五个桔核 16神秘来信(10)

"Why did you come to me," he cried, "and, above all, why did you not come at once?"

"那么，为什么您来找我？"他叫道，"再说更重要的是，为什么您不一开始就来找我？"

"I did not know. It was only to-day that I spoke¹ to Major Prendergast about my troubles

"我不知道啊。只是到了今天，我向普伦德加斯特少校谈了我的困境，

and was advised by him to come to you."

他才劝我来找您的。"

"It is really two days since you had the letter.

"您接到了信已经整整过了两天。

We should have acted before this.

我们应当在此之前采取行动。

You have no further evidence, I suppose, than that which you have placed before us

我估计您除了那些已经向我提供的情节以外，没有更进一步的凭证

no suggestive detail which might help us?"

没有什么可以对我们有用的带有启发性的细节了吧。"

"There is one thing," said John Openshaw.

"有一件，"约翰·奥彭肖说。

He rummaged² in his coat pocket, and, drawing out a piece of discoloured, blue-tinted paper, he laid it out upon the table.

他在上衣口袋里翻找了一番以后，掏出了一张褪色的蓝纸，摊开放在桌上。

"I have some remembrance," said he, "that on the day when my uncle burned the papers

"我有些记得，"他说，"那一天，我的伯父在焚烧文件的时候，

I observed that the small, unburned margins³ which lay amid the ashes were of this particular colour.

我看见纸灰堆里有一些小的没有烧着的文件的纸边是这种特殊的颜色的。

I found this single sheet upon the floor of his room,

我在我伯父的屋子里的地板上发现这张纸。

and I am inclined to think that it may be one of the papers which has, perhaps, fluttered out from among the others,

我倾向于这样的想法：它是从一叠纸里掉下来的，

and in that way has escaped destruction.

所以没被焚烧掉。

Beyond the mention of pips, I do not see that it helps us much.

纸上除了提到桔核之外，恐怕它对我们帮助不大。

I think myself that it is a page from some private diary. The writing is undoubtedly⁴ my uncle's."

我想它也许是私人日记里的一页，字迹毫无疑问是我伯父的。"

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 rummaged   

翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查

参考例句：

• I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

3 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

4 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。