博斯科姆比溪谷秘案 10整理线索(4)

I shook my head. "Many men have been hanged on far slighter evidence," I remarked.

我摇头说，"有许多人在远比这个案子的证据少得多的情况下就被绞死了。"

"So they have. And many men have been wrongfully hanged."

"他们是这样被绞死的。但是许多被绞死的人死得冤枉。"

"What is the young man's own account of the matter?"

"那个年轻人自己是怎么交代的？"

"It is, I am afraid, not very encouraging to his supporters, though there are one or two points in it which are suggestive.

"他自己的交代对支持他的人们鼓舞作用不大，其中倒有一两点给人一些启示。

You will find it here, and may read it for yourself."

你可以在这里找到，你自己看好了。"

He picked out from his bundle¹ a copy of the local Herefordshire paper,

他从那捆报纸中抽出一份赫里福德郡当地的报纸，

and having turned down the sheet he pointed² out the paragraph in which the unfortunate young man had given his own statement of what had occurred.

把其中一页翻折过来，指出那不幸的年轻人对所发生的情况交代的那一大段。

I settled myself down in the corner of the carriage and read it very carefully.

我安稳地坐在车厢的一个角落里专心致志地阅读起来。

It ran in this way: Mr. James McCarthy, the only son of the deceased, was then called and gave evidence as follows:

其内容如下：死者的独生子詹姆斯·麦卡锡先生当时出庭作证如下：

"I had been away from home for three days at Bristol, and had only just returned upon the morning of last Monday, the 3d.

"我曾离家三天去布里斯托尔，而在上星期一（三日）上午回家。

My father was absent from home at the time of my arrival,

我到达时，父亲不在家，

and I was informed by the maid that he had driven over to Ross with John Cobb, the groom³.

女佣人告诉我，他和马车夫约翰·科布驱车到罗斯去了。

Shortly after my return I heard the wheels of his trap in the yard, and, looking out of my window,

我到家不久就听见他的马车驶进院子的声音，我从窗口望去，

I saw him get out and walk rapidly out of the yard, though I was not aware in which direction he was going.

看见他下车后很快从院子往外走，我当时并不知道他要到哪里去。

I then took my gun and strolled⁴ out in the direction of the Boscombe Pool,

于是我拿着枪漫步朝博斯科姆比池塘那个方向走去，

with the intention of visiting the rabbit-warren which is upon the other side.

打算到池塘的那一边的养兔场去看看。

1 bundle   

n.捆，包，束；一堆，一批；v.把…扎成一捆

参考例句：

• My uncle sent me a large bundle on my birthday.我生日时叔父给我寄来一个大包裹。
• Dad found a bundle of spelling mistakes in my composition.爸爸在我作文里找出一大堆拼写错误。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

4 strolled   

散步（stroll的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• They strolled through the park, with arms entwined. 他们挽着胳膊漫步穿过公园。
• They strolled down to the waterside. 他们漫步向水边走去。