福尔摩斯探案集·四签名 第25期:秃头人的故事(8)

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

塞笛厄斯·舒尔托先生的话说完了，坐在矮椅子上手指不住地抽动。

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

我们全都默无一言，我们的思想全都集中在这个奇异事件的发展上面。

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

福尔摩斯第一个站了起来。他说："先生，您从头到尾做的全都很圆满，

"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.

也许我们还可以告诉您一些您还不知道的事情作为报答呢。

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说的，天色已晚了，咱们还是赶办正事要紧，不要再迟了。"

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

我们的新朋友盘起水烟壶的烟管，

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

从幔帐后面拿出一件羔皮领袖的又长又厚的大衣。

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

虽然晚上还很闷热，他却从上到下紧紧地扣上了钮扣，

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

最后戴上一顶兔皮帽子，把帽沿扣过耳朵，

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，他的身体任何部分都已遮盖起来。

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

当他引导我们走出甬道的时候，他道："我的身体太弱，我只好算一个病人了。"

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

我们的车在外面等候着，对我们的出行显然早已作了准备，因为马夫立即赶车急行起来。

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

塞笛厄斯不断地谈话，声音高过了辚辚的车轮声。

"Bartholomew is a clever fellow," said he.

他道："巴索洛谬是个聪明人，

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

你们猜猜他怎样找到宝物的？

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

他最后的结论断定宝物是藏在室内。

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

他把整所房子的容积都计算出来，每个角落也小心量过了，没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,

他最后发现了这所楼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,

可是他把所有的各个房间的高度都分别衡量了。用钻探方法，确定了楼板的厚度，

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

再加上室内的高度，总共也不过是七十英尺。

There were four feet unaccounted for.

一共差了四英尺。

These could only be at the top of the building.

这个差别只有在房顶上去找。

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

他在最高一层房屋的用板条和灰泥修成的天花板上打穿了一个洞。

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

在那儿，一点也不错，就在上面找到了一个封闭着的、任何人也不知道的屋顶室。

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

那个宝物箱就摆在天花板中央的两条椽木上。

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

他把宝物箱从洞口取了下来，发现了里边的珠宝。

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

他估计这批珠宝的总值不下五十万英镑。"

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

听到了这个庞大的数字，我们睁大了眼睛互相望着。

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

如果我们能够代摩斯坦小姐争取到她应得的那一份，她将立刻由一个贫穷的家庭教师变成英国最富的继承人了。

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

当然，她的忠实的朋友们全都应当替她欢喜，

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，惭愧的很，我的良心被我的自私心遮住了，我心上象有一块重石压着。

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

我含含糊糊地说了几句道贺的话，然后垂头丧平地坐在那里，俯首无言，

deaf to the babble of our new acquaintance.

后来甚至连我们新朋友所说的话也充耳不闻了。

He was clearly a confirmed hypochondriac,

他显然是一个忧郁症的患者，

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

我渺茫地记得好象他说出了一连串的症状，

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

并从他的皮夹里拿出了无数的秘方，

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

希望我对他这些秘方的内容和作用作一些解释，

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对他的回答全都忘掉。

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

福尔摩斯还记得听到我叮嘱他不要服用两滴以上的蓖麻油

while I recommended strychnine in large doses as a sedative.

建议他服用大剂量的番木鳖硷作为镇定剂。

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.

不管怎么样吧，直到车骤然停住，马车夫跳下车来把车门打开的时候，我才算松了一口气。

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

当塞笛厄斯·舒尔托先生扶她下车的时候，他说道："摩斯坦小姐，这就是樱沼别墅。"