福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第39期:木桶的插曲

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Chapter 7 The Episode Of The Barrel

第七章 木桶的插曲

The police had brought a cab with them, and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home.

我坐著警察坐來的馬車送摩斯坦小姐回家。

After the angelic fashion of women,

她是個天使一樣可愛的婦女，

she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was someone weaker than herself to support,

在危難之中，只要旁邊有比她更脆弱的人，她總是能夠保持鎮(zhèn)定的。

and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper.

當(dāng)我去接她回去的時候，她還精神地安坐在驚恐的女管家身旁。

In the cab, however, she first turned faint and then burst into a passion of weeping

可是她坐進(jìn)車?yán)镆院?，先是暈倒，后來又嚶嚶地哭泣?/p>

so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night.

經(jīng)過了這一夜的離奇驚險，就再也忍耐不住了。

She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey.

事后她曾責(zé)備我說，那晚一路上我的態(tài)度未免太冷淡無情。

She little guessed the struggle within my breast, or the effort of self-restraint which held me back.

可是她哪里知道我當(dāng)時內(nèi)心的斗爭和強(qiáng)自抑制的痛苦呢。

My sympathies and my love went out to her, even as my hand had in the garden.

正象我們在院中手握手的時節(jié)，我對她的同情和愛已經(jīng)流露出來。

I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet,

我雖然飽經(jīng)世故，若是沒有經(jīng)過象這一晚的遭遇，

brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences.

我也難以認(rèn)識到她那溫柔和勇敢的天性。

Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips.

在當(dāng)時，有兩樁事使我難以開口：

She was weak and helpless, shaken in mind and nerve.

一是因為她正在遭受困難，孤苦伶仃無依無靠，

It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time.

倘若冒昧向她求愛，未免是乘人之危；

Worse still, she was rich. If Holmes's researches were successful, she would be an heiress.

再說更使我為難的就是，如果福爾摩斯真能破案，她得到寶物，就要變成巨富，

Was it fair, was it honourable, that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about?

我這個半俸的醫(yī)師乘著這個和她親近的方便機(jī)會而向她求愛，這還能夠算是正大光明的事嗎？

Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune- seeker?

她會不會把我看成了一個粗鄙的淘金者？

I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind.

我不能叫她心里產(chǎn)生這種不良的印象，

This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us.

這批阿格拉寶物實在是我們二人中間的障礙物啊。

It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs. Cecil Forrester's.

差不多深夜兩點鐘我們才到達(dá)西色爾·弗里斯特夫人的家中。

The servants had retired hours ago,

仆役們早已入睡，

but Mrs. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return.

可是弗里斯特夫人對摩斯坦小姐接到怪信這件事非常關(guān)心，所以她還坐在燈下等候著摩斯坦小姐。

She opened the door herself, a middle-aged, graceful woman,

是她親自給我們開的門。她是一位中年婦人，舉止大方。

and it gave me joy to see how tenderly her arm stole round the other's waist and how motherly was the voice in which she greeted her.

她用胳臂親切地?fù)еλ固剐〗愕难?，還象慈母般地溫言慰問著，真給我心中無限的快慰。