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Chapter 7
第七章
LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
一線光明
THE intelligence with which Lestrade greeted us was so momentous and so unexpected that we were all three fairly dumfounded.
雷斯垂德給我們帶來的消息既重要又突然，完全出乎意料之外。我們聽了以后，全都驚愕不已，啞口無言。
Gregson sprang out of his chair and upset the remainder of his whisky and water.
葛萊森猛地從椅子上站了起來，竟把杯中剩下的威士忌酒起翻了。
I stared in silence at Sherlock Holmes, whose lips were compressed and his brows drawn down over his eyes.
我默默地注視著福爾摩斯，只見他嘴唇緊閉，一雙眉毛緊緊地壓在眼睛上面。
"Stangerson too!" he muttered. "The plot thickens."
福爾摩斯喃喃地說："斯坦節(jié)遜也被暗殺了，案情更加復(fù)雜了。"
"It was quite thick enough before," grumbled Lestrade, taking a chair.
"早就夠復(fù)雜的了，"雷斯垂德抱怨著說，一面在椅子上坐了下來，
"I seem to have dropped into a sort of council of war."
"我簡直象參加什么軍事會議一樣，一點頭緒也摸不著。"
"Are you–are you sure of this piece of intelligence?" stammered Gregson.
葛萊森結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地問道："你，你這消息可確實嗎？"
"I have just come from his room," said Lestrade. "I was the first to discover what had occurred."
雷斯垂德說："我剛從他住的房間那里來，我還是第一個發(fā)現(xiàn)這個情況的人哩。"
"We have been hearing Gregson's view of the matter," Holmes observed."Would you mind letting us know what you have seen and done?"
福爾摩斯說："我們剛才正在聽著葛萊森對于這件案子的高見呢。可否也請你把你所看見的和所做的事情告訴我們知道？"
"I have no objection," Lestrade answered, seating himself.
"我不反對，"雷斯垂德于是坐了下來，回答說，
"I freely confess that I was of the opinion that Stangerson was concerned in the death of Drebber.
"我坦白承認(rèn)，我原來認(rèn)為錐伯的被害是和斯坦節(jié)遜有關(guān)的。
This fresh development has shown me that I was completely mistaken.
這個新的發(fā)展使我明白我完全弄錯了。
Full of the one idea, I set myself to find out what had become of the secretary.
我抱定了這樣一個想法，于是就著手偵查這位秘書的下落。
They had been seen together at Euston Station about half-past eight on the evening of the 3rd.
有人曾在三日晚間八點半鐘前后，在尤斯頓車站看見他們兩個人在一起。
At two in the morning Drebber had been found in the Brixton Road.
四日清晨兩點鐘，錐伯的尸體就在布瑞克斯頓路被發(fā)現(xiàn)了。
The question which confronted me was to find out how Stangerson had been employed between 8:30 and the time of the crime, and what had become of him afterwards.
我當(dāng)時面臨著的問題就是要弄清楚從八點半以后一直到謀殺案發(fā)生的這段時間之內(nèi)，斯坦節(jié)遜究竟都干了些什么，后來他又到哪里去了。
I telegraphed to Liverpool, giving a description of the man, and warning them to keep a watch upon the American boats.
我一面給利物浦拍了個電報，說明斯坦節(jié)遜的外貌，并且要他們監(jiān)視美國的船只；
I then set to work calling upon all the hotels and lodging-houses in the vicinity of Euston.
一面就在尤斯頓車站附近的每家旅館和公寓里查找。
You see, I argued that if Drebber and his companion had become separated,
你們瞧，當(dāng)時我是認(rèn)為，如果錐伯和他的朋友已經(jīng)分手，
the natural course for the latter would be to put up somewhere in the vicinity for the night, and then to hang about the station again next morning."
按常理來說，斯坦節(jié)遜當(dāng)天晚上必然要在車站附近找個地方住下，第二天早晨他才會再到車站去。"
"They would be likely to agree on some meeting-place beforehand," remarked Holmes.
福爾摩斯說："他們很可能先約好了會面的地點。"
"So it proved. I spent the whole of yesterday evening in making inquiries entirely without avail.
"事實證明確是如此。昨天我整整跑了一個晚上打聽他的下落，可是毫無結(jié)果。
This morning I began very early, and at eight o'clock I reached Halliday's Private Hotel, in Little George Street.
今天早晨我很早又開始查訪了。八點鐘，我來到了小喬治街的郝黎代旅館。
On my inquiry as to whether a Mr. Stangerson was living there, they at once answered me in the affirmative.
在我詢問是否有一位斯坦節(jié)遜先生住在這里的時候，他們立刻回答說有。
"'No doubt you are the gentleman whom he was expecting,' they said. 'He has been waiting for a gentleman for two days.'"
"他們說：'你一定就是他所等候的那位先生了，他等候一位先生已經(jīng)等了兩天了。'"
'Where is he now?' I asked.
'他現(xiàn)在哪里？'我問道。
"'He is upstairs in bed. He wished to be called at nine.' "
"'他還在樓上睡著呢。他吩咐過，到九點鐘才叫醒他。'"
'I will go up and see him at once,' I said.
'我要立刻上去找他，' 我說。
"It seemed to me that my sudden appearance might shake his nerves and lead him to say something unguarded.
"我當(dāng)時是那么盤算的，我出豈不意地出現(xiàn)，可能使他大吃一驚，在他措手不及之中，也許會吐露些什么出來。
The boots volunteered to show me the room: it was on the second floor, and there was a small corridor leading up to it.
一個擦鞋的茶房自愿領(lǐng)我上去。這個房間是在三樓，有一條不長的走廊可以直達(dá)。
The boots pointed out the door to me, and was about to go downstairs again when I saw something that made me feel sickish, in spite of my twenty years' experience.
茶房把房門指給我看了以后，正要下樓，我突然看到一種景象，使我十分惡心，要想嘔吐，我雖然有二十年的經(jīng)歷，這時也不能自持，
