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“我想现在和您说一两句话，福尔摩斯先生。” 他说， “那么，麦克法兰先生，我的两名警员就在门口，外面还有辆四轮马车在等着。” 那个可怜的年轻人站了起来，用乞求的目光看了我们最后一眼，走出了屋子。警员带他上了马车，但莱斯特雷德留下了。
Holmes had picked up the pages which formed the rough draft of the will, and was looking at them with the keenest interest upon his face.
福尔摩斯已经拿起了那几页遗嘱草稿，看着它们，脸上一副很感兴趣的样子。
"There are some points about that document, Lestrade, are there not? " said he, pushing them over.
“这份遗嘱有些特点，莱斯特雷德，不是吗？” 他说着便把草稿递了过去。
The official looked at them with a puzzled expression.
莱斯特雷德看着这些草稿，面露疑色。
"I can read the first few lines, and these in the middle of the second page, and one or two at the end. Those are as clear as print, " said he; "but the writing in between is very bad, and there are three places where I cannot read it at all. "
“我能读出来前几行，第二页的中间几行，还有最后一两行。这些和印刷的一样清楚，” 他说， “但是中间的书写十分潦草，有三处我完全读不出来。”
"What do you make of that? " said Holmes.
“你对此有何推断？” 福尔摩斯说。
"Well, what do you make of it? "
“嗯，你是怎么理解的呢？”
"That it was written in a train; the good writing represents stations, the bad writing movement, and the very bad writing passing over points. A scientific expert would pronounce at once that this was drawn up on a suburban line, since nowhere save in the immediate vicinity of a great city could there be so quick a succession of points. Granting that his whole journey was occupied in drawing up the will, then the train was an express, only stopping once between Norwood and London Bridge. "
“那是在火车上写的。清楚的部分表明火车停在站上，不清楚的表明火车在行驶，最不清楚的说明正经过道岔。严谨的专家能很快断定这是在一条郊区铁路线上写的，因为除了在大城市附近，其他地方不会接二连三地碰到道岔。如果他用全程时间来写这份遗嘱，那一定是趟快车，只在诺伍德和伦敦桥之间停过一次。”
Lestrade began to laugh.
莱斯特雷德笑了起来。
"You are too many for me when you begin to get on your theories, Mr. Holmes, " said he. "How does this bear on the case? "
“在分析问题上我拿你没辙，福尔摩斯先生。” 他说， “那这又对案子有什么影响呢？”
"Well, it corroborates the young man's story to the extent that the will was drawn up by Jonas Oldacre in his journey yesterday. It is curious—is it not? —that a man should draw up so important a document in so haphazard a fashion. It suggests that he did not think it was going to be of much practical importance. If a man drew up a will which he did not intend ever to be effective he might do it so. "
“嗯，它足以证实年轻人故事里的这个遗嘱是乔纳斯·奥德克昨天在旅途中拟好的。这很奇怪，不是吗？一个人竟然会以这么随便的方式来写一份这么重要的文件。这说明他认为这份遗嘱没有什么实际的重要性。如果一个人没想过这份遗嘱有一天会生效，他可能这么做。”
"Well, he drew up his own death—warrant at the same time, " said Lestrade.
“他同时给自己出了一张死刑判决书。” 莱斯特雷德说。
"Oh, you think so? "
“哦，你这样想？”
"Don't you? "
“你不是这么想的？”
"Well, it is quite possible; but the case is not clear to me yet. "
“嗯，很可能，但这个案子我还不清楚。”
"Not clear? Well, if that isn't clear, what could be clear? Here is a young man who learns suddenly that if a certain older man dies he will succeed to a fortune. What does he do? He says nothing to anyone, but he arranges that he shall go out on some pretext to see his client that night; he waits until the only other person in the house is in bed, and then in the solitude of a man's room he murders him, burns his body in the wood—pile, and departs to a neighbouring hotel. The blood—stains in the room and also on the stick are very slight. It is probable that he imagined his crime to be a bloodless one, and hoped that if the body were consumed it would hide all traces of the method of his death—traces which for some reason must have pointed to him. Is all this not obvious? "
“不清楚？如果这都不算清楚，还有什么能算是清楚呢？这里有个年轻人忽然知道只要某位年长的人死了，他就可以继承一大笔钱。他会怎么做？他什么也不会跟别人说，但他会借口出去，在当天晚上去见他的委托人。他会一直等到房子里仅有的另外一个人睡下了，就在单独的一间卧室里杀了他，把尸体放到木材堆里焚烧，然后离开那里去了附近的旅馆。卧室里和手杖上的血迹都很少。很可能他认为在犯罪过程中不会留下任何血迹，并指望着只要尸体销毁了，所有有关死因的线索都会被隐藏起来，因为这些线索迟早都会指向他。这不都很明显吗？”
"It strikes me, my good Lestrade, as being just a trifle too obvious, " said Holmes. "You do not add imagination to your other great qualities; but if you could for one moment put yourself in the place of this young man, would you choose the very night after the will had been made to commit your crime? Would it not seem dangerous to you to make so very close a relation between the two incidents? Again, would you choose an occasion when you are known to be in the house, when a servant has let you in? And, finally, would you take the great pains to conceal the body and yet leave your own stick as a sign that you were the criminal? Confess, Lestrade, that all this is very unlikely. "
“我的好莱斯特雷德，我感觉，作为细节来说，这有点过于明显了。” 福尔摩斯说， “你没有把想象力加到你其他的长处中，但如果你把暂时自己放在那个年轻人的位置上，你会选择在立遗嘱当晚犯罪吗？你不觉得把遗嘱和行凶两件事联系得这么紧密很危险吗？还有，当别人都知道你在屋子里，当这家的佣人开门让你进了屋，你会选择这样的时机么？最后还有，你会费那么大力气销毁尸体，却把自己的手杖留下作为你是凶犯的标志吗？承认吧，莱斯特雷德，这一切都不太有可能。”
"As to the stick, Mr. Holmes, you know as well as I do that a criminal is often flurried and does things which a cool man would avoid. He was very likely afraid to go back to the room. Give me another theory that would fit the facts. "
“说到那根手杖，福尔摩斯先生，您和我都知道，一个罪犯总是很慌张，会做出冷静的人能够避免的事情来。他很可能是害怕回到那间屋子里。再给我一个符合事实的推测吧。”
"I could very easily give you half—a—dozen, " said Holmes. "Here, for example, is a very possible and even probable one. I make you a free present of it. The older man is showing documents which are of evident value. A passing tramp sees them through the window, the blind of which is only half down. Exit the solicitor. Enter the tramp! He seizes a stick, which he observes there, kills Oldacre, and departs after burning the body. "
“我能很轻松地给你好几个。” 福尔摩斯说， “比如说，这儿就有一个可能的，甚至是非常有可能的。我把它当做礼物免费给你。老人正给年轻人看那些显然十分重要的文件。窗帘只拉下来一半，一个过路的流浪汉透过窗户看见了他们。年轻的律师走掉了。流浪汉进来了！他看到了那根手杖，便抓起来打死了奥德克，烧掉尸体跑掉了。”
"Why should the tramp burn the body? "
“流浪汉为什么要烧掉尸体？”
"For the matter of that why should McFarlane? "
“在这点上，为什么麦克法兰要这么做呢？”
"To hide some evidence. "
“为了掩盖某些证据。”
"Possibly the tramp wanted to hide that any murder at all had been committed. "
“可能流浪汉根本不想让人知道出了谋杀案。”
"And why did the tramp take nothing? "
“那为什么流浪汉什么都没拿？”
"Because they were papers that he could not negotiate. "
“因为这些文件都是他所不能磋商的。”
Lestrade shook his head, though it seemed to me that his manner was less absolutely assured than before.
莱斯特雷德摇摇头，尽管在我看来他的态度好像没有像刚才那么肯定了。
"Well, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, you may look for your tramp, and while you are finding him we will hold on to our man. The future will show which is right. Just notice this point, Mr. Holmes: that so far as we know none of the papers were removed, and that the prisoner is the one man in the world who had no reason for removing them, since he was heir—at—law and would come into them in any case. "
“好吧，福尔摩斯先生，您可以去找您的流浪汉，在您找他的时候，我们会看好这个年轻人。将来会证明谁是对的。请注意这点，福尔摩斯先生，到现在，我们知道这些文件都没有被拿走，我们的犯人是这个世界上唯一一个没有理由拿走字据的人，因为他是法定继承人，任何情况下，他都会得到它们。”
My friend seemed struck by this remark.
我的朋友似乎被这句话震动了。
"I don't mean to deny that the evidence is in some ways very strongly in favour of your theory, " said he. "I only wish to point out that there are other theories possible. As you say, the future will decide. Good morning! I dare say that in the course of the day I shall drop in at Norwood and see how you are getting on. "
“我并不是要否认这证据在某种程度上确实对你的推论有利。” 他说。 “我只想指出别的理论推断也是具有可能性的。就像你说的那样，将来会证明谁是对的。祝你上午愉快！今天我可能会顺便去诺伍德，看看你们进展如何”
When the detective departed my friend rose and made his preparations for the day's work with the alert air of a man who has a congenial task before him.
侦探走后，我的朋友起身为这天的工作做准备，看来眼前这项任务很对他的胃口。
"My first movement, Watson, " said he, as he bustled into his frock—coat, "must, as I said, be in the direction of Blackheath. "
“第一步，沃森，” 他说着，匆忙穿上他的长外衣， “就像我说的，必须去布莱克希斯。”
"And why not Norwood? "
“为什么不是诺伍德？”
"Because we have in this case one singular incident coming close to the heels of another singular incident. The police are making the mistake of concentrating their attention upon the second, because it happens to be the one which is actually criminal. But it is evident to me that the logical way to approach the case is to begin by trying to throw some light upon the first incident—the curious will, so suddenly made, and to so unexpected an heir. It may do something to simplify what followed. No, my dear fellow, I don't think you can help me. There is no prospect of danger, or I should not dream of stirring out without you. I trust that when I see you in the evening I will be able to report that I have been able to do something for this unfortunate youngster who has thrown himself upon my protection. "
“因为我们在这个案子里有两件接连出现的怪事。警方犯的一个错误就是把注意力集中在第二件上，因为这刚好是犯罪行为。但在我看来很明显的是，处理这个案子应该先试着理解第一个事件才合乎逻辑，就是那份奇怪的遗嘱，立得那么突然，并给了个意想不到的继承人。这也许能使接下来发生的事件变得更加明晰。不，我亲爱的朋友，我想你可能帮不上我。我不可能有危险的，否则我也不会想要抛下你单独行动。我相信，晚上回来见你的时候，我就能告诉你我为了这个指望我保护的不幸的小伙子做了什么。”
It was late when my friend returned, and I could see by a glance at his haggard and anxious face that the high hopes with which he had started had not been fulfilled. For an hour he droned away upon his violin, endeavouring to soothe his own ruffled spirits. At last he flung down the instrument and plunged into a detailed account of his misadventures.
我朋友回来的时候已经很晚了，从他憔悴而焦虑的脸上，我一眼就看出他出发时所抱的极高的希望落空了。他沉闷地拉了一个小时小提琴，努力使自己沮丧的心情平复下来。最后，他扔下小提琴，开始详细地讲起他的不幸遭遇。
"It's all going wrong, Watson—all as wrong as it can go. I kept a bold face before Lestrade, but, upon my soul, I believe that for once the fellow is on the right track and we are on the wrong. All my instincts are one way and all the facts are the other, and I much fear that British juries have not yet attained that pitch of intelligence when they will give the preference to my theories over Lestrade's facts. "
“一切都错了，沃森，错得不能再错了。” “我在莱斯特雷德面前装得大胆自信，但我心里清楚他这次的思路对了，咱们的却不对头。我所有的直觉指着一个方向，而事实都指向另一个方向，恐怕英国陪审团还没有聪明到接受我的推理而不去相信莱斯特雷德的证据的地步。”
"Did you go to Blackheath? "
“你去了布莱克希斯吗？”
"Yes, Watson, I went there, and I found very quickly that the late lamented Oldacre was a pretty considerable blackguard. The father was away in search of his son. The mother was at home—a little, fluffy, blue—eyed person, in a tremor of fear and indignation. Of course, she would not admit even the possibility of his guilt. But she would not express either surprise or regret over the fate of Oldacre. On the contrary, she spoke of him with such bitterness that she was unconsciously considerably strengthening the case of the police, for, of course, if her son had heard her speak of the man in this fashion it would predispose him towards hatred and violence. He was more like a malignant and cunning ape than a human being, 'said she, ' and he always was, ever since he was a young man. '
“是的，沃森，我去了那儿，很快就发现最近遗憾死去的奥德克真是个相当大的无赖。麦克法兰的父亲去找儿子了。他母亲在家，这是一个身材矮小、无知的蓝眼睛女人，她因为恐惧和愤怒而不停地发抖。当然，她认为儿子根本不可能犯罪。但是她对奥德克的死既不惊讶，也不惋惜。相反，她谈到奥德克时一一副怨恨的样子，无意中巩固了警方的观点，因为如果他儿子听到母亲这么说一个人，当然容易产生憎恨或实施暴力。 ‘以前奥德克更像个恶毒狡猾的怪物，’ 她说， ‘从他年轻时起就一直是这样了。’”
" 'You knew him at that time? ' said I.
“ ‘那时你就认识他了？’” 我说。
" 'Yes, I knew him well; in fact, he was an old suitor of mine. Thank heaven that I had the sense to turn away from him and to marry a better, if a poorer, man. I was engaged to him, Mr. Holmes, when I heard a shocking story of how he had turned a cat loose in an aviary, and I was so horrified at his brutal cruelty that I would have nothing more to do with him. ' She rummaged in a bureau, and presently she produced a photograph of a woman, shamefully defaced and mutilated with a knife. That is my own photograph, 'she said. He sent it to me in that state, with his curse, upon my wedding morning. '
“ ‘是的，我和他很熟，事实上，他曾经追求过我。谢天谢地，我明智地离开了他，找了个虽然比他穷、但比他好的人结了婚。福尔摩斯先生，我和他订婚后，听说了他如何惹人憎恶地把一只猫放到鸟舍里，他的残忍让我感到害怕，我再也不想和他有任何来往了。’ 她从抽屉里翻出一张女人的照片，脸部让刀划得支离破碎。 ‘这是我本人的照片，’ 她说， ‘他在我结婚那天上午寄来的，带着弄成这副模样的照片和他的诅咒。’”
" 'Well, ' said I, 'at least he has forgiven you now, since he has left all his property to your son. '
“ ‘不过，’ 我说， ‘至少他现在原谅你了，因为他把所有财产都留给了你儿子。’”
" 'Neither my son nor I want anything from Jonas Oldacre, dead or alive, ' she cried, with a proper spirit. There is a God in heaven, Mr. Holmes, and that same God who has punished that wicked man will show in His own good time that my son's hands are guiltless of his blood. '
“ ‘不管是我的儿子还是我都不要乔纳斯·奥德克任何东西，无论他是死是活。 '她郑重其事地大声说， ‘天上有上帝啊，福尔摩斯先生，上帝已经惩罚了这个邪恶的人，到时也会证明我儿子的手上没有沾他的血。’”
"Well, I tried one or two leads, but could get at nothing which would help our hypothesis, and several points which would make against it. I gave it up at last and off I went to Norwood.
我还尝试寻找其他一两条线索，但是找不到任何对我们的假设有用的东西，有几点还与我们的假设背道而驰。最后我放弃了，去了诺伍德。
"This place, Deep Dene House, is a big modern villa of staring brick, standing back in its own grounds, with a laurel—clumped lawn in front of it. To the right and some distance back from the road was the timber—yard which had been the scene of the fire. Here's a rough plan on a leaf of my note—book. This window on the left is the one which opens into Oldacre's room. You can look into it from the road, you see. That is about the only bit of consolation I have had to—day. Lestrade was not there, but his head constable did the honours. They had just made a great treasure—trove. They had spent the morning raking among the ashes of the burned wood—pile, and besides the charred organic remains they had secured several discoloured metal discs. I examined them with care, and there was no doubt that they were trouser buttons. I even distinguished that one of them was marked with the name of 'Hyams, ' who was Oldacre's tailor. I then worked the lawn very carefully for signs and traces, but this drought has made everything as hard as iron. Nothing was to be seen save that some body or bundle had been dragged through a low privet hedge which is in a line with the wood—pile. All that, of course, fits in with the official theory. I crawled about the lawn with an August sun on my back, but I got up at the end of an hour no wiser than before.
幽谷山庄是一座新式大庄园，由显眼的砖盖成，坐落在后面，前面的草坪上栽种着一丛丛月桂树。右边距离大路有一定距离的地方就是当时着火的贮木场。这是我在笔记本上画的简图。左边这扇窗户开向奥德克的房间。透过这扇窗可以看到屋子里情况，明白吧。这大概是我今天仅有的一点安慰。莱斯特雷德不在那儿，但他的警局负责人尽了地主之谊。他们刚发现了一个宝库。他们花了一上午的时间在木堆灰烬中找寻，除了烧焦的有机体残骸，他们还找到了几个变了色的金属圆片。我仔细检查了一下，无疑是裤子上的纽扣。我甚至辨认出一颗纽扣上标记着 ‘海厄姆’ ，那是奥德克的裁缝的名字。然后，我仔细检查了草坪，看有没有别的痕迹和脚印，但是最近的干旱让一切变得跟铁一样硬。什么也看不出来，只发现好像有一具尸体或一捆东西曾被拖过一片女贞树篱，与木材堆连成一线。当然，所有这些都符合警方的推测。我顶着八月的骄阳在草坪上爬来爬去，一个小时后才站起来，但依然毫无进展。
"Well, after this fiasco I went into the bedroom and examined that also. The blood—stains were very slight, mere smears and discolorations, but undoubtedly fresh. The stick had been removed, but there also the marks were slight. There is no doubt about the stick belonging to our client. He admits it. Footmarks of both men could be made out on the carpet, but none of any third person, which again is a trick for the other side. They were piling up their score all the time and we were at a standstill.
在草坪上一无所获，我又进屋去查看。那里血迹很少，仅仅是些污迹和变色，但无疑是新鲜的。手杖被动过了，上面血迹也很少。毫无疑问，这根手杖是麦克米兰的。他也承认了。两个人的脚印都可以在地毯上看到，但是没有第三个人的，这又让警方赢了一盘。他们不停地在得分，而我们却还在原地踏步。
"Only one little gleam of hope did I get—and yet it amounted to nothing. I examined the contents of the safe, most of which had been taken out and left on the table. The papers had been made up into sealed envelopes, one or two of which had been opened by the police. They were not, so far as I could judge, of any great value, nor did the bank—book show that Mr. Oldacre was in such very affluent circumstances. But it seemed to me that all the papers were not there. There were allusions to some deeds—possibly the more valuable—which I could not find. This, of course, if we could definitely prove it, would turn Lestrade's argument against himself, for who would steal a thing if he knew that he would shortly inherit it?
我只看到了一线希望，但这也没能帮上忙。我检查了保险柜里的东西，大部分都已经拿出来放在了桌上。那些文件都已装在密封的信封里，警方打开了其中一两封。就我目前的判断来说，它们都没什么价值，那存折也没有说明奥德克先生有多么富裕。但我觉得并非所有的文件都在那儿。有一些迹象表明可能有更值钱的东西，但我没找到。当然，如果我们能证明这点，就能让莱斯特雷德的说法自相矛盾，因为有谁会去偷自己马上就要继承的东西呢？
"Finally, having drawn every other cover and picked up no scent, I tried my luck with the housekeeper. Mrs. Lexington is her name, a little, dark, silent person, with suspicious and sidelong eyes. She could tell us something if she would—I am convinced of it. But she was as close as wax. Yes, she had let Mr. McFarlane in at half—past nine. She wished her hand had withered before she had done so. She had gone to bed at half—past ten. Her room was at the other end of the house, and she could hear nothing of what passed. Mr. McFarlane had left his hat, and to the best of her belief his stick, in the hall. She had been awakened by the alarm of fire. Her poor, dear master had certainly been murdered. Had he any enemies? Well, every man had enemies, but Mr. Oldacre kept himself very much to himself, and only met people in the way of business. She had seen the buttons, and was sure that they belonged to the clothes which he had worn last night. The wood—pile was very dry, for it had not rained for a month. It burned like tinder, and by the time she reached the spot nothing could be seen but flames. She and all the firemen smelled the burned flesh from inside it. She knew nothing of the papers, nor of Mr. Oldacre's private affairs.
最后，我检查完了其他所有的地方，什么也没发现，只好在女管家身上碰碰运气。列克星敦太太是个矮个子，皮肤黝黑，话不多，有一双多疑的眼睛，喜欢斜着眼看人。我确信如果她肯说，她能告诉我们一些事情。但她的嘴紧得像用蜡封住了一样。是的，九点半时，她让麦克法兰先生进屋了。她希望自己还没这么做手就断了。十点半她就上床睡觉了。她的房间在房子另一头，因此听不到这边发生了什么。据她所知，麦克法兰先生在门厅里落下了他的帽子，还有手杖。她是被火警给惊醒的。她不幸的好主人一定是被谋杀的。他有仇人吗？嗯，每个人都有仇人，但是奥德克先生很少和人来往，只接待生意上的来客。她看了那些纽扣，确信这些是奥德克先生昨晚所穿的衣服上的。因为一个月没有下雨了，木堆都十分干燥。火势很猛，她来到现场的时候，除了一片烈火，其他什么也看不到了。她和所有的消防员都闻到了从烈火中发出的肉烧焦的气味。她不知道什么文件，也不知道奥德克先生的私事。
"So, my dear Watson, there's my report of a failure. And yet—and yet" —he clenched his thin hands in a paroxysm of conviction— "I know it's all wrong. I feel it in my bones. There is something that has not come out, and that housekeeper knows it. There was a sort of sulky defiance in her eyes, which only goes with guilty knowledge. However, there's no good talking any more about it, Watson; but unless some lucky chance comes our way I fear that the Norwood Disappearance Case will not figure in that chronicle of our successes which I foresee that a patient public will sooner or later have to endure. "
“这些，我亲爱的沃森，就是我失败的经过。但是……但是……” 他突然握紧拳头，好像突然坚信不疑， “我知道这些都是错的。我从骨子里这么觉得。还有一些事情没被获知，而且那个管家是知情的。她眼中有种气愤和反抗的神情，这种眼神只能说明她有罪恶感。但是，再多说什么也没有用的，沃森，除非好运气自动送上门，否则这件诺伍德失踪案恐怕不会在我们的成功破案记录中出现了，我预计耐心的公众迟早要忍受这一次了。”
"Surely, " said I, "the man's appearance would go far with any jury? "
“当然，” 我说， “这个年轻人的外表能打动任何一个陪审团吧？”
"That is a dangerous argument, my dear Watson. You remember that terrible murderer, Bert Stevens, who wanted us to get him off in '87? Was there ever a more mild—mannered, Sunday—school young man? "
“这个论据并不可靠，我亲爱的沃森。你记得一八八七年那个要我们帮他开脱的恐怖杀人犯伯特·史蒂文斯吧？你见过比他更温和、更像主日学校学生的年轻人吗？”
"It is true. "
“这倒是。”
"Unless we succeed in establishing an alternative theory this man is lost. You can hardly find a flaw in the case which can now be presented against him, and all further investigation has served to strengthen it. By the way, there is one curious little point about those papers which may serve us as the starting—point for an inquiry. On looking over the bank—book I found that the low state of the balance was principally due to large cheques which have been made out during the last year to Mr. Cornelius. I confess that I should be interested to know who this Mr. Cornelius may be with whom a retired builder has such very large transactions. Is it possible that he has had a hand in the affair? Cornelius might be a broker, but we have found no scrip to correspond with these large payments. Failing any other indication my researches must now take the direction of an inquiry at the bank for the gentleman who has cashed these cheques. But I fear, my dear fellow, that our case will end ingloriously by Lestrade hanging our client, which will certainly be a triumph for Scotland Yard. "
“除非我们成功地提出另一种推论，不然他就完了。你从这个控诉他的案子里几乎找不出什么疑点，而且所有进一步的调查反而巩固了调查结果。顺便说一下，这些文件中还有一点奇怪的小地方，也许可以作为我们调查的起点。我在查看存折的时候，发现余额已经没有多少了，这主要是因为去年开了几张大额支票给科尼利厄斯先生。坦白说，我很想知道这位科尼利厄斯先生是谁，一位已经退休了的建筑师竟然会和他有这么大笔的交易。他有没有可能和这个案子有关呢？科尼利厄斯先生也许是个经纪人，但我没有找到和这几笔大额付款相符的凭据。既然没有找到别的迹象，现在我必须转变方向，去调查银行那位把支票兑换成现款的先生。但是，亲爱的伙伴，我担心这案子会以莱斯特雷德绞死我们的委托人这样不光彩的结尾收场，这对苏格兰场绝对是一次胜利。”
I do not know how far Sherlock Holmes took any sleep that night, but when I came down to breakfast I found him pale and harassed, his bright eyes the brighter for the dark shadows round them. The carpet round his chair was littered with cigarette—ends and with the early editions of the morning papers. An open telegram lay upon the table.
我不知道福尔摩斯那晚过了多久才睡着，但我下楼吃早餐时发现他面色苍白，十分疲惫，那双发亮的眼睛被周围的黑眼圈衬得更明亮了。他椅子周围的地毯上到处都是烟头和当天的早报。有一份电报摊在桌子上。
"What do you think of this, Watson? " he asked, tossing it across.
“你觉得这是什么意思，沃森？” 他问道，把电报扔给我。
It was from Norwood, and ran as follows:
这是从诺伍德寄来的，是这么说的：
Important fresh evidence to hand. McFarlane's guilt definitely established. Advise you to abandon case. LESTRADE.
新获重要证据，麦克法兰罪行已定。奉劝放弃此案。莱斯特雷德。
"This sounds serious, " said I.
“听起来是当真的。” 我说。
"It is Lestrade's little cock—a—doodle of victory, " Holmes answered, with a bitter smile. "And yet it may be premature to abandon the case. After all, important fresh evidence is a two—edged thing, and may possibly cut in a very different direction to that which Lestrade imagines. Take your breakfast, Watson, and we will go out together and see what we can do. I feel as if I shall need your company and your moral support to—day. "
“这是莱斯特雷德为胜利小小地自鸣得意，” 福尔摩斯苦笑着回答， “但是放弃这个案子还为时过早。归根结底，新的重要证据是一把双刃剑，也许会指向与莱斯特雷德所想的完全不同的方向。吃早饭吧，沃森，我们要一起去看看我们能做些什么。我觉得今天我需要你的陪伴和精神支持。”
My friend had no breakfast himself, for it was one of his peculiarities that in his more intense moments he would permit himself no food, and I have known him presume upon his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition. "At present I cannot spare energy and nerve force for digestion, " he would say in answer to my medical remonstrances. I was not surprised, therefore, when this morning he left his untouched meal behind him and started with me for Norwood. A crowd of morbid sightseers were still gathered round Deep Dene House, which was just such a suburban villa as I had pictured. Within the gates Lestrade met us, his face flushed with victory, his manner grossly triumphant.
我的朋友自己却不吃早饭，这是他的一个特点，在紧要关头他不允许自己进食。我见过他仗着自己的体魄强健不吃东西，直到因为营养不足而晕倒。 “我现在腾不出精力去消化食物。” 他对我从医学角度提出的抗议总是这样应答。因此，我一点也不奇怪这天他没吃早饭就和我一起前往诺伍德。幽谷山庄外还围着一群无聊的看客，而这处郊区别墅和我想象中的一样。莱斯特雷德在门内迎接我们，因为获胜，他满面红光，一副极为得意的样子。
"Well, Mr. Holmes, have you proved us to be wrong yet? Have you found your tramp? " he cried.