福爾摩斯探案集·四簽名 第26期:櫻沼別墅的慘案

Chapter 5 The Tragedy Of Pondicherry Lodge

第五章 櫻沼別墅的慘案

It was nearly eleven o'clock when we reached this final stage of our night's adventures.

我們達(dá)到今晚冒險歷程的最后階段的時候，已經(jīng)將近十一點(diǎn)鐘了。

We had left the damp fog of the great city behind us, and the night was fairly fine.

倫敦的霧氣已經(jīng)消失，夜景清幽，

A warm wind blew from the westward, and heavy clouds moved slowly across the sky,

和暖的西風(fēng)吹開了烏云，

with half a moon peeping occasionally through the rifts.

半圓的月亮?xí)r常從云際透露出來。

It was clear enough to see for some distance,

已經(jīng)能夠往遠(yuǎn)處看得很清楚了，

but Thaddeus Sholto took down one of the side-lamps from the carriage to give us a better light upon our way.

可是塞笛厄斯·舒爾托還是拿下了一只車燈，為的是把我們的路照得更亮一些。

Pondicherry Lodge stood in its own grounds and was girt round with a very high stone wall topped with broken glass.

櫻沼別墅建筑在一個廣場上面，四周圍繞著很高的石墻，墻頭上面插著破碎的玻璃片。

A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance.

一個窄窄的釘有鐵夾板的小門是唯一的出入口。

On this our guide knocked with a peculiar postman-like rat-tat.

我們的向?qū)г陂T上砰砰地敲了兩下。

"Who is there?" cried a gruff voice from within.

里邊一個粗暴的聲音問道："誰？"

"It is I, McMurdo. You surely know my knock by this time."

"是我呀，麥克默多。這時候到這里來的還有哪個？"

There was a grumbling sound and a clanking and jarring of keys.

里邊透出了很抱怨的聲音，接著有鑰匙的響聲。

The door swung heavily back, and a short, deep-chested man stood in the opening,

門向后敞開，走出個矮小而健壯的人，提著燈籠，站在門內(nèi)。

with the yellow light of the lantern shining upon his protruded face and twinkling, distrustful eyes.

黃色的燈光照著他向外探出的臉和兩只閃閃多疑的眼睛。

"That you, Mr. Thaddeus? But who are the others? I had no orders about them from the master."

"塞笛厄斯先生，是您嗎？可是他們是誰？我沒有得到主人的命令不能請他們進(jìn)來。"

"No, McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends."

"不能請他們進(jìn)來？麥克默多，豈有此理！昨天晚上我就告訴了我哥哥今天要陪幾位朋友來。"

"He hain't been out o' his rooms to-day, Mr. Thaddeus, and I have no orders.

"塞笛厄斯先生，他今天一天也沒有出屋子，我也沒有聽到吩咐。

You know very well that I must stick to regulations.

主人的規(guī)矩您是知道的，

I can let you in, but your friends they must just stop where they are."

我可以讓您進(jìn)來，您的朋友暫時等在門外吧。"

This was an unexpected obstacle. Thaddeus Sholto looked about him in a perplexed and helpless manner.

這是沒有想到的一著！塞笛厄斯·舒爾托瞪著他，似乎很窘。

"This is too bad of you, McMurdo!" he said. "If I guarantee them, that is enough for you.

他喊道："你太不象話啦！我保證他們還不行嗎？

There is the young lady, too. She cannot wait on the public road at this hour."

這里還有一位小姐，她總不能深夜里等在街上啊。"

"Very sorry, Mr. Thaddeus," said the porter inexorably.

守門的仍然堅持地說道："塞笛厄斯先生，實(shí)在對您不起，

"Folk may be friends o' yours, and yet no friend o' the master's.

這幾位或許是您的朋友，可不是主人的朋友。

He pays me well to do my duty, and my duty I'll do. I don't know none o' your friends."

主人給我工錢就為的是讓我盡到守衛(wèi)的責(zé)任，是我的職責(zé)，我就應(yīng)當(dāng)盡到。您的朋友我一個也不認(rèn)得。"

"Oh, yes you do, McMurdo," cried Sherlock Holmes genially. "I don't think you can have forgotten me.

福爾摩斯和藹地喊道："麥克默多，你總該認(rèn)得我呀！我想你不會把我忘記的。

Don't you remember that amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?"

你不記得四年以前在愛里森場子里為你舉行拳賽，和你打過三個回合的那個業(yè)余拳賽員嗎？"

"Not Mr. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter.

這拳擊手嚷道："是不是歇洛克·福爾摩斯先生？

"God's truth! how could I have mistook you?

我的老天！我怎么會認(rèn)不出來呢？

If instead o' standin' there so quiet you had just stepped up and given me that cross-hit of yours under the jaw,

與其站在那里一言不發(fā)，您干脆給我下頦底下來上您那拿手的一拳，

I'd ha' known you without a question.

那我早就認(rèn)得您是誰啦！

Ah, you're one that has wasted your gifts, you have! You might have aimed high, if you had joined the fancy."

啊，您是個有天才然而是自暴自棄的人，您真是那樣的人！如果您繼續(xù)練下去，您的造詣是不可限量的呀！"

"You see, Watson, if all else fails me, I have still one of the scientific professions open to me," said Holmes, laughing.

福爾摩斯向我笑道："華生，你看，即使我一事無成，至少我還能找到一種職業(yè)呢。

"Our friend won't keep us out in the cold now, I am sure."

咱們的朋友一定不會讓咱們在外邊受凍了。"

"In you come, sir, in you come–you and your friends," he answered.

他答道："先生，請進(jìn)來吧！連您的朋友全請進(jìn)來吧！

"Very sorry, Mr. Thaddeus, but orders are very strict.

塞笛厄斯先生，實(shí)在是對不起，主人命令很嚴(yán)，

Had to be certain of your friends before I let them in."

必須知道您的朋友是誰，我才敢請他們進(jìn)來。"