臨時急行列車の紛失The Disappearance of the Express Train

What you'll learn

The narrator introduces the confession of Herbert de Lernac, a death row prisoner in Marseille, which he believes will finally solve the mystery of a train that disappeared eight years ago in England, carrying a financier named Mr. Caratal.

Mr. Caratal, a French financier, arrives in Liverpool with a large servant and demands a special train to London. Despite opposition, the train departs but never arrives at its destination; the driver's body is found, and the train and passengers vanish without a trace.

A letter from the guard James MacPherson to his wife reveals he is alive in New York and sends money. Herbert de Lernac confesses that he was hired by a syndicate of French financiers to prevent Caratal from reaching Paris with damaging documents. He describes the planning and execution of the train's disappearance.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～が早いか N1Expresses that as soon as one action is completed, the next action immediately follows.
  カラタール氏は、一哩について五志という規定の特別乗車賃の割合で、総額五十磅五志を支払うが早いか、あくあくしながら、例の連れの男を促して…
• ～たばかり N3Indicates that an action has just been completed.
  カラタール氏は今日の午後、中部亜米利加から入港したばかりであるが、緊急な事件が突発したため…
• ～ず N3Negative form of ～ないで, meaning 'without doing'.
  その紳士はいかにも恭しげな態度と、絶えずあたりに眼をくばっている様子とで、彼が紳士の従者であることが読まれた。

Cultural notes

• Early 20th Century British RailwaysThe story is set in 1900s Britain, where special express trains could be chartered for urgent travel. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was one of the earliest inter-city railways, and the narrative reflects the complexity of railway operations and telegraph communication of the time.
• Marseille Prison and French Justice SystemThe confession is written by a prisoner on death row in Marseille. This reflects the French penal system of the time, where public executions were still carried out, and condemned prisoners often made last-minute confessions or appeals.
• Financiers and Political Scandals in Belle Époque FranceThe plot involves a financial scandal (疑獄事件) in Paris, reminiscent of real-life scandals like the Panama Canal scandal. The narrative reflects the era's corruption and international intrigue.

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Topics

Short Storymysterycrimeconfessionsuspensefulmysteriousaozora bunko