工程师大拇指案 10向福尔摩斯叙述故事(4)

He looked very hard at me as I spoke¹, and it seemed to me that I had never seen so suspicious and questioning an eye.

我说话的时候，他的眼睛一直紧紧地盯着我，我几乎从未见过如此猜忌多疑的眼光。

'Do you promise, then?' said he at last. 'Yes, I promise.'

末了，他说：'那么，您作出保证啦？''是的，我保证做到。'

'Absolute and complete silence before, during, and after?

'在事前事后以及整个事情进行的过程中，完全彻底保持缄默，

No reference to the matter at all, either in word or writing?'

绝对不提这件事，口头上和书面上都不提，能做到吗？'

'I have already given you my word.' 'Very good.'

'我已经向您保证过了。''那好极了。'

He suddenly sprang up, and darting² like lightning across the room he flung open the door. The passage outside was empty.

猛然间他跳了起来，闪电般地跑过房间，砰地推开了门，外面过道上空无一人。

'That's all right,' said he, coming back.

'还不错！'他走了回来。

'I know the clerks are sometimes curious as to their master's affairs. Now we can talk in safety.'

'我知道办事员们有时对他们东家的事情是很好奇的。现在，我们可以安全地谈话了。'

He drew up his chair very close to mine and began to stare at me again with the same questioning and thoughtful look.

他把椅子拉到紧贴我身边的地方，又一次以充满怀疑和探索的眼光打量着我。

A feeling of repulsion, and of something akin³ to fear had begun to rise within me at the strange antics of this fleshless man.

看到这瘦骨嶙峋的人的古怪行为，我的心里泛起了一种反感和近乎恐怖的感觉，

Even my dread⁴ of losing a client could not restrain me from showing my impatience⁵.

甚至失去主顾的担心也抑制不住我流露出来的不耐烦情绪。

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 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

3 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

4 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

5 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。