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"And there was nothing else?" Holmes asked.
福爾摩斯問道："再也沒有別的東西了？"
"Nothing of any importance. The man's novel, with which he had read himself to sleep, was lying upon the bed, and his pipe was on a chair beside him.
"沒有什么重要的東西了。床上還有一本小說，是死者臨睡時閱讀的。他的煙斗放在床邊的一把椅子上。
There was a glass of water on the table, and on the window- sill a small chip ointment box containing a couple of pills."
桌上還有一杯水。窗臺上有個盛藥膏的木匣，里邊有兩粒藥丸。"
Sherlock Holmes sprang from his chair with an exclamation of delight. "The last link," he cried, exultantly. "My case is complete."
福爾摩斯從椅子上猛地站了起來，高興得喊了起來。他眉飛色舞地大聲說道："這是最后的一環了，我的論斷現在算是完整了。"
The two detectives stared at him in amazement.
兩位偵探驚異地瞧著他。
"I have now in my hands," my companion said, confidently, "all the threads which have formed such a tangle.
我的朋友充滿信心地說："我已經把構成這個結子的每條線索都掌握在手中了。
There are, of course, details to be filled in, but I am as certain of all the main facts,
當然，細節還有待補充。但是，從錐伯在火車站和斯坦節遜分手起，
from the time that Drebber parted from Stangerson at the station, up to the discovery of the body of the latter, as if I had seen them with my own eyes.
到斯坦節遜的尸體被發現為止，這中間所有主要的情節，我都已一清二楚，就好象我親眼看見一般。
I will give you a proof of my knowledge. Could you lay your hand upon those pills?"
我要把我的見解給你們提出一個證明來看看。你把那兩粒藥丸帶來了嗎？"
"I have them," said Lestrade, producing a small white box;
"在我這里，"雷斯垂德說著，就拿出一只小小的白匣子來，
"I took them and the purse and the telegram, intending to have them put in a place of safety at the police station.
"藥丸、錢袋、電報都拿來了，我本想把這些東西放在警察分局里比較穩當點的地方。
It was the merest chance my taking these pills, for I am bound to say that I do not attach any importance to them."
我把藥丸拿來，只是出于偶然。我必須聲明，我認為這不是一件什么重要的東西。"
"Give them here," said Holmes. "Now, Doctor," turning to me, "are those ordinary pills?"
"請拿給我吧，"福爾摩斯說，"喂，大夫，"他又轉向我說，"這是平常的藥丸嗎？"
They certainly were not. They were of a pearly gray colour, small, round, and almost transparent against the light.
這些藥丸的確不平常。珍珠似的灰色，小而圓，迎著亮光看簡直是透明的。
"From their lightness and transparency, I should imagine that they are soluble in water," I remarked.
我說："從份量輕和透明這兩個特點看來，我想藥丸在水中能夠溶解。"
"Precisely so," answered Holmes.
"正是這樣，"福爾摩斯回答說，
"Now would you mind going down and fetching that poor little devil of a terrier which has been bad so long,and which the landlady wanted you to put out of its pain yesterday?"
"請你下樓把那條可憐的狗抱上來好嗎？這個狗一直病著，房東太太昨天不是還請你把它弄死，免得讓它活受罪嗎？"
I went downstairs and carried the dog upstairs in my arms.
我下樓把狗抱了上來。
Its laboured breathing and glazing eye showed that it was not far from its end.
這只狗呼吸困難，眼光呆滯，說明它活不多久了。
Indeed, its snow-white muzzle proclaimed that it had already exceeded the usual term of canine existence.
的確，它那雪白的嘴唇就能說明，它早就遠遠地超過一般狗類的壽命了。
I placed it upon a cushion on the rug.
我在地毯上放了一塊墊子，然后把它放在上面。
"I will now cut one of these pills in two," said Holmes, and drawing his penknife he suited the action to the word.
"我現在把其中的一粒切成兩半，"福爾摩斯說著，就拿出小刀把藥丸切開，
"One half we return into the box for future purposes.
"半粒放回盒里留著將來用，
The other half I will place in this wineglass, in which is a teaspoonful of water.
這半粒我把它放在酒杯里，杯子里有一匙水。
You perceive that our friend, the doctor, is right, and that it readily dissolves."
大家請看，咱們這位大夫朋友的話是對的，它馬上溶解在水里了。"
"This may be very interesting," said Lestrade, in the injured tone of one who suspects that he is being laughed at;
"這可有意思，"雷斯垂德帶著生氣的聲調說，他以為福爾摩斯在捉弄他，
"I cannot see, however, what it has to do with the death of Mr. Joseph Stangerson."
"但是，我看不出來這和斯坦節遜的死又有什么關系？"
"Patience, my friend, patience! You will find in time that it has everything to do with it.
"耐心些，我的朋友，耐心些！到時候你就明白它是大有關系的了。
I shall now add a little milk to make the mixture palatable, and on presenting it to the dog we find that he laps it up readily enough."
現在我給它加上些牛奶就好吃了，然后把它擺在狗的面前，它會立刻舔光的。"
As he spoke he turned the contents of the wineglass into a saucer and placed it in front of the terrier, who speedily licked it dry.
他說著就把酒杯里的液體倒到盤子里，放在狗的面前，它很快地就把它舔了個干凈。
