斑点带子案 20离奇死亡(6)

"Yet if the lady is correct in saying that the flooring and walls are sound,

"可是，如果这位女士所说的地板和墙壁没受到什么破坏，

and that the door, window, and chimney are impassable,

由门窗和烟囱是钻不进去的这些情况没有错的话，

then her sister must have been undoubtedly¹ alone when she met her mysterious end."

那么，她姐姐莫名其妙地死去时，无疑是一个人在屋里的。"

"What becomes, then, of these nocturnal whistles, and what of the very peculiar² words of the dying woman?"

"可是，那夜半哨声是怎么回事？那女人临死时非常奇怪的话又如何解释呢？"

"I cannot think."

"我想不出来。"

"When you combine the ideas of whistles at night, the presence of a band of gypsies who are on intimate terms with this old doctor,

"夜半哨声；同这位老医生关系十分密切的一帮吉卜赛人的出现；

the fact that we have every reason to believe that the doctor has an interest in preventing his stepdaughter's marriage,

我们有充分理由相信医生气图阻止他继女结婚的这个事实；

the dying allusion³ to a band, and, finally, the fact that Miss Helen Stoner heard a metallic⁴ clang,

那句临死时提到的有关带子的话；最后还有海伦·斯托纳小姐听到的哐啷一下的金属碰撞声

which might have been caused by one of those metal bars that secured the shutters⁵ falling back into its place,

那声音可能是由一根扣紧百叶窗的金属杠落回到原处引起的，

I think that there is good ground to think that the mystery may be cleared along those lines."

当你把所有这些情况联系起来的时候，我想有充分根据认为：沿着这些线索就可以解开这个谜了。"

"But what, then, did the gypsies do?"

"然而那些吉卜赛人都干了些什么呢？"

"I cannot imagine."

"我想象不出。"

"I see many objections to any such theory."

"我觉得任何这一类的推理都有许多缺陷。"

"And so do I. It is precisely⁶ for that reason that we are going to Stoke Moran this day.

"我觉得是这样。恰恰就是由于这个原因，我们今天才要到斯托克莫兰去。

I want to see whether the objections are fatal, or if they may be explained away.

我想看看这些缺陷是无法弥补的呢，还是可以解释得通的。

But what in the name of the devil!"

可是，真见鬼，这到底是怎么回事呢？"

1 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

2 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。

3 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

4 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

5 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。