海军协定（20）

He walked past the couch to the open window, and held up the drooping¹ stalk of a moss-rose, looking down at the dainty blend of crimson² and green. It was a new phase of his character to me, for I had never before seen him show any keen interest in natural objects.

“There is nothing in which deduction³ is so necessary as in religion,” said he, leaning with his back against the shutters⁴. “It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence⁵ seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

Percy Phelps and his nurse looked at Holmes during this demonstration⁶ with surprise and a good deal of disappointment written upon their faces. He had fallen into a reverie, with the moss-rose between his fingers. It had lasted some minutes before the young lady broke in upon it.

“Do you see any prospect⁷ of solving this mystery, Mr. Holmes?” she asked, with a touch of asperity⁸ in her voice.

“Oh, the mystery!” he answered, coming back with a start to the realities of life. “Well, it would be absurd to deny that the case is a very abstruse⁹ and complicated one, but I can promise you that I will look into the matter and let you know any points which may strike me.”

他走过长沙发，到开着的窗前，伸手扶起一根低垂着的玫瑰花枝，欣赏着娇绿艳红的花一团一。在我看来，这还是他一性一格中一个新的方面，因为我以前还从未见过他对自然物表现出强烈的一爱一好。

“天下事没有比宗教更需要推理法的了。”他把背斜靠着百叶窗，说道，“推理法可能被推理学者们逐步树立为一门一精一密的学科。按照推理法，据我看来，我们对上帝仁慈的最高信仰，就是寄托于鲜花之中。因为一切其它的东西：我们的本领，我们的愿望，我们的食物，这一切首先都是为了生存的需要。而这种花朵就迥然不同了。它的香气和它的色泽都是生命的点缀，而不是生存的条件。只有仁慈才能产生这些不凡的品格。所以我再说一遍，人类在鲜花中寄托着巨大的希望。”

珀西-费尔普斯和他的护理人在福尔摩斯论证时望着他，脸上流露出惊奇和极度失望的神色。福尔摩斯手中拿着玫瑰花陷入沉思，这样过了几分钟，那位年轻的女子打破了沉寂。

“你看出解决这一疑一团一的希望了吗？福尔摩斯先生，”她用有点刺耳的声音问道。

“啊，这个疑一团一！”福尔摩斯一愣，才又回到现实生活中来，回答道，“嗯，如果否认这件案子复杂而又难解，那是愚蠢的。不过我可以答应你们，我要深入调查这件事，并把我所了解的一切情况告诉你们。”

1 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

2 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

3 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

4 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

5 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

8 asperity   

n.粗鲁，艰苦

参考例句：

• He spoke to the boy with asperity.他严厉地对那男孩讲话。
• The asperity of the winter had everybody yearning for spring.严冬之苦让每个人都渴望春天。

9 abstruse   

adj.深奥的，难解的

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory of relativity is very abstruse.爱因斯坦的相对论非常难懂。
• The professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them.该教授的课程太深奥了，学生们纷纷躲避他的课。