黄面人04（在线收听）

“I beg your pardon,” said he with some embarrassment, “I suppose I should have knocked. Yes, of course I should have knocked. The fact is that I am a little upset, and you must put it all down to that.” He passed his hand over his forehead like a man who is half dazed, and then fell rather than sat down upon a chair.

“I can see that you have not slept for a night or two,” said Holmes in his easy, genial way. “That tries a man’s nerves more than work, and more even than pleasure. May I ask how I can help you?”

“I wanted your advice, sir. I don’t know what to do, and my whole life seems to have gone to pieces.”

“You wish to employ me as a consulting detective?”

“Not that only. I want your opinion as a judicious man — as a man of the world. I want to know what I ought to do next. I hope to God you’ll be able to tell me.”

He spoke in little, sharp, jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that to speak at all was very painful to him, and that his will all through was overriding his inclinations.

“It’s a very delicate thing,” said he. “One does not like to speak of one’s domestic affairs to strangers. It seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one’s wife with two men whom I have never seen before. It’s horrible to have to do it. But I‘ve got to the end of my tether, and I must have advice.”

“My dear Mr. Grant Munro —” began Holmes.

“请原谅，”他有些窘岂不安地说道，“我想我应当先敲一敲门。是的，我当然应该先敲门。可是事实上我有点心烦意乱，请原谅我的冒失。”他把手放在额上，仿佛头昏眼花似的，一扭身倒在椅子上。

“我可以看出你已经一两夜没有睡觉了。”福尔摩斯和蔼可亲地说道，“这确实比工作还要伤神，甚至比玩乐还要伤神。请问我可以帮你什么忙呢？”

“我要请你指教，先生。我不知道怎样办才好，我的整个生活似乎已经垮了。”

“你是不是想请我做一个咨询侦探？”

“不单是这样。你是一个见识广博的人，一个饱经世故的人，我需要你赐教。我需要知道下一步我该怎么办。我希望你能告诉我。”

他说得支离破碎，呼吸急促，声调颤抖，我觉得他好象连说话本身都非常痛苦，始终竭力用意志抑制着自己的感情。

“这是一件非常棘手的事，”他说道，“哪一个人也不愿意对外人说自己的家务事。尤其是和两个完全陌生的人来商议自己妻子的行为，更是令人难堪。这样做简直太可怕了。可是，我已经到了智穷力尽的地步，不能不向别人求教了。”

“我亲爱的格兰特-芒罗先生……”福尔摩斯开口说道。