绿玉皇冠案 19宝石不见了(6)

"Precisely¹. And if it were guilty, why did he not invent a lie?

"正是这样。如果他是有罪的话，他为什么不编造个谎言？

His silence appears to me to cut both ways. There are several singular points about the case.

他的保持沉默在我看来可作两种解释，这案子有几个奇怪的地方。

What did the police think of the noise which awoke you from your sleep?"

对于把你从睡梦中吵醒的声音，警察是怎么认为的？"

"They considered that it might be caused by Arthur's closing his bedroom door."

"他们认为这可能是阿瑟关他卧室房门的声音。"

"A likely story! As if a man bent² on felony would slam his door so as to wake a household.

"说得倒像呢！好象一个存心作案的人非得大声关门把全家吵醒不可似的。

What did they say, then, of the disappearance³ of these gems⁴?"

好吧，那么对这些宝石的失踪他们是怎么说的？"

"They are still sounding the planking and probing the furniture in the hope of finding them."

"他们此时还在敲打地板，搜查家具，希望能找到它们。"

"Have they thought of looking outside the house?"

"他们有没有考虑去房子外面看看？"

"Yes, they have shown extraordinary energy. The whole garden has already been minutely examined."

"考虑了，他们劲头十足，整个花园已经仔细检查过了。"

"Now, my dear sir," said Holmes,

"说到这里，我亲爱的先生，"福尔摩斯说，

"is it not obvious to you now that this matter really strikes very much deeper than either you or the police were at first inclined to think?

"这不是很明显地告诉你这件事确实比你或警察起初所想的要深奥得多吗？

It appeared to you to be a simple case; to me it seems exceedingly complex.

据你们看，这只不过是一桩简单的案件；但在我看来它似乎特别复杂。

Consider what is involved by your theory.

想想你们的分析都是一些什么。

You suppose that your son came down from his bed, went, at great risk, to your dressing-room, opened your bureau,

你猜想你的儿子从床上下来，冒着很大的风险，走到你的起居室，打开你的柜子，

took out your coronet, broke off by main force a small portion of it, went off to some other place,

取出那顶皇冠，用了很大的力气从上面扳下一小部分，再到别的什么地方去，

concealed⁵ three gems out of the thirty-nine, with such skill that nobody can find them,

把三十九块绿玉中的三块用任何人都无法发现的巧妙办法藏了起来，

and then returned with the other thirty-six into the room in which he exposed himself to the greatest danger of being discovered.

然后带着其余的三十六块回到房间里来，让自己冒着被人发现的极大危险。

I ask you now, is such a theory tenable?"

现在我来问你，这个分析站得住脚吗？"

"But what other is there?" cried the banker with a gesture of despair.

"可是还能作什么别的分析呢？"这位银行家做出一个失望的姿态嚷着。

"If his motives⁶ were innocent, why does he not explain them?"

"要是他没有不良动机，那他为什么不解释清楚呢？"

"It is our task to find that out," replied Holmes;

"这正是我们要做的工作，把事情弄清楚。"福尔摩斯回答说；

"so now, if you please, Mr. Holder⁷, we will set off for Streatham together,

"所以现在如果你愿意的话，霍尔德先生，我们就一起动身到你斯特里特哈姆的家里去，

and devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details."

花上一个小时更周密地查看一下。"

1 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

5 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

6 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

7 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。