血字的研究 25广告引来了不速之客(1)

Chapter 5

第五章

OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR

广告引来了不速之客

OUR morning's exertions¹ had been too much for my weak health, and I was tired out in the afternoon.

上午忙碌了一阵，我的身体实在有点吃不消，因此，下午就感到疲倦已极。

After Holmes's departure for the concert, I lay down upon the sofa and endeavoured to get a couple of hours' sleep.

在福尔摩斯出去听音乐会以后，我就躺在沙发上，尽量想睡它两小时，

It was a useless attempt.

可是怎么也办不到。

My mind had been too much excited by all that had occurred,

由于所发生的种种情况使我的心情过分激动，

and the strangest fancies and surmises² crowded into it.

脑子里充满了许许多多稀奇古怪的想法和猜测。

Every time that I closed my eyes I saw before me the distorted, baboon-like countenance³ of the murdered man.

只要我一合眼，那个被害者的歪扭得象猴子似的面貌就出现在我的眼前。

So sinister⁴ was the impression which that face had produced upon me

它给我的印象是万分丑恶，

that I found it difficult to feel anything but gratitude⁵ for him who had removed its owner from the world.

对于把这样一个长相的人从世上除掉的那个凶手，我除了对他感激之外，很难有其他的感觉。

If ever human features bespoke⁶ vice⁷ of the most malignant⁸ type,

如果相貌真的可以说明一个人的罪恶的话，

they were certainly those of Enoch J. Drebber, of Cleveland.

那一定就是象这位克利夫兰城的伊瑙克·锥伯的尊容了。

Still I recognized that justice must be done,

虽然如此，我认为问题还是应当公平处理，

and that the depravity of the victim was no condonement in the eyes of the law.

在法律上，被害人的罪行并不能抵消凶手的罪。

The more I thought of it the more extraordinary did my companion's hypothesis, that the man had been poisoned, appear.

我的伙伴推测说，这个人是中毒而死的，我越想越觉得这个推测很不平常。

I remembered how he had sniffed⁹ his lips,

我记得福尔摩斯嗅过死者的嘴唇，

and had no doubt that he had detected something which had given rise to the idea.

我确信他一定已经侦查出某种事物，才会使他有这样的想法。

Then, again, if not poison, what had caused this man's death, since there was neither wound nor marks of strangulation?

况且，尸体上既没有伤痕，又没有勒死的迹象，如果说不是中毒而死，那么致死的原因又是什么呢？

But, on the other hand, whose blood was that which lay so thickly upon the floor?

但是，从另一方面来看，地板上大摊的血迹又是谁的？

There were no signs of a struggle, nor had the victim any weapon with which he might have wounded an antagonist¹⁰.

屋里既没有发现扭打的痕迹，也没有找到死者用来击伤对方的凶器。

As long as all these questions were unsolved,

只要这一类的问题得不到解答，

I felt that sleep would be no easy matter, either for Holmes or myself.

我觉得，不管是福尔摩斯还是我，要想安睡可不是件容易的事。

His quiet, self-confident manner convinced me that he had already formed a theory which explained all the facts,

他的那种镇静而又充满自信的神态，使我深信他对于全部情节，早有见解；

though what it was I could not for an instant conjecture¹¹.

虽然他的内容究竟如何，我一时还不能猜测出来。

He was very late in returning–so late that I knew that the concert could not have detained him all the time.

福尔摩斯回来得非常晚。我相信，他绝不可能听音乐会一直到这么晚。

Dinner was on the table before he appeared.

他回来的时候，晚饭早已经摆在桌上了。

"It was magnificent," he said, as he took his seat.

"今天的音乐太好了。"福尔摩斯说着就坐了下来，

"Do you remember what Darwin says about music?

"你记得达尔文对于音乐的见解吗？

He claims that the power of producing and appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of speech was arrived at.

他认为，远在人类有了说话的能力以前，人类就有了创造音乐和欣赏音乐的能力了。

Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced by it.

也许这就是咱们所以不可思议地易于受到音乐感染的原故。

There are vague memories in our souls of those misty¹² centuries when the world was in its childhood."

在咱们心灵的深处，对于世界混沌初期的那些朦胧岁月，还遗留着一些模糊不清的记忆。"

"That's rather a broad idea," I remarked.

我说："这种见解似乎过于广泛。"

"One's ideas must be as broad as Nature if they are to interpret Nature, "he answered.

福尔摩斯说："一个人如果要想说明大自然，那么，他的想象领域就必须象大自然一样的广阔。

"What's the matter? You're not looking quite yourself.

怎么回事？你今天和平常不大一样呀。

This Brixton Road affair has upset you."

布瑞克斯顿路的案子把你弄得心神不宁了吧。"

"To tell the truth, it has," I said.

我说："说实在的，这个案子确实使我心神不宁。

"I ought to be more case-hardened after my Afghan experiences.

通过阿富汗那番经历之后，我原应该锻炼得坚强些的。

I saw my own comrades hacked¹³ to pieces at Maiwand without losing my nerve."

在迈旺德战役中，我也曾亲眼看到自己的伙伴们血肉横飞的情景，但是我并没有感到害怕。"

1 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

2 surmises   

v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想

参考例句：

• The detective is completely correct in his surmises. 这个侦探所推测的完全正确。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As the reader probably surmises, a variety of interest tables exists. 正如读者可能推测的那样，存在着各种各样的利息表。 来自辞典例句

3 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

4 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

5 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

6 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 malignant   

adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Alexander got a malignant slander.亚历山大受到恶意的诽谤。
• He started to his feet with a malignant glance at Winston.他爬了起来，不高兴地看了温斯顿一眼。

9 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 antagonist   

n.敌人，对抗者，对手

参考例句：

• His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。
• The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。

11 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

12 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

13 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。