福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第14期:尋求解答

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Chapter 3 In Quest Of A Solution

第三章 尋求解答

It was half-past five before Holmes returned.

一直等到五點半鐘，福爾摩斯方才回來。

He was bright, eager, and in excellent spirits, a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression.

他精神勃勃，非常興奮，足見他在這最難解的問題當(dāng)中已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了曙光。

"There is no great mystery in this matter," he said, taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him;

他拿著我給他倒的一杯茶，說道："這件案子沒有多大神秘，

"the facts appear to admit of only one explanation."

這些事實似乎只有一個解釋。"

"What! you have solved it already?"

"什么！你已經(jīng)把真相搞清楚了嗎？"

"Well, that would be too much to say. I have discovered a suggestive fact, that is all.

"還不能這么說。不過我已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個有提示性的事實，

It is, however, very suggestive. The details are still to be added.

是一個極有用的線索，當(dāng)然還需要把一些細(xì)節(jié)拼湊起來。

I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Times,

我剛剛從舊的《泰晤士報》上面找到

that Major Sholto, of Upper Norwood, late of the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry, died upon the twenty-eighth of April, 1882."

住在上諾伍德的前駐孟買陸軍第三十四團(tuán)的舒爾托少校在一八八二年四月二十八日去世的訃告。"

"I may be very obtuse, Holmes, but I fail to see what this suggests."

"福爾摩斯，或許我的腦筋遲鈍，可是我不了解這個訃告對本案有什么提示的作用。"

"No? You surprise me. Look at it in this way, then. Captain Morstan disappears.

"你真不了解嗎？沒想到。那么咱們這樣來看這個問題吧。摩斯坦上尉失蹤了。

The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto.

在倫敦，他可能去拜訪的只有舒爾托少校一個人，

Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. Four years later Sholto dies.

可是舒爾托少校竟說毫不知道他曾來倫敦。四年以后，舒爾托死了。

Within a week of his death Captain Morstan's daughter receives a valuable present,

他死后不到一個禮拜，摩斯坦上尉的女兒就收到了一件貴重的禮物，

which is repeated from year to year and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman.

以后每年收到一次。現(xiàn)在又收到了一封信，竟說她是一個受了委曲的人。

What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father?

除了她喪失了自己的父親之外，還有什么委曲呢？

And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death

還有，為什么僅僅在舒爾托死后的幾天里，才開始有禮物寄給她？

unless it is that Sholto's heir knows something of the mystery and desires to make compensation?

莫非舒爾托的繼承人知道其中的秘密，想要借著這些禮物來彌補他們先人的罪愆？

Have you any alternative theory which will meet the facts?"

你對以上的事實還有什么不同的見解嗎？"

"But what a strange compensation! And how strangely made!

"為什么這樣彌補罪愆呢！方法太離奇了！

Why, too, should he write a letter now, rather than six years ago?

再說，他為什么現(xiàn)在才寫信，而不在六年以前呢？

Again, the letter speaks of giving her justice. What justice can she have?

還有，信上說要給她公道。她可以得到什么公道呢？

It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive.

要說是她父親還活著，那未免太樂觀了。

There is no other injustice in her case that you know of."

可是你又不知道她還受過什么別的委曲。"

"There are difficulties; there are certainly difficulties," said Sherlock Holmes pensively;

"確實是有難題，是有一些費解的地方。"福爾摩斯沉思道，

"but our expedition of to-night will solve them all.

"但是今天晚上咱們走一趟，就可以全都明白了。

Ah, here is a four-wheeler, and Miss Morstan is inside. Are you all ready?

啊，來了一輛四輪馬車，摩斯坦小姐正在里邊。

Then we had better go down, for it is a little past the hour."

你準(zhǔn)備好了嗎？咱們最好趕快下去，時間已經(jīng)稍晚一些了。"