蓝宝石案 35赖德先生(5)

Ryder passed his tongue over his parched¹ lips.

赖德用舌头舔了舔他那干裂的嘴唇。

"I will tell you it just as it happened, sir," said he.

"我一定将实际情况告诉你，先生，"他说，

"When Horner had been arrested, it seemed to me that it would be best for me to get away with the stone at once,

"霍纳被捕以后，对我来说似乎最好是携带宝石立即逃走，

for I did not know at what moment the police might not take it into their heads to search me and my room.

因为我不知道什么时候警察也许就会想起搜查我和我的房间。

There was no place about the hotel where it would be safe.

可是旅馆里没有一个安全的地方。

I went out, as if on some commission², and I made for my sister's house.

我假装受人差遣走出旅馆，乘机到我姐姐家跑了一趟。

She had married a man named Oakshott, and lived in Brixton Road, where she fattened³ fowls⁴ for the market.

她和一个名叫奥克肖特的人结了婚，住在布里克斯顿路，她在那里以把鹅喂肥供应市场为职业。

All the way there every man I met seemed to me to be a policeman or a detective;

对我来说一路上碰到的每一个人都好象是警察或侦探；

and, for all that it was a cold night, the sweat was pouring down my face before I came to the Brixton Road.

因此，尽管那天晚上十分寒冷，但在我到达布里克斯顿路之前，已经是汗流满面了。

My sister asked me what was the matter, and why I was so pale;

我姐姐问我出了什么事，又问我为什么脸色这么苍白；

but I told her that I had been upset by the jewel robbery⁵ at the hotel.

但是我告诉她说我是被旅馆发生的那一桩珍宝盗窃案弄得心烦意乱。

Then I went into the back yard and smoked a pipe, and wondered what it would be best to do.

紧接着我走进后院，抽着烟斗，盘算着怎样做才是万全之计。

I had a friend once called Maudsley, who went to the bad, and has just been serving his time in Pentonville.

"我从前有过一个叫莫兹利的朋友，他曾经干过坏事，刚在培恩顿威尔服刑期满。

One day he had met me, and fell into talk about the ways of thieves, and how they could get rid of what they stole.

有一天他碰到我并和我谈起盗窃的门径以及如何把赃物出手的方法。

I knew that he would be true to me, for I knew one or two things about him;

我相信他不致出卖我，因为我知道一两件有关他的事，

so I made up my mind to go right on to Kilburn, where he lived, and take him into my confidence.

于是我打定主意去基尔伯恩他的住处找他，并向他吐露我的秘密。

He would show me how to turn the stone into money.

他一定会教我怎样把宝石变换成钱。

But how to get to him in safety?

但是怎样才能安全到达他那里呢？

I thought of the agonies⁶ I had gone through in coming from the hotel.

我想起了我从旅馆来的路上惶恐不安的心情。

I might at any moment be seized and searched, and there would be the stone in my waistcoat pocket.

我也许随时都会遭到逮捕和搜查，而宝石就在我背心的口袋里。

I was leaning against the wall at the time and looking at the geese which were waddling⁷ about round my feet,

当时我正倚着墙看着一群鹅在我身边摇摇摆摆地走来走去，

and suddenly an idea came into my head which showed me how I could beat the best detective that ever lived.

我突然心生一计，我想此计一定能瞒过举世无双的侦探。

1 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

2 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

3 fattened   

v.喂肥( fatten的过去式和过去分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值

参考例句：

• The piglets are taken from the sow to be fattened for market. 这些小猪被从母猪身边带走，好育肥上市。
• Those corrupt officials fattened themselves by drinking the people's life-blood. 那些贪官污吏用民脂民膏养肥了自己。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 fowls   

鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马

参考例句：

• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
• We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。

5 robbery   

n.抢劫；抢劫案

参考例句：

• A man is being questioned in connection with the robbery.一名男子就那起抢劫案接受查问。
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

6 agonies   

极大的痛苦( agony的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He endured agonies of loneliness and misery. 他忍受着寂寞和贫穷的折磨。
• We found him in the agonies of death. 我们看到他处于垂死的痛苦之中。

7 waddling   

v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Rhinoceros Give me a break, were been waddling every day. 犀牛甲：饶了我吧，我们晃了一整天了都。 来自互联网
• A short plump woman came waddling along the pavement. 有个矮胖女子一摇一摆地沿人行道走来。 来自互联网