福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第16期:尋求解答(3)

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It was a September evening and not yet seven o'clock,

這一天是九月的傍晚，還不到七點鐘，

but the day had been a dreary one, and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city.

天氣陰沉，濃濃的迷霧籠罩了這個大城。

Mud-coloured clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets.

街道上一片泥濘，空中低懸著令人抑郁的卷卷黑云。

Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused light which threw a feeble circular glimmer upon the slimy pavement.

倫敦河濱馬路上的暗淡路燈，照到滿是泥漿的人行道上，只剩了螢螢的微光。

The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy,

還有淡淡的黃色燈光從兩旁店鋪的玻璃窗里射出來，

vaporous air and threw a murky, shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare.

穿過迷茫的霧氣，閃閃地照到車馬擁擠的大街上。

There was, to my mind, something eerie and ghostlike in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light--sad faces and glad, haggard and merry.

我心里想著：在這閃閃的燈光照耀下絡(luò)繹不絕的行人，他們的面部表情有喜歡的和憂愁的，有憔悴的和快活的，其中含有無限的怪誕和奇異的事跡，

Like all humankind, they flitted from the gloom into the light and so back into the gloom once more.

好象人類的一生，從黑暗來到光明，又由光明返回黑暗。

I am not subject to impressions, but the dull, heavy evening,

我不是易于產(chǎn)生感觸的人，但是這個沉悶的夜晚

with the strange business upon which we were engaged, combined to make me nervous and depressed.

和我們將要遇到的奇事，使我不禁精神緊張起來。

I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling.

我可以從摩斯坦小姐的表情中看得出來，她和我有同樣的感覺。

Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences.

只有福爾摩斯不受外界的影響。

He held his open notebook upon his knee, and from time to time he jotted down figures and memoranda in the light of his pocket-lantern.

他將記事簿放在自己的膝蓋上，借著懷中電筒的光亮，不斷地在記事簿上寫字。

At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side-entrances.

萊西厄姆劇院兩旁入口處的觀眾已經(jīng)擁擠不堪。

In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four-wheelers were rattling up,

雙輪和四輪的馬車象流水一般地轔轔而至。

discharging their cargoes of shirt-fronted men and beshawled, bediamonded women.

穿著禮服露著白胸的男子和披著圍巾、珠光空氣的女人，一個個地從車上下來。

We had hardly reached the third pillar, which was our rendezvous, before a small, dark, brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us.

我們剛剛走近約定的第三個柱子前面，就來了一個身材短小、面貌黧黑、穿著馬車夫裝束的精壯男子，向我們招呼。

"Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?" he asked.

他問道："你們是同摩斯坦小姐同來的嗎？"

"I am Miss Morstan, and these two gentlemen are my friends," said she.

她答道："我就是摩斯坦小姐，這兩位是我的朋友。"

He bent a pair of wonderfully penetrating and questioning eyes upon us.

那人用細心的眼光逼視著我們，

"You will excuse me, miss," he said with a certain dogged manner,

態(tài)度頑強地說道："小姐請原諒我，

"but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer."

我需要請您保證您的同伴中沒有警官。"

"I give you my word on that," she answered.

她答道："我可以保證。"

He gave a shrill whistle, on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door.

他用嘴唇吹了一下口哨，就有一個街頭流浪的人引著一輛四輪馬車來到跟前，他開了車門。

The man who had addressed us mounted to the box, while we took our places inside.

和我們搭話的人跳到車夫的座上，我們陸續(xù)上車，

We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse, and we plunged away at a furious pace through the foggy streets.

還沒有坐定，馬夫已經(jīng)揚鞭驅(qū)車，迅速地馳行在霧氣迷蒙的街道上了。