評論
打印
Holmes pushed open the door of the private bar and ordered two glasses of beer from the ruddy-faced, white-aproned landlord.
福爾摩斯推開這家私人酒店的門，從紅光滿面、系著白圍裙的老板那里要了兩杯啤酒。
"Your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your geese," said he.
"如果你的啤酒能象你的鵝一樣出色，那將是最上等的啤酒了。"他說道。
"My geese!" The man seemed surprised.
"我的鵝！"這個人好象很吃驚。
"Yes. I was speaking only half an hour ago to Mr. Henry Baker, who was a member of your goose club."
"是的，僅在半小時以前我剛和你們俱樂部的會員亨利·貝克先生談過。"
"Ah! yes, I see. But you see, sir, them's not our geese." "Indeed! Whose, then?"
"啊，我明白了。可是你知道嗎，先生，那些鵝不是我們的！""真的！那么，是誰的呢？"
"Well, I got the two dozen from a salesman in Covent Garden."
"噢，我從考文特園一個推銷員那里買了二十四只。"
"Indeed? I know some of them. Which was it?" "Breckinridge is his name."
"真的？我認識他們當中幾個人，是哪一個呢？""他的名字叫布萊肯里奇。"
"Ah! I don't know him. Well, here's your good health, landlord, and prosperity to your house. Good-night."
"噢，我不認識他，好吧，老板，祝你身體健康，生意興隆。再見。"
"Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coat as we came out into the frosty air.
"現在去找布萊肯里奇，"我們離開酒店走進寒冷的空氣中。他一邊扣著外衣，一邊繼續往下說，
"Remember, Watson, that though we have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of this chain,
"記住，華生，雖然在這條鎖鏈的一端，我們現在只找到象鵝這樣家常的東西，
we have at the other a man who will certainly get seven years' penal servitude unless we can establish his innocence.
但在另一端，我們卻會找到一個肯定將被判處七年徒刑的人，除非我們能夠證明他是無罪的；
It is possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt;
可是，很可能我們的調查也許只能證明他有罪；
but, in any case, we have a line of investigation which has been missed by the police,
無論如何，有一條被警察忽略了的調查線索
and which a singular chance has placed in our hands.
由于一種特別機緣落入我們的手中。
Let us follow it out to the bitter end. Faces to the south, then, and quick march!"
讓我們順著這條線索追查下去。現在朝南快步前進！"
