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The newcomers were Colonel Lysander Stark and a short thick man with a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin,
進來的是萊桑德·斯塔克上校和一個身材矮胖、雙下巴的褶痕上長著栗鼠胡須的人。
who was introduced to me as Mr. Ferguson.
上校向我介紹他是弗格森先生。
'This is my secretary and manager,' said the colonel.
'這位是我的秘書兼經理，'上校說，
'By the way, I was under the impression that I left this door shut just now. I fear that you have felt the draught.'
'順便說一下，我記得我剛才是讓這扇門關著的。我擔心穿堂風吹著您。'
'On the contrary,' said I, 'I opened the door myself because I felt the room to be a little close.'
'恰恰相反，'我說，'是我自己把門打開的，因為我感到這個房間有點悶人。'
He shot one of his suspicious looks at me.
他狐疑地看了我一眼。
'Perhaps we had better proceed to business, then,' said he.
'那么，我們最好還是著手進行我們的事吧，'他說，
'Mr. Ferguson and I will take you up to see the machine.'
'弗格森先生和我準備領您到上面去看看機器。'
'I had better put my hat on, I suppose.'
'我想，我最好還是戴上帽子吧。'
'Oh, no, it is in the house.'
'噢，沒有必要，就在這所房子里面。'
'What, you dig fuller's-earth in the house?'
'什么？你們在房子里挖漂白土？'
'No, no. This is only where we compress it. But never mind that.
'不，不。這只是我們壓磚坯的地方。不過這無關緊要。
All we wish you to do is to examine the machine and to let us know what is wrong with it.'
我們希望您做的只是檢查一下機器，并讓我們知道是什么毛病。'
We went upstairs together, the colonel first with the lamp, the fat manager and I behind him.
我們一起上了樓，上校提著燈走在前面，胖經理和我跟在他后面。
It was a labyrinth of an old house, with corridors, passages, narrow winding staircases, and little low doors,
這是一座迷宮似的古老房子，有許許多多走廊、過道、狹窄的盤旋式樓梯、低矮的小門，
the thresholds of which were hollowed out by the generations who had crossed them.
所有的門檻，由于幾代人的踐踏已凹陷了下去。
There were no carpets and no signs of any furniture above the ground floor,
在底層的地板上沒有地毯，也沒有安放過家具的痕跡，
while the plaster was peeling off the walls, and the damp was breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches.
墻上的灰泥已經剝落，綠色骯臟的污漬上還在冒出濕氣。
