福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第17期:尋求解答(4)

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The situation was a curious one.

我們所處的環(huán)境是奇特的。

We were driving to an unknown place, on an unknown errand.

我們既不知道上哪里去，又不知道去做什么。

Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax--which was an inconceivable hypothesis--

若說是被人愚弄吧？又好象是不可能，

or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey.

想來還不至于白跑一趟，總可以得些重要的結(jié)果的。

Miss Morstan's demeanour was as resolute and collected as ever.

摩斯坦小姐的態(tài)度還是象以前一樣的堅(jiān)決和鎮(zhèn)定。

I endeavoured to cheer and amuse her by reminiscences of my adventures in Afghanistan;

我竭力設(shè)法鼓勵(lì)和安慰她，我給她說我在阿富汗冒險(xiǎn)的故事。

but, to tell the truth, I was myself so excited at our situation

可是，說實(shí)話，我自己也正因?yàn)槲覀兯幍沫h(huán)境和難測(cè)的命運(yùn)感覺緊張和不安，

and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved.

以致我所講的故事未免亂七八糟。

To this day she declares that I told her one moving anecdote

直到今天，她還把我告訴她的那個(gè)生動(dòng)的故事用作笑話呢：

as to how a musket looked into my tent at the dead of night, and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it.

我如何在深夜里用一只小老虎打死了鉆到帳篷里來的一支雙筒槍。

At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving;

起初，我還能辨別我們所經(jīng)的道路，

but soon, what with our pace, the fog, and my own limited knowledge of London,

可是不久，因?yàn)槁愤h(yuǎn)多霧，再加上我對(duì)倫敦地理的生疏，

I lost my bearings and knew nothing save that we seemed to be going a very long way.

我就迷了方向，除了行程似乎很長(zhǎng)以外，其余的我就一概全都不知道了。

Sherlock Holmes was never at fault, however,

福爾摩斯并沒有迷路；

and he muttered the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. "Rochester Row," said he.

車子經(jīng)過的地方，他都能喃喃地說出地名來。他道："羅奇斯特路，

"Now Vincent Square. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. We are making for the Surrey side apparently.

這是文森特廣場(chǎng)?，F(xiàn)在我們似乎是在從沃克斯豪爾橋路走向薩利區(qū)去。

Yes, I thought so. Now we are on the bridge. You can catch glimpses of the river."

不錯(cuò)，正是這樣地走。我們現(xiàn)在上了橋面，你們可以看見河水的閃光。"

We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames, with the lamps shining upon the broad, silent water;

我們果然看見了燈光照耀下的泰晤士河的景色，

but our cab dashed on and was soon involved in a labyrinth of streets upon the other side.

可是我們的車仍在向前奔馳，不久就到達(dá)河對(duì)岸令人迷惑的街道上去了。

"Wordsworth Road," said my companion.

我的伙伴又道："沃茲沃斯路，

"Priory Road. Lark Hall Lane. Stockwell Place. Robert Street. Cold Harbour Lane.

修道院路，拉克豪爾衖，斯陶克維爾街，羅伯特街，冷港衖，

Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions."

我們的路徑不象是向著高尚區(qū)域去的。"

We had indeed reached a questionable and forbidding neighbourhood.

我們的確到了一個(gè)可疑和可怕的區(qū)域。

Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public-houses at the corner.

直到在街角看到一些粗俗、耀眼的酒肆以前，兩旁一直都是連續(xù)不斷的暗灰色的磚房。

Then came rows of two- storied villas, each with a fronting of miniature garden, and then again interminable lines of new, staring brick buildings

隨后又是幾排兩層樓房的住宅，每幢樓前有一個(gè)小小的花園，夾雜著一些磚造的新樓房

the monster tentacles which the giant city was throwing out into the country.

是這個(gè)大城市在郊區(qū)擴(kuò)建的新區(qū)域。

At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace.

最后，車子停在這新衖的第三個(gè)門前。

None of the other houses were inhabited, and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbours, save for a single glimmer in the kitchen-window.

所有其他的房子還沒有人住，在我們停車的房子前面，除了從廚房窗戶射出的一線微光外，也和其他的房子一樣的黑暗。

On our knocking, however, the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant, clad in a yellow turban, white loose-fitting clothes, and a yellow sash.

我們敲門以后，立刻就有一個(gè)頭戴黃色包頭、身穿肥大的白色衣服、系著黃帶子的印度仆人開了門。

There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace doorway of a third-rate suburban dwelling-house.

在這個(gè)普通三等郊區(qū)住宅的門前出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)東方仆人，是有一些不調(diào)和的。

"The sahib awaits you," said he, and even as he spoke, there came a high, piping voice from some inner room.

他道："我的主人正在等候。"他還沒有說完，就有人在屋內(nèi)高聲喊道：

"Show them in to me, khitmutgar," it said. "Show them straight in to me."

"吉特穆特迦，請(qǐng)他們到我這里來吧，請(qǐng)他們一直到我這里來。"