绿玉皇冠案 03几近疯癫的委托人(3)

A few moments later he was in our room, still puffing¹, still gesticulating,

片刻之后，他已经在我们房间里了，仍然气喘吁吁，一边还在做着手势，

but with so fixed² a look of grief and despair in his eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity.

然而两眼充满忧愁失望的神情，见到这种情况，我们的笑容顿然消失，并为之感到震惊和同情。

For a while he could not get his words out,

一时他还说不出话来，

but swayed his body and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the extreme limits of his reason.

只是颤动他的身子，抓着头发，十足像一个失去理智的人。

Then, suddenly springing to his feet, he beat his head against the wall with such force

随后他突然跳起来将头部向墙壁用力撞去，

that we both rushed upon him and tore him away to the centre of the room.

吓得我们两人一起赶紧把他拉住，拖到房间的中央来。

Sherlock Holmes pushed him down into the easy-chair and, sitting beside him,

歇洛克·福尔摩斯将他按到一张安乐椅上坐下，自己坐在一旁陪着他，

patted his hand and chatted with him in the easy, soothing³ tones which he knew so well how to employ.

轻轻地拍着他的手，并十分在行地运用他那轻松的令人宽心的语调和他聊了起来。

"You have come to me to tell your story, have you not?" said he.

"你到我这儿来是为了要告诉我你的事情，不对吗？"他说。

"You are fatigued⁴ with your haste. Pray wait until you have recovered yourself,

"你急急忙忙地跑累了，请稍事休息，等你缓过气来，

and then I shall be most happy to look into any little problem which you may submit to me."

然后我会很高兴地研究你可能向我提出的任何小问题。"

The man sat for a minute or more with a heaving chest, fighting against his emotion.

那个人坐了一两分钟，胸部剧烈地起伏着，极力把情绪稳定下来。

Then he passed his handkerchief over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us.

然后他用手帕擦了擦他的前额，紧闭着嘴，将脸转向我们。

"No doubt you think me mad?" said he.

他说："你们一定以为我疯了吧？"

"I see that you have had some great trouble," responded Holmes.

"我看你准是遇到了十分麻烦的事情。"福尔摩斯答道。

"God knows I have! A trouble which is enough to unseat my reason, so sudden and so terrible is it.

"天晓得，我遇到了什么麻烦！这麻烦来得这样突然，这样可怕，足以使我丧失理智。

Public disgrace I might have faced, although I am a man whose character has never yet borne a stain.

我可能要蒙受公开的耻辱，尽管我从来是一个气质上毫无瑕疵的人。

Private affliction also is the lot of every man;

每一个人都会有自己的苦恼，这是命里注定的，

but the two coming together, and in so frightful⁵ a form, have been enough to shake my very soul.

但是这两桩事以这样可怕的形式一起降临到我的头上，这简直把我弄得六神无主。

Besides, it is not I alone. The very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found out of this horrible affair."

而且，事情还不止和我个人有关。如果得不到解决这件可怕的事情的办法，那我国最尊贵的人都可能受到连累。"

"Pray compose yourself, sir," said Holmes,

"先生，请镇静一下，"福尔摩斯说，

"and let me have a clear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen you."

"让我们弄清楚你是谁，你究竟出了什么事情。"

1 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

4 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

5 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。