《新福尔摩斯》精讲 235

Private Bainbridge had just come off guard duty.He'd stood there for hours, plenty of people watching, nothing apparently¹ wrong.

班布里奇卫兵刚换岗回来 他在那里站了好几个小时 众目睽睽 没有异常

He came off duty and within minutes was nearly dead from a wound in his stomach,but there was no weapon.

他换岗之后 在数分钟内就几近死亡 伤口在腹部 但是并没有凶器

Where did it go?Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to consider this a murderer who can walk through walls, a weapon that can vanish.

它到哪里去了?先生们 女士们 请你们来思考一下 可以穿越墙壁凶手 凭空消失的凶器

But in all of this, there is only one element which can be said to be truly remarkable².

但是在这一切之中 只有一点是值得注意的

Would anyone like to make a guess?

有人愿意来猜一下吗?

Come on, come on,there is actually an element of Q&A to all of this.

来吧 来嘛 这里有一个问答游戏等着大家呢

Scotland Yard, have you got a theory?

来自苏格兰场的那位 你有什么想法?

Yeah, you, you're a detective, broadly speaking. Got a theory?

就是你 广义地来讲你也算是个侦探 有想法了吗?

Er, um, if the, er...If the... If the...If the blade was propelled through the, erm...

呃 唔 如果 呃...如果... 如果...如果刀是通过 呃...

grating in the air vent,maybe a ballista or a catapult, um...Somebody tiny could crawl in there.

通气扇的格栅进入......也许是用抛石机或弹弓 呃...身材矮小的人可以爬进去

So, yeah, we're looking for a dwarf³.

所以 我们在寻找一个矮子

Brilliant. -Really? -No.

很好 - 对了吗? - 没有

Next? - He stabbed himself.

下一个? - 他是自己捅了自己

Hello, who was that?Tom?

是谁说的? 汤姆?

Got a theory?

有什么想法?

Attempted suicide, with a blade made of compacted blood and bone.

自杀未遂 凶器是一把由血和骨头压缩的刃器

Broke after piercing his abdomen,like a meat...dagger⁴.

在刺穿腹部后就散了 就像一把肉...刀

A meat dagger? - Yes.

肉刀? - 对

Sit down. - No.

坐下吧 - 不对

There was one feature, and only one feature, of interest in the whole of this baffling case,

在这个让人懊恼的案子里 有一点 而且仅有一点值得注意

and quite frankly⁵ it was the usual!John Watson.

坦白讲 毫不意外地 那就是约翰·华生

Who, while I was trying to solve a murder, instead saved a life.

当我想着要破案时 而他则在挽救生命

There are mysteries worth solving and stories worth telling.

值得破解的谜题有的是 值得讲的故事有的是

The best and bravest man I know and, on top of that, he actually knows how to do stuff.

他是我认识的人里最优秀最勇敢的 此外 他确实知道怎样做事

Except wedding planning and serviettes, he's rubbish at those.

除了策划婚礼和折餐巾 他在这些事上很烂

The case itself remains⁶ the most ingenious and brilliantly planned murder,

这个案子本身 是一起经过精妙构思有计划的谋杀

or attempted murder,I've ever had the pleasure to encounter.

或者说是蓄意谋杀 是我一向乐于遇到的那类

The most perfect locked-room mystery of which I am aware.

是我见过最完美的密室凶杀案

However, I'm not just here to praise John,I'm also here to embarrass him, so let's move on to...

不过 我在这不只是为了赞扬约翰 我是来让他难堪的 所以 大家继续听故事...

No, wait... How was it done?

不 等等... 那是怎么做到的?

How was what done? - The stabbing?

什么是怎么做到? - 怎么捅的那一刀?

I'm afraid I don't know.I didn't solve that one.

恐怕我也不知道 我没能破解

It can happen sometimes, it's very, very disappointing.

这种事有时会发生 让人非常非常失望

Embarrassment⁷ leads me on to the stag night.Of course there's hours of material here, but I've cut it down to the really good bits.

为了让他难堪 我带他去了单身派对 爆料足够说上几个小时 但我把它们剪辑成绝妙的片段

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

4 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。