歪唇男人 18圣克莱尔的故事(7)

"But a cripple!" said I. "What could he have done single-handed against a man in the prime of life?"

"可是，一个瘸子！"我说，"他单独一个人能把一个年轻力壮的男子怎么样？"

"He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp;

"就走起路来一瘸一拐这点来说，他是个残废人；

but in other respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man.

但是，在其它方面，他显然是有劲儿和营养充足的人。

Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson,

当然你的医学经验会告诉你，华生，

that weakness in one limb is often compensated¹ for by exceptional strength in the others."

一肢不灵的弱点，常常可由其它肢体的格外健壮有力而得到补偿。"

"Pray continue your narrative²."

"请继续说下去。"

"Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window,

"圣克莱尔太太一见窗框上的血迹就晕了过去，

and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her presence could be of no help to them in their investigations³.

由一位巡捕用车伴送她回家，因为她留在现场无助于侦查。

Inspector⁴ Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful examination of the premises⁵,

巴顿巡官负责本案，将房屋全部仔细察看过了，

but without finding anything which threw any light upon the matter.

但没有发现对破案有所启发的东西。

One mistake had been made in not arresting Boone instantly,

当时犯了一个错误，就是没有把休·布恩立刻逮捕起来，

as he was allowed some few minutes during which he might have communicated with his friend the lascar,

使他得到了可能和他那印度朋友互相串供的几分钟的时间，

but this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched, without anything being found which could incriminate him.

不过，这个错误很快就得到了纠正。他被拘捕并受到搜查，可是并未发现任何可以将他定罪的证据。

There were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve,

的确，他的汗衫右手袖子上有些血斑，

but he pointed⁶ to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came from there,

但他指着他的左手第四指靠近指甲被刀割破的地方，说血是从那里流出来的；

adding that he had been to the window not long before,

还说不大功夫以前他曾走到窗户那边去过，

and that the stains which had been observed there came doubtless from the same source.

那里被发现的血斑无疑也是这么来的。

He denied strenuously⁷ having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair

他坚决否认曾见过圣克莱尔先生，

and swore that the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him as to the police.

并且发誓说，至于在他的房间里发现的衣物，他和警方同样感到是个谜。

As to Mrs. St. Clair's assertion that she had actually seen her husband at the window,

而对圣克莱尔太太所说她确实看到她丈夫出现在窗前这一点，

he declared that she must have been either mad or dreaming.

他说她一定是发疯了，否则是在做梦。

He was removed, loudly protesting, to the police-station,

后来尽管他大声抗议，还是把他带到警察局去了。

while the inspector remained upon the premises in the hope that the ebbing⁸ tide might afford some fresh clue.

另一方面，巡官就留在那所房里，希望在退潮后能找到一些新的线索。

1 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

2 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

5 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 strenuously   

adv.奋发地，费力地

参考例句：

• The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
• She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动，竭力否认这一指责。

8 ebbing   

（指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• The pain was ebbing. 疼痛逐渐减轻了。
• There are indications that his esoteric popularity may be ebbing. 有迹象表明，他神秘的声望可能正在下降。