7.The Reigate Squires 赖盖特之谜
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / 福尔摩斯回忆录
《福尔摩斯回忆录》
It was some time before the health of my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes recovered from the strain caused by his immense exertions in the spring of ’87.
过了好一阵子，我的朋友夏洛克·福尔摩斯先生的健康才从1887年春天因过度劳累而造成的损伤中恢复过来。
The whole question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of the colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis are too recent in the minds of the public, and are too intimately concerned with politics and finance to be fitting subjects for this series of sketches.
关于荷兰-苏门答腊公司的整个问题以及莫佩图伊男爵的庞大计划，在公众的记忆中还太新鲜，而且与政治和金融的关系过于密切，不适合作为这一系列随笔的题材。
They led, however, in an indirect fashion to a singular and complex problem which gave my friend an opportunity of demonstrating the value of a fresh weapon among the many with which he waged his life-long battle against crime.
然而，这些事却间接地引出了一个奇特而复杂的问题，使我的朋友有机会展示他用来与犯罪作终身斗争的众多武器中一种新武器的价值。
On referring to my notes I see that it was upon the 14th of April that I received a telegram from Lyons which informed me that Holmes was lying ill in the Hotel Dulong.
查阅我的笔记时，我看到是在4月14日收到了一封来自里昂的电报，通知我福尔摩斯正卧病在杜隆旅馆。
Within twenty-four hours I was in his sick-room, and was relieved to find that there was nothing formidable in his symptoms.
不到二十四小时我就赶到了他的病房，欣慰地发现他的症状并没有什么可怕的。
Even his iron constitution, however, had broken down under the strain of an investigation which had extended over two months, during which period he had never worked less than fifteen hours a day, and had more than once, as he assured me, kept to his task for five days at a stretch.
然而，即便是他那钢铁般的体质，也在长达两个月的调查重压下垮掉了；在此期间，他每天工作不少于十五个小时，而且据他向我保证，不止一次连续五天坚持工作不休息。
Even the triumphant issue of his labours could not save him from reaction after so terrible an exertion, and at a time when Europe was ringing with his name and when his room was literally ankle-deep with congratulatory telegrams I found him a prey to the blackest depression.
即便工作的胜利成果也无法让他免受如此可怕劳累后的反噬，当全欧洲都在传颂他的名字、他的房间里祝贺电报堆积得没过脚踝时，我却发现他陷入了极度抑郁之中。
Even the knowledge that he had succeeded where the police of three countries had failed, and that he had outmanœuvred at every point the most accomplished swindler in Europe, was insufficient to rouse him from his nervous prostration.
即使知道自己成功做到了三国警方未能做到的事，并且在每个环节都胜过了欧洲最老练的骗子，也不足以使他从神经衰弱中振作起来。
Three days later we were back in Baker Street together; but it was evident that my friend would be much the better for a change, and the thought of a week of spring time in the country was full of attractions to me also.
三天后我们一起回到了贝克街；但很明显，换个环境对我的朋友大有好处，而且想到在乡间度过一周的春日时光，对我也充满了吸引力。
My old friend, Colonel Hayter, who had come under my professional care in Afghanistan, had now taken a house near Reigate in Surrey, and had frequently asked me to come down to him upon a visit.
我的老朋友海特上校曾在阿富汗接受过我的医疗照顾，如今他在萨里郡的赖盖特附近租了一所房子，并多次邀请我去做客。
On the last occasion he had remarked that if my friend would only come with me he would be glad to extend his hospitality to him also.
在最近一次邀请中他说，如果我的朋友能和我一起来，他将非常乐意一并款待。
A little diplomacy was needed, but when Holmes understood that the establishment was a bachelor one, and that he would be allowed the fullest freedom, he fell in with my plans and a week after our return from Lyons we were under the Colonel’s roof.
这需要一点外交手腕，但当福尔摩斯得知那是个单身汉的住所，并且他可以享有充分的自由时，他便同意了我的计划；于是我们从里昂回来一周后，便住进了上校的家里。
Hayter was a fine old soldier who had seen much of the world, and he soon found, as I had expected, that Holmes and he had much in common.
海特是一位见多识广的优秀老军人，正如我所预料的那样，他很快发现自己和福尔摩斯有许多共同点。
On the evening of our arrival we were sitting in the Colonel’s gun-room after dinner, Holmes stretched upon the sofa, while Hayter and I looked over his little armoury of fire-arms.
在我们抵达的那天晚上，晚饭后我们坐在上校的枪械室里，福尔摩斯躺在沙发上，我和海特则翻阅着他那小小的枪械库。
“By the way,” said he suddenly, “I think I’ll take one of these pistols upstairs with me in case we have an alarm.”
“顺便说一句，”他突然说道，“我想带一把这种手枪上楼，以防万一有警报。”
“An alarm!” said I.
“警报！”我说。
“Yes, we’ve had a scare in this part lately. Old Acton, who is one of our county magnates, had his house broken into last Monday. No great damage done, but the fellows are still at large.”
“是的，我们这一带最近出了件让人惊慌的事。本地的乡绅之一，老阿克顿，上周一家里被闯入了。损失不大，但那些家伙仍然逍遥法外。”
“No clue?” asked Holmes, cocking his eye at the Colonel.
“没有线索吗？”福尔摩斯问道，斜眼看了看上校。
“None as yet. But the affair is a petty one, one of our little country crimes, which must seem too small for your attention, Mr. Holmes, after this great international affair.”
“目前还没有。但这只是件小事，是我们乡下的小案子，在经历了那个重大的国际案件之后，这对您来说恐怕太微不足道了，福尔摩斯先生。”
Holmes waved away the compliment, though his smile showed that it had pleased him.
福尔摩斯挥手表示不敢当，尽管他的微笑表明这番恭维让他很受用。
“Was there any feature of interest?”
“有什么有趣的特征吗？”
“I fancy not. The thieves ransacked the library and got very little for their pains. The whole place was turned upside down, drawers burst open, and presses ransacked, with the result that an odd volume of Pope’s ‘Homer,’ two plated candlesticks, an ivory letter-weight, a small oak barometer, and a ball of twine are all that have vanished.”
“我想没有。窃贼翻遍了书房，却徒劳无功。整个地方被翻了个底朝天，抽屉被撬开，柜子被搜查，结果只丢了一本零散的蒲柏译《荷马史诗》、两把镀银烛台、一个象牙镇纸、一个小橡木气压计和一卷麻线。”
“What an extraordinary assortment!” I exclaimed.
“多么奇怪的组合啊！”我惊呼道。
“Oh, the fellows evidently grabbed hold of everything they could get.”
“哦，那些家伙显然是抓到什么就拿什么。”
Holmes grunted from the sofa.
福尔摩斯在沙发上哼了一声。
“The county police ought to make something of that,” said he; “why, it is surely obvious that—”
“郡警察应该能从这上面查出点什么，”他说，“哎呀，这显然说明——”
But I held up a warning finger.
但我竖起一根手指以示警告。
“You are here for a rest, my dear fellow. For Heaven’s sake don’t get started on a new problem when your nerves are all in shreds.”
“你是来休息的，亲爱的伙计。看在上帝的份上，别在你的神经已经支离破碎的时候又开始钻研新案子了。”
Holmes shrugged his shoulders with a glance of comic resignation towards the Colonel, and the talk drifted away into less dangerous channels.
福尔摩斯耸了耸肩，带着滑稽的无奈神情看了上校一眼，谈话便转向了不那么危险的话题。
It was destined, however, that all my professional caution should be wasted, for next morning the problem obtruded itself upon us in such a way that it was impossible to ignore it, and our country visit took a turn which neither of us could have anticipated.
然而，注定我所有的职业谨慎都要白费，因为第二天早上这个问题以一种无法忽视的方式强加到了我们面前，我们的乡间之行发生了谁也没料到的转折。
We were at breakfast when the Colonel’s butler rushed in with all his propriety shaken out of him.
我们正在吃早餐时，上校的管家冲了进来，完全失去了平日的稳重。
“Have you heard the news, sir?” he gasped. “At the Cunningham’s sir!”
“您听到消息了吗，先生？”他气喘吁吁地说，“坎宁安家出事了，先生！”
“Burglary!” cried the Colonel, with his coffee-cup in mid-air.
“入室盗窃！”上校喊道，手里的咖啡杯还举在半空。
“Murder!”
“是谋杀！”
The Colonel whistled. “By Jove!” said he. “Who’s killed, then? The J.P. or his son?”
上校吹了声口哨。“天哪！”他说，“谁被杀了？治安官还是他儿子？”
“Neither, sir. It was William the coachman. Shot through the heart, sir, and never spoke again.”
“都不是，先生。是马车夫威廉。一枪穿心，先生，当场毙命。”
“Who shot him, then?”
“那是谁开的枪？”
“The burglar, sir. He was off like a shot and got clean away. He’d just broke in at the pantry window when William came on him and met his end in saving his master’s property.”
“是窃贼，先生。他像子弹一样飞快地逃走了，彻底没了踪影。他刚打破食品储藏室的窗户闯进来，威廉就撞上了他，为了保护主人的财产而送了命。”
“What time?”
“什么时候的事？”
“It was last night, sir, somewhere about twelve.”
“昨晚，先生，大约十二点左右。”
“Ah, then, we’ll step over afterwards,” said the Colonel, coolly settling down to his breakfast again. “It’s a baddish business,” he added when the butler had gone; “he’s our leading man about here, is old Cunningham, and a very decent fellow too. He’ll be cut up over this, for the man has been in his service for years and was a good servant. It’s evidently the same villains who broke into Acton’s.”
“啊，那我们待会儿过去一趟，”上校说着，又冷静地坐下来继续吃早餐。“这事真糟糕，”管家走后他补充道，“老坎宁安是我们这儿的首席人物，也是个很体面的人。他会为此非常难过的，因为那个人在他家服务多年，是个好仆人。显然闯入阿克顿家的也是同一伙恶棍。”
“And stole that very singular collection,” said Holmes, thoughtfully.
“还偷走了那堆非常奇特的东西，”福尔摩斯若有所思地说。
“Precisely.”
“正是。”
“Hum! It may prove the simplest matter in the world, but all the same at first glance this is just a little curious, is it not? A gang of burglars acting in the country might be expected to vary the scene of their operations, and not to crack two cribs in the same district within a few days. When you spoke last night of taking precautions I remember that it passed through my mind that this was probably the last parish in England to which the thief or thieves would be likely to turn their attention—which shows that I have still much to learn.”
“嗯！这可能证明是世界上最简单的案子，但乍一看还是有点奇怪，不是吗？一伙在乡下作案的窃贼理应更换作案地点，而不该在几天内就在同一地区连偷两家。昨晚你提到要采取预防措施时，我记得我当时想过，这个教区大概是英格兰最不可能引起窃贼注意的地方——这说明我要学的东西还很多。”
“I fancy it’s some local practitioner,” said the Colonel. “In that case, of course, Acton’s and Cunningham’s are just the places he would go for, since they are far the largest about here.”
“我猜是本地人干的，”上校说，“那样的话，阿克顿家和坎宁安家自然就是他的目标，因为他们是这一带最大的宅邸。”
“And richest?”
“也是最富有的？”
“Well, they ought to be, but they’ve had a lawsuit for some years which has sucked the blood out of both of them, I fancy. Old Acton has some claim on half Cunningham’s estate, and the lawyers have been at it with both hands.”
“嗯，本该如此，但我想他们打了好几年的官司，已经把双方的血都吸干了。老阿克顿声称拥有坎宁安一半的房产，律师们正忙得不可开交。”
“If it’s a local villain there should not be much difficulty in running him down,” said Holmes with a yawn. “All right, Watson, I don’t intend to meddle.”
“如果是本地恶棍，把他揪出来应该不难，”福尔摩斯打着哈欠说，“好吧，华生，我不打算插手。”
“Inspector Forrester, sir,” said the butler, throwing open the door.
“福里斯特警长到，先生，”管家说着推开了门。
The official, a smart, keen-faced young fellow, stepped into the room. “Good-morning, Colonel,” said he; “I hope I don’t intrude, but we hear that Mr. Holmes of Baker Street is here.”
这位官员是个精明干练的年轻人，他走进房间。“早上好，上校，”他说，“希望没有打扰到您，但我们听说贝克街的福尔摩斯先生在这里。”
The Colonel waved his hand towards my friend, and the Inspector bowed.
上校朝我的朋友挥了挥手，警长鞠了一躬。
“We thought that perhaps you would care to step across, Mr. Holmes.”
“我们想也许您愿意过去看看，福尔摩斯先生。”
“The fates are against you, Watson,” said he, laughing. “We were chatting about the matter when you came in, Inspector. Perhaps you can let us have a few details.” As he leaned back in his chair in the familiar attitude I knew that the case was hopeless.
“命运跟你作对啊，华生，”他笑着说，“警长，你进来的时候我们正在聊这件事。也许你能给我们讲讲细节。”当他以熟悉的姿势向后靠在椅子上时，我知道这案子他是躲不掉了。
“We had no clue in the Acton affair. But here we have plenty to go on, and there’s no doubt it is the same party in each case. The man was seen.”
“阿克顿那件案子我们没有线索。但这起案子我们有充足的依据，毫无疑问两案是同一伙人所为。有人看见了凶手。”
“Ah!”
“啊！”
“Yes, sir. But he was off like a deer after the shot that killed poor William Kirwan was fired. Mr. Cunningham saw him from the bedroom window, and Mr. Alec Cunningham saw him from the back passage. It was quarter to twelve when the alarm broke out. Mr. Cunningham had just got into bed, and Mr. Alec was smoking a pipe in his dressing-gown. They both heard William the coachman calling for help, and Mr. Alec ran down to see what was the matter. The back door was open, and as he came to the foot of the stairs he saw two men wrestling together outside. One of them fired a shot, the other dropped, and the murderer rushed across the garden and over the hedge. Mr. Cunningham, looking out of his bedroom, saw the fellow as he gained the road, but lost sight of him at once. Mr. Alec stopped to see if he could help the dying man, and so the villain got clean away. Beyond the fact that he was a middle-sized man and dressed in some dark stuff, we have no personal clue; but we are making energetic inquiries, and if he is a stranger we shall soon find him out.”
“是的，先生。但在射杀可怜威廉·柯万的枪响之后，他就像鹿一样逃跑了。坎宁安先生从卧室窗户看到了他，亚历克·坎宁安先生从后门走廊也看到了他。警报响起时是十一点四十五分。坎宁安先生刚上床睡觉，亚历克先生正穿着晨衣抽烟斗。他们都听到了马车夫威廉的呼救声，亚历克先生跑下楼查看情况。后门开着，当他来到楼梯脚下时，看到两个人在外面扭打在一起。其中一人开了一枪，另一人倒下了，凶手随即穿过花园越过树篱逃走。坎宁安先生从卧室向外看，看到那人跑到大路上，但立刻就看不见了。亚历克先生停下来看能否救助垂死的人，于是那恶棍就彻底逃脱了。除了知道他是中等身材、穿着深色衣服外，我们没有关于他个人的任何线索；但我们正在积极调查，如果他是外地人，我们很快就能查出来。”
“What was this William doing there? Did he say anything before he died?”
“这个威廉在那里做什么？他死前说了什么吗？”
“Not a word. He lives at the lodge with his mother, and as he was a very faithful fellow we imagine that he walked up to the house with the intention of seeing that all was right there. Of course this Acton business has put every one on their guard. The robber must have just burst open the door—the lock has been forced—when William came upon him.”
“一个字也没说。他和母亲住在门房里，因为他是个非常忠诚的人，我们推测他是特意走到主屋去看看是否一切安好。当然，阿克顿家的事让大家都提高了警惕。窃贼肯定刚撬开门锁闯进来，就被威廉撞上了。”
“Did William say anything to his mother before going out?”
“威廉出门前对他母亲说了什么吗？”
“She is very old and deaf, and we can get no information from her. The shock has made her half-witted, but I understand that she was never very bright. There is one very important circumstance, however. Look at this!”
“她年纪很大而且耳背，我们从她那里得不到任何信息。这次打击让她变得有些神志不清，不过据我所知她以前也不太灵光。但是有一个非常重要的情况。你看这个！”
He took a small piece of torn paper from a note-book and spread it out upon his knee.
他从笔记本里取出一小片撕破的纸，摊在膝盖上。
“This was found between the finger and thumb of the dead man. It appears to be a fragment torn from a larger sheet. You will observe that the hour mentioned upon it is the very time at which the poor fellow met his fate. You see that his murderer might have torn the rest of the sheet from him or he might have taken this fragment from the murderer. It reads almost as though it were an appointment.”
“这是在死者的拇指和食指之间发现的。看起来是从一张大纸上撕下来的一角。你会注意到上面提到的时间正是这个可怜人遇害的时刻。你看，可能是凶手从他手里撕走了剩下的纸，也可能是他从凶手那里抢下了这一片。读起来几乎像是一个约会约定。”
Holmes took up the scrap of paper, a facsimile of which is here reproduced.
福尔摩斯拿起那张纸片，此处附有该纸片的复制品。
scrap of paper
纸片
“Presuming that it is an appointment,” continued the Inspector, “it is of course a conceivable theory that this William Kirwan—though he had the reputation of being an honest man, may have been in league with the thief. He may have met him there, may even have helped him to break in the door, and then they may have fallen out between themselves.”
“假设这是一个约会，”警长继续说道，“那么一种合理的推测是，这个威廉·柯万——虽然名声诚实——可能与窃贼勾结。他可能在那里与窃贼碰头，甚至帮他破门而入，然后两人闹翻了。”
“This writing is of extraordinary interest,” said Holmes, who had been examining it with intense concentration. “These are much deeper waters than I had thought.” He sank his head upon his hands, while the Inspector smiled at the effect which his case had had upon the famous London specialist.
“这字迹非常有意思，”一直聚精会神检查纸片的福尔摩斯说道，“这水比我想象的要深得多。”他双手抱头沉思，而警长看到自己的案子对这位伦敦著名专家产生了这样的影响，不禁露出了微笑。
“Your last remark,” said Holmes, presently, “as to the possibility of there being an understanding between the burglar and the servant, and this being a note of appointment from one to the other, is an ingenious and not entirely impossible supposition. But this writing opens up—” He sank his head into his hands again and remained for some minutes in the deepest thought. When he raised his face again, I was surprised to see that his cheek was tinged with colour, and his eyes as bright as before his illness. He sprang to his feet with all his old energy.
“你刚才说的，”过了一会儿福尔摩斯说道，“关于窃贼和仆人之间可能存在默契，以及这是一张他们之间的约会纸条的说法，是一个巧妙且并非完全不可能的假设。但这字迹揭示了——”他又把头埋在双手中，陷入了几分钟的深思。当他再次抬起头时，我惊讶地发现他的脸颊泛起了红晕，眼睛也像生病前一样明亮。他以往日的充沛精力一跃而起。
“I’ll tell you what,” said he, “I should like to have a quiet little glance into the details of this case. There is something in it which fascinates me extremely. If you will permit me, Colonel, I will leave my friend Watson and you, and I will step round with the Inspector to test the truth of one or two little fancies of mine. I will be with you again in half an hour.”
“告诉你吧，”他说，“我想静下心来仔细看看这个案子的细节。里面有某些东西极其吸引我。如果你允许的话，上校，我想把华生留给你，我和警长去转一圈，验证我一两个小猜想。半小时后我就回来。”
An hour and half had elapsed before the Inspector returned alone.
一个半小时过去了，警长才独自回来。
“Mr. Holmes is walking up and down in the field outside,” said he. “He wants us all four to go up to the house together.”
“福尔摩斯先生正在外面的田野里来回踱步，”他说，“他希望我们四个人一起去那栋房子。”
“To Mr. Cunningham’s?”
“去坎宁安先生家？”
“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“What for?”
“去干什么？”
The Inspector shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t quite know, sir. Between ourselves, I think Mr. Holmes had not quite got over his illness yet. He’s been behaving very queerly, and he is very much excited.”
警长耸了耸肩。“我不太清楚，先生。私下里说，我觉得福尔摩斯先生的病还没完全好。他的举止很奇怪，而且异常兴奋。”
“I don’t think you need alarm yourself,” said I. “I have usually found that there was method in his madness.”
“我觉得你不必惊慌，”我说，“我通常发现他的疯狂中自有章法。”
“Some folks might say there was madness in his method,” muttered the Inspector. “But he’s all on fire to start, Colonel, so we had best go out if you are ready.”
“有些人可能会说他的章法里透着疯狂，”警长嘟囔道，“但他现在干劲十足，上校，所以如果您准备好了，我们最好这就出发。”
We found Holmes pacing up and down in the field, his chin sunk upon his breast, and his hands thrust into his trousers pockets.
我们发现福尔摩斯在田野里来回踱步，下巴抵着胸口，双手插在裤兜里。
“The matter grows in interest,” said he. “Watson, your country-trip has been a distinct success. I have had a charming morning.”
“事情越来越有趣了，”他说，“华生，你的乡间之旅真是大获成功。我度过了一个美妙的早晨。”
“You have been up to the scene of the crime, I understand,” said the Colonel.
“据我所知，你去过犯罪现场了，”上校说。
“Yes; the Inspector and I have made quite a little reconnaissance together.”
“是的，我和警长一起做了一番小小的侦察。”
“Any success?”
“有什么收获吗？”
“Well, we have seen some very interesting things. I’ll tell you what we did as we walk. First of all, we saw the body of this unfortunate man. He certainly died from a revolver wound as reported.”
“嗯，我们看到了一些非常有趣的东西。边走边说吧。首先，我们查看了那个不幸者的尸体。正如报告所言，他确实死于左轮手枪的枪伤。”
“Had you doubted it, then?”
“你之前怀疑过吗？”
“Oh, it is as well to test everything. Our inspection was not wasted. We then had an interview with Mr. Cunningham and his son, who were able to point out the exact spot where the murderer had broken through the garden-hedge in his flight. That was of great interest.”
“哦，凡事验证一下总是好的。我们的检查没有白费。随后我们会见了坎宁安先生和他的儿子，他们指出了凶手逃跑时冲破花园树篱的确切位置。这很有意思。”
“Naturally.”
“那是自然。”
“Then we had a look at this poor fellow’s mother. We could get no information from her, however, as she is very old and feeble.”
“然后我们去看了这个可怜人的母亲。但她年老体弱，我们无法从她那里得到任何信息。”
“And what is the result of your investigations?”
“那你调查的结果如何？”
“The conviction that the crime is a very peculiar one. Perhaps our visit now may do something to make it less obscure. I think that we are both agreed, Inspector that the fragment of paper in the dead man’s hand, bearing, as it does, the very hour of his death written upon it, is of extreme importance.”
“确信这是一起非常特殊的犯罪。也许我们现在的访问能让它不再那么扑朔迷离。我想我们都同意，警长，死者手中的那片纸极其重要，因为上面写的正是他遇害的时间。”
“It should give a clue, Mr. Holmes.”
“它应该能提供线索，福尔摩斯先生。”
“It does give a clue. Whoever wrote that note was the man who brought William Kirwan out of his bed at that hour. But where is the rest of that sheet of paper?”
“它确实提供了线索。写那张纸条的人就是在那个时间把威廉·柯万从床上叫出来的人。但是那张纸的其余部分在哪里呢？”
“I examined the ground carefully in the hope of finding it,” said the Inspector.
“我仔细检查了地面，希望能找到它，”警长说。
“It was torn out of the dead man’s hand. Why was some one so anxious to get possession of it? Because it incriminated him. And what would he do with it? Thrust it into his pocket, most likely, never noticing that a corner of it had been left in the grip of the corpse. If we could get the rest of that sheet it is obvious that we should have gone a long way towards solving the mystery.”
“它是从死者手里被撕走的。为什么有人急于拿到它？因为它能证明他有罪。他会怎么处理它？很可能是塞进口袋里，却没注意到一角留在了尸体的手中。如果我们能找到那张纸的剩余部分，显然我们在解开谜团的道路上就迈进了一大步。”
“Yes, but how can we get at the criminal’s pocket before we catch the criminal?”
“是啊，但在抓住罪犯之前，我们怎么能把手伸进他的口袋呢？”
“Well, well, it was worth thinking over. Then there is another obvious point. The note was sent to William. The man who wrote it could not have taken it; otherwise, of course, he might have delivered his own message by word of mouth. Who brought the note, then? Or did it come through the post?”
“好吧，好吧，这值得深思。还有一个明显的疑点。纸条是送给威廉的。写纸条的人不可能亲自送去；否则他完全可以口头传达信息。那么是谁送的纸条？还是通过邮寄的？”
“I have made inquiries,” said the Inspector. “William received a letter by the afternoon post yesterday. The envelope was destroyed by him.”
“我已经调查过了，”警长说，“威廉昨天下午收到了一封信。信封被他销毁了。”
“Excellent!” cried Holmes, clapping the Inspector on the back. “You’ve seen the postman. It is a pleasure to work with you. Well, here is the lodge, and if you will come up, Colonel, I will show you the scene of the crime.”
“太好了！”福尔摩斯拍着警长的背喊道，“你见过邮递员了。和你共事真是愉快。好了，这就是门房，如果你愿意上来，上校，我将带你去看犯罪现场。”
We passed the pretty cottage where the murdered man had lived, and walk up an oak-lined avenue to the fine old Queen Anne house, which bears the date of Malplaquet upon the lintel of the door.
我们走过遇害者生前居住的漂亮小屋，沿着两旁种满橡树的林荫道，来到那座精美的安妮女王风格的老宅，门楣上还刻着马尔普拉凯战役的年份。
Holmes and the Inspector led us round it until we came to the side gate, which is separated by a stretch of garden from the hedge which lines the road.
福尔摩斯和警长领着我们绕到侧门，侧门与临路的树篱之间隔着一段花园。
A constable was standing at the kitchen door.
一名警察站在厨房门口。
“Throw the door open, officer,” said Holmes. “Now, it was on those stairs that young Mr. Cunningham stood and saw the two men struggling just where we are. Old Mr. Cunningham was at that window—the second on the left—and he saw the fellow get away just to the left of that bush. Then Mr. Alec ran out and knelt beside the wounded man. The ground is very hard, you see, and there are no marks to guide us.”
“把门打开，警官，”福尔摩斯说，“瞧，小坎宁安先生当时就站在那段楼梯上，看到两个人就在我们现在站的地方扭打。老坎宁安先生在那个窗口——左边第二个——他看到那人从那丛灌木的左边逃走了。然后亚历克先生跑出来跪在伤者身边。你看，地面很硬，没有留下任何痕迹指引我们。”
As he spoke two men came down the garden path, from round the angle of the house.
正当他说话时，两个男人从房子拐角处沿着花园小径走了过来。
The one was an elderly man, with a strong, deep-lined, heavy-eyed face; the other a dashing young fellow, whose bright, smiling expression and showy dress were in strange contrast with the business which had brought us there.
一个是上了年纪的男人，面容坚毅、皱纹深刻、眼神沉重；另一个是风度翩翩的年轻人，他那明朗的笑容和华丽的衣着与我们此行的沉重事务形成了鲜明对比。
“Still at it, then?” said he to Holmes. “I thought you Londoners were never at fault. You don’t seem to be so very quick, after all.”
“还在忙活呢？”他对福尔摩斯说，“我以为你们伦敦人从来不会出错。看来你们也没那么快嘛。”
“Ah, you must give us a little time,” said Holmes good-humoredly.
“啊，你得给我们一点时间，”福尔摩斯好脾气地说。
“You’ll want it,” said young Alec Cunningham. “Why, I don’t see that we have any clue at all.”
“你们确实需要时间，”年轻的亚历克·坎宁安说，“哎呀，我看我们根本没有任何线索。”
“There’s only one,” answered the Inspector. “We thought that if we could only find—Good heavens, Mr. Holmes! What is the matter?”
“只有一个，”警长回答，“我们想如果能找到——天哪，福尔摩斯先生！你怎么了？”
My poor friend’s face had suddenly assumed the most dreadful expression. His eyes rolled upwards, his features writhed in agony, and with a suppressed groan he dropped on his face upon the ground.
我那可怜的朋友脸上突然露出了极其可怕的表情。他双眼上翻，面部因痛苦而扭曲，随着一声压抑的呻吟，脸朝下倒在地上。
Horrified at the suddenness and severity of the attack, we carried him into the kitchen, where he lay back in a large chair, and breathed heavily for some minutes.
这突如其来的猛烈发作让我们惊恐万分，赶紧把他抬进厨房，让他靠在一把大椅子上躺下，他沉重地喘息了好几分钟。
Finally, with a shamefaced apology for his weakness, he rose once more.
最后，他为自己的虚弱感到羞愧地道了歉，再次站起身来。
“Watson would tell you that I have only just recovered from a severe illness,” he explained. “I am liable to these sudden nervous attacks.”
“华生会告诉你，我刚刚才从一场重病中痊愈，”他解释道，“我很容易突发这种神经性痉挛。”
“Shall I send you home in my trap?” asked old Cunningham.
“要不要我用我的轻便马车送你回家？”老坎宁安问道。
“Well, since I am here, there is one point on which I should like to feel sure. We can very easily verify it.”
“嗯，既然我已经来了，有一点我想确认一下。我们可以很容易地核实它。”
“What was it?”
“是什么？”
“Well, it seems to me that it is just possible that the arrival of this poor fellow William was not before, but after, the entrance of the burglar into the house. You appear to take it for granted that, although the door was forced, the robber never got in.”
“我觉得，这个可怜的威廉到达的时间很有可能不是在窃贼进屋之前，而是在之后。你们似乎想当然地认为，虽然门被撬开了，但盗贼并没有进去。”
“I fancy that is quite obvious,” said Mr. Cunningham, gravely. “Why, my son Alec had not yet gone to bed, and he would certainly have heard any one moving about.”
“我认为这是显而易见的，”坎宁安先生严肃地说，“要知道，我儿子亚历克还没睡，如果有人走动，他肯定会听见的。”
“Where was he sitting?”
“他当时坐在哪里？”
“I was smoking in my dressing-room.”
“我当时在更衣室里抽烟。”
“Which window is that?”
“那是哪扇窗户？”
“The last on the left next my father’s.”
“紧挨着我父亲房间左边的那一扇。”
“Both of your lamps were lit, of course?”
“你们两人的灯当然都亮着吧？”
“Undoubtedly.”
“毫无疑问。”
“There are some very singular points here,” said Holmes, smiling. “Is it not extraordinary that a burglar—and a burglar who had had some previous experience—should deliberately break into a house at a time when he could see from the lights that two of the family were still afoot?”
“这里有几个非常奇特的地方，”福尔摩斯笑着说，“一个窃贼——而且是个有经验的窃贼——竟然会在看到灯光表明家里还有两个人没睡的时候，蓄意闯入民宅，这难道不奇怪吗？”
“He must have been a cool hand.”
“他一定是个胆大妄为的家伙。”
“Well, of course, if the case were not an odd one we should not have been driven to ask you for an explanation,” said young Mr. Alec. “But as to your ideas that the man had robbed the house before William tackled him, I think it a most absurd notion. Wouldn’t we have found the place disarranged, and missed the things which he had taken?”
“当然，如果案子不古怪，我们也不会来请您解释了，”年轻的亚历克先生说，“至于您认为那人在威廉抓住他之前就已经抢劫了房子的想法，我觉得太荒谬了。难道我们不会发现屋子被翻乱，或者发现丢了东西吗？”
“It depends on what the things were,” said Holmes. “You must remember that we are dealing with a burglar who is a very peculiar fellow, and who appears to work on lines of his own. Look, for example, at the queer lot of things which he took from Acton’s—what was it?—a ball of string, a letter-weight, and I don’t know what other odds and ends.”
“这要看丢的是什么东西，”福尔摩斯说，“你必须记住，我们要对付的是一个非常古怪的窃贼，他似乎有自己的一套行事方式。比如，看看他从阿克顿家拿走的那些奇怪的东西——是什么来着？——一团线、一个镇纸，还有什么其他零碎玩意儿。”
“Well, we are quite in your hands, Mr. Holmes,” said old Cunningham. “Anything which you or the Inspector may suggest will most certainly be done.”
“好吧，我们全听您的，福尔摩斯先生，”老坎宁安说，“无论您还是巡官有什么建议，我们一定照办。”
“In the first place,” said Holmes, “I should like you to offer a reward—coming from yourself, for the officials may take a little time before they would agree upon the sum, and these things cannot be done too promptly. I have jotted down the form here, if you would not mind signing it. Fifty pounds was quite enough, I thought.”
“首先，”福尔摩斯说，“我希望您能悬赏——由您亲自出面，因为官方确定金额可能需要一些时间，而这类事越快越好。我在这里草拟了一份告示，如果您不介意签个字的话。我想五十英镑就足够了。”
“I would willingly give five hundred,” said the J.P., taking the slip of paper and the pencil which Holmes handed to him. “This is not quite correct, however,” he added, glancing over the document.
“我愿意出五百英镑，”这位治安法官说着，接过福尔摩斯递给他的纸条和铅笔，“不过，这上面写得不太对，”他扫了一眼文件补充道。
“I wrote it rather hurriedly.”
“我写得比较匆忙。”
“You see you begin, ‘Whereas, at about a quarter to one on Tuesday morning an attempt was made,’ and so on. It was at a quarter to twelve, as a matter of fact.”
“你看，你开头写的是‘鉴于周二凌晨一点四十五分左右发生了一起未遂案件’等等。事实上，时间是十二点四十五分。”
I was pained at the mistake, for I knew how keenly Holmes would feel any slip of the kind. It was his specialty to be accurate as to fact, but his recent illness had shaken him, and this one little incident was enough to show me that he was still far from being himself. He was obviously embarrassed for an instant, while the Inspector raised his eyebrows, and Alec Cunningham burst into a laugh. The old gentleman corrected the mistake, however, and handed the paper back to Holmes.
这个错误让我很难过，因为我知道福尔摩斯对这类差错是多么敏感。准确无误是他的专长，但最近的大病动摇了他的状态，这件小事足以向我表明他还远未恢复正常。他显然尴尬了一瞬间，巡官扬起了眉毛，亚历克·坎宁安则放声大笑。不过，老先生改正了错误，把纸条递还给福尔摩斯。
“Get it printed as soon as possible,” he said; “I think your idea is an excellent one.”
“尽快把它印出来，”他说，“我觉得你的主意好极了。”
Holmes put the slip of paper carefully away into his pocket-book.
福尔摩斯小心翼翼地把纸条收进笔记本里。
“And now,” said he, “it really would be a good thing that we should all go over the house together and make certain that this rather erratic burglar did not, after all, carry anything away with him.”
“现在，”他说，“我们最好一起去检查一遍房子，确认这个行踪诡秘的窃贼终究没有带走任何东西。”
Before entering, Holmes made an examination of the door which had been forced. It was evident that a chisel or strong knife had been thrust in, and the lock forced back with it. We could see the marks in the wood where it had been pushed in.
进屋前，福尔摩斯检查了被撬的门。很明显，有人插入了凿子或锋利的刀，并用它顶回了门锁。我们可以看到木头上被撬压的痕迹。
“You don’t use bars, then?” he asked.
“你们不用门闩吗？”他问。
“We have never found it necessary.”
“我们从来没觉得有必要。”
“You don’t keep a dog?”
“你们没养狗吗？”
“Yes, but he is chained on the other side of the house.”
“养了，但它被拴在房子的另一头。”
“When do the servants go to bed?”
“仆人们什么时候睡觉？”
“About ten.”
“大约十点。”
“I understand that William was usually in bed also at that hour.”
“据我所知，威廉通常也在那个时候上床睡觉。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“It is singular that on this particular night he should have been up. Now, I should be very glad if you would have the kindness to show us over the house, Mr. Cunningham.”
“偏偏在这个晚上他没睡，真是奇怪。现在，坎宁安先生，如果您能好心带我们参观一下房子，我将不胜感激。”
A stone-flagged passage, with the kitchens branching away from it, led by a wooden staircase directly to the first floor of the house. It came out upon the landing opposite to a second more ornamental stair which came up from the front hall. Out of this landing opened the drawing-room and several bedrooms, including those of Mr. Cunningham and his son. Holmes walked slowly, taking keen note of the architecture of the house. I could tell from his expression that he was on a hot scent, and yet I could not in the least imagine in what direction his inferences were leading him.
一条铺着石板的走廊通向厨房，旁边有一座木楼梯直通二楼。楼梯口正对着从前厅上来的另一座更精致的楼梯。从这个平台可以进入客厅和几间卧室，包括坎宁安先生和他儿子的房间。福尔摩斯走得很慢，敏锐地观察着房屋的结构。从他的表情我可以看出他已经发现了重要线索，但我完全想象不出他的推理正引向何方。
“My good sir,” said Mr. Cunningham with some impatience, “this is surely very unnecessary. That is my room at the end of the stairs, and my son’s is the one beyond it. I leave it to your judgment whether it was possible for the thief to have come up here without disturbing us.”
“我说先生，”坎宁安先生有些不耐烦地说，“这实在没必要。楼梯尽头是我的房间，再过去是我儿子的房间。你自己判断一下，小偷怎么可能上来而不惊动我们。”
“You must try round and get on a fresh scent, I fancy,” said the son with a rather malicious smile.
“我看你得换个思路重新找线索了，”儿子带着几分恶意的微笑说道。
“Still, I must ask you to humour me a little further. I should like, for example, to see how far the windows of the bedrooms command the front. This, I understand is your son’s room”—he pushed open the door—“and that, I presume, is the dressing-room in which he sat smoking when the alarm was given. Where does the window of that look out to?” He stepped across the bedroom, pushed open the door, and glanced round the other chamber.
“不过，我还是得请你们再迁就我一下。比如，我想看看卧室的窗户能在多大程度上俯瞰前方。如果我没弄错，这是你儿子的房间”——他推开门——“而那间，我想就是警报响起时他坐着抽烟的更衣室。那扇窗户朝哪儿开？”他穿过卧室，推开门，环顾了一下另一个房间。
“I hope that you are satisfied now?” said Mr. Cunningham, tartly.
“现在你满意了吧？”坎宁安先生刻薄地说。
“Thank you, I think I have seen all that I wished.”
“谢谢，我想我已经看到了所有想看的东西。”
“Then if it is really necessary we can go into my room.”
“那么，如果真有必要的话，我们可以去我的房间。”
“If it is not too much trouble.”
“如果不算太麻烦的话。”
The J.P. shrugged his shoulders, and led the way into his own chamber, which was a plainly furnished and commonplace room. As we moved across it in the direction of the window, Holmes fell back until he and I were the last of the group. Near the foot of the bed stood a dish of oranges and a carafe of water. As we passed it Holmes, to my unutterable astonishment, leaned over in front of me and deliberately knocked the whole thing over. The glass smashed into a thousand pieces and the fruit rolled about into every corner of the room.
治安法官耸了耸肩，带头走进他自己的卧室，那是一个陈设简单、平平无奇的房间。当我们朝窗户方向穿过房间时，福尔摩斯落到后面，直到我和他成了队伍的最后两人。床脚边放着一盘橙子和一瓶水。当我们经过时，令我难以置信的是，福尔摩斯在我前面探身过去，故意把整样东西都打翻了。玻璃杯摔得粉碎，橙子滚到了房间的各个角落。
“You’ve done it now, Watson,” said he, coolly. “A pretty mess you’ve made of the carpet.”
“瞧你干的好事，华生，”他冷静地说，“你把地毯弄得一团糟。”
I stooped in some confusion and began to pick up the fruit, understanding for some reason my companion desired me to take the blame upon myself. The others did the same, and set the table on its legs again.
我有些慌乱地弯下腰开始捡水果，不知为何明白了同伴希望我来承担这个过失。其他人也跟着捡了起来，并把桌子重新扶正。
“Halloa!” cried the Inspector, “where’s he got to?”
“喂！”巡官喊道，“他跑哪儿去了？”
Holmes had disappeared.
福尔摩斯不见了。
“Wait here an instant,” said young Alec Cunningham. “The fellow is off his head, in my opinion. Come with me, father, and see where he has got to!”
“在这儿等一会儿，”年轻的亚历克·坎宁安说，“依我看，这家伙脑子不正常。跟我来，父亲，去看看他跑到哪儿去了！”
They rushed out of the room, leaving the Inspector, the Colonel, and me staring at each other.
他们冲出了房间，留下巡官、上校和我面面相觑。
“’Pon my word, I am inclined to agree with Master Alec,” said the official. “It may be the effect of this illness, but it seems to me that—”
“老实说，我倾向于同意亚历克少爷的看法，”这位警官说，“这可能是疾病的影响，但在我看来——”
His words were cut short by a sudden scream of “Help! Help! Murder!” With a thrill I recognised the voice of that of my friend. I rushed madly from the room on to the landing. The cries, which had sunk down into a hoarse, inarticulate shouting, came from the room which we had first visited. I dashed in, and on into the dressing-room beyond. The two Cunninghams were bending over the prostrate figure of Sherlock Holmes, the younger clutching his throat with both hands, while the elder seemed to be twisting one of his wrists. In an instant the three of us had torn them away from him, and Holmes staggered to his feet, very pale and evidently greatly exhausted.
他的话被一声突如其来的“救命！救命！杀人啦！”的尖叫打断了。我心头一震，听出那是我朋友的声音。我疯狂地从房间冲到平台上。那已经变成嘶哑、含糊喊叫的声音来自我们最初参观的那个房间。我猛冲进去，又冲进里面的更衣室。两个坎宁安正俯身压在倒在地上的夏洛克·福尔摩斯身上，年轻的用双手死死掐住他的喉咙，年长的似乎在扭他的手腕。刹那间，我们三人把他们从他身上拉开，福尔摩斯摇摇晃晃地站了起来，脸色苍白，显然精疲力竭。
“Arrest these men, Inspector!” he gasped.
“逮捕这两个人，巡官！”他喘着气说。
“On what charge?”
“以什么罪名？”
“That of murdering their coachman, William Kirwan!”
“谋杀他们的马车夫威廉·柯万！”
The Inspector stared about him in bewilderment. “Oh, come now, Mr. Holmes,” said he at last, “I’m sure you don’t really mean to—”
巡官茫然地环顾四周。“哦，得了吧，福尔摩斯先生，”他终于说道，“我相信你不是真的要——”
“Tut, man, look at their faces!” cried Holmes, curtly.
“啧，老兄，看看他们的脸！”福尔摩斯厉声喝道。
Never, certainly, have I seen a plainer confession of guilt upon human countenances. The older man seemed numbed and dazed with a heavy, sullen expression upon his strongly-marked face. The son, on the other hand, had dropped all that jaunty, dashing style which had characterized him, and the ferocity of a dangerous wild beast gleamed in his dark eyes and distorted his handsome features. The Inspector said nothing, but, stepping to the door, he blew his whistle. Two of his constables came at the call.
的确，我从未在人的面孔上见过如此明显的罪责流露。老人似乎麻木呆滞，轮廓分明的脸上带着沉重阴郁的神情。另一方面，儿子已全无往日那种潇洒倜傥的风度，危险的野兽般的凶光在他黑色的眼睛里闪烁，扭曲了他英俊的面容。巡官一言不发，走到门口吹响了哨子。两名警员应声赶来。
“I have no alternative, Mr. Cunningham,” said he. “I trust that this may all prove to be an absurd mistake, but you can see that—Ah, would you? Drop it!” He struck out with his hand, and a revolver which the younger man was in the act of cocking clattered down upon the floor.
“我别无选择，坎宁安先生，”他说，“我希望这一切最终证明是一场荒唐的误会，但你也看到了——啊，你想干什么？放下！”他猛地挥手一击，年轻人正准备扳起击锤的左轮手枪哐当一声掉在了地板上。
“Keep that,” said Holmes, quietly putting his foot upon it; “you will find it useful at the trial. But this is what we really wanted.” He held up a little crumpled piece of paper.
“留着那个，”福尔摩斯平静地用脚踩住手枪说，“审判时你会用得着的。但这才是我们真正想要的。”他举起一小团皱巴巴的纸片。
“The remainder of the sheet!” cried the Inspector.
“那张纸的剩余部分！”巡官叫道。
“Precisely.”
“正是。”
“And where was it?”
“它在哪儿？”
“Where I was sure it must be. I’ll make the whole matter clear to you presently. I think, Colonel, that you and Watson might return now, and I will be with you again in an hour at the furthest. The Inspector and I must have a word with the prisoners, but you will certainly see me back at luncheon time.”
“在我确信它一定在的地方。我很快就会把整件事给你们讲清楚。上校，我想你和沃森现在可以先回去，我最多一小时后就去找你们。我和巡官必须跟囚犯谈谈，但午饭时你们肯定能见到我回来。”
Sherlock Holmes was as good as his word, for about one o’clock he rejoined us in the Colonel’s smoking-room. He was accompanied by a little elderly gentleman, who was introduced to me as the Mr. Acton whose house had been the scene of the original burglary.
夏洛克·福尔摩斯信守诺言，大约一点钟时，他在上校的吸烟室里与我们会合了。他身边跟着一位矮小的老先生，经介绍得知他就是阿克顿先生，也就是最初发生入室盗窃案的那栋房子的主人。
“I wished Mr. Acton to be present while I demonstrated this small matter to you,” said Holmes, “for it is natural that he should take a keen interest in the details. I am afraid, my dear Colonel, that you must regret the hour that you took in such a stormy petrel as I am.”
“我希望在向你们演示这件小事时阿克顿先生也在场，”福尔摩斯说，“因为他自然会对细节深感兴趣。恐怕，亲爱的上校，你一定后悔招惹了我这样一个惹是生非的人。”
“On the contrary,” answered the Colonel, warmly, “I consider it the greatest privilege to have been permitted to study your methods of working. I confess that they quite surpass my expectations, and that I am utterly unable to account for your result. I have not yet seen the vestige of a clue.”
“恰恰相反，”上校热情地回答，“能被允许研究你的工作方法，我认为这是莫大的荣幸。我承认它们完全超出了我的预期，我也完全无法解释你是如何得出结果的。我至今连一丝线索都没看出来。”
“I am afraid that my explanation may disillusionize you but it has always been my habit to hide none of my methods, either from my friend Watson or from any one who might take an intelligent interest in them. But, first, as I am rather shaken by the knocking about which I had in the dressing-room, I think that I shall help myself to a dash of your brandy, Colonel. My strength has been rather tried of late.”
“恐怕我的解释会让你失望，但我向来习惯不对我的朋友华生或任何对此有理智兴趣的人隐瞒我的方法。不过首先，由于我在更衣室里遭受了一番折腾，身体还有些虚弱，上校，我想我得给自己倒点你的白兰地。最近我的体力确实透支得厉害。”
“I trust that you had no more of those nervous attacks.”
“希望你没再犯那种神经性痉挛。”
Sherlock Holmes laughed heartily. “We will come to that in its turn,” said he. “I will lay an account of the case before you in its due order, showing you the various points which guided me in my decision. Pray interrupt me if there is any inference which is not perfectly clear to you.”
夏洛克·福尔摩斯开怀大笑。“我们会按顺序谈到那个的，”他说，“我将有条理地向你们陈述案情，展示引导我做出判断的各个要点。如果有任何推理你们觉得不够清楚，请务必打断我。”
“It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognise, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated. Now, in this case there was not the slightest doubt in my mind from the first that the key of the whole matter must be looked for in the scrap of paper in the dead man’s hand.”
“在侦查艺术中，最重要的是能够从众多事实中分辨出哪些是偶然的，哪些是关键的。否则你的精力和注意力就会分散而非集中。在这个案子中，我从一开始就毫不怀疑，整个事件的关键一定藏在死者手中的那张碎纸片里。”
“Before going into this, I would draw your attention to the fact that, if Alec Cunningham’s narrative was correct, and if the assailant, after shooting William Kirwan, had instantly fled, then it obviously could not be he who tore the paper from the dead man’s hand. But if it was not he, it must have been Alec Cunningham himself, for by the time that the old man had descended several servants were upon the scene. The point is a simple one, but the Inspector had overlooked it because he had started with the supposition that these county magnates had had nothing to do with the matter. Now, I make a point of never having any prejudices, and of following docilely wherever fact may lead me, and so, in the very first stage of the investigation, I found myself looking a little askance at the part which had been played by Mr. Alec Cunningham.”
“在深入探讨这一点之前，我想提请你们注意一个事实：如果亚历克·坎宁安的叙述是正确的，如果袭击者在枪杀威廉·柯万后立即逃跑，那么显然不可能是他从死者手中撕走了那张纸。但如果不是他，那就一定是亚历克·坎宁安本人，因为在老人下楼时，几名仆人已经赶到了现场。这一点很简单，但巡官忽略了它，因为他一开始就假定这些乡绅与此事无关。而我坚持不带任何偏见，温顺地追随事实的指引，因此，在调查的最初阶段，我就对亚历克·坎宁安先生所扮演的角色产生了怀疑。”
“And now I made a very careful examination of the corner of paper which the Inspector had submitted to us. It was at once clear to me that it formed part of a very remarkable document. Here it is. Do you not now observe something very suggestive about it?”
“接着我对巡官提交给我们的那张纸角进行了非常仔细的检查。我立刻清楚地意识到这是一份非常独特的文件的一部分。就在这里。你们现在难道没发现其中有什么极具启发性的地方吗？”
“It has a very irregular look,” said the Colonel.
“它看起来很不规则，”上校说。
“My dear sir,” cried Holmes, “there cannot be the least doubt in the world that it has been written by two persons doing alternate words. When I draw your attention to the strong t’s of ‘at’ and ‘to’, and ask you to compare them with the weak ones of ‘quarter’ and ‘twelve,’ you will instantly recognise the fact. A very brief analysis of these four words would enable you to say with the utmost confidence that the ‘learn’ and the ‘maybe’ are written in the stronger hand, and the ‘what’ in the weaker.”
“亲爱的先生，”福尔摩斯叫道，“毫无疑问，这是由两个人交替书写单词完成的。当我让你们注意‘at’和‘to’中有力的‘t’，并请你们将其与‘quarter’和‘twelve’中无力的‘t’进行比较时，你们立刻就能认出这一事实。对这四个词进行极简短的分析，你就能极有把握地说‘learn’和‘maybe’是用较有力的笔迹写的，而‘what’则是用较弱的笔迹写的。”
“By Jove, it’s as clear as day!” cried the Colonel. “Why on earth should two men write a letter in such a fashion?”
“天哪，这简直一目了然！”上校叫道，“两个人到底为什么要这样写信？”
“Obviously the business was a bad one, and one of the men who distrusted the other was determined that, whatever was done, each should have an equal hand in it. Now, of the two men, it is clear that the one who wrote the ‘at’ and ‘to’ was the ringleader.”
“显然这是一桩见不得人的勾当，其中一个不信任另一个的人决心无论做什么，每人都要平等参与。在这两人中，很明显写‘at’和‘to’的那个人是主谋。”
“How do you get at that?”
“你怎么得出的结论？”
“We might deduce it from the mere character of the one hand as compared with the other. But we have more assured reasons than that for supposing it. If you examine this scrap with attention you will come to the conclusion that the man with the stronger hand wrote all his words first, leaving blanks for the other to fill up. These blanks were not always sufficient, and you can see that the second man had a squeeze to fit his ‘quarter’ in between the ‘at’ and the ‘to,’ showing that the latter were already written. The man who wrote all his words first is undoubtedly the man who planned the affair.”
“仅凭两种笔迹的特征对比我们就可以推断出来。但我们还有比这更确凿的理由。如果你仔细观察这张碎纸，你就会得出结论：笔迹有力的人先写下了他所有的词，留出空白让另一个人填写。这些空白并不总是足够宽裕，你可以看到第二个人不得不挤着把他的‘quarter’塞进‘at’和‘to’之间，这说明后者已经写好了。先写下所有词的人无疑是策划这件事的人。”
“Excellent!” cried Mr. Acton.
“精彩！”阿克顿先生叫道。
“But very superficial,” said Holmes. “We come now, however, to a point which is of importance. You may not be aware that the deduction of a man’s age from his writing is one which has been brought to considerable accuracy by experts. In normal cases one can place a man in his true decade with tolerable confidence. I say normal cases, because ill-health and physical weakness reproduce the signs of old age, even when the invalid is a youth. In this case, looking at the bold, strong hand of the one, and the rather broken-backed appearance of the other, which still retains its legibility although the t’s have begun to lose their crossing, we can say that the one was a young man and the other was advanced in years without being positively decrepit.”
“但这只是非常表面的，”福尔摩斯说，“然而我们现在要谈到一个重要的问题。你们可能不知道，专家通过笔迹推断年龄已经达到了相当准确的程度。在正常情况下，人们可以有相当的把握将一个人归入其真实的年龄段。我说正常情况，是因为疾病和身体虚弱会重现衰老的迹象，即使病人是个年轻人。在这个案例中，看着其中一人粗大有力的笔迹，以及另一人略显佝偻的字形——尽管‘t’的横线已开始消失但仍清晰可辨——我们可以断定一个是年轻人，另一个虽年事已高但并未老态龙钟。”
“Excellent!” cried Mr. Acton again.
“精彩！”阿克顿先生再次叫道。
“There is a further point, however, which is subtler and of greater interest. There is something in common between these hands. They belong to men who are blood-relatives. It may be most obvious to you in the Greek e’s, but to me there are many small points which indicate the same thing. I have no doubt at all that a family mannerism can be traced in these two specimens of writing. I am only, of course, giving you the leading results now of my examination of the paper. There were twenty-three other deductions which would be of more interest to experts than to you. They all tend to deepen the impression upon my mind that the Cunninghams, father and son, had written this letter.”
“然而还有一个更微妙、也更有趣的要点。这两种笔迹有共同之处。它们属于有血缘关系的亲属。这对你们来说可能在希腊字母‘e’上最为明显，但对我而言还有许多细微之处表明了同样的事实。我确信无疑能从这两份笔迹样本中追踪到家族习惯。当然，我现在只是告诉你们我对这张纸检查的主要结果。还有其他二十三个推论可能对专家比对你们更有吸引力。它们都加深了我心中的印象：这封信是坎宁安父子写的。”
“Having got so far, my next step was, of course, to examine into the details of the crime, and to see how far they would help us. I went up to the house with the Inspector, and saw all that was to be seen. The wound upon the dead man was, as I was able to determine with absolute confidence, fired from a revolver at the distance of something over four yards. There was no powder-blackening on the clothes. Evidently, therefore, Alec Cunningham had lied when he said that the two men were struggling when the shot was fired. Again, both father and son agreed as to the place where the man escaped into the road. At that point, however, as it happens, there is a broadish ditch, moist at the bottom. As there were no indications of bootmarks about this ditch, I was absolutely sure not only that the Cunninghams had again lied, but that there had never been any unknown man upon the scene at all.”
“分析到这里，我的下一步自然是检查犯罪细节，看看它们能在多大程度上帮助我们。我和巡官一起去了那座房子，查看了所有该看的地方。死者身上的伤口，我可以绝对自信地断定，是在四码多的距离外用手枪射击造成的。衣服上没有火药熏黑的痕迹。因此显而易见，亚历克·坎宁安说开枪时两人正在搏斗是在撒谎。此外，父子俩对那人逃到大路上的地点说法一致。然而在那个位置，碰巧有一条较宽的沟渠，底部潮湿。由于沟渠周围没有任何靴印迹象，我不仅绝对确信坎宁安父子再次撒了谎，而且确信现场根本从未出现过任何陌生人。”
“And now I have to consider the motive of this singular crime. To get at this, I endeavoured first of all to solve the reason of the original burglary at Mr. Acton’s. I understood, from something which the Colonel told us, that a lawsuit had been going on between you, Mr. Acton, and the Cunninghams. Of course, it instantly occurred to me that they had broken into your library with the intention of getting at some document which might be of importance in the case.”
“现在我必须考虑这起奇特犯罪的动机。为了弄清这一点，我首先试图解开阿克顿先生家最初发生入室盗窃的原因。从上校告诉我们的事情中我了解到，阿克顿先生和坎宁安家之间正在进行一场诉讼。当然，我立刻想到他们闯入书房是为了获取可能对案件至关重要的某份文件。”
“Precisely so,” said Mr. Acton. “There can be no possible doubt as to their intentions. I have the clearest claim upon half of their present estate, and if they could have found a single paper—which, fortunately, was in the strong-box of my solicitors—they would undoubtedly have crippled our case.”
“正是如此，”阿克顿先生说，“他们的意图毋庸置疑。我对他们现有的一半产业拥有最明确的所有权主张，如果他们能找到哪怕一张纸——幸运的是它锁在我律师的保险箱里——他们无疑就会让我们的官司陷入瘫痪。”
“There you are,” said Holmes, smiling. “It was a dangerous, reckless attempt, in which I seem to trace the influence of young Alec. Having found nothing they tried to divert suspicion by making it appear to be an ordinary burglary, to which end they carried off whatever they could lay their hands upon. That is all clear enough, but there was much that was still obscure. What I wanted above all was to get the missing part of that note. I was certain that Alec had torn it out of the dead man’s hand, and almost certain that he must have thrust it into the pocket of his dressing-gown. Where else could he have put it? The only question was whether it was still there. It was worth an effort to find out, and for that object we all went up to the house.”
“这就对了，”福尔摩斯微笑着说，“这是一次危险而鲁莽的尝试，我似乎从中看出了年轻亚历克的影响。一无所获后，他们试图通过制造普通入室盗窃的假象来转移嫌疑，为此他们拿走了所有能顺手牵羊的东西。这一切都很清楚了，但仍有许多不明之处。我最想要的是找到那张便条缺失的部分。我确信是亚历克把它从死者手中撕走的，也几乎确信他一定把它塞进了晨衣口袋里。他还能把它放在哪儿呢？唯一的问题是它是否还在那里。这值得一试，为此我们都去了那座房子。”
“The Cunninghams joined us, as you doubttless remember, outside the kitchen door. It was, of course, of the very first importance that they should not be reminded of the existence of this paper, otherwise they would naturally destroy it without delay. The Inspector was about to tell them the importance which we attached to it when, by the luckiest chance in the world, I tumbled down in a sort of fit and so changed the conversation.”
“你们一定还记得，坎宁安父子在厨房门外加入了我们。当然，最重要的是不能让他们想起这张纸的存在，否则他们自然会毫不犹豫地销毁它。巡官正要告诉他们我们对这张纸的重视程度时，靠着世上最幸运的巧合，我突然像发病一样摔倒在地，从而转移了话题。”
“Good heavens!” cried the Colonel, laughing, “do you mean to say all our sympathy was wasted and your fit an imposture?”
“天哪！”上校笑着叫道，“你是说我们的同情全都白费了，你的发作全是装的？”
“Speaking professionally, it was admirably done,” cried I, looking in amazement at this man who was forever confounding me with some new phase of his astuteness.
“从专业角度来说，演得真是妙极了，”我惊叹地看着这个总能以新的机智手段令我惊讶的人喊道。
“It is an art which is often useful,” said he. “When I recovered I managed, by a device which had perhaps some little merit of ingenuity, to get old Cunningham to write the word ‘twelve,’ so that I might compare it with the ‘twelve’ upon the paper.”
“这是一种常常有用的技巧，”他说，“当我苏醒过来后，我设法用一个或许还算巧妙的小计策，让老坎宁安写下了‘twelve’这个词，以便我能将它与纸上的‘twelve’进行比对。”
“Oh, what an ass I have been!” I exclaimed.
“噢，我真是个蠢货！”我惊呼道。
“I could see that you were commiserating me over my weakness,” said Holmes, laughing. “I was sorry to cause you the sympathetic pain which I know that you felt. We then went upstairs together, and having entered the room and seen the dressing-gown hanging up behind the door, I contrived, by upsetting a table, to engage their attention for the moment, and slipped back to examine the pockets. I had hardly got the paper, however—which was, as I had expected, in one of them—when the two Cunninghams were on me, and would, I verily believe, have murdered me then and there but for your prompt and friendly aid. As it is, I feel that young man’s grip on my throat now, and the father has twisted my wrist round in the effort to get the paper out of my hand. They saw that I must know all about it, you see, and the sudden change from absolute security to complete despair made them perfectly desperate.”
“我能看出你在为我的虚弱而感到难过，”福尔摩斯笑着说，“很抱歉让你感受到了我知道你所感到的那种同情的痛苦。然后我们一起上楼，进入房间后看到晨衣挂在门后，我便故意打翻一张桌子来暂时吸引他们的注意，然后溜回去搜查口袋。然而我刚拿到那张纸——正如我所料，它就在其中一个口袋里——两个坎宁安就扑了上来，如果不是你们及时友好的援助，我真的相信他们会当场把我杀掉。即便如此，我现在还能感觉到那个年轻人掐住我喉咙的力度，而父亲为了从我手中夺走那张纸也扭伤了我的手腕。你看，他们意识到我一定知道了一切，从绝对安全到彻底绝望的突然转变使他们变得穷凶极恶。”
“I had a little talk with old Cunningham afterwards as to the motive of the crime. He was tractable enough, though his son was a perfect demon, ready to blow out his own or anybody else’s brains if he could have got to his revolver. When Cunningham saw that the case against him was so strong he lost all heart and made a clean breast of everything. It seems that William had secretly followed his two masters on the night when they made their raid upon Mr. Acton’s, and having thus got them into his power, proceeded, under threats of exposure, to levy blackmail upon them. Mr. Alec, however, was a dangerous man to play games of that sort with. It was a stroke of positive genius on his part to see in the burglary scare which was convulsing the country side an opportunity of plausibly getting rid of the man whom he feared. William was decoyed up and shot, and had they only got the whole of the note and paid a little more attention to detail in the accessories, it is very possible that suspicion might never have been aroused.”
“事后我与老坎宁安谈了谈犯罪动机。他还算顺从，尽管他儿子简直是个恶魔，如果能拿到左轮手枪，随时准备轰掉自己或任何人的脑袋。当坎宁安看到针对他的证据如此确凿时，便彻底泄了气，坦白了一切。原来在他们突袭阿克顿先生家的那个晚上，威廉偷偷跟踪了他的两位主人，借此抓住了他们的把柄，并以揭发相威胁对他们进行敲诈。然而，亚历克先生可不是能玩这种游戏的安全对象。他真是个天才，竟能从席卷乡村的入室盗窃恐慌中看到机会，名正言顺地除掉他所惧怕的人。威廉被诱骗出来并遭到枪杀，如果他们拿到了完整的便条并在附属细节上多加注意，很可能永远不会引起怀疑。”
“And the note?” I asked.
“那张便条呢？”我问。
Sherlock Holmes placed the subjoined paper before us.
夏洛克·福尔摩斯把下面这张纸放在我们面前。
If you will only come round at quarter to twelve to the east gate you will learn what will very much surprise you and maybe be of the greatest service to you and also to Annie Morrison. But say nothing to anyone upon the matter
如果你能在十二点四十五分到东门来，你将得知一件会让你大吃一惊的事，也许这对你以及安妮·莫里森都有极大的帮助。但对此事不要向任何人透露。
“It is very much the sort of thing that I expected,” said he. “Of course, we do not yet know what the relations may have been between Alec Cunningham, William Kirwan, and Annie Morrison. The results shows that the trap was skillfully baited. I am sure that you cannot fail to be delighted with the traces of heredity shown in the p’s and in the tails of the g’s. The absence of the i-dots in the old man’s writing is also most characteristic. Watson, I think our quiet rest in the country has been a distinct success, and I shall certainly return much invigorated to Baker Street to-morrow.”
“这完全在我意料之中，”他说，“当然，我们还不知道亚历克·坎宁安、威廉·柯万和安妮·莫里森之间究竟是什么关系。结果表明这个陷阱布置得非常巧妙。我相信你们一定会对‘p’和‘g’尾端所显示的遗传特征感到欣喜。老人书写中‘i’上不加点也是最具特征的。华生，我想我们在乡下的这次静养取得了显著的成功，明天回到贝克街时我一定会精神焕发。”
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