歪唇男人 18圣克莱尔的故事(7)（打印版）

"But a cripple!" said I. "What could he have done single-handed against a man in the prime of life?"

"可是，一个瘸子！"我说，"他单独一个人能把一个年轻力壮的男子怎么样？"

"He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp;

"就走起路来一瘸一拐这点来说，他是个残废人；

but in other respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man.

但是，在其它方面，他显然是有劲儿和营养充足的人。

Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson,

当然你的医学经验会告诉你，华生，

that weakness in one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength in the others."

一肢不灵的弱点，常常可由其它肢体的格外健壮有力而得到补偿。"

"Pray continue your narrative."

"请继续说下去。"

"Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window,

"圣克莱尔太太一见窗框上的血迹就晕了过去，

and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her presence could be of no help to them in their investigations.

由一位巡捕用车伴送她回家，因为她留在现场无助于侦查。

Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful examination of the premises,

巴顿巡官负责本案，将房屋全部仔细察看过了，

but without finding anything which threw any light upon the matter.

但没有发现对破案有所启发的东西。

One mistake had been made in not arresting Boone instantly,

当时犯了一个错误，就是没有把休·布恩立刻逮捕起来，

as he was allowed some few minutes during which he might have communicated with his friend the lascar,

使他得到了可能和他那印度朋友互相串供的几分钟的时间，

but this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched, without anything being found which could incriminate him.

不过，这个错误很快就得到了纠正。他被拘捕并受到搜查，可是并未发现任何可以将他定罪的证据。

There were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve,

的确，他的汗衫右手袖子上有些血斑，

but he pointed to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came from there,

但他指着他的左手第四指靠近指甲被刀割破的地方，说血是从那里流出来的；

adding that he had been to the window not long before,

还说不大功夫以前他曾走到窗户那边去过，

and that the stains which had been observed there came doubtless from the same source.

那里被发现的血斑无疑也是这么来的。

He denied strenuously having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair

他坚决否认曾见过圣克莱尔先生，

and swore that the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him as to the police.

并且发誓说，至于在他的房间里发现的衣物，他和警方同样感到是个谜。

As to Mrs. St. Clair's assertion that she had actually seen her husband at the window,

而对圣克莱尔太太所说她确实看到她丈夫出现在窗前这一点，

he declared that she must have been either mad or dreaming.

他说她一定是发疯了，否则是在做梦。

He was removed, loudly protesting, to the police-station,

后来尽管他大声抗议，还是把他带到警察局去了。

while the inspector remained upon the premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might afford some fresh clue.

另一方面，巡官就留在那所房里，希望在退潮后能找到一些新的线索。