五个桔核 03年轻的委托人(1)

Sherlock Holmes was wrong in his conjecture¹, however, for there came a step in the passage and a tapping at the door.

福尔摩斯猜错了，因为过道上响起了脚步声，接着有人在敲门。

He stretched out his long arm to turn the lamp away from himself and towards the vacant chair upon which a newcomer must sit.

他伸出长臂把照亮他自己的那盏灯转向那张客人一定会在那里就座的空椅子一边，

"Come in!" said he.

然后说："进来吧。"

The man who entered was young, some two-and-twenty at the outside,

进来的是一个年轻人，外貌大约二十二岁左右，

well-groomed and trimly clad, with something of refinement² and delicacy³ in his bearing.

穿着考究，服饰整洁，举止大方，彬彬有礼。

The streaming umbrella which he held in his hand,

他手中的雨伞水泄如注，

and his long shining waterproof⁴ told of the fierce weather through which he had come.

身上的长雨衣闪烁发亮，这些都说明他一路上所经历的风吹雨打。

He looked about him anxiously in the glare of the lamp,

他在灯光下焦急地向四周打量了一下，

and I could see that his face was pale and his eyes heavy, like those of a man who is weighed down with some great anxiety.

这时我看出他的脸色苍白，双目低垂。一个被某种巨大的忧虑压得喘不过气来的人的神情往往如此。

"I owe you an apology," he said, raising his golden pince-nez to his eyes.

"我应当向您道歉，"他边说边将一副金丝夹鼻眼镜戴上。

"I trust that I am not intruding⁵. I fear that I have brought some traces of the storm and rain into your snug⁶ chamber⁷."

"我希望我不致打扰您！我担心我已经把从暴风雨里带来的泥水玷污了您的整洁的房间。"

1 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。

2 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

3 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

4 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

5 intruding   

v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于

参考例句：

• Does he find his new celebrity intruding on his private life? 他是否感觉到他最近的成名侵扰了他的私生活？
• After a few hours of fierce fighting,we saw the intruding bandits off. 经过几小时的激烈战斗，我们赶走了入侵的匪徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。