单身贵族案 24真相大白(1)

It was after five o'clock when Sherlock Holmes left me, but I had no time to be lonely,

歇洛克·福尔摩斯离开我的时候是五点多钟，但是我根本没有感到寂寞，

for within an hour there arrived a confectioner's man with a very large flat box.

因为还不到一个小时，就来了一个点心铺的伙计，送来一个很大的平底食盒。

This he unpacked¹ with the help of a youth whom he had brought with him, and presently, to my very great astonishment²,

他带来的一个年轻人帮助他打开食盒，我立即十分惊奇地看到，

a quite epicurean little cold supper began to be laid out upon our humble³ lodging-house mahogany.

一份十分丰盛的冷食晚餐摆在我们寒酸的寓所的餐桌上。

There were a couple of brace⁴ of cold woodcock, a pheasant,

两对山鹬，一只野鸡，

a pate⁵ de foie gras pie with a group of ancient and cobwebby bottles.

一块肥鹅肝饼和几瓶陈年老酒。

Having laid out all these luxuries, my two visitors vanished away, like the genii of the Arabian Nights,

这些佳肴美酒摆放停当之后，那两位不速之客，就像天方夜谭里的精灵那样，倏忽消逝，

with no explanation save that the things had been paid for and were ordered to this address.

除了声明这些东西已经付过帐了，他们是按照吩咐送到这个地方之外，没有再作什么解释。

Just before nine o'clock Sherlock Holmes stepped briskly into the room.

刚好在九点钟以前，福尔摩斯脚步轻盈地走进房间。

His features were gravely set, but there was a light in his eye

他神情很严肃，但他两眼闪闪发光，

which made me think that he had not been disappointed in his conclusions.

这使我相信，他所做的结论并没有使他失望。

"They have laid the supper, then," he said, rubbing his hands.

"那么，他们已经把晚餐摆上了。"他搓着手说。

"You seem to expect company. They have laid for five."

"你好像有客人要来。他们摆了五份。"

"Yes, I fancy we may have some company dropping in," said he.

"是的，我相信，会有客人顺便来访的，"他说。

"I am surprised that Lord St. Simon has not already arrived.

"我很奇怪为什么圣西蒙勋爵还没有到。

Ha! I fancy that I hear his step now upon the stairs."

哈哈，我敢说我听到了他在楼梯上的脚步声。"

1 unpacked   

v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李，整理衣物。
• Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒，并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句

2 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

5 pate   

n.头顶；光顶

参考例句：

• The few strands of white hair at the back of his gourd-like pate also quivered.他那长在半个葫芦样的头上的白发，也随着笑声一齐抖动着。
• He removed his hat to reveal a glowing bald pate.他脱下帽子，露出了发亮的光头。