P.163 ～ P.168 Mrs Rogers’ terror last night may have been due to the fact that she realized her husband was mentally unhinged. まで
<P.163>
●almost in a moan
moan＝うめき声。前置詞は「in」。
●this is no time for refusing to look facts in the face.
look facts in the face＝事実を直視する
●We are all in grave danger.
grave＝深刻な
●Of those seven, one is ～ a bogus little soldier boy.
bogus＝偽の。つまり、生き残っている7人のうちの一人が犯人ということ。
●’It’s fantastic.
fantastic＝信じがたい、ばかげた
●And if you ask me,
＝わたしの考えでは
●all I wish to establish is that ～.
establish＝to make people accept a belief, claim, custom etc.
例）It was this campaign that established the paper’s reputation.
例）Traditions get established over time. （OALDより）
<P.164>
●telling the story briefly and succinctly.
succinct＝concise
●There’s nothing to corroborate your story.
corroborate＝confirm、確証する、裏付ける。最近よく聞かれるコラボレーションの動詞「collaborate」と勘違いしないように。
●There is only our own word to go upon.’
go upon＝～に基づいて判断する
<P.165>
●’You have none of you yet grasped what a very peculiar situation this is.
＝None of you has yet grasped what ～.
最初に「you」と話し始めて、途中でnone of youと補足している。
●the evidence which is in our possession?’
which is in our possession＝which we have
● Again a gesture of the judge’s hand arrested a speaker before he finished his speech.
arrest＝stop
Judgeが自分の考えを話そうとするDr Armstrongを制する場面。「a speaker」と具体的にDr Armstrongを指していないのは、これがJudgeのお得意のしぐさの一つであることを表わすため。「again」とあるが、これはP.163でBloreに対して行った「ちょっと待て」のしぐさと同じであることから。
●that proves less than nothing!
＝そんなことは何の役にも立たない、意味もない
that＝I’m a well known person
●Doctors have gone mad before now.
before now＝今までに
●He said in the famous ‘acid’ tones that Counsel know so well:
acid＝意地悪な
Counsel＝弁護士
●’Do I understand you to assert that women are not subject to homicidal mania?’
assert＝declare、断言する
be subject to＝の傾向がある
●’Of course not.
not＝women are not subject to homicidal mania
「women are subject to homicidal mania」という命題に関してnotということ。つまり、Judgeの発言を肯定している。このあたりが日本語と違うところ。日本人だったら、「はい」と返事して、まず相手の発言を肯定していることを明確にするところだろう。
●But all the same, it hardly seems possible --- ‘
all the same＝とはいうものの
<P.166>
●’I take it, Dr Armstrong, that ～
take＝that以下だと信じる、理解する
●such as a rubber truncheon or cosh
truncheon/cosh＝棍棒、パイプ
●’It would require no undue exertion of force?’
undue＝過度の、無理な
exertion＝effort、激しい活動
●That, ～, is easily compassed by a person of the smallest physical strangth.
that＝the administration of drugs、薬を飲ませる
compass＝（目的を）達成する
●It was the dispassionate stare of a man well used to weighing humanity in the balance.
weigh ~ in the balance＝はかりにかける
●In a measured tone the judge was saying:
measured＝慎重な、注意深い
●’My dear young lady, do try and restrain your feelings.
restrain one’s feelings＝感情を抑える、殺す
<P.167>
●But I quite appreciate the fact that we are all strangers to one another and that, in those circumstances, nobody can be exonerated without the fullest proof.
exonerate＝無実を証明する
Miss Brentがappreciateとしているのは二つの点。
1) that we are all strangers to one another
2) that nobody can be exonerated without the fullest proof
in those circumstances＝when we are all strangers to one another
●There can be no elimination on the ground of character or position alone.’
on the ground＝～を根拠にして
●’Well, to my mind, Rogers seems pretty well ruled out.’
to my mind＝わたしの考えでは
rule out＝exclude
●’He hasn’t got the brains for one thing.
hasn’t got the brains＝not smart enough to carry on the elaborate plan、Rogersにはそんなことは考えられないだろう、という意見。
for one thing＝まず一つに。次の文でAnd for anotherとして、二つ目の理由を挙げている。
<P.168>
●he was scared of her breaking down and giving him away.
give ~ away＝～をばらす
●because he wanted to link up with some nice little bit rather less long in the tooth.
link up with＝get together with、仲良くなる
bit＝若い娘
long in the tooth＝老いた。「歯が伸びる→加齢」というのはおもしろいですね。
つまり、しわくちゃのおばあちゃんより娘っ子とねんごろになりたい、ということでしょう。
●But I can’t see him as the lunatic Mr Owen dealing out crazy justice and starting on his own wife for a crime they both committed.’
deal＝～を加える
start on＝～に対して不当な扱いをする
Mr Owenを修飾しているのが、1) dealing out ～と2)starting on ～。
●’You are assuming hearsay to be evidence.
hearsay＝伝聞、人づてに聞いた話
●she realized her husband was mentally unhinged.’
unhinged＝動揺した
