四签名 07演绎法的研究（7）

"This is unworthy of you, Holmes," I said.

我道："福尔摩斯，这就是你的不对了。

"I could not have believed that you would have descended¹ to this.

我真无法相信，你竟然会耍出这么一套来，

You have made inquiries² into the history of my unhappy brother,

你一定预先访察了我哥哥的惨史，

and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way.

现在假装用一些玄妙的方法，推断出来这些事实。

You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch!

你想我会相信你从这只旧表上就能够发现这些事实吗？

It is unkind and, to speak plainly, has a touch of charlatanism³ in it."

不客气地说，你这些话简直是有些骗人。"

"My dear doctor," said he kindly⁴, "pray accept my apologies.

他和蔼地答道："亲爱的医师，请你宽恕我。

Viewing the matter as an abstract problem, I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you.

我按着理论来推断一个问题，却忘了这可能对你是一件痛苦的事情。

I assure you, however, that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch."

我向你保证，在你给我观察这只表以前，我并不知道你还有一位哥哥呢。"

"Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts?

"可是你怎么能这样神妙地推测出这些事实来呢？

They are absolutely correct in every particular."

你所说的没有一样不是与事实相符的。"

"Ah, that is good luck. I could only say what was the balance of probability.

"啊！这还算侥幸，我只是说出一些可能的情况，

I did not at all expect to be so accurate."

并没想到会这样正确。"

"But it was not mere⁵ guesswork?"

"那么你并不是猜想出来的了？"

"No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit–destructive to the logical faculty⁶.

"对，对，我向来不猜想。猜想是很不好的习惯，它有害于作逻辑的推理。

What seems strange to you is only so because you do not follow my train of thought

你所以觉得奇怪，是因为你没有了解我的思路，

or observe the small facts upon which large inferences may depend.

没有注意到往往能推断出大事来的那些细小问题。

1 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

2 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 charlatanism   

n.庸医术，庸医的行为

参考例句：

• There is no philosophy in the period between Kant and myself; only mere University charlatanism. 在康德和我自己之间的这一时期，没有哲学家，仅有大学庸医而已。 来自互联网
• They also bared the basic charlatanism underlying all of the Chiang regime's tactics. 这些事实也暴露了蒋政权各种手法的卑鄙本质。 来自互联网

4 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

5 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

6 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。