3.The Yellow Face 黄面人
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / 福尔摩斯回忆录
《福尔摩斯回忆录》
In publishing these short sketches based upon the numerous cases in which my companion’s singular gifts have made us the listeners to, and eventually the actors in, some strange drama, it is only natural that I should dwell rather upon his successes than upon his failures.
在发表这些基于众多案件写成的短篇故事时——在这些案件中，我同伴非凡的才能使我们从旁观者变成了参与者，经历了一幕幕离奇的戏剧——我自然应该多描写他的成功，而非失败。
And this not so much for the sake of his reputation—for, indeed, it was when he was at his wits’ end that his energy and his versatility were most admirable—but because where he failed it happened too often that no one else succeeded, and that the tale was left forever without a conclusion.
这倒不是为了维护他的名声——因为事实上，当他一筹莫展时，他的精力和多才多艺反而最令人钦佩——而是因为在他失败的案件中，往往也没有其他人能够成功，导致故事永远没有结局。
Now and again, however, it chanced that even when he erred, the truth was still discovered.
然而，偶尔也会出现这种情况：即使他判断失误，真相依然大白。
I have noted of some half-dozen cases of the kind, of which the Affair of the Second Stain and that which I am now about to recount are the two which present the strongest features of interest.
我记录了大约半打这类案件，其中“第二块血迹案”和我现在即将讲述的这个案子，是最具趣味性的两个案例。
Sherlock Holmes was a man who seldom took exercise for exercise’s sake.
夏洛克·福尔摩斯很少为了锻炼而锻炼。
Few men were capable of greater muscular effort, and he was undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of his weight that I have ever seen; but he looked upon aimless bodily exertion as a waste of energy, and he seldom bestirred himself save when there was some professional object to be served.
很少有人能比他付出更大的体力消耗，他也无疑是我见过的同量级中最优秀的拳击手之一；但他认为漫无目的的体力消耗是浪费精力，除非有职业上的目的，否则他很少活动身体。
Then he was absolutely untiring and indefatigable.
但在那种时候，他绝对不知疲倦，精力无穷。
That he should have kept himself in training under such circumstances is remarkable, but his diet was usually of the sparest, and his habits were simple to the verge of austerity.
在这种情况下他还能保持训练状态实属难得，但他的饮食通常极其简单，生活习惯也简朴到了近乎苦行的地步。
Save for the occasional use of cocaine, he had no vices, and he only turned to the drug as a protest against the monotony of existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.
除了偶尔使用可卡因外，他没有任何恶习，而且只有在案件稀少、报纸乏味时，他才会借助药物来抗议生活的单调。
One day in early spring he had so far relaxed as to go for a walk with me in the Park, where the first faint shoots of green were breaking out upon the elms, and the sticky spear-heads of the chestnuts were just beginning to burst into their five-fold leaves.
早春的一天，他难得放松下来，和我一起去公园散步，那时榆树上刚冒出嫩绿的新芽，栗树黏糊糊的矛状花蕾也正开始绽开五瓣新叶。
For two hours we rambled about together, in silence for the most part, as befits two men who know each other intimately.
我们一起漫步了两个小时，大部分时间都沉默不语，这对于两个彼此深知的人来说是很自然的。
It was nearly five before we were back in Baker Street once more.
当我们回到贝克街时，已经快五点了。
“Beg pardon, sir,” said our page-boy, as he opened the door. “There’s been a gentleman here asking for you, sir.”
“抱歉，先生，”我们的小听差开门时说，“刚才有位绅士来找您，先生。”
Holmes glanced reproachfully at me. “So much for afternoon walks!” said he. “Has this gentleman gone, then?”
福尔摩斯责备地看了我一眼。“这就是下午散步的下场！”他说，“那位绅士走了吗？”
“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“Didn’t you ask him in?”
“你没请他进来吗？”
“Yes, sir; he came in.”
“请了，先生；他进来了。”
“How long did he wait?”
“他等了多久？”
“Half an hour, sir. He was a very restless gentleman, sir, a-walkin’ and a-stampin’ all the time he was here. I was waitin’ outside the door, sir, and I could hear him. At last he outs into the passage, and he cries, ‘Is that man never goin’ to come?’ Those were his very words, sir. ‘You’ll only need to wait a little longer,’ says I. ‘Then I’ll wait in the open air, for I feel half choked,’ says he. ‘I’ll be back before long.’ And with that he ups and he outs, and all I could say would n’t hold him back.”
“半小时，先生。他非常焦躁不安，先生，在这里的时候一直在走来走去、跺脚。我就在门外候着，先生，听得清清楚楚。最后他冲到走廊里喊道：‘那个人到底还回不回来？’他就是这么说的，先生。我说：‘您只需要再等一小会儿。’他说：‘那我到外面去等吧，我觉得快要窒息了。’‘我很快就回来。’说完他就起身出去了，我怎么劝也拦不住。”
“Well, well, you did your best,” said Holmes, as we walked into our room. “It’s very annoying, though, Watson. I was badly in need of a case, and this looks, from the man’s impatience, as if it were of importance. Hal loa! That’s not your pipe on the table. He must have left his behind him. A nice old briar with a good long stem of what the tobacconists call amber. I wonder how many real amber mouthpieces there are in London. Some people think that a fly in it is a sign. Well, he must have been disturbed in his mind to leave a pipe behind him which he evidently values highly.”
“好吧，好吧，你已经尽力了，”我们走进房间时福尔摩斯说道，“不过这真让人恼火，华生。我正急需一个案子，从那个人的急躁程度来看，这个案子似乎很重要。咦！桌上那不是你的烟斗。一定是他落下的。这是一只不错的旧石楠木烟斗，配着一根烟草商称之为琥珀的好长嘴。我不知道伦敦有多少真正的琥珀烟嘴。有些人认为里面有苍蝇是个标志。嗯，他一定是心烦意乱，才会把这只显然十分珍视的烟斗落下。”
“How do you know that he values it highly?” I asked.
“你怎么知道他十分珍视它呢？”我问。
“Well, I should put the original cost of the pipe at seven and sixpence. Now it has, you see, been twice mended, once in the wooden stem and once in the amber. Each of these mends, done, as you observe, with silver bands, must have cost more than the pipe did originally. The man must value the pipe highly when he prefers to patch it up rather than buy a new one with the same money.”
“嗯，我估计这只烟斗的原价大约是七先令六便士。你看，它已经被修补过两次了，一次在木杆上，一次在琥珀嘴上。正如你所见，每次修补都用银箍加固，费用肯定比烟斗原价还高。这个人宁愿花钱修补也不愿用同样的钱买只新的，可见他对这只烟斗珍爱有加。”
“Anything else?” I asked, for Holmes was turning the pipe about in his hand, and staring at it in his peculiar pensive way.
“还有别的吗？”我问，因为福尔摩斯正把烟斗在手里翻来覆去，用他那特有的沉思神态盯着它看。
He held it up and tapped on it with his long, thin fore-finger, as a professor might who was lecturing on a bone.
他举起烟斗，用细长的食指敲了敲，就像一位教授在讲解骨骼标本一样。
“Pipes are occasionally of extraordinary interest,” said he. “Nothing has more individuality, save perhaps watches and bootlaces. The indications here, however, are neither very marked nor very important. The owner is obviously a muscular man, left-handed, with an excellent set of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need to practise economy.”
“烟斗有时能提供极其有趣的信息，”他说，“除了手表和靴带之外，没有什么比烟斗更能体现个人特征了。不过，这里的迹象既不明显也不重要。主人显然是个肌肉发达的人，左撇子，牙齿很好，生活习惯粗心大意，而且经济宽裕。”
My friend threw out the information in a very offhand way, but I saw that he cocked his eye at me to see if I had followed his reasoning.
我的朋友随口抛出了这些信息，但我看到他斜眼看了看我，想看我是否跟上了他的推理思路。
“You think a man must be well-to-do if he smokes a seven-shilling pipe,” said I.
“你认为抽七先令烟斗的人一定很富裕，”我说。
“This is Grosvenor mixture at eightpence an ounce,” Holmes answered, knocking a little out on his palm. “As he might get an excellent smoke for half the price, he has no need to practise economy.”
“这是格罗夫纳混合烟草，每盎司八便士，”福尔摩斯回答，往手掌上磕出一点烟丝，“他本可以花一半的钱买到极好的烟草，所以他没必要节俭。”
“And the other points?”
“那其他几点呢？”
“He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe at lamps and gas-jets. You can see that it is quite charred all down one side. Of course a match could not have done that. Why should a man hold a match to the side of his pipe? But you cannot light it at a lamp without getting the bowl charred. And it is all on the right side of the pipe. From that I gather that he is a left-handed man. You hold your own pipe to the lamp, and see how naturally you, being right-handed, hold the left side to the flame. You might do it once the other way, but not as a constancy. This has always been held so. Then he has bitten through his amber. It takes a muscular, energetic fellow, and one with a good set of teeth, to do that. But if I am not mistaken I hear him upon the stair, so we shall have something more interesting than his pipe to study.”
“他习惯在油灯或煤气灯上点烟。你可以看到烟斗一侧完全被烧焦了。当然火柴不可能造成这种痕迹。谁会拿着火柴凑到烟斗侧面去点呢？但在灯上点烟难免会烧焦烟锅。而且烧焦的痕迹全在烟斗右侧。由此我推断他是个左撇子。你拿自己的烟斗在灯上点点看，作为右撇子，你会很自然地把左侧对着火焰。你也许偶尔会反过来，但不会总是这样。这一点向来如此。还有，他咬穿了琥珀烟嘴。要做到这一点，必须是个肌肉发达、精力充沛且牙齿极好的人。但如果我没听错的话，他已经上楼了，所以我们很快就有比他的烟斗更有趣的东西可以研究了。”
An instant later our door opened, and a tall young man entered the room. He was well but quietly dressed in a dark-grey suit, and carried a brown wide-awake in his hand. I should have put him at about thirty, though he was really some years older.
片刻之后，我们的房门打开了，一个高个子年轻人走了进来。他衣着考究但朴素，穿着一套深灰色西装，手里拿着一顶棕色宽边帽。我估计他三十岁左右，但实际上还要大几岁。
“I beg your pardon,” said he, with some embarrassment; “I suppose I should have knocked. Yes, of course I should have knocked. The fact is that I am a little upset, and you must put it all down to that.” He passed his hand over his forehead like a man who is half dazed, and then fell rather than sat down upon a chair.
“请原谅，”他有些尴尬地说，“我想我应该敲门的。是的，我当然应该敲门。事实是我有点心神不宁，你们就把这一切归咎于此吧。”他像半昏迷的人一样用手抹了一下额头，然后几乎是跌坐在椅子上，而不是坐下去的。
“I can see that you have not slept for a night or two,” said Holmes, in his easy, genial way. “That tries a man’s nerves more than work, and more even than pleasure. May I ask how I can help you?”
“我看你已经一两夜没睡了，”福尔摩斯用轻松和蔼的语气说，“失眠比工作甚至娱乐都更伤神。请问我能为您做些什么？”
“I wanted your advice, sir. I don’t know what to do and my whole life seems to have gone to pieces.”
“先生，我想听听您的建议。我不知道该怎么办，我的生活似乎已经完全崩溃了。”
“You wish to employ me as a consulting detective?”
“您是想聘请我做咨询侦探吗？”
“Not that only. I want your opinion as a judicious man—as a man of the world. I want to know what I ought to do next. I hope to God you’ll be able to tell me.”
“不仅如此。我希望得到您作为一个明智之人、一个阅历丰富之人的意见。我想知道下一步该怎么做。上帝保佑，希望您能告诉我。”
He spoke in little, sharp, jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that to speak at all was very painful to him, and that his will all through was overriding his inclinations.
他说话短促、尖锐、断断续续，我觉得开口对他来说是非常痛苦的，他的意志一直在压制着他的情感倾向。
“It’s a very delicate thing,” said he. “One does not like to speak of one’s domestic affairs to strangers. It seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one’s wife with two men whom I have never seen before. It’s horrible to have to do it. But I’ve got to the end of my tether, and I must have advice.”
“这件事非常微妙，”他说，“谁都不愿意向陌生人谈论家事。跟两个从未谋面的人讨论妻子的行为，这太可怕了。不得不这样做真是糟糕透顶。但我已经到了山穷水尽的地步，必须寻求建议。”
“My dear Mr. Grant Munro—” began Holmes.
“亲爱的格兰特·门罗先生——”福尔摩斯开口道。
Our visitor sprang from his chair. “What!” he cried, “you know my name?”
我们的访客从椅子上跳了起来。“什么！”他叫道，“你知道我的名字？”
“If you wish to preserve your incognito,” said Holmes, smiling, “I would suggest that you cease to write your name upon the lining of your hat, or else that you turn the crown towards the person whom you are addressing. I was about to say that my friend and I have listened to a good many strange secrets in this room, and that we have had the good fortune to bring peace to many troubled souls. I trust that we may do as much for you. Might I beg you, as time may prove to be of importance, to furnish me with the facts of your case without further delay?”
“如果您想隐姓埋名，”福尔摩斯微笑着说，“我建议你不要把名字写在帽子的衬里上，或者至少在跟人说话时把帽顶转向对方。我刚才想说，我和我的朋友在这间屋子里听过许多离奇的秘密，也有幸让许多困扰的灵魂重获安宁。希望我们也能为阁下做到这一点。鉴于时间可能至关重要，能否请您不要再耽搁，立即向我陈述案情的事实？”
Our visitor again passed his hand over his forehead, as if he found it bitterly hard. From every gesture and expression I could see that he was a reserved, self-contained man, with a dash of pride in his nature, more likely to hide his wounds than to expose them. Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of his closed hand, like one who throws reserve to the winds, he began.
我们的访客又用手抹了一下额头，仿佛觉得痛苦难当。从他的一举一动和表情中，我可以看出他是一个内敛、自制的人，天性中带有一丝骄傲，宁愿掩饰伤口也不愿暴露。突然，他紧握拳头做了一个激烈的手势，像是把矜持抛到了九霄云外，开始讲述起来。
“The facts are these, Mr. Holmes,” said he. “I am a married man, and have been so for three years. During that time my wife and I have loved each other as fondly and lived as happily as any two that ever were joined. We have not had a difference, not one, in thought or word or deed. And now, since last Monday, there has suddenly sprung up a barrier between us, and I find that there is something in her life and in her thought of which I know as little as if she were the woman who brushes by me in the street. We are estranged, and I want to know why.
“事实是这样的，福尔摩斯先生，”他说，“我已经结婚三年了。在此期间，我和妻子恩爱如初，生活幸福，堪比世间任何一对夫妻。我们在思想、言语或行动上从未有过分歧，一次也没有。但现在，从上周一开始，我们之间突然出现了一道隔阂，我发现她的生活和思想中有些东西我一无所知，就好像她只是街头与我擦肩而过的陌生女人一样。我们疏远了，我想知道为什么。
“Now there is one thing that I want to impress upon you before I go any further, Mr. Holmes. Effie loves me. Don’t let there be any mistake about that. She loves me with her whole heart and soul, and never more than now. I know it. I feel it. I don’t want to argue about that. A man can tell easily enough when a woman loves him. But there’s this secret between us, and we can never be the same until it is cleared.”
“在我继续往下说之前，有一点我必须向您强调，福尔摩斯先生。埃菲爱我。这一点毋庸置疑。她全心全意地爱我，而且从未像现在这样深爱过我。我知道。我能感觉到。我不想为此争辩。一个女人爱一个男人时，他是很容易察觉的。但我们之间有了这个秘密，除非解开它，否则我们再也不可能回到从前了。”
“Kindly let me have the facts, Mr. Munro,” said Holmes, with some impatience.
“请告诉我事实吧，门罗先生，”福尔摩斯有些不耐烦地说。
“I’ll tell you what I know about Effie’s history. She was a widow when I met her first, though quite young—only twenty-five. Her name then was Mrs. Hebron. She went out to America when she was young, and lived in the town of Atlanta, where she married this Hebron, who was a lawyer with a good practice. They had one child, but the yellow fever broke out badly in the place, and both husband and child died of it. I have seen his death certificate. This sickened her of America, and she came back to live with a maiden aunt at Pinner, in Middlesex. I may mention that her husband had left her comfortably off, and that she had a capital of about four thousand five hundred pounds, which had been so well invested by him that it returned an average of seven per cent. She had only been six months at Pinner when I met her; we fell in love with each other, and we married a few weeks afterwards.
“我来告诉您我所知道的埃菲的身世。我第一次见到她时，她是个寡妇，虽然很年轻——只有二十五岁。那时她叫赫布伦太太。她年轻时去了美国，住在亚特兰大市，嫁给了这位赫布伦，他是一位业务兴隆的律师。他们有一个孩子，但当地爆发了严重的黄热病，丈夫和孩子都因此去世了。我看过他的死亡证明。这让她对美国心生厌恶，于是她回到英国，和一位未婚的姨妈住在米德尔塞克斯郡的平纳。值得一提的是，她丈夫给她留下了舒适的生活条件，她拥有约四千五百英镑的资本，由于丈夫投资得当，平均年回报率达百分之七。她在平纳只住了六个月，我就遇见了她；我们相爱了，几周后便结了婚。
“I am a hop merchant myself, and as I have an income of seven or eight hundred, we found ourselves comfortably off, and took a nice eighty-pound-a-year villa at Norbury. Our little place was very countrified, considering that it is so close to town. We had an inn and two houses a little above us, and a single cottage at the other side of the field which faces us, and except those there were no houses until you got half way to the station. My business took me into town at certain seasons, but in summer I had less to do, and then in our country home my wife and I were just as happy as could be wished. I tell you that there never was a shadow between us until this accursed affair began.
“我自己是个啤酒花商人，年收入七八百英镑，所以我们生活富足，在诺伯里租了一栋年租金八十英镑的漂亮别墅。考虑到离城这么近，我们的小屋颇具乡村风味。我们上方有一家旅馆和两栋房子，对面田野的另一头有一栋独立的小屋，除此之外，直到车站半路都没有其他住户。生意使我在特定季节要进城，但夏天事情较少，那时我们在乡下的家里过得无比幸福。我告诉你，在这个该死的事件发生之前，我们之间从未有过阴影。
“There’s one thing I ought to tell you before I go further. When we married, my wife made over all her property to me—rather against my will, for I saw how awkward it would be if my business affairs went wrong. However, she would have it so, and it was done. Well, about six weeks ago she came to me.
“在继续讲之前，我还得告诉你一件事。结婚时，妻子把她所有的财产都转到了我名下——这其实违背了我的意愿，因为我觉得万一生意出了问题会很麻烦。但她坚持要这么做，也就照办了。嗯，大约六周前，她来找我。
“‘Jack,’ said she, ‘when you took my money you said that if ever I wanted any I was to ask you for it.’
“‘杰克，’她说，‘当初你接受我的钱时说过，如果我什么时候需要用钱，只管向你要。’
“‘Certainly,’ said I. ‘It’s all your own.’
“‘当然，’我说，‘那本来就是你的。’
“‘Well,’ said she, ‘I want a hundred pounds.’
“‘嗯，’她说，‘我想要一百英镑。’
“I was a bit staggered at this, for I had imagined it was simply a new dress or something of the kind that she was after.
“这让我有点吃惊，因为我原以为她只是想买件新裙子之类的东西。
“‘What on earth for? ’ I asked.
“‘究竟用来做什么？’我问。
“‘Oh,’ said she, in her playful way, ‘you said that you were only my banker, and bankers never ask questions, you know.’
“‘哦，’她用开玩笑的口吻说，‘你说你只是我的银行家，你知道银行家是从不过问客户用途的。’
“‘If you really mean it, of course you shall have the money,’ said I.
“‘如果你真的需要，钱当然给你，’我说。
“‘Oh, yes, I really mean it. ’
“‘哦，是的，我真的需要。’
“‘And you won’t tell me what you want it for? ’
“‘你不肯告诉我你要用它做什么吗？’
“‘Some day, perhaps, but not just at present, Jack. ’
“‘也许哪天会告诉你，但现在不行，杰克。’
“So I had to be content with that, though it was the first time that there had ever been any secret between us. I gave her a check, and I never thought any more of the matter. It may have nothing to do with what came afterwards, but I thought it only right to mention it.
“我只好满足于这个回答，尽管这是我们之间第一次出现秘密。我给了她一张支票，之后就没再想过这事。这可能跟后来发生的事无关，但我觉得还是提一下为好。
“Well, I told you just now that there is a cottage not far from our house. There is just a field between us, but to reach it you have to go along the road and then turn down a lane. Just beyond it is a nice little grove of Scotch firs, and I used to be very fond of strolling down there, for trees are always a neighbourly kind of things. The cottage had been standing empty this eight months, and it was a pity, for it was a pretty two-storied place, with an old-fashioned porch and honeysuckle about it. I have stood many a time and thought what a neat little homestead it would make.
“嗯，我刚才告诉你离我们家不远有栋小屋。我们之间只隔着一片田野，但要到那里得沿着大路走，再拐进一条小巷。过了小巷是一片漂亮的苏格兰冷杉林，我以前很喜欢去那里散步，因为树木总给人一种亲切感。那栋小屋已经空置了八个月，实在可惜，因为它是一座漂亮的两层建筑，带有老式的门廊，周围还种着忍冬。我曾多次站在那里，心想这会是一个多么整洁的小家园啊。
“Well, last Monday evening I was taking a stroll down that way, when I met an empty van coming up the lane, and saw a pile of carpets and things lying about on the grass-plot beside the porch. It was clear that the cottage had at last been let. I walked past it, and wondered what sort of folk they were who had come to live so near us. And as I looked I suddenly became aware that a face was watching me out of one of the upper windows.
“嗯，上周一傍晚，我正朝那个方向散步，迎面遇到一辆空货车从小巷驶来，还看到门廊旁的草地上堆着一堆地毯和其他物品。显然，小屋终于租出去了。我走过那里，心里琢磨着是什么样的人搬来离我们这么近。就在我张望的时候，我突然意识到楼上的一扇窗户里有一张脸在注视着我。
“I don’t know what there was about that face, Mr. Holmes, but it seemed to send a chill right down my back. I was some little way off, so that I could not make out the features, but there was something unnatural and inhuman about the face. That was the impression that I had, and I moved quickly forwards to get a nearer view of the person who was watching me. But as I did so the face suddenly disappeared, so suddenly that it seemed to have been plucked away into the darkness of the room. I stood for five minutes thinking the business over, and trying to analyze my impressions. I could not tell if the face were that of a man or a woman. It had been too far from me for that. But its colour was what had impressed me most. It was of a livid chalky white, and with something set and rigid about it which was shockingly unnatural. So disturbed was I that I determined to see a little more of the new inmates of the cottage. I approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly opened by a tall, gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding face.
“我不知道那张脸有什么特别，福尔摩斯先生，但它让我感到脊背发凉。我当时离得有点远，看不清五官，但那张脸有一种非自然、非人类的感觉。这就是我的印象，于是我快步上前，想更清楚地看看那个注视我的人。可就在这时，那张脸突然消失了，消失得如此之快，仿佛被猛地拽回了房间的黑暗中。我站了五分钟，反复思考这件事，试图分析我的印象。我无法分辨那是男人的脸还是女人的脸，因为离得太远了。但最让我印象深刻的是它的颜色。那是一种死灰般的苍白，带着一种僵硬刻板的神情，令人震惊地不自然。我心神不宁，决心再多了解一下小屋的新住户。我走上前敲门，门立刻开了，开门的是一个身材高大瘦削、面容严厉令人生畏的女人。
“‘What may you be wantin’? ’ she asked, in a Northern accent.
“‘你想干什么？’她用北方口音问道。
“‘I am your neighbour over yonder,’ said I, nodding towards my house. ‘I see that you have only just moved in, so I thought that if I could be of any help to you in any—’
“‘我是住在那边的邻居，’我指着我的房子点头说，‘我看到你们刚搬来，所以想如果有什么能帮得上忙的……’
“‘Ay, we’ll just ask ye when we want ye,’ said she, and shut the door in my face. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff, I turned my back and walked home. All evening, though I tried to think of other things, my mind would still turn to the apparition at the window and the rudeness of the woman. I determined to say nothing about the former to my wife, for she is a nervous, highly strung woman, and I had no wish that she would share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself. I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep, that the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply.
“‘是啊，我们需要的时候会找你的，’她说着，当着面把门关上了。我对这种粗鲁的回绝感到恼火，转身走回了家。整个晚上，尽管我努力想别的事情，思绪还是会回到窗前的幽灵般的面孔和那个女人的无礼上。我决定不对妻子提起前者，因为她是个神经质、敏感的女人，我不希望她也沾染上这种不愉快的感觉。不过，睡前我跟她提了一句小屋现在已经有人住了，她没有回应。
“I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. It has been a standing jest in the family that nothing could ever wake me during the night. And yet somehow on that particular night, whether it may have been the slight excitement produced by my little adventure or not I know not, but I slept much more lightly than usual. Half in my dreams I was dimly conscious that something was going on in the room, and gradually became aware that my wife had dressed herself and was slipping on her mantle and her bonnet. My lips were parted to murmur out some sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation, when suddenly my half-opened eyes fell upon her face, illuminated by the candle-light, and astonishment held me dumb. She wore an expression such as I had never seen before—such as I should have thought her incapable of assuming. She was deadly pale and breathing fast, glancing furtively towards the bed as she fastened her mantle, to see if she had disturbed me. Then, thinking that I was still asleep, she slipped noiselessly from the room, and an instant later I heard a sharp creaking which could only come from the hinges of the front door. I sat up in bed and rapped my knuckles against the rail to make certain that I was truly awake. Then I took my watch from under the pillow. It was three in the morning. What on this earth could my wife be doing out on the country road at three in the morning?
“我通常睡得极沉。家里人常开玩笑说，夜里什么都吵不醒我。然而不知何故，在那个特定的夜晚，也许是因为那次小冒险带来的轻微兴奋，我睡得比平时轻得多。在半梦半醒间，我隐约察觉到房间里有什么动静，渐渐意识到妻子已经穿好衣服，正在披上斗篷、戴上帽子。我刚张开嘴，想在睡梦中对这不合时宜的举动表示惊讶或劝阻，突然间，借着烛光，我半睁的眼睛看到了她的脸，惊愕得我哑口无言。她脸上的表情是我从未见过的——也是我原以为她绝不会有的。她脸色惨白，呼吸急促，系斗篷时偷偷瞥向床铺，看我是否被惊动了。然后，以为我还在熟睡，她悄无声息地溜出了房间，紧接着我就听到一声尖锐的吱呀声，那只能是前门铰链发出的声音。我从床上坐起来，用指关节敲击床栏，确信自己真的醒了。然后我从枕头下拿出怀表。凌晨三点。我妻子究竟会在凌晨三点跑到乡间道路上去做什么呢？
“I had sat for about twenty minutes turning the thing over in my mind and trying to find some possible explanation. The more I thought, the more extraordinary and inexplicable did it appear. I was still puzzling over it when I heard the door gently close again, and her footsteps coming up the stairs.
“我坐了大约二十分钟，反复琢磨这件事，试图找到某种可能的解释。越想越觉得离奇和不可思议。正当我困惑不解时，听到门又轻轻关上了，她的脚步声走上了楼梯。
“‘Where in the world have you been, Effie? ’ I asked as she entered.
“‘你到底去哪儿了，埃菲？’她进门时我问。
“She gave a violent start and a kind of gasping cry when I spoke, and that cry and start troubled me more than all the rest, for there was something indescribably guilty about them. My wife had always been a woman of a frank, open nature, and it gave me a chill to see her slinking into her own room, and crying out and wincing when her own husband spoke to her.
“我一开口，她就猛地一惊，发出一声喘息般的惊呼，而这惊呼和颤抖比什么都更让我不安，因为其中有一种难以形容的负罪感。我妻子一向坦率开朗，看到她偷偷摸摸溜进自己的房间，又在丈夫跟她说话时惊叫畏缩，我不禁感到一阵寒意。
“‘You awake, Jack! ’ she cried, with a nervous laugh. ‘Why, I thought that nothing could awake you.’
“‘你醒了，杰克！’她紧张地笑着说，‘哎呀，我以为什么都吵不醒你呢。’
“‘Where have you been? ’ I asked, more sternly.
“‘你去哪儿了？’我更严厉地问。
“‘I don’t wonder that you are surprised,’ said she, and I could see that her fingers were trembling as she undid the fastenings of her mantle. ‘Why, I never remember having done such a thing in my life before. The fact is that I felt as though I were choking, and had a perfect longing for a breath of fresh air. I really think that I should have fainted if I had not gone out. I stood at the door for a few minutes, and now I am quite myself again.’
“‘难怪你会惊讶，’她说，我看到她解斗篷扣子时手指在发抖，‘天哪，我这辈子都不记得做过这种事。事实是我感觉快要窒息了，极度渴望呼吸一口新鲜空气。我真的觉得如果不出去就会晕倒。我在门口站了几分钟，现在已经完全恢复了。’
“All the time that she was telling me this story she never once looked in my direction, and her voice was quite unlike her usual tones. It was evident to me that she was saying what was false. I said nothing in reply, but turned my face to the wall, sick at heart, with my mind filled with a thousand venomous doubts and suspicions. What was it that my wife was concealing from me? Where had she been during that strange expedition? I felt that I should have no peace until I knew, and yet I shrank from asking her again after once she had told me what was false. All the rest of the night I tossed and tumbled, framing theory after theory, each more unlikely than the last.
“在她跟我讲这番话的过程中，她一次也没朝我看，声音也完全不像平时的语调。很明显，她在撒谎。我没有回答，而是转过脸对着墙，心如刀绞，脑海中充满了无数恶毒的疑虑和猜测。我妻子到底在隐瞒什么？那次奇怪的出行她究竟去了哪里？我觉得不知道真相就永无宁日，但既然她已经对我撒了谎，我又不敢再追问。剩下的时间里我辗转反侧，构想出一个又一个理论，每一个都比上一个更不可能。
“I should have gone to the City that day, but I was too disturbed in my mind to be able to pay attention to business matters. My wife seemed to be as upset as myself, and I could see from the little questioning glances which she kept shooting at me that she understood that I disbelieved her statement, and that she was at her wits’ end what to do. We hardly exchanged a word during breakfast, and immediately afterwards I went out for a walk, that I might think the matter out in the fresh morning air.
“那天我本该进城，但心绪太乱，无法专注于生意。妻子似乎也和我一样心烦意乱，从她不断投来的试探性目光中，我可以看出她知道我不相信她的话，并且已经不知所措了。早餐时我们几乎没说一句话，饭后我立刻出门散步，以便在清晨的新鲜空气中理清思绪。
“I went as far as the Crystal Palace, spent an hour in the grounds, and was back in Norbury by one o’clock. It happened that my way took me past the cottage, and I stopped for an instant to look at the windows, and to see if I could catch a glimpse of the strange face which had looked out at me on the day before. As I stood there, imagine my surprise, Mr. Holmes, when the door suddenly opened and my wife walked out.
“我一直走到水晶宫，在园子里待了一个小时，一点钟回到了诺伯里。碰巧路过那栋小屋，我停下来看了一眼窗户，想看看能不能瞥见前一天盯着我的那张怪脸。当我站在那里时，福尔摩斯先生，想象一下我的惊讶——门突然开了，我妻子走了出来。
“I was struck dumb with astonishment at the sight of her; but my emotions were nothing to those which showed themselves upon her face when our eyes met. She seemed for an instant to wish to shrink back inside the house again; and then, seeing how useless all concealment must be, she came forward, with a very white face and frightened eyes which belied the smile upon her lips.
“看到她时我惊得目瞪口呆；但当四目相对时，我内心的激动远不及她脸上流露出的情绪。她似乎一瞬间想缩回屋里；接着，看到一切掩饰都已徒劳，她便走上前来，脸色煞白，眼神惊恐，与嘴角的微笑极不相称。
“‘Ah, Jack,’ she said, ‘I have just been in to see if I can be of any assistance to our new neighbours. Why do you look at me like that, Jack? You are not angry with me?’
“‘啊，杰克，’她说，‘我刚进去看看能不能帮新邻居什么忙。你为什么那样看着我，杰克？你不是生气了吧？’
“‘So,’ said I, ‘this is where you went during the night.’
“‘这么说，’我说，‘这就是你昨晚去的地方。’
“‘What do you mean? ’ she cried.
“‘你什么意思？’她叫道。
“‘You came here. I am sure of it. Who are these people, that you should visit them at such an hour? ’
“‘你来过这里。我敢肯定。这些人是谁，值得你在半夜三更来访？’
“‘I have not been here before. ’
“‘我以前没来过这里。’
“‘How can you tell me what you know is false? ’ I cried. ‘Your very voice changes as you speak. When have I ever had a secret from you? I shall enter that cottage, and I shall probe the matter to the bottom.’
“‘你怎么能明知是假话还要对我说？’我喊道，‘你说话的声音都变了。我什么时候对你有过秘密？我要进那栋小屋，一定要把这事查个水落石出。’
“‘No, no, Jack, for God’s sake! ’ she gasped, in uncontrollable emotion. Then, as I approached the door, she seized my sleeve and pulled me back with convulsive strength.
“‘不，不，杰克，看在上帝的份上！’她情绪失控地喘着气说。然后，当我走近门口时，她抓住我的袖子，用痉挛般的力气把我拉了回来。
“‘I implore you not to do this, Jack,’ she cried. ‘I swear that I will tell you everything some day, but nothing but misery can come of it if you enter that cottage.’ Then, as I tried to shake her off, she clung to me in a frenzy of entreaty.
“‘求你别这样做，杰克，’她哭喊道，‘我发誓总有一天会把一切都告诉你，但如果你进了那栋小屋，只会带来不幸。’当我试图甩开她时，她疯狂地紧紧抓住我哀求。
“‘Trust me, Jack! ’ she cried. ‘Trust me only this once. You will never have cause to regret it. You know that I would not have a secret from you if it were not for your own sake. Our whole lives are at stake in this. If you come home with me, all will be well. If you force your way into that cottage, all is over between us.’
“‘相信我，杰克！’她喊道，‘就这一次相信我。你永远不会后悔的。你知道，如果不是为了你好，我不会对你有任何秘密。我们的整个人生都系于此。如果你跟我回家，一切都会好起来。如果你强行闯入那栋小屋，我们就全完了。’
“There was such earnestness, such despair, in her manner that her words arrested me, and I stood irresolute before the door.
“她的态度如此恳切、如此绝望，以至于她的话让我停下了脚步，犹豫不决地站在门前。
“‘I will trust you on one condition, and on one condition only,’ said I at last. ‘It is that this mystery comes to an end from now. You are at liberty to preserve your secret, but you must promise me that there shall be no more nightly visits, no more doings which are kept from my knowledge. I am willing to forget those which are passed if you will promise that there shall be no more in the future.’
“‘我可以相信你，但只有一个条件，’我终于说道，‘那就是从现在起结束这个谜团。你可以保留你的秘密，但你必须答应我不再有夜间探访，不再有任何瞒着我的行为。如果你保证以后不再有这样的事，我愿意忘掉过去的一切。’
“‘I was sure that you would trust me,’ she cried, with a great sigh of relief. ‘It shall be just as you wish. Come away—oh, come away up to the house.’
“‘我就知道你会信任我的，’她如释重负地长叹一声喊道，‘一切都会如你所愿。走吧——哦，快跟我回屋吧。’
“Still pulling at my sleeve, she led me away from the cottage. As we went I glanced back, and there was that yellow livid face watching us out of the upper window. What link could there be between that creature and my wife? Or how could the coarse, rough woman whom I had seen the day before be connected with her? It was a strange puzzle, and yet I knew that my mind could never know ease again until I had solved it.
“她仍然拉着我的袖子，带我离开了小屋。走的时候我回头看了一眼，那张蜡黄的怪脸又在楼上的窗户里注视着我们。那个生物和我妻子之间会有什么联系？或者说，前一天见到的那个粗俗凶悍的女人怎么会和她有关？这是一个奇怪的谜题，但我知道，在解开它之前，我的心再也无法安宁。
“For two days after this I stayed at home, and my wife appeared to abide loyally by our engagement, for, as far as I know, she never stirred out of the house. On the third day, however, I had ample evidence that her solemn promise was not enough to hold her back from this secret influence which drew her away from her husband and her duty.
“此后两天我都待在家里，妻子似乎也忠实地遵守了我们的约定，据我所知，她从未迈出家门一步。然而到了第三天，我有充分的证据表明，她那庄严的承诺不足以阻止这股神秘力量的牵引，使她背离丈夫和责任。
“I had gone into town on that day, but I returned by the 2.40 instead of the 3.36, which is my usual train. As I entered the house the maid ran into the hall with a startled face.
“那天我进了城，但没有坐平时三点三十六分的火车，而是坐了下午两点四十的车回来。一进屋，女仆就惊慌失措地跑到大厅里。
“‘Where is your mistress? ’ I asked.
“‘太太在哪儿？’我问。
“‘I think that she has gone out for a walk,’ she answered.
“‘我想她出去散步了，’她回答。
“My mind was instantly filled with suspicion. I rushed upstairs to make sure that she was not in the house. As I did so I happened to glance out of one of the upper windows, and saw the maid with whom I had just been speaking running across the field in the direction of the cottage. Then of course I saw exactly what it all meant. My wife had gone over there, and had asked the servant to call her if I should return. Tingling with anger, I rushed down and hurried across, determined to end the matter once and forever. I saw my wife and the maid hurrying back along the lane, but I did not stop to speak with them. In the cottage lay the secret which was casting a shadow over my life. I vowed that, come what might, it should be a secret no longer. I did not even knock when I reached it, but turned the handle and rushed into the passage.
“我心中顿时充满了怀疑。我冲上楼确认她不在屋里。就在这时，我偶然从楼上的一扇窗户向外望去，看见刚才跟我说话的女仆正穿过田野朝小屋跑去。这下我当然明白了一切意味着什么。妻子去了那里，并嘱咐仆人如果我回来就叫她。我怒火中烧，冲下楼飞快地穿过田野，决心一劳永逸地了结此事。我看见妻子和女仆正沿着小路匆匆赶回，但我没有停下来跟她们说话。小屋里藏着给我的生活蒙上阴影的秘密。我发誓，无论发生什么，这都不能再成为秘密了。到达小屋时我连门都没敲，转动把手就冲进了过道。
“It was all still and quiet upon the ground floor. In the kitchen a kettle was singing on the fire, and a large black cat lay coiled up in the basket; but there was no sign of the woman whom I had seen before. I ran into the other room, but it was equally deserted. Then I rushed up the stairs, only to find two other rooms empty and deserted at the top. There was no one at all in the whole house. The furniture and pictures were of the most common and vulgar description, save in the one chamber at the window of which I had seen the strange face. That was comfortable and elegant, and all my suspicions rose into a fierce bitter flame when I saw that on the mantelpiece stood a copy of a full-length photograph of my wife, which had been taken at my request only three months ago.
“一楼一片寂静。厨房里的水壶在炉子上鸣响，一只大黑猫蜷缩在篮子里；但我之前见过的那个女人却不见踪影。我跑进另一个房间，同样空无一人。然后我冲上楼，发现顶层的两个房间也都空空荡荡。整栋房子里一个人也没有。家具和陈设都是最普通庸俗的那种，唯独我看到怪脸的那间卧室例外。那间房舒适雅致，当我看到壁炉架上摆着一张我妻子的全身照片副本时，所有的猜疑瞬间化作了猛烈的怒火——那张照片仅仅是三个月前应我的要求拍摄的。
“I stayed long enough to make certain that the house was absolutely empty. Then I left it, feeling a weight at my heart such as I had never had before. My wife came out into the hall as I entered my house; but I was too hurt and angry to speak with her, and pushing past her, I made my way into my study. She followed me, however, before I could close the door.
“我待了一会儿，确认房子确实空无一人后才离开，心中感到了前所未有的沉重。回到家时，妻子来到大厅；但我又伤心又愤怒，不想跟她说话，推开她径直走进了书房。然而还没等我关上门，她就跟了进来。
“‘I am sorry that I broke my promise, Jack,’ said she; ‘but if you knew all the circumstances I am sure that you would forgive me.’
“‘对不起，杰克，我违背了诺言，’她说，‘但如果你知道全部情况，我相信你会原谅我的。’
“‘Tell me everything, then,’ said I.
“‘那就把一切都告诉我，’我说。
“‘I cannot, Jack, I cannot,’ she cried.
“‘我不能，杰克，我不能，’她哭着说。
“‘Until you tell me who it is that has been living in that cottage, and who it is to whom you have given that photograph, there can never be any confidence between us,’ said I, and breaking away from her, I left the house. That was yesterday, Mr. Holmes, and I have not seen her since, nor do I know anything more about this strange business. It is the first shadow that has come between us, and it has so shaken me that I do not know what I should do for the best. Suddenly this morning it occurred to me that you were the man to advise me, so I have hurried to you now, and I place myself unreservedly in your hands. If there is any point which I have not made clear, pray question me about it. But, above all, tell me quickly what I am to do, for this misery is more than I can bear.”
“‘除非你告诉我住在那栋小屋里的人是谁，以及你把照片给了谁，否则我们之间再也不可能有信任了，’我说完挣脱了她，离开了家。那是昨天的事，福尔摩斯先生，从那以后我再没见过她，对这件怪事也一无所知。这是我们之间出现的第一道阴影，它让我深受震动，不知如何是好。今天早上我突然想到您是能给我指点迷津的人，所以我急忙赶来，毫无保留地将自己托付给您。如果有任何不清楚的地方，请务必问我。但最重要的是，请尽快告诉我该怎么办，这种痛苦已超出了我的承受极限。”
Holmes and I had listened with the utmost interest to this extraordinary statement, which had been delivered in the jerky, broken fashion of a man who is under the influence of extreme emotions. My companion sat silent for some time, with his chin upon his hand, lost in thought.
我和福尔摩斯怀着极大的兴趣听完了这段离奇的陈述，讲述者深受极端情绪的影响，说话断断续续、语无伦次。我的同伴手托下巴，沉默地坐了一会儿，陷入了沉思。
“Tell me,” said he at last, “could you swear that this was a man’s face which you saw at the window?”
“告诉我，”他终于开口，“你能发誓你在窗户上看到的是男人的脸吗？”
“Each time that I saw it I was some distance away from it, so that it is impossible for me to say.”
“每次看到它时我都离得比较远，所以没法确定。”
“You appear, however, to have been disagreeably impressed by it.”
“不过，它似乎给你留下了很不好的印象。”
“It seemed to be of an unnatural colour, and to have a strange rigidity about the features. When I approached, it vanished with a jerk.”
“它的颜色似乎很不自然，面部特征也有一种奇怪的僵硬感。当我靠近时，它猛地消失了。”
“How long is it since your wife asked you for a hundred pounds?”
“你妻子向你索要一百英镑是多久以前的事？”
“Nearly two months.”
“将近两个月了。”
“Have you ever seen a photograph of her first husband?”
“你见过她第一任丈夫的照片吗？”
“No; there was a great fire at Atlanta very shortly after his death, and all her papers were destroyed.”
“没有；他死后不久亚特兰大发生了一场大火，她所有的文件都被烧毁了。”
“And yet she had a certificate of death. You say that you saw it.”
“但她有一份死亡证明。你说你见过的。”
“Yes; she got a duplicate after the fire.”
“是的；火灾后她补办了一份副本。”
“Did you ever meet any one who knew her in America?”
“你遇到过在美国认识她的人吗？”
“No.”
“没有。”
“Did she ever talk of revisiting the place?”
“她有没有提过重游故地？”
“No.”
“没有。”
“Or get letters from it?”
“或者收到来自那里的信件？”
“No.”
“没有。”
“Thank you. I should like to think over the matter a little now. If the cottage is now permanently deserted we may have some difficulty. If, on the other hand, as I fancy is more likely, the inmates were warned of your coming, and left before you entered yesterday, then they may be back now, and we should clear it all up easily. Let me advise you, then, to return to Norbury, and to examine the windows of the cottage again. If you have reason to believe that it is inhabited, do not force your way in, but send a wire to my friend and me. We shall be with you within an hour of receiving it, and we shall then very soon get to the bottom of the business.”
“谢谢。我现在想稍微考虑一下这件事。如果小屋现在已经永久废弃，我们可能会有些困难。另一方面，如果像我推测的那样可能性更大——住户得到了你要来的风声，在你昨天进去之前就离开了——那么他们现在可能已经回去了，我们就能轻易查明真相。因此，我建议你回诺伯里去，再次观察小屋的窗户。如果你有理由相信里面有人，不要强行闯入，而是给我和我的朋友发一封电报。我们在收到电报后一小时内就会赶到，届时很快就能把事情查个水落石出。”
“And if it is still empty?”
“如果还是空的呢？”
“In that case I shall come out to-morrow and talk it over with you. Good-by; and, above all, do not fret until you know that you really have a cause for it.”
“那样的话，我明天会过去和你商量。再见；最重要的是，在你确认真有理由烦恼之前，不要自寻烦恼。”
“I am afraid that this is a bad business, Watson,” said my companion, as he returned after accompanying Mr. Grant Munro to the door. “What do you make of it?”
“恐怕这是个棘手的案子，华生，”我的同伴送完格兰特·门罗先生回来后说道，“你怎么看？”
“It had an ugly sound,” I answered.
“听起来不太妙，”我回答。
“Yes. There’s blackmail in it, or I am much mistaken.”
“是的。这里面有敲诈勒索的成分，否则就是我大错特错了。”
“And who is the blackmailer?”
“谁是敲诈者？”
“Well, it must be the creature who lives in the only comfortable room in the place, and has her photograph above his fireplace. Upon my word, Watson, there is something very attractive about that livid face at the window, and I would not have missed the case for worlds.”
“嗯，一定是那个住在屋里唯一舒适房间、壁炉上放着她照片的家伙。说实话，华生，窗户里那张蜡黄的脸非常有吸引力，给多少钱我也不愿错过这个案子。”
“You have a theory?”
“你有推论了吗？”
“Yes, a provisional one. But I shall be surprised if it does not turn out to be correct. This woman’s first husband is in that cottage.”
“是的，一个暂时的推论。但如果结果证明不正确，我会很惊讶。这个女人的第一任丈夫就在那栋小屋里。”
“Why do you think so?”
“你为什么这么认为？”
“How else can we explain her frenzied anxiety that her second one should not enter it? The facts, as I read them, are something like this: This woman was married in America. Her husband developed some hateful qualities; or shall we say that he contracted some loathsome disease, and became a leper or an imbecile? She flies from him at last, returns to England, changes her name, and starts her life, as she thinks, afresh. She has been married three years, and believes that her position is quite secure, having shown her husband the death certificate of some man whose name she has assumed, when suddenly her whereabouts is discovered by her first husband; or, we may suppose, by some unscrupulous woman who has attached herself to the invalid. They write to the wife, and threaten to come and expose her. She asks for a hundred pounds, and endeavours to buy them off. They come in spite of it, and when the husband mentions casually to the wife that there are new-comers in the cottage, she knows in some way that they are her pursuers. She waits until her husband is asleep, and then she rushes down to endeavour to persuade them to leave her in peace. Having no success, she goes again next morning, and her husband meets her, as he has told us, as she comes out. She promises him then not to go there again, but two days afterwards the hope of getting rid of those dreadful neighbours was too strong for her, and she made another attempt, taking down with her the photograph which had probably been demanded from her. In the midst of this interview the maid rushed in to say that the master had come home, on which the wife, knowing that he would come straight down to the cottage, hurried the inmates out at the back door, into the grove of fir-trees, probably, which was mentioned as standing near. In this way he found the place deserted. I shall be very much surprised, however, if it is still so when he reconnoitres it this evening. What do you think of my theory?”
“不然怎么解释她拼命不让第二任丈夫进去呢？根据我对事实的解读，情况大概是这样的：这个女人在美国结了婚。她的丈夫染上了一些可憎的恶习；或者可以说他得了某种可怕的疾病，变成了麻风病人或白痴？她最终逃离了他，回到英国，改了名字，自以为开始了全新的生活。她再婚三年，以为自己的地位很稳固，还给现任丈夫看过某个冒名顶替者的死亡证明，可就在这时，她的行踪突然被第一任丈夫发现了；或者我们可以假设，是被某个依附于那个病人的无耻女人发现的。他们写信给妻子，威胁要来揭穿她。她要了一百英镑，试图用钱打发他们。尽管如此，他们还是来了，当丈夫无意中提到小屋有新住户时，她不知怎的就知道了那是追踪她的人。她等到丈夫睡着，然后冲下去试图说服他们让她安宁。未果，第二天早上她又去了，正如丈夫所说，在她出来时被撞见了。当时她答应不再去，但两天后，摆脱那些可怕邻居的愿望太过强烈，她又试了一次，还带上了可能被索要的那张照片。就在她会面期间，女仆冲进来报告男主人回家了，妻子知道他会直奔小屋而来，便赶紧让住户从后门出去，很可能躲进了附近提到的那片冷杉林里。就这样，他发现屋子空了。不过，如果他今晚再去侦察时发现还是空的，我会非常惊讶。你觉得我的推论怎么样？”
“It is all surmise.”
“这全是猜测。”
“But at least it covers all the facts. When new facts come to our knowledge which cannot be covered by it, it will be time enough to reconsider it. We can do nothing more until we have a message from our friend at Norbury.”
“但至少它涵盖了所有已知事实。当我们得知无法被其解释的新事实时，再重新考虑也不迟。在收到诺伯里朋友的消息之前，我们无能为力。”
But we had not a very long time to wait for that. It came just as we had finished our tea. “The cottage is still tenanted,” it said. “Have seen the face again at the window. Will meet the seven o’clock train, and will take no steps until you arrive.”
但我们并没有等太久。就在我们喝完茶时，电报来了。“小屋仍有人居住，”上面写道，“又在窗户上看到了那张脸。将去接七点钟的火车，在您到达前不会采取任何行动。”
He was waiting on the platform when we stepped out, and we could see in the light of the station lamps that he was very pale, and quivering with agitation.
我们走出车站时，他正在站台上等候，借着站台灯光，我们可以看到他脸色苍白，因激动而浑身颤抖。
“They are still there, Mr. Holmes,” said he, laying his hand hard upon my friend’s sleeve. “I saw lights in the cottage as I came down. We shall settle it now once and for all.”
“他们还在那里，福尔摩斯先生，”他紧紧抓着我朋友的袖子说，“我来的时候看到小屋里有灯光。我们现在就彻底了结这件事。”
“What is your plan, then?” asked Holmes, as he walked down the dark tree-lined road.
“那你打算怎么办？”福尔摩斯走在漆黑林荫道上时问道。
“I am going to force my way in and see for myself who is in the house. I wish you both to be there as witnesses.”
“我要强行进去，亲眼看看屋里到底是谁。希望你们两位在场作证。”
“You are quite determined to do this, in spite of your wife’s warning that it is better that you should not solve the mystery?”
“尽管你妻子警告过你最好不要揭开这个谜团，你还是下定决心要这么做吗？”
“Yes, I am determined.”
“是的，我意已决。”
“Well, I think that you are in the right. Any truth is better than indefinite doubt. We had better go up at once. Of course, legally, we are putting ourselves hopelessly in the wrong; but I think that it is worth it.”
“好吧，我认为你是对的。任何真相都好过无尽的猜疑。我们最好马上就去。当然，从法律上讲，我们这样做是完全理亏的；但我认为这值得。”
It was a very dark night, and a thin rain began to fall as we turned from the high road into a narrow lane, deeply rutted, with hedges on either side. Mr. Grant Munro pushed impatiently forward, however, and we stumbled after him as best we could.
夜色深沉，当我们从大路拐入一条车辙深陷、两旁长着树篱的狭窄小巷时，天空飘起了细雨。然而格兰特·门罗先生焦急地向前赶路，我们只能跌跌撞撞地尽力跟上。
“There are the lights of my house,” he murmured, pointing to a glimmer among the trees. “And here is the cottage which I am going to enter.”
“那是我家的灯光，”他指着树林间的微光低语道，“这就是我要进去的小屋。”
We turned a corner in the lane as he spoke, and there was the building close beside us. A yellow bar falling across the black foreground showed that the door was not quite closed, and one window in the upper story was brightly illuminated. As we looked, we saw a dark blur moving across the blind.
他说着话，我们拐过了巷子的一个弯，那栋建筑就在身旁。一道黄色的光条横亘在漆黑的前景中，表明门没有完全关上，二楼的一扇窗户灯火通明。就在我们注视的时候，看到一个黑影在窗帘上晃动。
“There is that creature!” cried Grant Munro. “You can see for yourselves that some one is there. Now follow me, and we shall soon know all.”
“就是那个怪物！”格兰特·门罗喊道，“你们亲眼看到了，里面确实有人。现在跟我来，我们很快就会知道一切。”
We approached the door; but suddenly a woman appeared out of the shadow and stood in the golden track of the lamp-light. I could not see her face in the darkness, but her arms were thrown out in an attitude of entreaty.
我们走近门口；突然，一个女人从阴影中出现，站在金色的灯光下。黑暗中我看不清她的脸，但她张开双臂，做出恳求的姿态。
“For God’s sake, don’t Jack!” she cried. “I had a presentiment that you would come this evening. Think better of it, dear! Trust me again, and you will never have cause to regret it.”
“看在上帝的份上，别这样，杰克！”她哭喊道，“我有预感你今晚会来。亲爱的，再想想吧！再相信我一次，你永远不会后悔的。”
“I have trusted you too long, Effie,” he cried, sternly. “Leave go of me! I must pass you. My friends and I are going to settle this matter once and forever!” He pushed her to one side, and we followed closely after him. As he threw the door open an old woman ran out in front of him and tried to bar his passage, but he thrust her back, and an instant afterwards we were all upon the stairs. Grant Munro rushed into the lighted room at the top, and we entered at his heels.
“我已经信任你太久了，埃菲，”他严厉地喊道，“放开我！我必须过去。我和朋友们要一劳永逸地解决这件事！”他把推到一边，我们紧随其后。他猛地推开门，一个老妇人跑出来挡在他面前试图阻拦，但他一把将她推开，转眼间我们都上了楼。格兰特·门罗冲进顶层亮着灯的房间，我们也紧跟而入。
It was a cosey, well-furnished apartment, with two candles burning upon the table and two upon the mantelpiece. In the corner, stooping over a desk, there sat what appeared to be a little girl. Her face was turned away as we entered, but we could see that she was dressed in a red frock, and that she had long white gloves on. As she whisked round to us, I gave a cry of surprise and horror. The face which she turned towards us was of the strangest livid tint, and the features were absolutely devoid of any expression. An instant later the mystery was explained. Holmes, with a laugh, passed his hand behind the child’s ear, a mask peeled off from her countenance, and there was a little coal black negress, with all her white teeth flashing in amusement at our amazed faces. I burst out laughing, out of sympathy with her merriment; but Grant Munro stood staring, with his hand clutching his throat.
这是一间舒适且布置精良的房间，桌上点着两支蜡烛，壁炉架上也点着两支。角落里，一个小女孩模样的身影正伏在书桌前。我们进去时她背对着我们，但可以看到她穿着红色连衣裙，戴着长长的白手套。当她猛地转过身面向我们时，我发出了一声又惊又怕的叫喊。她转向我们的那张脸呈现出一种极其怪异的青白色，五官毫无表情。片刻之后，谜底揭晓了。福尔摩斯笑着把手伸到孩子的耳后，从她脸上揭下了一张面具，露出了一张乌黑发亮的小黑人面孔，洁白的牙齿在我们惊讶的表情映衬下闪闪发亮，显得十分开心。我也忍不住大笑起来，被她的快乐所感染；但格兰特·门罗却呆立当场，手紧紧掐着自己的喉咙。
“My God!” he cried. “What can be the meaning of this?”
“我的天哪！”他喊道，“这到底是怎么回事？”
“I will tell you the meaning of it,” cried the lady, sweeping into the room with a proud, set face. “You have forced me, against my own judgment, to tell you, and now we must both make the best of it. My husband died at Atlanta. My child survived.”
“我来告诉你这是什么意思，”那位女士昂首挺胸地走进房间，神情骄傲而坚定地说，“你违背我的意愿逼我说出了真相，现在我们只能共同面对了。我丈夫死在了亚特兰大。但我的孩子活了下来。”
“Your child?”
“你的孩子？”
She drew a large silver locket from her bosom. “You have never seen this open.”
她从怀里掏出一个大银质吊坠盒。“你从来没见它打开过。”
“I understood that it did not open.”
“我以为它是打不开的。”
She touched a spring, and the front hinged back. There was a portrait within of a man strikingly handsome and intelligent-looking, but bearing unmistakable signs upon his features of his African descent.
她按了一下弹簧，盖子弹开了。里面是一张男人的肖像，英俊潇洒，聪慧过人，但面容上带有明显的非洲血统特征。
“That is John Hebron, of Atlanta,” said the lady, “and a nobler man never walked the earth. I cut my self off from my race in order to wed him, but never once while he lived did I for an instant regret it. It was our misfortune that our only child took after his people rather than mine. It is often so in such matches, and little Lucy is darker far than ever her father was. But dark or fair, she is my own dear little girlie, and her mother’s pet.” The little creature ran across at the words and nestled up against the lady’s dress. “When I left her in America,” she continued, “it was only because her health was weak, and the change might have done her harm. She was given to the care of a faithful Scotch woman who had once been our servant. Never for an instant did I dream of disowning her as my child. But when chance threw you in my way, Jack, and I learned to love you, I feared to tell you about my child. God forgive me, I feared that I should lose you, and I had not the courage to tell you. I had to choose between you, and in my weakness I turned away from my own little girl. For three years I have kept her existence a secret from you, but I heard from the nurse, and I knew that all was well with her. At last, however, there came an overwhelming desire to see the child once more. I struggled against it, but in vain. Though I knew the danger, I determined to have the child over, if it were but for a few weeks. I sent a hundred pounds to the nurse, and I gave her instructions about this cottage, so that she might come as a neighbour, without my appearing to be in any way connected with her. I pushed my precautions so far as to order her to keep the child in the house during the daytime, and to cover up her little face and hands so that even those who might see her at the window should not gossip about there being a black child in the neighbourhood. If I had been less cautious I might have been more wise, but I was half crazy with fear that you should learn the truth.
“那是亚特兰大的约翰·赫布伦，”女士说，“世上再也没有比他更高尚的人了。为了嫁给他，我与自己的种族断绝了关系，但在他活着的时候，我从未有过一丝后悔。不幸的是，我们唯一的孩子长得像他那边的人，而不像我。这种结合常有这种情况，小露西比她父亲还要黑得多。但无论肤色深浅，她都是我亲爱的小女儿，是她妈妈的宝贝。”小家伙听到这话跑过来，依偎在女士的裙边。“当初我把她留在美国，”她继续说，“纯粹是因为她身体虚弱，环境的改变可能会伤害她。我把她托付给了曾是我们仆人的忠实苏格兰女人照顾。我从未想过不认她是我的孩子。但是杰克，当命运让你出现在我的生命中，当我学会爱你时，我不敢告诉你关于孩子的事。上帝宽恕我吧，我怕失去你，我没有勇气说出来。我不得不在你和她之间做出选择，软弱之下，我背弃了自己的小女儿。三年来我一直对你隐瞒她的存在，但我从保姆那里得知她一切都好。然而最后，想再见孩子一面的强烈愿望压倒了一切。我挣扎过，但无济于事。虽然知道危险，我还是决定把孩子接来，哪怕只待几周。我给保姆寄了一百英镑，并安排她住进这栋小屋，这样她就可以以邻居的身份出现，而我表面上与她毫无瓜葛。我甚至谨慎到命令她白天把孩子关在屋里，遮住她的小脸和手，以免有人在窗户看到她时议论附近有个黑人小孩。如果我不那么谨小慎微，或许会更明智些，但我怕你知道真相，简直快要疯了。
“It was you who told me first that the cottage was occupied. I should have waited for the morning, but I could not sleep for excitement, and so at last I slipped out, knowing how difficult it is to awake you. But you saw me go, and that was the beginning of my troubles. Next day you had my secret at your mercy, but you nobly refrained from pursuing your advantage. Three days later, however, the nurse and child only just escaped from the back door as you rushed in at the front one. And now to-night you at last know all, and I ask you what is to become of us, my child and me?” She clasped her hands and waited for an answer.
“是你第一个告诉我小屋有人住的。我本该等到天亮，但兴奋得睡不着，最后还是溜了出去，因为我知道很难叫醒你。但你看见我出去了，这就是麻烦的开始。第二天我的秘密任你处置，但你高尚地放弃了追究的优势。然而三天后，当你从前门冲进来时，保姆和孩子刚好从后门逃脱。而今晚你终于知道了一切，我想问你，我和我的孩子该怎么办？”她双手紧握，等待着回答。
It was a long ten minutes before Grant Munro broke the silence, and when his answer came it was one of which I love to think. He lifted the little child, kissed her, and then, still carrying her, he held his other hand out to his wife and turned towards the door.
漫长的十分钟过去了，格兰特·门罗才打破沉默，而他的回答至今仍让我回想起来倍感温暖。他抱起小女孩，亲吻了她，然后一手抱着孩子，另一只手向妻子伸去，转身走向门口。
“We can talk it over more comfortably at home,” said he. “I am not a very good man, Effie, but I think that I am a better one than you have given me credit for being.”
“我们回家再慢慢谈吧，”他说，“我不是个完美的人，埃菲，但我想我比你认为的要好一些。”
Holmes and I followed them down the lane, and my friend plucked at my sleeve as we came out.
我和福尔摩斯跟着他们走出了小巷，出来时我的朋友拉了拉我的袖子。
“I think,” said he, “that we shall be of more use in London than in Norbury.”
“我觉得，”他说，“我们在伦敦会比在诺伯里更有用。”
Not another word did he say of the case until late that night, when he was turning away, with his lighted candle, for his bedroom.
直到深夜，当他拿着点燃的蜡烛转身回卧室时，他才再次提起这个案子。
“Watson,” said he, “if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper ‘Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”
“华生，”他说，“如果你觉得我对自己的能力过于自信，或者对某个案子不够用心，请在耳边悄悄说一句‘诺伯里’，我将感激不尽。”
0 条评论