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It was not the first time that she had spoken to us of her husband's trouble, to me as a doctor, to my wife as an old friend and school companion.
對我來說作為一個醫生，對我妻子來說作為一個老朋友和老同學，聽她向我們訴說她丈夫給她帶來的苦惱，這已經不是第一次了。
We soothed and comforted her by such words as we could find. Did she know where her husband was?
我們盡量找些類似這樣的話來安慰她，例如，她知道她的丈夫在哪里嗎？
Was it possible that we could bring him back to her?
我們有可能替她把他找回來嗎？
It seems that it was. She had the surest information that of late he had,
看來好象有可能。她得到確切的消息說，
when the fit was on him, made use of an opium den in the farthest east of the City.
近來他的煙癮一發作，就到老城區最東邊的一個鴉片館去過癮。
Hitherto his orgies had always been confined to one day, and he had come back, twitching and shattered, in the evening.
到目前為止，他在外放蕩從來不超出一天，每到晚上他就抽搐著身體，垮掉了似的回到家里。
But now the spell had been upon him eight-and-forty hours,
可是這次鬼迷心竅已經四十八小時了，
and he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks, breathing in the poison or sleeping off the effects.
現在準是躺在那兒，和在碼頭上的社會渣滓偃臥在一起吞云吐霧地吸毒。或者竟在酣睡，好從鴉片所起的作用中緩過勁來。
There he was to be found, she was sure of it, at the Bar of Gold, in Upper Swandam Lane.
到那兒一定會找得到他，這一點她確信無疑。地點是天鵝閘巷的黃金酒店。
But what was she to do?
可是，她可怎么辦呢？
How could she, a young and timid woman, make her way into such a place and pluck her husband out from among the ruffians who surrounded him?
她，一個年輕嬌怯的女人家，又怎能闖進那樣一個地方，把廝混在一群歹徒中間的丈夫拽走呢？
There was the case, and of course there was but one way out of it.
情況就是如此，而且當然也只有這樣一個辦法。
Might I not escort her to this place? And then, as a second thought, why should she come at all?
我想是否就由我陪同她去那地方呢？隨著，又一轉念，她又何必去呢？
I was Isa Whitney's medical adviser, and as such I had influence over him.
我是艾薩·惠特尼的醫藥顧問，以這層關系講，我對他有些影響力。
I could manage it better if I were alone.
我倘若獨自前往，也許能解決得更好些。
I promised her on my word that I would send him home in a cab within two hours if he were indeed at the address which she had given me.
我答應她，如果他真是在她告訴我們的那個地方的話，我會在兩小時內雇輛出租馬車把他送回家去。
And so in ten minutes I had left my armchair and cheery sitting-room behind me,
于是，在十分鐘內，我就已經離開了我的那張扶手椅和那舒適愉快的起居室，
and was speeding eastward in a hansom on a strange errand,
乘了一輛雙輪小馬車，在向東疾駛的途中了。
as it seemed to me at the time, though the future only could show how strange it was to be.
這趟差事，當時我已覺得有點離奇，不過只有到了后來才顯出它是離奇到了何等程度。
But there was no great difficulty in the first stage of my adventure.
但是，在我這探奇之始，倒沒有多大的困難。
