巴斯克威尔的猎犬 巴斯克维尔的诅咒（10）（在线收听）

Dr. Mortimer refolded his paper and replaced it in his pocket.

摩梯末把报纸叠好， 放回口袋去。

"Those are the public facts, Mr. Holmes, in connection with the death of Sir CharlesBaskerville."“福尔摩斯先生， 这些都是众所周知的有关查尔兹· 巴斯克维尔爵士死亡的事实。”

"I must thank you," said Sherlock Holmes, "for calling my attention to a case which certainlypresents some features of interest. I had observed some newspaper comment at the time, but I wasexceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the Vatican cameos, and in my anxiety to oblige thePope I lost touch with several interesting English cases. This article, you say, contains all thepublic facts?"“我真得感谢您， ” 歇洛克· 福尔摩斯说，“能引起我对这件饶有兴趣的案件的注意。 当时我曾读过一些报纸的报导， 但那时我正专心致力于梵蒂冈宝石案那件小事， 在受着教皇急迫的嘱托之下竟忽略了 在英伦发生的一些案件。 您说这段新闻已包括了 全部公开的事实吗？ ”

"It does."

“是的。”

"Then let me have the private ones." He leaned back, put his finger-tips together, andassumed his most impassive and judicial expression.

“那么再告诉我一些内幕的事实吧！” 他靠在椅背上， 把两只手的指尖对顶在一起。 显出了他那极为冷静的、 法官似的表情。

"In doing so," said Dr. Mortimer, who had begun to show signs of some strong emotion, "Iam telling that which I have not confided to anyone. My motive for withholding it from thecoroner's inquiry is that a man of science shrinks from placing himself in the public position ofseeming to indorse a popular superstition. I had the further motive that Baskerville Hall, as thepaper says, would certainly remain untenanted if anything were done to increase its already rathergrim reputation. For both these reasons I thought that I was justified in telling rather less than Iknew, since no practical good could result from it, but with you there is no reason why I shouldnot be perfectly frank.

“这样一来，” 摩梯末医生一面说着， 一面感情开始激动起来，“就会把我还没有告诉过任何人的事情都说出来了， 我连验尸官都隐瞒了。 因为一个从事科学工作的人， 最怕在公众面前显得他似乎是相信了一种流传的迷信。 我的另一个动机， 就象报纸上所说的那样， 如果有任何事情再进一步恶化它那已经相当可怕的名声， 那么巴斯克维尔庄园就真的再不会有人敢住了。 为了这两个原因， 我想， 不把我知道的全部事情都说出来还是正确的， 因为那样做不会有什么好处， 但是对你说来， 我没有理由不开诚布公， 彻底谈出来。

"The moor is very sparsely inhabited, and those who live near each other are thrown verymuch together. For this reason I saw a good deal of Sir Charles Baskerville. With the exception ofMr. Frankland, of Lafter Hall, and Mr. Stapleton, the naturalist, there are no other men ofeducation within many miles. Sir Charles was a retiring man, but the chance of his illness broughtus together, and a community of interests in science kept us so. He had brought back muchscientific information from South Africa, and many a charming evening we have spent togetherdiscussing the comparative anatomy of the Bushman and the Hottentot.

“沼地上的住户们住得彼此相距都很远， 而彼此居住较近的人们就产生了密切的关系。

因此我和查尔兹·巴斯克维尔爵士见面的机会就很多。 除了赖福特庄园的弗兰克兰先生和生物学家斯台普吞先生而外， 方圆数十英里之内就再没有受过教育的人了 。 查尔兹爵士是一位喜欢隐居独处的人， 可是他的病把我们俩拉到了一起， 而且对科学的共同兴趣也大大有助于使我们两人亲近起来。 他从南非带回来很多科学资料， 我还常常将整个美好动人的傍晚和他共同消磨在研讨对布史人［南非一种原始的、 以游牧狩猎为生的种族。 ——译者注］ 和豪腾脱人［南非黑人中的一个种族。 ——译者注］ 的比较解剖学上。