波希米亚丑闻 05高贵的委托者（3）

I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction¹.

他解释推理的过程是那么毫不费力，我不禁笑了起来。

"When I hear you give your reasons," I remarked,

"听你讲这些推理时，"我说，

"the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself,

"事情仿佛总是显得那么简单，几乎简单到了可笑的程度，甚至我自己也能推理，

though at each successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your process.

在你解释推理过程之前，我对你推理的下一步的每一情况总是感到迷惑不解。

And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours."

但我还是觉得我的眼力不比你的差。"

"Quite so," he answered, lighting² a cigarette, and throwing himself down into an armchair.

"的确如此，"他点燃了一支香烟，全身舒展地倚靠在扶手椅上，回答道，

"You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.

"你是在看而不是在观察。这二者之间的区别是很清楚的。

For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room."

比如说，你常看到从下面大厅到这间屋子的梯级吧？"

"Frequently." "How often?"

"经常看到的。" "多少次了？"

"Well, some hundreds of times." "Then how many are there?" "How many? I don't know."

"嗯，不下于几百次吧。" "那么，有多少梯级？" "多少梯级？我不知道。"

"Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point.

"那就对啦！因为你没有观察，而只是看嘛。这恰恰是我要指出的要害所在。

Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed.

你瞧，我知道共有十七个梯级。因为我不但看而且观察了。

By the way, since you are interested in these little problems,

顺便说说，由于你对这些小问题有兴趣，

and since you are good enough to chronicle one or two of my trifling³ experiences, you may be interested in this."

又由于你善于把我的一两个小经验记录下来，你对这个东西也许会感兴趣的。"

He threw over a sheet of thick, pink-tinted note-paper which had been lying open upon the table.

他把一直放在他桌子上的一张粉红色的厚厚的便条纸扔了过来。

"It came by the last post," said he. "Read it aloud."

"这是最近一班邮差送来的，"他说，"你大声地念念看。"

1 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。