福爾摩斯探案集·單身貴族案 第32期:真相大白(9)
"The case has been an interesting one," remarked Holmes when our visitors had left us,
"這是一件非常有趣的案子。"我們的客人走后福爾摩斯說，
"because it serves to show very clearly how simple the explanation may be of an affair which at first sight seems to be almost inexplicable.
"因為它非常清楚地說明，一件在開始時看起來幾乎無法解釋的事情，后來解釋起來卻又是多么的簡單。
Nothing could be more natural than the sequence of events as narrated by this lady,
沒有任何事情比這位女士所敘述的事情發(fā)生的先后次序更自然的了。
and nothing stranger than the result when viewed, for instance, by Mr. Lestrade, of Scotland Yard."
可是另一些人，比如說蘇格蘭場的雷斯垂德先生，依他看來，就沒有什么事情比這事情的結局更奇怪的了。"
"You were not yourself at fault at all, then?"
"那么，你一直就一點都沒有弄錯嗎？"
"From the first, two facts were very obvious to me,
"從一開始，對我來說就有兩件事情非常清楚。
the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony,
一件是那位女士原來非常愿意舉行婚禮；
the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
另一件是但她在回家后還不到幾分鐘的時間就后悔了。
Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
那么很明顯，一定是早上發(fā)生了點什么事，使得她改變了主意。
What could that something be?
這件事可能是什么呢？
She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
出了門以后，她不可能同任何人說過話，因為新郎一直在陪著她。
Had she seen someone, then?
那么，她有沒有看到什么熟人呢？
If she had, it must be someone from America because she had spent so short a time in this country
如果有的話，這個人必然是從美國來的。因為她來到這個國家的日子很短，
that she could hardly have allowed anyone to acquire so deep an influence over her
不可能會有什么人給她造成這么深刻的影響，
that the mere sight of him would induce her to change her plans so completely.
以致只是看了那么一眼，就會使她完全改變她的計劃。
You see we have already arrived, by a process of exclusion, at the idea that she might have seen an American.
你瞧，經過一系列的去偽存真，我們已經得到這樣一個結論，就是她可能看到了一個美國人。
Then who could this American be, and why should he possess so much influence over her?
那么這個美國人又能是誰呢，他為什么對她具有那么大的影響呢？
It might be a lover; it might be a husband.
可能是個情人，也可能是她的丈夫。
Her young womanhood had, I knew, been spent in rough scenes and under strange conditions.
我知道，她年輕時是在艱難而奇特的環(huán)境中度過的。
So far I had got before I ever heard Lord St. Simon's narrative.
在我聽到圣西蒙勛爵的敘述之前，我只了解這么一些。
When he told us of a man in a pew, of the change in the bride's manner,
當他告訴我們以下這些情況：在一排座位里有一位男人，新娘的態(tài)度起了變化，
of so transparent a device for obtaining a note as the dropping of a bouquet,
顯然是為了取得字條而從手里掉下了花束的這么一個把戲，
of her resort to her confidential maid, and of her very significant allusion to claim-jumping
她求助于她的心腹女仆以及她提到的侵占土地，
which in miners' parlance means taking possession of that which another person has a prior claim to
這在采礦者的行話中意味著占據別人原來已占有的探礦權
the whole situation became absolutely clear.
整個情況就十分清楚了。
She had gone off with a man, and the man was either a lover or was a previous husband
她跟一個男人走了，那么這個男人不是她的情人，就一定是她過去的丈夫，
the chances being in favour of the latter."
丈夫的可能性要大一些。"
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