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Chapter 4 The Story Of The Bald-headed Man
第四章 禿頭人的故事
We followed the Indian down a sordid and common passage, ill-lit and worse furnished,
我們隨著印度人進去，經過了一條平平常常的、不整潔的、燈光不亮、陳設簡陋的甬道，
until he came to a door upon the right, which he threw open.
走到靠右邊的一個門。他把門推開了，
A blaze of yellow light streamed out upon us,
從屋內射出來黃色的燈光，
and in the centre of the glare there stood a small man with a very high head,
在燈光下站著一個身材不高的尖頭頂的人，
a bristle of red hair all round the fringe of it, and a bald,
他的頭頂已禿，光亮非常，周圍生著一圈紅發，
shining scalp which shot out from among it like a mountain-peak from fir-trees.
象是楓樹叢中冒出了一座禿光的山頂一樣。
He writhed his hands together as he stood,
他站在那里搓著雙手。
and his features were in a perpetual jerk–now smiling, now scowling, but never for an instant in repose.
他的神情不定，一會兒微笑，一會兒又愁盾苦臉，沒有一時鎮靜，
Nature had given him a pendulous lip, and a too visible line of yellow and irregular teeth,
天生一副下垂的嘴唇，露出黃色不整齊的牙齒，
which he strove feebly to conceal by constantly passing his hand over the lower part of his face.
雖然他時常用手遮住臉的下半部，也不見得能夠遮丑。
In spite of his obtrusive baldness he gave the impression of youth.
他雖然已經禿頭，但是看來還很年輕，
In point of fact, he had just turned his thirtieth year.
實際上他也不過剛剛超過三十歲。
"Your servant, Miss Morstan," he kept repeating in a thin, high voice.
他不斷高聲重復地說："摩斯坦小姐，我愿為您效勞。"
"Your servant, gentlemen. Pray step into my little sanctum. A small place, miss, but furnished to my own liking.
"先生們，我愿為你們效勞。請到我這間小屋子里來吧。房間很小，小姐，但是是按照我所喜歡的樣式陳設的。
An oasis of art in the howling desert of South London."
這是在荒棄的倫敦南郊沙漠中的一個小小的文化綠洲。"
We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited us.
我們對這間屋子的景象都很感驚奇。
In that sorry house it looked as out of place as a diamond of the first water in a setting of brass.
屋子的建筑和陳設很不調和，好象一顆最出色的鉆石鑲在一個銅托子上。
The richest and glossiest of curtains and tapestries draped the walls,
窗簾和掛毯都極華麗考究，
looped back here and there to expose some richly mounted painting or Oriental vase.
中間露出來精美的畫鏡和東方制的花漆。
The carpet was of amber and black, so soft and so thick that the foot sank pleasantly into it, as into a bed of moss.
又厚又軟的琥珀色和黑色的地毯，踏在上面舒適得很，好象走在綠草地上一樣。
Two great tiger-skins thrown athwart it increased the suggestion of Eastern luxury, as did a huge hookah which stood upon a mat in the corner.
兩張大虎皮橫鋪在上面，在屋角的席子上擺著一只印度大水煙壺，更顯得富有東方風味的華麗。
A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room.
屋頂當中隱隱有一根金色的線，懸掛著一盞銀色的鴿子式的掛燈。
As it burned it filled the air with a subtle and aromatic odour.
燈火燃燒的時候，空氣中發出了清香的氣味。
