?跳舞小人
? ? ? Holmes had been seated for some hours in silence with his long, thin back curved over a chemical vessel in which he was brewing a particularly malodorous product. His head was sunk upon his breast, and he looked from my point of view like a strange, lank bird, with dull grey plumage and a black topknot.
? ? ? “So, Watson,” said he, suddenly, “you do not propose to invest in South African securities?”
? ? ? I gave a start of astonishment. Accustomed as I was to Holmes’s curious faculties, this sudden intrusion into my most intimate thoughts was utterly inexplicable.
? ? ? “How on earth do you know that?” I asked.
? ? ? He wheeled round upon his stool, with a steaming test-tube in his hand and a gleam of amusement in his deep-set eyes.
? ? ? “Now, Watson, confess yourself utterly taken aback,” said he.
? ? ? “I am.”
? ? ? “I ought to make you sign a paper to that effect.”
? ? ? “Why?”
? ? ? “Because in five minutes you will say that it is all so absurdly simple.”
? ? ? “I am sure that I shall say nothing of the kind.”
? ? ? “You see, my dear Watson”—he propped his test-tube in the rack and began to lecture with
the air of a professor addressing his class—“it is not really difficult to construct a series of inferences, each dependent upon its predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the central inferences and presents one’s audience with the starting-point and the conclusion, one may produce a startling, though possibly a meretricious, effect. Now, it was not really difficult, by an inspection of the groove between your left forefinger and thumb, to feel sure that you did not propose to invest your small capital in the goldfields.”
? ? ? “I see no connection.”
? ? ? “Very likely not; but I can quickly show you a close connection. Here are the missing links of the very simple chain: 1. You had chalk between your left finger and thumb when you returned from the club last night. 2. You put chalk there when you play billiards, to steady the cue. 3. You never play billiards except with Thurston. 4. You told me four weeks ago that Thurston had an option on some South African property which would expire in a month, and which he desired you to share with him. 5. Your cheque-book is locked in my drawer, and you have not asked for the key. 6. You do not propose to invest your money in this manner.”
? ? ? “How absurdly simple!” I cried.
? ? ? “Quite so!” said he, a little nettled. “Every problem becomes very childish when once it is explained to you. Here is an unexplained one. See what you can make of that, friend Watson.” He tossed a sheet of paper upon the table and turned once more to his chemical analysis.
I looked with amazement at the absurd hieroglyphics upon the paper.
? ? ? ?“Why, Holmes, it is a child’s drawing,” I cried.
? ? ? ?“Oh, that’s your idea!”
? ? ? ?“What else should it be?”
? ? ? ?“That is what Mr. Hilton Cubitt, of Riding Thorpe Manor, Norfolk, is very anxious to know. This little conundrum came by the first post, and he was to follow by the next train. There’s a ring at the bell, Watson. I should not be very much surprised if this were he.”
A heavy step was heard upon the stairs, and an instant later there entered a tall, ruddy, clean-shaven gentleman, whose clear eyes and florid cheeks told of a life led far from the fogs of Baker Street. He seemed to bring a whiff of his strong, fresh, bracing, east-coast air with him as he entered. Having shaken hands with each of us, he was about to sit down when his eye rested upon the paper with the curious markings, which I had just examined and left upon the table.
? ? ? ?“Well, Mr. Holmes, what do you make of these?” he cried. “They told me that you were fond of queer mysteries, and I don’t think you can find a queerer one than that. I sent the paper on ahead so that you might have time to study it before I came.”
? ? ? “It is certainly rather a curious production,” said Holmes. “At first sight it would appear to be some childish prank. It consists of a number of absurd little figures dancing across the paper upon which they are drawn. Why should you attribute any importance to so grotesque an object?”
? ? ? “I never should, Mr. Holmes. But my wife does. It is frightening her to death. She says nothing, but I can see terror in her eyes. That’s why I want to sift the matter to the bottom.”
? ? ? ?Holmes held up the paper so that the sunlight shone full upon it. It was a page torn from a note-book. The markings were done in pencil, and ran in this way:

? ? ??

? ? ? Holmes examined it for some time, and then, folding it carefully up, he placed it in his pocket-book.
? ? ? ?“This promises to be a most interesting and unusual case,” said he. “You gave me a few particulars in your letter, Mr. Hilton Cubitt, but I should be very much obliged if you would kindly go over it all again for the benefit of my friend, Dr. Watson.”

中文翻譯
? ? ? 福爾摩斯已經(jīng)一言不發(fā)地坐了好幾個(gè)鐘頭，忙著用化學(xué)容器煉制一種味道特別難聞的玩意兒。
? ? ? 他弓著瘦長(zhǎng)的脊背，腦袋貼在胸前，從我的角度看過(guò)去活像是一只瘦骨嶙峋的異鳥(niǎo)，身披暗灰色的羽衣、頭頂黑色的冠毛。
? ? ? “如此說(shuō)來(lái)，華生，”他沒(méi)頭沒(méi)腦地說(shuō)道，“你是不打算投資南非證券嘍？”
? ? ? 聽(tīng)了這話，我驚得猛一激靈。這一次，福爾摩斯突如其來(lái)地道破了我最隱秘的心事，盡管我對(duì)他的特異本領(lǐng)十分熟悉，但卻還是完全想不出其中的道理。
? ? ? “這你究竟是怎么知道的呢？”我問(wèn)道。他從凳子上轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身來(lái)，手里拿著一支熱氣騰騰的試管，深陷的眼睛里閃著惡作劇式的精光。
? ? ? “好了，華生，趕快坦白，你已經(jīng)徹底暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向。”
? ? ? 他說(shuō)道。
? ? ? “確實(shí)如此?！?br> ? ? ? “我得讓你立張字據(jù)，給這件事情留個(gè)證明?！?br> ? ? ? “為什么？”
? ? ? “因?yàn)槲宸昼娭?，你就?huì)說(shuō)，這一切真是簡(jiǎn)單得可笑?！?br> ? ? ? “我肯定不會(huì)說(shuō)這種話?！?br> ? ? ? “你明白吧，親愛(ài)的華生，”——他把手里的試管插到架子上，擺出了教授講課的架勢(shì)——“要打造一根完整的演繹鏈條，并不是一件特別困難的事情，因?yàn)槊恳粋€(gè)單獨(dú)的環(huán)節(jié)都很簡(jiǎn)單，都有前面的演繹作為基礎(chǔ)。演繹鏈條構(gòu)筑完成之后，你只需要砸掉所有的中間環(huán)節(jié)，再把鏈條的起點(diǎn)和終點(diǎn)同時(shí)呈現(xiàn)在觀眾面前，就可以制造出一種技驚四座，同時(shí)又可能流于粗鄙浮夸的效果。就拿這次來(lái)說(shuō)吧，只需要好好看看你左手的虎口，誰(shuí)都可以輕輕松松地?cái)喽?，你不打算把你那筆小小的資金投進(jìn)南非的金礦?！?br> ? ? ? “我看不出這兩件事情有什么聯(lián)系。”
? ? ? “你多半是看不出，可我馬上就會(huì)讓你看到，兩者之間的聯(lián)系是多么的緊密。這根演繹鏈條非常簡(jiǎn)單，你沒(méi)看見(jiàn)的只是以下幾個(gè)中間環(huán)節(jié)：一、昨晚你從俱樂(lè)部回來(lái)的時(shí)候，左手的虎口沾著殼粉；二、你在虎口涂殼粉是為了穩(wěn)定球桿，說(shuō)明你打過(guò)臺(tái)球；三、你只跟瑟斯頓打臺(tái)球，從來(lái)不跟別人打；四、四個(gè)星期之前，你跟我說(shuō)過(guò)，瑟斯頓手頭有買進(jìn)某種南非證券的期權(quán)，一個(gè)月之內(nèi)就要到期，而他打算拉上你一起買；五、你的支票簿鎖在我的抽屜里，你并沒(méi)有問(wèn)我要過(guò)鑰匙；六、你不打算按這種方式進(jìn)行投資?！?br> ? ? ? “這真是簡(jiǎn)單得可笑！”我叫道。
? ? ? “你說(shuō)得對(duì)！”他說(shuō)話的時(shí)候帶上了一點(diǎn)兒火氣?！拔医o你解釋完之后，所有的問(wèn)題都變成了小孩子的把戲。喏，這兒有一個(gè)尚未得到解釋的問(wèn)題。我倒要看看，你能從里面看出些什么，華生老弟?！彼岩粡埣埰拥阶郎希娃D(zhuǎn)過(guò)身去，重新投入了他的化學(xué)分析。
? ? ? 我看了看紙上那些鬼畫符一般的圖形，只覺(jué)得莫名其妙。
? ? ? “咳，福爾摩斯，這不是小孩子的亂涂亂畫嘛。”我大聲說(shuō)道。
? ? ? “喔，你的結(jié)論就是這個(gè)！”
? ? ? “不是這個(gè)，還能是什么？”
? ? ? “你這個(gè)問(wèn)題，諾福克郡萊丁索普宅邸的希爾頓?丘比特先生也很想弄明白。這個(gè)謎語(yǔ)是早班郵差捎來(lái)的，他本人也會(huì)搭緊隨其后的一班火車趕過(guò)來(lái)。這不，華生，門鈴已經(jīng)響了。來(lái)的人如果是他的話，我是不會(huì)覺(jué)得特別意外的?！?br> ? ? ? 樓梯上傳來(lái)一陣沉重的腳步聲，片刻之后，一位高個(gè)子紳士走了進(jìn)來(lái)，臉刮得精光，清澈的眼睛和紅潤(rùn)的雙頰訴說(shuō)著一種與貝克街的騰騰煙霧相去遙遠(yuǎn)的生活。進(jìn)屋的時(shí)候，他似乎把東海岸那種濃郁清新的空氣帶了進(jìn)來(lái)，讓人精神一振。跟我倆握過(guò)手之后，他剛要坐下，卻在突然之間瞥見(jiàn)了那張畫著古怪符號(hào)的紙片。那張紙片我剛剛看完，這會(huì)兒還留在桌子上。
? ? ? “呃，福爾摩斯先生，這東西您怎么看呢？”他大聲說(shuō)道，“他們說(shuō)您特別喜歡古怪的謎題，依我看，比這還古怪的謎題您可找不出來(lái)。我提前寄來(lái)這張紙片，就是為了讓您有時(shí)間研究一下，不用等我來(lái)?！?br> ? ? ? “這東西確實(shí)古怪，”福爾摩斯說(shuō)道，“乍一看，大家多半會(huì)覺(jué)得它是一種孩子氣的惡作劇，不過(guò)是畫在紙上的一橫排怪模怪樣的跳舞小人而已。既然它如此怪誕無(wú)稽，您為什么會(huì)覺(jué)得它事關(guān)重大呢？”
? ? ? “我當(dāng)然不會(huì)這么覺(jué)得，福爾摩斯先生?？墒牵移拮舆@么覺(jué)得。這東西都快把她給嚇?biāo)懒?。她什么也沒(méi)說(shuō)，可我能看見(jiàn)她眼睛里的恐懼。就是由于這個(gè)原因，我才要把這件事情追查到底?！?br> ? ? ? 福爾摩斯把紙片舉到了陽(yáng)光下。紙片是從記事本上扯下來(lái)的，上面是一些用鉛筆畫的符號(hào)，如下圖所示：

? ? ??

? ? ? 福爾摩斯仔仔細(xì)細(xì)地看了一陣，然后就小心翼翼地把紙片疊起來(lái)，放進(jìn)了自己的記事本。
? ? ? ?“這多半會(huì)成為一個(gè)極有趣味、極不尋常的案子，”他說(shuō)道，“您的信里已經(jīng)提到了一些細(xì)節(jié)，希爾頓?丘比特先生，可我還是很想麻煩您把所有事情再講一遍，讓我朋友華生醫(yī)生聽(tīng)一聽(tīng)?！?/p>

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