血字的研究 94尾声（5）

"I had already determined¹ in my own mind that

"我当时心中早已断定：

the man who had walked into the house with Drebber was none other than the man who had driven the cab.

和锥伯一同走进那个屋中去的不是别人，正是那个赶马车的。

The marks in the road showed me that the horse had wandered on in a way

"因为我从街道上的一些痕迹看出，拉车的马曾经随便行动过，

which would have been impossible had there been anyone in charge of it.

如果有人驾御，是不可能有这种情况的。

Where, then, could the driver be, unless he were inside the house?

赶车的人要是不在这个屋中，那么，他又能到哪里去呢？

Again, it is absurd to suppose that any sane² man would carry out a deliberate crime under the very eyes,

还有一点，如果认为任何神经健全的人，会这样在一个肯定会泄露他的秘密的第三者的面前

as it were, of a third person, who was sure to betray him.

进行一桩蓄谋已久的罪行，这也太荒谬可笑了。

Lastly, supposing one man wished to dog another through London,

最后一点，如果一个人要想在伦敦城中到处跟踪着另外一个人，

what better means could he adopt than to turn cabdriver?

除了做一个马车夫外，难道还有其他更好的办法吗？

All these considerations led me to the irresistible³ conclusion that

考虑了这些问题以后，我就得出这样一个必然的结论来：

Jefferson Hope was to be found among the jarveys of the Metropolis⁴.

杰弗逊·侯波这个人，必须到首都的出租马车车夫当中去寻找。

"If he had been one, there was no reason to believe that he had ceased to be.

"如果他曾是马车夫，就没有理由使人相信他会就此不干了。

On the contrary, from his point of view, any sudden change would be likely to draw attention to himself.

恰恰相反，从他那方面着想，突然改变工作反而更可能引仆人们对他的注意。

He would probably, for a time at least, continue to perform his duties.

他至少要在一段时间内，继续搞他的这个行业。

There was no reason to suppose that he was going under an assumed name.

如果认为他现在用的是一个化名，这也是没有道理的；

Why should he change his name in a country where no one knew his original one?

在一个没有人知道他的真名实姓的国家里，他为什么要改名换姓呢？

I therefore organized my street Arab detective corps⁵,

于是，我就把一些街头流浪儿组成了我的一支侦查连队，

and sent them systematically⁶ to every cab proprietor⁷ in London until they ferreted out the man that I wanted.

有步骤地派遣他们到伦敦城每家马车厂去打听，一直到他们找到了我所要找的这个人为止。

How well they succeeded, and how quickly I took advantage of it, are still fresh in your recollection.

他们干的有多么漂亮，我使用这支队伍又是多么迅速方便，这些你都还记得很清楚吧。

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

3 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

4 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

7 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。