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Again Holmes flattened out the paper upon his unused plate.
福尔摩斯又把那张纸平铺在空盘子上。
I rose and, leaning over him, stared down at the curious inscription, which ran as follows:
我站了起来，在他身后低头注视着那些稀奇古怪的文字，文字排列如下：
534, C2, 13, 127, 36, 31, 4, 17, 21, 41.
534, C2, 13, 127, 36, 31, 4, 17, 21, 41.
DOUGLAS, 109, 293, 5, 37, BIRLSTONE.
道格拉斯, 109, 293, 5, 37, 伯尔斯通.
26, BIRLSTONE, 9, 47, 171.
26, 伯尔斯通, 9, 47, 171.
"What do you make of it, Holmes?"
"福尔摩斯，你从这些字能得出什么结论呢？"
"It is obviously an attempt to convey secret information."
"很明显，这是想用来传达秘密消息的。"
"But what is the use of a cipher message without the cipher?"
"可是没有密码本，密码信又有什么用呢？"
"In this instance, none at all."
"在这种情况下，是完全没有用的。"
"Why do you say 'in this instance'?"
"为什么你说'在这种情况下'呢？"
"Because there are many ciphers which I would read as easily as I do the apocrypha of the agony column: such crude devices amuse the intelligence without fatiguing it.
"因为有许多密码，在我读起来，就像读报纸通告栏里的山海经一样容易。那些简单的东西对人的智力来讲，只能使人感到有趣，而不感到厌倦。
But this is different. It is clearly a reference to the words in a page of some book. Until I am told which page and which book I am powerless."
可是这次就不同了，它显然指的是某本书中某页上的某些词。只要不告诉我是在哪本书的哪一页上，那我就无能为力了。"
"But why 'Douglas' and 'Birlstone'?"
"那为什么又要道格拉斯和伯尔斯通两个字呢？"
"Clearly because those are words which were not contained in the page in question."
"显然是因为这本书上没有那两个字。"
"Then why has he not indicated the book?"
"那他为什么不指出是哪本书呢？"
"Your native shrewdness, my dear Watson, that innate cunning which is the delight of your friends,
"亲爱的华生，你有天赋的机智、生来的狡黠，使你的朋友们都感到高兴；
would surely prevent you from inclosing cipher and message in the same envelope.
就凭这点机智，你也不至于把密码信和密码本放在同一信封里。
Should it miscarry, you are undone. As it is, both have to go wrong before any harm comes from it.
因为信件一旦投递错了，那你就败露了。像现在这样，只有两封信都出了差错，才能出乱子。
Our second post is now overdue, and I shall be surprised if it does not bring us either a further letter of explanation, or, as is more probable, the very volume to which these figures refer."
我们的第二封信现在已经该到了，如果未来的那封信里不给我们送来解释的文字，或者更可能的是，查阅这些符号的原书，那才使我奇怪呢。"
