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VOA慢速英语2015 埃德加·爱伦·坡《失窃的信》

时间:2015-05-11 13:45:34

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(单词翻译)

The Purloined1 Letter by Edgar Allan Poe 埃德加·爱伦·坡《失窃的信》

Our story today is called "The Purloined Letter."  It was written by Edgar Allan Poe.  Poe is generally known for his horror2 stories.  This is the third of three stories he wrote about Auguste Dupin and how he solves crimes.  The story is about a stolen letter.  It first appeared in 1844 in a yearly3 magazine.  It was reprinted in many publications4, newspapers and books.  This is one of Poe's stories that influenced the development of the modern detective story. 

One evening in Paris, during the autumn of eighteen forty-five, I went to visit a friend, Auguste Dupin.  We were smoking our pipes and talking when the door of his apartment opened.  Mr. Germont, the head of the Paris police force, came into the room.

"I came to ask your advice," Germont said to my friend Dupin.  "I am trying to solve a very important case.  It is also a very simple case, so I really need your help.  But I thought you would like to hear about it, because it is so strange.

"My men and I have worked on this case for three months," Germont said.  "It is a very simple case of robbery5.  But we still cannot solve it."

Dupin took the pipe out of his mouth.  "Perhaps the mystery is too simple," he said.

Germont began to laugh.  "Too simple?" he said.  "Who ever heard of such a thing?"

I looked at Germont.  "Why don't you tell us the problem?" I said.

Germont stopped laughing and sat down.

"All right," he said.  "But you must never tell anyone I told you this."

"The wife of a very important person needs help.  I cannot tell you her name, because her husband is a powerful man in the French government.  Let us just call her Madame X.  Three months ago, someone stole a letter from Madame X.  She is offering a large amount of money to anyone who can return the letter to her.

"We know that her husband's political enemy, Mr. D'Arcy, stole the letter.  We also know it is somewhere in his apartment.  D'Arcy plans to use the letter to embarrass6 Madame X's husband and destroy his political power.

"As you know, I have keys which can open any lock in Paris.  For the last three months, my men and I have spent every evening looking for the letter in his apartment.  But we cannot find it."

Dupin stopped smoking.  "Tell me how you looked for it," he said.  Germont moved forward in his chair.

"We took our time," he said.  "First, we examined the furniture in every room.  We opened all the drawers.  We looked under the rugs7.  We searched behind all the paintings on the walls.

"We opened every book.  We removed the boards of the floor.  We even took the tops off the tables to see if he had hidden the letter in the table legs.  But we cannot find it.  What do you advise me to do?"

Dupin puffed9 on his pipe.  "What does the letter look like?" he asked.

"It is in a white envelope with a red stamp," Germont said.  "The address is written in large black letters."

Dupin puffed on his pipe again.  "I advise you to go back and search the apartment again," he said.

About one month later, Germont came back to see us.

"I followed your advice," he said.  "But I still have not found the letter."

Dupin smiled.  "I knew you would not find it," he said.  Germont became very red in the face.  "Then why did you make me search the apartment again?"  he shouted.

"My dear Germont," Dupin said.  "Let me tell you a little story.  Do you remember the famous doctor, Louis Abernathy?"

"No!"  Germont shouted.  "Get to the point, Dupin!"

"Of course!  Of course," Dupin said.  "Once, a rich old man met Abernathy at a party.  The old man was not feeling very well.  He decided10 he would get a medical opinion from the doctor without paying for it.  So he described his problems to Abernathy.  'Now doctor,' the old man said, 'suppose you had a patient like that.  What would you tell him to take?'"

"'Oh, that is quite simple,' said Abernathy.  'I would tell him to take my advice.'"

Germont looked embarrassed.  "Look here, Dupin.  I am perfectly11 willing to pay for advice."

Dupin smiled at Germont.  "How much money did you say the reward was?" he asked.  Germont sighed.  "I do not want to tell you the exact amount.  But I would give fifty thousand francs to the person who helps me find that letter."

"In that case," Dupin said, "take out your checkbook and write me a check for fifty thousand francs.  When you have signed the check, I will give you the letter."

Germont looked at Dupin with his mouth open.  His eyes seemed to jump out of his head.  Then he took out his checkbook and pen, and wrote a check for fifty thousand francs.  He gave it to Dupin.

My friend examined the check carefully and put it in his pocket.  Then he unlocked12 a drawer of his desk, took out the letter, and gave it to Germont.

The policeman's hands shook as he opened the letter.  He read it quickly.  Then he put it in his pocket and ran out of the room without saying a word.

"Dupin!"  I said, as I turned to my friend.  "How did you solve the mystery?"

"It was simple, my friend," he said.  "Germont and his policemen could not find the letter, because they did not try to understand the mind of the man who stole it.  Instead, they looked for the letter where they would have hidden it.

"Mr. D'Arcy is not a policeman.  He is, however, very intelligent.  He knew the police would search his apartment.  He also knew how police think.  So, he did not hide the letter where he knew they would look for it.

"Do you remember how Germont laughed when I said the mystery was difficult for him to solve because it was so simple?"

Dupin filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it.  "Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the police could not find the letter because D'Arcy had not hidden it at all.

"So I went to visit D'Arcy in his apartment.  I took a pair of dark green eyeglasses with me.  I explained to him that I was having trouble with my eyes and needed to wear the dark glasses at all times.  He believed me.  The glasses permitted me to look around the apartment while I seemed only to be talking to him.

"I paid special attention to a large desk where there were a lot of papers and books.  However, I saw nothing suspicious13 there.  After a few minutes, however, I noticed a small shelf over the fireplace14.  A few postcards and a letter were lying on the shelf.  The letter looked very old and dirty.

"As soon as I saw this letter, I decided it must be the one I was looking for.  It must be, even though it was completely different from the one Germont had described.

"This letter had a large green stamp on it.  The address was written in small letters in blue ink.  I memorized every detail of the letter while I talked to D'Arcy.  Then when he was not looking, I dropped one of my gloves on the floor under my chair.

"The next morning, I stopped at his apartment to look for my glove.  While we were talking, we heard people shouting in the street.  D'Arcy went to the window and looked out.  Quickly, I stepped to the shelf and put the letter in my pocket.  Then I replaced it with a letter that looked exactly like it, which I had taken with me.  I had made it the night before.

"The trouble in the street was caused by a man who had almost been run over by a horse and carriage.  He was not hurt.  And soon the crowd of people went away.  When it was over, D'Arcy came away from the window.  I said good-bye and left.

"The man who almost had an accident was one of my servants.  I had paid him to create the incident."

Dupin stopped talking to light his pipe.  I did not understand.  "But, Dupin," I said, "why did you go to the trouble of replacing the letter?  Why not just take it and leave?"

Dupin smiled.  "D'Arcy is a dangerous man," he said.  "And he has many loyal15 servants.  If I had taken the letter, I might never have left his apartment alive."

Words in This Story

case - n. a situation that is being investigated or managed by someone (such as a police officer or social worker) in an official way

robbery - n. the crime of stealing money or property?

embarrass - v. to make someone feel confused, foolish or ashamed in front of other people

puff8 - v. to breathe smoke from a cigarette, pipe, etc., in and out of the lungs?

sigh - v. to take in and let out a long, loud breath in a way that shows you are bored, disappointed, relieved16, etc.?

check - n. a piece of paper that is used to make a payment17 to someone using the money in a bank account

checkbook - n. a book containing checks for use with a checking account

franc - n. a basic unit of money that is used in some countries where French is spoken


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 purloined b3a9859449e3b233823deb43a7baa296     
v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • You have chosen align yourself with those who have purloined the very seat of your existence. 你们选择了将自己与那些盗取了你们存在之真正席位的人相校准。 来自互联网
2 horror DdUzN     
n.惊骇,恐怖,惨事,极端厌恶
参考例句:
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation.公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。
  • The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror.一想到要夜间工作我就觉得惨兮兮的。
3 yearly 0fxwM     
adj.每年的,一年一度的;adv.一年一次地
参考例句:
  • The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
4 publications dcdcd05e30ebb5bb3dfb91bcf11ebe26     
n.发表( publication的名词复数 );公布;出版;出版物
参考例句:
  • The related publications are far too numerous to list individually. 相关出版物太多,没法一一列举。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request. 我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 robbery RXgx9     
n.抢劫;抢劫案
参考例句:
  • A man is being questioned in connection with the robbery.一名男子就那起抢劫案接受查问。
  • The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。
6 embarrass Jjmz9     
vt.使困窘,使局促不安,阻碍
参考例句:
  • He didn't mean to embarrass you.他不是成心让你难堪。
  • He is a shy person.Don't embarrass him any more.他是个腼腆的人,你就不要再羞躁他了。
7 rugs ded0bc56b73ad7b9fbdb21cd72bd64da     
n.小块地毯( rug的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
  • Try to avoid colours that jar when choosing curtains and rugs. 选择窗帘和地毯时,尽量避免颜色不调和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 puff y0cz8     
n.一口(气);一阵(风);v.喷气,喘气
参考例句:
  • He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
  • They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。
9 puffed 72b91de7f5a5b3f6bdcac0d30e24f8ca     
adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟,狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了,便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 decided lvqzZd     
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。
11 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
12 unlocked d821dbe5ef2db3d805cd0f7eea0ec33f     
v.开锁( unlock的过去式和过去分词 );开启;揭开;开着,解开
参考例句:
  • Don't leave your desk unlocked. 请不要忘记锁好办公桌。
  • On no account should you leave the door unlocked. 你无论如何也不应该不锁门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 suspicious DrLw1     
adj.可疑的,容易引起怀疑的,猜疑的,疑心的
参考例句:
  • A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
  • He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重,连自己的母亲也不相信。
14 fireplace YjUxz     
n.壁炉,炉灶
参考例句:
  • The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
  • I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。
15 loyal VAtxw     
adj.忠诚的,忠心的
参考例句:
  • He is a loyal friend.他是一位忠诚的朋友。
  • I judge him to be loyal.我认为他很忠诚。
16 relieved zkfzT6     
a.如释重负的
参考例句:
  • You'll be relieved to know your jobs are safe. 现在知道你们的工作保住了,可以放心了。
  • Your coming relieved me of the bother of writing a long letter. 你来了,省去我写长信的麻烦了。
17 payment qL4xJ     
n.付款,支付,偿还,偿还,报应
参考例句:
  • I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
  • This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

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