福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第32期:葛萊森大顯身手(3)

"My dear fellow," he cried, wringing Holmes's unresponsive hand,

"親愛的朋友，"他緊緊地握著福爾摩斯冷淡的手大聲說道，

"congratulate me! I have made the whole thing as clear as day."

"給我道喜吧！我已經(jīng)把這個案子弄得象大天白日一樣地清清楚楚了。"

A shade of anxiety seemed to me to cross my companion's expressive face.

我似乎看出，在福爾摩斯善于表情的臉上，掠過一絲焦急的暗影。

"Do you mean that you are on the right track?" he asked.

他問道："你是說你已經(jīng)搞順手了嗎？"

"The right track! Why, sir, we have the man under lock and key."

"對了！真是的，我的老兄，連兇手都捉到了！"

"And his name is?"

"那么他叫什么名字？"

"Arthur Charpentier, sub-lieutenant in Her Majesty's navy,"

"阿瑟·夏朋婕，是皇家海軍的一個中尉，"

cried Gregson pompously rubbing his fat hands and inflating his chest.

葛萊森一面得意地搓著他的一雙胖手，一面挺起胸脯傲慢地大聲說。

Sherlock Holmes gave a sigh of relief and relaxed into a smile.

福爾摩斯聽了這話以后，才如釋重負(fù)地松了一口氣，不覺微笑起來。

"Take a seat, and try one of these cigars," he said.

"請坐，抽支雪茄煙罷。"他說，

"We are anxious to know how you managed it. Will you have some whisky and water?"

"我們很想知道你是怎么辦的。喝點兒加水威士忌嗎？"

"I don't mind if I do," the detective answered.

"喝點兒就喝點兒吧，"這位偵探回答說，

"The tremendous exertions which I have gone through during the last day or two have worn me out.

"這兩天費了不少勁兒，可把我累壞了。

Not so much bodily exertion, you understand, as the strain upon the mind.

你明白，體力勞動雖說不多，可是腦子緊張得厲害。

You will appreciate that, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, for we are both brain-workers."

個中甘苦你是知道的，福爾摩斯先生，因為咱們都是干的用腦子的活兒。"

"You do me too much honour," said Holmes, gravely.

福爾摩斯一本正經(jīng)地說："你太過獎了。

The detective seated himself in the armchair, and puffed complacently at his cigar.

這位偵探在扶手椅上坐了下來，洋洋自得地一口口地吸著雪茄，

Then suddenly he slapped his thigh in a paroxysm of amusement.

忽地拍了一下大腿高興地說道：

"The fun of it is," he cried, "that that fool Lestrade, who thinks himself so smart, has gone off upon the wrong track altogether.

"真可笑，雷斯垂德這個傻瓜，他還自以為高明呢，可是他完全搞錯了。

He is after the secretary Stangerson, who had no more to do with the crime than the babe unborn.

他正在尋找那位秘書斯坦節(jié)遜的下落呢。這個家伙就象一個沒有出世的孩子一樣地和這個案子根本就沒有關(guān)系。

I have no doubt that he has caught him by this time."

我敢斷言，他現(xiàn)在多半已經(jīng)捉到那個家伙了。"

The idea tickled Gregson so much that he laughed until he choked.

他講到這里得意地呵呵大笑，直笑得喘不過起來。

"And how did you get your clue?"

"那么，你是怎樣得到線索的呢？"

"Ah, I'll tell you all about it.

"啊，我全部告訴你們。

Of course, Dr. Watson, this is strictly between ourselves.

當(dāng)然嘍，華生醫(yī)生，這是絕對秘密的，只有咱們自己之間可以談?wù)劇?/p>

The first difficulty which we had to contend with was the finding of this American's antecedents.

首先必須克服的困難就是要查明這個美國人的來歷。

Some people would have waited until their advertisements were answered,

有些人也許要登登廣告，等待人們前來報告，

or until parties came forward and volunteered information.

或者等著死者生前的親朋好友出來，自動報告一些消息。

That is not Tobias Gregson's way of going to work.

葛萊森的工作方法卻不是這樣的。

You remember the hat beside the dead man?"

你還記得死者身旁的那頂帽子嗎？"

"Yes," said Holmes; "by John Underwood and Sons, 129, Camberwell Road."

"記得，"福爾摩斯說道，"那是從坎伯韋爾路229號的約翰·安德烏父子帽店買來的。"

Gregson looked quite crestfallen. "I had no idea that you noticed that," he said.

葛萊森聽了這話，臉上立刻顯出非常沮喪的神情。他說："想不到你也注意到這一點了。

"Have you been there?"

你到那家帽店去過沒有。"

"No."

"沒有。"

"Ha!" cried Gregson, in a relieved voice; "you should never neglect a chance, however small it may seem."

"哈！"葛萊森放下了心，"不管看來可能多么小，你也決不應(yīng)該把任何機會放過。"

"To a great mind, nothing is little," remarked Holmes, sententiously.

"對于一個偉大人物來說，任何事物都不是微不足道的。"福爾摩斯象在引用什么至理名言似地說。

"Well, I went to Underwood, and asked him if he had sold a hat of that size and description.

"好，我找到了店主安德烏，我問他是不是賣過一頂這么大號碼、這個式樣的帽子。

He looked over his books, and came on it at once.

他們查了查售貨簿，很快地就查到了，

He had sent the hat to a Mr. Drebber, residing at Charpentier's Boarding Establishment, Torquay Terrace.

這頂帽子是送到一位住在陶爾魁里，夏朋婕公寓的住客錐伯先生處的。

Thus I got at his address."

這樣我就找到了這個人的住址。"

"Smart–very smart!" murmured Sherlock Holmes.

"漂亮，干得很漂亮！"福爾摩斯低聲稱贊著。