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Holmes's calculation was fulfilled within a very few minutes by the appearance of Billy, the page, with the very letter which we were expecting.
果然不出福尔摩斯所料，过了几分钟，小仆人毕利进来了，送来了我们所期待的那封信。
"The same writing," remarked Holmes, as he opened the envelope, "and actually signed," he added in an exultant voice as he unfolded the epistle.
"笔迹相同，"福尔摩斯打开信封时说，"并且竟然签了名，"当他展开信笺的时候，兴高采烈地接着说，
"Come, we are getting on, Watson." His brow clouded, however, as he glanced over the contents.
"喂，华生，咱们有进展了。"可是他看完信的内容以后，双眉又紧锁起来。
"Dear me, this is very disappointing! I fear, Watson, that all our expectations come to nothing. I trust that the man Porlock will come to no harm.
"哎呀，这可太使人失望啦！华生，恐怕我们的期待都要变成泡影了。但愿波尔洛克这个人不会遭到不幸。"
"DEAR MR. HOLMES (he says): I will go no further in this matter. It is too dangerous–he suspects me. I can see that he suspects me.
"亲爱的福尔摩斯先生：这件事我不愿再干下去了。这太危险了，他怀疑我了。我看得出来他怀疑我了。
He came to me quite unexpectedly after I had actually addressed this envelope with the intention of sending you the key to the cipher.
当我写完通信地址，打算把密码索引送给你时，他完全意想不到地来了。幸亏我把它盖住了。
I was able to cover it up. If he had seen it, it would have gone hard with me.
要是他看到了的话，那对我就非常不利了。
But I read suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message, which can now be of no use to you. FRED PORLOCK."
可是我从他目光里看出不信任的神色来，请你把上次寄去的密码信烧了吧，那封信现在对你没有用处了。弗莱德·波尔洛克。"
Holmes sat for some little time twisting this letter between his fingers, and frowning, as he stared into the fire.
福尔摩斯用手指搓弄着这封信，坐了一会儿，皱着眉头，凝视着壁炉。
"After all," he said at last, "there may be nothing in it. It may be only his guilty conscience.
福尔摩斯终于说道，"也许这并没有什么。也许只不过是他作贼心虚罢了。
Knowing himself to be a traitor, he may have read the accusation in the other's eyes."
他自觉是贼党中的叛逆者，所以可能从那个人的眼光里看出了谴责的神色。"
"The other being, I presume, Professor Moriarty."
"那个人，我想就是莫里亚蒂教授吧。"
"No less! When any of that party talk about 'He' you know whom they mean. There is one predominant 'He' for all of them."
"一点不差！他们那一伙人，不管谁只要一提到'他'，都知道指的是谁。他们全体只有一个发号施令的'他'。"
"But what can he do?"
"可是他又能怎么样呢？"
"Hum! That's a large question. When you have one of the first brains of Europe up against you, and all the powers of darkness at his back, there are infinite possibilities.
"哼！这倒是个大问题。当有一个欧洲第一流的智囊在与你作对，而他背后还有黑社会的一切势力，那就什么都可能发生了。
Anyhow, Friend Porlock is evidently scared out of his senses -- kindly compare the writing in the note to that upon its envelope; which was done, he tells us, before this ill-omened visit.
不管怎么说，咱们的朋友波尔洛克显然是吓胡涂了--请你把信纸上的笔迹和信封上的比较一下看。这说明，信封上的字是那个人突然来访前写的。
The one is clear and firm. The other hardly legible."
所以清楚而有力，可是信纸上的字就潦草得几乎看不清楚了。"
"Why did he write at all? Why did he not simply drop it?"
"那他何必写这封信呢？索性放下不管就算了。"
"Because he feared I would make some inquiry after him in that case, and possibly bring trouble on him."
"因为他怕那样一来，我就会去追问他，给他找麻烦。"
"No doubt," said I. "Of course."
"不错，"我说，"当然了。"
I had picked up the original cipher message and was bending my brows over it.
我拿起用密码写的那封信，皱着眉头仔细看着，
"It's pretty maddening to think that an important secret may lie here on this slip of paper, and that it is beyond human power to penetrate it."
"明知这张纸上有重大秘密，可是又毫无办法去破译它，简直把人急疯了。"
