評論
打印
I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick,
我戴上帽子，拿了一支最粗重的手杖，
but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.
福爾摩斯從抽屜里拿了他的手槍放進衣袋里。
It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one.
這說明他料到今晚的工作或許是一個冒險的嘗試。
Miss Morstan was muffled in a dark cloak, and her sensitive face was composed but pale.
摩斯坦小姐穿著黑色的衣服，纏著圍巾，她雖然還保持著鎮定，可是面色慘白。
She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking,
假若她對于我們今晚奇特的冒險不覺得有些不安的話，她的毅力確是超過平常一般女子的了。
yet her self-control was perfect, and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her.
她能夠完全控制住自己的感情，對于歇洛克·福爾摩斯所提出的幾個新問題，她全能夠立刻答復。
"Major Sholto was a very particular friend of Papa's," she said.
她道："舒爾托少校是爸爸的一位特別要好的朋友。
"His letters were full of allusions to the major.
在他的來信里面總是常常提到少校。
He and Papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together.
他和爸爸同是安達曼群島駐軍的指揮官，所以他們時常在一起。
By the way, a curious paper was found in Papa's desk which no one could understand.
還有，在我爸爸的書桌里發現過一張沒人能懂的字條，
I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance,
我想未必和本案有關，
but I thought you might care to see it, so I brought it with me. It is here."
但您也許愿意看一看，所以我把它帶來了。這就是。"
Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee.
福爾摩斯小心地把紙打開，放在膝蓋上平鋪，
He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.
然后用雙層放大鏡有條不紊地細看了一遍。
"It is paper of native Indian manufacture," he remarked. "It has at some time been pinned to a board.
他指出："這紙是印度的土產，過去曾經在板上釘過。
The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls, corridors, and passages.
紙上的圖似乎是一所大建筑圖樣的一部分，其中有許多大房間、走廊和甬道。
At one point is a small cross done in red ink, and above it is '3.37 from left,' in faded pencil-writing.
中間一點有用紅墨水畫的十字，在這上面寫有模糊的用鉛筆寫的'從左邊3.37' 。
In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic like four crosses in a line with their arms touching.
紙的左上角有一個有神秘意味的怪字，象四個聯接的十字形。
Beside it is written, in very rough and coarse characters,
在旁邊用極粗陋的筆法寫著，
'The sign of the four--Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.'
'四個簽名--瓊諾贊·斯茂，莫郝米特·辛格，愛勃德勒·克汗，德斯特·阿克勃爾' 。
No, I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.
我實在也不能斷定這個和本案有什么關聯！
Yet it is evidently a document of importance.
可是無疑地是一個重要文件。
It has been kept carefully in a pocketbook, for the one side is as clean as the other."
這張紙曾經在皮夾里小心地收藏過，因為兩面全都同樣干凈。"
"It was in his pocketbook that we found it."
"這是我們從他的皮夾里找到的。"
"Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Morstan, for it may prove to be of use to us.
"摩斯坦小姐，您好好地將它保存起來吧，可能以后對我們還有用處。
I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I must reconsider my ideas."
現在我覺得這個案情比我最初所想象的更要深奧和費解了。我需要重新考慮一下。"
He leaned back in the cab, and I could see by his drawn brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently.
說著他就向后靠在車座靠背上。從他緊皺的眉毛和發呆的目光中，我可以看出，他正在深思。
Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome,
摩斯坦小姐和我輕輕地聊天，談到我們目前的行動和可能的結果，
but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.
但是我們的伙伴卻始終保持著靜默，一直到我們抵達旅程的終點。
