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It was spoken with fervour and feeling, and yet Inspector MacDonald could not dismiss the subject.
话说得热情洋溢、感情真挚，然而警官麦克唐纳还是没有转移话题，
"You are aware," said he, "that the dead man's wedding ring has been taken from his finger?"
他问道："你知道死者的结婚戒指被人从手指上取走了吧？"
"So it appears," said Barker.
"看来像是这样，"巴克说道。
"What do you mean by 'appears'? You know it as a fact."
"你说'看来像'是什么意思？你知道这是事实啊。"
The man seemed confused and undecided. "When I said 'appears' I meant that it was conceivable that he had himself taken off the ring."
巴克这时看来有些惊惶不安和犹豫不决。他说道："我说'看来像'，意思是，说不定是他自己把戒指取下来的呢。"
"The mere fact that the ring should be absent, whoever may have removed it, would suggest to anyone's mind, would it not, that the marriage and the tragedy were connected?"
"事实是戒指既然已经不见了，不管是什么人取下的，任何人都会由此想到一个问题：这婚姻和这桩惨案会不会有什么联系呢？"
Barker shrugged his broad shoulders.
巴克耸了耸他那宽阔的肩膀。
"I can't profess to say what it means," he answered. "But if you mean to hint that it could reflect in any way upon this lady's honour",
"我不能硬说它使人想起什么，"巴克答道，"可是如果你暗示：这件事不管是什么理由，可能反映出不利于道格拉斯夫人名誉的问题的话，"
his eyes blazed for an instant, and then with an evident effort he got a grip upon his own emotions, "well, you are on the wrong track, that's all."
一瞬间，他双目燃起了怒火，然后他显然是拼命地克制住了自己的感情，"那么，你们的思路就算是引入歧途了。我要说的话就是这些。"
"I don't know that I've anything else to ask you at present," said MacDonald, coldly.
"我想，现在我没有什么事要问你了，"麦克唐纳冷冷地说道。
"There was one small point," remarked Sherlock Holmes. "When you entered the room there was only a candle lighted on the table, was there not?"
"还有一个小问题。"歇洛克·福尔摩斯提问道，"当你走进这间屋子的时候，桌上只是点着一支蜡烛，是吗？"
"Yes, that was so."
"对，是这样。"
"By its light you saw that some terrible incident had occurred?"
"你就从烛光中看到了发生的可怕事情吗？"
"Exactly."
"不错。"
"You at once rang for help?"
"你就马上按铃求援了吗？"
"Yes."
"对。"
"And it arrived very speedily?"
"他们来得非常快吗？"
"Within a minute or so."
"大概在一分钟之内就都来了。"
"And yet when they arrived they found that the candle was out and that the lamp had been lighted. That seems very remarkable."
"可是他们来到的时候，看到蜡烛已经熄灭，油灯已经点上，这似乎有点奇怪吧。"
Again Barker showed some signs of indecision.
巴克又现出有些犹豫不决的样子。
"I don't see that it was remarkable, Mr. Holmes," he answered after a pause.
"福尔摩斯先生，我看不出这有什么奇怪的，"停了一下，他才答道。
"The candle threw a very bad light. My first thought was to get a better one. The lamp was on the table; so I lit it."
"蜡烛光很暗，我首先想到的是让屋子更亮一些。正好这灯就在桌子上，所以我就把灯点上了。"
"And blew out the candle?"
"你把蜡烛吹灭的吗？"
"Exactly."
"是的。"
Holmes asked no further question, and Barker, with a deliberate look from one to the other of us, which had, as it seemed to me, something of defiance in it, turned and left the room.
福尔摩斯没有再提什么问题，巴克不慌不忙地看了我们每个人一眼，转身走出去，我觉得，他的行动似乎反映着对立情绪。
