红发会 02红发的主顾(2)

"You will remember that I remarked the other day, just before we went into the very simple problem presented by Miss Mary Sutherland,

"你当然会记得那天我们谈到玛丽·萨瑟兰小姐所提的那个很简单的问题之前所说的那段话吧：

that for strange effects and extraordinary combinations we must go to life itself,

为了获得新奇的效果和异乎寻常的配合，我们必须深入生活，

which is always far more daring than any effort of the imagination."

而它本身总是比任何大胆想象更富有冒险性。"

"A proposition which I took the liberty of doubting."

"我倒要冒昧地怀疑你的这个说法。"

"You did, Doctor, but none the less you must come round to my view,

"是吗？大夫。但是，你仍然必须同意我的看法。

for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact on you until your reason breaks down under them and acknowledges me to be right.

否则，我将继续列举一系列事实，这些事实将使你的道理不攻自破，然后你就会承认我是对的。

Now, Mr. Jabez Wilson here has been good enough to call upon me this morning,

好啦，这位杰贝兹·威尔逊先生真好，他今天上午专程来看我，

and to begin a narrative¹ which promises to be one of the most singular which I have listened to for some time.

他开始对我讲很可能是我好些时候以来所听过的最稀奇古怪的故事之一。

You have heard me remark that the strangest and most unique things are very often connected not with the larger but with the smaller crimes,

你已听我说过，最离奇、最独特的事物往往不是和较大的罪行而是和较小的罪行有联系，

and occasionally, indeed, where there is room for doubt whether any positive crime has been committed.

而且有时确实很可以怀疑是不是真的有人犯了罪。

As far as I have heard it is impossible for me to say whether the present case is an instance of crime or not,

就我所听到的来说，我还不可能断定现在这个案件是不是一个犯罪的案例，

but the course of events is certainly among the most singular that I have ever listened to.

但是，事情的经过肯定是我所听到过的最离奇不过的了。

Perhaps, Mr. Wilson, you would have the great kindness to recommence your narrative.

威尔逊先生，可不可以请你费心从头讲讲这件事情的经过。

I ask you not merely because my friend Dr. Watson has not heard the opening part

我请你从头讲，这不仅因为我的朋友华生大夫没有听到开头那部分，

but also because the peculiar² nature of the story makes me anxious to have every possible detail from your lips.

而且还因为这件事很奇特，所以我很想从你嘴里听到其中一切尽可能详细的情节。

As a rule, when I have heard some slight indication of the course of events,

一般说来，当我听到一些稍微能够说明事情经过的情节时，

I am able to guide myself by the thousands of other similar cases which occur to my memory.

我总是用几千个我能想得起来的其他类似案件来引导我自己。

In the present instance I am forced to admit that the facts are, to the best of my belief, unique."

这一次我不得不承认，我的确深信这些事实是独特的。"

1 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。