巴斯克威尔的猎犬 三条断了的线索（11）

 

We had risen to depart when Baskerville gave a cry, of triumph, and diving into one of thecorners of the room he drew a brown boot from under a cabinet.

当我们正站起来告辞的时候， 巴斯克维尔突然发出了 胜利的欢呼， 并且冲向屋角， 由橱柜下面拖出一只棕色的长筒皮鞋。

"My missing boot!" he cried.

“正是我丢的鞋。” 他喊了 起来。

"May all our difficulties vanish as easily!" said Sherlock Holmes.

“但愿咱们所有的困难都象这件事一样地消失！” 歇洛克· 福尔摩斯说道。

"But it is a very, singular thing," Dr. Mortimer remarked. "I searched this room carefullybefore lunch."

“可是这真是件奇怪的事，”摩梯末医生说道， “午饭以前， 我已在这屋里仔细搜寻过了。”

"And so did I," said Baskerville. "Every, inch of it."“我也搜寻过啊！” 巴斯克维尔说， “到处都找遍了。”

"There was certainly no boot in it then."

“那时， 屋里肯定没有长筒皮鞋。”

"In that case the waiter must have placed it there while we were lunching."“这样说来， 一定是当我们在吃午饭的时候， 侍者给放在那里的。”

The German was sent for but professed¹ to know nothing of the matter, nor could any inquiry,clear it up. Another item had been added to that constant and apparently² purposeless series ofsmall mysteries which had succeeded each other so rapidly. Setting aside the whole grim story, ofSir Charles's death, we had a line of inexplicable³ incidents all within the limits of two days, whichincluded the receipt of the printed letter, the black-bearded spy in the hansom, the loss of the newbrown boot, the loss of the old black boot, and now the return of the new brown boot. Holmes satin silence in the cab as we drove back to Baker⁴ Street, and I knew from his drawn⁵ brows and keenface that his mind, like my own, was busy in endeavouring to frame some scheme into which allthese strange and apparently disconnected episodes could be fitted. All afternoon and late into theevening he sat lost in tobacco and thought.

那德国籍侍者被叫了 来， 可是他说对这件事一点也不知道， 无论怎样问也是弄不清楚。

目的不明的神秘事件一个紧接一个地连续发生， 现在又多了一件。 除了查尔兹爵士暴死的整个可怕的故事之外， 在两天之内就意外地发生了一连串的无法解释的奇事： 其中包括收到用铅印字凑成的信， 双轮马车里蓄着黑胡子的那个盯梢人， 新购棕色皮鞋的遗失和旧黑皮鞋的失踪， 还有现在被送还的新的棕色皮鞋。 在我们坐车回贝克街的时候， 福尔摩斯沉默不语地坐着， 我由他那紧皱的双眉和严峻的面孔就能看出， 他的心里正和我一样， 在忙于努力拼凑一些能够解释这一切奇异而又显然是彼此毫无关联的插曲的推想。 整个下午直到深夜， 他都呆坐着， 沉浸在烟草和深思之中。

 

1 professed   

公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的

参考例句：

• These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
• Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

4 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。