評論
打印
"I had already determined in my own mind that
"我當時心中早已斷定：
the man who had walked into the house with Drebber was none other than the man who had driven the cab.
和錐伯一同走進那個屋中去的不是別人，正是那個趕馬車的。
The marks in the road showed me that the horse had wandered on in a way
"因為我從街道上的一些痕跡看出，拉車的馬曾經隨便行動過，
which would have been impossible had there been anyone in charge of it.
如果有人駕御，是不可能有這種情況的。
Where, then, could the driver be, unless he were inside the house?
趕車的人要是不在這個屋中，那么，他又能到哪里去呢？
Again, it is absurd to suppose that any sane man would carry out a deliberate crime under the very eyes,
還有一點，如果認為任何神經健全的人，會這樣在一個肯定會泄露他的秘密的第三者的面前
as it were, of a third person, who was sure to betray him.
進行一樁蓄謀已久的罪行，這也太荒謬可笑了。
Lastly, supposing one man wished to dog another through London,
最后一點，如果一個人要想在倫敦城中到處跟蹤著另外一個人，
what better means could he adopt than to turn cabdriver?
除了做一個馬車夫外，難道還有其他更好的辦法嗎？
All these considerations led me to the irresistible conclusion that
考慮了這些問題以后，我就得出這樣一個必然的結論來：
Jefferson Hope was to be found among the jarveys of the Metropolis.
杰弗遜·侯波這個人，必須到首都的出租馬車車夫當中去尋找。
"If he had been one, there was no reason to believe that he had ceased to be.
"如果他曾是馬車夫，就沒有理由使人相信他會就此不干了。
On the contrary, from his point of view, any sudden change would be likely to draw attention to himself.
恰恰相反，從他那方面著想，突然改變工作反而更可能引仆人們對他的注意。
He would probably, for a time at least, continue to perform his duties.
他至少要在一段時間內，繼續搞他的這個行業。
There was no reason to suppose that he was going under an assumed name.
如果認為他現在用的是一個化名，這也是沒有道理的；
Why should he change his name in a country where no one knew his original one?
在一個沒有人知道他的真名實姓的國家里，他為什么要改名換姓呢？
I therefore organized my street Arab detective corps,
于是，我就把一些街頭流浪兒組成了我的一支偵查連隊，
and sent them systematically to every cab proprietor in London until they ferreted out the man that I wanted.
有步驟地派遣他們到倫敦城每家馬車廠去打聽，一直到他們找到了我所要找的這個人為止。
How well they succeeded, and how quickly I took advantage of it, are still fresh in your recollection.
他們干的有多么漂亮，我使用這支隊伍又是多么迅速方便，這些你都還記得很清楚吧。
