Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence,
福尔摩斯默默地坐了一会儿,
with his head sunk forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the fire.
头向前倾,目光凝注在壁炉的红彤彤的火焰上。
Then he lit his pipe, and leaning back in his chair he watched the blue smoke-rings as they chased each other up to the ceiling.
随后他点燃了烟斗,背靠坐椅,望着蓝色烟圈一个跟着一个地袅袅升向天花板。
"I think, Watson," he remarked at last, "that of all our cases we have had none more fantastic than this."
"华生,我想我们经历的所有案件中没有一件比这个更为稀奇古怪的了。"他终于做出了一个判断。
"Save, perhaps, the Sign of Four."
"除了'四签名'案外,也许是这样。"
"Well, yes. Save, perhaps, that.
"嗯,对了。除此之外,也许是这样。
And yet this John Openshaw seems to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the Sholtos."
可是在我看来,这个约翰·奥彭肖似乎是正在面临着比舒尔托更大的危险。"
"But have you," I asked, "formed any definite conception as to what these perils are?"
"但是,你对这是什么样的危险是否有了任何明确的看法?"我问道。
"There can be no question as to their nature," he answered.
"它们的性质是没有疑问的了,"他回答说。
"Then what are they? Who is this K.K.K., and why does he pursue this unhappy family?"
"那么,它们是怎么回事?谁是这个K.K.K.?为什么他要一直纠缠着这个不幸的家庭呢?"