2.The Adventure of the Cardboard Box 硬纸盒探案
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / 福尔摩斯回忆录
《福尔摩斯回忆录》
In choosing a few typical cases which illustrate the remarkable mental qualities of my friend, Sherlock Holmes, I have endeavoured, as far as possible, to select those which presented the minimum of sensationalism, while offering a fair field for his talents.
在挑选几个能够体现我朋友夏洛克·福尔摩斯非凡心智特质的典型案例时，我已尽可能选择那些轰动性最小、却能为其才华提供充分施展空间的案件。
It is, however, unfortunately impossible entirely to separate the sensational from the criminal, and a chronicler is left in the dilemma that he must either sacrifice details which are essential to his statement and so give a false impression of the problem, or he must use matter which chance, and not choice, has provided him with.
然而遗憾的是，要将轰动性与犯罪完全剥离是不可能的，记录者因此陷入两难：要么牺牲对陈述至关重要的细节，从而给案件造成错误的印象；要么只能使用由偶然机遇而非主观选择所提供的素材。
With this short preface I shall turn to my notes of what proved to be a strange, though a peculiarly terrible, chain of events.
在这简短的序言之后，我将转向我的笔记，记录这一连串后来被证明既离奇又格外可怕的事件。
It was a blazing hot day in August. Baker Street was like an oven, and the glare of the sunlight upon the yellow brickwork of the house across the road was painful to the eye.
那是八月里一个酷热难耐的日子。贝克街像个烤箱，对面房屋黄砖墙上反射的阳光刺得人眼睛生疼。
It was hard to believe that these were the same walls which loomed so gloomily through the fogs of winter.
很难相信这些墙壁就是冬日里在雾霭中显得如此阴郁的那些。
Our blinds were half-drawn, and Holmes lay curled upon the sofa, reading and re-reading a letter which he had received by the morning post.
我们的百叶窗半掩着，福尔摩斯蜷缩在沙发上，反复读着一封早班邮递送来的信。
For myself, my term of service in India had trained me to stand heat better than cold, and a thermometer at ninety was no hardship.
至于我，在印度服役的经历使我比怕冷更耐热，华氏九十度的气温对我来说并不算什么苦事。
But the morning paper was uninteresting. Parliament had risen. Everybody was out of town, and I yearned for the glades of the New Forest or the shingle of Southsea.
但晨报实在乏味。议会已经休会，人们都出城避暑去了，我不禁向往起新森林的林间空地或南海岸的卵石滩来。
A depleted bank account had caused me to postpone my holiday, and as to my companion, neither the country nor the sea presented the slightest attraction to him.
银行账户的拮据迫使我推迟了假期；而对我的同伴来说，无论是乡村还是海滨都对他毫无吸引力。
He loved to lie in the very centre of five million people, with his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime.
他喜欢置身于五百万人口的中心，像蜘蛛吐丝般将触角延伸至人群中，对任何关于未破案件的细微传闻或疑点都做出敏锐反应。
Appreciation of nature found no place among his many gifts, and his only change was when he turned his mind from the evil-doer of the town to track down his brother of the country.
在他众多的天赋中，唯独没有对自然的欣赏能力；他唯一的消遣不过是将注意力从城市的罪犯转移到追踪乡间的同类罢了。
Finding that Holmes was too absorbed for conversation I had tossed aside the barren paper, and leaning back in my chair I fell into a brown study.
见福尔摩斯全神贯注无暇交谈，我便扔下那份枯燥的报纸，靠在椅背上陷入了沉思。
Suddenly my companion’s voice broke in upon my thoughts:
突然，同伴的声音打断了我的思绪：
“You are right, Watson,” said he. “It does seem a most preposterous way of settling a dispute.”
“你说得对，华生，”他说，“这确实似乎是解决争端的一种极其荒谬的方式。”
“Most preposterous!” I exclaimed, and then suddenly realizing how he had echoed the inmost thought of my soul, I sat up in my chair and stared at him in blank amazement.
“极其荒谬！”我惊呼道，随即猛然意识到他竟然说出了我心底最深处的想法，不由得从椅子上坐直身子，目瞪口呆地盯着他。
“What is this, Holmes?” I cried. “This is beyond anything which I could have imagined.”
“这是怎么回事，福尔摩斯？”我喊道，“这简直超出了我能想象的一切。”
He laughed heartily at my perplexity.
看到我那困惑的样子，他开怀大笑起来。
“You remember,” he said, “that some little time ago when I read you the passage in one of Poe’s sketches in which a close reasoner follows the unspoken thoughts of his companion, you were inclined to treat the matter as a mere tour-de-force of the author. On my remarking that I was constantly in the habit of doing the same thing you expressed incredulity.”
“你还记得吗，”他说，“不久前我给你读爱伦·坡的一篇随笔，里面讲到一位缜密的推理者能跟随同伴未说出口的思想，你当时倾向于认为那纯粹是作者的炫技之作。当我提到我也经常习惯这样做时，你表示了怀疑。”
“Oh, no!”
“噢，不！”
“Perhaps not with your tongue, my dear Watson, but certainly with your eyebrows. So when I saw you throw down your paper and enter upon a train of thought, I was very happy to have the opportunity of reading it off, and eventually of breaking into it, as a proof that I had been in rapport with you.”
“也许嘴上没说出来，亲爱的华生，但你的眉毛肯定表达了这个意思。所以当我看到你扔下报纸开始一连串的思考时，我很高兴有机会把它解读出来，并最终插话打断，以此证明我一直与你心意相通。”
But I was still far from satisfied. “In the example which you read to me,” said I, “the reasoner drew his conclusions from the actions of the man whom he observed. If I remember right, he stumbled over a heap of stones, looked up at the stars, and so on. But I have been seated quietly in my chair, and what clues can I have given you?”
但我仍远未信服。“在你读给我听的那个例子里，”我说，“推理者是从他所观察之人的行动中得出结论的。如果我没记错，那人被一堆石头绊倒，抬头看星星等等。可我一直安静地坐在椅子里，又能给你提供什么线索呢？”
“You do yourself an injustice. The features are given to man as the means by which he shall express his emotions, and yours are faithful servants.”
“你太低估自己了。五官是上天赐予人类表达情感的工具，而你的五官更是忠实的仆人。”
“Do you mean to say that you read my train of thoughts from my features?”
“你是说你能从我的面部表情读出我的思绪？”
“Your features and especially your eyes. Perhaps you cannot yourself recall how your reverie commenced?”
“是你的面部表情，尤其是你的眼睛。或许你自己都想不起刚才的冥想是如何开始的了吧？”
“No, I cannot.”
“不，我想不起来了。”
“Then I will tell you. After throwing down your paper, which was the action which drew my attention to you, you sat for half a minute with a vacant expression. Then your eyes fixed themselves upon your newly framed picture of General Gordon, and I saw by the alteration in your face that a train of thought had been started. But it did not lead very far. Your eyes flashed across to the unframed portrait of Henry Ward Beecher which stands upon the top of your books. Then you glanced up at the wall, and of course your meaning was obvious. You were thinking that if the portrait were framed it would just cover that bare space and correspond with Gordon’s picture over there.”
“那就让我来告诉你。你扔下报纸的动作引起了我的注意，之后你带着茫然的表情坐了半分钟。接着你的目光落在刚装裱好的戈登将军画像上，我从你脸色的变化看出你的思绪已经开始流动。但这思绪并没有走远。你的目光迅速移向放在书堆顶上那张未装框的亨利·沃德·比彻肖像。然后你抬眼看了看墙壁，意图自然显而易见。你在想，如果把这张肖像也装上框，就刚好能遮住那块空白，并与那边的戈登画像相映成趣。”
“You have followed me wonderfully!” I exclaimed.
“你跟踪我的思路真是绝了！”我惊叹道。
“So far I could hardly have gone astray. But now your thoughts went back to Beecher, and you looked hard across as if you were studying the character in his features. Then your eyes ceased to pucker, but you continued to look across, and your face was thoughtful. You were recalling the incidents of Beecher’s career. I was well aware that you could not do this without thinking of the mission which he undertook on behalf of the North at the time of the Civil War, for I remember your expressing your passionate indignation at the way in which he was received by the more turbulent of our people. You felt so strongly about it that I knew you could not think of Beecher without thinking of that also. When a moment later I saw your eyes wander away from the picture, I suspected that your mind had now turned to the Civil War, and when I observed that your lips set, your eyes sparkled, and your hands clenched I was positive that you were indeed thinking of the gallantry which was shown by both sides in that desperate struggle. But then, again, your face grew sadder; you shook your head. You were dwelling upon the sadness and horror and useless waste of life. Your hand stole towards your own old wound and a smile quivered on your lips, which showed me that the ridiculous side of this method of settling international questions had forced itself upon your mind. At this point I agreed with you that it was preposterous and was glad to find that all my deductions had been correct.”
“到这一步我还不至于出错。但现在你的思绪回到了比彻身上，你紧盯着那边，仿佛在通过他的面容研究他的性格。随后你的眼睛不再眯起，但仍继续凝视着，脸上露出深思的神情。你在回忆比彻生涯中的种种事件。我很清楚，想到他就必然会想到他在内战期间代表北方执行的任务，因为我还记得你曾对他受到我国某些暴民对待的方式表示过强烈的愤慨。你对这件事感触极深，所以我知道你想到了比彻就不可能不想到那段往事。片刻后，当我看到你的目光从画像上游离开去，便推测你的思绪已转到了内战本身；当我观察到你的嘴唇紧闭、双眼闪光、双手握拳时，我确信你确实在想那场殊死搏斗中双方所表现出的英勇。但紧接着，你的脸色又变得悲伤起来，摇了摇头。你沉浸在对战争的悲哀、恐怖以及无谓生命浪费的思考中。你的手不由自主地摸向自己的旧伤疤，嘴角掠过一丝笑意，这表明用这种方式解决国际争端的荒谬性已涌入你的脑海。就在这一点上，我赞同你的看法，认为这确实荒谬绝伦，同时也很高兴发现我所有的推论都是正确的。”
“Absolutely!” said I. “And now that you have explained it, I confess that I am as amazed as before.”
“完全正确！”我说，“不过即便你现在解释了这一切，我得承认我还是像刚才一样惊讶。”
“It was very superficial, my dear Watson, I assure you. I should not have intruded it upon your attention had you not shown some incredulity the other day. But I have in my hands here a little problem which may prove to be more difficult of solution than my small essay in thought reading. Have you observed in the paper a short paragraph referring to the remarkable contents of a packet sent through the post to Miss Cushing, of Cross Street, Croydon?”
“这其实非常肤浅，亲爱的华生，我向你保证。要不是那天你表现出怀疑，我也不会拿这事来打扰你。但我手头现在有个小案子，解决起来可能比我刚才那篇读心术的小文章要难得多。你有没有注意到报纸上有一段短文，提到寄给克罗伊登十字街库欣小姐的一个包裹里有惊人的内容？”
“No, I saw nothing.”
“没有，我什么也没看见。”
“Ah! then you must have overlooked it. Just toss it over to me. Here it is, under the financial column. Perhaps you would be good enough to read it aloud.”
“啊！那你一定是漏看了。把报纸扔给我吧。就在这儿，金融专栏下面。劳驾你大声念一下好吗？”
I picked up the paper which he had thrown back to me and read the paragraph indicated. It was headed, “A Gruesome Packet.”
我捡起他扔回来的报纸，读了他指出的那段文字。标题是《恐怖的包裹》。
“Miss Susan Cushing, living at Cross Street, Croydon, has been made the victim of what must be regarded as a peculiarly revolting practical joke unless some more sinister meaning should prove to be attached to the incident. At two o’clock yesterday afternoon a small packet, wrapped in brown paper, was handed in by the postman. A cardboard box was inside, which was filled with coarse salt. On emptying this, Miss Cushing was horrified to find two human ears, apparently quite freshly severed. The box had been sent by parcel post from Belfast upon the morning before. There is no indication as to the sender, and the matter is the more mysterious as Miss Cushing, who is a maiden lady of fifty, has led a most retired life, and has so few acquaintances or correspondents that it is a rare event for her to receive anything through the post. Some years ago, however, when she resided at Penge, she let apartments in her house to three young medical students, whom she was obliged to get rid of on account of their noisy and irregular habits. The police are of opinion that this outrage may have been perpetrated upon Miss Cushing by these youths, who owed her a grudge and who hoped to frighten her by sending her these relics of the dissecting-rooms. Some probability is lent to the theory by the fact that one of these students came from the north of Ireland, and, to the best of Miss Cushing’s belief, from Belfast. In the meantime, the matter is being actively investigated, Mr. Lestrade, one of the very smartest of our detective officers, being in charge of the case.”
“住在克罗伊登十字街的苏珊·库欣小姐成了一起令人作呕的恶作剧的受害者，除非事实证明此事背后另有更险恶的用意。昨天下午两点，邮递员送来一个牛皮纸包装的小包裹。里面是一个硬纸盒，装满了粗盐。倒出盐后，库欣小姐惊恐地发现两只人耳，显然是刚割下来不久的。这个盒子是前一天上午从贝尔法斯特邮寄出来的。没有任何关于寄件人的线索，此事越发显得神秘，因为五十岁的未婚女士库欣小姐一直过着深居简出的生活，熟人或通信者极少，收到邮件对她来说是罕见的事。然而几年前她住在彭奇时，曾把房子租给三个年轻的医学生，后因他们喧闹且作息不规律而不得不将他们赶走。警方认为这起暴行可能是这几个年轻人所为，他们对库欣小姐怀恨在心，企图通过寄送解剖室的这些残留物来吓唬她。这一推测有一定的可能性，因为其中一名学生来自爱尔兰北部，而且据库欣小姐所知，正是来自贝尔法斯特。目前此案正在积极调查中，由我们最精明的侦探之一莱斯特雷德先生负责。”
“So much for the Daily Chronicle,” said Holmes as I finished reading. “Now for our friend Lestrade. I had a note from him this morning, in which he says: ‘I think that this case is very much in your line. We have every hope of clearing the matter up, but we find a little difficulty in getting anything to work upon. We have, of course, wired to the Belfast post-office, but a large number of parcels were handed in upon that day, and they have no means of identifying this particular one, or of remembering the sender. The box is a half-pound box of honeydew tobacco and does not help us in any way. The medical student theory still appears to me to be the most feasible, but if you should have a few hours to spare I should be very happy to see you out here. I shall be either at the house or in the police-station all day.’ What say you, Watson? Can you rise superior to the heat and run down to Croydon with me on the off chance of a case for your annals?”
“《每日纪事报》的报道就这些，”我读完后福尔摩斯说道，“现在说说我们的朋友莱斯特雷德。今早我收到他的便条，上面写着：‘我认为这个案子非常适合你。我们很有希望查清此事，但在寻找切入点上遇到了一点困难。当然，我们已经给贝尔法斯特邮局发了电报，但那天交寄的包裹太多，他们无法辨认出这一个，也想不起寄件人是谁。那个盒子是个半磅装的蜜露烟草盒，对我们毫无帮助。医学生的理论在我看来仍然是最可行的，但如果你能抽出几个小时，我会非常高兴你能来这里一趟。我整天都会在案发房屋或警察局。’你怎么看，华生？你能克服酷暑，跟我去一趟克罗伊登碰碰运气，说不定能为你的编年史添个案子？”
“I was longing for something to do.”
“我正巴不得有事可做呢。”
“You shall have it then. Ring for our boots and tell them to order a cab. I’ll be back in a moment when I have changed my dressing-gown and filled my cigar-case.”
“那你就要如愿以偿了。按铃叫仆人来拿靴子，让他们雇辆马车。我换下晨衣、装满烟盒马上就回来。”
A shower of rain fell while we were in the train, and the heat was far less oppressive in Croydon than in town. Holmes had sent on a wire, so that Lestrade, as wiry, as dapper, and as ferret-like as ever, was waiting for us at the station. A walk of five minutes took us to Cross Street, where Miss Cushing resided.
我们在火车上时下了一阵阵雨，克罗伊登的闷热程度远比城里轻得多。福尔摩斯事先发了电报，所以莱斯特雷德已在车站等候我们，他依旧那样精瘦、干练，活像一只雪貂。步行五分钟便到了库欣小姐居住的十字街。
It was a very long street of two-story brick houses, neat and prim, with whitened stone steps and little groups of aproned women gossiping at the doors. Halfway down, Lestrade stopped and tapped at a door, which was opened by a small servant girl. Miss Cushing was sitting in the front room, into which we were ushered. She was a placid-faced woman, with large, gentle eyes, and grizzled hair curving down over her temples on each side. A worked antima cassar lay upon her lap and a basket of coloured silks stood upon a stool beside her.
这是一条很长的街道，两旁是整洁朴素的两层砖房，石阶刷得雪白，门口聚着一群群系着围裙的女人在闲聊。走到半路，莱斯特雷德停下来敲了一扇门，一个小女佣开了门。库欣小姐正坐在前厅，我们被引了进去。她面容安详，有一双温柔的大眼睛，花白的头发在两鬓垂下。膝上放着一块刺绣的椅背垫布，旁边凳子上摆着一篮彩色丝线。
“They are in the outhouse, those dreadful things,” said she as Lestrade entered. “I wish that you would take them away altogether.”
“那些可怕的东西在外屋里，”莱斯特雷德进来时她说，“我希望你们把它们统统拿走。”
“So I shall, Miss Cushing. I only kept them here until my friend, Mr. Holmes, should have seen them in your presence.”
“我会拿走的，库欣小姐。我只是把它们留在这儿，等我的朋友福尔摩斯先生当着您的面看过再说。”
“Why in my presence, sir?”
“为什么要当着我的面看呢，先生？”
“In case he wished to ask any questions.”
“以防他想问什么问题。”
“What is the use of asking me questions when I tell you I know nothing whatever about it?”
“我都说了对此一无所知，再问我还有什么用？”
“Quite so, madam,” said Holmes in his soothing way. “I have no doubt that you have been annoyed more than enough already over this business.”
“说得也是，夫人，”福尔摩斯用安抚的语气说，“毫无疑问，这件事已经让您够烦心的了。”
“Indeed, I have, sir. I am a quiet woman and live a retired life. It is something new for me to see my name in the papers and to find the police in my house. I won’t have those things in here, Mr. Lestrade. If you wish to see them you must go to the outhouse.”
“确实如此，先生。我是个安静的女人，过着隐居般的生活。看到自己的名字登上报纸、警察出现在家里，这对我来说可是新鲜事。我不允许那些东西放在这儿，莱斯特雷德先生。如果您想看，就得去外屋。”
It was a small shed in the narrow garden which ran behind the house. Lestrade went in and brought out a yellow cardboard box, with a piece of brown paper and some string. There was a bench at the end of the path, and we all sat down while Holmes examined, one by one, the articles which Lestrade had handed to him.
那是屋后狭长花园里的一个小棚子。莱斯特雷德进去拿出一个黄色硬纸盒，还有一张牛皮纸和一些绳子。小径尽头有条长凳，我们都坐了下来，福尔摩斯逐一检查莱斯特雷德递给他的物品。
“The string is exceedingly interesting,” he remarked, holding it up to the light and sniffing at it. “What do you make of this string, Lestrade?”
“这根绳子非常有意思，”他举起绳子对着光看并闻了闻，评论道，“你觉得这绳子怎么样，莱斯特雷德？”
“It has been tarred.”
“涂过焦油。”
“Precisely. It is a piece of tarred twine. You have also, no doubt, remarked that Miss Cushing has cut the cord with a scissors, as can be seen by the double fray on each side. This is of importance.”
“没错。这是一段涂了焦油的麻绳。毫无疑问你也注意到了，库欣小姐是用剪刀剪断绳子的，两边的双重磨损痕迹可以证明。这一点很重要。”
“I cannot see the importance,” said Lestrade.
“我看不出有什么重要性，”莱斯特雷德说。
“The importance lies in the fact that the knot is left intact, and that this knot is of a peculiar character.”
“重要性在于绳结完好无损，而且这个绳结打得很特别。”
“It is very neatly tied. I had already made a note to that effect,” said Lestrade complacently.
“结打得很整齐。我已经记下这一点了，”莱斯特雷德自鸣得意地说。
“So much for the string, then,” said Holmes, smiling, “now for the box wrapper. Brown paper, with a distinct smell of coffee. What, did you not observe it? I think there can be no doubt of it. Address printed in rather straggling characters: ‘Miss S. Cushing, Cross Street, Croydon.’ Done with a broad-pointed pen, probably a J, and with very inferior ink. The word ‘Croydon’ has been originally spelled with an ‘i,’ which has been changed to ‘y.’ The parcel was directed, then, by a man—the printing is distinctly masculine—of limited education and unacquainted with the town of Croydon. So far, so good! The box is a yellow half-pound honeydew box, with nothing distinctive save two thumb marks at the left bottom corner. It is filled with rough salt of the quality used for preserving hides and other of the coarser commercial purposes. And embedded in it are these very singular enclosures.”
“绳子就说这么多，”福尔摩斯笑着说，“现在看看包装盒。牛皮纸，有明显的咖啡味。怎么，你没注意到吗？我看毫无疑问。地址是用相当潦草的字迹印刷的：‘克罗伊登十字街S.库欣小姐’。用的是宽尖钢笔，大概是J号笔尖，墨水也很劣质。‘Croydon’这个词最初拼写用了‘i’，后来改成了‘y’。因此，写地址的是个男人——字迹明显带有男性特征——受教育程度有限，且不熟悉克罗伊登镇。到目前为止，一切顺利！盒子是个黄色的半磅蜜露烟草盒，除了左下角有两个拇指印外没什么特别之处。里面装的是用于保存兽皮及其他粗糙商业用途的粗盐。嵌在盐里的就是这些非常奇特的内含物。”
He took out the two ears as he spoke, and laying a board across his knee he examined them minutely, while Lestrade and I, bending forward on each side of him, glanced alternately at these dreadful relics and at the thoughtful, eager face of our companion. Finally he returned them to the box once more and sat for a while in deep meditation.
他说着取出那两只耳朵，在膝盖上横放一块木板，仔细地检查起来。我和莱斯特雷德在他两侧探身向前，交替注视着这些可怕的遗物和同伴那张沉思而热切的脸。最后他把耳朵放回盒子，坐着沉思了一会儿。
“You have observed, of course,” said he at last, “that the ears are not a pair.”
“你当然已经注意到了，”他终于开口说，“这两只耳朵不是一对。”
“Yes, I have noticed that. But if this were the practical joke of some students from the dissecting-rooms, it would be as easy for them to send two odd ears as a pair.”
“是的，我注意到了。但如果这是解剖室学生的恶作剧，他们寄两只不成对的耳朵和寄一对耳朵一样容易。”
“Precisely. But this is not a practical joke.”
“正是如此。但这并不是恶作剧。”
“You are sure of it?”
“你确定吗？”
“The presumption is strongly against it. Bodies in the dissecting-rooms are injected with preservative fluid. These ears bear no signs of this. They are fresh, too. They have been cut off with a blunt instrument, which would hardly happen if a student had done it. Again, carbolic or rectified spirits would be the preservatives which would suggest themselves to the medical mind, certainly not rough salt. I repeat that there is no practical joke here, but that we are investigating a serious crime.”
“各种迹象都强烈反对这种假设。解剖室的尸体都注射过防腐液。这两只耳朵没有任何此类痕迹。而且它们很新鲜。它们是被钝器割下来的，如果是学生干的，绝不会这样。再者，学医的人自然会想到用石炭酸或精馏酒精做防腐剂，绝不会用粗盐。我重申，这不是恶作剧，我们正在调查一桩严重的罪行。”
A vague thrill ran through me as I listened to my companion’s words and saw the stern gravity which had hardened his features. This brutal preliminary seemed to shadow forth some strange and inexplicable horror in the background. Lestrade, however, shook his head like a man who is only half convinced.
听着同伴的话，看着他脸上凝固的严峻神情，一股莫名的战栗传遍我的全身。这残忍的前奏似乎预示着背景中某种奇怪而无法解释的恐怖。然而，莱斯特雷德却像个半信半疑的人那样摇了摇头。
“There are objections to the joke theory, no doubt,” said he, “but there are much stronger reasons against the other. We know that this woman has led a most quiet and respectable life at Penge and here for the last twenty years. She has hardly been away from her home for a day during that time. Why on earth, then, should any criminal send her the proofs of his guilt, especially as, unless she is a most consummate actress, she understands quite as little of the matter as we do?”
“恶作剧理论固然有反驳的理由，”他说，“但反对犯罪说的理由更充分。我们知道这位女士过去二十年在彭奇和这里一直过着极其安静、体面的生活。这段时间她几乎没离开过家一天。那么，究竟为什么会有罪犯把自己的罪证寄给她呢？尤其是除非她是个演技炉火纯青的演员，否则她对这件事的了解并不比我们多多少。”
“That is the problem which we have to solve,” Holmes answered, “and for my part I shall set about it by presuming that my reasoning is correct, and that a double murder has been committed. One of these ears is a woman’s, small, finely formed, and pierced for an earring. The other is a man’s, sun-burned, discoloured, and also pierced for an earring. These two people are presumably dead, or we should have heard their story before now. To-day is Friday. The packet was posted on Thursday morning. The tragedy, then, occurred on Wednesday or Tuesday or earlier. If the two people were murdered, who but their murderer would have sent this sign of his work to Miss Cushing? We may take it that the sender of the packet is the man whom we want. But he must have some strong reason for sending Miss Cushing this packet. What reason then? It must have been to tell her that the deed was done! or to pain her, perhaps. But in that case she knows who it is. Does she know? I doubt it. If she knew, why should she call the police in? She might have buried the ears, and no one would have been the wiser. That is what she would have done if she had wished to shield the criminal. But if she does not wish to shield him she would give his name. There is a tangle here which needs straightening out.” He had been talking in a high, quick voice, staring blankly up over the garden fence, but now he sprang briskly to his feet and walked towards the house.
“这正是我们要解决的问题，”福尔摩斯回答，“就我而言，我将假定我的推理是正确的，即发生了一起双重谋杀案，并以此着手调查。其中一只耳朵是女人的，小巧精致，穿过耳洞。另一只是男人的，晒得黝黑，变了色，也穿过耳洞。这两个人大概已经死了，否则我们早就听到他们的消息了。今天是星期五。包裹是星期四上午寄出的。那么惨案发生在星期三、星期二或更早。如果这两人被谋杀了，除了凶手还有谁会把这作案标记寄给库欣小姐呢？我们可以认定寄包裹的人就是我们要找的人。但他一定有充分的理由才把包裹寄给库欣小姐。什么理由呢？一定是为了告诉她事情已经办妥！或者是为了让她痛苦。但在那种情况下她就知道是谁干的了。她知道吗？我怀疑。如果她知道，为什么要报警？她本可以把耳朵埋掉，没人会知道。如果她想包庇罪犯，就会这么做。但如果她不想包庇，就会说出名字。这里有个乱团需要理清。”他一直语速很快、声调很高地说着，茫然地盯着花园篱笆上方，但现在他敏捷地跳起来朝房子走去。
“I have a few questions to ask Miss Cushing,” said he.
“我有几个问题要问库欣小姐，”他说。
“In that case I may leave you here,” said Lestrade, “for I have another small business on hand. I think that I have nothing further to learn from Miss Cushing. You will find me at the police-station.”
“既然如此我就把你们留在这儿了，”莱斯特雷德说，“因为我手头还有点小事。我想从库欣小姐那里也学不到什么了。我在警察局等你们。”
“We shall look in on our way to the train,” answered Holmes. A moment later he and I were back in the front room, where the impassive lady was still quietly working away at her antimacassar. She put it down on her lap as we entered and looked at us with her frank, searching blue eyes.
“我们去火车站的路上会顺道去看看你，”福尔摩斯答道。片刻之后，我和他又回到了前厅，那位面无表情的女士仍在安静地绣着她的椅背垫布。我们进去时她把绣品放在膝上，用坦率而探究的蓝眼睛看着我们。
“I am convinced, sir,” she said, “that this matter is a mistake, and that the parcel was never meant for me at all. I have said this several times to the gentleman from Scotland Yard, but he simply laughs at me. I have not an enemy in the world, as far as I know, so why should anyone play me such a trick?”
“先生，我确信，”她说，“这件事是个误会，那个包裹根本不是寄给我的。我已经跟苏格兰场的那位先生说过好几次了，可他只是一笑了之。据我所知，我在世上没有一个敌人，为什么有人要对我开这种玩笑？”
“I am coming to be of the same opinion, Miss Cushing,” said Holmes, taking a seat beside her. “I think that it is more than probable——” he paused, and I was surprised, on glancing round to see that he was staring with singular intentness at the lady’s profile. Surprise and satisfaction were both for an instant to be read upon his eager face, though when she glanced round to find out the cause of his silence he had become as demure as ever. I stared hard myself at her flat, grizzled hair, her trim cap, her little gilt earrings, her placid features; but I could see nothing which could account for my companion’s evident excitement.
“我也开始持同样看法了，库欣小姐，”福尔摩斯在她身旁坐下说道，“我认为极有可能——”他停顿了一下，我转头一看，惊讶地发现他正异常专注地盯着这位女士的侧脸。一瞬间，他那热切的脸上流露出惊讶与满足的神色，但当她转过头来探寻他沉默的原因时，他又恢复了往常的沉静。我自己也仔细打量她那平直的花白头发、整洁的帽子、小小的镀金耳环和安详的面容，却看不出任何能让同伴如此兴奋的迹象。
“There were one or two questions——”
“有一两个问题——”
“Oh, I am weary of questions!” cried Miss Cushing impatiently.
“噢，我都厌烦问题了！”库欣小姐不耐烦地叫道。
“You have two sisters, I believe.”
“我相信您有两个姐妹。”
“How could you know that?”
“你怎么知道的？”
“I observed the very instant that I entered the room that you have a portrait group of three ladies upon the mantelpiece, one of whom is undoubtedly yourself, while the others are so exceedingly like you that there could be no doubt of the relationship.”
“我一进房间就注意到壁炉架上有一张三位女士的合影，其中一位无疑是您本人，另外两位与您极其相似，毫无疑问是亲属关系。”
“Yes, you are quite right. Those are my sisters, Sarah and Mary.”
“是的，你说得完全正确。那是我的姐妹，萨拉和玛丽。”
“And here at my elbow is another portrait, taken at Liverpool, of your younger sister, in the company of a man who appears to be a steward by his uniform. I observe that she was unmarried at the time.”
“在我手边还有另一张照片，是在利物浦拍的，您的妹妹和一位男士在一起，从制服看那人像是个乘务员。我注意到拍照时她还未婚。”
“You are very quick at observing.”
“你的观察力真敏锐。”
“That is my trade.”
“这是我的职业。”
“Well, you are quite right. But she was married to Mr. Browner a few days afterwards. He was on the South American line when that was taken, but he was so fond of her that he couldn’t abide to leave her for so long, and he got into the Liverpool and London boats.”
“嗯，你说得没错。但几天后她就嫁给了布朗纳先生。拍那张照片时他在南美航线上工作，但他太爱她了，受不了长时间分离，于是转到了利物浦至伦敦的航线船上。”
“Ah, the Conqueror, perhaps?”
“啊，也许是‘征服者号’？”
“No, the May Day, when last I heard. Jim came down here to see me once. That was before he broke the pledge; but afterwards he would always take drink when he was ashore, and a little drink would send him stark, staring mad. Ah! it was a bad day that ever he took a glass in his hand again. First he dropped me, then he quarrelled with Sarah, and now that Mary has stopped writing we don’t know how things are going with them.”
“不，据我最后一次听说，是‘五月节号’。吉姆曾来这里看过我一次。那是在他违背戒酒誓言之前；但后来他一上岸就喝酒，稍微喝一点就会让他彻底发疯。唉！他重新端起酒杯的那天真是个倒霉日子。起初他不再理我，后来又跟萨拉吵架，现在玛丽也不写信了，我们都不知道他们过得怎么样了。”
It was evident that Miss Cushing had come upon a subject on which she felt very deeply. Like most people who lead a lonely life, she was shy at first, but ended by becoming extremely communicative. She told us many details about her brother-in-law the steward, and then wandering off on the subject of her former lodgers, the medical students, she gave us a long account of their delinquencies, with their names and those of their hospitals. Holmes listened attentively to everything, throwing in a question from time to time.
显然，库欣小姐触及了一个令她感触颇深的话题。像大多数过着孤独生活的人一样，她起初有些羞怯，但最终变得极其健谈。她告诉了我们许多关于她那位当乘务员的姐夫的细节，然后话题又岔到了以前的房客——那些医学生身上，长篇大论地讲述了他们的过失，提到了他们的名字和所在医院。福尔摩斯专注地听着每一件事，不时插一个问题。
“About your second sister, Sarah,” said he. “I wonder, since you are both maiden ladies, that you do not keep house together.”
“关于您的二姐萨拉，”他说，“既然你们都是单身女士，我很奇怪你们为什么不一起住。”
“Ah! you don’t know Sarah’s temper or you would wonder no more. I tried it when I came to Croydon, and we kept on until about two months ago, when we had to part. I don’t want to say a word against my own sister, but she was always meddlesome and hard to please, was Sarah.”
“唉！你要是不了解萨拉的脾气就不会这么问了。我刚来克罗伊登时试过，我们一起住到大约两个月前，不得不分开。我不想说自己亲姐妹的坏话，但萨拉总是爱管闲事，很难让人满意。”
“You say that she quarrelled with your Liverpool relations.”
“你说她和你在利物浦的亲戚吵过架。”
“Yes, and they were the best of friends at one time. Why, she went up there to live in order to be near them. And now she has no word hard enough for Jim Browner. The last six months that she was here she would speak of nothing but his drinking and his ways. He had caught her meddling, I suspect, and given her a bit of his mind, and that was the start of it.”
“是的，可他们曾经是最好的朋友。要知道，她搬到那儿住就是为了离他们近点。而现在她对吉姆·布朗纳的厌恶简直无以复加。她在这里的最后六个月里，张口闭口都是他酗酒和他的行为。我猜是他抓住了她多管闲事，把她训斥了一顿，这就是争吵的开始。”
“Thank you, Miss Cushing,” said Holmes, rising and bowing. “Your sister Sarah lives, I think you said, at New Street Wallington? Good-bye, and I am very sorry that you should have been troubled over a case with which, as you say, you have nothing whatever to do.”
“谢谢您，库欣小姐，”福尔摩斯起身鞠躬说道，“我记得您说您的姐姐萨拉住在沃灵顿的新街？再见了，很抱歉让您为这件如您所说与您毫不相干的案子受了惊扰。”
There was a cab passing as we came out, and Holmes hailed it.
我们出来时正好有辆马车经过，福尔摩斯叫住了它。
“How far to Wallington?” he asked.
“到沃灵顿有多远？”他问。
“Only about a mile, sir.”
“只有一英里左右，先生。”
“Very good. Jump in, Watson. We must strike while the iron is hot. Simple as the case is, there have been one or two very instructive details in connection with it. Just pull up at a telegraph office as you pass, cabby.”
“很好。上车吧，华生。我们必须趁热打铁。虽然案子简单，但其中有一两个细节非常有启发性。车夫，路过电报局时请停一下。”
Holmes sent off a short wire and for the rest of the drive lay back in the cab, with his hat tilted over his nose to keep the sun from his face. Our driver pulled up at a house which was not unlike the one which we had just quitted. My companion ordered him to wait, and had his hand upon the knocker, when the door opened and a grave young gentleman in black, with a very shiny hat, appeared on the step.
福尔摩斯发了一封简短的电报，余下的路程他都靠在马车里，帽子斜扣在鼻子上遮挡阳光。车夫在一栋房子前停下，这房子和我们刚离开的那栋颇为相似。我的同伴让他等着，手刚碰到门环，门就开了，一位身穿黑衣、头戴闪亮礼帽、神情严肃的年轻绅士出现在台阶上。
“Is Miss Cushing at home?” asked Holmes.
“库欣小姐在家吗？”福尔摩斯问。
“Miss Sarah Cushing is extremely ill,” said he. “She has been suffering since yesterday from brain symptoms of great severity. As her medical adviser, I cannot possibly take the responsibility of allowing anyone to see her. I should recommend you to call again in ten days.” He drew on his gloves, closed the door, and marched off down the street.
“萨拉·库欣小姐病得很重，”他说，“从昨天起她就出现了严重的脑部症状。作为她的医疗顾问，我不能承担允许任何人探视的责任。我建议你们十天后再来。”他戴上手套，关上门，沿街大步走了。
“Well, if we can’t we can’t,” said Holmes, cheerfully.
“好吧，不能见就不能见，”福尔摩斯愉快地说。
“Perhaps she could not or would not have told you much.”
“也许她不能说或者不愿告诉你太多。”
“I did not wish her to tell me anything. I only wanted to look at her. However, I think that I have got all that I want. Drive us to some decent hotel, cabby, where we may have some lunch, and afterwards we shall drop down upon friend Lestrade at the police-station.”
“我并不指望她告诉我什么。我只是想看看她。不过，我想我已经得到了想要的一切。车夫，载我们去一家像样的旅馆吃午饭，之后我们要去警察局拜访朋友莱斯特雷德。”
We had a pleasant little meal together, during which Holmes would talk about nothing but violins, narrating with great exultation how he had purchased his own Stradivarius, which was worth at least five hundred guineas, at a Jew broker’s in Tottenham Court Road for fifty-five shillings. This led him to Paganini, and we sat for an hour over a bottle of claret while he told me anecdote after anecdote of that extraordinary man. The afternoon was far advanced and the hot glare had softened into a mellow glow before we found ourselves at the police-station. Lestrade was waiting for us at the door.
我们一起愉快地吃了顿便饭，席间福尔摩斯只谈论小提琴，兴高采烈地讲述他如何在托特纳姆法院路的一家犹太人当铺里，仅花五十五先令就买到了至少值五百几尼的斯特拉迪瓦里琴。这又引出了帕格尼尼的话题，我们对着一瓶波尔多红酒坐了一个小时，他给我讲了一个又一个关于那位非凡人物的轶事。当我们到达警察局时，天色已晚，炽热的阳光已化作柔和的光辉。莱斯特雷德正在门口等我们。
“A telegram for you, Mr. Holmes,” said he.
“有您的电报，福尔摩斯先生，”他说。
“Ha! It is the answer!” He tore it open, glanced his eyes over it, and crumpled it into his pocket. “That’s all right,” said he.
“哈！回电来了！”他撕开电报，扫了一眼，揉成一团塞进口袋。“好了，”他说。
“Have you found out anything?”
“你查出什么了吗？”
“I have found out everything!”
“一切都查清楚了！”
“What!” Lestrade stared at him in amazement. “You are joking.”
“什么！”莱斯特雷德惊讶地盯着他，“你在开玩笑吧。”
“I was never more serious in my life. A shocking crime has been committed, and I think I have now laid bare every detail of it.”
“我这辈子从没这么认真过。一桩骇人听闻的罪行已经犯下，我想我现在已经揭露了其中的每一个细节。”
“And the criminal?”
“那罪犯呢？”
Holmes scribbled a few words upon the back of one of his visiting cards and threw it over to Lestrade.
福尔摩斯在他的一张名片背面匆匆写了几个字，扔给莱斯特雷德。
“That is the name,” he said. “You cannot effect an arrest until to-morrow night at the earliest. I should prefer that you do not mention my name at all in connection with the case, as I choose to be only associated with those crimes which present some difficulty in their solution. Come on, Watson.” We strode off together to the station, leaving Lestrade still staring with a delighted face at the card which Holmes had thrown him.
“就是这个名字，”他说，“你最早也要等到明晚才能实施逮捕。我希望你在提及此案时完全不要提我的名字，因为我只愿意与那些侦破有一定难度的案件联系在一起。走吧，华生。”我们一起大步走向车站，留下莱斯特雷德依然满脸欣喜地盯着福尔摩斯扔给他的那张名片。
“The case,” said Sherlock Holmes as we chatted over our cigars that night in our rooms at Baker Street, “is one where, as in the investigations which you have chronicled under the names of ‘A Study in Scarlet’ and of ‘The Sign of Four,’ we have been compelled to reason backward from effects to causes. I have written to Lestrade asking him to supply us with the details which are now wanting, and which he will only get after he has secured his man. That he may be safely trusted to do, for although he is absolutely devoid of reason, he is as tenacious as a bulldog when he once understands what he has to do, and, indeed, it is just this tenacity which has brought him to the top at Scotland Yard.”
当晚我们在贝克街的房间里抽着雪茄聊天时，夏洛克·福尔摩斯说：“这个案子就像你记录在案的《血字的研究》和《四签名》中的调查一样，迫使我们必须从结果逆向推导原因。我已写信给莱斯特雷德，请他补充目前缺失的细节，而这些细节只有在他抓获犯人后才能获得。这一点尽可放心交给他，因为他虽然毫无推理能力，可一旦明白了该做什么，就会像斗牛犬一样坚韧不拔，事实上，正是这种坚韧让他在苏格兰场出人头地。”
“Your case is not complete, then?” I asked.
“这么说你的案子还没完全结束？”我问。
“It is fairly complete in essentials. We know who the author of the revolting business is, although one of the victims still escapes us. Of course, you have formed your own conclusions.”
“基本要素已经相当完整了。我们知道这起骇人事件的始作俑者是谁，尽管其中一个受害者的身份我们还不确定。当然，你已经形成了自己的结论。”
“I presume that this Jim Browner, the steward of a Liverpool boat, is the man whom you suspect?”
“我推测你怀疑的人是那个利物浦船上的乘务员吉姆·布朗纳？”
“Oh! it is more than a suspicion.”
“噢！这不仅仅是怀疑。”
“And yet I cannot see anything save very vague indications.”
“可我除了非常模糊的迹象外什么都看不出来。”
“On the contrary, to my mind nothing could be more clear. Let me run over the principal steps. We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations. What did we see first? A very placid and respectable lady, who seemed quite innocent of any secret, and a portrait which showed me that she had two younger sisters. It instantly flashed across my mind that the box might have been meant for one of these. I set the idea aside as one which could be disproved or confirmed at our leisure. Then we went to the garden, as you remember, and we saw the very singular contents of the little yellow box.
“恰恰相反，在我看来再清楚不过了。让我回顾一下主要步骤。你还记得，我们是以完全空白的头脑介入此案的，这总是一种优势。我们没有预设任何理论。我们只是去观察并从观察中得出推论。我们首先看到了什么？一位非常安详体面的女士，看起来没有任何秘密，还有一张照片显示她有两个妹妹。我脑海中立刻闪过一个念头：那个盒子可能是寄给其中一位的。我把这个想法暂时搁置，等有空再验证或推翻。然后我们去了花园，你还记得，我们看到了那个黄色小盒子里非常奇特的内容物。
“The string was of the quality which is used by sailmakers aboard ship, and at once a whiff of the sea was perceptible in our investigation. When I observed that the knot was one which is popular with sailors, that the parcel had been posted at a port, and that the male ear was pierced for an earring which is so much more common among sailors than landsmen, I was quite certain that all the actors in the tragedy were to be found among our seafaring classes.
“绳子的质地是船上帆匠常用的那种，我们的调查中顿时弥漫起一股海洋的气息。当我观察到那个绳结是水手们常用的，包裹是从港口寄出的，而且那只男耳穿了耳洞——这在船员中比在陆地居民中普遍得多——我就确信这场悲剧的所有参与者都属于航海阶层。
“When I came to examine the address of the packet I observed that it was to Miss S. Cushing. Now, the oldest sister would, of course, be Miss Cushing, and although her initial was ‘S’ it might belong to one of the others as well. In that case we should have to commence our investigation from a fresh basis altogether. I therefore went into the house with the intention of clearing up this point. I was about to assure Miss Cushing that I was convinced that a mistake had been made when you may remember that I came suddenly to a stop. The fact was that I had just seen something which filled me with surprise and at the same time narrowed the field of our inquiry immensely.
“当我检查包裹地址时，发现收件人是S.库欣小姐。大姐自然是库欣小姐，虽然她的首字母是‘S’，但也可能是其他姐妹中的一个。如果是那样，我们就得从头开始调查。所以我进屋是想弄清这一点。正当我要向库欣小姐确认这是个误投时，你可能记得我突然停住了。事实是我刚刚看到了某样东西，既让我大吃一惊，又极大地缩小了我们的调查范围。
“As a medical man, you are aware, Watson, that there is no part of the body which varies so much as the human ear. Each ear is as a rule quite distinctive and differs from all other ones. In last year’s Anthropological Journal you will find two short monographs from my pen upon the subject. I had, therefore, examined the ears in the box with the eyes of an expert and had carefully noted their anatomical peculiarities. Imagine my surprise, then, when on looking at Miss Cushing I perceived that her ear corresponded exactly with the female ear which I had just inspected. The matter was entirely beyond coincidence. There was the same shortening of the pinna, the same broad curve of the upper lobe, the same convolution of the inner cartilage. In all essentials it was the same ear.
“作为一名医生，华生，你知道人体各部位中差异最大的莫过于耳朵。通常每只耳朵都有其独特性，与其他耳朵截然不同。在去年的人类学期刊上，你可以找到我写的两篇关于这个主题的短论文。因此，我以专家的眼光检查了盒子里的耳朵，并仔细记录了它们的解剖学特征。试想当我看着库欣小姐时，发现她的耳朵与我刚检查过的那只女耳完全吻合，我是多么惊讶。这绝非巧合。耳廓同样的缩短，上耳垂同样的宽阔弧度，内侧软骨同样的卷曲。在所有基本特征上，这就是同一只耳朵。
“Of course I at once saw the enormous importance of the observation. It was evident that the victim was a blood relation and probably a very close one. I began to talk to her about her family, and you remember that she at once gave us some exceedingly valuable details.
“当然，我立刻意识到了这一发现的巨大重要性。很明显，受害者是她的血亲，而且很可能是近亲。我开始和她谈论她的家庭，你还记得她马上给了我们一些极有价值的细节。
“In the first place, her sister’s name was Sarah, and her address had until recently been the same, so that it was quite obvious how the mistake had occurred and for whom the packet was meant. Then we heard of this steward, married to the third sister, and learned that he had at one time been so intimate with Miss Sarah that she had actually gone up to Liverpool to be near the Browners, but a quarrel had afterwards divided them. This quarrel had put a stop to all communications for some months, so that if Browner had occasion to address a packet to Miss Sarah, he would undoubtedly have done so to her old address.
“首先，她姐姐的名字叫萨拉，直到最近她们的住址还是一样的，所以很明显错误是如何发生的，以及包裹原本是寄给谁的。接着我们听说了那位娶了三妹的乘务员，并得知他曾与萨拉小姐关系密切，以至于她特意搬到利物浦去靠近布朗纳夫妇，但后来一场争吵使他们分道扬镳。这场争吵导致他们几个月来断绝了一切联系，所以如果布朗纳要给萨拉小姐寄包裹，无疑会寄到她的旧地址。
“And now the matter had begun to straighten itself out wonderfully. We had learned of the existence of this steward, an impulsive man, of strong passions—you remember that he threw up what must have been a very superior berth in order to be nearer to his wife—subject, too, to occasional fits of hard drinking. We had reason to believe that his wife had been murdered, and that a man—presumably a seafaring man—had been murdered at the same time. Jealousy, of course, at once suggests itself as the motive for the crime. And why should these proofs of the deed be sent to Miss Sarah Cushing? Probably because during her residence in Liverpool she had some hand in bringing about the events which led to the tragedy. You will observe that this line of boats calls at Belfast, Dublin, and Waterford; so that, presuming that Browner had committed the deed and had embarked at once upon his steamer, the May Day, Belfast would be the first place at which he could post his terrible packet.
“至此，事情开始奇妙地明朗起来。我们得知了这个乘务员的存在，他是个冲动、感情强烈的人——你还记得他为了能离妻子近点放弃了想必非常优越的职位——而且偶尔会酗酒发作。我们有理由相信他的妻子被谋杀了，同时还有一个男人——推测也是个海员——也被杀害了。嫉妒自然是犯罪的动机。那为什么要把这些罪证寄给萨拉·库欣小姐呢？可能是因为她在利物浦居住期间，对导致这场悲剧的事件起了推波助澜的作用。你会注意到这条航线停靠贝尔法斯特、都柏林和沃特福德；因此，假设布朗纳犯了罪并立即登上了他的轮船‘五月节号’，贝尔法斯特就是他能够寄出这个可怕包裹的第一个地点。
“A second solution was at this stage obviously possible, and although I thought it exceedingly unlikely, I was determined to elucidate it before going further. An unsuccessful lover might have killed Mr. and Mrs. Browner, and the male ear might have belonged to the husband. There were many grave objections to this theory, but it was conceivable. I therefore sent off a telegram to my friend Algar, of the Liverpool force, and asked him to find out if Mrs. Browner were at home, and if Browner had departed in the May Day. Then we went on to Wallington to visit Miss Sarah.
“在这个阶段，第二种解释显然也是可能的，虽然我认为极不可能，但我决心在继续之前将其阐明。一个失恋的情人可能杀了布朗纳夫妇，那只男耳可能属于丈夫。这个理论有许多严重的反驳点，但也并非不可想象。因此我给利物浦警局的朋友阿尔加发了电报，请他查明布朗纳太太是否在家，以及布朗纳是否已随‘五月节号’出海。然后我们前往沃灵顿拜访萨拉小姐。
“I was curious, in the first place, to see how far the family ear had been reproduced in her. Then, of course, she might give us very important information, but I was not sanguine that she would. She must have heard of the business the day before, since all Croydon was ringing with it, and she alone could have understood for whom the packet was meant. If she had been willing to help justice she would probably have communicated with the police already. However, it was clearly our duty to see her, so we went. We found that the news of the arrival of the packet—for her illness dated from that time—had such an effect upon her as to bring on brain fever. It was clearer than ever that she understood its full significance, but equally clear that we should have to wait some time for any assistance from her.
“首先，我很好奇家族的耳朵特征在她身上重现了多少。其次，她当然可能会给我们提供非常重要的信息，但我对此并不乐观。她前一天一定听说了这件事，因为整个克罗伊登都在议论，而且只有她能明白那个包裹是寄给谁的。如果她愿意协助司法，恐怕早就联系警方了。然而，去见她显然是我们的职责，所以我们去了。我们发现包裹到达的消息——她的病就是从那时开始的——对她产生了巨大的影响，引发了脑炎。比以往更清楚的是，她完全理解其中的含义，但同样清楚的是，我们要想从她那里得到任何帮助还得等上一段时间。
“However, we were really independent of her help. Our answers were waiting for us at the police-station, where I had directed Algar to send them. Nothing could be more conclusive. Mrs. Browner’s house had been closed for more than three days, and the neighbours were of opinion that she had gone south to see her relatives. It had been ascertained at the shipping offices that Browner had left aboard of the May Day, and I calculate that she is due in the Thames to-morrow night. When he arrives he will be met by the obtuse but resolute Lestrade, and I have no doubt that we shall have all our details filled in.”
“不过，我们其实并不依赖她的帮助。答案已经在警察局等着我们了，我已指示阿尔加把结果发到那里。没有什么比这更具决定性了。布朗纳太太的房子已经关了三天多，邻居们认为她去南方探亲了。航运办事处证实布朗纳已随‘五月节号’离港，我推算船只明晚将抵达泰晤士河。当他到达时，迟钝但坚定的莱斯特雷德会在那里等他，毫无疑问我们将填补所有的细节空白。”
Sherlock Holmes was not disappointed in his expectations. Two days later he received a bulky envelope, which contained a short note from the detective, and a typewritten document, which covered several pages of foolscap.
夏洛克·福尔摩斯的期望没有落空。两天后他收到了一个厚厚的信封，里面有侦探的一封短笺和一份长达数页打字纸的打字文件。
“Lestrade has got him all right,” said Holmes, glancing up at me. “Perhaps it would interest you to hear what he says.
“莱斯特雷德果然抓到他了，”福尔摩斯抬头看了我一眼说，“也许你有兴趣听听他怎么说。
“My dear Mr. Holmes,—In accordance with the scheme which we had formed in order to test our theories”—“the ‘we’ is rather fine, Watson, is it not?”—“I went down to the Albert Dock yesterday at 6 P.M., and boarded the S.S. May Day, belonging to the Liverpool, Dublin, and London Steam Packet Company. On inquiry, I found that there was a steward on board of the name of James Browner and that he had acted during the voyage in such an extraordinary manner that the captain had been compelled to relieve him of his duties. On descending to his berth, I found him seated upon a chest with his head sunk upon his hands, rocking himself to and fro. He is a big, powerful chap, clean-shaven, and very swarthy— something like Aldridge, who helped us in the bogus laundry affair. He jumped up when he heard my business, and I had my whistle to my lips to call a couple of river police, who were round the corner, but he seemed to have no heart in him, and he held out his hands quietly enough for the darbies. We brought him along to the cells, and his box as well, for we thought there might be something incriminating; but, bar a big sharp knife such as most sailors have, we got nothing for our trouble. However, we find that we shall want no more evidence, for on being brought before the inspector at the station he asked leave to make a statement, which was, of course, taken down, just as he made it, by our shorthand man. We had three copies typewritten, one of which I enclose. The affair proves, as I always thought it would, to be an extremely simple one, but I am obliged to you for assisting me in my investigation. With kind regards, yours very truly,—G. Lestrade.”
“亲爱的福尔摩斯先生，——根据我们为验证理论而制定的计划”——“这个‘我们’用得挺漂亮，华生，不是吗？”——“我于昨晚六点前往阿尔伯特码头，登上了隶属于利物浦、都柏林及伦敦蒸汽邮船公司的‘五月节号’轮船。经询问，我发现船上有一名名叫詹姆斯·布朗纳的乘务员，他在航行中的表现异常古怪，船长被迫免除了他的职务。下到他的铺位时，我发现他坐在箱子上，头埋在手里，身体前后摇晃。他是个高大强壮的家伙，胡子刮得很干净，皮肤黝黑——有点像在假洗衣店案中帮过我们的奥尔德里奇。听到我的来意后他跳了起来，我把哨子放到唇边准备叫拐角处的两名水上警察，但他似乎已无心反抗，乖乖伸出双手戴上了手铐。我们把他带回了拘留室，连同他的箱子一起，以为里面可能有罪证；但除了一把大多数水手都有的锋利大刀外，我们一无所获。不过，我们发现不再需要更多证据了，因为被带到警局巡官面前时，他请求做个陈述，我们的速记员当然照原话记录了下来。我们打了三份副本，随信附上一份。正如我一直认为的那样，此案证明极其简单，但我仍感谢您协助我调查。致以亲切的问候，您真诚的，——G. 莱斯特雷德。”
“Hum! The investigation really was a very simple one,” remarked Holmes, “but I don’t think it struck him in that light when he first called us in. However, let us see what Jim Browner has to say for himself. This is his statement as made before Inspector Montgomery at the Shadwell Police Station, and it has the advantage of being verbatim.”
“哼！调查确实很简单，”福尔摩斯评论道，“但他当初找我们时可没觉得这么简单。不过，让我们看看吉姆·布朗纳自己怎么说。这是他在沙德韦尔警察局蒙哥马利巡官面前的陈述，好处是逐字逐句的原话。”
“Have I anything to say? Yes, I have a deal to say. I have to make a clean breast of it all. You can hang me, or you can leave me alone. I don’t care a plug which you do. I tell you I’ve not shut an eye in sleep since I did it, and I don’t believe I ever will again until I get past all waking. Sometimes it’s his face, but most generally it’s hers. I’m never without one or the other before me. He looks frowning and black-like, but she has a kind o’ surprise upon her face. Ay, the white lamb, she might well be surprised when she read death on a face that had seldom looked anything but love upon her before.
“我有什么要说的吗？有，我有好多话要说。我要把一切都坦白。你们可以绞死我，也可以放过我。我不在乎你们怎么做。告诉你，自从干了那事后我就没合过眼，我想这辈子再也睡不着了，直到永远长眠。有时是他的脸，但多半是她的。眼前总是浮现出他们中的一个。他皱着眉，脸色阴沉，而她脸上带着一种惊讶。是啊，那只洁白的小羊羔，当她在那张以前只会对她流露爱意的脸上读到死亡时，难怪会感到惊讶。
“But it was Sarah’s fault, and may the curse of a broken man put a blight on her and set the blood rotting in her veins! It’s not that I want to clear myself. I know that I went back to drink, like the beast that I was. But she would have forgiven me; she would have stuck as close to me as a rope to a block if that woman had never darkened our door. For Sarah Cushing loved me—that’s the root of the business—she loved me until all her love turned to poisonous hate when she knew that I thought more of my wife’s footmark in the mud than I did of her whole body and soul.
“但这都是萨拉的错，愿一个破碎男人的诅咒降临到她身上，让她的血液在血管里腐烂！我不是想为自己开脱。我知道我又去喝酒了，像个畜生一样。但如果那个女人从未踏进我家门，她本该原谅我的；她会像绳索紧扣滑轮一样紧紧守着我。因为萨拉·库欣爱我——这就是祸根——她爱过我，直到发现我比起她的身心灵魂更在乎泥地里妻子的脚印时，她所有的爱才变成了恶毒的仇恨。
“There were three sisters altogether. The old one was just a good woman, the second was a devil, and the third was an angel. Sarah was thirty-three, and Mary was twenty-nine when I married. We were just as happy as the day was long when we set up house together, and in all Liverpool there was no better woman than my Mary. And then we asked Sarah up for a week, and the week grew into a month, and one thing led to another, until she was just one of ourselves.
“一共三姐妹。老大是个好女人，老二是魔鬼，老三则是天使。我结婚时萨拉三十三岁，玛丽二十九岁。我们刚成家时日子过得快乐极了，在整个利物浦也找不到比我的玛丽更好的女人了。后来我们请萨拉来住一周，一周变成一个月，一来二去，她就成了我们家的一员。
“I was blue ribbon at that time, and we were putting a little money by, and all was as bright as a new dollar. My God, whoever would have thought that it could have come to this? Whoever would have dreamed it?
“那时我加入了戒酒会，我们也攒了点钱，一切都像崭新的银币一样光明。天哪，谁能想到会落到这步田地？谁会做梦想到呢？
“I used to be home for the week-ends very often, and sometimes if the ship were held back for cargo I would have a whole week at a time, and in this way I saw a deal of my sister-in-law, Sarah. She was a fine tall woman, black and quick and fierce, with a proud way of carrying her head, and a glint from her eye like a spark from a flint. But when little Mary was there I had never a thought of her, and that I swear as I hope for God’s mercy.
“我以前周末常回家，有时如果船因装货耽搁，我就能在家待整整一周，就这样我经常见到我的大姨子萨拉。她是个高挑漂亮的女人，黑发黑眼，动作敏捷，性情泼辣，昂首挺胸的样子很骄傲，眼神闪烁如燧石火花。但只要小玛丽在场，我就从未对她有过非分之想，我可以指着上帝的仁慈发誓。
“It had seemed to me sometimes that she liked to be alone with me, or to coax me out for a walk with her, but I had never thought anything of that. But one evening my eyes were opened. I had come up from the ship and found my wife out, but Sarah at home. ‘Where’s Mary?’ I asked. ‘Oh, she has gone to pay some accounts.’ I was impatient and paced up and down the room. ‘Can’t you be happy for five minutes without Mary, Jim?’ says she. ‘It’s a bad compliment to me that you can’t be contented with my society for so short a time.’ ‘That’s all right, my lass,’ said I, putting out my hand towards her in a kindly way, but she had it in both hers in an instant, and they burned as if they were in a fever. I looked into her eyes and I read it all there. There was no need for her to speak, nor for me either. I frowned and drew my hand away. Then she stood by my side in silence for a bit, and then put up her hand and patted me on the shoulder. ‘Steady old Jim!’ said she, and with a kind o’ mocking laugh, she ran out of the room.
“有时我觉得她喜欢和我单独相处，或者哄我陪她出去散步，但我从没多想。直到一天晚上我才恍然大悟。我从船上回来，发现妻子不在家，只有萨拉在。‘玛丽去哪儿了？’我问。‘哦，她去付账了。’我很不耐烦，在屋里踱来踱去。‘吉姆，没有玛丽你就不能开心五分钟吗？’她说，‘这么短的时间都不愿跟我待着，这对我可真不是什么恭维。’‘没事，姑娘，’我友善地伸出手想拍拍她，但她瞬间用双手紧紧握住，烫得像在发烧。我看着她的眼睛，读懂了一切。她无需开口，我也无需多言。我皱起眉头抽回了手。然后她默默地站在我身边一会儿，抬手拍了拍我的肩膀。‘稳住，老吉姆！’她说，带着一丝嘲弄的笑声跑出了房间。
“Well, from that time Sarah hated me with her whole heart and soul, and she is a woman who can hate, too. I was a fool to let her go on biding with us—a besotted fool—but I never said a word to Mary, for I knew it would grieve her. Things went on much as before, but after a time I began to find that there was a bit of a change in Mary herself. She had always been so trusting and so innocent, but now she became queer and suspicious, wanting to know where I had been and what I had been doing, and whom my letters were from, and what I had in my pockets, and a thousand such follies. Day by day she grew queerer and more irritable, and we had ceaseless rows about nothing. I was fairly puzzled by it all. Sarah avoided me now, but she and Mary were just inseparable. I can see now how she was plotting and scheming and poisoning my wife’s mind against me, but I was such a blind beetle that I could not understand it at the time. Then I broke my blue ribbon and began to drink again, but I think I should not have done it if Mary had been the same as ever. She had some reason to be disgusted with me now, and the gap between us began to be wider and wider. And then this Alec Fairbairn chipped in, and things became a thousand times blacker.
“从那以后，萨拉全心全意地恨我，她是个能恨入骨髓的女人。我真傻，居然让她继续跟我们住在一起——蠢透了——但我从没跟玛丽提过一个字，因为我知道这会让她伤心。日子照旧过着，但过了一阵子我发现玛丽自己也变了。她一向那么信任人、那么单纯，现在却变得古怪多疑，想知道我去哪儿了、干什么了、信是谁写的、口袋里有什么，诸如此类的荒唐事。她一天天变得更怪、更易怒，我们无缘无故地吵个不停。我完全被搞糊涂了。萨拉现在躲着我，但她和玛丽形影不离。我现在才明白她是如何策划阴谋、毒化我妻子的思想来对付我的，但我当时像个瞎眼的甲虫，根本看不透。后来我违背了戒酒誓言重新开始喝酒，但如果玛丽还像以前那样，我想我不会这么做。她现在有理由厌恶我了，我们之间的鸿沟越来越宽。就在这时，亚历克·费尔贝恩插了进来，事情变得更加黑暗千倍。
“It was to see Sarah that he came to my house first, but soon it was to see us, for he was a man with winning ways, and he made friends wherever he went. He was a dashing, swaggering chap, smart and curled, who had seen half the world and could talk of what he had seen. He was good company, I won’t deny it, and he had wonderful polite ways with him for a sailor man, so that I think there must have been a time when he knew more of the poop than the forecastle. For a month he was in and out of my house, and never once did it cross my mind that harm might come of his soft, tricky ways. And then at last something made me suspect, and from that day my peace was gone forever.
“他起初是来看萨拉的，但很快就变成了来看我们，因为他这人善于交际，走到哪儿都能交到朋友。他是个风度翩翩、大摇大摆的家伙，衣着时髦，头发卷曲，见多识广，谈起见闻滔滔不绝。我不否认他是个好伙伴，作为一个水手，他的礼貌举止令人称奇，我想他以前一定在船尾楼待过而不是在艏楼。一个月里他在我家进进出出，我却从未想过他那温柔狡诈的手段会带来祸患。直到最后某件事引起了我的怀疑，从那天起我的安宁就永远消失了。
“It was only a little thing, too. I had come into the parlour unexpected, and as I walked in at the door I saw a light of welcome on my wife’s face. But as she saw who it was it faded again, and she turned away with a look of disappointment. That was enough for me. There was no one but Alec Fairbairn whose step she could have mistaken for mine. If I could have seen him then I should have killed him, for I have always been like a madman when my temper gets loose. Mary saw the devil’s light in my eyes, and she ran forward with her hands on my sleeve. ‘Don’t, Jim, don’t!’ says she. ‘Where’s Sarah?’ I asked. ‘In the kitchen,’ says she. ‘Sarah,’ says I as I went in, ‘this man Fairbairn is never to darken my door again.’ ‘Why not?’ says she. ‘Because I order it.’ ‘Oh!’ says she, ‘if my friends are not good enough for this house, then I am not good enough for it either.’ ‘You can do what you like,’ says I, ‘but if Fairbairn shows his face here again I’ll send you one of his ears for a keepsake.’ She was frightened by my face, I think, for she never answered a word, and the same evening she left my house.
“那只是一件小事。我出其不意地走进客厅，进门时看到妻子脸上洋溢着欢迎的光彩。但当她看清来人是我时，光彩黯淡了，失望地转过身去。这就够了。除了亚历克·费尔贝恩，没人能让她把脚步声错认成我的。如果当时能看到他，我一定会杀了他，因为我脾气上来时就像个疯子。玛丽看到我眼中的凶光，跑上前抓住我的袖子。‘别，吉姆，别！’她说。‘萨拉在哪？’我问。‘在厨房，’她说。‘萨拉，’我走进去说，‘那个费尔贝恩再也不许踏进我家门半步。’‘凭什么？’她说。‘就凭我的话。’‘噢！’她说，‘如果我的朋友配不上这屋子，那我也配不上了。’‘你爱怎样就怎样，’我说，‘但如果费尔贝恩再敢露面，我就割他一只耳朵给你当纪念品。’我想她被我的脸色吓坏了，一声没吭，当晚就搬出了我家。
“Well, I don’t know now whether it was pure devilry on the part of this woman, or whether she thought that she could turn me against my wife by encouraging her to misbehave. Anyway, she took a house just two streets off and let lodgings to sailors. Fairbairn used to stay there, and Mary would go round to have tea with her sister and him. How often she went I don’t know, but I followed her one day, and as I broke in at the door Fairbairn got away over the back garden wall, like the cowardly skunk that he was. I swore to my wife that I would kill her if I found her in his company again, and I led her back with me, sobbing and trembling, and as white as a piece of paper. There was no trace of love between us any longer. I could see that she hated me and feared me, and when the thought of it drove me to drink, then she despised me as well.
“唉，我现在也不知道这女人究竟是纯粹的邪恶，还是以为怂恿我妻子出轨就能让我对她反感。总之，她在隔两条街的地方租了房子，招揽水手住宿。费尔贝恩常住那儿，玛丽常去找姐姐和他喝茶。她去了多少次我不知道，但有一天我跟踪了她，当我破门而入时，费尔贝恩像只胆小的臭鼬一样翻过后花园墙逃跑了。我对妻子发誓，如果再发现她跟他在一起就杀了她，然后把她拖了回来，她哭哭啼啼、浑身发抖，脸白得像纸。我们之间再无爱意可言。我能看出她又恨我又怕我，而这念头驱使我借酒浇愁时，她也更加鄙视我了。
“Well, Sarah found that she could not make a living in Liverpool, so she went back, as I understand, to live with her sister in Croydon, and things jogged on much the same as ever at home. And then came this last week and all the misery and ruin.
“后来，萨拉发现在利物浦混不下去了，据我所知，她回到克罗伊登跟姐姐同住，家里的日子又像往常一样凑合着过。然后上周来了，带来了一切苦难和毁灭。
“It was in this way. We had gone on the May Day for a round voyage of seven days, but a hogshead got loose and started one of our plates, so that we had to put back into port for twelve hours. I left the ship and came home, thinking what a surprise it would be for my wife, and hoping that maybe she would be glad to see me so soon. The thought was in my head as I turned into my own street, and at that moment a cab passed me, and there she was, sitting by the side of Fairbairn, the two chatting and laughing, with never a thought for me as I stood watching them from the footpath.
“事情是这样的。我们乘‘五月节号’进行为期七天的往返航行，但一个大桶松脱撞坏了一块船板，我们不得不返港修理十二小时。我离船回家，想着这会给妻子多大的惊喜，也希望她见到我这么快回来会高兴。我正这么想着拐进自家街道，就在这时一辆马车从我身边驶过，她就坐在那儿，紧挨着费尔贝恩，两人谈笑风生，丝毫没想到我正站在人行道上注视着他们。
“I tell you, and I give you my word for it, that from that moment I was not my own master, and it is all like a dim dream when I look back on it. I had been drinking hard of late, and the two things together fairly turned my brain. There’s something throbbing in my head now, like a docker’s hammer, but that morning I seemed to have all Niagara whizzing and buzzing in my ears.
“我告诉你，我可以发誓，从那一刻起我就失去了理智，回想起来一切都像场模糊的梦。我最近一直在狂饮，这两件事加在一起彻底让我疯了。现在我的脑袋还在突突跳，像码头工人的锤子，但那天早上我耳边仿佛有整个尼亚加拉瀑布在呼啸轰鸣。
“Well, I took to my heels, and I ran after the cab. I had a heavy oak stick in my hand, and I tell you I saw red from the first; but as I ran I got cunning, too, and hung back a little to see them without being seen. They pulled up soon at the railway station. There was a good crowd round the booking-office, so I got quite close to them without being seen. They took tickets for New Brighton. So did I, but I got in three carriages behind them. When we reached it they walked along the Parade, and I was never more than a hundred yards from them. At last I saw them hire a boat and start for a row, for it was a very hot day, and they thought, no doubt, that it would be cooler on the water.
“于是，我拔腿追向马车。手里攥着根沉重的橡木棍，告诉你，我当时眼里只有血色；但跑着跑着我也变狡猾了，稍微落后一点以便监视而不被发现。他们很快在火车站停了下来。售票处周围人多拥挤，所以我靠得很近也没被察觉。他们买了去新布莱顿的票。我也买了，但上了后面第三节车厢。到达后他们沿着海滨大道散步，我始终保持在百米之内。最后我看到他们租了条船去划，那天天气很热，他们无疑觉得水上凉快些。
“It was just as if they had been given into my hands. There was a bit of a haze, and you could not see more than a few hundred yards. I hired a boat for myself, and I pulled after them. I could see the blur of their craft, but they were going nearly as fast as I, and they must have been a long mile from the shore before I caught them up. The haze was like a curtain all round us, and there were we three in the middle of it. My God, shall I ever forget their faces when they saw who was in the boat that was closing in upon them? She screamed out. He swore like a madman and jabbed at me with an oar, for he must have seen death in my eyes. I got past it and got one in with my stick that crushed his head like an egg. I would have spared her, perhaps, for all my madness, but she threw her arms round him, crying out to him, and calling him ‘Alec.’ I struck again, and she lay stretched beside him. I was like a wild beast then that had tasted blood. If Sarah had been there, by the Lord, she should have joined them. I pulled out my knife, and—well, there! I’ve said enough. It gave me a kind of savage joy when I thought how Sarah would feel when she had such signs as these of what her meddling had brought about. Then I tied the bodies into the boat, stove a plank, and stood by until they had sunk. I knew very well that the owner would think that they had lost their bearings in the haze, and had drifted off out to sea. I cleaned myself up, got back to land, and joined my ship without a soul having a suspicion of what had passed. That night I made up the packet for Sarah Cushing, and next day I sent it from Belfast.
“简直就像是把他们送到了我手上。水面有点薄雾，能见度不过几百码。我租了条船追上去。我能看到他们船的模糊影子，但他们划得几乎和我一样快，离岸足有一英里多我才追上。雾气像幕布一样包围着我们，我们三人就在这雾障中央。天哪，当他们看清逼近的船上是谁时，我能忘记他们的表情吗？她尖叫起来。他像疯子一样咒骂，用桨猛戳我，因为他一定从我眼中看到了死亡。我躲过桨，一棍砸碎了他的脑袋，像砸鸡蛋一样。尽管我已疯狂，或许本该饶了她，但她扑上去抱住他，哭喊着他的名字‘亚历克’。我又挥了一棍，她便倒在他身旁。那时的我就像尝到血腥味的野兽。如果萨拉在场，老天作证，她也得陪葬。我掏出刀，然后——唉，够了！我说得够多了。一想到萨拉收到这些她多管闲事酿成的罪证时会是什么感觉，我就感到一种野蛮的快感。然后我把尸体绑在船上，凿穿一块船板，守着直到沉没。我很清楚船主会以为他们在雾中迷失方向漂到大海里去了。我清理干净自己，回到岸上归队，没人察觉到发生了什么。当晚我给萨拉·库欣打好包裹，第二天从贝尔法斯特寄了出去。
“There you have the whole truth of it. You can hang me, or do what you like with me, but you cannot punish me as I have been punished already. I cannot shut my eyes but I see those two faces staring at me—staring at me as they stared when my boat broke through the haze. I killed them quick, but they are killing me slow; and if I have another night of it I shall be either mad or dead before morning. You won’t put me alone into a cell, sir? For pity’s sake don’t, and may you be treated in your day of agony as you treat me now. ’”
“这就是全部真相。你们可以绞死我，或随便处置我，但任何惩罚都比不上我已受的折磨。只要一闭眼就看到那两张脸盯着我——就像我的船冲破迷雾时那样盯着我。我杀他们痛快，他们杀我却缓慢；如果再熬一夜，天亮前我不是疯就是死。长官，别把我单独关押好吗？求求你了，愿你受苦时也能得到如今你这般的善待。’”
“What is the meaning of it, Watson?” said Holmes solemnly as he laid down the paper. “What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever.”
“这一切究竟意味着什么，华生？”福尔摩斯放下文件庄重地说，“这苦难、暴力和恐惧的循环究竟有何目的？它必然趋向某个终点，否则我们的宇宙便是由偶然主宰的，而这不可想象。但那终点是什么？这是一个永恒存在的重大难题，人类的理性至今仍离答案遥遥无期。”
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