福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第25期:廣告引來了不速之客(1)

Chapter 5

第五章

OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR

廣告引來了不速之客

OUR morning's exertions had been too much for my weak health, and I was tired out in the afternoon.

上午忙碌了一陣，我的身體實在有點吃不消，因此，下午就感到疲倦已極。

After Holmes's departure for the concert, I lay down upon the sofa and endeavoured to get a couple of hours' sleep.

在福爾摩斯出去聽音樂會以后，我就躺在沙發(fā)上，盡量想睡它兩小時，

It was a useless attempt.

可是怎么也辦不到。

My mind had been too much excited by all that had occurred,

由于所發(fā)生的種種情況使我的心情過分激動，

and the strangest fancies and surmises crowded into it.

腦子里充滿了許許多多稀奇古怪的想法和猜測。

Every time that I closed my eyes I saw before me the distorted, baboon-like countenance of the murdered man.

只要我一合眼，那個被害者的歪扭得象猴子似的面貌就出現(xiàn)在我的眼前。

So sinister was the impression which that face had produced upon me

它給我的印象是萬分丑惡，

that I found it difficult to feel anything but gratitude for him who had removed its owner from the world.

對于把這樣一個長相的人從世上除掉的那個兇手，我除了對他感激之外，很難有其他的感覺。

If ever human features bespoke vice of the most malignant type,

如果相貌真的可以說明一個人的罪惡的話，

they were certainly those of Enoch J. Drebber, of Cleveland.

那一定就是象這位克利夫蘭城的伊瑙克·錐伯的尊容了。

Still I recognized that justice must be done,

雖然如此，我認為問題還是應當公平處理，

and that the depravity of the victim was no condonement in the eyes of the law.

在法律上，被害人的罪行并不能抵消兇手的罪。

The more I thought of it the more extraordinary did my companion's hypothesis, that the man had been poisoned, appear.

我的伙伴推測說，這個人是中毒而死的，我越想越覺得這個推測很不平常。

I remembered how he had sniffed his lips,

我記得福爾摩斯嗅過死者的嘴唇，

and had no doubt that he had detected something which had given rise to the idea.

我確信他一定已經偵查出某種事物，才會使他有這樣的想法。

Then, again, if not poison, what had caused this man's death, since there was neither wound nor marks of strangulation?

況且，尸體上既沒有傷痕，又沒有勒死的跡象，如果說不是中毒而死，那么致死的原因又是什么呢？

But, on the other hand, whose blood was that which lay so thickly upon the floor?

但是，從另一方面來看，地板上大攤的血跡又是誰的？

There were no signs of a struggle, nor had the victim any weapon with which he might have wounded an antagonist.

屋里既沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)扭打的痕跡，也沒有找到死者用來擊傷對方的兇器。

As long as all these questions were unsolved,

只要這一類的問題得不到解答，

I felt that sleep would be no easy matter, either for Holmes or myself.

我覺得，不管是福爾摩斯還是我，要想安睡可不是件容易的事。

His quiet, self-confident manner convinced me that he had already formed a theory which explained all the facts,

他的那種鎮(zhèn)靜而又充滿自信的神態(tài)，使我深信他對于全部情節(jié)，早有見解；

though what it was I could not for an instant conjecture.

雖然他的內容究竟如何，我一時還不能猜測出來。

He was very late in returning–so late that I knew that the concert could not have detained him all the time.

福爾摩斯回來得非常晚。我相信，他絕不可能聽音樂會一直到這么晚。

Dinner was on the table before he appeared.

他回來的時候，晚飯早已經擺在桌上了。

"It was magnificent," he said, as he took his seat.

"今天的音樂太好了。"福爾摩斯說著就坐了下來，

"Do you remember what Darwin says about music?

"你記得達爾文對于音樂的見解嗎？

He claims that the power of producing and appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of speech was arrived at.

他認為，遠在人類有了說話的能力以前，人類就有了創(chuàng)造音樂和欣賞音樂的能力了。

Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced by it.

也許這就是咱們所以不可思議地易于受到音樂感染的原故。

There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood."

在咱們心靈的深處，對于世界混沌初期的那些朦朧歲月，還遺留著一些模糊不清的記憶。"

"That's rather a broad idea," I remarked.

我說："這種見解似乎過于廣泛。"

"One's ideas must be as broad as Nature if they are to interpret Nature, "he answered.

福爾摩斯說："一個人如果要想說明大自然，那么，他的想象領域就必須象大自然一樣的廣闊。

"What's the matter? You're not looking quite yourself.

怎么回事？你今天和平常不大一樣呀。

This Brixton Road affair has upset you."

布瑞克斯頓路的案子把你弄得心神不寧了吧。"

"To tell the truth, it has," I said.

我說："說實在的，這個案子確實使我心神不寧。

"I ought to be more case-hardened after my Afghan experiences.

通過阿富汗那番經歷之后，我原應該鍛煉得堅強些的。

I saw my own comrades hacked to pieces at Maiwand without losing my nerve."

在邁旺德戰(zhàn)役中，我也曾親眼看到自己的伙伴們血肉橫飛的情景，但是我并沒有感到害怕。"