四签名 05演绎法的研究（5）

"Not at all," I answered earnestly.

我恳切地回答道："非但不觉得心烦，

"It is of the greatest interest to me,

并且极感兴趣。

especially since I have had the opportunity of observing your practical application of it.

这是因为我曾经亲自看见过你对于这些方法的应用。

But you spoke¹ just now of observation and deduction².

你方才谈到观察和推断，

Surely the one to some extent implies the other."

当然，在一定程度上，这两方面是彼此关联着的。"

"Why, hardly," he answered, leaning back luxuriously³ in his armchair and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe.

他舒服地靠在椅背上，从烟斗里喷出一股浓厚的蓝烟来说道："没有什么关联。

"For example, observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore Street Post-Office this morning,

举例来说：观察的结果说明，你今早曾到韦格摩尔街邮局去过，

but deduction lets me know that when there you dispatched a telegram."

而通过推断，却知道了，你在那里发过一封电报。"

"Right!" said I. "Right on both points!

我道："对！完全不错！

But I confess that I don't see how you arrived at it.

但是我真不明白，你怎么知道的。

It was a sudden impulse upon my part, and I have mentioned it to no one."

那是我一时突然的行动，并没有告诉任何人啊。"

"It is simplicity⁴ itself," he remarked, chuckling⁵ at my surprise

他看到我的惊奇，很得意地笑道："这个太简单了，

"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous⁶;

简直用不着解释，

and yet it may serve to define the limits of observation and of deduction.

但是解释一下倒可以分清观察和推断的范围。

Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to your instep.

我观察到在你的鞋面上沾有一小块红泥，

Just opposite the Wigmore Street Office they have taken up the pavement and thrown up some earth,

韦格摩尔街邮局对面正在修路，从路上掘出的泥，

which lies in such a way that it is difficult to avoid treading in it in entering.

堆积在便道上，走进邮局的人很难不踏进泥里去，

The earth is of this peculiar⁷ reddish tint⁸ which is found,

那里的泥是一种特殊红色的，

as far as I know, nowhere else in the neighbourhood.

据我了解，附近再没有那种颜色的泥土了。

So much is observation. The rest is deduction."

这就是从观察上得来的，其余的就都是由推断得来的了。"

"How, then, did you deduce the telegram?"

"那么你怎么推断到那封电报呢？"

"Why, of course I knew that you had not written a letter, since I sat opposite to you all morning.

"今天整整一个上午我都坐在你的对面，并没有看见你写过一封信。

I see also in your open desk there that you have a sheet of stamps and a thick bundle of postcards.

在你的桌子上面，我也注意到有一大整张的邮票和一捆明信片，

What could you go into the post-office for, then, but to send a wire?

那么你去邮局除了发电报还会作什么呢？

Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains⁹ must be the truth."

除去其他的因素，剩下的必是事实了。"

"In this case it certainly is so," I replied after a little thought.

我略想了一想又道："这件事确实如此，

"The thing, however, is, as you say, of the simplest.

正合你的说法，这是最简单的一件事了。

Would you think me impertinent if I were to put your theories to a more severe test?"

我现在给你一个比较复杂的考验，你不觉得我鲁莽吧？"

"On the contrary," he answered, "it would prevent me from taking a second dose of cocaine¹⁰.

他答道："正相反，我很欢迎，这可以使我省去第二次注射可卡因了。

I should be delighted to look into any problem which you might submit to me."

你所提出的任何问题，我都高兴研究。"

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

3 luxuriously   

adv.奢侈地，豪华地

参考例句：

• She put her nose luxuriously buried in heliotrope and tea roses. 她把自己的鼻子惬意地埋在天芥菜和庚申蔷薇花簇中。 来自辞典例句
• To be well dressed doesn't mean to be luxuriously dressed. 穿得好不一定衣着豪华。 来自辞典例句

4 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

5 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

6 superfluous   

adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的

参考例句：

• She fined away superfluous matter in the design. 她删去了这图案中多余的东西。
• That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it.我这样写的时候觉得这个请求似乎是多此一举。

7 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

8 tint   

n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色

参考例句：

• You can't get up that naturalness and artless rosy tint in after days.你今后不再会有这种自然和朴实无华的红润脸色。
• She gave me instructions on how to apply the tint.她告诉我如何使用染发剂。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。