福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part16
So saying I raised my hat and went upon my way, leaving them still seated behind that concealing hedge. I looked back as I rounded the far end of it, and saw that they were still talking very earnestly together, and, as they were gazing after me, it was clear that it was our interview that was the subject of their debate.
"I wish none of their confidences," said Holmes, when I reported to him what had occurred. He had spent the whole afternoon at the Manor House in consultation with his two colleagues, and returned about five with a ravenous appetite for a high tea which I had ordered for him. "No confidences, Watson; for they are mighty awkward if it comes to an arrest for conspiracy and murder."
"You think it will come to that?"
He was in his most cheerful and debonair humour. "My dear Watson, when I have exterminated that fourth egg I shall be ready to put you in touch with the whole situation. I don't say that we have fathomed it--far from it--but when we have traced the missing dumb-bell--"
"The dumb-bell!"
"Dear me, Watson, is it possible that you have not penetrated the fact that the case hangs upon the missing dumb-bell? Well, well, you need not be downcast; for between ourselves I don't think that either Inspector Mac or the excellent local practitioner has grasped the overwhelming importance of this incident. One dumb-bell, Watson! Consider an athlete with one dumb-bell! Picture to yourself the unilateral development, the imminent danger of a spinal curvature. Shocking, Watson, shocking!"
He sat with his mouth full of toast and his eyes sparkling with mischief, watching my intellectual entanglement. The mere sight of his excellent appetite was an assurance of success; for I had very clear recollections of days and nights without a thought of food, when his baffled mind had chafed before some problem while his thin, eager features became more attenuated with the asceticism of complete mental concentration. Finally he lit his pipe, and sitting in the inglenook of the old village inn he talked slowly and at random about his case, rather as one who thinks aloud than as one who makes a considered statement.
說着，我擡了一下帽子就走開了，他倆仍然坐在樹籬擋①住的地方。我走到樹籬盡頭，回頭看到他們仍坐在樹籬後面，熱烈地談論着；因爲他們的眼睛一直在盯着我，這就很明顯，他們是在議論剛纔和我的對話。福爾摩斯用了整個下午的時間，和他的兩個同行在莊園裏商量案情，五點左右方纔回來，我叫人給他端上茶點，他狼吞虎嚥地吃起來。
當我把這件事告訴福爾摩斯時，他說道：“我不希望他們告訴我什麼隱祕。華生，也根本沒有什麼隱祕。因爲如果我們以同謀和謀殺的罪名去逮捕他們的話，他們就會十分狼狽了。”
“你覺得這件事會引向這樣的結果麼？”
福爾摩斯興高采烈、意趣盎然，幽默地說道：“我親愛的華生，等我消滅了這第四個雞蛋，我就讓你聽到全部情況。我不敢說已經完全水落石出了——還差得遠呢。不過，當我們追查到了那個丟失的啞鈴的時候……”
“那個啞鈴！？”
“哎呀，華生，難道你沒看出來，這個案子的關鍵就在於那個丟失的啞鈴嗎？好了，好了，你也用不着垂頭喪氣，因爲，這只是咱們兩個人說說，我想不管是警官麥克，還是那個精明的當地偵探，都沒有理解到這件小事的特殊重要性。只有一個啞鈴！華生，想想，一個運動員只有一個啞鈴的情況吧！想想那種畸形發展——很快就有造成脊椎彎曲的危險。不正常啊，華生，不正常啊！”
他坐在那裏，大口吃着麪包，兩眼閃耀着調皮的神色，注視着我那搜索枯腸的狼狽相。福爾摩斯食慾這樣旺盛，說明他已經是胸有成竹了。因爲我對他那些食不甘味的日日夜夜記憶猶新，當他那困惑的頭腦被疑難問題弄得焦躁不安的時候，他就會象一個苦行主義者那樣全神貫注，而他那瘦削、渴望成功的面容就變得愈發枯瘦如柴了。
