歪唇男人 25拜访圣克莱尔夫人(5)

"Yes, there was a ring. His signet-ring."

"是，有一只戒指，他的图章戒指。"

"And you are sure that this is your husband's hand?"

"您能认定这是您丈夫的笔迹么？"

"One of his hands." "One?"

"这是他的一种笔迹。""一种？"

"His hand when he wrote hurriedly. It is very unlike his usual writing, and yet I know it well."

"是他在匆忙中写的一种笔迹。这和他平时的笔迹不一样，可是我完全认得出来。"

Dearest do not be frightened. All will come well.

亲爱的：不要害怕。一切都会变好起来的。

There is a huge error which it may take some little time to rectify¹. Wait in patience. Neville.

已经铸成一个大错，这也许需要费些时间来加以纠正。请耐心等待。内维尔

"Written in pencil upon the fly-leaf of a book, octavo size, no water-mark.

"这信是用铅笔写在一张八开本书的扉页上的，纸上没有水纹。

Hum! Posted to-day in Gravesend by a man with a dirty thumb.

嗯！它是由一个大拇指很脏的人今天从格雷夫森德寄出的。

Ha! And the flap has been gummed, if I am not very much in error, by a person who had been chewing tobacco.

哈！信封的口盖是用胶水粘的，如果我没有弄错的话，封这封信的人还是一直在嚼烟草的。

And you have no doubt that it is your husband's hand, madam?"

太太，您敢肯定这是您丈夫的笔迹吗？"

"None. Neville wrote those words."

"我敢肯定。这是内维尔写的字。"

"And they were posted to-day at Gravesend.

"信物还是今天从格雷夫森德寄出的。

Well, Mrs. St. Clair, the clouds lighten, though I should not venture to say that the danger is over."

喏，圣克莱尔太太，乌云已散，虽然我不应该冒险地说危险已经过去了。"

"But he must be alive, Mr. Holmes."

"可是他一定是尚在人间了，福尔摩斯先生。"

"Unless this is a clever forgery² to put us on the wrong scent³.

"除非这笔迹是一种巧妙的伪造，来引诱我们走入歧途的。

The ring, after all, proves nothing. It may have been taken from him."

那戒指，归根到底，证明不了什么。它可以是从他手上取下来的嘛！"

"No, no; it is, it is his very own writing!"

"不，不，这是他的亲手笔迹啊！"

"Very well. It may, however, have been written on Monday and only posted to-day." "That is possible."

"很好。不过，它或许是星期一书写的，而到今天才寄出来的。""那是可能的。"

"If so, much may have happened between."

"照这样说，在这段时间里也可能发生许多事。"

1 rectify   

v.订正，矫正，改正

参考例句：

• The matter will rectify itself in a few days.那件事过几天就会变好。
• You can rectify this fault if you insert a slash.插人一条斜线便可以纠正此错误。

2 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。

3 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。