第一部分医生约翰·H. 沃森回忆录之复本1

A STUDY IN SCARLET PART ONEBEING A REPRINT FROM THE REMINISCENCES OF JOHN H. WATSON, M. D. LATE OF THE ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

Chapter 1

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

第一章

舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生

In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army. Having completed my studies there, I was duly attached to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers as Assistant Surgeon. The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it, the second Afghan war had broken out. On landing at Bombay, I learned that my corps had advanced through the passes, and was already deep in the enemys country. I followed, however, with many other officers who were in the same situation as myself, and succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties.

一八七八年，我在伦敦大学获得了医学博士学位，之后就到内特黎进修军医必修课程。在那里读完课程以后，我如期被派往诺森伯兰第五明火枪团当助理军医。这个团当时驻扎在印度，在我赶到部队之前，第二次阿富汗战争就爆发了。我在孟买上岸时，就听说我所属的那个团已经向前挺进穿过山隘，深入敌国了。不管怎样，我还是同许多其他和我一样处境的军官一起过去了，我们平安抵达了坎达哈尔，在那里找到了我所属的团，并马上担负起新职责。

The campaign brought honours and promotion to many, but for me it had nothing but misfortune and disaster. I was removed from my brigade and attached to the Berkshires, with whom I served at the fatal battle of Maiwand. There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I should have fallen into the hands of the murderous Ghazis had it not been for the devotion and courage shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a pack……horse, and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.

这场战役为很多人争得了荣耀和升迁，但带给我的却只有不幸和灾难。我从我所属的旅被调到伯克郡旅，和他们一起参加了迈旺德那场生死攸关的战役。一颗阿富汗长滑膛枪子弹击中了我的肩部，打碎了肩骨，并擦伤了锁骨下的动脉。如果不是我的勤务兵默里表现忠勇，将我扔到一匹驮马上，成功地把我安全带回英军阵地来，我就要落入残忍的加兹人手中了。

Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar. Here I rallied, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the veranda, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions. For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to England. I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship Orontes, and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.

伤痛让我看起来很憔悴，我经受的长期劳顿令我虚弱不堪，于是我与一大批伤员一起，被转移到了位于白沙瓦的后方医院。在这里，我的健康状况有所好转，已经康复到能在病房中稍稍走动，甚至还能在阳台上晒晒太阳，但这时，我又病倒了，染上了我们印度属地的那种倒霉病症……肠热病。有好几个月我的生命已无挽救的希望，当我终于苏醒过来进入恢复期的时候，我的身体十分虚弱、消瘦，因此医生会诊后决定一天也不许耽搁，立即将我送回英国。于是，我被送上运兵船 “奥龙特斯号” 回国，一个月以后在朴次茅斯码头登岸，而我的健康已经彻底损毁，无法恢复，但是好心的政府给了我九个月的假期让我尽量恢复健康。

I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air……or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought. So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living. Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expensive domicile.

我在英国没有亲友，所以像空气一样自由自在……或者说像一个每天收入十一先令六便士的人一样自由自在。这种情况下，我很自然地被吸引到伦敦这个大污水池里去了，这个国家所有游民、懒汉也都无可避免地被吸引到这里来。我在伦敦斯特兰大道的一家私人旅馆住了一段时间，过着不舒适且漫无目的的生活，钱有多少就花多少，有时候甚至会大大超支。所以，我的经济状况很快出现了危机，我意识到，我要么必须离开大都市移居到乡下某地，要么就得彻底改变我的生活方式。我选择了后者，决心离开这家旅馆，另找一个没这么奢侈、昂贵的住处。

On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion Bar, when someone tapped me on the shoulder, and turning round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser under me at Barts. The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of London is a pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me. In the exuberance of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and we started off together in a hansom.

就在我作出这个决定的那天，我站在 “克莱提尔瑞安” 酒吧门前，忽然有人在我肩上拍了一下，我转身一看，认出是小斯坦福德，他是我在巴兹时的一个助手。在伦敦茫茫人海中见到一张友善的面庞，对于一个孤独的人来说，确实是件愉快的事。过去小斯坦福德并不算是我特别好的朋友，但现在我竟热情地向他打招呼，而他见到我好像也很高兴。我在狂喜之中邀请他到霍尔本餐厅共进午餐，于是，我们一同乘马车前往。

"Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson? " he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. "You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut. "

“沃森，你究竟都对自己做了什么呀？” 在我们穿过伦敦熙熙攘攘的街道时，他毫不掩饰自己的惊奇，这样问道。 “你现在瘦得跟一根木条一样，黑得跟一个坚果似的。”

I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.

我向他简单地叙述了一下我的危险经历，刚刚讲完，我们就到达了目的地。

"Poor devil! " he said, commiseratingly, after he had listened to my misfortunes. "What are you up to now? "

“可怜的家伙！” 听完我不幸的遭遇，他怜悯地说道， “你现在有什么打算吗？”

"Looking for lodgings, " I answered. "Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a reasonable price. "

“找一个住处。” 我回答说， “看能不能花一个合理的价钱租几间舒适的房间。”

"Thats a strange thing, " remarked my companion; "you are the second man today that has used that expression to me. "

“这可真是怪事，” 我的同伴说， “今天你是第二个对我说这话的人了。”

"And who was the first? " I asked.

“第一个是谁？” 我问道。

"A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory up at the hospital. He was bemoaning himself this morning because he could not get someone to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found, and which were too much for his purse. "

“一个在医院化学实验室工作的人。今天早上，他还唉声叹气地说他找到了几间好房，但自己一个人租不起，却找不到人合租。”

"By Jove! " I cried, "if he really wants someone to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to being alone. "

“啊！” 我大声叫道， “如果他真想找一个人合租房间、分担租金，我倒正合适。我觉得有个伴比独自一个人住好得多。”

Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wineglass. "You dont know Sherlock Holmes yet, " he said; "perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion. "

小斯坦福德从酒杯上方用十分怪异的眼神看着我。 “你还不知道舍洛克·福尔摩斯吧，” 他说， “也许你不会愿意和他做长期伙伴呢。”

"Why, what is there against him? "

“为什么，难道他有什么不好的地方吗？”

"Oh, I didnt say there was anything against him. He is a little queer in his ideas……an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I know he is a decent fellow enough. "

“哦，我没说他有什么不好的地方。他只是有一些很古怪的想法……他对科学的一些分支学科很狂热。不过据我所知，他倒是一个很正派的人。”

"A medical student, I suppose? " said I.

“我猜他是个学医的吧？” 我说。

"No……I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a first……class chemist; but, as far as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory and eccentric, but he has amassed a lot of out……of……the……way knowledge which would astonish his professors. "

“不是，我不知道他在钻研什么。我认为他精通解剖学，而且是一个一流的药剂师，但据我所知，他从没系统地学习过医学。他研究的东西杂乱无章而且古怪，但他积累的那么多稀奇古怪的知识，足以让他的教授都感到惊讶。”

"Did you never ask him what he was going in for? " I asked.

“你从没问过他在钻研些什么吗？” 我问。

"No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him. "

“没有，他不是一个轻易说出内心想法的人，尽管他在有一些怪念头的时候会很健谈。”

"I should like to meet him, " I said. "If I am to lodge with anyone, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence. How could I meet this friend of yours? "

“我愿意见见他，” 我说， “如果要和别人一起住，我倒想要跟一个好学又安静的人住在一起。我身体还不大结实，受不了太多吵闹和刺激。在阿富汗，我已经受够了这些，这辈子都不想再受了。那么，我怎样才能见到你这位朋友呢？”

"He is sure to be at the laboratory, " returned my companion. "He either avoids the place for weeks, or else he works there from morning to night. If you like, we shall drive round together after luncheon. "

“他现在肯定在实验室，” 我的同伴回答道， “他要么几个星期都不去那地方，要么从早到晚在那里工作。如果你愿意，咱们吃完午饭一块儿坐车过去。”

"Certainly, " I answered, and the conversation drifted away into other channels.

“当然愿意啦！” 我答道，于是，谈话转移到了别的话题上去。

As we made our way to the hospital after leaving the Holborn, Stamford gave me a few more particulars about the gentleman whom I proposed to take as a fellow……lodger.

在我们离开霍尔本餐厅前往医院的路上，斯坦福德又告诉了我一些关于那位我打算与之合住的先生的详细情况。

"You mustnt blame me if you dont get on with him, " he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory. You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible. "

“如果你跟他相处不来，可别怪我，” 他说， “除了在实验室偶尔与他碰面了解的那点儿情况外，我对他一无所知。既然是你提议的这次见面，那就不应该让我来承担责任。”

"If we dont get on it will be easy to part company, " I answered. "It seems to me, Stamford, " I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you have some reason for washing your hands of the matter. Is this fellows temper so formidable, or what is it? Dont be mealy……mouthed about it. "

“如果我们处不来，散伙也容易。” 我回答。 “在我看来，斯坦福德，” 我盯着我的同伴，接着说道， “你想缩手不管这事，肯定是有什么原因的吧。是不是这个家伙脾气很坏，还是有什么别的原因？不要拐弯抹角的。”

"It is not easy to express the inexpressible, " he answered with a laugh. "Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes……it approaches to cold……bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness. He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge. "

“要把难以形容的事情表达出来可真不容易，” 他笑着回答， “对我来说，福尔摩斯有点儿过分专注于科学了……几近冷血。我能想象他拿一小撮最新出的植物碱给朋友尝尝，并不是出于什么恶意，要知道，他只不过是出于一种钻研的精神，想准确地弄清这种药物的效果。平心而论，我认为他自己也会愿意吃下去的。他似乎对确切、精准的知识很热衷。”

"Very right too. "

“这样也是对的呀。”

"Yes, but it may be pushed to excess. When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting……rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape. "

“是的，但这份精神或许有点儿过头了。他还在解剖室里用棍子抽打尸体，这看上去就很怪异了吧。”

"Beating the subjects! "

“抽打尸体！”

"Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death. I saw him at it with my own eyes. "

“是啊，为了查证人死以后还能造成什么程度的伤痕。我亲眼看见他这么做的。”

"And yet you say he is not a medical student? "

“你不是说过，他不是学医的吗？”

"No. Heaven knows what the objects of his studies are. But here we are, and you must form your own impressions about him. " As he spoke, we turned down a narrow lane and passed through a small side……door, which opened into a wing of the great hospital. It was familiar ground to me, and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and duncoloured doors. Near the further end a low arched passage branched away from it and led to the chemical laboratory.

“是呀。天知道他到底在研究些什么东西。现在我们到了，你自己看对他的印象如何吧。” 他正说着的时候，我们拐进了一条狭窄的小巷，穿过了一扇小边门。它通向那所大医院的侧楼。这是我熟悉的地方，用不着领路，我们就踏上了阴冷的石阶，穿过长长的走廊，走廊两边是刷得雪白的墙和一些暗褐色的门。靠近尽头有一个低矮的拱形过道，从这里叉开通往实验室。

This was a lofty chamber, lined and littered with countless bottles. Broad, low tables were scattered about, which bristled with retorts, test……tubes, and little Bunsen lamps, with their blue flickering flames. There was only one student in the room, who was bending over a distant table absorbed in his work. At the sound of our steps he glanced round and sprang to his feet with a cry of pleasure. "Ive found it! Ive found it, " he shouted to my companion, running towards us with a test……tube in his hand. "I have found a re……agent which is precipitated by haemoglobin, and by nothing else. " Had he discovered a gold mine, greater delight could not have shone upon his features.

实验室是一个宽敞的房间，四处散乱地放着数不清的瓶子。几张又矮又宽的桌子散放着，上面放满了蒸馏瓶、试管，还有闪着蓝色火焰的小本生灯。屋子里只有一个人，他伏在远处的一张桌上，正在聚精会神地工作。听到我们的脚步声，他扫视了一下四周，跳起来高兴地欢呼了一声。 “我发现了！我发现了，” 他向我的同伴大声说着，手里拿着一支试管，向我们跑来， “我发现了一种试剂，它只能被血红蛋白沉淀，别的都不行。” 即使他发现了金矿，脸上的表情也不会比现在看上去更高兴。

"Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, " said Stamford, introducing us.

“这位是沃森医生，这位是福尔摩斯先生。” 斯坦福德给我们介绍道。

"How are you? " he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive. "

“你好！” 他热忱地说，一边使劲儿握着我的手，我简直不敢相信他有这样大的力气。 “我看得出来，你到过阿富汗。”

"How on earth did you know that? " I asked in astonishment.

“你到底是怎么知道的？” 我吃惊地问。

"Never mind, " said he, chuckling to himself. "The question now is about haemoglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine? "

“没什么。” 他说着，咯咯地笑了笑， “现在要谈的是血红蛋白的问题。你肯定意识到我这个发现的重要性了吧？”

"It is interesting, chemically, no doubt, " I answered, "but practically……"

“从化学角度来讲，毫无疑问，这个很有意思，” 我回答， “但是，从实用角度来讲……”

"Why, man, it is the most practical medico……legal discovery for years. Dont you see that it gives us an infallible test for blood stains. Come over here now! " He seized me by the coat……sleeve in his eagerness, and drew me over to the table at which he had been working. "Let us have some fresh blood, " he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger, and drawing off the resulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. "Now, I add this small quantity of blood to a litre of water. You perceive that the resulting mixture has the appearance of pure water. The proportion of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, that we shall be able to obtain the characteristic reaction. " As he spoke, he threw into the vessel a few white crystals, and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany colour, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar.

“怎么，先生，这是近些年来法医学上最实用的发现了。难道你没有发现这种试剂能提供绝对可靠的血迹检验吗？到这边来！” 他急切地抓着我的袖子，把我拽到他之前工作的那张桌子前。 “让咱们弄点儿鲜血，” 他说着，用一根长针扎破手指，然后用化学吸液管吸了一滴流出的鲜血， “现在，我要把这一点儿血加到一升水里。你能看到这种混合液体看起来就跟清水一样。血液占的比例不超过百万分之一。即使这样，我仍然可以肯定，我们能得到特定的反应。” 他一边说着，一边往容器里扔了一点儿白色晶体，又加了几滴透明液体。溶液立即呈现出暗红色，一些棕色颗粒沉淀到玻璃瓶底。

"Ha! ha! " he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. "What do you think of that? "

“哈！哈！” 他叫着，拍着手，看上去就像一个刚拿到新玩具的孩子那样高兴， “你认为这怎么样？”

"It seems to be a very delicate test, " I remarked.

“看起来是一个精妙的检验。” 我说。

"Beautiful! beautiful! The old guaiacum test was very clumsy and uncertain. So is the microscopic examination for blood corpuscles. The latter is valueless if the stains are a few hours old. Now, this appears to act as well whether the blood is old or new. Had this test been invented, there are hundreds of men now walking the earth who would long ago have paid the penalty of their crimes. "

“漂亮极了！漂亮极了！过去用愈疮木汁液检验的方法既麻烦又不准确。用显微镜检验血球也有同样的问题。如果血迹干了几个小时的话，用后一种方法是没有意义的。现在看来，这种试剂对新旧血迹都会有效。如果这个检验方法能早一些被发现，那么世界上有好几百个如今正逍遥法外的罪人早就受到法律制裁了。”

"Indeed! " I murmured.

“没错！” 我喃喃地说。

"Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them. Are they blood stains, or mud stains, or rust stains, or fruit stains, or what are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes test, and there will no longer be any difficulty. "

“很多犯罪案件都取决于这一点。也许罪行发生几个月后，某个人才被怀疑上。检查他的日用织品或衣服时，发现了一些棕色的痕迹。这些是血迹呢，还是泥点，是锈迹呢，还是果汁痕迹，又或者是其他什么东西？这是一个让很多专家为难的问题，为什么呢？因为没有可靠的检验方法。现在我们有了舍洛克·福尔摩斯化验剂，就不存在任何困难了。”

His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination.

他说这些话的时候，眼睛闪闪发亮，还把一只手按在胸前鞠了一躬，好像在向想象中热烈鼓掌的群众致谢似的。

"You are to be congratulated, " I remarked, considerably surprised at his enthusiasm.

“我向你表示祝贺。” 我说，对于他的热情感到十分惊讶。

"There was the case of Von Bischoff at Frankfort last year. He would certainly have been hung had this test been in existence. Then there was Mason of Bradford, and the notorious Muller, and Lefevre of Montpellier, and Samson of new Orleans. I could name a score of cases in which it would have been decisive. "

“去年在法兰克福发生了冯·比肖夫一案。如果当时有这种检验方法，他肯定早就被绞死了。还有布拉德福德的梅森，臭名昭著的马勒，蒙彼利埃的勒菲弗，以及新奥尔良的萨姆森。我能举出十多个这种检验方法会在其中起决定性作用的案件。”

"You seem to be a walking calendar of crime, " said Stamford with a laugh. "You might start a paper on those lines. Call it the Police News of the Past. "

“你就像一个活生生的犯罪案件一览表，” 斯坦福德笑着说， “你可以就这些内容创办一份报纸。就叫《昔日警务新闻报》。”

"Very interesting reading it might be made, too, " remarked Sherlock Holmes, sticking a small piece of plaster over the prick on his finger. "I have to be careful, " he continued, turning to me with a smile, "for I dabble with poisons a good deal. " He held out his hand as he spoke, and I noticed that it was all mottled over with similar pieces of plaster, and discoloured with strong acids.

“那可能也会成为非常有趣的读物呢。” 舍洛克·福尔摩斯一边说着，一边把一小块橡皮膏贴在手指上的刺破处。 “我必须小心一些，” 他转过脸来，对我笑了笑，接着说， “因为我经常和毒药接触。” 说着，他伸出手来，我看到他的手上斑斑驳驳地贴满了类似的橡皮膏，并由于强酸的腐蚀而褪色。

"We came here on business, " said Stamford, sitting down on a high three……legged stool, and pushing another one in my direction with his foot. "My friend here wants to take diggings, and as you were complaining that you could get no one to go halves with you, I thought that I had better bring you together. " Sherlock Holmes seemed delighted at the idea of sharing his rooms with me. "I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street, " he said, "which would suit us down to the ground. You dont mind the smell of strong tobacco, I hope? "

“我们到这来有点儿事，” 斯坦福德一边说着，一边坐到了一只三脚高凳上，并用脚把另一只凳子推向我这边， “我这位朋友想找个住处，因为你抱怨过找不到人合租，所以我想最好把你们俩凑一块。” 舍洛克·福尔摩斯听到要跟我合租，看起来好像很高兴。 “我看中了贝克街的一套房子，” 他说， “这个房子对咱们俩来说完全合适。我希望你不介意强烈的烟草味吧？”

"I always smoke ships myself, " I answered.

“我自己总是抽船牌烟。” 我回答说。

"Thats good enough. I generally have chemicals about, and occasionally do experiments. Would that annoy you? "

“那太好了。我常常弄一些化学药品，偶尔也做一些实验。这些你不讨厌吧？”

"By no means. "

“决不会。”

"Let me see……what are my other shortcomings. I get in the dumps at times, and dont open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and Ill soon be right. What have you to confess now? Its just as well for two fellows to know the worst of one another before they begin to live together. "

“让我想想……我还有什么别的缺点呢？有时候我会闷闷不乐，连续好几天都不开口说话。我这么做的时候，你可不要以为我生气了。你只要不要管我，我很快会好的。你有什么需要事先说明的吗？两个人同住之前，最好能彼此了解对方最糟糕的地方。”

I laughed at this cross……examination. "I keep a bull pup, " I said, "and I object to rows because my nerves are shaken, and I get up at all sorts of ungodly hours, and I am extremely lazy. I have another set of vices when Im well, but those are the principal ones at present. "

这种交互讯问让我忍俊不禁。 “我养了一只小斗牛犬，” 我说， “我神经受过刺激，所以怕吵闹，每天不一定什么时候起床，而且还特别懒。我身体好的时候还有别的一些缺点，不过目前主要也就这些了。”

"Do you include violin……playing in your category of rows? " he asked, anxiously.

“你把拉小提琴也算在吵闹的范畴内吗？” 他急切地问道。

"It depends on the player, " I answered. "A well……played violin is a treat for the gods……a badly……played one……"

“这得看拉琴的人了，” 我回答， “小提琴若是拉得好，那就是给神仙的享受，要是拉得不好的话……”

"Oh, thats all right, " he cried, with a merry laugh. "I think we may consider the thing as settled……that is, if the rooms are agreeable to you. "

“啊，那就好，” 他欢快地笑道， “我想这事儿就这么定了……如果你对那所房子感到满意的话。”

"When shall we see them? "

“咱们什么时候去看看房子？”

"Call for me here at noon to……morrow, and well go together and settle everything, " he answered.

“明天中午到这里来找我，然后咱们一起去，并把事情定下来。” 他回答道。

"All right……noon exactly, " said I, shaking his hand.

“好，那就中午准时见。” 我一边说着，一边握了握他的手。

We left him working among his chemicals, and we walked together towards my hotel.

我们留下他在那堆化学药品中忙活，然后就一同前往我住的旅馆。

"By the way, " I asked suddenly, stopping and turning upon Stamford, "how the deuce did he know that I had come from Afghanistan? "

“顺便问你一下，” 我突然停下脚步，转向斯坦福德， “他究竟怎么知道我是从阿富汗回来的？”

My companion smiled an enigmatical smile. "Thats just his little peculiarity, " he said. "A good many people have wanted to know how he finds things out. "

我的同伴神秘地笑了笑。 “这就是他那小小的特别之处，” 他说， “很多人都想知道，他究竟是怎么看出来一些事的。”

"Oh! a mystery is it? " I cried, rubbing my hands. "This is very piquant. I am much obliged to you for bringing us together. The proper study of mankind is man, you know. " "You must study him, then, " Stamford said, as he bade me good……bye. "Youll find him a knotty problem, though. Ill wager he learns more about you than you about him. Good……bye. "

“噢！这不是很神秘吗？” 我搓着手，大声叫道， “这太有趣了。我非常感谢你介绍我们俩认识。要知道，研究人类最恰当的途径就得从具体的人着手。” “那你可得研究研究他，” 斯坦福德在跟我告别时说， “但是，你会发现他是一个很难让人捉摸的人。我打赌，他对你的了解会比你对他的了解要多。再见。”

"Good……bye, " I answered, and strolled on to my hotel, considerably interested in my new acquaintance.

“再见。” 我答了一声，然后漫步走向我的旅馆，我觉得这个新结识的朋友很有趣。

Chapter 2The Science of Deduction

第二章演绎法

We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bed……rooms and a single large airy sitting……room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows. So desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate did the terms seem when divided between us, that the bargain was concluded upon the spot, and we at once entered into possession. That very evening I moved my things round from the hotel, and on the following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and portmanteaus. For a day or two we were busily employed in unpacking and laying out our property to the best advantage. That done, we gradually began to settle down and to accommodate ourselves to our new surroundings.

第二天，按照福尔摩斯的安排，我们俩又见面了，并去贝克街221B号看了房子，就是我们上次见面时他提到的那所公寓。这套公寓有两间舒适的卧室和一间宽敞、通风的起居室，家具布置令人满意，两扇宽大的窗户使整个房间看起来很明亮。这所公寓无论哪个方面都十分令人满意，租金在我们平摊之后也很合适，因此，交易当场就定下来了，我们立刻就租下了它。当晚我就带着行李从旅馆搬到了那里，第二天早上舍洛克·福尔摩斯跟着也搬来几个箱子和旅行包。有一两天的时间，我们都忙着取出行李，并把自己的东西布置妥当。弄完这些之后，我们逐渐安顿下来，并慢慢熟悉了新环境。

Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning. Sometimes he spent his day at the chemical laboratory, sometimes in the dissecting……rooms, and occasionally in long walks, which appeared to take him into the lowest portions of the City. Nothing could exceed his energy when the working fit was upon him; but now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting……room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night. On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.

福尔摩斯并不是一个难以相处的人。他为人沉静，生活很有规律。他很少晚上十点后还不睡觉，早上总是在我起床前就吃完早饭出门了。有时他会在化学实验室里待上一整天，有时是在解剖室，偶尔也步行到很远的地方去，去的好像都是这个城市里最贫贱的地方。在工作兴头上时，他总是有无人能匹敌的旺盛精力；但偶尔也会完全相反，他会连着几天躺在起居室的沙发上，从早到晚几乎一个字也不说，一动也不动。在这些时候，我总看到他眼中恍惚、茫然的神色，要不是他生活向来整洁而有节制，否决了我的猜测，不然我可能要怀疑他有服用麻醉剂的瘾了。