《巴斯克威尔猎犬》 06查尔斯爵士是如何死的(2)

'Thank you for informing me about this interesting case，'Holmes said．'I read about it at the time，but I heard none of the details．The newspaper gives the facts that everybody knows．Now I want you to tell me all the other facts that you know．What do you know about the strange stories？'

“感谢您告知我有关这个饶有趣味的案件的情况，”福尔摩斯说道。“当时我曾看到过有关它的报导，但是我从未听到过相关的细节。报纸提供了那些众所周知的事实。现在我想让您告诉我您所知道的其他事实。你对这些怪诞的故事知道些什么呢？”

'I haven't told anyone these other facts，'said Dr Mortimer．'I am a man of science，as you know．I have always believed that there are sensible¹ explanations for everything．I didn't want to say anything that could stop Sir Henry from coming to live at the Hall．But I will tell you tile² details that were not in the report．'

“我从未告诉过任何人这些内幕，”摩梯末医生道。“如您所知，我是一位从事科学工作的人。我从来都认为凡事都有个明智的解释办法。我当时不想说出阻止亨利爵士前来庄园定居的任何话。可是我将告诉您那些从未在报导中写进去的种种细节。”

'In the months before his death，'Dr Mortimer went on，'Sir Charles was a very worried man．He was near to breaking down．He believed the story of the Hound³ of the Baskervilles．He refused to go out at night．He often asked me whether I had seen any strange animal or heard the cry of a hound on the moor⁴ at night．He always got very excited when he asked this question．

“在他去世之前的几个月里，”摩梯末医生接着说道，“查尔斯爵士已是非常焦虑不安。他几乎濒于崩溃的境地。他相信巴斯克维尔猎犬的故事。他拒绝在晚上外出。他常常问我是否在夜间看到过什么奇怪的动物或是听见过一只猎狗在沼地上的嗥叫声。每当他问起这个问题的时候他总是变得非常亢奋。”

'I remember driving up to the Hall one evening about three weeks before he died．He was standing⁵ at the door．I went up to him，and saw him staring at something behind me．There was a look of horror⁶ on his face．I turned quickly and saw something moving between the trees．It looked like a small black cow．He was so frightened that I went to look for the animal．It had disappeared but Sir Charles was very worried．I stayed with him all the evening．It was then he gave me the old papers I have read to you．What I saw that evening may be im- portant when you consider what happened on the night of his death．

“我记得，在他死之前大约三个星期的一天傍晚，我驾着马车去他的庄园。他正站在门前。我走到他面前，看到他正盯着我背后的什么东西。他的脸上带着恐怖的神情。我赶快转过身去，看到有个东西正在树林之间移动。它看似一头黑色的小牛。他是如此恐惧不安，我便不得不去那儿四下里寻找一番那个东西了。它已经消失了，可是查尔斯爵士非常担心。整个晚上我都陪着他。就是在那时，他将我已读给您听的那篇古老的手稿交给了我。在您考虑他死去的那个晚上所发生的情况时，我在那个傍晚看到的情况也许会是重要的。”

'When Barrymore，the butler，found Sir Charles'body，he sent someone to fetch me．I checked all the facts．I have just read them to you，and they are all true．

“当白瑞摩，那个总管，发现了查尔斯爵士的尸体时，他派人叫我去了。我核实了所有的情况。我刚才已把它们念给你们听了，而且这些事实都是确凿的。”

'But Barrymore said one thing that was not true．He said that there were no other prints on the ground around the body．He did not notice any．But I did．They were not close to the body，but they were fresh and clear．'

“但是白瑞摩有一件事没讲真话。他说，在尸体周围的地面上没有别的痕迹。他没有注意到其他痕迹。可是我注意到了。虽没有挨着尸体，可是既痕迹犹新而又清晰可见。”

'Footprints？'asked Holmes．

“是足迹吗？”福尔摩斯问道。

'Yes．Footprints，'said Mortimer．

“是的。是足迹，”摩梯末说道。

'A man's or a woman's？'asked Holmes．

“是男人的还是女人的？”福尔摩斯问道。

Dr Mortimer looked at us strangely for a moment．His voice became a whisper as he answered：

摩梯末奇怪地望了我们一会儿。他回答时声音变得犹如耳语：

'Mr Holmes，they were the footprints of a huge hound！'

“福尔摩斯先生，是一个极大的猎犬的一些爪印！”

1 sensible   

adj.可察觉的，意识到的，实用的；n.可感知物

参考例句：

• Are you sensible of the dangers of your position? 你觉察到你处境中的危险了吗？
• He was sensible enough to mind his own business.他颇有见识，不去管闲事。

2 tile   

n.砖瓦；vt.铺以瓦，铺以瓷砖

参考例句：

• The bathroom is faced with tile.浴室铺着瓷砖。
• I pointed to a number of scratches in the tile floor.我指向地板砖上的一道道划痕。

3 hound   

n.猎狗，卑鄙的人；vt.用猎狗追，追逐

参考例句：

• The hound found the trail of the rabbit.猎狗发现了兔子的踪迹。
• The police have promised to hound down those responsible for the explosion.警方已保证要追查此次爆炸事件有责任的人员。

4 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 horror   

n.惊骇，恐怖，惨事，极端厌恶

参考例句：

• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation.公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。
• The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror.一想到要夜间工作我就觉得惨兮兮的。