跳舞的小人（3）

“Well, Mr. Holmes, what do you make of these?” he cried. “They told me that you were fond of queer mysteries, and I don't think you can find a queerer one than that. I sent the paper on ahead so that you might have time to study it before I came.”

“It is certainly rather a curious production,” said Holmes. “At first sight it would appear to be some childish prank. It consists of a number of absurd little figures dancing across the paper upon which they are drawn. Why should you attribute any importance to so grotesque an object?”

“I never should, Mr. Holmes. But my wife does. It is frightening her to death. She says nothing, but I can see terror in her eyes. That's why I want to sift the matter to the bottom.”

Holmes held up the paper so that the sunlight shone full upon it. It was a page torn from a note-book. The markings were done in pencil, and ran in this way:—

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Holmes examined it for some time, and then, folding it carefully up, he placed it in his pocket-book.

“This promises to be a most interesting and unusual case,” said he. “You gave me a few particulars in your letter, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, but I should be very much obliged if you would kindly go over it all again for the benefit of my friend, Dr. Watson.”

“I'm not much of a story-teller,” said our visitor, nervously clasping and unclasping his great, strong hands. “You'll just ask me anything that I don't make clear. I'll begin at the time of my marriage last year; but I want to say first of all that, though I'm not a rich man, my people have been at Ridling Thorpe for a matter of five centuries, and there is no better known family in the County of Norfolk. Last year I came up to London for the Jubilee, and I stopped at a boarding-house in Russell Square, because Parker, the vicar of our parish, was staying in it. There was an American young lady there—Patrick was the name—Elsie Patrick. In some way we became friends, until before my month was up I was as much in love as a man could be. We were quietly married at a registry office, and we returned to Norfolk a wedded couple. You'll think it very mad, Mr. Holmes, that a man of a good old family should marry a wife in this fashion, knowing nothing of her past or of her people; but if you saw her and knew her it would help you to understand.

“福尔摩斯先生，您怎么解释它呢？"他大声说，"他们告诉我您喜欢离奇古怪的东西，我看再找不到比这更离奇的了。我把这张纸条先寄来，是为了让您在我来以前有时间研究它。”

“的确是一件很难看懂的作品，"福尔摩斯说，"乍一看就象孩子们开的玩笑，在纸上横着画了些在跳舞的奇形怪状的小人。您怎么会重视一张这样怪的画呢？”

“我是决不会的，福尔摩斯先生。可是我妻子很重视。这张画吓得她要命。她什么也不说，但是我能从她眼里看出来她很害怕。这就是我要把这件事彻底弄清楚的原因。”

福尔摩斯把纸条举起来，让太一陽一光照着它。那是从记事本上撕下来的一页，上面那些跳舞的人是用铅笔画的，排列成这样：

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福尔摩斯仔细看了一会儿，然后很小心地把纸条叠起来，放进他的皮夹子里。

“这可能成为一件最有趣、最不平常的案子，"他说，"您在信上告诉了我一些细节，希尔顿·丘比特先生。但是我想请您再给我的朋友华生医生讲一遍。”

“我不是很会讲故事的人，"这位客人说。他那双大而有力的手，神经质地一会儿紧一握，一会儿放开。"如果有什么讲得不清楚的地方，您尽避问我好了。我要从去年我结婚前后开始，但是我想先说一下，虽然我不是个有钱的人，我们这一家住在马场村大约有五百年了，在诺福克郡也没有比我们一家更出名的。去年，我到伦敦参加维多利亚女王即位六十周年纪念，住在罗素广场一家公寓里，因为我们教区的帕克牧师住的就是这家公寓。在这家公寓里还住了一个年轻的美国小一姐，她姓帕特里克，全名是埃尔茜·帕特里克。于是我们成了朋友。还没有等到我在伦敦住满一个月，我已经一爱一她一爱一到极点了。我们悄悄在登记处结了婚，然后作为夫妇回到了诺福克。您会觉得一个名门子弟，竟然以这种方式娶一个身世不明的妻子，简直是发疯吧，福尔摩斯先生。不过您要是见过她、认识她的话，那就能帮助您理解这一点。