福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第32期:福爾摩斯作出判斷

Chapter 6 Sherlock Holmes Gives A Demonstration

第六章 福爾摩斯作出判斷

"NOW , Watson," said Holmes, rubbing his hands, "we have half an hour to ourselves. Let us make good use of it.

福爾摩斯搓著兩手說道："華生，現在咱們還有半個鐘頭的時間，咱們要好好地利用。

My case is, as I have told you, almost complete; but we must not err on the side of overconfidence.

我已經告訴過你，這個案子差不多完全明白了，可是咱們不要過于自信，以免搞出錯來。

Simple as the case seems now, there may be something deeper underlying it."

現在看著似乎簡單，其中或許還藏有更玄奧的事情呢。"

"Simple!" I ejaculated.

我不由得問道："簡單？"

"Surely," said he with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class.

他好象老教授在對學生們講解般地說道："當然很簡單！

"Just sit in the corner there, that your footprints may not complicate matters. Now to work!

請你坐在屋角那邊，別叫你的腳印把證據弄亂了?，F在開始工作吧！

In the first place, how did these folk come and how did they go?

頭一件，這些人是怎么進來的？怎么走的？

The door has not been opened since last night. How of the window?"

屋門從昨晚就沒有開過。窗戶怎樣？"

He carried the lamp across to it, muttering his observations aloud the while but addressing them to himself rather than to me.

他提著燈往前走著，不象在和我說話，簡直是在自言自語地大聲嘟噥著：

"Window is snibbed on the inner side. Frame-work is solid. No hinges at the side. Let us open it.

"窗戶是從里面關牢的。窗框也很堅固。兩旁沒有合葉。咱們把它打開。

No water-pipe near. Roof quite out of reach. Yet a man has mounted by the window.

近旁沒有雨水漏管。房頂也離得很遠。可是有人在窗臺上站過。

It rained a little last night. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill.

昨晚下過小雨。窗臺這兒有一個腳印。

And here is a circular muddy mark, and here again upon the floor, and here again by the table.

這兒有一個圓的泥印，地板上也有一個，桌旁又有一個。

See here, Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration."

華生，看這兒！這真是個好證據。"

I looked at the round, well-defined muddy discs. "That is not a foot-mark," said I.

我看了看那些清楚的圓泥印，說道："這不是腳印。"

"It is something much more valuable to us. It is the impression of a wooden stump.

"這是我們更重要的證據。這是一根木樁的印痕。

You see here on the sill is the boot-mark, a heavy boot with a broad metal heel, and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe."

你看窗臺上是靴子印......一只后跟鑲有寬鐵掌的厚靴子，旁邊是木樁的印跡。"

"It is the wooden-legged man."

"這就是那個裝有木腿的人。"

"Quite so. But there has been someone else--a very able and efficient ally. Could you scale that wall, Doctor?"

"沒有錯?？墒橇硗膺€有一個人。一個很能干、很靈活的同謀。醫(yī)生，你能從那面墻爬上來嗎？"

I looked out of the open window. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house.

我探頭向窗外看看。月光還很亮地照射著原來的那個屋角。

We were a good sixty feet from the ground, and, look where I would, I could see no foothold, nor as much as a crevice in the brickwork.

我們離地至少有六丈多高，墻上連一個能夠插腳的磚縫都沒有。

"It is absolutely impossible," I answered.

我答道："從這兒絕對無法往上爬。"

"Without aid it is so.

"如果沒有幫忙的，是爬不上來的。

But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner,

可是譬如這里有你的一位朋友，用擱在屋角那里的那條粗繩，

securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall.

一頭牢系在墻上的大環(huán)子上，另一頭扔到你手里，

Then, I think, if you were an active man, you might swarm up, wooden leg and all.

我想只要你是個有力氣的人，就是裝著木腿、也可以緣著繩子爬上來的。你

You would depart, of course, in the same fashion, and your ally would draw up the rope,

下去的時候自然也可依法炮制，然后你的同黨再把繩子拉上來，

untie it from the hook, shut the window, snib it on the inside, and get away in the way that he originally came.

從環(huán)子上解下來，關上窗戶，從里面拴牢，再從來路逃走。"

As a minor point, it may be noted," he continued, fingering the rope,

他指著繩子繼續(xù)說道："還有一個值得注意的細節(jié)，

"that our wooden-legged friend, though a fair climber, was not a professional sailor.

那個裝木腿的朋友雖然爬墻的技術不壞，但不是一個熟練的水手。

His hands were far from horny.

他的手可不象慣于爬桅的水手的掌皮那樣堅韌。

My lens discloses more than one blood-mark, especially towards the end of the rope,

我用放大鏡發(fā)現了不只一處的血跡，特別是在繩的末端更是明顯。

from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hands."

我可以斷定，他在緣繩而下的時候，速度快得竟把他的手掌皮磨掉了。"