福尔摩斯探案集·红发会 第28期:开始调查(9)
"I think you will find," said Sherlock Holmes,
歇洛克·福尔摩斯说："我想你会发现，
"that you will play for a higher stake to-night than you have ever done yet, and that the play will be more exciting.
今天晚上你下的赌注比你以往下过的都大，而且这次打牌的场面更加激动人心。
For you, Mr. Merryweather, the stake will be some 30,000 pounds;
梅里韦瑟先生，对你来说，赌注约值三万英镑；
and for you, Jones, it will be the man upon whom you wish to lay your hands."
而琼斯先生，对你来说，赌注是你想要逮捕的人。"
"John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger.
"约翰·克莱这个杀人犯、盗窃犯、抢劫犯、诈骗犯，
He's a young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his profession,
他是个青年人，梅里韦瑟先生，但他是这伙罪犯的头头。
and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on any criminal in London.
我认为逮捕他比逮捕伦敦的任何其他罪犯都要紧，
He's a remarkable man, is young John Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been to Eton and Oxford.
他是个值得注意的人物。这个年纪轻轻的约翰·克莱，他的祖父是王室公爵，他本人在伊顿公学和牛津大学读过书。
His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to find the man himself.
他的头脑同手一样的灵活。虽然我们每拐个弯都能碰到他的踪迹，但是，我们始终不知道到哪里去找他这个人。
He'll crack a crib in Scotland one week, and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next.
他一个星期在苏格兰砸烂一个儿童床，而下一下星期却在康沃尔筹款兴建一个孤儿院。
I've been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him yet."
我跟踪他多年了，就是一直未能见他一面。"
"I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you to-night.
"我希望我今晚能够高兴地为你介绍一番。
I've had one or two little turns also with Mr. John Clay, and I agree with you that he is at the head of his profession.
我也和这个约翰·克莱交过一两次手。我同意你刚才说的，他是个盗窃集团的头子。
It is past ten, however, and quite time that we started.
好啦，现在已经十点多，这是我们应该出发的时间。
If you two will take the first hansom, Watson and I will follow in the second."
如果你们二位坐第一辆马车，那么我和华生坐第二辆马车跟着。"
