血字的研究·四签名(外研社双语读库)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：[英] 阿瑟·柯南·道尔（Sir Arthur Conan Doyle）

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血字的研究·四签名(外研社双语读库)试读：

血字的研究

In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army. Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it, the second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at Bombay, I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes, and was already deep in the enemy's country. I followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties.

一八七八年，我在伦敦大学获得了医学博士学位，之后就到内特黎进修军医必修课程。在那里读完课程以后，我如期被派往诺森伯兰第五明火枪团当助理军医。这个团当时驻扎在印度，在我赶到部队之前，第二次阿富汗战争就爆发了。我在孟买上岸时，就听说我所属的那个团已经向前挺进穿过山隘，深入敌国了。不管怎样，我还是同许多其他和我一样处境的军官一起过去了，我们平安抵达了坎达哈尔，在那里找到了我所属的团，并马上担负起新职责。

The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but misfortune and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazis had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack-horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.

这场战役为很多人争得了荣耀和升迁，但带给我的却只有不幸和灾难。我从我所属的旅被调到伯克郡旅，和他们一起参加了迈旺德那场生死攸关的战役。一颗阿富汗长滑膛枪子弹击中了我的肩部，打碎了肩骨，并擦伤了锁骨下的动脉。如果不是我的勤务兵默里表现忠勇，将我扔到一匹驮马上，成功地把我安全带回英军阵地来，我就要落入残忍的加兹人手中了。

Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar. Here I rallied, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the veranda, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship Orontes, and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.

伤痛让我看起来很憔悴，我经受的长期劳顿令我虚弱不堪，于是我与一大批伤员一起，被转移到了位于白沙瓦的后方医院。在这里，我的健康状况有所好转，已经康复到能在病房中稍稍走动，甚至还能在阳台上晒晒太阳，但这时，我又病倒了，染上了我们印度属地的那种倒霉病症——肠热病。有好几个月我的生命已无挽救的希望，当我终于苏醒过来进入恢复期的时候，我的身体十分虚弱、消瘦，因此医生会诊后决定一天也不许耽搁，立即将我送回英国。于是，我被送上运兵船“奥龙特斯号”回国，一个月以后在朴次茅斯码头登岸，而我的健康已经彻底损毁，无法恢复，但是好心的政府给了我九个月的假期让我尽量恢复健康。

I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expensive domicile.

我在英国没有亲友，所以像空气一样自由自在——或者说像一个每天收入十一先令六便士的人一样自由自在。这种情况下，我很自然地被吸引到伦敦这个大污水池里去了，这个国家所有游民、懒汉也都无可避免地被吸引到这里来。我在伦敦斯特兰大道的一家私人旅馆住了一段时间，过着不舒适且漫无目的的生活，钱有多少就花多少，有时候甚至会大大超支。所以，我的经济状况很快出现了危机，我意识到，我要么必须离开大都市移居到乡下某地，要么就得彻底改变我的生活方式。我选择了后者，决心离开这家旅馆，另找一个没这么奢侈、昂贵的住处。

On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion Bar, when someone tapped me on the shoulder, and turning round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser under me at Barts. The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of London is a pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me. In the exuberance of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and we started off together in a hansom.

就在我作出这个决定的那天，我站在“克莱提尔瑞安”酒吧门前，忽然有人在我肩上拍了一下，我转身一看，认出是小斯坦福德，他是我在巴兹时的一个助手。在伦敦茫茫人海中见到一张友善的面庞，对于一个孤独的人来说，确实是件愉快的事。过去小斯坦福德并不算是我特别好的朋友，但现在我竟热情地向他打招呼，而他见到我好像也很高兴。我在狂喜之中邀请他到霍尔本餐厅共进午餐，于是，我们一同乘马车前往。

"Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?" he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. "You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut."“沃森，你究竟都对自己做了什么呀？”在我们穿过伦敦熙熙攘攘的街道时，他毫不掩饰自己的惊奇，这样问道。“你现在瘦得跟一根木条一样，黑得跟一个坚果似的。”

I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.

我向他简单地叙述了一下我的危险经历，刚刚讲完，我们就到达了目的地。

"Poor devil!" he said, commiseratingly, after he had listened to my misfortunes. "What are you up to now?"“可怜的家伙！”听完我不幸的遭遇，他怜悯地说道，“你现在有什么打算吗？”

"Looking for lodgings," I answered. "Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a reasonable price."“找一个住处。”我回答说，“看能不能花一个合理的价钱租几间舒适的房间。”

"That's a strange thing," remarked my companion; "you are the second man today that has used that expression to me."“这可真是怪事，”我的同伴说，“今天你是第二个对我说这话的人了。”

"And who was the first?" I asked.“第一个是谁？”我问道。

"A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory up at the hospital. He was bemoaning himself this morning because he could not get someone to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found, and which were too much for his purse."“一个在医院化学实验室工作的人。今天早上，他还唉声叹气地说他找到了几间好房，但自己一个人租不起，却找不到人合租。”

"By Jove!" I cried, "if he really wants someone to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to being alone."“啊！”我大声叫道，“如果他真想找一个人合租房间、分担租金，我倒正合适。我觉得有个伴比独自一个人住好得多。”

Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wineglass. "You don't know Sherlock Holmes yet," he said; "perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion."

小斯坦福德从酒杯上方用十分怪异的眼神看着我。“你还不知道舍洛克·福尔摩斯吧，”他说，“也许你不会愿意和他做长期伙伴呢。”

"Why, what is there against him?"“为什么，难道他有什么不好的地方吗？”

"Oh, I didn't say there was anything against him. He is a little queer in his ideas—an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I know he is a decent fellow enough."“哦，我没说他有什么不好的地方。他只是有一些很古怪的想法——他对科学的一些分支学科很狂热。不过据我所知，他倒是一个很正派的人。”

"A medical student, I suppose?" said I.“我猜他是个学医的吧？”我说。

"No—I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out-of-the-way knowledge which would astonish his professors."“不是，我不知道他在钻研什么。我认为他精通解剖学，而且是一个一流的药剂师，但据我所知，他从没系统地学习过医学。他研究的东西杂乱无章而且古怪，但他积累的那么多稀奇古怪的知识，足以让他的教授都感到惊讶。”

"Did you never ask him what he was going in for?" I asked.“你从没问过他在钻研些什么吗？”我问。

"No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him."“没有，他不是一个轻易说出内心想法的人，尽管他在有一些怪念头的时候会很健谈。”

"I should like to meet him," I said. "If I am to lodge with anyone, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How could I meet this friend of yours?"“我愿意见见他，”我说，“如果要和别人一起住，我倒想要跟一个好学又安静的人住在一起。我身体还不大结实，受不了太多吵闹和刺激。在阿富汗，我已经受够了这些，这辈子都不想再受了。那么，我怎样才能见到你这位朋友呢？”

"He is sure to be at the laboratory," returned my companion. "He either avoids the place for weeks, or else he works there from morning to night. If you like, we shall drive round together after luncheon."“他现在肯定在实验室，”我的同伴回答道，“他要么几个星期都不去那地方，要么从早到晚在那里工作。如果你愿意，咱们吃完午饭一块儿坐车过去。”

"Certainly," I answered, and the conversation drifted away into other channels.“当然愿意啦！”我答道，于是，谈话转移到了别的话题上去。

As we made our way to the hospital after leaving the Holborn, Stamford gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow-lodger.

在我们离开霍尔本餐厅前往医院的路上，斯坦福德又告诉了我一些关于那位我打算与之合住的先生的详细情况。

"You mustn't blame me if you don't get on with him," he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible."“如果你跟他相处不来，可别怪我，”他说，“除了在实验室偶尔与他碰面了解的那点儿情况外，我对他一无所知。既然是你提议的这次见面，那就不应该让我来承担责任。”

"If we don't get on it will be easy to part company," I answered. "It seems to me, Stamford," I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you have some reason for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellow's temper so formidable, or what is it? Don't be mealy-mouthed about it."“如果我们处不来，散伙也容易。”我回答。“在我看来，斯坦福德，”我盯着我的同伴，接着说道，“你想缩手不管这事，肯定是有什么原因的吧。是不是这个家伙脾气很坏，还是有什么别的原因？不要拐弯抹角的。”

"It is not easy to express the inexpressible," he answered with a laugh. "Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness. He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge."“要把难以形容的事情表达出来可真不容易，”他笑着回答，“对我来说，福尔摩斯有点儿过分专注于科学了——几近冷血。我能想象他拿一小撮最新出的植物碱给朋友尝尝，并不是出于什么恶意，要知道，他只不过是出于一种钻研的精神，想准确地弄清这种药物的效果。平心而论，我认为他自己也会愿意吃下去的。他似乎对确切、精准的知识很热衷。”

"Very right too."“这样也是对的呀。”

"Yes, but it may be pushed to excess. When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape."“是的，但这份精神或许有点儿过头了。他还在解剖室里用棍子抽打尸体，这看上去就很怪异了吧。”

"Beating the subjects!"“抽打尸体！”

"Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death. I saw him at it with my own eyes."“是啊，为了查证人死以后还能造成什么程度的伤痕。我亲眼看见他这么做的。”

"And yet you say he is not a medical student?"“你不是说过，他不是学医的吗？”

"No. Heaven knows what the objects of his studies are. But here we are, and you must form your own impressions about him." As he spoke, we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side-door, which opened into a wing of the great hospital. It was familiar ground to me, and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and duncoloured doors. Near the further end a low arched passage branched away from it and led to the chemical laboratory.“是呀。天知道他到底在研究些什么东西。现在我们到了，你自己看对他的印象如何吧。”他正说着的时候，我们拐进了一条狭窄的小巷，穿过了一扇小边门。它通向那所大医院的侧楼。这是我熟悉的地方，用不着领路，我们就踏上了阴冷的石阶，穿过长长的走廊，走廊两边是刷得雪白的墙和一些暗褐色的门。靠近尽头有一个低矮的拱形过道，从这里叉开通往实验室。

This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. Broad, low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, test-tubes, and little Bunsen lamps, with their blue flickering flames. There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced round and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. "I've found it! I've found it," he shouted to my companion, running towards us with a test-tube in his hand. "I have found a re-agent which is precipitated by haemoglobin, and by nothing else." Had he discovered a gold mine, greater delight could not have shone upon his features.

实验室是一个宽敞的房间，四处散乱地放着数不清的瓶子。几张又矮又宽的桌子散放着，上面放满了蒸馏瓶、试管，还有闪着蓝色火焰的小本生灯。屋子里只有一个人，他伏在远处的一张桌上，正在聚精会神地工作。听到我们的脚步声，他扫视了一下四周，跳起来高兴地欢呼了一声。“我发现了！我发现了，”他向我的同伴大声说着，手里拿着一支试管，向我们跑来，“我发现了一种试剂，它只能被血红蛋白沉淀，别的都不行。”即使他发现了金矿，脸上的表情也不会比现在看上去更高兴。

"Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said Stamford, introducing us.“这位是沃森医生，这位是福尔摩斯先生。”斯坦福德给我们介绍道。

"How are you?" he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive."“你好！”他热忱地说，一边使劲儿握着我的手，我简直不敢相信他有这样大的力气。“我看得出来，你到过阿富汗。”

"How on earth did you know that?" I asked in astonishment.“你到底是怎么知道的？”我吃惊地问。

"Never mind," said he, chuckling to himself. "The question now is about haemoglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine?"“没什么。”他说着，咯咯地笑了笑，“现在要谈的是血红蛋白的问题。你肯定意识到我这个发现的重要性了吧？”

"It is interesting, chemically, no doubt," I answered, "but practically—"“从化学角度来讲，毫无疑问，这个很有意思，”我回答，“但是，从实用角度来讲……”

"Why, man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for years. Don't you see that it gives us an infallible test for blood stains. Come over here now!" He seized me by the coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew me over to the table at which he had been working. "Let us have some fresh blood," he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger, and drawing off the resulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. "Now, I add this small quantity of blood to a litre of water. You perceive that the resulting mixture has the appearance of pure water. The proportion of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, that we shall be able to obtain the characteristic reaction." As he spoke, he threw into the vessel a few white crystals, and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany colour, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar.“怎么，先生，这是近些年来法医学上最实用的发现了。难道你没有发现这种试剂能提供绝对可靠的血迹检验吗？到这边来！”他急切地抓着我的袖子，把我拽到他之前工作的那张桌子前。“让咱们弄点儿鲜血，”他说着，用一根长针扎破手指，然后用化学吸液管吸了一滴流出的鲜血，“现在，我要把这一点儿血加到一升水里。你能看到这种混合液体看起来就跟清水一样。血液占的比例不超过百万分之一。即使这样，我仍然可以肯定，我们能得到特定的反应。”他一边说着，一边往容器里扔了一点儿白色晶体，又加了几滴透明液体。溶液立即呈现出暗红色，一些棕色颗粒沉淀到玻璃瓶底。

"Ha!ha!" he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. "What do you think of that?"“哈！哈！”他叫着，拍着手，看上去就像一个刚拿到新玩具的孩子那样高兴，“你认为这怎么样？”

"It seems to be a very delicate test," I remarked.“看起来是一个精妙的检验。”我说。

"Beautiful! beautiful! The old guaiacum test was very clumsy and uncertain. So is the microscopic examination for blood corpuscles. The latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been invented, there are hundreds of men now walking the earth who would long ago have paid the penalty of their crimes."“漂亮极了！漂亮极了！过去用愈疮木汁液检验的方法既麻烦又不准确。用显微镜检验血球也有同样的问题。如果血迹干了几个小时的话，用后一种方法是没有意义的。现在看来，这种试剂对新旧血迹都会有效。如果这个检验方法能早一些被发现，那么世界上有好几百个如今正逍遥法外的罪人早就受到法律制裁了。”

"Indeed!" I murmured.“没错！”我喃喃地说。

"Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them. Are they blood stains, or mud stains, or rust stains, or fruit stains, or what are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes' test, and there will no longer be any difficulty."“很多犯罪案件都取决于这一点。也许罪行发生几个月后，某个人才被怀疑上。检查他的日用织品或衣服时，发现了一些棕色的痕迹。这些是血迹呢，还是泥点，是锈迹呢，还是果汁痕迹，又或者是其他什么东西？这是一个让很多专家为难的问题，为什么呢？因为没有可靠的检验方法。现在我们有了舍洛克·福尔摩斯化验剂，就不存在任何困难了。”

His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination.

他说这些话的时候，眼睛闪闪发亮，还把一只手按在胸前鞠了一躬，好像在向想象中热烈鼓掌的群众致谢似的。

"You are to be congratulated," I remarked, considerably surprised at his enthusiasm.“我向你表示祝贺。”我说，对于他的热情感到十分惊讶。

"There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would certainly have been hung had this test been in existence. Then there was Mason of Bradford, and the notorious Muller, and Lefevre of Montpellier, and Samson of new Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which it would have been decisive."“去年在法兰克福发生了冯·比肖夫一案。如果当时有这种检验方法，他肯定早就被绞死了。还有布拉德福德的梅森，臭名昭著的马勒，蒙彼利埃的勒菲弗，以及新奥尔良的萨姆森。我能举出十多个这种检验方法会在其中起决定性作用的案件。”

"You seem to be a walking calendar of crime," said Stamford with a laugh. "You might start a paper on those lines. Call it the 'Police News of the Past.'"“你就像一个活生生的犯罪案件一览表，”斯坦福德笑着说，“你可以就这些内容创办一份报纸。就叫《昔日警务新闻报》。”

"Very interesting reading it might be made, too," remarked Sherlock Holmes, sticking a small piece of plaster over the prick on his finger. "I have to be careful," he continued, turning to me with a smile, "for I dabble with poisons a good deal." He held out his hand as he spoke, and I noticed that it was all mottled over with similar pieces of plaster, and discoloured with strong acids.“那可能也会成为非常有趣的读物呢。”舍洛克·福尔摩斯一边说着，一边把一小块橡皮膏贴在手指上的刺破处。“我必须小心一些，”他转过脸来，对我笑了笑，接着说，“因为我经常和毒药接触。”说着，他伸出手来，我看到他的手上斑斑驳驳地贴满了类似的橡皮膏，并由于强酸的腐蚀而褪色。

"We came here on business," said Stamford, sitting down on a high three-legged stool, and pushing another one in my direction with his foot. "My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought that I had better bring you together." Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street," he said, "which would suit us down to the ground. You don't mind the smell of strong tobacco, I hope?"“我们到这来有点儿事，”斯坦福德一边说着，一边坐到了一只三脚高凳上，并用脚把另一只凳子推向我这边，“我这位朋友想找个住处，因为你抱怨过找不到人合租，所以我想最好把你们俩凑一块。”舍洛克·福尔摩斯听到要跟我合租，看起来好像很高兴。“我看中了贝克街的一套房子，”他说，“这个房子对咱们俩来说完全合适。我希望你不介意强烈的烟草味吧？”

"I always smoke 'ship's' myself," I answered.“我自己总是抽‘船’牌烟。”我回答说。

"That's good enough. I generally have chemicals about, and occasionally do experiments. Would that annoy you?"“那太好了。我常常弄一些化学药品，偶尔也做一些实验。这些你不讨厌吧？”

"By no means."“决不会。”

"Let me see—what are my other shortcomings. I get in the dumps at times, and don't open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and I'll soon be right. What have you to confess now? It's just as well for two fellows to know the worst of one another before they begin to live together."“让我想想——我还有什么别的缺点呢？有时候我会闷闷不乐，连续好几天都不开口说话。我这么做的时候，你可不要以为我生气了。你只要不要管我，我很快会好的。你有什么需要事先说明的吗？两个人同住之前，最好能彼此了解对方最糟糕的地方。”

I laughed at this cross-examination. "I keep a bull pup," I said, "and I object to rows because my nerves are shaken, and I get up at all sorts of ungodly hours, and I am extremely lazy. I have another set of vices when I'm well, but those are the principal ones at present."

这种交互讯问让我忍俊不禁。“我养了一只小斗牛犬，”我说，“我神经受过刺激，所以怕吵闹，每天不一定什么时候起床，而且还特别懒。我身体好的时候还有别的一些缺点，不过目前主要也就这些了。”

"Do you include violin-playing in your category of rows?" he asked, anxiously.“你把拉小提琴也算在吵闹的范畴内吗？”他急切地问道。

"It depends on the player," I answered. "A well-played violin is a treat for the gods—a badly-played one—"“这得看拉琴的人了，”我回答，“小提琴若是拉得好，那就是给神仙的享受，要是拉得不好的话……”

"Oh, that's all right," he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may consider the thing as settled—that is, if the rooms are agreeable to you."“啊，那就好，”他欢快地笑道，“我想这事儿就这么定了——如果你对那所房子感到满意的话。”

"When shall we see them?"“咱们什么时候去看看房子？”

"Call for me here at noon to-morrow, and we'll go together and settle everything," he answered.“明天中午到这里来找我，然后咱们一起去，并把事情定下来。”他回答道。

"All right—noon exactly," said I, shaking his hand.“好，那就中午准时见。”我一边说着，一边握了握他的手。

We left him working among his chemicals, and we walked together towards my hotel.

我们留下他在那堆化学药品中忙活，然后就一同前往我住的旅馆。

"By the way," I asked suddenly, stopping and turning upon Stamford, "how the deuce did he know that I had come from Afghanistan?"“顺便问你一下，”我突然停下脚步，转向斯坦福德，“他究竟怎么知道我是从阿富汗回来的？”

My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "That's just his little peculiarity," he said. "A good many people have wanted to know how he finds things out."

我的同伴神秘地笑了笑。“这就是他那小小的特别之处，”他说，“很多人都想知道，他究竟是怎么看出来一些事的。”

"Oh! a mystery is it?" I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant. I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. The proper study of mankind is man,' you know." "You must study him, then," Stamford said, as he bade me good-bye. "You'll find him a knotty problem, though. I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him. Good-bye."“噢！这不是很神秘吗？”我搓着手，大声叫道，“这太有趣了。我非常感谢你介绍我们俩认识。要知道，‘研究人类最恰当的途径就得从具体的人着手’。”“那你可得研究研究他，”斯坦福德在跟我告别时说，“但是，你会发现他是一个很难让人捉摸的人。我打赌，他对你的了解会比你对他的了解要多。再见。”

"Good-bye," I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance.“再见。”我答了一声，然后漫步走向我的旅馆，我觉得这个新结识的朋友很有趣。Chapter 2The Science of Deduction第二章演绎法

We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bed-rooms and a single large airy sitting-room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows. So desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate did the terms seem when divided between us, that the bargain was concluded upon the spot, and we at once entered into possession. That very evening I moved my things round from the hotel, and on the following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and portmanteaus. For a day or two we were busily employed in unpacking and laying out our property to the best advantage. That done, we gradually began to settle down and to accommodate ourselves to our new surroundings.

第二天，按照福尔摩斯的安排，我们俩又见面了，并去贝克街221B号看了房子，就是我们上次见面时他提到的那所公寓。这套公寓有两间舒适的卧室和一间宽敞、通风的起居室，家具布置令人满意，两扇宽大的窗户使整个房间看起来很明亮。这所公寓无论哪个方面都十分令人满意，租金在我们平摊之后也很合适，因此，交易当场就定下来了，我们立刻就租下了它。当晚我就带着行李从旅馆搬到了那里，第二天早上舍洛克·福尔摩斯跟着也搬来几个箱子和旅行包。有一两天的时间，我们都忙着取出行李，并把自己的东西布置妥当。弄完这些之后，我们逐渐安顿下来，并慢慢熟悉了新环境。

Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning. Sometimes he spent his day at the chemical laboratory, sometimes in the dissecting-rooms, and occasionally in long walks, which appeared to take him into the lowest portions of the City. Nothing could exceed his energy when the working fit was upon him; but now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night. On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.

福尔摩斯并不是一个难以相处的人。他为人沉静，生活很有规律。他很少晚上十点后还不睡觉，早上总是在我起床前就吃完早饭出门了。有时他会在化学实验室里待上一整天，有时是在解剖室，偶尔也步行到很远的地方去，去的好像都是这个城市里最贫贱的地方。在工作兴头上时，他总是有无人能匹敌的旺盛精力；但偶尔也会完全相反，他会连着几天躺在起居室的沙发上，从早到晚几乎一个字也不说，一动也不动。在这些时候，我总看到他眼中恍惚、茫然的神色，要不是他生活向来整洁而有节制，否决了我的猜测，不然我可能要怀疑他有服用麻醉剂的瘾了。

As the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to his aims in life, gradually deepened and increased. His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments.

几个星期过去了，我对他的兴趣，以及对他生活目标的好奇心也逐渐加深。他的外形和相貌很不一般，能吸引最不经意的观察者的注意。他有六英尺多高，过分瘦削让他看起来更显颀长。除了我提到的那些茫然若失的时候，他的目光总是机敏、锐利；还有他细长的鹰钩鼻子，让他整张脸都透出一种机警、果敢的气质。他的下巴同样也突出且方方正正，彰显了一个意志坚定的男人的特征。虽然他的手上总是沾满墨水和化学药剂，但他仍拥有异常敏锐的触觉，在看他摆弄那些精致、易碎的化学仪器时，我经常有机会注意到这一点。

The reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how much this man stimulated my curiosity, and how often I endeavoured to break through the reticence which he showed on all that concerned himself. Before pronouncing judgment, however, be it remembered, how objectless was my life, and how little there was to engage my attention. My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial, and I had no friends who would call upon me and break the monotony of my daily existence. Under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion, and spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it.

我承认，福尔摩斯这个人大大地激起了我的好奇心，我也经常想方设法改变他对与自己有关的事情矢口不谈的情况。当我这么说时，读者可能会觉得我是一个无可救药的好事之徒吧。但是，在下结论前，请想一想，我的生活多么缺乏目标，而能吸引我注意的事情又是多么少。除非天气格外的好，否则我的健康状况不允许我贸然外出，而且我也没有来访的朋友，来打破我单调的日常生活。在这种情况下，我对环绕在这位伙伴周身的小小谜团充满了极大的兴趣，并把大部分时间花在揭开这个小秘密上。

He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question, confirmed Stamford's opinion upon that point. Neither did he appear to have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science or any other recognized portal which would give him an entrance into the learned world. Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me. Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view. Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning. No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.

他并不是在研究医学。在回答我的一个问题时，他亲自确认了斯坦福德在这一点上的说法是正确的。他也不像在攻读任何能使他获得科学学位的课程，或争取其他任何已知的能让他进入学术界的途径。但他对某些知识领域有着极大的热情，在某些稀奇古怪的领域内，他的学识异常渊博、精准，以至于常常语出惊人。我能肯定，没有人会去如此辛勤地工作或者去获取如此精确的知识，除非他有一个特定的目的。漫无目的的读书者很少能以他们知识的精确性而著称。没有人愿意在细枝末节上耗费精力，除非他有某种充分的理由去这样做。

His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.

他的无知与他拥有的知识同样惊人。对于现代文学、哲学和政治，他几乎一无所知。我引用汤姆斯·卡莱尔的文章时，他天真地问我卡莱尔是什么人，还有他都干过些什么。不过，我无意中发现，他竟然对哥白尼学说以及太阳系构成也全然不知，那时，我的惊奇才达到了极点。一个十九世纪的文明人竟然不知道地球围着太阳转，这在我看来是一个非同寻常的事实，让我难以理解。

"You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it."“你看起来很吃惊，”看到我惊讶的表情，他笑着说道，“即使知道了这些，我也要尽力把它忘掉。”

"To forget it!"“把它忘掉？!"

"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."“要知道，”他解释说，“我认为，人脑本来像一间空空的小阁楼，你得选择一些家具放进去。一个傻瓜才会把他见到的各种废旧家具一股脑儿地装进去，这样一来，那些对他有用的知识反而会被挤出来，或者最好的情况是，那些知识与各种事情混在一起，取出来时就感到很困难。所以一个技术好的工作者，在选择要把什么东西装入大脑的那间阁楼中时，会非常小心仔细。除了工作需要的工具外，他什么都不放，而这些工作需要的工具，他则会各式各样地存上好多，而且放置得井井有条。如果以为这间阁楼墙壁有弹性，能扩张到任意大小的话那就错了。毫无疑问，总有一天，每增加一点儿新知识，你就会忘掉一些旧的。因此，不能让无用的知识把有用的挤出去，这一点是极度重要的。”

"But the Solar System!" I protested.“可那是太阳系啊！”我争辩道。

"What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently; "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work."“这跟我有什么关系？”他不耐烦地打断我的话，“你说我们是绕着太阳转。就算我们绕着月亮转，这对我和我的工作来说也不会有丝毫影响。”

I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something in his manner showed me that the question would be an unwelcome one. I pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw my deductions from it. He said that he would acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his object. Therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would be useful to him. I enumerated in my own mind all the various points upon which he had shown me that he was exceptionally well-informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them down. I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran in this way:

我几乎就要问他，他的工作究竟是什么了，但从他的态度来看，这是一个不受欢迎的问题。然而，我仔细思考了一下刚才简短的谈话，尽量想从里面得出我的推论。他说不愿学习那些与目标无关的知识。也就是说，他拥有的一切知识都是对他有用的。我在脑海里把他表现出格外精通的知识领域一一列举出来。我甚至用铅笔简单记了下来。写完之后，我忍不住笑了。单子是这样的：

Sherlock Holmes—his limits

舍洛克·福尔摩斯——他的学识范围：

1.Knowledge of Literature.—Nil. 2.Philosophy.—Nil. 3.Astronomy.—Nil. 4.Politics.—Feeble. 5.Botany.—Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening. 6.Knowledge of Geology.—Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them. 7.Knowledge of Chemistry.—Profound. 8.Anatomy.—Accurate, but unsystematic. 9.Sensational Literature.—Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century. 10.Plays the violin well. 11.Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman. 12.Has a good practical knowledge of British law. 1.文学知识——无。2.哲学知识——无。3.天文学知识——无。4.政治学知识——浅薄。5.植物学知识——不全面。对阿托品、鸦片以及毒剂有深入的了解。对实用园艺学一无所知。6.地质学知识——偏于实用，但也有限。能一眼就分辨出不同土质。他曾在散步回来后把裤子上的泥点指给我看，并根据泥点的颜色和黏稠度分辨出是在伦敦什么地方溅上的。7.化学知识——精深。8.解剖学——精准，但并不系统。9.惊悚文学——广博。他似乎对近一个世纪以来发生的每个恐怖案件的细节都了如指掌。10.小提琴拉得很好。11.在单手棍、拳击和击剑方面是专家。12.充分掌握了英国法律的实用知识。

When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. "If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all," I said to myself, "I may as well give up the attempt at once."

写到这里，我就绝望地把单子扔进火里。“要是我能把所有这些本领一一联系起来，找到一种需要所有这些本领的行业，知道这家伙在干什么就好了，”我自言自语道，“我还是现在就放弃这种企图为妙。”

I see that I have alluded above to his powers upon the violin. These were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments. That he could play pieces, and difficult pieces, I knew well, because at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn's Lieder, and other favourites. When left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognized air. Leaning back in his armchair of an evening, he would close his eyes and scrape carelessly at the fiddle which was thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chords were sonorous and melancholy. Occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim or fancy was more than I could determine. I might have rebelled against these exasperating solos had it not been that he usually terminated them by playing in quick succession a whole series of my favourite airs as a slight compensation for the trial upon my patience.

我记得曾提到过他拉小提琴的造诣。他拉小提琴确实出色，但也像其他本领一样，有些古怪。那就是他会拉一些曲子，一些很难的曲子，我知道得很清楚，因为在我的请求下，他演奏过一些门德尔松的抒情曲，还有其他一些他喜欢的曲子。但是，当他独自一人时，他很少拉一些像样的乐曲，或是人们熟悉的调子。晚上，他靠在扶手椅上，闭着眼睛，信手抚弄平放在膝上的小提琴。旋律有时高亢，有时忧郁，偶尔也会奇特又欢畅。显然这些声音都反映了他当时的想法，不过，这些音乐是否有助于他的思考，或者仅仅是当时心血来潮的结果，我就无从断言了。他常常在拉完这些曲子之后，紧接着拉上一整套我最喜欢的曲子，作为对考验我耐心的小小补偿。若非如此，我对那些刺耳的独奏早就会感到反感了。

During the first week or so we had no callers, and I had begun to think that my companion was as friendless a man as I was myself. Presently, however, I found that he had many acquaintances, and those in the most different classes of society. There was one little sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week. One morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. The same afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slipshod elderly woman. On another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion; and on another a railway porter in his velveteen uniform. When any of these nondescript individuals put in an appearance, Sherlock Holmes used to beg for the use of the sitting-room, and I would retire to my bedroom. He always apologized to me for putting me to this inconvenience. "I have to use this room as a place of business," he said, "and these people are my clients." Again I had an opportunity of asking him a point-blank question, and again my delicacy prevented me from forcing another man to confide in me. I imagined at the time that he had some strong reason for not alluding to it, but he soon dispelled the idea by coming round to the subject of his own accord.

在头一两个星期里，没有人来拜访我们，我以为我的伙伴像我一样没什么朋友。但是，不久我就发现，他认识的人很多，而且他们来自社会上各个很不相同的阶层。有一个脸色发黄、面相狡黠且生着漆黑眼睛的人，经介绍是莱斯特雷德先生，他每周都要来三四次。一天早上来了一位年轻的姑娘，她穿着时尚，呆了半个多小时。当天下午又来了一位头发灰白、衣衫褴褛的客人，看起来像是一个犹太小贩，神情看起来很激动，紧跟着又来了一个邋遢的老妇人。还有一次一位白发苍苍的老绅士来会见了我的伙伴；另外一回是一个穿着仿天鹅绒制服的火车行李搬运工。每当这些不伦不类的客人出现的时候，舍洛克·福尔摩斯就会请求使用起居室，我则会回自己的卧室里去。他总是为给我带来了这样的不便而向我道歉。“我不得不把这间屋子当作办公的地方，”他说，“这些人都是我的顾客。”这次，我又有机会直截了当向他提出问题，但我的谨慎仍使我没有勉强他对我吐露实情。我当时想，他一定有很充分的理由不谈论他的职业，但不久，他就消除了我这个想法，因为他主动地谈到了这个问题。

It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember, that I rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yet finished his breakfast. The landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared. With the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell and gave a curt intimation that I was ready. Then I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.

那是三月四日，我有理由记得很清楚，我比平时起得早了一些，发现舍洛克·福尔摩斯还没有吃完早餐。房东太太习惯了我的晚起，所以我的座位还没摆好，咖啡也没准备。出于人类毫无道理的坏脾气，我唐突地按铃告诉房东太太，我已经准备好要吃早饭了。然后，我从桌上拿起一本杂志来打发时间，而我的同伴正一声不响地嚼着他的面包。有一篇文章的标题下面用铅笔作了记号，我自然而然地浏览了这篇文章。

Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.

文章的标题有些夸张，叫做“生活之书”，它试图说明，通过对接触的事物加以精确、系统的观察，一个善于观察的人将会学到多少东西。这篇文章给我的印象是一个精明和荒唐的混合体。从论证上看，它严密而紧凑，但从结论上看，就有些牵强和夸大其词。作者声称，只要一个瞬间的表情、一次肌肉的牵动或者眼神的一瞥，就能推断出一个人内心最深处的想法来。在作者看来，对于一个在观察、分析方面训练有素的人来说，欺骗是不可能的。他的结论会像欧几里德的许多命题一样，绝对正确。他的结论在门外汉看来十分令人吃惊，在弄明白他得出这样结论的各个步骤前，他们真会把他当作一个未卜先知的神人。

"From a drop of water," said the writer, "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man's finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt-cuffs—by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable."“从一滴水，”作者写道，“一个逻辑学家不需要见过或听说过大西洋或尼亚加拉瀑布，就能推理出它们的存在。所以整个生活就是一个巨大的链条，我们只要看到其中的一环，就能了解其本质。在着手研究极其困难的有关事物道德和精神层次的问题前，调查者应先掌握比较基本的问题。让他一遇到一个人，就能学着一眼辨识出这个人的过去，以及他从事的生意或职业。这样的练习虽然看起来很幼稚，却能使一个人的观察能力变得敏锐，并指导人们应该观察些什么，以及从哪里观察。一个人的手指甲、衣服袖子、靴子、裤子的膝盖部分、食指和拇指上的茧子、表情、衬衣袖口等等，不论哪一点都能清晰地表明一个人的职业。如果这些都联系起来还不能使有能力的调查人明白，那几乎是难以想象的。”

"What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table, "I never read such rubbish in my life."“真是无稽之谈！”我把这本杂志丢在桌子上，大声说道，“我这辈子从来没见过这么垃圾的文章。”

"What is it?" asked Sherlock Holmes.“哪篇文章？”舍洛克·福尔摩斯问道。

"Why, this article," I said, pointing at it with my egg spoon as I sat down to my breakfast. "I see that you have read it since you have marked it. I don't deny that it is smartly written. It irritates me though. It is evidently the theory of some armchair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study. It is not practical. I should like to see him clapped down in a third class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow-travellers. I would lay a thousand to one against him."“唔，就这篇，”我一面坐下来吃早餐，一面用蛋匙指着那篇文章说道，“我想你读过了，因为你做了记号。我不否认这篇文章写得很巧妙。但它还是惹我生气。显然，这是一个整天坐在扶手椅里的闲人闷在自己的书房里造出的理论，提出的尽是些巧妙精细却又自相矛盾的悖论。这一点也不切合实际。我倒想看着他被关在一个地铁三等车厢里，然后让他把每个乘客的职业都说出来。我愿意一千对一地跟他打这个赌。”

"You would lose your money," Sherlock Holmes remarked calmly. "As for the article I wrote it myself."“那你就要输钱了，”舍洛克·福尔摩斯镇静地说，“这篇文章是我写的。”

"You!"“是你？!"

"Yes, I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical are really extremely practical—so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese."“对，我在观察和推理方面都有天赋。我在那上面提到的那些理论，尽管你觉得很荒唐，但其实非常实际——实际到我得靠它来挣得我的面包和奶酪。”

"And how?" I asked involuntarily.“怎么做到的呢？”我不由自主地问道。

"Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in London we have lots of Government detectives and lots of private ones. When these fellows are at fault they come to me, and I manage to put them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set them straight. There is a strong family resemblance about misdeeds, and if you have all the details of a thousand at your finger ends, it is odd if you can't unravel the thousand and first. Lestrade is a well-known detective. He got himself into a fog recently over a forgery case, and that was what brought him here."“哦，我有自己的职业。我猜我是这世界上唯一一个干这行的。我是一个咨询侦探，如果你能明白这是什么的话。在伦敦这儿，有很多官方侦探和私家侦探。当这些人遇到困难时，他们就来向我求助，我就设法把他们引入正轨。他们把所有的证据提供给我，一般说来，我都能利用我了解的犯罪史知识，把它们理顺。犯罪行为都有很多相似点，如果你对一千个罪案的详情细节都能了如指掌，却不能弄清楚第一千零一个的话，那才是怪事呢。莱斯特雷德是一位有名的侦探。最近，他对一桩伪造案感到困惑不解，所以来找我。”

"And these other people?"“那其他的人呢？”

"They are mostly sent on by private inquiry agencies. They are all people who are in trouble about something, and want a little enlightening. I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee." "But do you mean to say," I said, "that without leaving your room you can unravel some knot which other men can make nothing of, although they have seen every detail for themselves?"“他们大多是私家侦探打发来的。他们都是遇到一些麻烦问题，需要一点儿指引的人。我听他们讲事情的经过，他们听取我的意见，然后费用就赚到口袋里了。”“你的意思是说，”我说，“别人尽管亲眼目睹各种细节，却仍解释不了的一些疑难问题，而你足不出户就能解决？”

"Quite so. I have a kind of intuition that way. Now and again a case turns up which is a little more complex. Then I have to bustle about and see things with my own eyes. You see I have a lot of special knowledge which I apply to the problem, and which facilitates matters wonderfully. Those rules of deduction laid down in that article which aroused your scorn, are invaluable to me in practical work. Observation with me is second nature. You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan."“正是这样。我在这方面有一种直觉。偶尔也会有一些稍微复杂点儿的案件。那么我就得出去奔波，亲自侦查了。你知道，我有许多特殊的知识能运用到解决问题上，这些都能让案件迎刃而解。文章中提及的那些让你嗤之以鼻的演绎法，对我来说在实际工作中有巨大的价值。观察能力是我的第二天性。我们第一次见面时，我对你说过，你是从阿富汗来的，你当时好像还很惊讶吧。”

"You were told, no doubt."“毫无疑问，肯定有人告诉你了。”

"Nothing of the sort. I knew you came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind, that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran, 'Here is a gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.' The whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished."“没有这回事。我知道你从阿富汗回来。我的思维因为长期的习惯而在脑海里飞转，所以，我还没意识到中间的步骤，就得出了结论。但是，这中间是有着一定的步骤的。推理过程是这样的，‘这里有一位具有医务工作者风度的先生，却有着军人气概。那么，他肯定是军医。他刚从热带回来，因为他的脸色黝黑，而这并不是他皮肤本来的颜色，因为他手腕皮肤白皙。他憔悴的面容清楚地说明他经历了困苦和病痛。他的左臂受了伤。他这只手的动作仍有些僵硬、不自然。热带有什么地方能让一个英国军医经历这样的艰苦，并让他的手臂负伤呢？当然是阿富汗了。’这一连串的思维花了不到一秒。于是我脱口说出你从阿富汗回来，你当时还很吃惊呢。”

"It is simple enough as you explain it," I said, smiling. "You remind me of Edgar Allen Poe's Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of stories."“经你这么一解释，看来还是挺简单的。”我笑着说。“你让我想起埃德加·爱伦·坡笔下的侦探人物迪潘来了。我真想不到，小说之外还真有这样的人存在。”

Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. "No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin," he observed. "Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking in on his friends' thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour's silence is really very showy and superficial. He had some analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appeared to imagine."

舍洛克·福尔摩斯站起来，点燃他的烟斗。“你一定认为，把我和迪潘相提并论是对我的赞扬了，”他说，“可是，在我看来，迪潘是一个拙劣的家伙。他总是静默一刻钟，才用中肯的话语道破他朋友的想法，这种伎俩实在是太做作、肤浅了。他有一些分析的天分，这一点毫无疑问；但他绝不像爱伦·坡想象得那样非凡。”

"Have you read Gaboriau's works?" I asked. "Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?" Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. "Lecoq was a miserable bungler," he said, in an angry voice; "he had only one thing to recommend him, and that was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was how to identify an unknown prisoner. I could have done it in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a text-book for detectives to teach them what to avoid."“你读过加博里欧的作品吗？”我问。“你觉得勒科克算得上一个侦探吗？”舍洛克·福尔摩斯鄙夷地哼了一声。“勒科克是一个可悲的笨蛋，”他生气地说，“他只有一件事情值得称道，那就是他的精力。那本书让我烦透了。书中的问题是如何辨别出未知的罪犯。我在二十四小时之内就能解决这样的问题。勒科克却用了差不多六个月。他应该写一本教科书，教教那些侦探们什么不应该做。”

I felt rather indignant at having two characters whom I had admired treated in this cavalier style. I walked over to the window, and stood looking out into the busy street. "This fellow may be very clever," I said to myself, "but he is certainly very conceited."

听他把我心目中钦佩的两个人物如此一番数落，我感到很愤慨。我走到窗户旁，站在那里，看着外面热闹的街道。“这个人也许很聪明，”我自忖，“但他也太自负了。”

"There are no crimes and no criminals in these days," he said, querulously. "What is the use of having brains in our profession. I know well that I have it in me to make my name famous. No man lives or has ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent to the detection of crime which I have done. And what is the result? There is no crime to detect, or, at most, some bungling villainy with a motive so transparent that even a Scotland Yard official can see through it."“最近没有什么罪案，也没有什么罪犯。”他抱怨道，“那干我们这一行要头脑还有什么用呢。我深知我有这样的头脑，会让我成名。古往今来，从没有一个人像我这样在犯罪侦破上有如此丰富的研究和天赋。但是，结果怎样呢？没有犯罪案件可侦查，或者说，最多也就是一些拙劣的犯罪案件，动机浅显易见，连伦敦警察厅的警察也能一眼识破。”

I was still annoyed at his bumptious style of conversation. I thought it best to change the topic.

我对他这种狂妄自大的言论仍余怒未息。我想最好还是换个话题。

"I wonder what that fellow is looking for?" I asked, pointing to a stalwart, plainly-dressed individual who was walking slowly down the other side of the street, looking anxiously at the numbers. He had a large blue envelope in his hand, and was evidently the bearer of a message.“不知道这个人在找什么？”我指着一个强壮、衣着朴素的人问道，他正在街对面慢慢地走着，焦急地看着门牌号。他手里拿着一个蓝色大信封，显然是一个送信的人。

"You mean the retired sergeant of Marines," said Sherlock Holmes.“你是说那个退伍的海军中士吗？”舍洛克·福尔摩斯说。

"Brag and bounce!" thought I to myself. "He knows that I cannot verify his guess."“吹牛说大话！”我暗暗想道，“他明知道我没法核实他的猜测。”

The thought had hardly passed through my mind when the man whom we were watching caught sight of the number on our door, and ran rapidly across the roadway. We heard a loud knock, a deep voice below, and heavy steps ascending the stair.

当我们观察的那个人看到我们的门牌号，飞快地穿过街道跑来时，我的脑中还保留着这个想法。我们听到响亮的敲门声，楼下低沉的说话声，接着是沉重的上楼的脚步声。

"For Mr. Sherlock Holmes," he said, stepping into the room and handing my friend the letter.“给舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生的信，”他说着便走进房间，把信交给我的朋友。

Here was an opportunity of taking the conceit out of him. He little thought of this when he made that random shot. "May I ask, my lad," I said, in the blandest voice, "what your trade may be?"

这正是一个能挫一下福尔摩斯傲气的机会。他刚才信口胡说时，肯定没想到事情会变成这样。“小伙子，请问一下，”我和蔼地说，“你是从事什么职业的？”

"Commissionaire, sir," he said, gruffly. "Uniform away for repairs."“我是一个门警，先生。”他粗声粗气地说，“我的制服拿去修补了。”

"And you were?" I asked, with a slightly malicious glance at my companion.“你过去是做什么的呢？”我一面问他，一面略怀恶意地瞟了我的同伴一眼。

"A sergeant, sir, Royal Marine Light Infantry, sir. No answer? Right, sir."“中士，先生，皇家海军陆战队轻型步兵。没有回信吗？好吧，先生。”

He clicked his heels together, raised his hand in a salute, and was gone.

他并了一下脚跟，举起手来敬了个礼，然后走了出去。Chapter 3The Lauriston Garden Mystery第三章洛里斯东花园街之谜

I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion's theories. My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously. There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension. When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

我同伴的那些理论的实用性立即被证实了，我承认，这让我大吃一惊。我对他的分析能力大为钦佩。但我心里尚存着一丝怀疑，也许这整件事是预先安排好的，就是为了捉弄和迷惑我，尽管我不能理解，他这么做的目的何在。当我看向他的时候，他已经读完来信，眼中又呈现出那种空洞、暗淡的神情，一副心不在焉的样子。

"How in the world did you deduce that?" I asked.“你到底是怎么推断出来的？”我问。

"Deduce what?" said he, petulantly.“推断出什么？”他不耐烦地问。

"Why, that he was a retired sergeant of Marines."“唔，就是他是一个退伍的海军中士这件事。”

"I have no time for trifles," he answered, brusquely; then with a smile, "Excuse my rudeness. You broke the thread of my thoughts; but perhaps it is as well. So you actually were not able to see that that man was a sergeant of Marines?"“我没工夫谈这些琐事，”他粗鲁地回答。然后，他又笑了笑，“请原谅我的无礼。你把我的思路打断了,但也无妨。这么说，你真的看不出来他曾是一个海军中士吗？”

"No, indeed."“看不出来，真的。”

"It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact. Even across the street I could see a great blue anchor tattooed on the back of the fellow's hand. That smacked of the sea. He had a military carriage, however, and regulation side whiskers. There we have the marine. He was a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command. You must have observed the way in which he held his head and swung his cane. A steady, respectable, middle-aged man, too, on the face of him—all facts which led me to believe that he had been a sergeant."“知道这件事比解释为什么我知道它要简单得多。如果有人让你证明二加二等于四，你会发现有些困难，但你却非常肯定这是事实。即便隔着一条街，我也能看到，那家伙手背上有一只蓝色大锚的刺青。这让人想起大海。而他的举止有军人的气概，还留着标准的络腮胡子。所以我们可以得出他是一个海军的结论。他有点儿自命不凡，还带有一些发号施令的神气。你肯定注意到他那昂着头、挥舞手杖的方式了吧。从面相来看，他还是一个稳健、庄重的中年男人——所有这些事实都让我相信，他曾经是一个中士。”

"Wonderful!" I ejaculated.“妙极了！”我不禁喊道。

"Commonplace," said Holmes, though I thought from his expression that he was pleased at my evident surprise and admiration. "I said just now that there were no criminals. It appears that I am wrong—look at this!" He threw me over the note which the commissionaire had brought.“一般吧，”福尔摩斯说，尽管从他的表情来看，我想他对我流露出的惊讶和钦佩感到高兴。“我刚才还说没有罪犯。看来我错了——你瞧这个！”他把门警刚送来的信扔到我面前。

"Why," I cried, as I cast my eye over it, "this is terrible!"“哎呀，”我草草看了一下，叫了起来，“真是太可怕了！”

"It does seem to be a little out of the common," he remarked, calmly. "Would you mind reading it to me aloud?"“看来这件事确实有些非同寻常，”他镇静地说，“请你大声地把信给我念一念好吗？”

This is the letter which I read to him—

下面就是我念给他听的那封信——

"My dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:“亲爱的舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生：

"There has been a bad business during the night at 3, Lauriston Gardens, off the Brixton Road. Our man on the beat saw a light there about two in the morning, and as the house was an empty one, suspected that something was amiss. He found the door open, and in the front room, which is bare of furniture, discovered the body of a gentleman, well dressed, and having cards in his pocket bearing the name of 'Enoch J. Drebber, Cleveland, Ohio, U. S. A.' There had been no robbery, nor is there any evidence as to how the man met his death. There are marks of blood in the room, but there is no wound upon his person. We are at a loss as to how he came into the empty house; indeed, the whole affair is a puzzler. If you can come round to the house any time before twelve, you will find me there. I have left everything in statu quo until I hear from you. If you are unable to come I shall give you fuller details, and would esteem it a great kindness if you would favour me with your opinion.“夜里，在布里克斯顿路旁的洛里斯东花园街3号，发生了一起凶杀案。我们的巡逻警察在凌晨两点左右看到那里有灯光，因为这个房子无人居住，所以他怀疑有什么地方不太对劲。他发现门敞开着，在前面的房间里，什么家具都没有，就在那里，他发现了一具男尸，衣着整齐，口袋里有名片写着‘伊诺克·J. 德雷伯，克利夫兰城，俄亥俄州，美国’。没有抢劫的迹象，也没有证据能说明这个人的死因。虽然房间里有一些血迹，但死者身上并没有任何伤痕。至于死者是如何进入空屋的，我们完全摸不着头脑；确实，这整件事是一个棘手的难题。希望您能在十二点之前来这所房子一趟，我将在此恭候。在收到您的来信之前，我会让一切保持原状。如果您不能赶来，我也会把更全面的详情告诉您，如能蒙您指教一二，我将不胜感激。

Yours faithfully,

敬启，

TOBIAS GREGSON."

托拜厄斯·格雷格森。”

"Gregson is the smartest of the Scotland Yarders," my friend remarked; "he and Lestrade are the pick of a bad lot. They are both quick and energetic, but conventional—shockingly so. They have their knives into one another, too. They are as jealous as a pair of professional beauties. There will be some fun over this case if they are both put upon the scent."“格雷格森是伦敦警察厅里最聪明的警察，”我的朋友说，“他和莱斯特雷德都算是蠢货之中最过得去的人物。他们俩都反应敏捷，且精力充沛，但都因循守旧——而且守旧得很厉害。他们彼此之间也勾心斗角，就像两个卖笑的妇人似的互相妒忌。如果他们都插手这件案子的话，那么事情将会很有趣。”

I was amazed at the calm way in which he rippled on. "Surely there is not a moment to be lost," I cried, "shall I go and order you a cab?"

他轻描淡写地谈论着，如此镇静，令我感到吃惊。“真是片刻也不能耽误了，”我叫道，“需要我给你雇一辆马车吗？”

"I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather—that is, when the fit is on me, for I can be spry enough at times."“我还没决定要不要去呢。我是世界上最无可救药的懒鬼——懒劲儿发作时就这样，但有时候，我也非常活跃、敏捷呢。”

"Why, it is just such a chance as you have been longing for."“什么？这不正是你一直期盼的机会吗？”

"My dear fellow, what does it matter to me. Supposing I unravel the whole matter, you may be sure that Gregson, Lestrade, and Co. will pocket all the credit. That comes of being an unofficial personage."“我亲爱的朋友，这和我有什么关系呢？如果我把这个案件解决了，可以肯定，格雷格森和莱斯特雷德这一帮人会把所有功劳揽入囊中的。这是因为，我是一个非官方人士。”

"But he begs you to help him."“但他现在是在请求你的帮助呀。”

"Yes. He knows that I am his superior, and acknowledges it to me; but he would cut his tongue out before he would own it to any third person. However, we may as well go and have a look. I shall work it out on my own hook. I may have a laugh at them if I have nothing else. Come on!"“是的。他知道我比他强，也对我承认这一点；但他宁愿把舌头割掉，也不会对第三个人承认这一点。不过，无论如何，我们还是去看一看吧。我可以自己干。即使我什么都得不到，至少还可以嘲笑他们一下。走吧！”

He hustled on his overcoat, and bustled about in a way that showed that an energetic fit had superseded the apathetic one.

他急匆匆地穿上大衣，那种匆忙的样子表明，他活跃、敏捷的一面压倒了消极、冷漠的一面。

"Get your hat," he said.“戴上你的帽子。”他说。

"You wish me to come?"“你希望我也去吗？”

"Yes, if you have nothing better to do." A minute later we were both in a hansom, driving furiously for the Brixton Road.“是的，如果你没有别的事情要做的话。”一分钟后，我们已经坐在马车上了，向布里克斯顿路飞速驶去。

It was a foggy, cloudy morning, and a dun-coloured veil hung over the housetops, looking like the reflection of the mud-coloured streets beneath. My companion was in the best of spirits, and prattled away about Cremona fiddles, and the difference between a Stradivarius and an Amati. As for myself, I was silent, for the dull weather and the melancholy business upon which we were engaged, depressed my spirits.

这个清晨多雾而且多云，淡褐色的帷幔笼罩着房顶，看上去好像泥泞街道的映像。我的伙伴精神十足，闲扯着克雷莫纳的小提琴，以及斯特拉迪瓦里提琴与阿马蒂提琴之间的区别。而我则沉默不语，因为阴沉的天气和我们将要着手的悲惨案件都让我情绪低落。

"You don't seem to give much thought to the matter in hand," I said at last, interrupting Holmes' musical disquisition.“你看起来没怎么思考手头这件案子。”最后，我终于说道，打断了福尔摩斯关于音乐的言论。

"No data yet," he answered. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment."“还没有资料呢，”他回答说，“在掌握所有证据前就空谈是重大的错误。这会让判断产生偏差。”

"You will have your data soon," I remarked, pointing with my finger; "this is the Brixton Road, and that is the house, if I am not very much mistaken."“你很快就可以得到资料了，”我用手指指着前面说，“如果我没弄错的话，这就是布里克斯顿路，那里就是那个房子。”

"So it is. Stop, driver, stop!" We were still a hundred yards or so from it, but he insisted upon our alighting, and we finished our journey upon foot.“正是。停下，车夫，停车！”我们离那所房子还有差不多一百码，但是，他坚持下车，然后我们徒步走完了剩下的路程。

Number 3, Lauriston Gardens wore an ill-omened and minatory look. It was one of four which stood back some little way from the street, two being occupied and two empty. The latter looked out with three tiers of vacant melancholy windows, which were blank and dreary, save that here and there a "To Let" card had developed like a cataract upon the bleared panes. A small garden sprinkled over with a scattered eruption of sickly plants separated each of these houses from the street, and was traversed by a narrow pathway, yellowish in colour, and consisting apparently of a mixture of clay and of gravel. The whole place was very sloppy from the rain which had fallen through the night. The garden was bounded by a three-foot brick wall with a fringe of wood rails upon the top, and against this wall was leaning a stalwart police constable, surrounded by a small knot of loafers, who craned their necks and strained their eyes in the vain hope of catching some glimpse of the proceedings within. I had imagined that Sherlock Holmes would at once have hurried into the house and plunged into a study of the mystery. Nothing appeared to be further from his intention. With an air of nonchalance which, under the circumstances, seemed to me to border upon affectation, he lounged up and down the pavement, and gazed vacantly at the ground, the sky, the opposite houses and the line of railings. Having finished his scrutiny, he proceeded slowly down the path, or rather down the fringe of grass which flanked the path, keeping his eyes riveted upon the ground. Twice he stopped, and once I saw him smile, and heard him utter an exclamation of satisfaction. There were many marks of footsteps upon the wet clayey soil, but since the police had been coming and going over it, I was unable to see how my companion could hope to learn anything from it. Still I had had such extraordinary evidence of the quickness of his perceptive faculties, that I had no doubt that he could see a great deal which was hidden from me.

洛里斯东花园街3号呈现一副不祥、凶险的样子。它是这里四幢离街稍远的房子中的一幢，两幢有人居住，另外两幢空着。空房有三排令人阴郁的空窗子，窗子空白且沉闷，只有模糊的窗玻璃上贴满了“招租”的贴士，就像得了白内障。每栋房子前都有一个小花园，花园里杂乱地生长着病恹恹的植物，把房子和街道隔开，中间有一条小路穿过花园，小路略显黄色，显然是用黏土和砾石铺成的。下了一夜的大雨，整个地方泥泞不堪。花园四周有三英尺高的顶上带一圈木栅的砖墙，一个强壮结实的警察倚墙站着，周围围了一小群闲人，他们伸长脖子，睁大眼睛，想看几眼里面的进展，但都白费功夫。我猜想，福尔摩斯一定会立刻奔进房子里，马上着手研究这个神秘的案件。可是，他似乎一点儿也不着急。他一副漠不关心的样子，在这种情况下，这种做法在我看来不免有些做作，他在人行道上走来走去，面无表情地凝视着地面、天空、对面的房子和那排围栏。观察完之后，他慢慢沿着小径走，或者应该说是沿着小径旁的草地边缘走，还一边全神贯注地看着地面。他停下来两次，有一次，我看到他露出微笑，还听到他发出一声满意的感叹。湿润的黏土地面上有很多脚印，但是，由于警察在上面走来走去，我看不出来，我的同伴怎样能从这上面看出任何端倪。然而，我有特殊的证据证明他对事物拥有敏锐的观察能力，所以我毫不怀疑，他看到了一些我看不出来的东西。

At the door of the house we were met by a tall, white-faced, flaxen-haired man, with a notebook in his hand, who rushed forward and wrung my companion's hand with effusion. "It is indeed kind of you to come," he said, "I have had everything left untouched."

在房子门口，我们遇到一个高个子、面色白皙、有着淡黄色头发的人，他手里拿着一个笔记本，快跑过来，热情地握住我的伙伴的手。“你能来真是太好了，”他说，“我把一切都保持了原样。”

"Except that!" my friend answered, pointing at the pathway. "If a herd of buffaloes had passed along there could not be a greater mess. No doubt, however, you had drawn your own conclusions, Gregson, before you permitted this."“除了那个！”我的朋友指着那条小路说道。“就算一群水牛从那里走过去，也不会弄得比现在更乱了。但毫无疑问，格雷格森，在你允许这么做之前，你肯定得出了自己的论断。”

"I have had so much to do inside the house," the detective said evasively. "My colleague, Mr. Lestrade, is here. I had relied upon him to look after this."“我在屋里有很多事情要做，”这个侦探含糊其辞地说，“我的同事，莱斯特雷德，他负责这里。我拜托他照看这边的。”

Holmes glanced at me and raised his eyebrows sardonically. "With two such men as yourself and Lestrade upon the ground, there will not be much for a third party to find out," he said.

福尔摩斯看了我一眼，并嘲讽地扬了扬眉毛。“有了你和莱斯特雷德这么两位人物在场，第三人想必再发现不了什么了。”他说。

Gregson rubbed his hands in a self-satisfied way. "I think we have done all that can be done," he answered; "it's a queer case though, and I knew your taste for such things."

格雷格森得意地搓着双手。“我认为我们已经把所有能做的都做到了，”他回答说，“不过这个案子很奇特，我知道，这正合你的胃口。”

"You did not come here in a cab?" asked Sherlock Holmes.“你没有坐马车来吧？”舍洛克·福尔摩斯问道。

"No, sir."“没有，先生。”

"Nor Lestrade?"“莱斯特雷德也没有吗？”

"No, sir."“没有，先生。”

"Then let us go and look at the room." With which inconsequent remark he strode on into the house, followed by Gregson, whose features expressed his astonishment.“那么咱们到屋子里面瞧瞧。”问完这些前言不搭后语的话后，福尔摩斯大步走进房间，格雷格森紧随其后，脸上露出惊讶的神色。

A short passage, bare-planked and dusty, led to the kitchen and offices. Two doors opened out of it to the left and to the right. One of these had obviously been closed for many weeks. The other belonged to the dining-room, which was the apartment in which the mysterious affair had occurred. Holmes walked in, and I followed him with that subdued feeling at my heart which the presence of death inspires.

一条没有铺地毯的短过道通向厨房和办公室，地面布满灰尘。过道左右两边各有一扇门。其中一扇门显然已经多个星期没有打开过了。另一扇通向餐厅，也就是谜案发生的地方。福尔摩斯走了进去，我跟着他走着，眼前这场死亡所引发的抑郁感占据了我的心。

It was a large square room, looking all the larger from the absence of all furniture. A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls, but it was blotched in places with mildew, and here and there great strips had become detached and hung down, exposing the yellow plaster beneath. Opposite the door was a showy fireplace, surmounted by a mantelpiece of imitation white marble. On one corner of this was stuck the stump of a red wax candle. The solitary window was so dirty that the light was hazy and uncertain, giving a dull grey tinge to everything, which was intensified by the thick layer of dust which coated the whole apartment.

这是一间方形的大房间，没有任何家具陈设使它显得更宽大。墙壁上糊着庸俗的花墙纸，有些地方有了斑斑点点的霉迹，到处都有大片大片的墙纸剥落垂下来，露出底下黄色的泥墙。对着门有一个引人注目的壁炉，上面有一个仿大理石做的白色壁炉台。壁炉一角还放着一段红色蜡烛。唯一的一个窗户布满灰尘，使光线昏暗不明，给所有的东西蒙上一层灰暗、阴郁的色彩，整个房间里厚厚的尘土更加深了这种色调。

All these details I observed afterwards. At present my attention was centred upon the single grim motionless figure which lay stretched upon the boards, with vacant sightless eyes staring up at the discoloured ceiling. It was that of a man about forty-three or forty-four years of age, middle-sized, broad shouldered, with crisp curling black hair, and a short stubbly beard. He was dressed in a heavy broadcloth frock coat and waistcoat, with light-coloured trousers, and immaculate collar and cuffs. A top hat, well brushed and trim, was placed upon the floor beside him. His hands were clenched and his arms thrown abroad, while his lower limbs were interlocked as though his death struggle had been a grievous one. On his rigid face there stood an expression of horror, and as it seemed to me, of hatred, such as I have never seen upon human features. This malignant and terrible contortion, combined with the low forehead, blunt nose, and prognathous jaw gave the dead man a singularly simious and ape-like appearance, which was increased by his writhing, unnatural posture. I have seen death in many forms, but never has it appeared to me in a more fearsome aspect than in that dark grimy apartment, which looked out upon one of the main arteries of suburban London.

这些细节都是我后来观察到的。现在，我的注意力都集中在那个一动不动、僵卧在地板上的万分可怕的尸体上，他那空洞无神的眼睛凝视着褪了色的天花板。死者大约有四十三四岁，中等身材，肩膀宽厚，有一头黑色的卷曲头发，留着短硬的胡须。他穿着厚厚的绒面礼服大衣和马夹，浅色的裤子，领子和袖口洁净如新。一个刷理得很整洁的高礼帽，放在死者身旁的地板上。他双手紧握，并伸着双臂，但他双腿却交叠着，仿佛死前的挣扎极为痛苦。他僵硬的脸上露出恐怖的表情，在我看来，这是一种仇恨的表情，我从没在别人脸上见过这样的仇恨。这种凶神恶煞的扭曲表情，加上低矮的脑门、扁平的鼻子、突出的下巴，让死者看起来像一个怪模怪样的猿猴，那种不自然的痛苦翻腾的姿态，更加深了这种印象。在伦敦市郊要道旁，一所黑暗、污秽的房子里，躺着这具死尸。我见过各种各样的死尸，但从没有遇到比这更为可怖的。

Lestrade, lean and ferret-like as ever, was standing by the doorway, and greeted my companion and myself.

莱斯特雷德像以往一样瘦削而具有侦探风度，他站在门口，向我和我的朋友打着招呼。

"This case will make a stir, sir," he remarked. "It beats anything I have seen, and I am no chicken."“这案子要引起轰动了，先生，”他说，“其恐怖甚于我以前见过的任何事，而我可不是一个胆小鬼。”

"There is no clue?" said Gregson.“没有什么线索吗？”格雷格森问道。

"None at all," chimed in Lestrade.“一点儿也没有。”莱斯特雷德回应道。

Sherlock Holmes approached the body, and, kneeling down, examined it intently. "You are sure that there is no wound?" he asked, pointing to numerous gouts and splashes of blood which lay all round.

舍洛克·福尔摩斯走到尸体旁边，然后跪下，全神贯注地检查着。“你确定没有伤痕吗？”他问道，指着四周那一滴滴、一摊摊的大量血迹。

"Positive!" cried both detectives.“确实没有！”两个侦探同声回答。

"Then, of course, this blood belongs to a second individual—presumably the murderer, if murder has been committed. It reminds me of the circumstances attendant on the death of Van Jansen, in Utrecht, in the year '34. Do you remember the case, Gregson?"“那么，当然，这些血迹是另一个人的了——可能就是那个凶手的，如果这是一起谋杀案的话。这让我想起了范·詹森死时的情况，那发生一八三四年的乌得勒支。你还记得那个案件吗，格雷格森？”

"No, sir."“不记得了，先生。”

"Read it up—you really should. There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before."“那就读一读那个旧案子——你真该这么做。天底下本来就没有什么新鲜的事。都是以前做过的。”

As he spoke, his nimble fingers were flying here, there, and everywhere, feeling, pressing, unbuttoning, examining, while his eyes wore the same far-away expression which I have already remarked upon. So swiftly was the examination made, that one would hardly have guessed the minuteness with which it was conducted. Finally, he sniffed the dead man's lips, and then glanced at the soles of his patent-leather boots.

他说着，灵巧的手指迅速地在这里那里到处移动，按捏着，感觉着，解开扣子，认真检查，而他的眼睛里又流露出我提到过的那种若有所思的神情。检查迅速地结束了，人们很难猜到它进行得能有那么细致。最后，他嗅了嗅死者的嘴唇，然后看了看他的漆皮靴子的鞋底。

"He has not been moved at all?" he asked.“尸体一点儿都没有移动过吗？”他问道。

"No more than was necessary for the purposes of our examination."“除了我们必要的检查外，没有动过。”

"You can take him to the mortuary now," he said. "There is

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