绿玉皇冠案 23来到费尔班寓所(4)

"But what is the good of all these vague theories," cried the banker impatiently,

"但是这些空洞的理论有什么用处，"银行家不耐烦地嚷了起来，

"when I have told you that I saw Arthur with the coronet in his hands?"

"我不是对你讲过我当时亲眼看见阿瑟手里拿着那顶皇冠吗？"

"Wait a little, Mr. Holder¹. We must come back to that.

"不要着急，霍尔德先生。我们必须追问一下这件事。

About this girl, Miss Holder. You saw her return by the kitchen door, I presume?"

霍尔德小姐，关于这个女仆，我想你看见她是从厨房门附近回来的，是吗？"

"Yes; when I went to see if the door was fastened for the night I met her slipping in. I saw the man, too, in the gloom."

"是的，当我去查看那扇门有没有闩好时，我碰见她偷偷地溜了进来。我也看见那个男人在暗地里。"

"Do you know him?"

"你认识他吗？"

"Oh, yes! he is the green-grocer who brings our vegetables round. His name is Francis Prosper²."

"噢，我认识！他是给我们送蔬菜的菜贩。他的名字是弗朗西斯·普罗斯珀。"

"He stood," said Holmes, "to the left of the door -- that is to say, farther up the path than is necessary to reach the door?"

"他站在，"福尔摩斯说，"门的左侧，也就是说，远离需要进入这门的路上？"

"Yes, he did."

"是的，是这样。"

"And he is a man with a wooden leg?"

"他还是一个装有木头假腿的人？"

Something like fear sprang up in the young lady's expressive³ black eyes.

这位年轻小姐富于表情的黑眼珠突然显得有点害怕的样子。

"Why, you are like a magician," said she. "How do you know that?"

"怎么？你真像个魔术师啊，"她说，"你怎么知道这个？"

She smiled, but there was no answering smile in Holmes's thin, eager face.

她当时面带笑容，但是福尔摩斯瘦削而显得热切的脸上没有迎合对方的笑容。

"I should be very glad now to go upstairs," said he.

"我很想现在就上楼去，"福尔摩斯说

"I shall probably wish to go over the outside of the house again.

"我很可能还要到房子外边再走一趟。

Perhaps I had better take a look at the lower windows before I go up."

也许我在上楼之前最好再看看楼下的窗户。"

He walked swiftly round from one to the other, pausing only at the large one which looked from the hall onto the stable lane.

他很快地从一个个窗户前走过，只是在那扇可以从大厅向外望到马厩小道的大窗户前停了一下。

This he opened and made a very careful examination of the sill with his powerful magnifying lens.

他打开这扇窗户，用随身携带的高倍放大镜非常仔细地检查窗台。

"Now we shall go upstairs," said he at last.

最后他说，"现在我们可以上楼去了。"

1 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。

2 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

3 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。