身份案 02事件的开端(2)

I smiled and shook my head. "I can quite understand your thinking so," I said.

我笑着摇摇头说："我十分理解你这种想法。

"Of course, in your position of unofficial adviser¹ and helper to everybody who is absolutely puzzled, throughout three continents,

当然，由于你所处的地位，是整个三大洲每一个陷于困境的人的非正式顾问和助手，

you are brought in contact with all that is strange and bizarre. But here..."

你就有机会接触到一切异乎寻常的人和事。可是在这儿..."

I picked up the morning paper from the ground,

我从地上捡起一份晨报，

"let us put it to a practical test. Here is the first heading upon which I come. 'A husband's cruelty to his wife.'

"让我们作一次实验，这儿是我看到的第一个标题：《丈夫虐待妻子》。

There is half a column of print, but I know without reading it that it is all perfectly² familiar to me.

这条新闻占了半栏篇幅，可是我不看就完全明白里边说的是什么。

福尔摩斯探案集 身份案

There is, of course, the other woman, the drink, the push, the blow, the bruise³, the sympathetic sister or landlady⁴.

当然咯，其中牵涉到另一个女人、狂欢滥饮、推推搡搡、拳打脚踢、伤痕累累以及富有同情心的姊妹或者房东太太等等。

The crudest of writers could invent nothing more crude."

哪怕最拙劣的作者也想不出比这更粗制滥造的东西了。"

"Indeed, your example is an unfortunate one for your argument," said Holmes, taking the paper and glancing his eye down it.

福尔摩斯拿过报纸，粗略地扫视了一下，开口道："其实，你所举的例子，对你的论点来说是很不恰当的。

"This is the Dundas separation case, and, as it happens, I was engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with it.

这是邓达斯家分居的案子，发生的时候，我正在把同此案有关的一些细节弄清楚。

The husband was a teetotaler, there was no other woman,

丈夫是绝对的戒酒主义者，没有别的女人；

and the conduct complained of was that he had drifted into the habit of winding⁵ up every meal

被控的行为是，他养成了一种习惯，在每餐结束时，

by taking out his false teeth and hurling⁶ them at his wife, which, you will allow,

总是取下假牙向他的妻子扔去。你将认为，

is not an action likely to occur to the imagination of the average story-teller.

这件事在一般讲故事者的想象里是不会发生的。

Take a pinch of snuff, Doctor, and acknowledge that I have scored over you in your example."

大夫，来一点鼻烟，你得承认，从你所举的例子来看，我赢了。"

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

4 landlady   

n.女房东，女地主

参考例句：

• I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
• The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

5 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

6 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》