評論
打印
A heavy step was heard ascending the stair,
傳來一陣沉重的上樓的腳步聲，
with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath.
喘息的聲音很重，說明這個人呼吸困難；
Once or twice he stopped, as though the climb were too much for him,
中間稍停了一兩次，好象他上樓梯很費起力似的。
but at last he made his way to our door and entered.
最后他走進屋來，
His appearance corresponded to the sounds which we had heard.
他的容貌和我們所聽見的聲音是符合的。
He was an aged man, clad in seafaring garb, with an old pea-jacket buttoned up to his throat.
一個老人，穿著一身水手的衣服，外面套著大衣，紐扣一直扣到頸間。
His back was bowed, his knees were shaky, and his breathing was painfully asthmatic.
他彎著腰，兩腿顫抖，氣喘得很痛苦。
As he leaned upon a thick oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his lungs.
他手拄一根粗粗的木棍，兩肩不斷聳動，好象呼吸很吃力。
He had a coloured scarf round his chin,
他的面目，除了一雙閃爍的眼睛以外，
and I could see little of his face save a pair of keen dark eyes,
只有白的眉毛和灰的髭須，
overhung by bushy white brows and long gray side-whiskers.
其余全被他的圍巾遮蓋住了。
Altogether he gave me the impression of a respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty.
整個地看來，他象是一個年事已高、景況潦倒而令人尊敬的航海家。
"What is it, my man?" I asked.
我問道："朋友，有什么事嗎？"
He looked about him in the slow methodical fashion of old age.
他用老年人所特有的習慣，慢條斯理地向四周看了看。
"Is Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?" said he.
他問道："歇洛克·福爾摩斯先生在家嗎？"
"No; but I am acting for him. You can tell me any message you have for him."
"沒有在家。可是我可以代表他，您有什么話全都可以告訴我。"
"It was to him himself I was to tell it," said he.
他道："我只能向他本人說。"
