《巴斯克威尔猎犬》 38沼地上的那个人(3)

But this was certainly where the man lived.As I looked round the hut¹, I knew that the mysterious man must have a very strong character.

但是这显然是那个人居住的地方。我在石屋四周察看着，知道那位神秘人士一定有着坚强的性格。

No other person could live in conditions as bad as these. There were some blankets on a flat stone where the man slept.

再无旁人可以在如此恶劣的条件下住下去了。在那人睡觉的石板上放着几条毛毯。

There had been a fire in one corner. There were some cooking pots, and a large bowl half full of water.

小屋的一角曾生过火。屋角有一些餐锅和一个装了半碗水的大碗。

In the middle of the hut was another large flat stone which was used as a table, and on it was the bag the boy had been carrying.

在小屋的中央另有一块平平的、被当做桌子用了的石板，桌上放着那个男孩扛着的那个包。

Under the bag I saw a piece of paper with writing on it.

我在包下看到了一张写着字的纸。

Quickly, I picked up the paper and read what was written on it. It said: "Dr² Watson has gone to Newtown."

我赶快拿起纸来，看看上面写些什么内容。上面写着：“华生医生已去纽顿了。”

I realized that the mysterious man had told someone to watch me, and this was a message from his spy³.

我意识到那位神秘人士已叫人去监视我，这便是从他的密探那里得来的消息。

Was the man a dangerous enemy? Or was he a friend who was watching us to make sure we were safe? I decided⁴ I would not leave the hut until I knew.

那他是个危险的敌人呢，还是密切关注着我们以确保我们安全的朋友呢？我下定决心，不弄清一切决不离开这小屋。

Outside, the sun was low in the sky. Everything looked calm and peaceful in the golden⁵ evening light.

外面，太阳已经落得很低了。在金色的夕阳的照耀下，一切都显得那么安详、恬静。

But I did not feel peaceful or calm. I felt frightened as I waited for the mysterious man.

可是我丝毫感受不到这种宁静。我在等待那位神秘人士之时感到很害怕。

Then I heard footsteps⁶ coming towards the hut. As they came closer, I moved into the darkest corner of the hut.

后来，我听到了走向小屋的脚步声。当声音逼近时，我挪到了小屋里最阴暗的角落。

I did not want the man to see me until I had looked closely⁷ at him. The footsteps stopped, and I could hear nothing at all.

在我没有仔细看清那人之前我并不想叫他看见我。脚步声停住了，我也什么都听不到了。

Then the man began to move again, and the footsteps came closer. A shadow fell across the door of the hut.

后来，那个人又开始走动起来，脚步声也愈来愈近了。一条黑影由石屋的门那里投射进来。

"It's a lovely evening, my dear Watson, "said a voice I knew well. "I really think you will enjoy it more out here. "

“真是个可爱的傍晚，我亲爱的华生，”我很熟悉的一个声音说道。“我真觉得你到外边这儿来要享受些。”

1 hut   

n.棚子；简陋的小房子

参考例句：

• The hut is in the midst of the forest.小屋在森林深处。
• The poor old man lived in a little wooden hut.那个贫穷的老人住在一间小木屋内。

2 Dr   

n.医生，大夫；博士(缩)（= Doctor）

参考例句：

• Dr.Williams instructs us in botany.威廉博士教我们植物学。
• The ward of the hospital is in the charge of Dr.Green.医院的这间病房由格林医生负责。

3 spy   

n.间谍，侦探，侦察；vt.侦察，找出，发现；vi.做密探，侦查

参考例句：

• I'm sure my neighbours spy on me.我肯定邻居暗中监视我。
• The spy never told his family about his underground activities.那个间谍从来不把他的地下活动告诉他的家人。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

6 footsteps   

n.脚步（声），一步的距离，足迹；脚步（声）( footstep的名词复数 )；一步的距离；足迹

参考例句：

• the sound of footsteps on the stairs 楼梯上的脚步声
• Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。

7 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。