五个桔核 04年轻的委托人(2)

"Give me your coat and umbrella," said Holmes.

"把您的雨衣和伞都给我，"福尔摩斯说，

"They may rest here on the hook¹ and will be dry presently².

"把它们挂在钩子上，一会儿就会干的。

You have come up from the south-west, I see." "Yes, from Horsham."

我看，您是从西南来的吧。""是的，从霍尔舍姆来的。"

"That clay and chalk mixture which I see upon your toe caps is quite distinctive³." "I have come for advice."

"从粘在您鞋尖上混合在一起的粘土和白垩上，我就很清楚地看出您是从那里来的。""我是专诚来向您请求指教的。"

"That is easily got." "And help." "That is not always so easy."

"这我很容易做到。""并且还要请您帮助哩。""那可就不总是那么容易了。"

"I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes. I heard from Major Prendergast how you saved him in the Tankerville Club scandal⁴."

"我已久闻大名，福尔摩斯先生。我听普伦德加斯特少校说过，您是怎样把他从坦克维尔俱乐部丑闻案件中拯救出来的。"

"Ah, of course. He was wrongfully accused of cheating at cards."

"啊！不错。人家诬告他用假牌行骗。"

"He said that you could solve anything." "He said too much."

"他说您能解决任何问题。""他说得太过分了。"

"That you are never beaten." "I have been beaten four times–three times by men, and once by a woman."

"他还说您是常胜将军。""我曾失败过四次--三次败于几个男人，一次败于一个女人。"

"But what is that compared with the number of your successes?"

"可是，这同您无数次的胜利是不可同日而语的。"

"It is true that I have been generally successful." "Then you may be so with me."

"不错，一般地说，我还是成功的。""那么，对于我的事，您可能也会成功的。"

"I beg that you will draw your chair up to the fire and favour me with some details as to your case."

"请您把椅子挪近壁炉一些，讲一讲您这件案子的一些细节。"

"It is no ordinary one." "None of those which come to me are. I am the last court of appeal."

"这决不是一个寻常的案子。""到我这里来谈的案子都是不寻常的。我这里成了最高上诉法院。"

"And yet I question, sir, whether, in all your experience,

"可是，先生，我想问您，在您的经验中，

you have ever listened to a more mysterious and inexplicable⁵ chain of events than those which have happened in my own family."

有没有听说过比我家族中所发生的一连串更为神秘、更难解释的事故？"

"You fill me with interest," said Holmes. "Pray give us the essential facts from the commencement,

"您说的使我极感兴趣，"福尔摩斯说道。"请您首先告诉我们一些主要事实，

and I can afterwards question you as to those details which seem to me to be most important."

我随后会把我认为最关紧要的细节提出来问您。"

The young man pulled his chair up and pushed his wet feet out towards the blaze⁶.

那年轻人朝前挪动了一下椅子，把两只穿着潮湿鞋子的脚伸向炉火边。

1 hook   

vt.钩住；n.钩子，钩状物

参考例句：

• The blacksmith forged a bar of iron into a hook.铁匠把一根铁条锻造成一个钩子。
• He hangs up his scarf on the hook behind the door.他把围巾挂在门后的衣钩上。

2 presently   

adv.不久，一会儿；现在，目前

参考例句：

• I'll go to see your uncle presently.我一会儿就去看望你叔叔。
• He is presently living in New York.他目前住在纽约。

3 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

4 scandal   

n.丑事，丑闻，流言蜚语，反感，愤慨

参考例句：

• Scandal and gossip are meat and drink to him.各种丑闻和流言蜚语是他最感兴趣的事。
• His theft from the shop caused scandal in the village.他因偷商店的东西引起全村的公愤。

5 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

6 blaze   

n.火焰，火堆，火光，火灾；vi.燃烧，着火

参考例句：

• In a blaze of anger he shouted at them.他怒火中烧，对着他们大吼起来。
• Dry wood makes a good blaze.干木燃起夺目的光焰。