巴斯克威尔的猎犬 亨利· 巴斯克维尔爵士（4）

 

"Might I trouble you for it -- the inside page, please, with the leading articles?" He glancedswiftly over it, running his eyes up and down the columns. "Capital article this on free trade.

Permit me to give you an extract from it.

“麻烦你拿给我可以吗？ 翻开里面的一版， 劳驾， 专登主要评论的那一面。” 他迅速地从上到下看了一遍， 这篇重要的评论谈的是自由贸易， 让我给你们读一读其中的一段吧。

"You may be cajoled into imagining that your own special trade or your own industry will beencouraged by a protective tariff¹, but it stands to reason that such legislation must in the long runkeep away wealth from the country, diminish the value of our imports, and lower the generalconditions of life in this island.

“可能你还会重被花言巧语哄得相信， 保护税则会对你的本行买卖或是工业具有鼓励的作用， 但若从理性出发， 由长远来看的话， 此种立法命定会使国家远离富足， 减低进口总价值， 并降低此岛国之一般生活水平。”

"What do you think of that, Watson?" cried Holmes in high glee, rubbing his hands togetherwith satisfaction. "Don't you think that is an admirable sentiment?"“华生， 你对这事的想法如何呢？ ”福尔摩斯欣喜莫名地叫了起来， 很满意似地搓着手，“你不认为这是一种很可钦佩的情感吗？ ”

Dr. Mortimer looked at Holmes with an air of professional interest, and Sir Henry Baskervilleturned a pair of puzzled dark eyes upon me.

摩梯末医生带着职业的兴趣的神气望着福尔摩斯， 而亨利·巴斯克维尔爵士则将一对茫然的眼睛盯住了我。

"I don't know much about the tariff and things of that kind," said he, "but it seems to mewe've got a bit off the trail so far as that note is concerned."“我不大懂得税则这一类的事情， ” 亨利爵士说道，“可是据我看来， 就这封短信来说，我们已经有点离题了 。”

"On the contrary, I think we are particularly hot upon the trail, Sir Henry. Watson here knowsmore about my methods than you do, but I fear that even he has not quite grasped the significanceof this sentence."

“正相反， 我认为我们恰恰是在正题上呢， 亨利爵士。 华生对于我所采用的方法比您知道得要多， 但恐怕就连他也不见得十分了解这个长句子的重要性呢。”

"No, I confess that I see no connection."

“是的， 我承认我看不出来两者之间有什么联系。”

1 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。