10 The Letter第10章 一封信件
The following day was dull and foggy.
次日阴晦多雾。
The Hall was surrounded by heavy, low clouds, which opened now and then to show the grim, cold moor and its wet, grey rocks.
庄园被低沉的浓雾包围起来。它们时而散开，露出晦暗而又寒冷的沼地及其湿漉漉、灰蒙蒙的岩石。
The weather made us miserable.
天气使得我们心情沉重。
It was difficult to be cheerful when we felt danger all around us.
处于危险之中时很难高兴起来。
I thought of Sir Charles’ death, and the awful sound of the hound, which I had now heard twice.
我想起了查尔斯爵士的死，还有猎犬发出的可怕的吼声，这种声音我已听到过两次了。
Holmes did not believe that there was a supernatural hound.
福尔摩斯不相信世上会有一只超乎自然的猎犬存在。
But facts are facts, and I had heard a hound.
但是，事实总归是事实，我本人也听到了猎犬的声音。
Was there a huge hound living on the moor?
沼地上确有一只巨大的猎犬吗？
If so, where could it hide?
假如真有的话，那它藏在什么地方呢？
Where did it get its food?
它到哪里去找吃的呢？
Why was it never seen by day?
白天为何没人看到过它呢？
It was almost as difficult to accept a natural explanation as a supernatural explanation.
合乎自然的解释几乎和超乎自然的解释一样难以叫人接受。
That morning Sir Henry and Barrymore argued about Selden, the escaped prisoner.
那天早晨，亨利爵士与白瑞摩就那个逃犯塞尔登而争辩了起来。
Barrymore said that it was wrong to try to catch Selden.
白瑞摩说去抓塞尔登是件错事。
‘But the man is dangerous,’ said Sir Henry.
“可是此人很危险，”亨利说道。
‘He’ll do anything.
“他什么事情都干得出来。
Nobody is safe until he is in prison again.
直到他被重新关押起来，大家才会获得安全。
We must tell the police.’
我们必须报告警方。”
‘I promise he won’t break into any house,’ said Barrymore, ‘and he won’t cause any trouble.
“我保证他不会闯进任何人家，”白瑞摩说道，“他也不会惹任何麻烦。
In a few days he will catch a boat for South America.
几天之后他将乘船去南美。
Please don’t tell the police about him.
请别向警方告发他。
If you tell the police, my wife and I will be in serious trouble.’
您若报告了警方，我和我妻子就会有很大的麻烦。”
‘What do you say, Watson?’ asked Sir Henry, turning to me.
“华生，您有何高见？”亨利爵士转身向我问道。
‘I don’t think he will break into houses, or cause trouble.
“我认为他不会闯进任何人家或惹任何麻烦。
If he did, the police would know where to look for him and would catch him.
否则的话，警方就会知道该在何处搜寻并抓获他了。
He’s not a stupid man.’
他并不是一个蠢货。”
‘I hope you’re right,’ said Sir Henry.
“我希望您是对的，”亨利爵士说道。
‘I’m sure we’re breaking the law.
“我敢肯定我们现在是在犯法。
But I don’t want to get Barrymore and his wife into trouble, so I shall not tell the police.
可是我不想使白瑞摩及其太太陷于困境之中，所以我是不会向警方告发的。
I shall leave Selden in peace.’
我将不再过问塞尔登的事情了。”
Barrymore could not find the words to thank Sir Henry enough.
白瑞摩不知该说些什么话才能充分表达对亨利爵士的感激之情。
Then he said: ‘You have been so kind to us that I want to do something for you in return.
于是他说道：“您对我们如此宽厚，我想报答您一下。
I have never told anyone else.
我从未告诉过任何人。
I know something more about poor Sir Charles’ death.’
关于可怜的查尔斯爵士的死，我还知道一些情况。”
Sir Henry and I jumped up at once.
亨利爵士和我立刻站了起来。
‘Do you know how he died?’ Sir Henry asked.
“你知道他是怎么死的吗？”亨利爵士问道。
‘No, sir, I don’t know that, but I know why he was waiting at the gate.
“不，爵爷，我不知道那个，但我知道他为什么在栅栏门那儿等着。
He was going to meet a woman.’
他是要去会一个女人。”
‘Sir Charles was meeting a woman?
“查尔斯爵士要去会一个女人？”
Who was the woman?’
那女人是谁？”
‘I don’t know her name,’ Barrymore said, ‘but it begins with L.L.’
“我不知道她的名字，”白瑞摩说，“但名字的开头字母是L.L.。”
‘How do you know this, Barrymore?’ I asked.
“你怎么知道这件事的，白瑞摩？”我问道。
‘Well, Sir Charles got a letter on the morning of the day he died.
“嗯，查尔斯爵士是在他死的那天早晨收到的那封信。
It was from Newtown, and the address was in a woman’s writing.
信是从纽顿寄来的，收信人地址是女人的笔迹。
I forgot all about it, but some time after Sir Charles died my wife was cleaning the fireplace in his study.
我当时把它忘得一干二净，但在查尔斯爵士死后过了一段时间，我妻子在打扫他书房的壁炉。
She found a letter.
她发现了一封信。
Most of it was burned, but the bottom of one page was not burned.
大部分都烧焦了，但其中一页的底部没有烧着。
On it was written: “Please, please, burn this letter, and be at the gate by ten o’clock. L.L.”’
上面写着：‘请，千万烧掉这封信，并在十点钟到栅栏门那儿去。L.L.’”
The paper fell into pieces as my wife went to move it.
当我妻子要把它拿起来的时候，纸就碎了。
We don’t know who L.L. is, but if you could find out, you might learn more about Sir Charles’ death.
我们不知道L.L.是谁，但如果您能查出来，您也许就能多知道一些关于查尔斯爵士死因的情况。
We haven’t told anyone else.
我们没有告诉过任何人。
We felt it would not be good for poor, kind Sir Charles.
我们觉得这对可怜、善良的查尔斯爵士没有什么好处。
But we thought we ought to tell you, Sir Henry.’
但我们认为我们应该告诉您，亨利爵士。”
The Barrymores left us and Sir Henry turned to me.
白瑞摩夫妇离开了我们，亨利爵士转向我。
‘If we can find L.L., the mystery may be at an end,’ he said.
“如果我们能找到L.L.，这个谜也许就解开了，”他说。
‘What do you think we should do, Watson?’
“你认为我们应该怎么办，华生？”
‘I must write to Holmes at once,’ I said, and I went straight to my room and wrote a letter to Holmes, which gave him all the details of Barrymore’s story.
“我必须马上给福尔摩斯写信，”我说。我径直回到我的房间，给福尔摩斯写了一封信，把白瑞摩讲的故事的全部细节都告诉了他。
On the following day heavy rain fell without stopping.
第二天，大雨下个不停。
I put on my coat and went for a long walk on the moor.
我穿上大衣，去沼地上走了很长一段路。
I thought of Selden out on the cold moor in this weather.
我想到了在这种寒冷的天气里，塞尔登就在外面的沼地上。
And I thought of the other man, the mysterious watcher.
我还想到了另一个人，那个神秘的监视者。
As I walked, Dr Mortimer drove past me.
当我走路的时候，摩梯末医生驾车从我旁边经过。
He stopped and said he would take me back to the Hall.
他停了下来，说要带我回庄园。
‘I expect you know almost everybody living near here,’ I said.
“我想你大概认识住在这里附近的几乎所有人吧，”我说。
‘Do you know a woman whose names begin with the letters L.L.?’
“你认识名字开头字母是L.L.的女人吗？”
Dr Mortimer thought for a minute, and then he said: ‘Yes, Mrs Laura Lyons. She lives in Newtown.’
摩梯末医生想了一会儿，然后说：“认识，劳拉·莱昂丝夫人。她住在纽顿。”
‘Who is she?’ I asked.
“她是谁？”我问道。
‘She’s Mr Frankland’s daughter.’
“她是弗兰克兰先生的女儿。”
‘What, old Frankland who has the large telescope?’
“什么，就是那个有架大望远镜的老弗兰克兰？”
‘Yes,’ said Dr Mortimer.
“是的，”摩梯末医生说。
‘Laura married a painter called Lyons who came to paint pictures of the moor.
“劳拉嫁给了一个叫莱昂丝的画家，他来沼地上画画。
But he was cruel to her, and after a while he left her.
但他对她很残忍，过了一阵子就离开了她。
Her father will not speak to her, because she married against his wishes.
她父亲拒绝和她说话，因为她违背了他的意愿结了婚。
So her husband and her father have made her life very unhappy.’
所以她丈夫和父亲使她的生活非常不幸。”
‘How does she live?’ I asked.
“她靠什么生活？”我问道。
‘Several people who knew her sad story have helped her.
“几个知道她悲惨遭遇的人帮助了她。
Stapleton and Sir Charles gave her some money.
斯台普顿和查尔斯爵士给了她一些钱。
I gave a little myself.
我自己也给了她一点。
She used the money to start a typewriting business.’
她用这些钱开了一家打字事务所。”
Dr Mortimer wanted to know why I was asking about Mrs Lyons.
摩梯末医生想知道我为什么问关于莱昂丝夫人的事。
However, I preferred to keep the reason secret, and we talked about other things for the rest of the journey.
然而，我宁愿把原因保密，我们在剩下的路程中谈了别的事情。
Only one other thing of interest happened that day.
那天只发生了另一件有趣的事。
In the evening after dinner I had a few words with Barrymore alone.
晚饭后，我单独和白瑞摩说了几句话。
I asked him whether Selden had left the country.
我问他塞尔登是否已经离开了这个国家。
‘I don’t know, sir,’ Barrymore replied.
“我不知道，先生，”白瑞摩回答说。
‘I hope he has gone.
“我希望他已经走了。
But I’ve not heard anything of him since I last left food and some clothes for him, and that was three days ago.’
但是自从我上次给他留下食物和一些衣服后，我就没再听到他的消息了，那是三天前的事了。”
‘Did you see him then?’
“那你当时见到他了吗？”
‘No, sir, but the food and clothes were gone when I next went that way,’ Barrymore told me.
“没有，先生，但我下次去那里的时候，食物和衣服都不见了，”白瑞摩告诉我。
‘Then Selden was certainly there?’ I asked.
“那么塞尔登肯定在那儿了？”我问道。
‘I think so, sir, unless the other man took everything.’
“我想是的，先生，除非是另外那个人把东西都拿走了。”
I sat very still and looked hard at Barrymore.
我静静地坐着，紧紧地盯着白瑞摩。
‘You know there is another man, then? Have you seen him?’
“那么你知道还有另外一个人？你见到过他吗？”
‘No, sir, but Selden told me about him a week or more ago.
“没有，先生，但是塞尔登大约在一周前或者更早的时候告诉了我关于他的事。
He is hiding from someone, too, but he is not an escaped prisoner.
他也在躲着什么人，但他不是逃犯。
I don’t like it, sir.
我不喜欢这样，先生。
Something evil is going to happen, I’m sure.
我肯定要发生什么坏事了。
Sir Henry would be much safer in London.’
亨利爵士在伦敦会安全得多。”
‘Did Selden tell you anything more about the other man?’ I asked.
“塞尔登还告诉过你关于那个人的别的事吗？”我问道。
‘He looked like a gentleman.
“他看起来像个绅士。
He was living in one of the old stone huts on the moor.
他住在沼地上的一座古老的石屋里。
A boy works for him and brings him all the food and things he needs.
有个男孩为他干活，给他送来他需要的所有食物和东西。
That’s all Selden told me.’
塞尔登就告诉了我这么多。”
I thanked him, and he left me.
我谢了他，他便离开了。
I went to the window and looked out at the rain and the clouds.
我走到窗前，望着外面的雨和云。
It was a wild night.
那是一个狂暴的夜晚。
I knew the huts Barrymore had spoken about.
我知道白瑞摩提到过的那些石屋。
There were many of them on the moor.
沼地上有很多这样的石屋。
They had been built many hundreds of years ago by the people who lived on the moor.
它们是几百年前沼地上的人们建造的。
They would not keep a man warm and dry in bad weather.
在坏天气里，它们不能让人保持温暖和干燥。
Selden could not choose to live anywhere else, but why did the other man live in such conditions?
塞尔登别无选择，只能住在那种地方，但另外那个人为什么要在这种条件下生活呢？
I sat and thought what I should do next.
我坐着思考我下一步该怎么办。
I decided I must try to find the man who had been watching us.
我决定我必须设法找到那个一直监视我们的人。
Was he the enemy who had been following us since the very beginning in London?
他是那个从伦敦开始就一直跟着我们的敌人吗？
If he was, and I could catch him, perhaps our difficulties would be at an end.
如果是他，而我能抓住他，也许我们的困难就结束了。
I also decided to hunt the man on my own.
我也决定独自去追捕这个人。
Sir Henry was still shaken by the terrible cry we had heard on the moor.
亨利爵士仍然被我们在沼地上听到的可怕叫声所困扰。
I did not want to add to his troubles or to lead him into more danger.
我不想增加他的麻烦，也不想把他带入更大的危险中。
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