福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第23期:警察欒斯的敘述(4)

"Why, that's true, sir," he said;

"天哪，確是那樣，先生，"他說，

"though how you come to know it, Heaven only knows.

"可是您怎么會(huì)知道的，天曉得！

Ye see when I got up to the door, it was so still and so lonesome,

你瞧，當(dāng)我走到門口的時(shí)候，

that I thought I'd be none the worse for someone with me.

我覺得太孤單，太冷清了，我想最好還是找個(gè)人和我一起進(jìn)去。

I ain't afeared of anything on this side of the grave;

我倒不怕人世上的什么東西，

but I thought that maybe it was him that died of the typhoid inspecting the drains what killed him.

我當(dāng)時(shí)忽然想起，也許這就是那個(gè)得了傷寒病死去的人，正在檢查那個(gè)要了他的性命的陰溝吧。

The thought gave me a kind of turn, and I walked back to the gate to see if I could see Murcher's lantern,

這樣一想，嚇得我轉(zhuǎn)身就走，重新回到大門口去，看看是不是望得見摩契的提燈；

but there wasn't no sign of him nor of anyone else."

可是連他的影子也瞧不見，也沒見到別的人。"

"There was no one in the street?"

"街上一個(gè)人也沒有嗎？"

"Not a livin' soul, sir, nor as much as a dog.

"一個(gè)人影也沒有，先生，連條狗都沒有。

Then I pulled myself together and went back and pushed the door open.

我只好鼓起勇氣，又走了回去，把門推開。

All was quiet inside, so I went into the room where the light was a-burnin'.

里面靜悄悄的，于是我就走進(jìn)了那間有燈光的屋子里去。

There was a candle flickerin' on the mantelpiece–a red wax one–and by its light I saw– –"

只見壁爐臺(tái)上點(diǎn)著一支蠟燭，還是一支紅蠟燭，燭光搖擺不定，燭光下只見——”

"Yes, I know all that you saw.

"好了，你所看見的情況我都知道了。

You walked round the room several times, and you knelt down by the body,

你在屋中走了幾圈，并且在死尸旁邊跪了下來，

and then you walked through and tried the kitchen door, and then– –"

以后又走過去推推廚房的門，后來——"

John Rance sprang to his feet with a frightened face and suspicion in his eyes.

約翰·欒斯聽到這里，突然跳了起來，滿臉驚懼，眼中露出懷疑的神色。

"Where was you hid to see all that?" he cried.

他大聲說道："當(dāng)時(shí)你躲在什么地方，看得這樣一清二楚？

"It seems to me that you knows a deal more than you should."

我看，這些事都是你不應(yīng)該知道的。"

Holmes laughed and threw his card across the table to the constable.

福爾摩斯笑了起來，拿出他的名片，隔著桌子丟給這位警察看。

"Don't go arresting me for the murder," he said.

"可別把我當(dāng)作兇手逮捕起來，"他說，

"I am one of the hounds and not the wolf; Mr. Gregson or Mr. Lestrade will answer for that.

"我也是一條獵犬而不是狼；這一點(diǎn)葛萊森和雷斯垂德先生都會(huì)證明的。

Go on, though. What did you do next?"

那么，請(qǐng)接著講下去。以后你又作了些什么呢？"

Rance resumed his seat, without, however, losing his mystified expression.

欒斯重新坐了下來，但是臉上狐疑的神氣還沒消除。

"I went back to the gate and sounded my whistle.

"我走到大門口，吹起警笛。

That brought Murcher and two more to the spot."

摩契和另外兩個(gè)警察都應(yīng)聲而來。"

"Was the street empty then?"

"當(dāng)時(shí)街上什么都沒有嗎？"

"Well, it was, as far as anybody that could be of any good goes."

"是呀，凡是正經(jīng)點(diǎn)的人早都回家了。"

"What do you mean?"

"這是什么意思？"

The constable's features broadened into a grin.

警察笑了一笑，

"I've seen many a drunk chap in my time," he said, "but never anyone so cryin' drunk as that cove.

他說："我這輩子見過的醉漢可多了，可是從來沒有見過象那個(gè)家伙那樣爛醉如泥的。

He was at the gate when I came out, a-leanin' up ag'in the railings,

我出來的時(shí)候，他正站在門口，靠著欄桿，

and a-singin' at the pitch of his lungs about Columbine's New-fangled Banner, or some such stuff.

放開嗓門，大聲唱著考棱班唱的那段小調(diào)或是這一類的歌子。

He couldn't stand, far less help."

他簡(jiǎn)直連腳都站不住了，真沒辦法。"

"What sort of a man was he?" asked Sherlock Holmes.

"他是一個(gè)什么樣的人？"福爾摩斯問道。

John Rance appeared to be somewhat irritated at this digression.

福爾摩斯這樣一打岔，約翰·欒斯好象有些不高興。

"He was an uncommon drunk sort of man," he said.

他說："他倒是一個(gè)少見的醉鬼。

"He'd ha' found hisself in the station if we hadn't been so took up."

如果我們不那么忙的話，他免不了要被送到警察局去呢。"

"His face–his dress–didn't you notice them?" Holmes broke in impatiently.

"他的臉，他的衣服，你注意到?jīng)]有？"福爾摩斯忍不住又插嘴問道。

"I should think I did notice them, seeing that I had to prop him up–me and Murcher between us.

"我想當(dāng)時(shí)我確實(shí)注意到了，因?yàn)槲液湍ζ踹€攙扶過他。

He was a long chap, with a red face, the lower part muffled round– –"

他是一個(gè)高個(gè)子，紅臉，下邊一圈長(zhǎng)著——"

"That will do," cried Holmes.

"這就夠了。"福爾摩斯大聲說道，

"What became of him?"

"后來他又怎么樣了？"

"We'd enough to do without lookin' after him," the policeman said, in an aggrieved voice.

"我們當(dāng)時(shí)夠忙的啦，哪有工夫去照管他。"他說。

"I'll wager he found his way home all right."

接著這位警察又頗為不滿地說："我敢打賭，他滿認(rèn)得回家的路呢。"

"How was he dressed?"

"他穿的什么衣服？"

"A brown overcoat."

"一件棕色外衣。"

"Had he a whip in his hand?"

"手里有沒有拿著馬鞭子？"

"A whip?no."

"馬鞭子？沒有。"

"He must have left it behind," muttered my companion.

"他一定是把它丟下了，"我的伙伴嘟囔著說，

"You didn't happen to see or hear a cab after that?"

"后來你看見或者聽見有輛馬車過去嗎？"

"No."

"沒有。"