斑点带子案 31现场调查(4)

"Indeed, it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell-pull there.

"是啊，看来没有必要在那儿安装这么好的一根铃绳。

You will excuse me for a few minutes while I satisfy myself as to this floor."

对不起，让我花几分钟搞清楚这地板。"

He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his hand and crawled swiftly backward and forward,

他趴了下去，手里拿着他的放大镜，迅速地前后匍匐移动，

examining minutely the cracks between the boards.

十分仔细地检查木板间的裂缝。

Then he did the same with the wood-work with which the chamber¹ was panelled.

接着他对房间里的嵌板做了同样的检查。

Finally he walked over to the bed and spent some time in staring at it and in running his eye up and down the wall.

最后，他走到床前，目不转睛地打量了它好一会，又顺着墙上下来回瞅着。

Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a brisk tug².

末了他把铃绳握在手中，突然使劲拉了一下。

"Why, it's a dummy," said he. "Won't it ring?"

"咦！这只是做样子的，"他说。"不响吗？"

"No, it is not even attached to a wire. This is very interesting.

"不响，上面甚至没有接上线。这很有意思。

You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little opening for the ventilator is."

现在你能看清，绳子刚好是系在小小的通气孔上面的钩子上。"

"How very absurd! I never noticed that before."

"多么荒唐的做法啊！我以前从来没有注意到这个。"

1 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。

2 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。