福爾摩斯探案集·五個桔核 第6期:年輕的委托人(4)

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He was a singular man, fierce and quick-tempered, very foul-mouthed when he was angry, and of a most retiring disposition.

他是個很怪癖的人，兇狠急躁，發(fā)怒時言語粗鄙，性情極為孤僻。

During all the years that he lived at Horsham, I doubt if ever he set foot in the town.

自從他定居霍爾舍姆以來的這些年月里，他深居簡出，我不知道他曾否涉足城鎮(zhèn)。

He had a garden and two or three fields round his house,

他擁有一座花園，房子周圍有兩三塊田地，

and there he would take his exercise, though very often for weeks on end he would never leave his room.

他可以在那里鍛煉身體，可是他卻往往幾個星期都一直足不出戶。

He drank a great deal of brandy and smoked very heavily,

他狂飲白蘭地酒，而且煙癮極大，

but he would see no society and did not want any friends, not even his own brother.

但他不喜歡社交，不要任何朋友，甚至和自己的胞弟也不相往來。

He didn't mind me; in fact, he took a fancy to me, for at the time when he saw me first I was a youngster of twelve or so.

他并不關(guān)心我；實(shí)際上，他還是喜歡我的，因?yàn)樗跻娢視r，我不過是一個十一、二歲的小孩子。

This would be in the year 1878, after he had been eight or nine years in England.

那是一八七八年，他已回國八、九年了。

He begged my father to let me live with him, and he was very kind to me in his way.

他央求我父親讓我同他一起住，他以他自己的方式來疼愛我。

When he was sober he used to be fond of playing backgammon and draughts with me,

當(dāng)他清醒不醉時，喜歡同我一起斗雙陸、玩象棋。

and he would make me his representative both with the servants and with the tradespeople,

他還讓我代表他跟傭人和一些生意人打交道。

so that by the time that I was sixteen I was quite master of the house.

所以到我十六歲時，已儼然成為一個小當(dāng)家的了。

I kept all the keys and could go where I liked and do what I liked, so long as I did not disturb him in his privacy.

我掌管所有的鑰匙，我可以隨心所欲地到我想去的任何地方，做我想做的任何事情，只要不打擾他的隱居生活即可。

There was one singular exception, however, for he had a single room, a lumber-room up among the attics,

不過，也有一個奇特的例外，那就是，在閣樓那一層有著許多房間，而唯獨(dú)其中一間堆存破舊雜物的房間，

which was invariably locked, and which he would never permit either me or anyone else to enter.

常年加鎖，無論是我或其他任何人，他都嚴(yán)禁入內(nèi)。

With a boy's curiosity I have peeped through the keyhole,

我曾經(jīng)懷著一個男孩子的好奇心，從鑰匙孔向屋內(nèi)窺視，

but I was never able to see more than such a collection of old trunks and bundles as would be expected in such a room.

可是除了預(yù)料中在這樣一間屋子里會堆存著的一大堆破舊箱籠和大小包袱之外，就別無其他了。