福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第84期:案情回顧(6)

"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops,

"他在路上走著，并且走進一兩家酒店中去。

staying for nearly half an hour in the last of them.

他在最后一家酒店中，幾乎停留了半個鐘頭。

When he came out, he staggered in his walk, and was evidently pretty well on.

他出來的時候，已是步履蹣跚，顯然他已醉得夠勁了。

There was a hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it.

在我的前面恰好有一輛雙輪小馬車，于是他就招呼著坐了上去。

I followed it so close that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way.

我一路緊緊地跟著。我的馬的鼻子距離前面馬車的車夫的身體最多只有一碼遠。

We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets,

我們經(jīng)過了滑鐵盧大橋，在大街上跑了好幾英里路。

until, to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the terrace in which he had boarded.

可是，使我感到詫異的是，我們竟然又回到了他原來居住的地方。

I could not imagine what his intention was in returning there;

我想象不出，他回到那里去究竟是想干些什么。

but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from the house.

但是，我還是跟了下去，在距離這所房屋大約一百碼的地方，我便把車子停了下來。

He entered it, and his hansom drove away.

他走進了這座房子，他的馬車也就走開了。

Give me a glass of water, if you please.

請給我一杯水，

My mouth gets dry with the talking."

我的嘴都說干了。"

I handed him the glass, and he drank it down.

我遞給他一杯水，他一飲而盡。

"That's better," he said.

他說："這就好些了。

"Well, I waited for a quarter of an hour, or more,

好，我等了一刻鐘，或者還要久一點，

when suddenly there came a noise like people struggling inside the house.

突然房子里面?zhèn)鱽硪魂嚧蚣芩频某臭[聲。

Next moment the door was flung open and two men appeared,

接著，大門忽然大開，出現(xiàn)了兩個人，

one of whom was Drebber, and the other was a young chap whom I had never seen before.

其中一個就是錐伯，另一個是個年輕的小伙子，這個人我以前從來沒有見到過。

This fellow had Drebber by the collar,

這個小伙子一把抓住錐伯的衣領(lǐng)，

and when they came to the head of the steps he gave him a shove and a kick which sent him half across the road.

當他們走到臺階邊的時候，他便用力一推，緊跟著又是一腳，把錐伯一直踹到了大街當中。

'You hound!' he cried, shaking his stick at him;

他對著錐伯搖晃著手中的木棍大聲喝道：

'I'll teach you to insult an honest girl!'

'狗東西！我教訓(xùn)教訓(xùn)你，你竟敢污辱良家婦女！'

He was so hot that I think he would have thrashed Drebber with his cudgel,

他是那樣的怒不可遏，要不是這個壞蛋拖著兩條腿拚命地向街中逃去，

only that the cur staggered away down the road as fast as his legs would carry him.

我想，那小伙子一定要用棍子把他痛打一頓呢。

He ran as far as the corner, and then seeing my cab, he hailed me and jumped in.

錐伯一直跑到轉(zhuǎn)彎的地方，正好看見了我的馬車，于是招呼著我，一腳就跳上車來。

'Drive me to Halliday's Private Hotel,' said he.

他說：'把我送到郝黎代旅館去。'

"When I had him fairly inside my cab,

"我一見他坐進了我的馬車，

my heart jumped so with joy that I feared lest at this last moment my aneurism might go wrong.

簡直喜出望外，我的心跳動得非常厲害。我深怕就在這個千鈞一發(fā)的當兒，我的血瘤要迸裂了。

I drove along slowly, weighing in my own mind what it was best to do.

我慢慢地趕著馬車往前走，心中盤算著究竟該怎么辦才妥善。

I might take him right out into the country, and there in some deserted lane have my last interview with him.

我滿可以把他一直拉到鄉(xiāng)間去，在那荒涼無人的小路上，和他算一次總帳。

I had almost decided upon this, when he solved the problem for me.

我?guī)缀跻呀?jīng)決定這么辦的時候，他忽然替我解決了這個難題。

The craze for drink had seized him again, and he ordered me to pull up outside a gin palace.

這時，他的酒癮又發(fā)作了，他叫我在一家大酒店外面停下來。

He went in, leaving word that I should wait for him.

他一面吩咐我等著他，一面走了進去。

There he remained until closing time,

他在里面一直呆到酒店收市，

and when he came out he was so far gone that I knew the game was in my own hands.

等出來的時候，他已經(jīng)是爛醉如泥了，我知道，我已是勝券在握了。