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The old man sank his face in his hands. "God help me!" he cried.
这个老人把头低垂，两手掩面。他喊道："上帝保佑我吧！
"But I would not have let the young man come to harm.
但是，我是不会让这个年轻人受害的。
I give you my word that I would have spoken out if it went against him at the Assizes."
我向你保证，如果巡回审判法庭宣判他有罪，我会出来说话的。"
"I am glad to hear you say so," said Holmes gravely.
福尔摩斯严肃地说："我很高兴听你这么说。"
"I would have spoken now had it not been for my dear girl.
"要不是为了我亲爱的女儿着想，我早就说出来了。
It would break her heart -- it will break her heart when she hears that I am arrested."
那会使她十分痛心的，当她听到我被捕的消息时，她是会很痛心的。"
"It may not come to that," said Holmes. "What?"
福尔摩斯说："也许不至于要逮捕吧。""你说什么？"
"I am no official agent.
"我不是官方侦探。
I understand that it was your daughter who required my presence here, and I am acting in her interests.
我明白，是你女儿要求我到这里来的，我现在是替她办事。
Young McCarthy must be got off, however."
无论如何必须使小麦卡锡无罪开释。"
"I am a dying man," said old Turner. "I have had diabetes for years.
老特纳说："我是个濒临死亡的人了。我患糖尿病已有多年。
My doctor says it is a question whether I shall live a month.
我的医生说，我是否还能活一个月都是个问题。
Yet I would rather die under my own roof than in a jail."
可是，我宁可死在自己家里也不愿死在监狱里。"
Holmes rose and sat down at the table with his pen in his hand and a bundle of paper before him.
福尔摩斯站起身来走到桌子旁边坐下，然后拿起笔，在他面前放着一沓纸。
"Just tell us the truth," he said. "I shall jot down the facts.
他说："只要告诉我事实真相，我把事实摘录下来，
You will sign it, and Watson here can witness it.
然后你在上面签字，这位华生可作见证人。
Then I could produce your confession at the last extremity to save young McCarthy.
以后我可能出示你的自白书，但只是在为了拯救小麦卡锡的万不得已的时候。
I promise you that I shall not use it unless it is absolutely needed."
我答应你，除非绝对必要，否则我不会用它的。"
"It's as well," said the old man; "it's a question whether I shall live to the Assizes,
那老人说："这样也可以。我能不能活到巡回审判法庭开庭的时候还是个问题，
so it matters little to me, but I should wish to spare Alice the shock.
所以这对我没有多大关系，我只是不想引起艾丽斯的震惊就是了。
And now I will make the thing clear to you; it has been a long time in the acting, but will not take me long to tell."
现在我一定向你直说，事情经过的时间很长，我讲出来倒用不了多长时间。"
