无人生还18
时间：2026-03-19 02:57:27
（单词翻译:单击）
Chapter 3
I
Dinner was drawing to a close.
The food had been good, the wine perfect. Rogers waited well.
Every one was in better spirits. They had begun to talk to each other
him. Miss Brent chatted to General Macarthur, they had discovered some
about South Africa. Mr Davis was quite fluent on the subject. Lombard
listened to the conversation. Once or twice he looked up quickly, and his
eyes narrowed. Now and then his eyes played round the table, studying
the others.
Anthony Marston said suddenly:
‘Quaint, these things, aren’t they?’
In the centre of the round table, on a circular glass stand, were some
little china figures.
‘Soldiers,’ said Tony. ‘Soldier Island. I suppose that’s the idea.’
Vera leaned forward.
‘I wonder. How many are there? Ten?’
‘Yes—ten there are.’
Vera cried:
‘What fun! They’re the ten little soldier boys of the nursery rhyme, I sup-
pose. In my bedroom the rhyme is framed and hung up over the mantel-
piece.’
Lombard said:
‘In my room, too.’
‘And mine.’
‘And mine.’
Everybody joined in the chorus. Vera said:
‘It’s an amusing idea, isn’t it?’
‘Remarkably childish,’ and helped himself to port.
Emily Brent looked at Vera Claythorne. Vera Claythorne looked at Miss
Brent. The two women rose.
In the drawing-room the French windows were open on to the terrace
and the sound of the sea murmuring against the rocks came up to them.
Emily Brent said, ‘Pleasant sound.’
Vera said sharply, ‘I hate it.’
Miss Brent’s eyes looked at her in surprise. Vera flushed. She said, more
composedly:
‘I don’t think this place would be very agreeable in a storm.’
Emily Brent agreed.
‘I’ve no doubt the house is shut up in winter,’ she said. ‘You’d never get
servants to stay here for one thing.’
Vera murmured:
‘It must be difficult to get servants anyway.’
Emily Brent said:
‘Mrs Oliver has been lucky to get these two. The woman’s a good cook.’
Vera thought:
‘Funny how elderly people always get names wrong.’
She said:
‘Yes, I think Mrs Owen has been very lucky indeed.’
Emily Brent had brought a small piece of embroidery6 out of her bag.
Now, as she was about to thread her needle, she paused.
She said sharply:
‘Owen? Did you say Owen?’
‘Yes.’
Emily Brent said sharply:
‘I’ve never met anyone called Owen in my life.’
Vera stared.
‘But surely—’
She did not finish her sentence. The door opened and the men joined
them. Rogers followed them into the room with the coffee tray.
The judge came and sat down by Emily Brent. Armstrong came up to
Vera. Tony Marston strolled to the open window. Blore studied with naïve
surprise a statuette in brass—wondering perhaps if its bizarre angularities
were really supposed to be the female figure. General Macarthur stood
with his back to the mantelpiece. He pulled at his little white moustache.
That had been a damned good dinner! His spirits were rising. Lombard
turned over the pages of Punch that lay with other papers on a table by the
wall.
Rogers went round with the coffee tray. The coffee was good—really
black and very hot.
The whole party had dined well. They were satisfied with themselves
ing…
‘Ladies and gentlemen! Silence please!’
Everyone was startled. They looked round—at each other, at the walls.
Who was speaking?
The Voice went on—a high clear voice:
‘You are charged with the following indictments10:
‘Edward George Armstrong, that you did upon the 14th day of March, 1925,
cause the death of Louisa Mary Clees.
‘Emily Caroline Brent, that upon the 5th of November, 1931, you were re-
sponsible for the death of Beatrice Taylor.
‘William Henry Blore, that you brought about the death of James Stephen
Landor on October 10th, 1928.
‘Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, that on the 11th day of August, 1935, you killed
Cyril Ogilvie Hamilton.
‘Philip Lombard, that upon a date in February, 1932, you were guilty of the
death of twenty-one men, members of an East African tribe.
‘John Gordon Macarthur, that on the 4th of January, 1917, you deliberately11
sent your wife’s lover, Arthur Richmond, to his death.
‘Anthony James Marston, that upon the 14th day of November last, you
were guilty of the murder of John and Lucy Combes.
‘Thomas Rogers and Ethel Rogers, that on the 6th of May, 1929, you
brought about the death of Jennifer Brady.
‘Lawrence John Wargrave, that upon the 10th day of June, 1930, you were
guilty of the murder of Edward Seton.
‘Prisoners at the bar, have you anything to say in your defence?’
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