福爾摩斯探案集·歪唇男人 第18期:圣克萊爾的故事(7)
"But a cripple!" said I. "What could he have done single-handed against a man in the prime of life?"
"可是，一個瘸子！"我說，"他單獨一個人能把一個年輕力壯的男子怎么樣？"
"He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp;
"就走起路來一瘸一拐這點來說，他是個殘廢人；
but in other respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man.
但是，在其它方面，他顯然是有勁兒和營養(yǎng)充足的人。
Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson,
當然你的醫(yī)學經驗會告訴你，華生，
that weakness in one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength in the others."
一肢不靈的弱點，常常可由其它肢體的格外健壯有力而得到補償。"
"Pray continue your narrative."
"請繼續(xù)說下去。"
"Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window,
"圣克萊爾太太一見窗框上的血跡就暈了過去，
and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her presence could be of no help to them in their investigations.
由一位巡捕用車伴送她回家，因為她留在現場無助于偵查。
Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful examination of the premises,
巴頓巡官負責本案，將房屋全部仔細察看過了，
but without finding anything which threw any light upon the matter.
但沒有發(fā)現對破案有所啟發(fā)的東西。
One mistake had been made in not arresting Boone instantly,
當時犯了一個錯誤，就是沒有把休·布恩立刻逮捕起來，
as he was allowed some few minutes during which he might have communicated with his friend the lascar,
使他得到了可能和他那印度朋友互相串供的幾分鐘的時間，
but this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched, without anything being found which could incriminate him.
不過，這個錯誤很快就得到了糾正。他被拘捕并受到搜查，可是并未發(fā)現任何可以將他定罪的證據。
There were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve,
的確，他的汗衫右手袖子上有些血斑，
but he pointed to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came from there,
但他指著他的左手第四指靠近指甲被刀割破的地方，說血是從那里流出來的；
adding that he had been to the window not long before,
還說不大功夫以前他曾走到窗戶那邊去過，
and that the stains which had been observed there came doubtless from the same source.
那里被發(fā)現的血斑無疑也是這么來的。
He denied strenuously having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair
他堅決否認曾見過圣克萊爾先生，
and swore that the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him as to the police.
并且發(fā)誓說，至于在他的房間里發(fā)現的衣物，他和警方同樣感到是個謎。
As to Mrs. St. Clair's assertion that she had actually seen her husband at the window,
而對圣克萊爾太太所說她確實看到她丈夫出現在窗前這一點，
he declared that she must have been either mad or dreaming.
他說她一定是發(fā)瘋了，否則是在做夢。
He was removed, loudly protesting, to the police-station,
后來盡管他大聲抗議，還是把他帶到警察局去了。
while the inspector remained upon the premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might afford some fresh clue.
另一方面，巡官就留在那所房里，希望在退潮后能找到一些新的線索。
