斑点带子案 29现场调查(2)

Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination through the open window,

斯托纳小姐照他吩咐的做了，福尔摩斯十分仔细地检查开着的窗子，

endeavoured in every way to force the shutter¹ open, but without success.

然后用尽各种方法想打开百叶窗，但就是打不开。

There was no slit² through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar.

连一条能容一把刀子插进去把闩杠撬起来的裂缝也没有。

Then with his lens he tested the hinges, but they were of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry³.

随后，他用凸透镜检查了合叶，可是合叶是铁制的，牢牢地嵌在坚硬的石墙上。

"Hum!" said he, scratching his chin in some perplexity, "my theory certainly presents some difficulties.

"嗯，"他有点困惑不解地搔着下巴说，"我的推理肯定有些说不通的地方。

No one could pass these shutters⁴ if they were bolted.

如果这些百叶窗闩上了，是没有人能够钻进去的。

Well, we shall see if the inside throws any light upon the matter."

好吧，我们来看看里边是否有什么线索能帮助我们弄明白事情的真相。"

A small side door led into the whitewashed⁵ corridor from which the three bedrooms opened.

一道小小的侧门通向刷得雪白的过道，三间卧室的房门都朝向这个过道。

Holmes refused to examine the third chamber⁶, so we passed at once to the second,

福尔摩斯不想检查第三个房间，所以我们马上就来到第二间，

that in which Miss Stoner was now sleeping, and in which her sister had met with her fate.

也就是斯托纳小姐现在用作寝室、她的姐姐不幸去世的那个房间。

It was a homely⁷ little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping⁸ fireplace, after the fashion of old country-houses.

这是一间简朴的小房间，按照乡村旧式邸宅的样式盖的，有低低的天花板和一个开口式的壁炉。

1 shutter   

n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置

参考例句：

• The camera has a shutter speed of one-sixtieth of a second.这架照像机的快门速度达六十分之一秒。
• The shutter rattled in the wind.百叶窗在风中发出嘎嘎声。

2 slit   

n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂

参考例句：

• The coat has been slit in two places.这件外衣有两处裂开了。
• He began to slit open each envelope.他开始裁开每个信封。

3 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。

4 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。

5 whitewashed   

粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The wall had been whitewashed. 墙已粉过。
• The towers are in the shape of bottle gourds and whitewashed. 塔呈圆形，状近葫芦，外敷白色。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 homely   

adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的

参考例句：

• We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
• Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭，好吗？

8 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》