It was all rather horrible. Luckily, before Poirot had time to reply, the doctor came back, and we had to carry on a forced conversation.
これは恐ろしい話だ。幸いポアロが何か返事をする前に医師が戻ってきて、我々は無理やり会話をしたのだった。
And then suddenly Poirot lay back in his chair with a hollow groan. His face was contorted with pain.
"My dear sir, what's the matter?" cried the doctor.
突然、ポアロがうつろなうめき声と共に椅子にもたれかかった。顔は痛みで歪んでいる。
「あぁ、どうされたのですか？」医師が叫んだ。
"A sudden spasm. I am used to them. No, no, I require no assistance from you, doctor. If I might lie down upstairs."
「発作です。慣れています。いえいえ、あなたの助けはいりません、先生。上でちょっと休めれば。」
His request was instantly acceded to, and I accompanied him upstairs, where he collapsed on the bed, groaning heavily.
彼の頼みはすぐ受け入れられ、私も一緒に上の階へ行った。彼は辛そうに唸りながらベッドに倒れ込んだ。
For the first minute or two I had been taken in, but I had quickly realised that Poirot was—as he would have put it—playing the comedy, and that his object was to be left alone upstairs near the patient's room.
最初はわからなかったが、すぐ、ポアロならこう言うだろう、彼は喜劇を演じており、患者の近くで医師たちから離れたいのだとわかった。
Hence I was quite prepared when, the instant we were alone, he sprang up.
私たち二人になると、思った通りポアロはすぐ起き上がった。
"Quick, Hastings, the window. There is ivy outside. We can climb down before they begin to suspect."
"Climb down?"
「急いで、ヘイスティングス、窓を。外に蔦がある。彼らが疑い始める前に降りるんだ。」
「降りる？」
"Yes, we must get out of this house at once. You saw him at dinner?"
"The doctor?"
「そうですよ。ここをすぐ出ないと。君、ディナーの時の彼を見ただろう？」
「医者かい？」
"No, young Templeton. His trick with his bread. Do you remember what Flossie Monro told us before she died? That Claud Darrell had a habit of dabbing his bread on the table to pick up crumbs. Hastings, this is a vast plot, and that vacant-looking young man is our arch enemy—Number Four! Hurry."
「違う、若いテンプルトンだよ。彼がパンを触るのを見ただろう。フロッシー・モンローが死ぬ前に言っていたことを覚えてるだろう？ クロード・ダレルはパンでパン屑を叩いて拾うって言っていた。ヘイスティングス、これは大きな計略だ。あのうつろな目をした若い男は私たちの宿敵、No.４だよ！ 急いで！」
I did not wait to argue. Incredible as the whole thing seemed, it was wiser not to delay. We scrambled down the ivy as quietly as we could and made a bee-line for the small town and the railway station. We were just able to catch the last train, the 8.34 which would land us in town about eleven o'clock.
反論する時間はなかった。全く信じられない話だが、遅れない方がいい。できるだけ静かに蔦を降りていき、まっすぐ街を目指して駅へと向かった。なんとか８時34分の最終列車に間に合い、11時には戻れることになった。
"A plot," said Poirot thoughtfully. "How many of them were in it, I wonder? I suspect that the whole Templeton family are just so many agents of the Big Four. Did they simply want to decoy us down there? Or was it more subtle than that. Did they intend to play the comedy down there and keep me interested until they had had time to do—what? I wonder now."
He remained very thoughtful.
「計略。」ポアロは考え深げに言った。「どれだけの人数が関わっているのだろう？ テンプルトン一家全員がビッグ４のエージェントかもしれない。ただ単に我々を誘き寄せたのだろうか？ それとももっと奥深いことがあるのか。ただ演技をして彼らが仕事を終えるまでとどめておきたかったのか？ 何の仕事だ？ なんだろう。」
