血字的研究·四签名(外研社双语读库) (福尔摩斯探案全集)

“因为他的口音，先生。我记得他的口音，十分粗重、模糊。他敲

了几下窗户——那时大概是三点钟。‘伙计，快起来吧，’他说，‘咱们
该走了！’我老伴还叫醒了吉姆——我的大儿子，他们一起走了，一句

话都没跟我说。我能听到那木腿踏在石头路上的声音。”

"And was this wooden-legged man alone?"

“那么，这个装木腿的人是自己一个人吗？”


"Couldn't say, I am sure, sir. I didn't hear no one else."

“说不准，先生。我没听到别人的声音。”

"I am sorry, Mrs. Smith, for I wanted a steam launch,

and I have heard good reports of the—Let me see, what is
her name?"

“我很抱歉，史密斯太太，我想租一只汽船，因为我早就听人称赞

过这艘——让我想想，它叫什么来着？”

"The Aurora, sir."

“‘曙光’号，先生。”


"Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line,
very broad in the beam?"

“啊！不是那种绿色的、船帮上画着宽黄线的旧船吧？”


"No, indeed. She's as trim a little thing as any on the
river. She's been fresh painted, black with two red streaks."

“不，不是。是那种河面上常见的小船。刚刚粉刷过，黑色的船身

上画着两条红线。”

"Thanks. I hope that you will hear soon from Mr. Smith. I
am going down the river, and if I should see anything of the

Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy. A black
funnel, you say?"

“谢谢。我希望你能尽快得到史密斯先生的消息。我打算坐船沿河

下去，如果我看到‘曙光’号的话，我会转告他你很担心他。你刚才

说，船的烟囱是黑色的，是吗？”

"No, sir. Black with a white band."


“不是的，先生。是有一圈白色的黑烟囱。”

"Ah, of course. It was the sides which were black. Good-
morning, Mrs. Smith. There is a boatman here with a wherry,

Watson. We shall take it and cross the river."

“啊，对了。黑色的是船身。再见了，史密斯太太。沃森，那里有

一个船夫有一只渡船。我们就坐那个到河对面去吧。”

"The main thing with people of that sort," said Holmes
as we sat in the sheets of the wherry, "is never to let them
think that their information can be of the slightest

importance to you. If you do they will instantly shut up like
an oyster. If you listen to them under protest, as it were, you
are very likely to get what you want."

“跟这种人打交道，最重要的就是，”当我们坐上船后，福尔摩斯

说道，“就是绝对不能让他们知道，他们所说的信息对你来说有丝毫的
重要性。如果你让他们知道了，他们马上就不说了。如果你装作不情

愿地听着，反倒能得到你想要的。”

"Our course now seems pretty clear," said I.


“现在看起来，我们要采取的步骤已经非常清楚了。”我说。

"What would you do, then?"

“你下面打算怎么做呢？”


"I would engage a launch and go down the river on the
track of the Aurora."

“我会雇一只汽船，到下游去找找‘曙光’号。”


"My dear fellow, it would be a colossal task. She may
have touched at any wharf on either side of the stream
between here and Greenwich. Below the bridge there is a
perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. It would take

you days and days to exhaust them if you set about it
alone."

“我亲爱的伙计，这个方法太麻烦了。它可能在这里和格林尼治之

间的任何码头停靠。桥下几十里内都是泊船的地方，简直就是一个迷

宫。如果你要独自寻找的话，会花费很长时间的。”

"Employ the police, then."

“那么，求助警察吗？”


"No. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last
moment. He is not a bad fellow, and I should not like to do
anything which would injure him professionally. But I have a
fancy for working it out myself, now that we have gone so

far."

“不。不到最后，我是不会去找阿塞尔纳·琼斯的。他不是一个坏
人，我也不想影响他的职业。不过，既然我们已经进行得这么深入

了，我更想独立地去解决这件案子。”

"Could we advertise, then, asking for information from

wharfingers?"

“那么，我们能不能登报寻找‘曙光’号呢？”

"Worse and worse! Our men would know that the chase

was hot at their heels, and they would be off out of the
country. As it is, they are likely enough to leave, but as long
as they think they are perfectly safe they will be in no hurry.
Jones's energy will be of use to us there, for his view of the
case is sure to push itself into the daily press, and the

runaways will think that everyone is off on the wrong scent."

“万万使不得！这样的话，我们要找的人就知道我们在找他们了，
他们一定就会离开英国的。当然，他们很可能打算离开，但如果觉得

情况安全的话，他们就不会那么着急了。琼斯的活跃在此对我们有一

些帮助，因为他的看法每天都能见于报端，这样，那些逃跑者就会误
以为我们弄错了方向。”

"What are we to do, then?" I asked as we landed near
Millbank Penitentiary.

“那么，我们现在该怎么做呢？”我们在米尔班克监狱门前下船

时，我这样问道。

"Take this hansom, drive home, have some breakfast,

and get an hour's sleep. It is quite on the cards that we may
be afoot to-night again. Stop at a telegraph office, cabby!
We will keep Toby, for he may be of use to us yet."

“现在咱们坐这部车子回去，吃一些早餐，睡一个钟头。说不定晚

上还得赶路呢。车夫，在电报局那里停一下！我们得留着托比，它对

我们可能还有用。”

We pulled up at the Great Peter Street Post-Office, and
Holmes dispatched his wire.

我们在大彼得街邮电局停下，福尔摩斯发了一封电报。


"Whom do you think that is to?" he asked as we
resumed our journey.

上车后他问：“你知道我给谁发电报了吗？”


"I am sure I don't know."

“我不知道。”

"You remember the Baker Street division of the

detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson
Hope case?"

“你还记得在杰斐逊·霍普一案里，我们雇用的贝克街侦探小队

吗？”

"Well," said I, laughing.

“是他们啊。”我笑着说。


"This is just the case where they might be invaluable. If
they fail I have other resources, but I shall try them first.

That wire was to my dirty little lieutenant, Wiggins, and I
expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have

finished our breakfast."

“现在就是他们最有价值的时候。如果他们不行的话，我还有别的
办法，但我先让他们试试看。那封电报是发给我那脏兮兮的小队长威

金斯的，我们吃完早餐之前，他们就能赶到了。”

It was between eight and nine o'clock now, and I was

conscious of a strong reaction after the successive
excitements of the night. I was limp and weary, befogged in
mind and fatigued in body. I had not the professional
enthusiasm which carried my companion on, nor could I look
at the matter as a mere abstract intellectual problem. As far

as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went, I had heard little
good of him and could feel no intense antipathy to his
murderers. The treasure, however, was a different matter.

That, or part of it, belonged rightfully to Miss Morstan. While
there was a chance of recovering it I was ready to devote
my life to the one object. True, if I found it, it would probably
put her forever beyond my reach. Yet it would be a petty
and selfish love which would be influenced by such a

thought as that. If Holmes could work to find the criminals, I
had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the
treasure.

现在八点多了，辛苦了一夜，我感到十分疲惫。我四肢酸痛，精

疲力竭。我没有激励着我伙伴的那种专业精神，也不能把这件事仅仅

看成一个抽象的理论问题。对于巴塞洛缪·肖尔托的死，由于听了太多
关于他不好的话，我对凶手没什么强烈的反感。但是,那宝藏就是另外

一回事了。那宝藏，或者说其中的一部分，按理说是属于摩斯坦小姐
的。在有可能找回这些宝物的时候，我会尽我所有的能力去找回它

们。的确，如果我找到了，那摩斯坦小姐就永远跟我无缘了。但如果
会被这种想法左右的话，这就只是一份渺小而自私的感情了。如果福

尔摩斯能努力去寻找凶手，我就有强过他十倍的动力去寻找那个宝
藏。

A bath at Baker Street and a complete change
freshened me up wonderfully. When I came down to our

room I found the breakfast laid and Holmes pouring out the
coffee.

在贝克街的家里，我洗了一个澡，换了一身衣服，精神再次大

振。但当我下楼来的时候，看见桌上已经摆好了早餐，福尔摩斯正倒
着咖啡。


"Here it is," said he, laughing and pointing to an open
newspaper. "The energetic Jones and the ubiquitous reporter
have fixed it up between them. But you have had enough of
the case. Better have your ham and eggs first."


“给你，”他说，一边笑，一边指着一份摊开的报纸，“那位精力
充沛的琼斯和一位庸俗的记者把这个案子一手包办了。但这个案子已

经把你弄得够烦的了。你还是先吃火腿和鸡蛋吧。”

I took the paper from him and read the short notice,
which was headed "Mysterious Business at Upper Norwood."


我从他手里接过报纸，读了读短评，其标题是——“上诺伍德奇
案”。

About twelve o'clock last night [said the Standard] Mr.

Bartholomew Sholto, of Pondicherry Lodge, Upper Norwood,
was found dead in his room under circumstances which
point to foul play. As far as we can learn, no actual traces of
violence were found upon Mr. Sholto's person, but a

valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased
gentleman had inherited from his father has been carried
off. The discovery was first made by Mr. Sherlock Holmes
and Dr. Watson, who had called at the house with Mr.

Thaddeus Sholto, brother of the deceased. By a singular
piece of good fortune, Mr. Athelney Jones, the well-known
member of the detective police force, happened to be at the
Norwood police station and was on the ground within half an

hour of the first alarm. His trained and experienced faculties

were at once directed towards the detection of the
criminals, with the gratifying result that the brother,

Thaddeus Sholto, has already been arrested, together with
the housekeeper, Mrs. Bernstone, an Indian butler named
Lal Rao, and a porter, or gatekeeper, named McMurdo.

这份《旗帜报》写道：昨晚十二点左右，上诺伍德区本地治里别

墅的主人巴塞洛缪·肖尔托先生在自己的房间内死亡，显然是被暗杀
的。根据我们所知道的情况，现场没有明显打斗的痕迹，可死者从他

父亲那里继承的一批贵重印度宝物已经失窃。死者的弟弟塞迪厄斯·肖
尔托先生与一同前去拜访的舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生以及沃森医生首先发

现了命案。幸运的是，这时候，名侦探阿塞尔纳·琼斯先生正在诺伍德
警察分局，因此可以在命案发现半个小时内赶到现场，主持大局。他

训练有素，经验丰富，到场后立刻运用自身才能，寻找凶手，可喜的

结果是，死者其弟塞迪厄斯·肖尔托已被逮捕，同时被逮捕的还有女管
家伯恩斯通太太、印度仆人拉尔·拉奥和守门人麦克默多。


It is quite certain that the thief or thieves were well
acquainted with the house, for Mr. Jones's well-known
technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation
have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants
could not have entered by the door or by the window but

must have made their way across the roof of the building,
and so through a trapdoor into a room which communicated
with that in which the body was found. This fact, which has

been very clearly made out, proves conclusively that it was
no mere haphazard burglary. The prompt and energetic
action of the officers of the law shows the great advantage
of the presence on such occasions of a single vigorous and
masterful mind. We cannot but think that it supplies an

argument to those who would wish to see our detectives
more decentralized, and so brought into closer and more
effective touch with the cases which it is their duty to

investigate.

很明显，这名或这些凶手对这所房子十分熟悉。因为，凭借其闻

名遐迩的专业知识和缜密的观察能力，琼斯先生最终证明，凶手不是
从窗或门潜入室内，而是经由房顶。凶手是通过一扇暗门进入了一个

房间，而这个房间能通向尸体被发现的房间。由这个明显的事实可以
推出结论：这并非普通的盗窃案。执法者们的迅速反应说明，在这样

的情况下，有一位老练的警官在场是很有利的。同时我们认为，此次
事件进一步说明，让全市警探分散驻守的政策，能使他们更紧密、更

有效率地接触到他们有责任侦查的案件。

"Isn't it gorgeous!" said Holmes, grinning over his coffee
cup. "What do you think of it?"


“这不是太棒了嘛！”福尔摩斯喝着咖啡说，“你怎么看呢？”

"I think that we have had a close shave ourselves of
being arrested for the crime."


“我认为我们都差点儿被逮捕了。”

"So do I. I wouldn't answer for our safety now if he
should happen to have another of his attacks of energy."


“我也是这么想的。如果他不巧心血来潮的话，我不敢保证我们现
在会是安全的。”


At this moment there was a loud ring at the bell, and I
could hear Mrs. Hudson, our landlady, raising her voice in a
wail of expostulation and dismay.

这时候忽然铃声大响，然后，我听到我们的房东赫德森太太和人

高声争吵了起来。

"By heavens, Holmes," I said, half rising, "I believe that
they are really after us."


“天啊，福尔摩斯，”我说，半站了起来，“真的来抓我们啦。”

"No, it's not quite so bad as that. It is the unofficial force
—the Baker Street irregulars."

“不，还没有那么坏。我想是我们的非官方部队——贝克街杂牌军

来了。”

As he spoke, there came a swift pattering of naked feet
upon the stairs, a clatter of high voices, and in rushed a

dozen dirty and ragged little street Arabs. There was some
show of discipline among them, despite their tumultuous
entry, for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us
with expectant faces. One of their number, taller and older
than the others, stood forward with an air of lounging

superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little
scarecrow.

说话之间，楼梯上就有了赤足前行和高声谈话的声音，接着走进

来十几个穿着破衣烂衫的小流浪汉。可是，他们之间还是很有纪律
的，虽然吵吵嚷嚷地进来了，但却自动站成一排，面对着我们，满脸

期待。他们中有一个个子较高、年纪也较大的孩子站了出来，颇带一
些优越感，这种优越感放在这么一个衣衫褴褛的小家伙身上，显得十

分滑稽。

"Got your message, sir," said he, "and brought 'em on

sharp. Three bob and a tanner for tickets."

“先生，接到您的命令后，”他说，“我马上就把他们带来了。车
费三先令六便士。”


"Here you are," said Holmes, producing some silver. "In
future they can report to you, Wiggins, and you to me. I
cannot have the house invaded in this way. However, it is
just as well that you should all hear the instructions. I want

to find the whereabouts of a steam launch called the Aurora,
owner Mordecai Smith, black with two red-streaks, funnel
black with a white band. She is down the river somewhere. I

want one boy to be at Mordecai Smith's landing-stage
opposite Millbank to say if the boat comes back. You must
divide it out among yourselves and do both banks

thoroughly. Let me know the moment you have news. Is that
all clear?"

“给你，”福尔摩斯说着拿出了一些银币，“以后他们可以向你报

告，威金斯，然后你自己来找我。我的房子容不下这么多人。不过，

你们所有人都听听我的指示也好。我想要找到一只叫做‘曙光’号的汽
船，船主叫莫迪凯·史密斯，船身是黑色的，带有两条红线，烟囱上有

一道白线。它应该在河流下游的某处。我要一个孩子在米尔班克监狱
对岸莫迪凯·史密斯的码头上守着，船一回来，就立刻报告。你们得好

好地分一下组，保证能在河的两岸都进行彻底的搜寻。一旦有消息
了，要立刻告诉我。清楚了吗？”


"Yes, guv'nor," said Wiggins.

“是的，司令！”威金斯说。

"The old scale of pay, and a guinea to the boy who finds

the boat. Here's a day in advance. Now off you go!"

“按照老规矩给钱，找到船的另外多给一个金币。这是预付的一天
的工钱。去吧！”


He handed them a shilling each, and away they buzzed
down the stairs, and I saw them a moment later streaming
down the street.


他给了他们每个人一先令，他们就欢欢喜喜地跳下了楼，我见他
们不一会儿就朝马路飞奔而去了。


"If the launch is above water they will find her," said
Holmes as he rose from the table and lit his pipe. "They can
go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone. I expect
to hear before evening that they have spotted her. In the
meanwhile, we can do nothing but await results. We cannot

pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr.
Mordecai Smith."

“如果那艘汽船还在水上的话，他们一定能找得到，”福尔摩斯说

着，一边从桌子边上站起来，点燃了烟管，“他们哪儿都能去，能听到

和看到形形色色的事情。我希望，在晚上之前就能听到他们找到目标

的消息。同时，我们除了等，也没有什么别的事可做。在找到‘曙
光’号或莫迪凯·史密斯之前，我们不能进行侦查。”


"Toby could eat these scraps, I dare say. Are you going
to bed, Holmes?"

“托比可以吃我们剩下的，我想。你准备睡觉了吗，福尔摩斯？”

"No: I am not tired. I have a curious constitution. I never

remember feeling tired by work, though idleness exhausts
me completely. I am going to smoke and to think over this
queer business to which my fair client has introduced us. If

ever man had an easy task, this of ours ought to be.
Wooden-legged men are not so common, but the other man
must, I should think, be absolutely unique."

“不，我一点儿也不累。我有着很特别的体质。我从不记得我有哪

一次因为工作而感到疲劳过，尽管无所事事会让我筋疲力尽。我准备
抽一根烟，再思考思考我们漂亮的委托人带给我们的这桩奇怪的案

子。如果人类有什么差事是容易的，那咱们这件案子必定是其中之
一。装木腿的人并不多见，而那另外一个人，我得说，是绝对独特

的。”

"That other man again!"


“又说到那另外一个人了！”

"I have no wish to make a mystery of him to you,
anyway. But you must have formed your own opinion. Now,
do consider the data. Diminutive footmarks, toes never

fettered by boots, naked feet, stone-headed wooden mace,
great agility, small poisoned darts. What do you make of all
this?"

“我并不是想故弄玄虚。可你也许有你自己的看法。现在，请考虑

考虑我们所知道的情况。小脚印、从没被鞋子束缚过的脚趾、赤足、

顶端嵌着石头的木棒、敏捷的行动和有毒的木刺。你从这些东西里能

得到什么结论呢？”

"A savage!" I exclaimed. "Perhaps one of those Indians
who were the associates of Jonathan Small."


“一个野人！”我喊道，“也许是斯莫尔的印度同伙中的一个。”

"Hardly that," said he. "When first I saw signs of strange
weapons I was inclined to think so, but the remarkable
character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my

views. Some of the inhabitants of the Indian Peninsula are
small men, but none could have left such marks as that. The
Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. The sandal-wearing

Mohammedan has the great toe well separated from the
others because the thong is commonly passed between.
These little darts, too, could only be shot in one way. They
are from a blow-pipe. Now, then, where are we to find our
savage?"


“这不太可能，”他说，“当我第一次看到那个奇怪的武器时，我
也这样想过，但那奇特的脚印让我开始考虑别的可能了。印度半岛的

居民有些是矮小的，可是并没有谁能留下这样的脚印。印度土著的脚
应该是狭长的。穿凉鞋的回教人的大脚趾和其他脚趾是分开的，因为

鞋带通常从中穿过。还有，这些木刺只可能是用一种方式射出来的。
就是从吹管里吹出来。现在，我们该去哪儿找我们的野人呢？”


"South America," I hazarded.

“南美洲。”我猜道。

He stretched his hand up and took down a bulky volume

from the shelf.

他伸出胳膊，从书架上取出了一本厚厚的书。

"This is the first volume of a gazetteer which is now

being published. It may be looked upon as the very latest
authority. What have we here?"

“这是新出版的地理词典的第一卷。可以查到最新的权威资讯。这

里写了什么呢？”

"Andaman Islands, situated 340 miles to the north of
Sumatra, in the Bay of Bengal.

“安达曼群岛，位于孟加拉湾，距苏门答腊三百四十英里。


Hum! hum! What's all this? Moist climate, coral reefs,
sharks, Port Blair, convict barracks, Rutland Island,
cottonwoods—Ah, here we are!"


嗯！嗯！这又是什么？气候潮湿、珊瑚礁、鲨鱼、布莱尔港、囚
犯营、拉特兰岛、白杨树……啊！在这里！”


"The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may perhaps
claim the distinction of being the smallest race upon this
earth, though some anthropologists prefer the Bushmen of
Africa, the Digger Indians of America, and the Terra del

Fuegians. The average height is rather below four feet,
although many full-grown adults may be found who are very
much smaller than this. They are a fierce, morose, and
intractable people, though capable of forming most devoted

friendships when their confidence has once been gained.

“安达曼群岛的土人，可以称得上是世界上最小的人，虽然有的人
类学者认为，非洲的布须曼人，或者美洲的迪格尔印第安人，又或者

火地岛印第安人才是最矮小的。这里的人平均高度不到四英尺，还有
许多成年人比这个高度矮很多。他们天性凶狠、粗暴，但获得他们信

任的话，就能与他们建立最深刻的友谊。

Mark that, Watson. Now, then listen to this."


注意这一点，沃森。现在，听听这个。”

"They are naturally hideous, having large, misshapen
heads, small fierce eyes, and distorted features. Their feet

and hands, however, are remarkably small. So intractable
and fierce are they, that all the efforts of the British officials

have failed to win them over in any degree. They have
always been a terror to shipwrecked crews, braining the

survivors with their stone-headed clubs or shooting them
with their poisoned arrows. These massacres are invariably
concluded by a cannibal feast.

“他们天生丑陋，有着畸形的大头和小而凶狠的眼睛，五官扭曲。

他们的手脚小得出奇。由于他们实在太凶狠、太难对付，英国官员用
尽了所有方式，也没有使他们臣服。对于遭遇海难的水手们来说，他

们永远是一个祸害，往往用顶端镶着石头的木棒击碎他们的脑袋，或
用毒箭射死。他们的屠杀往往以人肉盛宴告终。


Nice, amiable people, Watson! If this fellow had been
left to his own unaided devices, this affair might have taken
an even more ghastly turn. I fancy that, even as it is,

Jonathan Small would give a good deal not to have
employed him."

真是可爱的人啊！沃森！如果这家伙没人管制的话，事情就越发

恐怖了。我猜想，就连乔纳森·斯莫尔雇用他，恐怕也是出于不得已
吧。”


"But how came he to have so singular a companion?"

“可他是怎么找到这样一个同谋的呢？”

"Ah, that is more than I can tell. Since, however, we had
already determined that Small had come from the

Andamans, it is not so very wonderful that this islander
should be with him. No doubt we shall know all about it in
time. Look here, Watson; you look regularly done. Lie down

there on the sofa and see if I can put you to sleep."

“啊，这我就不清楚了。可是，咱们既然知道斯莫尔是从安达曼群
岛来的，那这个土人和他在一起，也就没什么可稀奇的了。毫无疑

问，我们很快就要弄清楚所有的问题了。哦，沃森，你看起来疲惫极
了。躺下吧，让我的演奏伴你入睡。”

He took up his violin from the corner, and as I stretched
myself out he began to play some low, dreamy, melodious

air—his own, no doubt, for he had a remarkable gift for
improvisation. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt
limbs, his earnest face and the rise and fall of his bow. Then
I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of
sound until I found myself in dreamland, with the sweet face

of Mary Morstan looking down upon me.

他从角落里拿起了他的小提琴，开始奏起一支低沉的催眠曲——
无疑是他自己编的曲子，他有一种即兴作曲的本领。我模模糊糊地记

得他那瘦削的手、诚恳的脸庞，还有上下飞舞的琴弓。然后，我静静

地漂浮在乐声的绵绵汪洋中，直到进入了梦乡，在那里，玛丽·摩斯坦
甜美的脸蛋在向我微笑。



Chapter 9 A Break in the Chain



第九章 线索的中断



It was late in the afternoon before I woke, strengthened
and refreshed. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left

him, save that he had laid aside his violin and was deep in a
book. He looked across at me as I stirred, and I noticed that
his face was dark and troubled.

下午我醒来的时候，时间已经不早了，我的精神也已完全恢复

了。福尔摩斯还跟我丢下他进入梦乡时的坐姿一模一样，只是已把提
琴放在了一旁，坐在那里，拿着一本书，用心细读着。他看到我醒

来，望了我一眼，我发现他脸色阴沉，充满烦恼。

"You have slept soundly," he said. "I feared that our talk
would wake you."


“你睡得很香，”他说，“我还怕我们说话的声音会吵醒你呢。”

"I heard nothing," I answered. "Have you had fresh
news, then?"


“我什么也没有听到，”我答道，“得到什么新的消息没有？”

"Unfortunately, no. I confess that I am surprised and
disappointed. I expected something definite by this time.
Wiggins has just been up to report. He says that no trace

can be found of the launch. It is a provoking check, for every
hour is of importance."

“不幸得很，还是没有。坦白说，我真没有想到，也很失望。我预

计到这时候，总该有确切的消息来了。威金斯刚刚来报告过。他说一
点儿汽船的踪迹也没有。真是叫人着急，因为每一个钟头都很紧要。”


"Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now, and quite
ready for another night's outing."

“我能帮忙吗？我的精神已恢复了，再出去一夜也没有问题。”

"No; we can do nothing. We can only wait. If we go
ourselves the message might come in our absence and

delay be caused. You can do what you will, but I must
remain on guard."

“不，现在咱们什么也不能做，咱们只能等候消息。咱们现在出

去，要是有消息来了，反而会误事。你想做什么就做什么吧，我必须
在这里守候着。”


"Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs.
Cecil Forrester. She asked me to, yesterday."

“那么，我想到坎伯威尔去拜访塞西尔·福里斯特夫人。昨天她已

约了我。”

"On Mrs. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes with the twinkle
of a smile in his eyes.

“是去拜访塞西尔·福里斯特夫人吗？”福尔摩斯问道，眼里闪动着

笑意。

"Well, of course on Miss Morstan, too. They were anxious

to hear what happened."

“当然还有摩斯坦小姐，她们都急于知道这个案子的消息。”

"I would not tell them too much," said Holmes. "Women

are never to be entirely trusted—not the best of them."

“不要告诉她们太多，”福尔摩斯说，“即使是最好的女人，也决
不能完全信赖她们。”


I did not pause to argue over this atrocious sentiment.

对于他这种不讲理的话，我并没有和他争辩。

"I shall be back in an hour or two," I remarked.


“我在一两个钟头内就可以回来。”我说。

"All right! Good luck! But, I say, if you are crossing the
river you may as well return Toby, for I don't think it is at all

likely that we shall have any use for him now."

“好吧！祝你一切顺利！对了，我说，如果你过河去的话，不妨把

托比送回去，因为我想咱们现在不会再用到它了。”

I took our mongrel accordingly and left him, together
with a half-sovereign, at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane.

At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her
night's adventures but very eager to hear the news.
Mrs.Forrester, too, was full of curiosity. I told them all that

we had done, suppressing, however, the more dreadful
parts of the tragedy. Thus, although I spoke of Mr. Sholto's
death, I said nothing of the exact manner and method of it.
With all my omissions, however, there was enough to startle
and amaze them.


于是，我带走了我们这只混血狗，归还给宾奇小街的老自然学
者，并给了他半个英镑。到了坎伯威尔，我发现，经历了昨夜的冒险

后，摩斯坦小姐有些疲倦，但还是渴望听到新消息。福里斯特夫人也
充满了好奇。我向她们述说了我们做的所有事情，但保留了一些凶险

的地方没有说。虽然说到了肖尔托先生的被害，可是我并没有提起详
细的情况和手段。尽管我省略了不少情节，但还是够让她们一惊又一

叹的。

"It is a romance!" cried Mrs. Forrester. "An injured lady,

half a million in treasure, a black cannibal, and a wooden
legged ruffian. They take the place of the conventional
dragon or wicked earl."

“这简直是一个传奇故事！”福里斯特夫人嚷道，“一个受委屈的

女士、五十万英镑的宝物、一个黑食人生番，还有一个装木腿的匪
徒。这能让传统的恶龙或邪恶伯爵故事黯然失色呢。”


"And two knight-errants to the rescue," added Miss
Morstan with a bright glance at me.

“还有两位侠士的拯救呢。”摩斯坦小姐愉快地望着我，补充说

道。

"Why, Mary, your fortune depends upon the issue of this
search. I don't think that you are nearly excited enough. Just

imagine what it must be to be so rich and to have the world
at your feet!"

“可是玛丽，你的财富全靠这次的搜寻了。我看你并不觉得怎样兴

奋。请想一想，若是能变得腰缠万贯，前途一片辉煌，那该多美好
啊！”


It sent a little thrill of joy to my heart to notice that she
showed no sign of elation at the prospect. On the contrary,
she gave a toss of her proud head, as though the matter
were one in which she took small interest.


看到她对于即将致富这件事并没有表现得特别高兴，我的心里感
到一丝欢愉。相反，她摇了摇头，似乎对于这件事并不怎么关心。


"It is for Mr. Thaddeus Sholto that I am anxious," she
said. "Nothing else is of any consequence; but I think that
he has behaved most kindly and honourably throughout. It
is our duty to clear him of this dreadful and unfounded
charge."


“我最关心的是塞迪厄斯·肖尔托 先生的安全，”她说，“其余的都
不足挂齿，他在整件事中都表现得非常厚道和可敬。我们有责任帮他

洗刷这可耻且毫无根据的冤屈。”

It was evening before I left Camberwell, and quite dark
by the time I reached home. My companion's book and pipe

lay by his chair, but he had disappeared. I looked about in
the hope of seeing a note, but there was none.

我离开坎伯威尔时已是傍晚，回到家中的时候，已经很晚了。我

伙伴的书和烟斗还放在他的椅子旁边，可是，他本人却不见了。我四
周看了一遍，希望能看到一张留言条，可是没有找到片纸只字。


"I suppose that Mr. Sherlock Holmes has gone out," I
said to Mrs. Hudson as she came up to lower the blinds.

赫德森太太进屋来放窗帘时，我问道：“舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生出

去了吗？”

"No, sir. He has gone to his room, sir. Do you know, sir,"
sinking her voice into an impressive whisper, "I am afraid for

his health."

“不，先生，他没有出去。他在自己的房间里。”“先生，您知道
吗，”她放低了声音，悄悄地说道，“我真担心他的健康状况！”


"Why so, Mrs. Hudson?"

“怎么啦，赫德森太太？”

"Well, he's that strange, sir. After you was gone he

walked and he walked, up and down, and up and down, until
I was weary of the sound of his footstep. Then I heard him
talking to himself and muttering, and every time the bell
rang out he came on the stairhead, with 'What is that,

Mrs.Hudson?' And now he has slammed off to his room, but I
can hear him walking away the same as ever. I hope he's
not going to be ill, sir. I ventured to say something to him
about cool medicine, but he turned on me, sir, with such a

look that I don't know how ever I got out of the room."

“唉，先生，他也太古怪了。您走了以后，他在屋里走来走去，走
个不停，他的脚步声我都听烦了。后来又听见他自言自语，每次有人

叫门，他就跑到楼梯口喊：‘赫德森太太，是谁呀？’现在，他把自己
关在屋里，可是我依然可以听见他在屋里走来走去的声音。先生，我

希望他没有病。方才我试探着想劝他吃一些感冒药，可是，先生，他

转过头来，瞪了我一眼，吓得我都不知道自己是怎么从那间屋子跑出
来的。”


"I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy,
Mrs. Hudson," I answered. "I have seen him like this before.
He has some small matter upon his mind which makes him
restless."

“我想您可以不必着急，赫德森太太，”我答道，“我以前也看见

过他这个样子。他心里有事，所以才会心神不安。”

I tried to speak lightly to our worthy landlady, but I was
myself somewhat uneasy when through the long night I still

from time to time heard the dull sound of his tread, and
knew how his keen spirit was chafing against this
involuntary inaction.

我努力装出一副轻松的样子，和我们的好房东谈着，但是，整个

长夜里，我都能隐约听见他的脚步声，我自己也感到有些担心，我知
道，由于不能采取行动，他那迫切的心情正变得越来越焦躁。


At breakfast-time he looked worn and haggard, with a
little fleck of feverish colour upon either cheek.

第二天吃早餐时，他的面容疲倦而憔悴，两颊微微发红。


"You are knocking yourself up, old man," I remarked. "I
heard you marching about in the night."

“老伙计，你把自己累垮了。”我说道，“我听见你夜里在屋子里

踱来踱去。”

"No, I could not sleep," he answered. "This infernal
problem is consuming me. It is too much to be balked by so

petty an obstacle, when all else had been overcome. I know
the men, the launch, everything; and yet I can get no news.
I have set other agencies at work and used every means at
my disposal. The whole river has been searched on either

side, but there is no news, nor has Mrs. Smith heard of her
husband. I shall come to the conclusion soon that they have
scuttled the craft. But there are objections to that."

“我睡不着，”他答道，“这个讨厌的问题把我急坏了。所有的大

障碍都已经克服了，现在反而叫一个微不足道的障碍给难住了，这未
免也太叫人不甘心了。现在咱们已经知道匪徒是谁，并且知道船的名

字和其他一切了，可就是得不到船的消息。我已经让其他搜查人员也

行动起来了，我已用尽了一切能用的手段。整条河的两岸已经都搜遍

了，但还是没有消息，史密斯太太那里也没有她丈夫的音讯。我差不

多认为，他们已经把船沉到河底了。可是这个结论也有一定的漏洞。”

"Or that Mrs. Smith has put us on a wrong scent."

“咱们可能受了史密斯太太的愚弄。”


"No, I think that may be dismissed. I had inquiries made,
and there is a launch of that description."

“不，我想这方面可以不用担心。我调查过了，的确有一只这样的

汽船。”

"Could it have gone up the river?"

“它会不会到上游去了？”


"I have considered that possibility, too and there is a
search-party who will work up as far as Richmond. If no
news comes to-day I shall start off myself tomorrow and go
for the men rather than the boat. But surely, surely, we shall

hear something."

“我也想到了这个可能性，并且已经派出一批搜查的人上溯到里士
满一带去了。如果今天再没有消息，我明天就亲自出马去找匪徒，不

管那艘汽船了。不过，我很肯定，我肯定我们会得到一些消息的。”

We did not, however. Not a word came to us either from

Wiggins or from the other agencies. There were articles in
most of the papers upon the Norwood tragedy. They all
appeared to be rather hostile to the unfortunate Thaddeus

Sholto. No fresh details were to be found, however, in any of
them, save that an inquest was to be held upon the
following day. I walked over to Camberwell in the evening to
report our ill-success to the ladies, and on my return I found
Holmes dejected and somewhat morose. He would hardly

reply to my questions and busied himself all evening in an
obtruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of
retorts and distilling of vapours, ending at last in a smell

which fairly drove me out of the apartment. Up to the small

hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-
tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his

malodorous experiment.

然而，我们没有。一天过去了，威金斯和其他搜查人员都没有消
息。大多数报纸都登着对诺伍德惨案的报道。他们对不幸的塞迪厄斯·

肖尔托攻击得很厉害。但是，除了说官方将在第二天验尸之外，各报
纸也没有什么新的消息了。我傍晚步行到坎伯威尔，把我们的失败情

况向两位女士作了报告。我回来的时候，看见福尔摩斯依然垂头丧
气，很不高兴。他甚至对我的问话也爱理不理，整个晚上忙着做一个

玄妙的化学实验，蒸馏器不断加热，蒸汽不断蒸馏，直到最后产生出
阵阵恶臭，使我不得不离开屋子。一直到快天亮时，我还听见试管的

叮当响声，知道他还在那里进行着这恶臭的实验。

In the early dawn I woke with a start and was surprised

to find him standing by my bedside, clad in a rude sailor
dress with a pea-jacket and a coarse red scarf round his
neck.

第二天清晨，我惊醒过来，看见福尔摩斯已经站在我的床前。他

穿着一身水手服装，外面罩着一件短大衣，颈上围着一条劣质的红围

巾。

"I am off down the river, Watson," said he. "I have been
turning it over in my mind, and I can see only one way out
of it. It is worth trying, at all events."


“我到要下游去了，沃森。”他说，“经过再三考虑，我觉得只剩
这一招了。无论如何都是值得一试的。”


"Surely I can come with you, then?" said I.

“那我和你一起去，好不好？”我说。

"No; you can be much more useful if you will remain

here as my representative. I am loath to go, for it is quite on
the cards that some message may come during the day,
though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. I want

you to open all notes and telegrams, and to act on your own
judgment if any news should come. Can I rely upon you?"

“不，你留在这里当我的代表会更有用。我自己也不愿意去，因为

今天白天肯定会有一些消息过来的，虽然昨晚威金斯很泄气。所有的

来信、来电都请你代为接收，按照你的判断便宜行事。能不能拜托你
呢？”


"Most certainly."

“当然可以。”

"I am afraid that you will not be able to wire to me, for I
can hardly tell yet where I may find myself. If I am in luck,

however, I may not be gone so very long. I shall have news
of some sort or other before I get back."

“我的行踪不定，恐怕你也无法给我发电报。不过，假若运气好的

话，我也许不会出去很久。回来之前，我肯定会搞到一些这样那样的
消息。”


I had heard nothing of him by breakfast time. On
opening the Standard, however, I found that there was a
fresh allusion to the business.

吃早餐的时候，我还没有收到他的消息。可是，一打开《旗帜

报》，我就看见上面登载着关于这个案子的新消息。

With reference to the Upper Norwood tragedy [it

remarked] we have reason to believe that the matter
promises to be even more complex and mysterious than
was originally supposed. Fresh evidence has shown that it is
quite impossible that Mr. Thaddeus Sholto could have been

in anyway concerned in the matter. He and the
housekeeper, Mrs. Bernstone, were both released yesterday
evening. It is believed, however, that the police have a clue
as to the real culprits, and that it is being prosecuted by Mr.

Athelney Jones, of Scotland Yard, with all his well-known

energy and sagacity. Further arrests may be expected at
any moment.

它报导道：关于上诺伍德的惨案，我们有理由相信，此案比原本

预料得更为复杂离奇。新的发现证明：塞迪厄斯·肖尔托 先生不可能

与此案有任何干系。昨晚，肖尔托先生和女管家伯恩斯通太太已被释
放。然而，据悉，关于真正的凶犯，警方已有新的线索，此案现由伦

敦警察厅的阿塞尔纳·琼斯先生负责侦查，】远近闻名。逮捕罪犯指日
可待。


"That is satisfactory so far as it goes," thought I. "Friend
Sholto is safe, at any rate. I wonder what the fresh clue may
be, though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the
police have made a blunder."


“这还算令人满意，”我想，“我们的朋友肖尔托总算恢复自由
了。我想知道，新的线索究竟是什么，虽然这看起来像是警方掩饰错

误的一贯方法。

I tossed the paper down upon the table, but at that
moment my eye caught an advertisement in the agony

column. It ran in this way: LOST—Whereas Mordecai Smith,
boatman, and his son Jim, left Smith's Wharf at or about
three o'clock last Tuesday morning in the steam launch
Aurora, black with two red stripes, funnel black with a white

band, the sum of five pounds will be paid to anyone who can
give information to Mrs. Smith, at Smith's Wharf, or at 221B,
Baker Street, as to the where abouts of the said Mordecai
Smith and the launch Aurora.

我把报纸扔到桌上，目光忽然又被报上寻人栏里面的一段小广告

吸引住了。广告文写道：寻人——船主莫迪凯·史密斯及其长子吉姆，

在星期二清晨三时左右乘汽船‘曙光’号离开史密斯码头，至今未
归。‘曙光’号船身为黑色，有红线两条，烟囱为黑色，有白线一道。

如有知莫迪凯·史密斯及其船‘曙光’号下落者，请向史密斯码头史密斯
太太，或贝克街221B号报信，酬谢五英镑。”

This was clearly Holmes's doing. The Baker Street
address was enough to prove that. It struck me as rather

ingenious because it might beread by the fugitives without
their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for
her missing husband.

这个小广告显然是福尔摩斯登的。贝克街的住址就足以证明这一

点了。我认为这个广告非常巧妙，因为，即使匪徒们看到了，也看不
出什么奥秘，只会认为那是一个妻子担心失踪丈夫的普通广告。


It was a long day. Every time that a knock came to the
door or a sharp step passed in the street, I imagined that it
was either Holmes returning or an answer to his
advertisement. I tried to read, but my thoughts would

wander off to our strange quest and to the ill-assorted and
villainous pair whom we were pursuing. Could there be, I
wondered, some radical flaw in my companion's reasoning?

Might he not be suffering from some huge self-deception?
Was it not possible that his nimble and speculative mind had
built up this wild theory upon faulty premises? I had never
known him to be wrong, and yet the keenest reasoner may
occasionally be deceived. He was likely, I thought, to fall

into error through the over-refinement of his logic—his
preference for a subtle and bizarre explanation when a
plainer and more commonplace one lay ready to his hand.

Yet, on the other hand, I had myself seen the evidence, and
I had heard the reasons for his deductions. When I looked
back on the long chain of curious circumstances, many of
them trivial in themselves but all tending in the same
direction, I could not disguise from myself that even if

Holmes's explanation were incorrect the true theory must
be equally outr� and startling.

这一天过得真慢。每次听到敲门的声音，或是街上沉重的脚步

声，我都以为是福尔摩斯，或者是看见广告来报信的人。我试着看
书，但是思想总是溜到我们这次奇怪的搜索，以及我们所追踪的那对

很难凑合到一起的邪恶罪犯上。有时我还这样想：会不会是福尔摩斯

的理论有什么基本的错误？他是不是犯了严重的自欺病？有没有可能
是他那喜好臆想的敏锐头脑从错误的前提出发，得出了这些疯狂的推

理？我从没见过他的工作发生错误，可是，智者千虑，必有一失。我
想，有可能因为他的逻辑太过精巧，而他太喜欢给手头上平淡、普通

的问题弄出一个极为精妙、奇异的解释，所以才更可能犯下错误。可
是，回过头来一想，我亲眼见过那些证据，也亲耳听过他作推断的理

由。再看一看这一连串的奇怪事件，其中有许多都无关重要，可是全
部都指向了同一方向。我不得不承认，就算福尔摩斯的理解真的错

了，那套正确的推理也必定同样异乎寻常、令人惊讶。

At three o'clock on the afternoon there was a loud peal

at the bell, an authoritative voice in the hall, and, to my
surprise, no less a person than Mr. Athelney Jones was
shown up to me.

下午三点钟时，铃声大作，楼下有命令语气的说话声，没有想

到，上来的不是别人，竟是阿塞尔纳·琼斯先生。

Very different was he, however, from the brusque and

masterful professor of commonsense who had taken over
the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. His expression
was downcast, and his bearing meek and even apologetic.

可是，他的态度和以前大不相同了，完全不像在上诺伍德自信满

满地接手案子时那个粗暴、傲慢的常识专家了。他神情沮丧，态度谦
虚，甚至还有些自惭。


"Good-day, sir, good-day," said he. "Mr. Sherlock Holmes
is out, I understand."

“您好，先生，您好！”他说，“福尔摩斯先生出去了？我知道

了。”

"Yes, and I cannot be sure when he will be back. But
perhaps you would care to wait. Take that chair and try one

of these cigars."

“是的，我不知道他什么时候可以回来。或许您愿意等一等？请

坐，尝尝这种雪茄烟吧。”

"Thank you; I don't mind if I do," said he, mopping his
face with a red bandanna handkerchief.

“谢谢，我可以吸一支。”他一边说，一边用红绸巾轻轻地擦脸。


"And a whisky and soda?"

“来一杯苏打威士忌好吗？”


"Well, half a glass. It is very hot for the time of year, and
I have had a good deal to worry and try me. You know my
theory about this Norwood case?"

“好的，半杯就够了。到这时候，天气还是非常热，我心里又有不

少事情烦扰、折磨我。您还记得我关于这桩诺伍德案的推理吗？”

"I remember that you expressed one."


“我记得您说过一次。”

"Well, I have been obliged to reconsider it. I had my net
drawn tightly round Mr. Sholto, sir, when pop he went

through a hole in the middle of it. He was able to prove an
alibi which could not be shaken. From the time that he left
his brothers room he was never out of sight of someone or
other. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and
through trapdoors. It's a very dark case, and my

professional credit is at stake. I should be very glad of a
little assistance."

“咳，我现在又不得不对这个案子重新加以考虑了。我本已紧紧地

把肖尔托先生兜在网里了，可是，唉，先生，半道里他又从网眼里溜
了出去。他提供了一个无法推翻的不在场证明。自从离开他哥哥以

后，一直都有这个人或那个人看到他。所以，他不会是从暗门进入屋
内的人。这个案子实在难破，我的职业名誉也正处于危险之中。我很

希望得到一些帮助。”

"We all need help sometimes," said I.

“我们谁都有需要别人帮助的时候啊。”我说。


"Your friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, is a wonderful man,
sir," said he in a husky and confidential voice. "He's a man
who is not to be beat. I have known that young man go into
a good many cases, but I never saw the case yet that he

could not throw a light upon. He is irregular in his methods
and a little quick perhaps in jumping at theories, but, on the
whole, I think he would have made a most promising officer,

and I don't care who knows it. I have had a wire from him
this morning, by which I understand that he has got some
clue to this Sholto business. Here is his message."

“先生，您的朋友舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生真是一位非凡的人。”他用

沙哑的声音神秘地说，“他是常人所不能及的。我知道他经历过许多桩
案子，我从没见过哪一桩他没弄清楚。他使用的方法异于常规，当然

有时也会操之过急，草率得出结论，可是，总的来说，我想他可以成
为一个很有前途的警官，我不怕让任何人知道。今早我接到了他的一

封电报，并从中得知，对于肖尔托这个案子，他已经掌握了一些线
索。就是这封电报。”


He took the telegram out of his pocket and handed it to
me. It was dated from Poplar at twelve o'clock.

他从衣袋里把电报拿出来，递给了我。这封电报是十二点钟从波

普勒区发出的。

Go to Baker Street at once [it said]. If I have not

returned, wait for me. I am close on the track of the Sholto
gang. You can come with us to-night if you want to be in at
the finish.

电文说：请立刻去贝克街。若我还未归，请等候。我已寻到肖尔

托案匪徒的踪迹。若你愿意看到本案结案，今晚可与我们同去。

"This sounds well. He has evidently picked up the scent
again," said I.

“听起来不错。他显然再次找到线索了。”我说。

"Ah, then he has been at fault too," exclaimed Jones

with evident satisfaction. "Even the best of us are thrown off
sometimes. Of course this may prove to be a false alarm but
it is my duty as an officer of the law to allow no chance to

slip. But there is someone at the door. Perhaps this is he."

“啊，这么说来，他有时也会搞错呢。”琼斯很得意地说道，“我
们之中最能干的，也有走错路的时候呢。这次也可能是空欢喜一场，

可是，我作为执法警察，有责任不让任何机会错过。有人在叫门。也
许是他回来了。”


A heavy step was heard ascending the stair, with a
great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely
put to it for breath. Once or twice he stopped, as though the
climb were too much for him, but at last he made his way to

our door and entered. His appearance corresponded to the
sounds which we had heard. He was an aged man, clad in
seafaring garb, with an old pea-jacket buttoned up to his

throat. His back was bowed, his knees were shaky, and his
breathing was painfully asthmatic. As he leaned upon a
thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to
draw the air into his lungs. He had a coloured scarf round
his chin, and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen

dark eyes, overhung by bushy white brows and long gray
side-whiskers. Altogether he gave me the impression of a
respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and

poverty.

传来一阵沉重的上楼的脚步声，还有费劲的喘息声，似乎是一个
呼吸困难的人发出来的。他中间稍停了一两次，好像爬楼梯对他来说

太费力气了，最后，他终于上来了，走进屋里来。他的容貌和我们所
听见的声音正相符。他是一个老人，穿着一身航海服，一件旧粗呢大

衣一直扣到颈间。他弯着腰，两腿颤抖，气喘得很痛苦。他手拄一根
粗橡木棍，两肩不断耸动着，好像呼吸很吃力。一条彩色围巾围在他

的下巴上，在他脸上，我只看得见一双犀利的黑眼睛、上方浓密的白

眉毛，以及长长的灰髭须。整体来看，我对他的印象是，他似乎是一
个年事已高、贫困潦倒，但仍令人尊敬的航海家。


"What is it, my man?" I asked.

“朋友，有什么事吗？”我问道。

He looked about him in the slow methodical fashion of
old age.


他用老年人特有的方式，慢条斯理地向四周看了看。

"Is Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he.

“舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生在家吗？”他问道。


"No; but I am acting for him. You can tell me any
message you have for him."

“不在，可是，我可以代表他。您有什么话，可以全都告诉我。”


"It was to him himself I was to tell it," said he.

“我只能向他本人说。”他说。

"But I tell you that I am acting for him. Was it about

Mordecai Smith's boat?"

“可是，我告诉您，我可以代表他。是不是关于莫迪凯·史密斯汽
船的事？”


"Yes. I knows well where it is. An' I knows where the men
he is after are. An' I knows where the treasure is. I knows all
about it."

“是的，我知道这只船在哪里。也知道他所追踪的人在哪里。还知

道宝物在哪里。这一切，我全都知道。”

"Then tell me, and I shall let him know."


“您告诉我好了，我会转告他的。”

"It was to him I was to tell it," he repeated with the
petulant obstinacy of a very old man.

“我只能告诉他本人。”他重复道，十足表现出老人的易怒和顽

固。

"Well, you must wait for him."


“那您只好等一等了。”

"No, no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no
one. If Mr. Holmes ain't here, then Mr. Holmes must find it all

out for himself. I don't care about the look of either of you,
and I won't tell a word."

“不行，不行，我不能为了这件事而浪费一天的光阴。如果福尔摩

斯先生不在家，那只好让他自己想法子去打听这些消息了。你们两人
的尊容我都不喜欢，我一个字也不告诉你们。”


He shuffled towards the door, but Athelney Jones got in
front of him.

他站起来就要出门，可是阿塞尔纳·琼斯跑到他前面，拦住了他。

"Wait a bit, my friend," said he. "You have important

information, and you must not walk off. We shall keep you,
whether you like or not, until our friend returns."

“朋友，请等一等，”琼斯说，您有要紧的消息报告，不能就这样

走掉。不管您愿不愿意，我们都要把您留住，直到我们的朋友回来。”

The old man made a little run towards the door, but, as
Athelney Jones put his broad back up against it, he

recognized the uselessness of resistance.

那个老人想要夺门而出，可是，阿塞尔纳·琼斯早已用宽阔的后背
抵在门上，老人明白，反抗也没用了。


"Pretty sort o' treatment this!" he cried, stamping his
stick. "I come here to see a gentleman, and you two, who I
never saw in my life, seize me and treat me in this fashion!"

“真是岂有此理！”他用手杖敲打着地板，喝道，“我到这里来拜

访一位朋友，你们二人和我素不相识，却抓住我不放，这样对待我！”

"You will be none the worse," I said. "We shall
recompense you for the loss of your time. Sit over here on

the sofa, and you will not have long to wait."

“我们不会对你怎么样的，”我说，“我们会补偿您所耗费的时间
的。请坐在那边沙发上，您不会等很长时间的。”


He came across sullenly enough and seated himself with
his face resting on his hands. Jones and I resumed our cigars
and our talk. Suddenly, however, Holmes's voice broke in

upon us.

他很不高兴地走过去坐下，把脸埋在两手中。琼斯和我继续一边
吸着雪茄烟，一边谈话。然而，福尔摩斯的声音突然在我们之间响

起。

"I think that you might offer me a cigar too," he said.

“我想，你们也应该给我一支雪茄烟吧。”他说。


We both started in our chairs. There was Holmes sitting
close to us with an air of quiet amusement.

我们二人从椅子上吃惊地跳了起来。福尔摩斯就坐在我们旁边，

笑容可掬。

"Holmes!" I exclaimed. "You here! But where is the old

man?"

“福尔摩斯！”我惊讶地喊道，“是你！但那老头哪儿去了？”

"Here is the old man," said he, holding out a heap of
white hair. "Here he is—wig, whiskers, eyebrows, and all. I

thought my disguise was pretty good, but I hardly expected
that it would stand that test."

“老头就在这儿，”他拿出一把白发，说道，“这儿——假发、胡

须、眉毛，全在这里。我认为我的化装还不错，可是没有想到把你们

也骗住了。”

"Ah, you rogue!" cried Jones, highly delighted. "You

would have made an actor and a rare one. You had the
proper workhouse cough, and those weak legs of yours are
worth ten pound a week. I thought I knew the glint of your

eye, though. You didn't get away from us so easily, you
see."

“啊，你这个坏蛋！”琼斯高兴地喊道，“你真可以成为一个戏剧

演员——一个出色的演员。你那老人的咳嗽学得真像，还有你那双孱
弱的腿，每星期足可挣十镑的工资。可是，我想我看出你的眼神来

了。你看，你没那么容易骗过我们。”

"I have been working in that get-up all day," said he,
lighting his cigar. "You see, a good many of the criminal
classes begin to know me—especially since our friend here

took to publishing some of my cases: so I can only go on the
war-path under some simple disguise like this. You got my
wire?"

“今天一整天工作，我都是打扮成这个样子的，”他点燃了雪茄

烟，说道，“你知道，很多匪徒已渐渐地认识了我——特别是在咱们这

位朋友把我的侦探事迹写成了书之后，所以我只好在工作时简单地化
个装。你接到我的电报了吗？”


"Yes; that was what brought me here."

“接到了，所以才会来的。”

"How has your case prospered?"


“你这案子进展得如何了？”

"It has all come to nothing. I have had to release two of
my prisoners, and there is no evidence against the other
two."

“一点儿头绪也没有。我不得已释放了那两个人，对于其余的两个

人，也没有什么证据。”

"Never mind. We shall give you two others in the place
of them. But you must put yourself under my orders. You are

welcome to all the official credit, but you must act on the
lines that I point out. Is that agreed?"

“那不要紧，一会儿我给你另外两个人，来补他们的缺。可是，你

必须完全听我的指挥。一切功绩可以归你，可是，一切行动必须听从
我。这一点，你同意吗？”


"Entirely, if you will help me to the men."

“只要你协助我把匪徒捉到，我全都同意。”

"Well, then, in the first place I shall want a fast
policeboat—a steam launch—to be at the Westminster

Stairs at seven o'clock."

“好的，首先，我需要一只快速的警船——一只汽船——今晚七点
在威斯敏斯特码头待命。”


"That is easily managed. There is always one about
there, but I can step across the road and telephone to make
sure."


“这个好办。那儿经常停着一只，但我还是到马路对面打个电话确
认一下吧。”


"Then I shall want two staunch men in case of
resistance."

“另外，我还要两名健壮的男士，以防匪徒拒捕。”

"There will be two or three in the boat. What else?"


“船上会有两三个人。还有别的吗？”

"When we secure the men we shall get the treasure. I
think that it would be a pleasure to my friend here to take

the box round to the young lady to whom half of it rightfully
belongs. Let her be the first to open it. Eh, Watson?"

“等捉住匪徒，我们就能得到宝物了。我想我这位朋友一定乐意把

宝物箱送到那位年轻女士的手上，她合法拥有其中的一半。让她成为
第一个打开宝箱的人。喂，沃森，好不好？”


"It would be a great pleasure to me."

“这是我无上的光荣。”

"Rather an irregular proceeding," said Jones, shaking his
head. "However, the whole thing is irregular, and I suppose

we must wink at it. The treasure must afterwards be handed
over to the authorities until after the official investigation."

“这一行动很不合规定，”琼斯摇头道，“不过，反正这一整件事

都不合常规，所以，我想我们可以睁一只眼，闭一只眼。但是，看完
之后，宝物必须递交给政府，直到正式调查完成。”


"Certainly. That is easily managed. One other point. I
should much like to have a few details about this matter
from the lips of Jonathan Small himself. You know I like to

work the details of my cases out. There is no objection to
my having an unofficial interview with him, either here in
my rooms or elsewhere, as long as he is efficiently
guarded?"

“那当然。这个好办。还有一点。我很希望听到乔纳森·斯莫尔亲

口说出有关这一案件的一些详情。你知道，我素来就喜欢弄清案子的
始末细节。如果我想在我的房间或其他地方，先对他做一次非正式的

讯问，前提是他被严密看守，这样，你不会有什么意见吧？”

"Well, you are master of the situation. I have had no

proof yet of the existence of this Jonathan Small. However, if
you can catch him, I don't see how I can refuse you an
interview with him."

“你是掌握着全案情况的人。虽然我还没有证据证明，确实有这么

一个叫乔纳森·斯莫尔的人，可是，如果你能捉到他，我没有理由阻止

你先讯问他。”

"That is understood, then?"

“那么，这也同意了？”


"Perfectly. Is there anything else?"

“完全同意，还有什么要求吗？”

"Only that I insist upon your dining with us. It will be

ready in half an hour. I have oysters and a brace of grouse,
with something a little choice in white wines. —Watson, you
have never yet recognized my merits as a housekeeper."

“只有一个了，我要留你同我们一起吃晚饭。半个小时即可备好。

我准备了生蚝和一对松鸡，还有一些特选的白酒。沃森，你还不知

道，我可是一个治家的能手呢。”



Chapter 10 The End of the Islander



第十章 岛民之死



Our meal was a merry one. Holmes could talk
exceedingly well when he chose, and that night he did

choose. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. I
have never known him so brilliant. He spoke on a quick
succession of subjects—on miracle plays, on mediaeval
pottery, on Stradivarius violins, on the Buddhism of Ceylon,
and on the warships of the future—handling each as though

he had made a special study of it. His bright humour marked
the reaction from his black depression of the preceding
days. Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his

hours of relaxation and faced his dinner with the air of a bon
vivant. For myself, I felt elated at the thought that we were
nearing the end of our task, and I caught something of
Holmes's gaiety. None of us alluded during dinner to the
cause which had brought us together.


我们这顿饭吃得很高兴。福尔摩斯想要聊天的时候，能够聊得很
畅快，而这天晚上，他很愿意聊。他看上去精神异常兴奋。我还从不

知道他这样健谈。他天南地北地聊个不停——奇迹剧、中世纪的陶
器、意大利的斯特拉迪瓦里提琴、锡兰的佛学和未来的战舰——不论

谈到哪一个，都是顺手拈来，似乎他全都作过专门的研究。他愉快的
兴致颠覆了前几天的阴郁情绪。在休息的时候，阿塞尔纳·琼斯也是一

个友善的人，他十分讲究地享受着这顿晚餐。而我自己，一想到我们
就快结束这件案子了，我也感到很兴奋，于是受到了福尔摩斯的欢乐

的感到。晚餐期间，没有人提到使我们相聚在一起的那件事。

When the cloth was cleared Holmes glanced at his

watch and filled up three glasses with port.

饭后，福尔摩斯看了看表，斟满了三杯红葡萄酒。

"One bumper," said he, "to the success of our little
expedition. And now it is high time we were off. Have you a

pistol, Watson?"

“再干一杯，”他说，“预祝今晚马到成功。时候到了，应该动身
了。沃森，你有手枪吗？”


"I have my old service-revolver in my desk."

“我有一把旧的佩枪，在抽屉里。”

"You had best take it, then. It is well to be prepared. I

see that the cab is at the door. I ordered it for half-past six."

“你最好带上它。有备无患。我看到车子已等在门外了。我预约的

是六点半。”

It was a little past seven before we reached the
Westminster wharf and found our launch awaiting us.
Holmes eyed it critically.

七点稍过，我们到达了威斯敏斯特码头，发现汽船早已在那里等

候了。福尔摩斯仔细地审视了一番。

"Is there anything to mark it as a police-boat?"


“这船上有什么标志能说明它是一艘警船吗？”

"Yes, that green lamp at the side."

“有，那船边上的绿灯。”


"Then take it off."

“那么，摘下它。”

The small change was made, we stepped on board, and

the ropes were cast off. Jones, Holmes, and I sat in the
steam. There was one man at the rudder, one to tend the
engines, and two burly police-inspectors forward.

这一点儿小改装完成后，我们踏上了船，船缆解开了。琼斯、福

尔摩斯和我都坐在缭绕的蒸汽之中。有一个人在掌舵，另一人掌管发

动机，两个壮实的警官坐在前面。

"Where to?" asked Jones.


“船开到哪里去？”琼斯问道。

"To the Tower. Tell them to stop opposite to Jacobson's
Yard."


“到伦敦塔，叫他们把船停在雅各布森船坞的对面。”

Our craft was evidently a very fast one. We shot past
the long lines of loaded barges as though they were

stationary. Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we
overhauled a river steamer and left her behind us.

我们的船速度确实很快。我们从一列列载着货物的平底船旁边飞

驰而过，那些船简直就像是静止不动的一样。当我们赶上一只小汽
船，又迅速把它抛在后面时，福尔摩斯满意地微笑起来。

"We ought to be able to catch anything on the river," he

said.

“我们应该可以追得上河里的任何船只了。”他说。


"Well, hardly that. But there are not many launches to
beat us."

“那倒不见得。不过，没多少汽船能赢得过我们。”

"We shall have to catch the Aurora, and she has a name

for being a clipper. I will tell you how the land lies, Watson.
You recollect how annoyed I was at being baulked by so
small a thing?"

“我们必须赶上‘曙光’号，那是一只有名的快艇。沃森，现在我可

以把情况和你讲讲。你记不记得，我被一个微不足道的障碍难住，烦

恼不已？”

"Yes."

“是啊。”

"Well, I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a
chemical analysis. One of our greatest statesmen has said

that a change of work is the best rest. So it is. When I had
succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at
work at, I came back to our problem of the Sholtos, and
thought the whole matter out again. My boys had been up
the river and down the river without result. The launch was

not at any landing-stage or wharf, nor had it returned. Yet it
could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces, though
that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else

failed. I knew that this man Small had a certain degree of
low cunning, but I did not think him capable of anything in
the nature of delicate finesse. That is usually a product of
higher education. I then reflected that since he had certainly
been in London some time—as we had evidence that he

maintained a continual watch over Pondicherry Lodge—he
could hardly leave at a moment's notice, but would need
some little time, if it were only a day, to arrange his affairs.

That was the balance of probability, at any rate."

“我投身到化学分析实验中，使我的头脑得到了彻底的休息。我们
有一位伟大的政治家曾经说过，转换一下工作是最好的休息。这句话

一点儿也不错。当我成功地溶解了我研究的那种碳氢化合物以后，我
就回过头来，思考肖尔托的问题，把这问题重新考虑了一遍。我所派

遣的孩子们在上下游都搜遍了，也没有结果。这只汽船既没有停泊在
任何码头上，又没有回去。也不太可能为了灭迹而自沉，但是，如果

实在找不着，这当然还算是一个可能的假设。我知道斯莫尔多少有些
狡猾，可是我认为，他还使不出什么老谋深算的手段。通常，受过良

好教育的人才会有那样的本事。后来我想到，他既然在伦敦居住过一

段时间——因为我们有证据证明，他对本地治里别墅进行过长期监视
——既然如此，他不可能说走就走，好歹需要一点儿时间来安排自己

的事务，哪怕只有一天。无论如何，这是一个可能性。”

"It seems to me to be a little weak," said I; "it is more
probable that he had arranged his affairs before ever he set

out upon his expedition."

“我看这个可能性不大，”我说，“他更有可能在行动以前早已做

了安排。”

"No, I hardly think so. This lair of his would be too
valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give it up until

he was sure that he could do without it. But a second
consideration struck me. Jonathan Small must have felt that
the peculiar appearance of his companion, however much

he may have top-coated him, would give rise to gossip, and
possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy. He was
quite sharp enough to see that. They had started from their
headquarters under cover of darkness, and he would wish to
get back before it was broad light. Now, it was past three

o'clock, according to Mrs. Smith, when they got the boat. It
would be quite bright, and people would be about in an hour
or so. Therefore, I argued, they did not go very far. They

paid Smith well to hold his tongue, reserved his launch for
the final escape, and hurried to their lodgings with the
treasure-box. In a couple of nights, when they had time to
see what view the papers took, and whether there was any
suspicion, they would make their way under cover of

darkness to some ship at Gravesend or in the Downs, where
no doubt they had already arranged for passages to
America or the Colonies."

“不，我不这么认为。对他来说，万一有什么需要，他这个巢穴是

一个重要的隐蔽处，他绝不会轻易放弃，除非他确知这个巢穴对他已

经毫无用处。然后，我又想到了一点。乔纳森·斯莫尔一定会料想到，
他同谋的那副怪相，不管怎么装扮，都会引起别人说长道短，并且可

能会令人联系到诺伍德惨案上去。他这么聪明，能够想到这一点。他
们趁着天黑才从老巢出发，他肯定希望在天明以前赶回去。根据史密

斯太太所说，他们在史密斯码头上船的时候是三点钟。再过一个多钟
头，天就要大亮，行人也多了。所以我认为，他们不会走得太远。他

们给了史密斯不少钱，叫他不要声张，预订下他的船，以备最后逃

跑，然后携带宝物，赶回住处。在一两天内，他们还有时间看看报纸

上的说法，看是否有什么疑窦，然后，趁着某一个黑夜，他们前往格
雷夫森德或唐斯锚地，在那里，他们肯定早已订好了船位，逃往美洲

或其他殖民地去。”

"But the launch? They could not have taken that to their
lodgings."


“但汽船呢？“他们不可能把汽船也带到住处去呀。”

"Quite so. I argued that the launch must be no great
way off, in spite of its invisibility. I then put myself in the

place of Small and looked at it as a man of his capacity
would. He would probably consider that to send back the
launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if
the police did happen to get on his track. How, then, could
he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when

wanted? I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his
shoes. I could only think of one way of doing it. I might hand
the launch over to some boatbuilder or repairer, with

directions to make a trifling change in her. She would then
be removed to his shed or yard, and so be effectually
concealed, while at the same time I could have her at a few
hours' notice."


“当然。我认为，这只船虽然没有被我们发现，可也不会离我们太
远。我站在斯莫尔的角度上，根据他这个人的智商来设想。他可能会
想，如果警察碰巧追踪他的话，那么，把船遣回，或是让它停在码

头，都会使他容易被追踪到。那怎样才能把船隐藏起来，同时，要用

它的时候，又能召之即来呢？我思考着，如果我站在他的立场上，我
会怎么办。我只想得到一个办法。我可能会把汽船交给某个造船工或

修船工，指示他对它做一些小修整。然后，船就会被停放在他的船棚
或船坞，如此就可有效地隐蔽起来，同时，只要提前几个小时通知，

我就能够使用它了。”

"That seems simple enough."

“这似乎很简单。”

"It is just these very simple things which are extremely

liable to be overlooked. However, I determined to act on the
idea. I started at once in this harmless seaman's rig and
inquired at all the yards down the river. I drew blank at

fifteen, but at the sixteenth—Jacobson's—I learned that the
Aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a
wooden legged man, with some trivial directions as to her
rudder. There ain't naught amiss with her rudder,' said the
foreman. There she lies, with the red streaks.' At that

moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith, the
missing owner. He was rather the worse for liquor. I should
not, of course, have known him, but he bellowed out his

name and the name of his launch. I want her to-night at
eight o'clock,' said he—'eight o'clock sharp, mind, for I have
two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting.' They had
evidently paid him well, for he was very flush of money,
chucking shillings about to the men. I followed him some

distance, but he subsided into an alehouse; so I went back
to the yard, and, happening to pick up one of my boys on
the way, I stationed him as a sentry over the launch. He is

to stand at the water's edge and wave his handkerchief to
us when they start. We shall be lying off in the stream, and
it will be a strange thing if we do not take men, treasure,
and all."


“正是这些非常简单的事，才更容易被忽略。无论如何，我决定照
着这个想法去进行侦查。我立刻穿了这身普通的水手服，到下游的每
一个船坞里去询问。问了十五个船坞，全失败了，可是问到第十六个

——雅各布森船坞时，我得知，在两天前，曾有一个装木腿的人把‘曙

光’号送进船坞，让他们修理一下船舵。‘那船舵一点儿毛病也没
有，’工头跟我说，‘就是那艘船，画着红线的。’正在那时，来了一个

人，不是别人，正是失踪的船主莫迪凯·史密斯。他喝了不少酒。我自
然不认识他，是他喊出了自己的名字和船的名字。‘我今晚八点要

船，’他说道，‘准八点，记住了，我有两位客人，耽误不得。’匪徒们

一定给了他不少的钱，因为他身上装满了钱，还对着工人们，把银币
拍得叮当作响。我跟踪了他一段距离，但他跑进了一家酒馆，于是，

我又回到船坞，在途中碰巧遇到了我的一个小帮手，就把他安置在那
里，盯住汽船。我让他站在船坞的出口处，看到船出坞，就向我们挥

动手巾，作为暗号。我们就在河上歇一下吧，这次要是没有人赃俱
获，那才是怪事呢。”


"You have planned it all very neatly, whether they are
the right men or not," said Jones; "but if the affair were in
my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's
Yard and arrested them when they came down."


“不管这几个人是不是真的凶手，你的计划都是很周密的，”琼斯
说，“不过，要是让我来处理，我一定派几个能干的警察到雅各布森船

坞去，等他们一来，就当场逮捕他们。”

"Which would have been never. This man Small is a
pretty shrewd fellow. He would send a scout on ahead, and

if anything made him suspicious he would lie snug for
another week."

“这样就永远抓不到了。斯莫尔这个人是一个很狡猾的家伙。他出

行之前，一定会先派人查看动静，如有可疑的情况，他就会再隐匿一
段时间。”


"But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith, and so
been led to their hiding place," said I.

“可是，你若盯紧了莫迪凯·史密斯，也可以跟着他，找到他们的

藏身之处啊。”我说。

"In that case I should have wasted my day. I think that it
is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live.

As long as he has liquor and good pay, why should he ask
questions? They send him messages what to do. No, I
thought over every possible course, and this is the best."

“那样，我的时光就全浪费了。我认为，匪徒们的住处，史密斯九

成九是不知道的。他只要有酒喝、有钱花就行，问那么多干吗？匪徒
们派人通知他该干什么就行啦。我各方面都考虑到了，认为这是最好

的办法。”

While this conversation had been proceeding, we had
been shooting the long series of bridges which span the

Thames. As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were
gilding the cross upon the summit of St. Paul's. It was
twilight before we reached the Tower.

谈话间，我们已经飞驰过了泰晤士河上的好几座桥。当我们出了

市区的时候，落日余晖已将圣保罗教堂顶上的十字架照得金光闪闪。
我们到达伦敦塔时，已是黄昏时分了。


"That is Jacobson's Yard," said Holmes, pointing to a
bristle of masts and rigging on the Surrey side. "Cruise
gently up and down here under cover of this string of

lighters." He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and
gazed some time at the shore. "I see my sentry at his post,"
he remarked, "but no sign of a handkerchief."

“那就是雅各布森船坞，”福尔摩斯指着萨利区那一边樯缆密集的

地方说道，“让我们的船借着这一排驳船的掩护，慢慢地来回游弋
吧。”他从口袋拿出一副夜用望远镜，向岸上看了一会儿。“我已经找

到了我的哨兵，”他说，“可是他还没有挥动手巾。”

"Suppose we go downstream a short way and lie in wait

for them," said Jones eagerly.

“咱们还是停泊到下游，等着他们吧。”琼斯很性急地说。

We were all eager by this time, even the policemen and

stokers, who had a very vague idea of what was going
forward.

这时，我们都很焦急，就连那几个警官和火夫也是如此，尽管他

们并不太清楚将要发生什么事情。

"We have no right to take anything for granted," Holmes
answered. "It is certainly ten to one that they go

downstream, but we cannot be certain. From this point we
can see the entrance of the yard, and they can hardly see
us. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. We must stay
where we are. See how the folk swarm over yonder in the
gaslight."


“任何事情我们都不能看成是理所当然的，”福尔摩斯答道，“虽
然十之有九，他们会往下游去，可是，我们不能肯定。从这个地方，

我们能够看见船坞的出口，可是他们却很难看见我们。今晚没有云
雾，月光很亮。咱们就在这儿吧。你看那边有煤气灯灯光的地方，人

流多么密集。”

"They are coming from work in the yard."


“那都是从船坞下工的工人们。”

"Dirty-looking rascals, but I suppose every one has
some little immortal spark concealed about him. You would
not think it, to look at them. There is no a priori probability

about it. A strange enigma is man!"

“这些人的外表虽然肮脏、粗俗，可是，我想每个人的内心都有一
些不灭的生气。只看他们的外表，你是想不到的。这其中没有概率可

以推算。人就是一个谜。”

"Someone calls him a soul concealed in an animal," I

suggested.

“有人说，人是有灵魂的动物。”我说。

"Winwood Reade is good upon the subject," said

Holmes. "He remarks that, while the individual man is an
insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a
mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell
what any one man will do, but you can say with precision

what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but
percentages remain constant. So says the statistician. But

do I see a handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over
yonder."

“温伍德·里德对这个问题有很好的解释，”福尔摩斯说，“他说，

虽然每个人都是一个难解的谜，可是，把人类聚合起来，就有一定的

数学定性了。譬如说，你不能预知一个人将会做什么，可是你能够精
确地说，平均有多少人会做什么。人各不相同，但概率却是一定的。

统计家们也是这么说的。你们看见那条手巾了吗？那边确实有一个白
色的东西在摆动着。”


"Yes, it is your boy," I cried. "I can see him plainly."

“不错，那就是你派的小帮手，”我喊道，“我看得很清楚。”

"And there is the Aurora," exclaimed Holmes, "and going

like the devil! Full speed ahead, engineer. Make after that
launch with the yellow light. By heaven, I shall never forgive
myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"

“那就是‘曙光’号，”福尔摩斯喊道，“你看，它的速度真快。机

师，咱们全速前进。紧追那只挂黄灯的汽船。天啊，如果我们追不上
它，那我永远都不能原谅自己。”


She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and
passed between two or three small craft, so that she had
fairly got her speed up before we saw her. Now she was
flying down the stream, near in to the shore, going at a

tremendous rate. Jones looked gravely at her and shook his
head.

‘曙光’号已经从船坞开了出去，被两三条小船遮得看不见了，等

到我们再看见它的时候，它已经驶得相当快了。它现在正沿着河岸向
下游急速行进。琼斯严肃地看着它，摇了摇头。


"She is very fast," he said. "I doubt if we shall catch
her."

“这只船太快了，”他说，咱们恐怕追不上它。”