"I tell you that it is Friday, man.
"我告訴你,今天是星期五,沒錯。
Your wife has been waiting this two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself!"
你的老婆一直等你兩天了。你應當感到羞恥!"
"So I am. But you've got mixed, Watson, for I have only been here a few hours, three pipes, four pipes -- I forget how many.
"對!我應當感到羞恥,不過你弄錯了,華生,因為我在這里只不過呆了幾個小時,抽了三鍋,四鍋...我記不得抽了多少鍋了。
But I'll go home with you. I wouldn't frighten Kate -- poor little Kate. Give me your hand! Have you a cab?"
不過我要跟你回去。我不該讓凱特擔心害怕,可憐的小凱特呀!扶我一下!你雇馬車來了嗎?"
"Yes, I have one waiting."
"是的,我雇了一輛,等著呢。"
"Then I shall go in it. But I must owe something.
"那么,我就坐車走吧。不過,我一定欠了帳。
Find what I owe, Watson. I am all off colour. I can do nothing for myself."
看看我欠了多少,華生。我一點精神也沒有了。我一點也照顧不了自己。"
I walked down the narrow passage between the double row of sleepers,
我走過兩排躺著人的木榻間的狹窄過道,
holding my breath to keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the drug, and looking about for the manager.
屏息斂氣,免得去聞那鴉片令人作嘔和發(fā)暈的臭氣,到處尋找掌柜的。
As I passed the tall man who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck at my skirt,
我走過炭火盆旁的那個高個子時,覺得有一只手突然猛拉了一下我上衣的下擺,
and a low voice whispered, "Walk past me, and then look back at me."
有人低聲說:"走過去,再回頭看我!"
The words fell quite distinctly upon my ear. I glanced down.
這兩句話清清楚楚地落入我的耳鼓。我低頭看了一下。
They could only have come from the old man at my side,
這話只能是出自我身邊的老頭之口,
and yet he sat now as absorbed as ever, very thin, very wrinkled, bent with age,
可是,此時他還是和剛才一樣,全神貫注地坐在那里。
an opium pipe dangling down from between his knees, as though it had dropped in sheer lassitude from his fingers.
他瘦骨嶙峋,皺紋滿面,衰老佝僂,一支煙槍耷落在他的雙膝中間,好象是因為他疲乏無力而滑脫下去似的。
I took two steps forward and looked back.
我向前走了兩步,回頭看時,不覺大吃一驚。
It took all my self-control to prevent me from breaking out into a cry of astonishment.
幸虧我極力克制才沒有失聲喊叫出來。
He had turned his back so that none could see him but I.
他也轉過身來,除了我,誰也看不見他。
His form had filled out, his wrinkles were gone, the dull eyes had regained their fire,
他的身體的形狀已經(jīng)伸展開了,臉上的皺紋也業(yè)已消失,昏花無神的雙眼又炯炯有神。
and there, sitting by the fire and grinning at my surprise, was none other than Sherlock Holmes.
這時,坐在炭火盆邊望著吃驚的我而咧嘴發(fā)笑的,不是別人,竟是歇洛克·福爾摩斯。