红发会 05红发的主顾(5)（在线收听）

Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. "Well, I never!" said he.

杰贝兹·威尔逊大笑起来。他说："好，这个我怎么也想不到啊！

"I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see that there was nothing in it, after all."

我起初想，你简直是神机妙算，但说穿了也就没什么奥妙了。"

"I begin to think, Watson," said Holmes, "that I make a mistake in explaining.

福尔摩斯说："华生，我现在才想起来，我真不应该这么样摊开来说。

'Omne ignotum pro magnifico,' you know, and my poor little reputation, such as it is,

要'大智若愚'，你知道，我的名声本来就不怎么样，

will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?"

心眼太实是要身败名裂的。威尔逊先生，你能找到那个广告吗？"

"Yes, I have got it now," he answered with his thick red finger planted halfway down the column.

"能，就在我这里。"他回答时他的又粗又红的手指正指在那栏广告的中间。

"Here it is. This is what began it all. You just read it for yourself, sir."

他说："就在这儿，这就是整个事情的起因。先生，你们自己读好了。"

I took the paper from him and read as follows: TO THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE:

我从他手里把报纸拿过来，照着它的内容念："红发会：

On account of the bequest of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.,

由于原住美国宾夕法尼亚州已故黎巴嫩人伊齐基亚·霍普金斯之遗赠，

there is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of 4 pounds a week for purely nominal services.

现留有另一空职，凡红发会会员皆有资格申请。薪给为每周四英镑，工作则实系挂名而已。

All red-headed men who are sound in body and mind, and above the age of twenty-one years, are eligible.

凡红发男性，年满二十一岁，身体健康，智力健全者即属符合条件。

Apply in person on Monday, at eleven o'clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope's Court, Fleet Street.

应聘者请于星期一上午十一时亲至舰队街、教皇院7号红发会办公室邓肯·罗斯处提出申请为荷。"

"What on earth does this mean?" I ejaculated after I had twice read over the extraordinary announcement.

我读了两遍这个不寻常的广告后不禁喊道："这究竟是怎么回事？"

Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his habit when in high spirits.

福尔摩斯坐在椅子上格格地笑得扭动不已，他高兴的时候总是这个样子。

"It is a little off the beaten track, isn't it?" said he.

他说："这个广告很不寻常，是不是？

"And now, Mr. Wilson, off you go at scratch and tell us all about yourself, your household,

好啦，威尔逊先生，你现在就痛痛快快地把关于你自己的一切，以及和你同住在一起的人，

and the effect which this advertisement had upon your fortunes.

这个广告给了你多大的好处，统统讲出来吧。

You will first make a note, Doctor, of the paper and the date."

大夫，你先把报纸的名称和日期记下来。"