四签名 44木桶的插曲（6）

On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along, whining¹ eagerly, underneath² its shadow,

透比跟着我们一路跑来，在墙的阴影里焦急得哦哦地叫着，

and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech³.

最后，我们来到了长着一棵小山毛榉树的墙角。

Where the two walls joined, several bricks had been loosened,

较低的地方，砖缝已被磨损，

and the crevices⁴ left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side,

砖的棱角被磨圆了，

as though they had frequently been used as a ladder.

似乎是常被用作爬墙的下脚之处。

Holmes clambered up, and taking the dog from me he dropped it over upon the other side.

福尔摩斯爬上去，从我手里把狗接过去，又由另一面把它放了下去。

"There's the print of Wooden-leg's hand," he remarked as I mounted up beside him.

在我也爬上了墙头的时候，他说道："墙上还留有木腿人的一个手印，

"You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster.

你看那留在白灰上的血迹。

What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday!

昨晚幸而没有大雨，

The scent⁵ will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and- twenty hours' start."

虽然隔了二十八小时，气味还可以留在路上。"

I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic

当我们走过车马络绎不绝的伦敦马路的时候，我心中未免怀疑，

which had passed along the London road in the interval⁶.

透比究竟能不能够循着气味追到凶手。

My fears were soon appeased⁷, however.

可是不久我也就放心了。

Toby never hesitated or swerved⁸ but waddled⁹ on in his peculiar¹⁰ rolling fashion.

透比毫不犹豫地嗅着地，摇摇摆摆向前奔去，

Clearly the pungent¹¹ smell of the creosote rose high above all other contending scents¹².

显然这强烈的木馏油味比路上的其他气味更为强烈。

"Do not imagine," said Holmes,

福尔摩斯道："你不要认为

"that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere¹³ chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical.

我只是依靠着在这个案子里有一个人把脚踩进了化学药品，才能够破获这个案子。

I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways.

我已经知道几个另外的方法可以捕获凶犯了。

This, however, is the readiest, and, since fortune has put it into our hands,

不过既然幸运之神把这个最方便的方法送到咱们的手里，

I should be culpable¹⁴ if I neglected it.

而咱们竟忽视了的话，那就是我的过失了。

It has, however, prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be.

不过把一个需要有深奥的学问才能解决的问题简单化了。

There might have been some credit to be gained out of it but for this too palpable clue."

从一个简单的线索来破案，未免难于显得出来我们的功绩了。"

"There is credit, and to spare," said I. "I assure you, Holmes,

我道："还是有不少功绩呢。福尔摩斯，

that I marvel¹⁵ at the means by which you obtain your results in this case even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope murder.

我觉得你在这个案子里所使用的方法比在杰弗逊·侯波谋杀案里所用的手法

The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable¹⁶.

更是玄妙惊人，更是深奥而费解。

How, for example, could you describe with such confidence the wooden-legged man?"

举例来说吧，你怎么能毫无怀疑地形容那个装木腿的人呢？"

"Pshaw, my dear boy! it was simplicity¹⁷ itself.

"咳，老兄！这事本身就很简单，

I don't wish to be theatrical¹⁸. It is all patent and above-board.

我并不想夸张，整个情况是明明白白的。

Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure.

两个负责指挥看守囚犯的部队的军官听得了一件藏宝的秘密。

A map is drawn¹⁹ for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small.

一个叫做琼诺赞·斯茂的英国人给他们画了一张图。

You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession.

你记得吧，这个名字就写在摩斯坦上尉的图上。

He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates

他自己签了名，还代他的同伙签了名，

the sign of the four, as he somewhat dramatically called it.

这就是他们所谓的'四个签名' 。

Aided by this chart, the officers–-or one of them--gets the treasure and brings it to England,

这两个军官按照这个图--或者是他们中间的一个人--觅得了宝物，带回英国。

leaving, we will suppose, some condition under which he received it unfulfilled.

我想象可能这个带回宝物的人，对于当初约定的条件，有的没有履行。

Now, then, why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself?

那么，为什么琼诺赞·斯茂自己没有拿到宝物呢？

The answer is obvious.

这个答案是显而易见的。

The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts.

画那张图的日期，是摩斯坦和囚犯们接近的时候。

Jonathan Small did not get the treasure

琼诺赞·斯茂所以没有得到那宝物，

because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away."

是因为他和他的同伙全都是囚犯，行动上不得自由。"

1 whining   

n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚

参考例句：

• That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
• The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 beech   

n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的

参考例句：

• Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory.秋天是观赏山毛榉林的最佳时期。
• Exasperated,he leaped the stream,and strode towards beech clump.他满腔恼怒，跳过小河，大踏步向毛榉林子走去。

4 crevices   

n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It has bedded into the deepest crevices of the store. 它已钻进了店里最隐避的隙缝。 来自辞典例句
• The wind whistled through the crevices in the rock. 风呼啸着吹过岩石的缝隙。 来自辞典例句

5 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

6 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

7 appeased   

安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• His hunger could only be appeased by his wife. 他的欲望只有他的妻子能满足。
• They are the more readily appeased. 他们比较容易和解。

8 swerved   

v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯，以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
• The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅，司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 waddled   

v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A family of ducks waddled along the river bank. 一群鸭子沿河岸摇摇摆摆地走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stout old man waddled across the road. 那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

11 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

12 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

14 culpable   

adj.有罪的，该受谴责的

参考例句：

• The judge found the man culpable.法官认为那个人有罪。
• Their decision to do nothing makes them culpable.他们不采取任何行动的决定使他们难辞其咎。

15 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

16 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

17 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

18 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

19 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。