第四章: 秃头人的故事 The Story of the Bald-Headed Man
“Your servant, Miss Morstan,” he kept repeating in a thin, high voice. “Your servant, gentlemen. Pray step into my little sanctum. A small place, miss, but furnished to my own liking. An oasis of art in the howling desert of South London.”
“摩斯坦小姐，我愿为您效劳，”他不断用尖细的声音重复道，“也愿意为你们效劳，先生们。请到我的小书房里来吧。这是一个小地方，小姐，但却是按照我的喜好装饰的。这是伦敦南郊的艺术荒漠中一片小小的绿洲。
We followed the Indian down a sordid and common passage, ill-lit and worse furnished, until he came to a door upon the right, which he threw open. A blaze of yellow light streamed out upon us, and in the centre of the glare there stood a small man with a very high head, a bristle of red hair all round the fringe of it, and a bald, shining scalp which shot out from among it like a mountain-peak from fir-trees. He writhed his hands together as he stood, and his features were in a perpetual jerk — now smiling, now scowling, but never for an instant in repose. Nature had given him a pendulous lip, and a too visible line of yellow and irregular teeth, which he strove feebly to conceal by constantly passing his hand over the lower part of his face. In spite of his obtrusive baldness he gave the impression of youth. In point of fact, he had just turned his thirtieth year.
我们随着印度人走了进去，经过一条灯光昏暗、陈设简陋且脏兮兮的普通甬道，来到右手边的一扇门前，他把门推开。一道黄色的光照射到我们身上，而在光源的中央，站着一个尖头顶的矮小男人，他光亮的秃顶周围生了一圈红发，像是枫树林里冒出的一座秃山顶。他站在那里，搓着双手，神情不定，时而微笑，时而愁眉苦脸，没有一刻安宁。上天给了他一副下垂的嘴唇，从中露出了泛黄而又不甚整齐的牙齿，他不时地用手遮住脸的下半部，试图遮丑，却没起多大作用。尽管他已经秃头，但看起来依然很年轻。事实上，他刚刚三十岁。
“A doctor, eh?” cried he, much excited. “Have you your stethoscope? Might I ask you — would you have the kindness? I have grave doubts as to my mitral valve, if you would be so very good. The aortic I may rely upon, but I should value your opinion upon the mitral.”
“一位医生啊？”他兴奋地高声说，“你带了听诊器来吗？我想问问您——您能帮个忙吗？我强烈怀疑我的心脏二尖瓣有毛病，如果你能行行好的话。我对大动脉还可以放心，可是对于我的二尖瓣，我要好好听听您的意见。”
We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited us. In that sorry house it looked as out of place as a diamond of the first water in a setting of brass. The richest and glossiest of curtains and tapestries draped the walls, looped back here and there to expose some richly mounted painting or Oriental vase. The carpet was of amber and black, so soft and so thick that the foot sank pleasantly into it, as into a bed of moss. Two great tiger-skins thrown athwart it increased the suggestion of Eastern luxury, as did a huge hookah which stood upon a mat in the corner. A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room. As it burned it filled the air with a subtle and aromatic odour.
他邀请我们进入的那个房间的景象让我们都惊讶不已。在这幢寒碜的房子里，这间房显得非常格格不入，如同一颗非凡的钻石镶嵌在一个铜托子上。墙上挂着极为华丽考究的窗帘和挂毯，到处都拉起来了，中间露出装裱华丽的绘画和东方花瓶。又厚又软的琥珀色夹黑色地毯，踏在上面舒适得很，就好像走在绿草地上一样。两张大虎皮横铺在上面，屋角的席子上还摆着一只印度大水烟壶，这更彰显出东方式的华丽。屋顶当中有一根隐约的金线，悬挂着一盏银色的鸽子形挂灯。灯火燃烧的时候，空气中弥漫着一股清幽的芬芳。
“Mr. Thaddeus Sholto,” said the little man, still jerking and smiling. “That is my name. You are Miss Morstan, of course. And these gentlemen –“
“撒迪厄斯·肖尔托，”这个矮小的人仍然神情不安地笑着说，“这是我的名字。你一定是摩斯坦小姐了。而这两位先生——”
“This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and this Dr. Watson.”
“这是舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生，这位是沃森医生。”
“It appears to be normal,” I said. “You have no cause for uneasiness.”
“看起来是正常的，”我说，“你完全没有必要紧张。”
I listened to his heart, as requested, but was unable to find anything amiss, save, indeed, that he was in an ecstasy of fear, for he shivered from head to foot.
按照他的要求，我听了听他的心脏，但除了发现他因为恐惧而全身颤抖外，我没有发现任何问题。
“You will excuse my anxiety, Miss Morstan,” he remarked airily. “I am a great sufferer, and I have long had suspicions as to that valve. I am delighted to hear that they are unwarranted. Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a strain upon his heart, he might have been alive now.”
“请原谅我的焦虑，摩斯坦小姐，”他轻快地说，“我是一个大病号，一直怀疑心脏瓣膜有问题。我很高兴听到我没事儿。摩斯坦小姐，如果您父亲能克制住自己，减少对心脏的伤害，也许他现在还活着呢。”
I could have struck the man across the face, so hot was I at this callous and offhand reference to so delicate a matter. Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white to the lips.
我恨不能冲着他的脸打一拳过去，心里十分愤怒。这么敏感的话题，他怎么可以如此直截了当，口不择言呢。摩斯坦小姐坐了下来，脸色惨白。
“I can give you every information,” said he; “and, what is more, I can do you justice; and I will, too, whatever Brother Bartholomew may say. I am so glad to have your friends here not only as an escort to you but also as witnesses to what I am about to do and say. The three of us can show a bold front to Brother Bartholomew. But let us have no outsiders — no police or officials. We can settle everything satisfactorily among ourselves without any interference. Nothing would annoy Brother Bartholomew more than any publicity.”
“我会尽量告诉你我所知道的一切，”他说，“并且，我还可以主持公道，无论我哥哥巴塞洛缪说什么，我都会主持公道。今天您和两位朋友同来，我很高兴，他们不仅仅是陪伴您，也能为我的所言所行做个见证。咱们三人可以共同对付我哥哥巴塞洛缪。不过，不要让外人参与——不要警察，也不要官员。排除外人的干扰，我们可以顺利而满意地解决所有问题。如果把事情公开，我哥哥巴塞洛缪是绝不会同意的。”
“I knew in my heart that he was dead,” said she.
“我心里清楚，他早已经死了，”她说。
He sat down upon a low settee and blinked at us inquiringly with his weak, watery blue eyes.
他坐在矮矮的靠椅上，探询地朝我们眨巴了一下眼睛，那双蓝眼睛泪汪汪的，但却没有生气。
“For my part,” said Holmes, “whatever you may choose to say will go no further.”
“就我来说，”福尔摩斯说，“无论你告诉我什么，我都不会说出去。”
“That is well! That is well!” said he. “May I offer you a glass of Chianti, Miss Morstan? Or of Tokay? I keep no other wines. Shall I open a flask? No? Well, then, I trust that you have no objection to tobacco-smoke, to the balsamic odour of the Eastern tobacco. I am a little nervous, and I find my hookah an invaluable sedative.”
“那就行了！那就好了！”他说，“摩斯坦小姐，我可不可以敬您一杯意大利勤地酒，或是匈牙利托考伊酒？我这里没有存别的酒了。我开一瓶好吗？不喝吗？好吧，我想你们不会反对我吸这种有柔和香味的东方烟吧。我有些紧张，我发现我的水烟是最好的镇静剂。”
I nodded to show my agreement.
我点头表示同意。
“When I first determined to make this communication to you,” said he, “I might have given you my address; but I feared that you might disregard my request and bring unpleasant people with you. I took the liberty, therefore, of making an appointment in such a way that my man Williams might be able to see you first. I have complete confidence in his discretion, and he had orders, if he were dissatisfied, to proceed no further in the matter. You will excuse these precautions, but I am a man of somewhat retiring, and I might even say refined, tastes, and there is nothing more unaesthetic than a policeman. I have a natural shrinking from all forms of rough materialism. I seldom come in contact with the rough crowd. I live, as you see, with some little atmosphere of elegance around me. I may call myself a patron of the arts. It is my weakness. The landscape is a genuine Corot, and though a connoisseur might perhaps throw a doubt upon that Salvator Rosa, there cannot be the least question about the Bouguereau. I am partial to the modern French school.”
“当我最初决定要联系你的时候，”他说，“我也许应该给你我的地址，但我害怕你会无视我的要求，带来不合适的人。所以我才这样安排，叫我的仆人先和你们见面。我完全信任他的谨慎细心，我嘱咐过他，如果情形不对，就不要把事情进行下去。请原谅我的警惕，因为我是一个不愿与人来往的人，甚至可以说很孤傲，我认为，没有比警察更不文雅的人了。我天生就不喜欢任何粗俗、世故的人，也极少跟那些粗人接触。我的生活，如同你们所看到的，是十分雅致而高贵的。我可以自命为艺术鉴赏家。这是我的嗜好。那幅风景画确实是柯罗的真迹，有的鉴赏家也许会怀疑那幅塞尔瓦托·罗萨的作品的真伪，可是那幅布格罗的画毫无疑问是真品。我特别钟爱现代法国派。”
He applied a taper to the great bowl, and the smoke bubbled merrily through the rose-water. We sat all three in a semicircle, with our heads advanced and our chins upon our hands, while the strange, jerky little fellow, with his high, shining head, puffed uneasily in the centre.
他点燃大水烟壶，烟从烟壶里的玫瑰水中徐徐地冒了出来。我们三人环坐成一个半圆，伸着头，两手支着下巴，而中间则坐着这个奇怪而激动的矮小男子，头顶光亮突出，局促不安地吸着烟。
“You will excuse me, Mr. Sholto,” said Miss Morstan, “but I am here at your request to learn something which you desire to tell me. It is very late, and I should desire the interview to be as short as possible.”
“请原谅，肖尔托先生，”摩斯坦小姐说道，“我应邀前来，是因为你有话要跟我讲。现在时间不早了，我希望这次会面能尽量简短。”
“At the best it must take some time,” he answered; “for we shall certainly have to go to Norwood and see Brother Bartholomew. We shall all go and try if we can get the better of Brother Bartholomew. He is very angry with me for taking the course which has seemed right to me. I had quite high words with him last night. You cannot imagine what a terrible fellow he is when he is angry.”
“至少还需要一段时间，”他回答，“因为咱们还得到诺伍德去找我哥哥巴塞洛缪。咱们都要去，看看能否争得过我哥哥巴塞洛缪。他非常生我的气，因为我做了一些我认为正确的事情。我们昨晚还大吵了一架。你无法想象他在生气的时候有多么可怕。”
“If we are to go to Norwood, it would perhaps be as well to start at once,” I ventured to remark.
“如果咱们还要去诺伍德，那么是不是该马上动身呢？”我大胆地说道。
He laughed until his ears were quite red.
他却大笑起来，笑到耳根都红了。
“That would hardly do,” he cried. “I don’t know what he would say if I brought you in that sudden way. No, I must prepare you by showing you how we all stand to each other. In the first place, I must tell you that there are several points in the story of which I am myself ignorant. I can only lay the facts before you as far as I know them myself.
“那几乎是不可能的，”他大声说，“如果我突然带你们去的话，不知道他会说些什么呢。不行，我必须先跟你们说清楚我们彼此的处境，好让你们作好准备。首先，我必须告诉你，在这个故事里，有些问题我也不甚清楚。在搞清楚它们之前，我只能把我知道的那些事实摆出来。
“I very well remember the sensation which was caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan. We read the details in the papers, and knowing that he had been a friend of our father’s we discussed the case freely in his presence. He used to join in our speculations as to what could have happened. Never for an instant did we suspect that he had the whole secret hidden in his own breast, that of all men he alone knew the fate of Arthur Morstan.”
“我还很清楚地记得，摩斯坦上尉的失踪在社会上所引起的轰动。我们从报纸上读到了事情的细节，因为知道他是父亲的朋友，所以，我们很随意地当着他的面讨论过这件事。他也曾经跟我们一起揣测到底会是发生了什么。我们从来也没有料想到，这整个秘密就藏在他一个人的心里——只有他一个人知道阿瑟·摩斯坦的真实命运。”
“My father was, as you may have guessed, Major John Sholto, once of the Indian Army. He retired some eleven years ago and came to live at Pondicherry Lodge in Upper Norwood. He had prospered in India and brought back with him a considerable sum of money, a large collection of valuable curiosities, and a staff of native servants. With these advantages he bought himself a house, and lived in great luxury. My twin-brother Bartholomew and I were the only children.”
“我的父亲，也许你们能猜得到，就是过去在印度驻军里的约翰·肖尔托少校。大约在十一年前，他退休后，就住在了上诺伍德的本地治里别墅。他在印度发了一些财，带来一大笔钱和一批贵重的古玩，还有几个印度仆人。有了这些好条件，他就给自己买了一栋房子，住得很奢华。我和巴塞洛缪是孪生兄弟，我父亲只有我们这两个孩子。”
“We did know, however, that some mystery, some positive danger, overhung our father. He was very fearful of going out alone, and he always employed two prize-fighters to act as porters at Pondicherry Lodge. Williams, who drove you tonight, was one of them. He was once light-weight champion of England. Our father would never tell us what it was he feared, but he had a most marked aversion to men with wooden legs. On one occasion he actually fired his revolver at a wooden-legged man, who proved to be a harmless tradesman canvassing for orders. We had to pay a large sum to hush the matter up. My brother and I used to think this a mere whim of my father’s, but events have since led us to change our opinion.”
“可是我们确实知道，有一些秘密——有一些恐怖的事——悬在我父亲心里。他非常害怕一个人独自出门，长期雇着两个职业拳击手为本地治里别墅看门。今天为你们赶车的那个威廉斯就是其中一个。他曾经是英国的轻量级拳击冠军。我们的父亲从来没有告诉过我们他在怕什么，不过，他对装有木腿的人非常戒备。曾经有一次，他打伤了一个装木腿的人，后来证实这个人只是一个来谈生意的寻常商人。我们不得不赔一大笔钱来摆平此事。我和哥哥曾经认为，这只是父亲的一时冲动，但事情的发展让我们改变了看法。”
“When we entered his room he was propped up with pillows and breathing heavily. He besought us to lock the door and to come upon either side of the bed. Then grasping our hands he made a remarkable statement to us in a voice which was broken as much by emotion as by pain. I shall try and give it to you in his own very words.”
“当我们走进房间的时候，他倚靠在枕头上，呼吸困难。他叫我们把门锁上，到床的两旁来。他紧握我们的手，由于痛苦和激动，他用断断续续的声音，告诉了我们一件惊人的事情。我会尝试着把他的原话转述给你们。”
“Early in 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He nearly fainted at the breakfast-table when he opened it, and from that day he sickened to his death. What was in the letter we could never discover, but I could see as he held it that it was short and written in a scrawling hand. He had suffered for years from an enlarged spleen, but he now became rapidly worse, and towards the end of April we were informed that he was beyond all hope, and that he wished to make a last communication to us.”
“一八八二年初，他收到了一封从印度寄来的信，那让他十分震惊。他一打开信，几乎就在早餐桌前晕倒了，从那天起，他就病了，直到病死。那封信的内容我们不得而知，但父亲拿着信的时候，我看出信很短，字迹也很潦草。他多年患着脾脏肿大的病，这一下，病情很快就恶化了，到了四月底，我们被告知他已没有希望了，他要对我们做最后的交代。”
“‘I have only one thing,’ he said, ‘which weighs upon my mind at this supreme moment. It is my treatment of poor Morstan’s orphan. The cursed greed which has been my besetting sin through life has withheld from her the treasure, half at least of which should have been hers. And yet I have made no use of it myself, so blind and foolish a thing is avarice. The mere feeling of possession has been so dear to me that I could not bear to share it with another. See that chaplet tipped with pearls beside the quinine-bottle. Even that I could not bear to part with, although I had got it out with the design of sending it to her. You, my sons, will give her a fair share of the Agra treasure. But send her nothing — not even the chaplet — until I am gone. After all, men have been as bad as this and have recovered.'”
“‘我只有一件事，’他说，‘在这最后时刻还压在心头上。那就是我对待摩斯坦的遗孤一事。我那邪恶的贪念是我一生的罪孽，我的贪念使得她没能得到至少有一半本该属于她的财产。而最终那些财富对于我也没有了任何价值，我的贪欲是多么盲目而愚蠢啊！只要那些财宝在我身边，我就非常满足了，我无法忍受任何人来分享它们。你们来看，在盛金鸡纳霜的药瓶旁边有一个珍珠项圈。尽管我把它拿出来是为了寄给她，但我仍旧不能忍受与这财宝分离。你们，我的儿子，应该公平地把阿格拉的宝物分给她。但在我死之前，不要寄任何东西——哪怕是那个项圈。毕竟，即使是病重如我的人，也还有痊愈的可能。’”
“‘I will tell you how Morstan died,’ he continued. ‘He had suffered for years from a weak heart, but he concealed it from everyone. I alone knew it. When in India, he and I, through a remarkable chain of circumstances, came into possession of a considerable treasure. I brought it over to England, and on the night of Morstan’s arrival he came straight over here to claim his share. He walked over from the station and was admitted by my faithful old Lal Chowdar, who is now dead. Morstan and I had a difference of opinion as to the division of the treasure, and we came to heated words. Morstan had sprung out of his chair in a paroxysm of anger, when he suddenly pressed his hand to his side, his face turned a dusky hue, and he fell backward, cutting his head against the corner of the treasure chest. When I stooped over him I found, to my horror, that he was dead.'”
“‘我会告诉你们，摩斯坦是怎么死的，’他继续道，‘他多年以来心脏一直不好，但却没告诉任何人。只有我一个人知道。在印度的时候，他和我经历了一系列非同寻常的事情，并因此拿到了数量庞大的宝物。我把它们带到了英国，于是，摩斯坦在到达的当天晚上就来到我这儿，索要属于他的那一部分。他从车站步行到门口，是如今已故的老仆人拉尔·乔达开的门。摩斯坦和我在财产分割的问题上有不同的意见，最终激烈地吵了起来。摩斯坦在盛怒之下从椅子上跳了起来，随后忽然把手放在胸侧，脸上露出痛楚的表情，向后一跌，头撞上了宝箱的一角。当我弯下腰去看他的时候，我惊恐地发现，他已经死了。’”
“‘For a long time I sat half distracted, wondering what I should do. My first impulse was, of course, to call for assistance; but I could not but recognize that there was every chance that I would be accused of his murder. His death at the moment of a quarrel, and the gash in his head, would be black against me. Again, an official inquiry could not be made without bringing out some facts about the treasure, which I was particularly anxious to keep secret. He had told me that no soul upon earth knew where he had gone. There seemed to be no necessity why any soul ever should know.'”
“‘很长一段时间，我都失魂落魄地坐在那儿，不知道该怎么办好。我的第一反应当然是去寻求援助，但我发现，我很可能会被认定为谋杀。他是在我们争论时断气的，他头上的伤口对我更是不利。而且，在法庭上一定会问及我关于财宝的事情，这是我一定要保密的。他告诉过我，没有人知道他来这里。没有必要让任何人知道。’”
“‘I was still pondering over the matter, when, looking up, I saw my servant, Lal Chowdar, in the doorway. He stole in and bolted the door behind him. “Do not fear, sahib,” he said; “no one need know that you have killed him. Let us hide him away, and who is the wiser?” “I did not kill him,” said I. Lal Chowdar shook his head and smiled. “I heard it all, sahib,” said he; “I heard you quarrel, and I heard the blow. But my lips are sealed. All are asleep in the house. Let us put him away together.” That was enough to decide me. If my own servant could not believe my innocence, how could I hope to make it good before twelve foolish tradesmen in a jury-box? Lal Chowdar and I disposed of the body that night, and within a few days the London papers were full of the mysterious disappearance of Captain Morstan. You will see from what I say that I can hardly be blamed in the matter. My fault lies in the fact that we concealed not only the body but also the treasure and that I have clung to Morstan’s share as well as to my own. I wish you, therefore, to make restitution. Put your ears down to my mouth. The treasure is hidden in –‘”
“‘我仍在思考这件事的时候，一抬头，却看到我的仆人拉尔·乔达站在门口。他蹑手蹑脚地走进来，并把门关上。“别害怕，主人，”他说，“没有人会知道你杀了他。让我们把他藏起来，还有谁能知道呢？”“我没有杀他，”我说。拉尔·乔达摇了摇头，笑了。“我全部都听到了，主人，”他说，“我听到了你们的争吵，也听到了撞击的声音。但我绝不会说出去的。房子里的其他人都睡了。让我们一起把他搬走吧。”他的话使我下了决心。即便是我的仆人，都不相信我的无辜，我又怎么能让坐在陪审席里的十二个愚蠢商人相信我呢。拉尔·乔达和我当晚把尸体掩埋了，几天之后，伦敦的报纸就满是摩斯坦上尉神秘失踪的消息。从我说的这些，你们可以看出，这件事不能怪我。我的过失在于，我们掩埋了尸体，并隐藏了宝物，我除了占有自己的份额，还霸占了摩斯坦的份额。因此，我希望你们能帮我作出偿还。把你们的耳朵凑过来。那些财宝藏在——’”
“At this instant a horrible change came over his expression; his eyes stared wildly, his jaw dropped, and he yelled in a voice which I can never forget, ‘Keep him out For Christ’s sake keep him out!’ We both stared round at the window behind us upon which his gaze was fixed. A face was looking in at us out of the darkness. We could see the whitening of the nose where it was pressed against the glass. It was a bearded, hairy face, with wild cruel eyes and an expression of concentrated malevolence. My brother and I rushed towards the window, but the man was gone. When we returned to my father his head had dropped and his pulse had ceased to beat.”
“就在这个时候，他的表情忽然变得很可怕，他的双眼发狂地瞪着什么，嘴巴大张着，用一种我绝难忘怀的声音喊道，‘把他赶出去！哦，我的上帝，把他赶出去！’他的目光紧紧盯着窗户，于是，我们俩转身，向着窗户瞧去。一张面孔正在黑暗中凝视着我们。我们可以看到那只因压着玻璃而发白的鼻子。那是一张毛发丛生的脸，眼神狂野凶狠，还有着十分凶狠的表情。我和哥哥冲到了窗户前，可那人却已经走了。当我们回到父亲身边的时候，他已经垂下了头，脉搏停止了跳动。”
“We searched the garden that night but found no sign of the intruder save that just under the window a single footmark was visible in the flower-bed. But for that one trace, we might have thought that our imaginations had conjured up that wild, fierce face. We soon, however, had another and a more striking proof that there were secret agencies at work all round us. The window of my father’s room was found open in the morning, his cupboards and boxes had been rifled, and upon his chest was fixed a torn piece of paper with the words ‘The sign of the four’ scrawled across it. What the phrase meant or who our secret visitor may have been, we never knew. As far as we can judge none of my father’s property had been actually stolen, though everything had been turned out. My brother and I naturally associated this peculiar incident with the fear which haunted my father during his life, but it is still a complete mystery to us.”
“那一晚我们搜遍了花园，但却没有发现那个侵入者留下的任何痕迹，只是在窗户下的花台上，有一个脚印清晰可见。要不是有这么一个痕迹，我们或许还会以为，那张凶狠的脸庞只是我们的幻觉。但我和哥哥很快就发现了另一个更有力的证据，表明在我们的周围正在进行着什么秘密行动。我们在第二天早晨发现，父亲卧室的窗户大开，他的橱柜和箱子全都被搜查过，在他的箱子上钉着一张破纸，上面潦草地写着‘四签名’。而这几个字是什么意思，又或者那个神秘的访客是谁，我们都不知道。虽然所有的东西都被翻过了，但就我们所知，父亲的财产却没有被盗。我和哥哥非常自然地把这些怪事与困扰我父亲的恐惧联系起来，但这对于我们来说，也完全是一个谜。”
“My brother and I,” said he, “were, as you may imagine, much excited as to the treasure which my father had spoken of. For weeks and for months we dug and delved in every part of the garden without discovering its whereabouts. It was maddening to think that the hiding-place was on his very lips at the moment that he died. We could judge the splendour of the missing riches by the chaplet which he had taken out. Over this chaplet my brother Bartholomew and I had some little discussion. The pearls were evidently of great value, and he was averse to part with them, for, between friends, my brother was himself a little inclined to my father’s fault. He thought, too, that if we parted with the chaplet it might give rise to gossip and finally bring us into trouble. It was all that I could do to persuade him to let me find out Miss Morstan’s address and send her a detached pearl at fixed intervals so that at least she might never feel destitute.”
“我哥哥和我，”他继续说，“如你们所想，对于父亲所提及的财宝感到非常兴奋。我们连续挖了几个月，几乎把我们的花园都翻遍了，却没有发现任何财宝的踪影。一想到在他临死时，那个藏宝地就在他嘴边上了，我们就很恼怒。我们可以从他拿出的项圈看出，那些财宝有多么璀璨。关于这个项圈，我和哥哥巴塞洛缪也曾讨论过。那些珍珠明显非常值钱，他反对把它们给出去，因为，在对待朋友方面，他有跟我父亲一样的缺点。他认为，如果我们把项圈给出去的话，必然会引来谣言，并最终给我们带来麻烦。我能做的就是说服他让我找出摩斯坦小姐的地址，然后定时分别寄出那些分割开的珠子，至少保证她的生活不会困难。”
The little man stopped to relight his hookah and puffed thoughtfully for a few moments. We had all sat absorbed, listening to his extraordinary narrative. At the short account of her father’s death Miss Morstan had turned deadly white, and for a moment I feared that she was about to faint. She rallied, however, on drinking a glass of water which I quietly poured out for her from a Venetian carafe upon the side-table. Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his chair with an abstracted expression and the lids drawn low over his glittering eyes. As I glanced at him I could not but think how on that very day he had complained bitterly of the commonplaceness of life. Here at least was a problem which would tax his sagacity to the utmost. Mr. Thaddeus Sholto looked from one to the other of us with an obvious pride at the effect which his story had produced and then continued between the puffs of his overgrown pipe.
这个矮小的男人停下来，重新点着了他的水烟壶，若有所思地连吸了几口。我们都全神贯注地听着他那离奇的描述。讲到她父亲之死的时候，摩斯坦小姐的脸变得苍白，那一会儿，我真害怕她会晕倒。不过，我从旁边桌子上的威尼斯式水瓶里倒了一杯水给她，她喝过之后，就缓过来了。舍洛克·福尔摩斯躺回到椅子上，神情凝重，眼睑低垂下来，盖住了他那发亮的眼睛。当我看着他的时候，我不禁想起，就在今天，他还痛苦地抱怨过，生活多么沉闷、无聊呢。而在这里，至少有一个难题将会极度考验他的智慧。塞迪厄斯·肖尔托先生对我们这个看看，那个瞧瞧，为他讲述的故事给我们带来的震撼而骄傲，他继续吸着水烟壶，又说了下去。
The little man waved his hand deprecatingly. “We were your trustees,” he said; “that was the view which I took of it, though Brother Bartholomew could not altogether see it in that light. We had plenty of money ourselves. I desired no more. Besides, it would have been such bad taste to have treated a young lady in so scurvy a fashion. ‘Le mauvais goût mène au crime.’ The French have a very neat way of putting these things. Our difference of opinion on this subject went so far that I thought it best to set up rooms for myself; so I left Pondicherry Lodge, taking the old khitmutgar and Williams with me. Yesterday, however, I learned that an event of extreme importance has occurred. The treasure has been discovered. I instantly communicated with Miss Morstan, and it only remains for us to drive out to Norwood and demand our share. I explained my views last night to Brother Bartholomew, so we shall be expected, if not welcome, visitors.”
这个矮小的人不以为然地挥挥手。“我们只是你的财产保管人，”他说，“我是这么认为的，尽管我哥哥巴塞洛缪并不这么看。我们自己已经有很多钱了。我不想要更多了。而且，如此卑劣地对待一位年轻女士太有失风范了。‘鄙俗为罪恶之源。’这句法国谚语一针见血地说明了其中的道理。由于我们在这个问题上有太大的分歧，我觉得我最好自己另找住处，于是，我带着一位印度老仆和威廉斯离开了本地治里别墅。然而，昨天，我听说一件很要紧的事情发生了。财宝找到了。于是，我马上就联络了摩斯坦小姐，接下来我们要做的，就是去诺伍德追索属于我们的财产了。我昨晚向哥哥巴塞洛缪阐述了我的想法，所以，我们应该作好不被欢迎的准备。”
“It was a kindly thought,” said our companion earnestly, “it was extremely good of you.”
“这是一个非常善意的想法，”我们的伙伴真诚地说，“你真是太善良了。”
“You have done well, sir, from first to last,” said he. “It is possible that we may be able to make you some small return by throwing some light upon that which is still dark to you. But, as Miss Morstan remarked just now, it is late, and we had best put the matter through without delay.”
“你做得很好，先生，从头到尾都是，”他说，“也许我们可以告诉你一些你所不知道的事情，作为报答。不过，如摩斯坦小姐刚才所说，现在已经很晚了，我们不该再耽搁了。”
Mr. Thaddeus Sholto ceased and sat twitching on his luxurious settee. We all remained silent, with our thoughts upon the new development which the mysterious business had taken. Holmes was the first to spring to his feet.
塞迪厄斯·肖尔托先生说完后，坐在矮椅子上，手指不停地抖动。我们都保持着沉默，思索着这件怪事儿的新进展。福尔摩斯是第一个站起来的。
“My health is somewhat fragile,” he remarked as he led the way down the passage. “I am compelled to be a valetudinarian.”
“我的健康有些不好，”他一边说着，一边带着我们走下了甬道，“无奈只好做一个病人了。”
Our new acquaintance very deliberately coiled up the tube of his hookah and produced from behind a curtain a very long befrogged topcoat with astrakhan collar and cuffs. This he buttoned tightly up in spite of the extreme closeness of the night and finished his attire by putting on a rabbit-skin cap with hanging lappets which covered the ears, so that no part of him was visible save his mobile and peaky face.
我们新认识的朋友非常小心地盘起水烟壶的烟管，从幔帐后面拿出一件带羊羔皮领子和袖子的盘花纽扣大衣。尽管晚上依然闷热，他还是紧紧地扣上了大衣的扣子，带上一顶兔皮帽子。穿戴完毕后，他全身就只有那灵活、清瘦的脸露在外面了。
Our cab was awaiting us outside, and our programme was evidently prearranged, for the driver started off at once at a rapid pace. Thaddeus Sholto talked incessantly in a voice which rose high above the rattle of the wheels.
我们的马车就在外面等着，我们的行程很明显是早就安排好的，因为马车一下子就迅速出发了。塞迪厄斯不停地说着话，声音压过了车轮的咔哒声。
“Bartholomew is a clever fellow,” said he. “How do you think he found out where the treasure was? He had come to the conclusion that it was somewhere indoors, so he worked out all the cubic space of the house and made measurements everywhere so that not one inch should be unaccounted for. Among other things, he found that the height of the building was seventy-four feet, but on adding together the heights of all the separate rooms and making every allowance for the space between, which he ascertained by borings, he could not bring the total to more than seventy feet. There were four feet unaccounted for. These could only be at the top of the building. He knocked a hole, therefore, in the lath and plaster ceiling of the highest room, and there, sure enough, he came upon another little garret above it, which had been sealed up and was known to no one. In the centre stood the treasure-chest resting upon two rafters. He lowered it through the hole, and there it lies. He computes the value of the jewels at not less than half a million sterling.”
“巴塞洛缪是一个聪明人，”他说，“你们知道他是怎么找到宝藏的吗？他得出宝藏一定在室内的结论，于是，他计算出了整所房子的立体面积，测量了每个角落，没有漏算一英寸的地方。从这些勘测之中，他发现房子的高度是七十四英尺，可是，他把所有各个房间的高度都分别衡量过了，还用钻探方法确定了楼板的厚度，把这些都加上，总共也不过七十英尺。还差了四英尺。这差的高度唯有从屋顶去找。他在用板条和灰泥砌成的天花板上打了一个洞，果然在那里找到了一个封闭着的、任何人也不知道的阁楼。那个宝箱就摆在天花板中央的两条椽木上。他把宝箱从洞口取了下来，珠宝就在里面。他计算了一下这些宝物的价值，估计不少于五十万英镑。”
“This, Miss Morstan, is Pondicherry Lodge,” said Mr. Thaddeus Sholto as he handed her out.
“摩斯坦小姐，这就是本地治里别墅。”塞迪厄斯·肖尔托先生一边扶着她下车，一边说道。
At the mention of this gigantic sum we all stared at one another open-eyed. Miss Morstan, could we secure her rights, would change from a needy governess to the richest heiress in England. Surely it was the place of a loyal friend to rejoice at such news, yet I am ashamed to say that selfishness took me by the soul and that my heart turned as heavy as lead within me. I stammered out some few halting words of congratulation and then sat downcast, with my head drooped, deaf to the babble of our new acquaintance. He was clearly a confirmed hypochondriac, and I was dreamily conscious that he was pouring forth interminable trains of symptoms, and imploring information as to the composition and action of innumerable quack nostrums, some of which he bore about in a leather case in his pocket. I trust that he may not remember any of the answers which I gave him that night. Holmes declares that he overheard me caution him against the great danger of taking more than two drops of castor-oil, while I recommended strychnine in large doses as a sedative. However that may be, I was certainly relieved when our cab pulled up with a jerk and the coachman sprang down to open the door.
听到这个庞大的数字，我们不禁都瞪大了眼睛。至于摩斯坦小姐，假如我们帮她争取到权益的话，她会从一个贫穷的家庭教师变成英国最富有的遗产继承者。她忠实的朋友都理应为她感到高兴，但很惭愧，我却由于私心而感到心里像灌了铅一般沉甸甸的。我勉强说了几句祝贺的话，就垂头丧气地坐在那里，最后甚至连新朋友说的话也听不见了。他很明显是一个抑郁症患者，我隐约记得他列举出了一系列症状，并询问了一大堆偏方的成分和功效，有一些偏方他还装在口袋中的皮夹子里。我相信他也不一定记得我那晚给他的答复了。福尔摩斯说，他听到我警告他服用两滴以上蓖麻油的巨大危险性，而且还推荐他服用大剂量的番木鳖碱作为镇静剂。无论如何，当我们的马车忽然停下，车夫下来打开车门的时候，我感觉我得到了解脱。
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