蓝宝石案 23追踪大鹅的来历(3)

We passed across Holborn, down Endell Street, and so through a zigzag¹ of slums to Covent Garden Market.

我们穿过霍尔伯恩街，折入恩德尔街，接着又走过道路曲折的平民区来到了考文特园市场。

One of the largest stalls bore the name of Breckinridge upon it,

在一些大货摊中有一个货摊的招牌上写着布莱肯里奇的名字，

and the proprietor², a horsy-looking man, with a sharp face and trim side-whiskers, was helping³ a boy to put up the shutters⁴.

店主是个长脸的人，脸部瘦削，留着整齐的络腮胡子，这时候，他正在帮着一个小伙计收摊。

"Good-evening. It's a cold night," said Holmes.

"晚安，多么冷的夜晚哪！"福尔摩斯说。

The salesman nodded and shot a questioning glance at my companion.

店主人点了点头，用怀疑的眼光打量了一下我的同伴。

"Sold out of geese, I see," continued Holmes, pointing at the bare slabs⁵ of marble.

"看光景鹅都卖完了。"福尔摩斯手指着空荡荡的大理石柜台接着说。

"Let you have five hundred to-morrow morning." "That's no good."

"明天早晨，我可以卖给你五百只鹅。" "那没有用。"

"Well, there are some on the stall with the gas-flare."

"好吧，煤气灯亮着的那个货摊上还有几只。"

"Ah, but I was recommended to you." "Who by?"

"噢，可是我是人家介绍到你这儿来的。""谁介绍的？"

"The landlord of the Alpha." "Oh, yes; I sent him a couple of dozen."

"阿尔法酒店的老板。""噢，是的；我给他送去了二十四只。"

"Fine birds they were, too. Now where did you get them from?"

"那些鹅可真是不错啊。那么，你是从哪儿弄来的呢？"

To my surprise the question provoked a burst of anger from the salesman.

使我感到吃惊的是这个问题竟然惹得店主勃然大怒。

1 zigzag   

n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行

参考例句：

• The lightning made a zigzag in the sky.闪电在天空划出一道Z字形。
• The path runs zigzag up the hill.小径向山顶蜿蜒盘旋。

2 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

5 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句