“It is quite certain that when Mrs. Barclay left the house at half-past seven she was on good terms with her husband. She was never, as I think I have said, ostentatiously affectionate, but she was heard by the coachman chatting with the colonel in a friendly fashion. Now, it was equally certain that, immediately on her return, she had gone to the room in which she was least likely to see her husband, had flown to tea as an agitated woman will, and finally, on his coming in to her, had broken into violent recriminations. Therefore something had occurred between seven-thirty and nine o’clock which had completely altered her feelings towards him. But Miss Morrison had been with her during the whole of that hour and a half. It was absolutely certain, therefore, in spite of her denial, that she must know something of the matter.

「これは極めて確かだ / バークレイ夫人が7時半に家を出た時 / 彼女は夫と仲が良かった◆彼女は / 僕は既に言ったと思うが / あからさまに愛情を示さなかった / しかし御者が彼女と大佐が楽しそうにしゃべるのを聞いている◆ここで / これも同じように確かだ / 彼女が戻ってくるとすぐに / 彼女は夫もが最も居そうも無い部屋に行った / 興奮した女性がするように急いでお茶を頼んだ / そして最後に / 夫が彼女のところに来ると / 恐ろしい言い合いが始まった◆したがって何かが起きていた / 7時半から九時までの間に / それは彼女の夫に対する感情を完全に変えていた◆しかしモリソンさんは彼女と一緒だった / この一時間半ずっと◆したがって、これは絶対に間違いない / 否定しているが / 彼女は何かを知っているはずだ」

“My first conjecture was that possibly there had been some passages between this young lady and the old soldier, which the former had now confessed to the wife. That would account for the angry return, and also for the girl’s denial that anything had occurred. Nor would it be entirely incompatible with most of the words overheard. But there was the reference to David, and there was the known affection of the colonel for his wife to weigh against it, to say nothing of the tragic intrusion of this other man, which might, of course, be entirely disconnected with what had gone before. It was not easy to pick one’s steps, but, on the whole, I was inclined to dismiss the idea that there had been anything between the colonel and Miss Morrison, but more than ever convinced that the young lady held the clue as to what it was which had turned Mrs. Barclay to hatred of her husband. I took the obvious course, therefore, of calling upon Miss M., of explaining to her that I was perfectly certain that she held the facts in her possession, and of assuring her that her friend, Mrs. Barclay, might find herself in the dock upon a capital charge unless the matter were cleared up.

「僕の最初の推測は / 何らかの関係があった可能性だ / この若い女性と大佐の間に / 女性がこの時妻に告白した◆これは説明になるだろう / 怒って帰って来たこと / そして若い女性が何も起きなかったと否定した事に対する◆立ち聞きされた全ての言葉と完全に矛盾するわけでもない◆しかし David に関する言及があった / そして良く知られた大佐の妻に対する愛情が / 不利に働く / 言うまでもなく、この別の男の悲劇的な侵入は / それはもちろん / それまでの出来事とは完全に無関係かもしれない◆足の置き場を決めるのは簡単ではなかったが / しかし全体として / 僕はこの案を捨てたくなっていた / 大佐とモリソン嬢の間に何らかの関係があったという / その代わりにさらに確信を強めた / この若い女性は手がかりを握っている / バークレイ夫人が夫を憎むように変えた何かについて◆そのため、僕は直接的な手段に出た / モリソン嬢に会いに行き / 彼女に次のように説明するという / 僕は完全に彼女が事実を知っていると確信していると / そして彼女に断言した / 彼女の友人のバークレイ夫人は / 死刑求刑の被告台に立たされるかもしれない / この件がはっきりしないと」

“Miss Morrison is a little ethereal slip of a girl, with timid eyes and blond hair, but I found her by no means wanting in shrewdness and common sense. She sat thinking for some time after I had spoken, and then, turning to me with a brisk air of resolution, she broke into a remarkable statement which I will condense for your benefit.

「モリソン嬢は妖精のようにすらっとした小さな女性で / 金髪で内気な目つきをしていた / しかし彼女は決して利口さと常識が欠けている訳ではないと分かった◆僕が話したあと、しばらく座って考え込んでいたが / その後 / 決心を固めたきっぱりとした態度で僕の方を向いて / 勢いよく注目すべき話をし始めた / これは君の利便のために要約して話そう」

“ ‘I promised my friend that I would say nothing of the matter, and a promise is a promise,’ said she; ‘but if I can really help her when so serious a charge is laid against her, and when her own mouth, poor darling, is closed by illness, then I think I am absolved from my promise. I will tell you exactly what happened upon Monday evening.

「『この件については何も話さないと夫人に約束していました / 約束は約束ですから』 / 彼女は言った / 『しかし私が本当に助けとなるなら / そんなにも深刻な嫌疑が彼女に掛けれている際に / そして彼女の口が / 可哀想に / 病気で閉ざされている際 / その時は私は約束を守らなくても許されると思います◆月曜の夜に何が起きたかきちんと話をします』」

“ ‘We were returning from the Watt Street Mission about a quarter to nine o’clock. On our way we had to pass through Hudson Street, which is a very quiet thoroughfare. There is only one lamp in it, upon the left-hand side, and as we approached this lamp I saw a man coming towards us with his back very bent, and something like a box slung over one of his shoulders. He appeared to be deformed, for he carried his head low and walked with his knees bent. We were passing him when he raised his face to look at us in the circle of light thrown by the lamp, and as he did so he stopped and screamed out in a dreadful voice, “My God, it’s Nancy!” Mrs. Barclay turned as white as death and would have fallen down had the dreadful-looking creature not caught hold of her. I was going to call for the police, but she, to my surprise, spoke quite civilly to the fellow.

「『私達はワット街の布教活動から戻ってきました / 九時十五分前に◆帰り道に / ハドソン街を抜ける必要がありました / そこはとても閑静な通りでした◆街灯は左手に一つだけで / 私達がそのランプに近づくと / 背中が非常に曲がった男性がやってくるのが見えました / なにか箱のようなものを背中に背負っていました◆男の体は変形しているようでした / 彼は頭を低くし、膝を曲げて歩いていましたので◆私達が彼の側を通り過ぎようとした時 / 彼は顔を上げて私達を見ました / 街灯が投げかける光の輪の中で / そしてこちらを見たとき / 彼は立ち止まり恐ろしい声で叫びました / 《なんという、ナンシーじゃないか！》 / バークレイ夫人は死人のように真っ青になり / 倒れていたかも知れません / もしこの恐ろしい風体の生き物が彼女を掴んでいなかったら◆私は警察を呼ぼうとしました / しかし夫人は / 驚いた事に / その人物と極めて親しげに話していました』」

“ ‘ “I thought you had been dead this thirty years, Henry,” said she in a shaking voice.

「『《30年間あなたは死んだものだと思っていたわ / ヘンリー》 / 彼女は震える声で言いました』」

“ ‘ “So I have,” said he, and it was awful to hear the tones that he said it in. He had a very dark, fearsome face, and a gleam in his eyes that comes back to me in my dreams. His hair and whiskers were shot with gray, and his face was all crinkled and puckered like a withered apple.

「『《俺もだ》 / 彼は言いました / 彼がそれを言う声の調子は聞くに堪えないものでした◆彼は黒く恐ろしい顔で / 目の輝きは夢に出てきそうです◆髪と頬髯は白髪交じりで / 顔は萎びたリンゴのように縮んで皺だらけでした』」

“ ‘ “Just walk on a little way, dear,” said Mrs. Barclay; “I want to have a word with this man. There is nothing to be afraid of.” She tried to speak boldly, but she was still deadly pale and could hardly get her words out for the trembling of her lips.

「『《ちょっと歩いて行って》 / バークレイ夫人は言いました / 《私はこの男性とちょっと話がしたいので◆何も怖がる事はありませんよ》 / 彼女はしっかり話そうとしていましたが / まだ真っ青で / 震える唇から言葉を出すのがやっとでした』」

“ ‘I did as she asked me, and they talked together for a few minutes. Then she came down the street with her eyes blazing, and I saw the crippled wretch standing by the lamp-post and shaking his clenched fists in the air as if he were mad with rage. She never said a word until we were at the door here, when she took me by the hand and begged me to tell no one what had happened.

「『私は彼女に言われたとおりにしました / そして二人は少しの間、話しました◆それから彼女は目をギラギラと輝かせて通りを戻ってきました / それから私は見ました / 体が不自由な男が街灯の側に立ち / 拳を振り回していました / 怒りで気が狂ったかのように◆彼女は私達がこの家の戸口に来るまで一言もしゃべりませんでした / その時、彼女は私の手をとって / 起きた事を誰にも言わないようにと頼みました』」

“ ‘ “It’s an old acquaintance of mine who has come down in the world,” said she. When I promised her I would say nothing she kissed me, and I have never seen her since. I have told you now the whole truth, and if I withheld it from the police it is because I did not realize then the danger in which my dear friend stood. I know that it can only be to her advantage that everything should be known.’

「『《落ちぶれた私の昔の知り合いなの》 / 彼女は言いました◆私が何も言わないと彼女に約束すると / 彼女は私にキスして / それ以来彼女には会っていません◆私はあなたにすべて真実をお話しました / これを警察に話さなかったのは / その時気付いていなかったからです / 私の友人が置かれている危険について◆全てが明らかになることが彼女の利益になることが分かりました』」