福爾摩斯探案集·五個桔核 第12期:神秘來信(6)

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Well, it was the beginning of '84 when my father came to live at Horsham,

唉，我父親搬到霍爾舍姆去住時，正值一八八四年初，

and all went as well as possible with us until the January of '85.

直到一八八五年元月，一切都稱心如意。

On the fourth day after the new year I heard my father give a sharp cry of surprise as we sat together at the breakfast-table.

元旦過后的第四天，我們大家圍著桌子坐在一起吃早餐時，我的父親忽然一聲驚叫。

There he was, sitting with a newly opened envelope in one hand

只見他坐在那里，一手舉著一個剛剛拆開的信封，

and five dried orange pips in the outstretched palm of the other one.

另一只手的五指伸開的掌心上有五個干癟的桔核。

He had always laughed at what he called my cock-and-bull story about the colonel,

他平日總嘲笑我所說伯父的遭遇是荒誕無稽的故事，

but he looked very scared and puzzled now that the same thing had come upon himself.

一旦他自己碰上了同樣的事，卻也嚇得大驚失色，神志恍惚。

'Why, what on earth does this mean, John?' he stammered.

'啊，這究竟是怎么一回事，約翰？'他結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地問道。

My heart had turned to lead. 'It is K. K. K.,' said I.

我的心變成一塊鉛似地沉重。這是K.K.K...'我說。

He looked inside the envelope.

他看看信封的內(nèi)層。

'So it is,' he cried. 'Here are the very letters. But what is this written above them?'

'不錯，'他叫了起來，'就是這幾個字母。這上面又寫著什么？'

'Put the papers on the sundial,' I read, peeping over his shoulder.

'把文件放在日晷儀上，'我從他肩膀背后望著信封念道。'

'What papers? What sundial?' he asked.

'什么文件？什么日晷儀？'他又問道。

'The sundial in the garden. There is no other,' said I; 'but the papers must be those that are destroyed.'

'花園里的日晷儀，別處沒有，'我說，‘文件一定是被毀掉的那些。'

'Pooh!' said he, gripping hard at his courage.

'呸！'他壯著膽子說。

'We are in a civilized land here, and we can't have tomfoolery of this kind. Where does the thing come from?'

'我們這里是文明世界，不容許有這種蠢事發(fā)生！這東西是哪里來的？'

'From Dundee,' I answered, glancing at the postmark.

'從敦提來的，'我看了一下郵戳回答說。

'Some preposterous practical joke,' said he.

'一個荒唐的惡作劇，'他說，

'What have I to do with sundials and papers? I shall take no notice of such nonsense.'

'我和日晷儀啦、文件啦，有什么關(guān)系？對這種無聊的事我不屑一顧。'

'I should certainly speak to the police,' I said.

'要是我的話，就一定報告警察，'我說。

'And be laughed at for my pains. Nothing of the sort.' 'Then let me do so?'

'這樣，我痛苦，卻讓他們譏笑，我不干。' '那么讓我去報告吧？'

'No, I forbid you. I won't have a fuss made about such nonsense.'

'不，也不許你去。我不愿為這種荒唐事庸人自擾。'

It was in vain to argue with him, for he was a very obstinate man.

與他爭辯是徒勞的，因為他是個非常頑固的人。

I went about, however, with a heart which was full of forebodings.

我只好走開，心里惴惴不安，充滿大禍將臨的預(yù)感。