牛津書蟲系列 巴斯史維爾獵犬(中英雙語(yǔ))18

18 Looking Back

18 回顧

It was the end of November，more than a month after ourreturn from Baskerville Hall.Holmes and I were sitting on either side of a bright fire in our sitting room in Baker Street.Since our return，Holmes had been working hard on two other cases，and he had been too busy to discuss the Baskerville case.But now the other cases were finished，and he had been successful in both of them.I decided it was a good time to ask him the final questions about Stapleton and the hound.

已經(jīng)是11月底，我們從巴斯克維爾莊園回來(lái)之后一個(gè)多月的時(shí)候了。我和福爾摩斯坐在貝克街上的那棟房子的客廳中的熊熊的爐火兩旁。我們回來(lái)之后，福爾摩斯不辭辛苦地辦理了另外兩件案子，他都忙得沒(méi)有時(shí)間討論巴斯克維爾莊園里發(fā)生的那件案子?？墒?，現(xiàn)在這兩件案子都已了結(jié)了，他辦得也都非常成功。我決定，這該是向他詢問(wèn)有關(guān)斯臺(tái)普頓和那只獵犬的最后一些問(wèn)題的大好時(shí)機(jī)了。

’The picture showed us that Stapleton was indeed a Baskerville，’Holmes began.’He was the son of Roger Baskerville，who was Sir Charles’younger brotner.Roger was a criminal who escaped from prison and ran away to South America.Everyone thought he had died unmarried，but that was not true.He had one son，also called Roger，whom we knew as Stapleton.Stapleton married a beautiful South Ameri- can，and came to England，where he started a school in the north.He discovered that he would inherit the Baskerville lands and fortune if Sir Charles and Sir Henry both died.That is why he moved to Devonshire when the school closed.

“那幅畫像向我們表明斯臺(tái)普頓真的是巴斯克維爾家族中的一員，”福爾摩斯開(kāi)腔了。“他是羅杰·巴斯克維爾即查爾斯爵士的弟弟的兒子。羅杰是越獄潛逃、跑到了南美洲的囚犯。大家都以為他沒(méi)結(jié)婚就死了，可是那不是真的。他有一個(gè)兒子，也叫羅杰，就是我們所認(rèn)識(shí)的斯臺(tái)普頓。斯臺(tái)普頓娶了一位南美美女，又來(lái)到了英格蘭，在那兒的北部開(kāi)辦了一所學(xué)校。他發(fā)現(xiàn)，要是查爾斯爵士和亨利爵士都已死的話，自己就能繼承巴斯克維爾家族的地產(chǎn)了。那就是他在學(xué)校關(guān)閉之后搬到德文郡的原因所在。”

’When he met Sir Charles，he heard the story of the hell- hound.He also learned that Sir Charles believed these super- natural stories，and that he had a weak heart.

“他遇見(jiàn)查爾斯爵士時(shí)聽(tīng)到了有關(guān)魔狗的故事。他還得知，查爾斯爵士相信這些鬼怪故事，心臟也很虛弱。”

’Stapleton had the idea of buying a huge hound，and of using the phosphorus to make it shine like the hound in the story.I have found the place where he bought the animal.He took it by train to Devonshire and walked many miles over the moors with it so that it would not be seen near Baskerville Hall.

“斯臺(tái)普頓就起了買一只大獵犬并用磷來(lái)使獵犬像故事中的那只那樣閃閃發(fā)光的念頭。我已找到他買狗的地點(diǎn)。他乘火車將它帶到德文郡，又牽著狗穿過(guò)沼地走了很長(zhǎng)的路，如此一來(lái)在巴斯克維爾莊園附近就沒(méi)被人們看見(jiàn)。”

’He needed to get Sir Charles out of the Hall at night.This would be easy to do if his wife made Sir Charles fall in love with her.But，although he beat her，she refused to help him with his evil plan.

“他需要讓查爾斯爵士在夜間走出莊園。如果他的妻子使得查爾斯爵士愛(ài)上她的話，這就好辦了?？墒?，即使是他揍她，她也拒絕幫助他實(shí)施他那邪惡的計(jì)謀。”

’Then Stapleton met Laura Lyons.We know that he made her write a letter to bring Sir Charles to the moor gate on that sad night.The hound，which was shining with phosphorus，chased Sir Charles down the Yew Alley.Sir Charles’ terror was so great that his weak heart stopped，and he died，but the animal did not touch the dead body.

“后來(lái)，斯臺(tái)普頓遇到了勞拉·萊昂絲。我們知道，他讓她寫了封信，把查爾斯爵士在那個(gè)令人傷心的夜晚帶到了通往沼地的柵門那里。那只獵犬閃著磷光，順著水松小道就向查爾斯爵士追了過(guò)來(lái)。查爾斯爵士恐怖過(guò)度，導(dǎo)致原本就很虛弱的心臟停止跳動(dòng)，他就死了，可那只個(gè)動(dòng)物是不碰死尸的。”

’The hound had run on the grass，so it left no footprints，ex- cept the one found by Dr Mortimer.You see how clever Staple- ton was.Neither he nor the hound had touched Sir Charles so there was no sign of murder.The only two people who might suspect him—his wife and Mrs Lyons could not be certain about what he had done.Anyway，neither of them would in- form the police about him.

“那獵犬是在草地上跑的，于是便沒(méi)有留下什么爪印，除了摩梯末醫(yī)生發(fā)現(xiàn)的那一個(gè)之外。你看看斯臺(tái)普頓是何等狡猾。他和獵犬都沒(méi)碰過(guò)查爾斯爵士，因此沒(méi)有謀殺的一絲影子?？赡軙?huì)懷疑他的只有兩個(gè)女人——他的妻子和萊昂絲太太——她們也不敢肯定他干了些什么。無(wú)論如何，她們倆都不會(huì)向警方告發(fā)他的。”

’Next，Stapleton learned that Sir Henry had reached Eng- land，so he went to London.He hoped to murder Sir Henry there.He took his wife with him，but he wasn’t sure that she would keep his secret，so he did not tell her the truth.He locked her up in their hotel.She knew that he had some evil plan，but she was too frightened to give Sir Henry a clear warning.Instead，she sent him the letter made of words cut from a newspaper.

“接下來(lái)，斯臺(tái)普頓獲悉亨利爵士已到達(dá)英格蘭，于是便去了倫敦。他希望能在那兒將亨利爵士干掉。他帶著他的妻子，可是他不敢肯定她會(huì)保守他的秘密，因此他沒(méi)有告訴她實(shí)情。他把她鎖在他們居住的旅館里。她知道他有個(gè)邪惡的計(jì)劃，可是她太害怕了，以致不敢向亨利爵士發(fā)出一個(gè)清楚明了的警告。反之，她寄給他一封由報(bào)紙上剪下來(lái)的字拼湊成的信。”

’Meanwhile，Stapleton was wearing a false beard and fol- lowing Sir Henry.He needed something to give the hound Sir Henry’s scent，so he paid a maid at Sir Henry’s hotel to steal one of his shoes The first one was a new one，and didn’t have Sir Henry’s scent on it.It was no use for the hound，so he put it back，and another，older，shoe was stolen.When the shoes were changed，I knew that the hound must be a natural and not a supernatural creature.

“與此同時(shí)，斯臺(tái)普頓正戴著假胡須跟蹤亨利爵士。他需要亨利爵士的一件能使獵犬聞味跟蹤的東西，因此賄賂了亨利爵士下榻的那個(gè)旅館里的一個(gè)女仆，讓她偷出他的一只鞋子來(lái)。第一只是新鞋，上面沒(méi)有亨利爵士的氣味。它對(duì)獵犬絲毫無(wú)用，他因此就把它送回去了，而另一只舊一點(diǎn)的鞋就被偷去了。鞋被換了時(shí)，我就知道那只獵犬是自然界的一只動(dòng)物而不是什么鬼怪神魔。”

’Next there was the letter made of words cut from a news- paper.When I looked at it，I held it close to my eyes.I noticed a smell of perfume，so I guessed that a woman had sent the let- ter.

“接下來(lái)就有了由報(bào)紙上剪下來(lái)的字拼成的那封信。我看它時(shí)，把它舉在了眼旁。我注意到了一股香水味，于是猜到是一位女士寄的那封信。”

’By the time I went to Devonshire I knew that there was a real hound，and I knew we were looking for a man and a wom- an.I guessed that the Stapletons were the pair.I had to watch Stapleton，but I had to hide myself As I have explained.I could not tell you what I was doing.I stayed in Newtown and used the hut on the moor only when necessary.

“在我去德文郡之前我已知道那兒有只活生生的獵犬，還知道我們將要尋覓一位男子和一位女士。我揣測(cè)到斯臺(tái)普頓兄妹就是要找的那對(duì)。我得監(jiān)視斯臺(tái)普頓，可還得埋伏起來(lái)。正如我所解釋的那樣，我不能告給你我的所作所為。我呆在紐頓，只有必要時(shí)才用一下沼地上的那個(gè)小屋。”

’Your letters were sent to me immediately from Baker Street，and were very helpful.When you told me that Stapleton had owned a school in the north of England.I checked on him and where he had come from.I discovered he had come from South America.And then everything became clear.

“您寄給我的信件被立即從貝克街送到了我的手中，它們非常有幫助。當(dāng)你告訴我斯臺(tái)普頓曾在英格蘭北部辦過(guò)一所學(xué)校時(shí)，我查了一下他本人的身世及其來(lái)源。我發(fā)現(xiàn)他來(lái)自于南美。那么，一切都弄清楚了。”

’By the time you found me on the moor，I knew everything，but I could prove nothing.We had to catch the man doing something criminal，and so I had to put Sir Henry in danger.

“你在沼地上發(fā)現(xiàn)我時(shí)，我已知道了全部事實(shí)，可是我什么也證明不了。我們必須在那個(gè)人作案的當(dāng)場(chǎng)將其抓獲，因此我不得不將亨利爵士置于危險(xiǎn)的境地。”

’Dr Mortimer tells me that Sir Henry will be completely better after some rest.As you know，the two of them have be- come good friends，and are going on a long holiday together.Sir Henry will take some time to forget Miss Stapleton.He loved her deeply and it hurt him badly when he learned the truth about her.

“摩梯末醫(yī)生告訴我說(shuō)，亨利爵士在休息之后就會(huì)徹底地好多了。如你所知，這兩人已成了好朋友，正準(zhǔn)備一起進(jìn)行長(zhǎng)途旅行。亨利爵士要經(jīng)過(guò)一段時(shí)間才能忘掉斯臺(tái)普頓小姐。他深深地愛(ài)著她，得知有關(guān)她的真相時(shí)受到了很大的傷害。”

’She was very frightened of her cruel husband，but she sus- pected that he was responsible for Sir Charles’ death.She knew about the hound，and when Selden died she guessed that the hound had killed him.She knew her husband had the hound at their house on the night Sir Henry came to dinner.They argued about the hound that evening，and as they argued Stapleton told her about Mrs Lyons.Any love she had for her husband disappeared at that moment.He knew that she want- ed to help Sir Henry，so he beat her and tied her up.

“她非常害怕她那殘酷的丈夫，可是她又懷疑到他應(yīng)對(duì)查爾斯爵士的死負(fù)責(zé)。她知道那只獵犬的事情，塞爾登死去時(shí)她猜到是獵犬害死了他。她知道她丈夫在亨利爵士來(lái)吃飯的那個(gè)晚上把狗安頓在了家里。他們?cè)谀莻€(gè)傍晚因獵犬的事情吵了起來(lái)，爭(zhēng)吵時(shí)斯臺(tái)普頓告訴了她有關(guān)萊昂斯太太的事情。她對(duì)她丈夫的任何愛(ài)意都在那一刻消失了。他知道她想幫亨利爵士的忙，因此揍了她，又把她捆了起來(lái)。”

’He probably hoped that when he inherited the Baskerville lands，she would love him again.He certainly thought that she would keep silent if she became Lady Baskerville.But I think he was wrong.He had been too cruel to her.She could not for- give him or love him again，nor，I think，allow him to enjoy the results of his crime.

“他可能指望在他繼承了巴斯克維爾家族的地產(chǎn)時(shí)，她就又會(huì)愛(ài)他了。他理所當(dāng)然地認(rèn)為要是她能成為’巴斯克維爾貴婦’的話她就會(huì)對(duì)此默不作聲的?？墒俏艺J(rèn)為他錯(cuò)了。他對(duì)她一向太殘忍了。她不會(huì)原諒他或再愛(ài)他了，我認(rèn)為她也不會(huì)容許他享受他的犯罪所得。”

’Of course，he could not frighten Sir Henry in the same way as Sir Charles.Sir Henry was a young and healthy man.So he kept the hound hungry.He knew that the animal would either kill Sir Henry or would hurt him so badly that it would be easy to complete the murder.’

“當(dāng)然了，他不能用嚇唬查爾斯爵士的方式對(duì)待亨利爵士。亨利爵士是位既年輕又健康的人。因此他使那只獵犬處于饑餓狀態(tài)。他知道，那個(gè)動(dòng)物要么會(huì)咬死亨利爵士，要么會(huì)重傷他，而那么一來(lái)就可以輕松地將謀殺完事大吉了。”

I had one last question for Holmes.’But Stapleton was living so close to Baskerville Hall and using a false name.It looked very strange.How would he explain that to the police，if after Sir Henry’s death he then inherited the Baskerville lands and fortune?’

我對(duì)福爾摩斯還有最后一個(gè)問(wèn)題。“但是，斯臺(tái)普頓住得離巴斯克維爾莊園那么近，還用著化名。這看上去非常奇怪。他怎樣才能向警方解釋得通那個(gè)，要是在亨利爵士死后他就繼承了巴斯克維爾家族的地產(chǎn)和其他財(cái)產(chǎn)呢?”

’I don’t know how he planned to explain the false name and why he was living at Pen House，’said Holmes.’I can only say that he was a very clever man.I am sure he had thought of an answer to the problem.

“我不知道他是打算如何解釋他更名改姓和住在格林盆宅邸的原因的，”福爾摩斯說(shuō)道。“我只能說(shuō)他是個(gè)非常狡猾的人。我敢肯定他已想出了解決這一問(wèn)題的答案。”

’But that’s enough work for the evening，Watson.I have two tickets for the theatre.If we get ready now，we shall have time to stop at my favourite restaurant for some dinner on the way.’

“然而，今晚就干這么多吧，華生。我有戲院的兩張票。如果現(xiàn)在準(zhǔn)備好了，咱們就會(huì)有時(shí)間中途到我喜歡的那個(gè)飯館逗留一下呢。”