四签名 74凶手的末日（7）

"You have planned it all very neatly¹, whether they are the right men or not," said Jones;

琼斯道："不管这几个人是不是真的凶手，你的准备是很周密的。

"but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard and arrested them when they came down."

不过要是我，我一定派几个能干的警察，等到匪徒来到杰克勃森船坞时，就把他们当场逮捕了。"

"Which would have been never. This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow.

"这个我可不敢赞同，因为斯茂是个很狡猾的人，

He would send a scout² on ahead, and if anything made him suspicious he would lie snug³ for another week."

他行动以前一定先派人查看动静，如有可疑的情况，他自然又要再隐匿一个时期。"

"But you might have stuck to Mordecai Smith, and so been led to their hiding-place," said I.

我道："可是你若盯紧了茂迪凯·斯密司也可以把匪穴找到呀。"

"In that case I should have wasted my day.

"那样我的时光就全要浪费了。

I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live.

我想匪徒们的住处九成九斯密司是不知道的。

As long as he has liquor and good pay, why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do.

斯密司有酒喝、有钱花，其余的问它做什么？有事时匪徒们派人通知他就行啦。

No, I thought over every possible course, and this is the best."

我各方面都考虑到了，我以为这是最好的办法。"

While this conversation had been proceeding⁴, we had been shooting the long series of bridges which span the Thames.

谈话之间，我们已经穿过了泰晤士河上的几座桥。

As we passed the City the last rays of the sun were gilding⁵ the cross upon the summit of St. Paul's.

当我们出了市区的时候，落日余辉已将圣保罗教堂房顶上的十字架照得金光闪闪。

It was twilight⁶ before we reached the Tower.

在我们还没有到达伦敦塔的时候，就已是黄昏时分了。

"That is Jacobson's Yard," said Holmes, pointing to a bristle⁷ of masts and rigging on the Surrey side.

福尔摩斯远远指着靠萨利区河岸桅墙密立的地方说道："那就是杰克勃森船坞，

"Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters⁸."

让我们的船借着这一串驳船的掩护，慢慢地来回游戈。"

He took a pair of night-glasses from his pocket and gazed some time at the shore.

他从口袋中拿出夜望镜，向岸上观察，

"I see my sentry⁹ at his post," he remarked, "but no sign of a handkerchief."

说道："我已经找到了我派的那个人，可是手巾还没有挥动。"

"Suppose we go downstream a short way and lie in wait for them," said Jones eagerly.

琼斯很性急地说道："咱们还是停泊到下游等着他们吧。"

1 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

2 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

3 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

4 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

5 gilding   

n.贴金箔，镀金

参考例句：

• The dress is perfect. Don't add anything to it at all. It would just be gilding the lily. 这条裙子已经很完美了，别再作任何修饰了，那只会画蛇添足。
• The gilding is extremely lavish. 这层镀金极为奢华。

6 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

7 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

8 lighters   

n.打火机，点火器( lighter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The cargo is being discharged into lighters. 正在往驳船里卸货。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Babies'bootees and cheap cigarette lighters were displayed in unlikely juxtaposition. 儿童的短靴和廉价的打火机很不相称地陈列在一起。 来自辞典例句

9 sentry   

n.哨兵，警卫

参考例句：

• They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。
• The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。