領(lǐng)略原汁原味漢英對照經(jīng)典名作
二塊血跡
? ? ? I had intended “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange” to be the last of those exploits of my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, which I should ever communicate to the public. This resolution of mine was not due to any lack of material, since I have notes of many hundreds of cases to which I have never alluded, nor was it caused by any waning interest on the part of my readers in the singular personality and unique methods of this remarkable man. The real reason lay in the reluctance which Mr. Holmes has shown to the continued publication of his experiences. So long as he was in actual professional practice the records of his successes were of some practical value to him; but since he has definitely retired from London and betaken himself to study and bee-farming on the Sussex Downs, notoriety has become hateful to him, and he has peremptorily requested that his wishes in this matter should be strictly observed. It was only upon my representing to him that I had given a promise that “The Adventure of the Second Stain” should be published when the times were ripe, and pointing out to him that it is only appropriate that this long series of episodes should culminate in the most important international case which he has ever been called upon to handle, that I at last succeeded in obtaining his consent that a carefullyguarded account of the incident should at last be laid before the public. If in telling the story I seem to be somewhat vague in certain details the public will readily understand that there is an excellent reason for my reticence.
? ? ? It was, then, in a year, and even in a decade, that shall be nameless, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn we found two visitors of European fame within the walls of our humble room in Baker Street. The one, austere, high-nosed, eagle-eyed, and dominant, was none other than the illustrious Lord Bellinger, twice Premier of Britain. The other, dark, clear-cut, and elegant,hardly yet of middle age, and endowed with every beauty of body and of mind, was the Right Honourable Trelawney Hope, Secretary for European Affairs, and the most rising statesman in the country. They sat side by side upon our paper-littered settee, and it was easy to see from their worn and anxious faces that it was business of the most pressing importance which had brought them. The Premier’s thin, blue-veined hands were clasped tightly over the ivory head of his umbrella, and his gaunt, ascetic face looked gloomily from Holmes to me. The European Secretary pulled nervously at his moustache and fidgeted with the seals of his watch-chain.
? ? ? “When I discovered my loss, Mr. Holmes, which was at eight o’clock this morning, I at once informed the Prime Minister. It was at his suggestion that we have both come to you.”
? ? ? “Have you informed the police?”
? ? ? “No, sir,” said the Prime Minister, with the quick, decisive manner for which he was famous. “We have not done so, nor is it possible that we should do so. To inform the police must, in the long run, mean to inform the public. This is what we particularly desire to avoid.”
? ? ? “And why, sir?”
? ? ? “Because the document in question is of such immense importance that its publication might very easily—I might almost say probably—lead to European complications of the utmost moment. It is not too much to say that peace or war may hang upon the issue. Unless its recovery can be attended with the utmost secrecy, then it may as well not be recovered at all, for all that is aimed at by those who have taken it is that its contents should be generally known.”
? ? ? “I understand. Now, Mr. Trelawney Hope, I should be much obliged if you would tell me exactly the circumstances under which this document disappeared.”
? ? ? “That can be done in a very few words, Mr. Holmes. The letter—for it was a letter from a foreign potentate— was received six days ago. It was of such importance that I have never left it in my safe, but I have taken it across each evening to my house in Whitehall Terrace, and kept it in my bedroom in a locked despatch-box. It was there last night. Of that I am certain. I actually opened the box while I was dressing for dinner, and saw the document inside. This morning it was gone. The despatch-box had stood beside the glass upon my dressing-table all night. I am a light sleeper, and so is my wife. We are both prepared to swear that no one could have entered the room during the night. And yet I repeat that the paper is gone.”
? ? ? “What time did you dine?”
? ? ? “Half-past seven.”
? ? ? “How long was it before you went to bed?”
? ? ? “My wife had gone to the theatre. I waited up for her. It was half-past eleven before we went to our room.”
? ? ? “Then for four hours the despatch-box had lain unguarded?”
? ? ? “No one is ever permitted to enter that room save the housemaid in the morning, and my valet, or my wife’s maid, during the rest of the day. They are both trusty servants who have been with us for some time. Besides, neither of them could possibly have known that there was anything more valuable than the ordinary departmental papers in my despatch-box.”
? ? ? “Who did know of the existence of that letter?”
? ? ? “No one in the house.”
? ? ? “Surely your wife knew?”
? ? ?“No, sir; I had said nothing to my wife until I missed the paper this morning.”
? ? ? The Premier nodded approvingly.

中文翻譯
? ? ? 寫完《福田宅邸》之后，我本來打算就此封筆，不再向公眾介紹我朋友歇洛克?福爾摩斯先生的輝煌成就。我這個決定并不是因為缺乏素材，我的筆記里還有千百件我從未提及的案子，也不是因為讀者諸君已經(jīng)興味索然，不再關(guān)注這位非凡人物的卓犖個性和獨特方法，真正的原因在于，福爾摩斯先生已經(jīng)明確表示，不希望我繼續(xù)發(fā)表他的事跡。當(dāng)他還在從事實際的偵探工作的時候，關(guān)于他成功案例的報道可以帶給他一些實際的益處?？墒?，如今他已經(jīng)毅然決然地離開倫敦，遁入薩塞克斯丘陵，以研究工作和蜜蜂養(yǎng)殖自娛。此種情形之下，他自然對無謂的聲名深惡痛絕，并且不由分說地要求我尊重他對這件事情的看法，不能有任何違拗。不過，我還是向他提出抗議，告訴他我已經(jīng)承諾讀者，一俟時機成熟就會發(fā)表“第二塊血跡案”，同時又向他指出，在他應(yīng)邀偵辦的所有國際性案件當(dāng)中，這件案子最為重大，十分適合成為這個漫長系列的收山之作。這樣一來，我最終征得了他的同意，可以將經(jīng)過慎重修飾的案情記述呈現(xiàn)在公眾面前。故事之中若有含混模糊之處，實在也是不得不然，相信公眾可以諒解。
? ? ? 我不能透露具體的年份，甚至是具體的年代，因此我只能說，某個年代的某一年，秋天里的某個周二上午，兩位聞名全歐的客人大駕光臨，踏進(jìn)了我倆位于貝克街的區(qū)區(qū)寒舍。其中之一神情嚴(yán)峻，高鼻鷹眼，威儀赫赫，正是兩度擔(dān)任本國首相的貝林格勛爵，另一位則是本國最有前途的政治新星、歐洲事務(wù)大臣特里勞尼?霍普閣下，只見他膚色黝黑，輪廓分明，氣度雍容，人雖然未到中年，體格和心智卻已臻于完美。他們肩并肩地坐進(jìn)了我們那把堆滿報紙的靠背長椅，兩張憔悴焦灼的臉龐明白無誤地告訴我們，他們屈駕來訪，一定是為了某種至關(guān)重要的事情。首相用青筋暴露的枯瘦雙手緊緊抓著雨傘的象牙柄，來回打量著我和福爾摩斯，瘦削的臉上陰云密布。歐洲事務(wù)大臣則慌慌張張地捋了捋自己的髭須，然后就開始翻來覆去地擺弄穿在表鏈上的圖章。
? ? ? “福爾摩斯先生，今天早上八點鐘，我發(fā)現(xiàn)文件不見了，之后就立刻通知了首相。我們上門拜訪，正是首相的提議?！?br> ? ? ? “你們通知警方了嗎？”
? ? ? “沒有，先生，”首相說道，用的正是他那種名聞遐邇的果決口吻?！拔覀儧]有這么做，也不可能這么做。長遠(yuǎn)看來，通知警方無異于通知公眾，而這正是我們竭力想要避免的事情。”
? ? ? “為什么呢，先生？”
? ? ? “因為這份文件關(guān)涉極其重大，一旦公之于眾，很容易引起——甚至可以說，十之八九會引起——極其嚴(yán)重的全歐爭端。不夸張地說，戰(zhàn)爭與和平就取決于這件事情的結(jié)果。如果我們不能通過極其隱秘的方式找回文件的話，那就跟找不回來沒有什么兩樣，因為那些人偷竊文件的唯一目的就是讓大眾知曉文件的內(nèi)容?！?br> ? ? ? “我明白了。好了，特里勞尼?霍普先生，勞您大駕，給我講講文件失竊的詳細(xì)情形吧。”
? ? ? “幾句話就可以講完，福爾摩斯先生。六天之前，我們收到了這封信，是這樣，我們說的文件其實是一位外國君主寫來的信。這封信十分重要，我不敢把它留在辦公室的保險箱里，每天晚上都會把它裝進(jìn)公文箱，鎖上箱子，然后帶回我在白廳巷的住宅，放到我的臥室里面。昨天晚上文件還在，這一點我完全肯定。換衣服準(zhǔn)備去吃晚飯的時候，我曾經(jīng)打開公文箱看過，文件確實是在里面。
? ? ? ?今天早上，文件卻不見了。公文箱整夜都在我臥室梳妝臺的鏡子旁邊，與此同時，我妻子和我都是睡覺很輕的人。我倆都可以發(fā)誓，夜里絕不會有人進(jìn)過臥室?？墒?，我還得重復(fù)一遍，文件確實是不見了?！?br> ? ? ? “您是什么時間去吃晚飯的呢？”
? ? ? “七點半?！?br> ? ? ? “就寢之前，您在臥室外面待了多久？”
? ? ? “我妻子看戲去了，我一直在等她回來。十一點半的時候，我倆才一起回房就寢?！?br> ? ? ? “如此說來，公文箱有四個小時沒人看守，對吧？”
? ? ? “可以進(jìn)臥室的只有三個仆人，上房女仆早上可以進(jìn)去，其他時間只有我的貼身男仆和我妻子的貼身女仆可以進(jìn)去，他們兩個都在我家里待了相當(dāng)長的時間，品行十分可靠。除此之外，他們都不可能知道，公文箱里還放著比部里的日常公文更有價值的東西?！?br> ? ? ? “那么，知道這封信在箱子里的又有誰呢？”
? ? ? “我屋里的人都不知道?！?br> ? ? ? “您的妻子總應(yīng)該知道吧？”
? ? ? “她不知道，先生。今早上發(fā)現(xiàn)文件失竊之前，我什么也沒跟她說。”
? ? ? 首相贊許地點了點頭。

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