巴斯克维尔的猎犬 华生医生的第二份报告（12）

 

　　I have said "by one night's work," but, in truth, it was by two nights' work, for on the first wedrew entirely blank. I sat up with Sir Henry in his rooms until nearly three o'clock in the morning,but no sound of any sort did we hear except the chiming clock upon the stairs. It was a mostmelancholy vigil and ended by each of us falling asleep in our chairs. Fortunately we were notdiscouraged, and we determined to try again. The next night we lowered the lamp and sat smokingcigarettes without making the least sound. It was incredible how slowly the hours crawled by, andyet we were helped through it by the same sort of patient interest which the hunter must feel as hewatches the trap into which he hopes the game may wander. One struck, and two, and we hadalmost for the second time given it up in despair when in an instant we both sat bolt upright in ourchairs with all our weary senses keenly on the alert once more. We had heard the creak of a step inthe passage.

　　我说“经过一夜的努力”， 实际上是经过了两夜的努力， 因为头一夜我们什么也没搞出来。 我和亨利爵士在他房间里一直坐到早晨将近三点钟的时候， 可是除了楼梯上端的大钟报时的声音以外， 我们什么也没有听到。 那真是一次最可怜的熬夜了， 结果是我们俩都在椅子里睡着了。 所幸的是我们并没有因此气馁， 并且决定再试一试。 第二天夜里， 我们捻小了灯头坐在那里， 无声无息地吸着烟。 时间似乎过得令人难以相信地那么慢， 可是我们靠着猎人在监视着自己设的陷阱， 希望所要捉的动物会不意地闯进去时所必然会有的那种耐心和兴趣熬了过来。 钟敲了一下， 又敲了两下， 在绝望之中， 我们几乎都想再度放弃不干了， 就在这时， 突然我俩在椅子里猛地坐直起来， 已经疲倦的全部感官又重新变得警醒而敏锐了。 我们听到了过道里的咯吱咯吱的脚步声。

　　Very stealthily we heard it pass along until it died away in the distance. Then the baronetgently opened his door and we set out in pursuit. Already our man had gone round the gallery andthe corridor was all in darkness. Softly we stole along untii we had come into the other wing. Wewere just in time to catch a glimpse of the tall, black-bearded figure, his shoulders rounded as hetiptoed down the passage. Then he passed through the same door as before, and the light of thecandle framed it in the darkness and shot one single yellow beam across the gloom of the corridor.

　　We shuffled cautiously towards it, trying every plank before we dared to put our whole weightupon it. We had taken the precaution of leaving our boots behind us, but, even so, the old boardssnapped and creaked beneath our tread. Sometimes it seemed impossible that he should fail to hearour approach. However, the man is fortunately rather deaf, and he was entirely preoccupied in thatwhich he was doing. When at last we reached the door and peeped through we found himcrouching at the window, candle in hand, his white, intent face pressed against the pane, exactly asI had seen him two nights before.

　　我们听着那脚步声偷偷摸摸地走了 过去， 直到在远处消失为止。 然后准男爵轻轻地推开了门， 我们就开始了跟踪。 那人已转入了 回廊， 走廊里是一片漆黑。 我们轻轻地走到了另一侧的厢房， 刚好能看到他那蓄着黑须的、 高高的身影。 他弯腰伛背， 用脚尖轻轻地走过了过道， 后来就走进了上次进去过的那个门口， 门口的轮廓在黑暗中被烛光照得显露出来， 一道黄光穿过了阴暗的走廊。 我们小心地迈着小步走了过去， 在以全身重量踩上每条地板以前，都要先试探一下。 为了 小心起见， 我们没有穿鞋， 虽然如此， 陈旧的地板还是要在脚底下咯吱作响。 有时似乎他不可能听不到我们走近的声音， 所幸的是那人相当地聋， 而且他正在全神贯注地干着自己的事。 最后， 我们走到了门口偷偷一望， 看到他正弯腰站在窗前， 手里拿着蜡烛， 他那苍白而聚精会神的面孔紧紧地压在窗玻璃上， 和我在前天夜里所看到的完全一样。