"I wish none of their confidences," said Holmes, when I reported to him what had occurred.
"我不希望他们告诉我什么隐秘。"当我把这件事告诉福尔摩斯时,他说道。
He had spent the whole afternoon at the Manor House in consultation with his two colleagues, and returned about five with a ravenous appetite for a high tea which I had ordered for him.
福尔摩斯用了整个下午的时间,和他的两个同行在庄园里商量案情,五点左右方才回来,我叫人给他端上茶点,他狼吞虎咽地吃起来。
"No confidences, Watson; for they are mighty awkward if it comes to an arrest for conspiracy and murder."
"华生,也根本没有什么隐秘。因为如果我们以同谋和谋杀的罪名去逮捕他们的话,他们就会十分狼狈了。"
"You think it will come to that?"
"你觉得这件事会引向这样的结果么?"
He was in his most cheerful and debonair humour. "My dear Watson, when I have exterminated that fourth egg I shall be ready to put you in touch with the whole situation.
福尔摩斯兴高采烈、意趣盎然,幽默地说道:“我亲爱的华生,等我消灭了这第四个鸡蛋,我就让你听到全部情况。
I don't say that we have fathomed it -- far from it -- but when we have traced the missing dumb-bell..."
我不敢说已经完全水落石出了--还差得远呢。不过,当我们追查到了那个丢失的哑铃的时候..."
"The dumb-bell!"
"那个哑铃!"
"Dear me, Watson, is it possible that you have not penetrated the fact that the case hangs upon the missing dumb-bell?
"哎呀,华生,难道你没看出来,这个案子的关键就在于那个丢失的哑铃吗?
Well, well, you need notbe downcast; for between ourselves I don't think that either Inspector Mac or the excellent local practitioner has grasped the overwhelming importance of this incident.
好了,好了,你也用不着垂头丧气,因为,这只是咱们两个人说说,我想不管是警官麦克,还是那个精明的当地侦探,都没有理解到这件小事的特殊重要性。
One dumb-bell, Watson! Consider an athlete with one dumb-bell!
只有一个哑铃!华生,想想,一个运动员只有一个哑铃的情况吧!
Picture to yourself the unilateral development, the imminent danger of a spinal curvature. Shocking, Watson, shocking!"
想想那种畸形发展--很快就有造成脊椎弯曲的危险。不正常啊,华生,不正常啊!"
He sat with his mouth full of toast and his eyes sparkling with mischief, watching my intellectual entanglement.
他坐在那里,大口吃着面包,两眼闪耀着调皮的神色,注视着我那搜索枯肠的狼狈相。
The mere sight of his excellent appetite was an assurance of success; for I had very clear recollections of days and nights without a thought of food,
福尔摩斯食欲这样旺盛,说明他已经是胸有成竹了,因为我对他那些食不甘味的日日夜夜记忆犹新,
when his baffled mind had chafed before some problem while his thin, eager features became more attenuated with the asceticism of complete mental concentration.
当他那困惑的头脑被疑难问题弄得焦躁不安的时候,他就会像一个苦行主义者那样全神贯注,而他那瘦削、渴望成功的面容就变得愈发枯瘦如柴了。
Finally he lit his pipe, and sitting in the inglenook of the old village inn he talked slowly and at random about his case,
最后,福尔摩斯点着了烟斗,坐在这家老式乡村旅馆的炉火旁,不慌不忙地,随意地谈起这个案子来,
rather as one who thinks aloud than as one who makes a considered statement.
这与其说是深思熟虑的讲述,不如说是自言自语的回忆。
"A lie, Watson -- a great, big, thumping, obtrusive, uncompromising lie -- that's what meets us on the threshold! There is our starting point.
"谎言,华生,是一个很大的、出奇的、不折不扣的弥天大谎,我们一开头就碰到这个谎言,这就是我们的出发点。
The whole story told by Barker is a lie. But Barker's story is corroborated by Mrs. Douglas. Therefore she is lying also.
巴克所说的话完全是撒谎。不过巴克的话被道格拉斯夫人进一步证实了。所以说,道格拉斯夫人也是在撒谎。
They are both lying, and in a conspiracy. So now we have the clear problem.
他们两个都撒谎,而且是串通一起的。所以现在我们的问题很清楚。
Why are they lying, and what is the truth which they are trying so hard to conceal?
就是查清楚他们为什么要撒谎,他们千方百计力图隐瞒的真相又是什么?
Let us try, Watson, you and I, if we can get behind the lie and reconstruct the truth.
华生,你我两人试试看,能不能查出这些谎言背后的真情。
How do I know that they are lying? Because it is a clumsy fabrication which simply could not be true.
我怎么知道他们是在撒谎呢?因为他们捏造得非常笨拙,根本违背了事实。
Consider! According to the story given to us, the assassin had less than a minute after the murder had been committed to take that ring,
试想一想吧!照他们所说,凶手杀人后,在不到一分钟的时间里从死者手指上摘去这个戒指,
which was under another ring, from the dead man's finger, to replace the other ring
而这个戒指上面还套着另一只戒指,然后再把这另一只戒指套回原处
a thing which he would surely never have done -- and to put that singular card beside his victim. I say that this was obviously impossible.
这是他肯定做不到的,还把这张奇怪的卡片放在受害者身旁。我说这显然是办不到的。
You may argue -- but I have too much respect for your judgment, Watson, to think that you will do so–that the ring may have been taken before the man was killed.
你也可能会争辩说,那指环也许是在他被害以前被摘下去的,可是,华生,我非常尊重你的判断能力,因此我想你是不会这么说的。
The fact that the candle had been lit only a short time shows that there had been no lengthy interview.
蜡烛只点了很短时间,这个事实说明,死者和凶手会面的时间不会很长。
Was Douglas, from what we hear of his fearless character, a man who would be likely to give up his wedding ring at such short notice, or could we conceive of his giving it up at all?
我们听说道格拉斯胆量很大,他是那种稍经吓唬就自动交出结婚戒指的人吗?我们能想象他竟然会交出结婚戒指吗?
No, no, Watson, the assassin was alone with the dead man for some time with the lamp lit. Of that I have no doubt at all."
不,不会的,华生,灯点着后,凶手独自一人和死者呆了一段时间。对于这一点,我是深信不疑的。"