福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第45期:木桶的插曲(7)

"But this is mere speculation," said I.

我道："這個不過是揣測罷了。"

"It is more than that. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts.

"并不盡然。這不僅僅是揣測，而是唯一合乎實情的假設(shè)。

Let us see how it fits in with the sequel.

咱們且看一看這些假設(shè)和后來的事實如何地吻合吧。

Major Sholto remains at peace for some years, happy in the possession of his treasure.

舒爾托少校攜帶寶物回國后，曾安居了幾年，

Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. What was that?"

可是有一天接到了印度寄來的一封信，就使他驚駭失措，這又是為了什么呢？"

"A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free."

"信上說：被他欺騙的囚犯們已經(jīng)刑滿出獄了。""

"Or had escaped. That is much more likely, for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was.

與其說是刑滿出獄，不如說是越獄逃出比較合理，因為舒爾托少校知道他們的刑期。

It would not have been a surprise to him. What does he do then?

如果是刑滿出獄，他就不會驚慌失措了。他那時采取了什么措施呢？

He guards himself against a wooden-legged man–a white man, mark you,

他對裝木腿的人格外戒備。裝木腿的是一個白種人，

for he mistakes a white tradesman for him and actually fires a pistol at him.

因為他曾開槍誤傷了一個裝木腿的英國商人。

Now, only one white man's name is on the chart.

在圖上只有一個白種人的名字，

The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. There is no other white man.

其余的全是印度人或回教徒的姓名，

Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden-legged man is identical with Jonathan Small.

所以咱們就可以知道這個裝木腿的人就是瓊諾贊·斯茂了。

Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?"

你看這些理論是否有些主觀？"

"No: it is clear and concise."

"不然，很清楚，而且扼要。"

"Well, now, let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. Let us look at it from his point of view.

"好吧，現(xiàn)在咱們設(shè)身處地地站在瓊諾贊·斯茂的立場上來分析一下事實吧。

He comes to England with the double idea of regaining

他回到英國有兩個目的：

what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him.

一個是為了獲得他應(yīng)得的一份寶物，一個是向欺騙了他的人報仇。

He found out where Sholto lived, and very possibly he established communications with someone inside the house.

他找到了舒爾托的住處，還極有可能買通了他家里的一個人。

There is this butler, Lal Rao, whom we have not seen.

有一個叫拉爾·拉奧的仆人，咱們沒有見過，

Mrs. Bernstone gives him far from a good character.

博恩斯通太太說他的言行惡劣。

Small could not find out, however, where the treasure was hid,

斯茂沒有找到藏寶物的地方，

for no one ever knew save the major and one faithful servant who had died.

因為除了少校自己和一個已死的忠實仆人以外，別人都不知道。

Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his deathbed.

這一天，斯茂忽然聽說少校病危，

In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him,

他恐怕藏寶的秘密將要和少校的尸體一同埋入黃土，

he runs the gauntlet of the guards, makes his way to the dying man's window,

所以盛怒之下，他冒著被守衛(wèi)抓住的危險，跑到垂死的人的窗前。

and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons.

又因為少校的兩個兒子正在床前，所以沒有能夠進入屋里。

Mad with hate, however, against the dead man, he enters the room that night,

他對死者懷恨在心，當天晚上又重新進入屋里，

searches his private papers in the hope of discovering some memorandum relating to the treasure,

翻動文件，希望得到藏寶的線索。

and finally leaves a memento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card.

在失望之下，留了一張寫著四個簽名的紙條作為表記。

He had doubtless planned beforehand that, should he slay the major,

在他預(yù)作計劃的時候，

he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder but,

無疑是準備把少校殺死后在尸旁留一個同樣的表記，表示這并不是一件普通的謀殺，

from the point of view of the four associates, something in the nature of an act of justice.

而是為了正義替同伴們報仇。

Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime

象這樣稀奇古怪的辦法是常見的，

and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. Do you follow all this?"

有時還可以指明兇犯的一些情況。這些你全都領(lǐng)會了嗎？"