巴斯克威尔的猎犬 巴斯克维尔的诅咒（8）

"The recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose name has been mentioned as the probable Liberal candidate for Mid-Devon at the next election, has cast a gloom over the county.Though Sir Charles had resided at Baskerville Hall for a comparatively short period his amiability of character and extreme generosity¹ had won the affection and respect of all who had been brought into contact with him. In these days of nouveaux riches it is refreshing² to find a case where the scion of an old county family which has fallen upon evil days is able to make his own fortune and to bring it back with him to restore the fallen grandeur³ of his line. Sir Charles, as is well known, made large sums of money in South African speculation⁴. More wise than those who go on until the wheel turns against them, he realized his gains and returned to England with them. It is only two years since he took up his residence at Baskerville Hall, and it is common talk how large were those schemes of reconstruction⁵ and improvement which have been interrupted by his death. Being himself childless, it was his openly expressed desire that the whole countryside should, within his own lifetime, profit by his good fortune, and many will have personal reasons for bewailing his untimely end. His generous donations to local and county charities have been frequently chronicled in these columns.

“最近， 查尔兹· 巴斯克维尔爵士之暴卒， 使本郡不胜哀悼。 据云， 在下届选举中， 此人可能被选为中部德文郡自由党候选人。 虽然查尔兹爵士在巴斯克维尔庄园居住不久， 但其厚道与慷慨已深得周围群众之敬爱。 值此暴发户充斥之时， 如查尔兹这样一支名门之后， 竟能致富还乡 ， 重振因厄运而中衰之家声， 诚为可喜之事。 众所周知之查尔兹爵士曾在南非投机致富。 但他较之一直于到倒霉为止的人们聪明， 他带着变卖了的资财返回英伦。 他来到巴斯克维尔庄园不过两年， 人们普遍在谈论着他那庞大的重建和修幕的计划， 然此计划已因其本人逝世而中断。 因他并无子嗣， 他曾公开表示， 在他有生之日整个乡 区将得到他的资助，因此， 有很多人都悲悼他的暴亡。 至于他对本地及郡慈善机关的慷慨捐输， 本栏曾常有登载。

"The circumstances connected with the death of Sir Charles cannot be said to have been entirely cleared up by the inquest, but at least enough has been done to dispose of those rumours to which local superstition⁶ has given rise. There is no reason whatever to suspect foul⁷ play, or to imagine that death could be from any but natural causes. Sir Charles was a widower⁸, and a man who may be said to have been in some ways of an eccentric habit of mind. In spite of his considerable wealth he was simple in his personal tastes, and bis indoor servants at Baskerville Hall consisted of a married couple named Barrymore, the husband acting⁹ as butler and the wife as housekeeper. Their evidence, corroborated¹⁰ by that of several friends, tends to show that Sir Charles's health has for some time been impaired¹¹, and points especially to some affection of the heart, manifesting itself in changes of colour, breathlessness, and acute attacks of nervous depression. Dr. James Mortimer, the friend and medical attendant of the deceased, has given evidence to the same effect.

“验尸之结果尚未能将与查尔兹爵士之死亡相关之诸情况弄清， 至少尚未能消除由于当地之迷信所引起之诸种谣传。毫无理由怀疑有任何犯罪成分， 或想象死亡并非由于自然原因。查尔兹爵士为鳏夫， 据说他在某些方面表现精神状态有些反常。 他虽有如许财产， 但个人所好却很简单。 巴斯克维尔庄园中之仆人只有白瑞摩夫妇二人， 丈夫是总管， 妻子当管家妇。他们的已被几个朋友证实了的证词说明： 查尔兹爵士曾有健康情况不良之征象， 尤其是几点心脏症状； 表现在面色改变、 呼吸困难和严重的神经衰弱。 死者的朋友和私人医生杰姆士·摩梯未也提供了同样的证明。

1 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

2 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

3 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

6 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

7 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

8 widower   

n.鳏夫

参考例句：

• George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
• Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 corroborated   

v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
• Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》