四签名 39木桶的插曲（1）（在线收听）

Chapter 7 The Episode Of The Barrel

第七章 木桶的插曲

The police had brought a cab with them, and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home.

我坐着警察坐来的马车送摩斯坦小姐回家。

After the angelic fashion of women,

她是个天使一样可爱的妇女，

she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was someone weaker than herself to support,

在危难之中，只要旁边有比她更脆弱的人，她总是能够保持镇定的。

and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper.

当我去接她回去的时候，她还精神地安坐在惊恐的女管家身旁。

In the cab, however, she first turned faint and then burst into a passion of weeping

可是她坐进车里以后，先是晕倒，后来又嘤嘤地哭泣。

so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night.

经过了这一夜的离奇惊险，就再也忍耐不住了。

She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey.

事后她曾责备我说，那晚一路上我的态度未免太冷淡无情。

She little guessed the struggle within my breast, or the effort of self-restraint which held me back.

可是她哪里知道我当时内心的斗争和强自抑制的痛苦呢。

My sympathies and my love went out to her, even as my hand had in the garden.

正象我们在院中手握手的时节，我对她的同情和爱已经流露出来。

I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet,

我虽然饱经世故，若是没有经过象这一晚的遭遇，

brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences.

我也难以认识到她那温柔和勇敢的天性。

Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips.

在当时，有两桩事使我难以开口：

She was weak and helpless, shaken in mind and nerve.

一是因为她正在遭受困难，孤苦伶仃无依无靠，

It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time.

倘若冒昧向她求爱，未免是乘人之危；

Worse still, she was rich. If Holmes's researches were successful, she would be an heiress.

再说更使我为难的就是，如果福尔摩斯真能破案，她得到宝物，就要变成巨富，

Was it fair, was it honourable, that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about?

我这个半俸的医师乘着这个和她亲近的方便机会而向她求爱，这还能够算是正大光明的事吗？

Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune- seeker?

她会不会把我看成了一个粗鄙的淘金者？

I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind.

我不能叫她心里产生这种不良的印象，

This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us.

这批阿格拉宝物实在是我们二人中间的障碍物啊。

It was nearly two o'clock when we reached Mrs. Cecil Forrester's.

差不多深夜两点钟我们才到达西色尔·弗里斯特夫人的家中。

The servants had retired hours ago,

仆役们早已入睡，

but Mrs. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return.

可是弗里斯特夫人对摩斯坦小姐接到怪信这件事非常关心，所以她还坐在灯下等候着摩斯坦小姐。

She opened the door herself, a middle-aged, graceful woman,

是她亲自给我们开的门。她是一位中年妇人，举止大方。

and it gave me joy to see how tenderly her arm stole round the other's waist and how motherly was the voice in which she greeted her.

她用胳臂亲切地搂着摩斯坦小姐的腰，还象慈母般地温言慰问着，真给我心中无限的快慰。