海军协定（19）（在线收听）

The invalid sank back upon his cushions, tired out by this long recital, while his nurse poured him out a glass of some stimulating medicine. Holmes sat silently, with his head thrown back and his eyes closed, in an attitude which might seem listless to a stranger, but which I knew betokened the most intense self-absorption.

“You statement has been so explicit,” said he at last, “that you have really left me very few questions to ask. There is one of the very utmost importance, however. Did you tell any one that you had this special task to perform?”

“No one.”

“Not Miss Harrison here, for example?”

“No. I had not been back to Woking between getting the order and executing the commission.”

“And none of your people had by chance been to see you?”

“None.”

“Did any of them know their way about in the office?”

“Oh, yes, all of them had been shown over it.”

“Still, of course, if you said nothing to any one about the treaty these inquiries are irrelevant.”

“I said nothing.”

“Do you know anything of the commissionaire?”

“Nothing except that he is an old soldier.”

“What regiment?”

“Oh, I have heard—Coldstream Guards.”

“Thank you. I have no doubt I can get details from Forbes. The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage. What a lovely thing a rose is!”

由于谈话过久，感到疲乏，病人便斜靠在垫子上，这时护一士给他倒了一杯镇静剂。福尔摩斯头向后仰，双目微闭，坐在那里默默不语，在一个陌生的人看来，似乎是无一精一打彩的样子，不过我知道这表示他正在非常紧张地思索着。

“你讲得很明白，”他终于说道，“我需要问的问题已经不多了。但是，有一个最重要的问题还要弄明白。你告诉过什么人你要执行这一项特殊任务吗？”

“一个人也没告诉过。”

“比方说，这里的哈里森小一姐你也没有告诉吗？”

“没有。在我接受命令和执行任务这段时间里，我没有回沃金来。”

“你的亲友里没有一个人碰巧去看你吗？”

“没有。”

“你的亲友中有人知道你办公室的路径吗？”

“啊，是的，那里的路径我都告诉过他们。”

“当然，如果你没有对任何人讲过有关协定的事，那么这些询问就没有必要了。”

“我什么也没讲过。”

“你对看门人了解吗？”

“我只知道他原来是一个老兵。”

“是哪一一团一的？”

“啊，我听说，是科尔斯特里姆警卫队的。”

“谢谢你。我相信，我能从福布斯那里得知详情。官方非常善于搜集事实，可是他们却不是经常能利用这些事实。啊，玫瑰花这东西多么可一爱一啊！”