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It was in the summer of '89, not long after my marriage, that the events occurred which I am now about to summarize.
我現在要扼要講講的故事發生在我結婚后不久的一八八九年的夏天。
I had returned to civil practice and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street rooms,
我那時已重新開業行醫，并且終于把福爾摩斯一個人舍棄在貝克街的寓所里，
although I continually visited him and occasionally even persuaded him to forego his Bohemian habits so far as to come and visit us.
雖然我還不時地探望他，甚至偶爾還勸說他去掉他那豪放不羈的習性來我家作客。
My practice had steadily increased, and as I happened to live at no very great distance from Paddington Station,
我的業務蒸蒸日上，湊巧我的住處離帕丁頓車站不遠，
I got a few patients from among the officials.
有幾位鐵路員工就到我這里來看病。
One of these, whom I had cured of a painful and lingering disease,
由于我治好了他們當中一位所患的痛苦纏綿的病，
was never weary of advertising my virtues and of endeavouring to send me on every sufferer over whom he might have any influence.
他就不厭其煩地到處大肆宣傳我的醫術，盡量將他能夠對之施加影響的每一個病人都送到我這里來診治。
One morning, at a little before seven o'clock,
一天早晨，將近七點鐘的時候，
I was awakened by the maid tapping at the door to announce that two men had come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting-room.
我被女傭人的敲門聲吵醒。她對我說，從帕丁頓來了兩個人，正在診室里等候。
I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs.
我急忙穿上衣服，匆匆下樓，因為經驗告訴我，鐵路上來的人，病情大都是相當嚴重的。
As I descended, my old ally, the guard, came out of the room and closed the door tightly behind him.
我下樓后，我的老伙伴--那個鐵路警察從診室里走了出來，并隨手把門緊緊地關上。
"I've got him here," he whispered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder; "he's all right."
"我把他帶到這兒來了，"他把大拇指舉到肩頭朝后指指，悄悄地說："他現在問題不大了。"
"What is it, then?" I asked, for his manner suggested that it was some strange creature which he had caged up in my room.
"這是怎么回事？"我問道，因為他的舉止使我感到似乎他把一個怪物關在我的房間里了。
"It's a new patient," he whispered. "I thought I'd bring him round myself; then he couldn't slip away.
"是一個新病人，"他悄悄地說，"我認為我最好還是親自把他送來，這樣他就溜不掉了。
There he is, all safe and sound. I must go now, Doctor; I have my dooties, just the same as you."
我現在就得走，大夫，我和你一樣，還得值班去，他現在在里邊安然無恙了。"
And off he went, this trusty tout, without even giving me time to thank him.
說完，這位忠實的介紹人，甚至不讓我有向他道謝的機會，就一下子走掉了。
