評論
打印
He held out his snuffbox of old gold, with a great amethyst in the centre of the lid.
他伸手拿出他的舊金鼻煙壺，壺蓋的中心嵌上了一顆紫色水晶。
Its splendour was in such contrast to his homely ways and simple life that I could not help commenting upon it.
它的光彩奪目同他的樸素作風和簡單生活成為鮮明的對照，于是我不得不加以評論。
"Ah," said he, "I forgot that I had not seen you for some weeks.
"呵，"他說，"我忘記有幾星期沒見你了。
It is a little souvenir from the King of Bohemia in return for my assistance in the case of the Irene Adler papers."
這是波希米亞國王為酬謝我在艾琳·艾德勒相片案中幫了他的忙而贈送的小小紀念品。"
"And the ring?" I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.
"那個戒指呢？"我看了看他手指上光輝奪目的鉆石戒指問道。
"It was from the reigning family of Holland,
"這是荷蘭王室送給我的，
though the matter in which I served them was of such delicacy that I cannot confide it even to you,
由于我給他們破的案件非常微妙，即便是對你這么一位
who have been good enough to chronicle one or two of my little problems."
一直誠誠懇懇地把我的一兩件小事跡都記述下來的朋友，我也不便透露。"
"And have you any on hand just now?" I asked with interest.
"那么，目前你手頭上有什么案件嗎？"我很感興趣地問他。
"Some ten or twelve, but none which present any feature of interest.
"有那么十一、二件，但是沒有一件是特別有趣的。
They are important, you understand, without being interesting.
它們是重要的，你了解，但是并不是有趣的。
Indeed, I have found that it is usually in unimportant matters that there is a field for the observation,
的確，我發現在通常不重要的事件里倒有觀察
and for the quick analysis of cause and effect which gives the charm to an investigation.
和可以機敏地分析因果關系的余地，這樣的調查工作就很有興味了。
The larger crimes are apt to be the simpler, for the bigger the crime the more obvious, as a rule, is the motive.
罪行越大，往往越簡單；因為罪行越大，一般地說，動機就越明顯。
In these cases, save for one rather intricate matter which has been referred to me from Marseilles,
這些案件中，除了從馬賽來要我辦的那個案件頗為復雜以外，
there is nothing which presents any features of interest.
其它就沒有一件特別有趣了。
It is possible, however, that I may have something better before very many minutes are over,
不過，也許再過一會兒，就會有更有趣的案件送上門來的，
for this is one of my clients, or I am much mistaken."
因為如果我不是大錯而特錯的話，現在又有位委托人來了。"
He had risen from his chair and was standing between the parted blinds, gazing down into the dull neutral-tinted London street.
他從椅子上起身，站到拉開了窗簾的窗前，往下看著那灰暗而蕭條的倫敦街道。
