四签名 31樱沼别墅的惨案（6）

Holmes glanced at it and then handed it to me.

福尔摩斯看了一眼，递给了我。

"You see," he said with a significant raising of the eyebrows¹.

他抬起眉毛来说道："你看看。"

In the light of the lantern I read with a thrill of horror, "The sign of the four."

在提灯的灯光下，我惊恐地看见上面写着"四个签名"。

"In God's name, what does it all mean?" I asked.

我问道："天哪，这，这是怎么回事呀？"

"It means murder," said he, stooping over the dead man. "Ah! I expected it. Look here!"

他正弯腰检验尸身，答道：“谋杀！啊！果然不出我所料，你看！”

He pointed² to what looked like a long dark thorn stuck in the skin just above the ear.

他指着刚刚扎在尸体的耳朵上面头起里的一根黑色长刺。

"It looks like a thorn," said I.

我道："好象是一根荆刺。"

"It is a thorn. You may pick it out. But be careful, for it is poisoned."

"就是一根荆刺。你可以把它拔出来。可是小心着点，这根荆刺上有毒。"

I took it up between my finger and thumb.

我用拇指和食指把它拔了出来。

It came away from the skin so readily that hardly any mark was left behind.

荆刺刚刚取出，伤口已经合拢，很难找出任何遗留下来的痕迹。

One tiny speck³ of blood showed where the puncture⁴ had been.

除去一点点血痕能说明伤口所在之外。

"This is all an insoluble mystery to me," said I. "It grows darker instead of clearer."

我道："这件事对我说来完全离奇难解，不只没搞明白，反而更胡涂了。"

"On the contrary," he answered, "it clears every instant.

他答道："正相反，各个环节都清楚了，

I only require a few missing links to have an entirely⁵ connected case."

我只要再弄清几个环节，全案就可以了然了。"

We had almost forgotten our companion's presence since we entered the chamber⁶.

我们自从进屋以后差不多已经把我们的同伴忘记了。

He was still standing⁷ in the doorway⁸, the very picture of terror, wringing⁹ his hands and moaning to himself.

他还站在门口，还是那样地哆嗦和悲叹着。

Suddenly, however, he broke out into a sharp, querulous cry.

忽然间，他失望地尖声喊了起来。

"The treasure is gone!" he said. "They have robbed him of the treasure!

他道："宝物全部都丢了！他们把宝物全抢去了！

There is the hole through which we lowered it. I helped him to do it!

我们就是从那个洞口里把宝物拿出来的，是我帮着他拿下来的！

I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night, and I heard him lock the door as I came downstairs."

我是最后看见他的一个人！我昨晚离开他下楼的时候，还听见他锁门呢。"

"What time was that?"

"那时是几点钟？"

"It was ten o'clock. And now he is dead, and the police will be called in, and I shall be suspected of having had a hand in it.

"是十点钟。现在他死了，警察来后必定疑心是我害死他的，

Oh, yes, I am sure I shall. But you don't think so, gentlemen?

他们一定会这样疑心的。可是你们二位不会这样地想吧？

Surely you don't think that it was I?

你们一定不会想是我把他害死的吧？

Is it likely that I would have brought you here if it were I?

如果是我把他害死的，我还会请你们来吗？

Oh, dear! oh, dear! I know that I shall go mad!"

唉呀，天哪！唉呀，天哪！我知道我要疯了！”

He jerked his arms and stamped his feet in a kind of convulsive frenzy¹⁰.

他跳着脚，狂怒得痉挛起来。

"You have no reason for fear, Mr. Sholto," said Holmes kindly¹¹, putting his hand upon his shoulder;

福尔摩斯拍着他的肩，和蔼地说道："舒尔托先生，不要害怕，您没有害怕的理由。

"take my advice and drive down to the station to report the matter to the police.

姑且听我的话，坐车去警署报案，

Offer to assist them in every way. We shall wait here until your return."

您答应一切都协助他们，我们在这里等到您回来。"

The little man obeyed in a half-stupefied fashion, and we heard him stumbling down the stairs in the dark.

这矮小的人茫然地遵从了福尔摩斯的话，我们听见他蹒跚地摸着黑走下楼去。

1 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 speck   

n.微粒，小污点，小斑点

参考例句：

• I have not a speck of interest in it.我对它没有任何兴趣。
• The sky is clear and bright without a speck of cloud.天空晴朗，一星星云彩也没有。

4 puncture   

n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破

参考例句：

• Failure did not puncture my confidence.失败并没有挫伤我的信心。
• My bicycle had a puncture and needed patching up.我的自行车胎扎了个洞，需要修补。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

9 wringing   

淋湿的，湿透的

参考例句：

• He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
• He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。

10 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

11 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。