eh, my lad, that’s the question!»

«One of us, ‘is lordship said. Which one? That’s what I want to know. Who’s the fiend in ‘uman form?»

«That,» said Blore, «is what we all would like to know.»

Rogers said shrewdly: «But you’ve got an idea, Mr. Blore. You’ve got an idea, ‘aven’t you?»

«I may have an idea,» said Blore slowly. «But that’s a long way from being sure. I may be wrong. All I can say is that if I’m right the person in question is a very cool customer – a very cool customer indeed.»

Rogers wiped the perspiration from his forehead. He said hoarsely:

«It’s like a bad dream, that’s what it is.»

Blore said, looking at him curiously: «Got any ideas yourself, Rogers?»

The butler shook his head. He said hoarsely:

«I don’t know. I don’t know at all. And that’s what’s frightening the life out of me. To have no idea…»

III

Dr. Armstrong said violently: «We must get out of here – we must – we must! At all costs!»

Mr. Justice Wargrave looked thoughtfully out of the smoking-room window. He played with the cord of his eye-glasses. He said:

«I do not, of course, profess to be a weather prophet. But I should say that it is very unlikely that a boat could reach us – even if they knew of our plight – under twenty-four hours – and even then only if the wind drops.»

Dr. Armstrong dropped his head in his hands and groaned.

He said: «And in the meantime we may all be murdered in our beds?»

«I hope not,» said Mr. Justice Wargrave. «I intend to take every possible precaution against such a thing happening.»

It flashed across Dr. Armstrong’s mind that an old man like the judge, was far more tenacious of life than a younger man would be. He had often marvelled at that fact in his professional career. Here was he, junior to the judge by perhaps twenty years, and yet with a vastly inferior sense of self-preservation.

Mr. Justice Wargrave was thinking:

«Murdered in our beds! These doctors are all the same – they think in clichiis. A thoroughly commonplace mind.»

The doctor said: «There have been three victims already, remember.»

«Certainly. But you must remember that they were unprepared for the attack. We are forewarned.»

Dr. Armstrong said bitterly: «What can we do? Sooner or later —»

«I think,» said Mr. Justice Wargrave, «that there are several things we can do.»

Armstrong said: «We’ve no idea, even, who it can be —»

The judge stroked his chin and murmured:

«Oh, you know, I wouldn’t quite say that.»

Armstrong stared at him.

«Do you mean you know?»

Mr. Justice Wargrave said cautiously: «As regards actual evidence, such as is necessary in court, I admit that I have none. But it appears to me, reviewing the whole business, that one particular person is sufficiently clearly indicated. Yes, I think so.»

Armstrong stared at him.

He said: «I don’t understand.»

IV

Miss Brent was upstairs in her bedroom.

She took up her Bible and went to sit by the window. She opened it. Then, after a minute’s hesitation, she set it aside and went over to the dressing-table. From a drawer in it she took out a small black-covered notebook.

She opened it and began writing. «A terrible thing has happened. General Macarthur is dead. (His cousin married Elsie MacPherson.) There is no doubt but that he was murdered. After luncheon the judge made us a most interesting speech. He is convinced that the murderer is one of us. That means that one of us is possessed by a devil. I had already suspected that. Which of us is it? They are all asking themselves that. I alone know…»

She sat for some time without moving. Her eyes grew vague and filmy. The pencil straggled drunkenly in her fingers. In shaking loose capitals she wrote:

THE MURDERER’S NAME IS BEATRICE TAYLOR…

Her eyes closed.

Suddenly, with a start, she awoke. She looked down at the notebook. With an angry exclamation she scored through the vague unevenly scrawled characters of the last sentence.

She said in a low voice:

«Did I write that? Did I? I must be going mad…»

V

The storm increased. The wind howled against the side of the house.

Every one was in the living-room. They sat listlessly huddled together. And, surreptitiously, they watched each other.

When Rogers brought in the tea-tray, they all jumped.

He said: «Shall I draw the curtains? It would make it more cheerful like.»