波希米亚丑闻 18乔装打扮(4)

"I am following you closely," I answered.

"我正在仔细地倾听呢，"我回答道。

"I was still balancing the matter in my mind when a hansom cab drove up to Briony Lodge¹, and a gentleman sprang out.

"我心里正在权衡着利害得失的时候，忽地瞧见一辆双轮马车赶到布里翁尼府第门前，由车里跳出一位绅士。

He was a remarkably² handsome man, dark, aquiline³, and moustached–evidently the man of whom I had heard.

他是一位非常漂亮的男人，黑黑的，鹰钩鼻子，留着小胡子——显然就是我听说的那个人。

He appeared to be in a great hurry, shouted to the cabman to wait,

他仿佛十万火急似的样子，大声吆喝要车夫等着他。

and brushed past the maid who opened the door with the air of a man who was thoroughly⁴ at home.

他从替他开门的女仆面前擦身而过，显示出毫无拘束的神态。

He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses of him in the windows of the sitting-room⁵,

他在屋子里逗留了大约半个小时。我透过起居室的窗户可以隐隐约约地看见

pacing up and down, talking excitedly, and waving his arms.

他踱来踱去，挥舞双臂兴奋地谈着。

Of her I could see nothing. Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than before.

至于她，我什么也没看到。他随即走了出来，好象比刚才更加急忙的样子。

As he stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from his pocket and looked at it earnestly,

他在登上马车时，从口袋里掏出一块金表，热切地看了看喊道，

'Drive like the devil,' he shouted, 'first to Gross And Hankey's in Regent Street, and then to the Church of St. Monica in the Edgeware Road.

'拚命快赶，先到摄政街格罗斯·汉基旅馆，然后到埃奇丰尔路圣莫尼卡教堂。

Half a guinea if you do it in twenty minutes!'

你要是能在二十分钟之内赶到，我就赏给你半个畿尼。'

Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do well to follow them when up the lane came a neat little landau,

他们一下子就走了。我正在犹豫不决是否应该紧紧尾随的当儿，忽地从小巷里来了一辆小巧雅致的四轮马车。

the coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under his ear,

那马车夫的上衣的扣子只有一半是扣上的，领带歪在耳边，

while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of the buckles⁶.

马匹挽具上所有金属箍头却都由带扣中突出来。

It hadn't pulled up before she shot out of the hall door and into it.

车还没停稳，她就由大门飞奔出来一头钻进车厢。

I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely woman, with a face that a man might die for.

在这霎那间，我只瞥了她一眼，但已可看出她是个可爱的女人，容貌之标致足令男人倾倒。

'The Church of St. Monica, John,' she cried, 'and half a sovereign if you reach it in twenty minutes.'

"'约翰，去圣莫尼卡教堂，'她喊道，'要是你能在二十分钟之内赶到那里的话，我就赏给你半镑金币。'

1 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

2 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

3 aquiline   

adj.钩状的，鹰的

参考例句：

• He had a thin aquiline nose and deep-set brown eyes.他长着窄长的鹰钩鼻和深陷的褐色眼睛。
• The man has a strong and aquiline nose.该名男子有强大和鹰鼻子。

4 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

5 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

6 buckles   

搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。