福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第25期:禿頭人的故事(8)

Mr.Thaddeus Sholto ceased and sat twitching on his luxurious settee.

塞笛厄斯·舒爾托先生的話說完了，坐在矮椅子上手指不住地抽動。

We all remained silent, with our thoughts upon the new development which the mysterious business had taken.

我們?nèi)寄瑹o一言，我們的思想全都集中在這個奇異事件的發(fā)展上面。

Holmes was the first to spring to his feet. "You have done well, sir, from first to last," said he.

福爾摩斯第一個站了起來。他說："先生，您從頭到尾做的全都很圓滿，

"It is possible that we may be able to make you some small return by throwing some light upon that which is still dark to you.

也許我們還可以告訴您一些您還不知道的事情作為報答呢。

But, as Miss Morstan remarked just now, it is late, and we had best put the matter through without delay."

可是正如摩斯坦小姐方才所說的，天色已晚了，咱們還是趕辦正事要緊，不要再遲了。"

Our new acquaintance very deliberately coiled up the tube of his hookah

我們的新朋友盤起水煙壺的煙管，

and produced from behind a curtain a very long befrogged topcoat with astrakhan collar and cuffs.

從幔帳后面拿出一件羔皮領(lǐng)袖的又長又厚的大衣。

This he buttoned tightly up in spite of the extreme closeness of the night

雖然晚上還很悶熱，他卻從上到下緊緊地扣上了鈕扣，

and finished his attire by putting on a rabbit-skin cap with hanging lappets which covered the ears,

最后戴上一頂兔皮帽子，把帽沿扣過耳朵，

so that no part of him was visible save his mobile and peaky face.

除了他那清瘦的面孔以外，他的身體任何部分都已遮蓋起來。

"My health is somewhat fragile," he remarked as he led the way down the passage. "I am compelled to be a valetudinarian."

當(dāng)他引導(dǎo)我們走出甬道的時候，他道："我的身體太弱，我只好算一個病人了。"

Our cab was awaiting us outside, and our programme was evidently prearranged, for the driver started off at once at a rapid pace.

我們的車在外面等候著，對我們的出行顯然早已作了準(zhǔn)備，因為馬夫立即趕車急行起來。

Thaddeus Sholto talked incessantly in a voice which rose high above the rattle of the wheels.

塞笛厄斯不斷地談話，聲音高過了轔轔的車輪聲。

"Bartholomew is a clever fellow," said he.

他道："巴索洛謬是個聰明人，

"How do you think he found out where the treasure was?

你們猜猜他怎樣找到寶物的？

He had come to the conclusion that it was somewhere indoors,

他最后的結(jié)論斷定寶物是藏在室內(nèi)。

so he worked out all the cubic space of the house and made measurements everywhere so that not one inch should be unaccounted for.

他把整所房子的容積都計算出來，每個角落也小心量過了，沒有一英寸之地被他漏算的。

Among other things, he found that the height of the building was seventy-four feet,

他最后發(fā)現(xiàn)了這所樓房高度是七十四英尺，

but on adding together the heights of all the separate rooms and making every allowance for the space between,

可是他把所有的各個房間的高度都分別衡量了。用鉆探方法，確定了樓板的厚度，

which he ascertained by borings, he could not bring the total to more than seventy feet.

再加上室內(nèi)的高度，總共也不過是七十英尺。

There were four feet unaccounted for.

一共差了四英尺。

These could only be at the top of the building.

這個差別只有在房頂上去找。

He knocked a hole, therefore, in the lath and plaster ceiling of the highest room,

他在最高一層房屋的用板條和灰泥修成的天花板上打穿了一個洞。

and there, sure enough, he came upon another little garret above it, which had been sealed up and was known to no one.

在那兒，一點也不錯，就在上面找到了一個封閉著的、任何人也不知道的屋頂室。

In the centre stood the treasure-chest resting upon two rafters.

那個寶物箱就擺在天花板中央的兩條椽木上。

He lowered it through the hole, and there it lies.

他把寶物箱從洞口取了下來，發(fā)現(xiàn)了里邊的珠寶。

He computes the value of the jewels at not less than half a million sterling."

他估計這批珠寶的總值不下五十萬英鎊。"

At the mention of this gigantic sum we all stared at one another open- eyed.

聽到了這個龐大的數(shù)字，我們睜大了眼睛互相望著。

Miss Morstan, could we secure her rights, would change from a needy governess to the richest heiress in England.

如果我們能夠代摩斯坦小姐爭取到她應(yīng)得的那一份，她將立刻由一個貧窮的家庭教師變成英國最富的繼承人了。

Surely it was the place of a loyal friend to rejoice at such news,

當(dāng)然，她的忠實的朋友們?nèi)紤?yīng)當(dāng)替她歡喜，

yet I am ashamed to say that selfishness took me by the soul and that my heart turned as heavy as lead within me.

可是我，慚愧的很，我的良心被我的自私心遮住了，我心上象有一塊重石壓著。

I stammered out some few halting words of congratulation and then sat downcast, with my head drooped,

我含含糊糊地說了幾句道賀的話，然后垂頭喪平地坐在那里，俯首無言，

deaf to the babble of our new acquaintance.

后來甚至連我們新朋友所說的話也充耳不聞了。

He was clearly a confirmed hypochondriac,

他顯然是一個憂郁癥的患者，

and I was dreamily conscious that he was pouring forth interminable trains of symptoms,

我渺茫地記得好象他說出了一連串的癥狀，

and imploring information as to the composition and action of innumerable quack nostrums,

并從他的皮夾里拿出了無數(shù)的秘方，

some of which he bore about in a leather case in his pocket.

希望我對他這些秘方的內(nèi)容和作用作一些解釋，

I trust that he may not remember any of the answers which I gave him that night.

我真希望他把我那天晚上對他的回答全都忘掉。

Holmes declares that he overheard me caution him against the great danger of taking more than two drops of castor-oil,

福爾摩斯還記得聽到我叮囑他不要服用兩滴以上的蓖麻油

while I recommended strychnine in large doses as a sedative.

建議他服用大劑量的番木鱉鹼作為鎮(zhèn)定劑。

However that may be, I was certainly relieved when our cab pulled up with a jerk and the coachman sprang down to open the door.

不管怎么樣吧，直到車驟然停住，馬車夫跳下車來把車門打開的時候，我才算松了一口氣。

"This, Miss Morstan, is Pondicherry Lodge," said Mr. Thaddeus Sholto as he handed her out.

當(dāng)塞笛厄斯·舒爾托先生扶她下車的時候，他說道："摩斯坦小姐，這就是櫻沼別墅。"