血字的研究 23警察栾斯的叙述(4)

"Why, that's true, sir," he said;

"天哪，确是那样，先生，"他说，

"though how you come to know it, Heaven only knows.

"可是您怎么会知道的，天晓得！

Ye see when I got up to the door, it was so still and so lonesome,

你瞧，当我走到门口的时候，

that I thought I'd be none the worse for someone with me.

我觉得太孤单，太冷清了，我想最好还是找个人和我一起进去。

I ain't afeared of anything on this side of the grave;

我倒不怕人世上的什么东西，

but I thought that maybe it was him that died of the typhoid inspecting the drains what killed him.

我当时忽然想起，也许这就是那个得了伤寒病死去的人，正在检查那个要了他的性命的阴沟吧。

The thought gave me a kind of turn, and I walked back to the gate to see if I could see Murcher's lantern,

这样一想，吓得我转身就走，重新回到大门口去，看看是不是望得见摩契的提灯；

but there wasn't no sign of him nor of anyone else."

可是连他的影子也瞧不见，也没见到别的人。"

"There was no one in the street?"

"街上一个人也没有吗？"

"Not a livin' soul, sir, nor as much as a dog.

"一个人影也没有，先生，连条狗都没有。

Then I pulled myself together and went back and pushed the door open.

我只好鼓起勇气，又走了回去，把门推开。

All was quiet inside, so I went into the room where the light was a-burnin'.

里面静悄悄的，于是我就走进了那间有灯光的屋子里去。

There was a candle flickerin' on the mantelpiece–a red wax one–and by its light I saw– –"

只见壁炉台上点着一支蜡烛，还是一支红蜡烛，烛光摇摆不定，烛光下只见——”

"Yes, I know all that you saw.

"好了，你所看见的情况我都知道了。

You walked round the room several times, and you knelt down by the body,

你在屋中走了几圈，并且在死尸旁边跪了下来，

and then you walked through and tried the kitchen door, and then– –"

以后又走过去推推厨房的门，后来——"

John Rance sprang to his feet with a frightened face and suspicion in his eyes.

约翰·栾斯听到这里，突然跳了起来，满脸惊惧，眼中露出怀疑的神色。

"Where was you hid to see all that?" he cried.

他大声说道："当时你躲在什么地方，看得这样一清二楚？

"It seems to me that you knows a deal more than you should."

我看，这些事都是你不应该知道的。"

Holmes laughed and threw his card across the table to the constable¹.

福尔摩斯笑了起来，拿出他的名片，隔着桌子丢给这位警察看。

"Don't go arresting me for the murder," he said.

"可别把我当作凶手逮捕起来，"他说，

"I am one of the hounds and not the wolf; Mr. Gregson or Mr. Lestrade will answer for that.

"我也是一条猎犬而不是狼；这一点葛莱森和雷斯垂德先生都会证明的。

Go on, though. What did you do next?"

那么，请接着讲下去。以后你又作了些什么呢？"

Rance resumed his seat, without, however, losing his mystified expression.

栾斯重新坐了下来，但是脸上狐疑的神气还没消除。

"I went back to the gate and sounded my whistle.

"我走到大门口，吹起警笛。

That brought Murcher and two more to the spot."

摩契和另外两个警察都应声而来。"

"Was the street empty then?"

"当时街上什么都没有吗？"

"Well, it was, as far as anybody that could be of any good goes."

"是呀，凡是正经点的人早都回家了。"

"What do you mean?"

"这是什么意思？"

The constable's features broadened into a grin.

警察笑了一笑，

"I've seen many a drunk chap in my time," he said, "but never anyone so cryin' drunk as that cove².

他说："我这辈子见过的醉汉可多了，可是从来没有见过象那个家伙那样烂醉如泥的。

He was at the gate when I came out, a-leanin' up ag'in the railings,

我出来的时候，他正站在门口，靠着栏杆，

and a-singin' at the pitch of his lungs about Columbine's New-fangled Banner, or some such stuff.

放开嗓门，大声唱着考棱班唱的那段小调或是这一类的歌子。

He couldn't stand, far less help."

他简直连脚都站不住了，真没办法。"

"What sort of a man was he?" asked Sherlock Holmes.

"他是一个什么样的人？"福尔摩斯问道。

John Rance appeared to be somewhat irritated at this digression.

福尔摩斯这样一打岔，约翰·栾斯好象有些不高兴。

"He was an uncommon³ drunk sort of man," he said.

他说："他倒是一个少见的醉鬼。

"He'd ha' found hisself in the station if we hadn't been so took up."

如果我们不那么忙的话，他免不了要被送到警察局去呢。"

"His face–his dress–didn't you notice them?" Holmes broke in impatiently.

"他的脸，他的衣服，你注意到没有？"福尔摩斯忍不住又插嘴问道。

"I should think I did notice them, seeing that I had to prop⁴ him up–me and Murcher between us.

"我想当时我确实注意到了，因为我和摩契还搀扶过他。

He was a long chap, with a red face, the lower part muffled⁵ round– –"

他是一个高个子，红脸，下边一圈长着——"

"That will do," cried Holmes.

"这就够了。"福尔摩斯大声说道，

"What became of him?"

"后来他又怎么样了？"

"We'd enough to do without lookin' after him," the policeman said, in an aggrieved⁶ voice.

"我们当时够忙的啦，哪有工夫去照管他。"他说。

"I'll wager⁷ he found his way home all right."

接着这位警察又颇为不满地说："我敢打赌，他满认得回家的路呢。"

"How was he dressed?"

"他穿的什么衣服？"

"A brown overcoat."

"一件棕色外衣。"

"Had he a whip in his hand?"

"手里有没有拿着马鞭子？"

"A whip?no."

"马鞭子？没有。"

"He must have left it behind," muttered my companion.

"他一定是把它丢下了，"我的伙伴嘟囔着说，

"You didn't happen to see or hear a cab after that?"

"后来你看见或者听见有辆马车过去吗？"

"No."

"没有。"

1 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

2 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

3 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

4 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

5 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 wager   

n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌

参考例句：

• They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
• I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。