领略原汁原味汉英对照经典名作
驼背男子
      One summer night a few months after my marriage, I was seated by my own hearth smoking a last pipe and nodding over a novel, for my day’s work had been an exhausting one. My wife had already gone upstairs, and the sound of the locking of the hall door some time before told me that the servants had also retired. I had risen from my seat and was knocking out the ashes of my pipe when I suddenly heard the clang of the bell.
      I looked at the clock. It was a quarter to twelve. This could not be a visitor at so late an hour. A patient evidently, and possibly an all-night sitting.
     With a wry face I went out into the hall and opened the door. To my astonishment it was Sherlock Holmes who stood upon my step.
      “Ah, Watson,” said he, “I hoped that I might not be too late to catch you.”
      “My dear fellow, pray come in.”
      “You look surprised, and no wonder! Relieved, too, I fancy! Hum! You still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then! There’s no mistaking that fluffy ash upon your coat. It’s easy to tell that you have been accustomed to wear a uniform, Watson. You’ll never pass as a pure-bred civilian as long as you keep that habit of carrying your handkerchief in your sleeve. Could you put me up to-night?”
      “With pleasure.”
      “You told me that you had bachelor quarters for one, and I see that you have no gentleman visitor at present. Your hat-stand proclaims as much.”
      “I shall be delighted if you will stay.
      “Thank you. I’ll fill the vacant peg then. Sorry to see that you’ve had the British workman in the house. He’s a token of evil. Not the drains, I hope?”
      “No, the gas.”
      “Ah! He has left two nail-marks from his boot upon your linoleum just where the light strikes it. No, thank you, I had some supper at Waterloo, but I’ll smoke a pipe with you with pleasure.”
      I handed him my pouch, and he seated himself opposite to me and smoked for some time in silence. I was well aware that nothing but business of importance would have brought him to me at such an hour, so I waited patiently until he should come round to it.
      “I see that you are professionally rather busy just now,” said he, glancing very keenly across at me.
      “Yes, I’ve had a busy day,” I answered. “It may seem very foolish in your eyes,” I added, “but really I don’t know how you deduced it.”
      Holmes chuckled to himself.
      “I have the advantage of knowing your habits, my dear Watson,” said he. “When your round is a short one you walk, and when it is a long one you use a hansom. As I perceive that your boots, although used, are by no means dirty, I cannot doubt that you are at present busy enough to justify the hansom.”
      “Excellent!” I cried.
      “Elementary,” said he. “It is one of those instances where the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his neighbour, because the latter has missed the one little point which is the basis of the deduction. The same may be said, my dear fellow, for the effect of some of these little sketches of yours, which is entirely meretricious, depending as it does upon your retaining in your own hands some factors in the problem which are never imparted to the reader. Now, at present I am in the position of these same readers, for I hold in this hand several threads of one of the strangest cases which ever perplexed a man’s brain, and yet I lack the one or two which are needful to complete my theory. But I’ll have them, Watson, I’ll have them!” His eyes kindled and a slight flush sprang into his thin cheeks. For an instant the veil had lifted upon his keen, intense nature, but for an instant only. When I glanced again his face had resumed that red-Indian composure which had made so many regard him as a machine rather than a man.
      “The problem presents features of interest,” said he. “I may even say exceptional features of interest. I have already looked into the matter, and have come, as I think, within sight of my solution. If you could accompany me in that last step you might be of considerable service to me.”
      “I should be delighted.”
      “Could you go as far as Aldershot to-morrow?’
      “I have no doubt Jackson would take my practice.”
      “Very good. I want to start by the 11:10 from Waterloo.”
      “That would give me time.”
      “Then, if you are not too sleepy, I will give you a sketch of what has happened, and of what remains to be done.”
      “I was sleepy before you came. I am quite wakeful now.”
      “I will compress the story as far as may be done without omitting anything vital to the case. It is conceivable that you may even have read some account of the matter. It is the supposed murder of Colonel Barclay, of the Royal Munsters, at Aldershot, which I am investigating.”
      “I have heard nothing of it.”
      “It has not excited much attention yet, except locally. The facts are only two days old. Briefly they are these:
      “The Royal Munsters is, as you know, one of the most famous Irish regiments in the British Army. It did wonders both in the Crimea and the Mutiny, and has since that time distinguished itself upon every possible occasion. It was commanded up to Monday night by James Barclay, a gallant veteran, who started as a full private, was raised to commissioned rank for his bravery at the time of the Mutiny, and so lived to command the regiment in which he had once carried a musket.
      “Colonel Barclay had married at the time when he was a sergeant, and his wife, whose maiden name was Miss Nancy Devoy, was the daughter of a former colour sergeant in the same corps. There was, therefore, as can be imagined, some little social friction when the young couple (for they were still young) found themselves in their new surroundings. They appear, however, to have quickly adapted themselves, and Mrs. Barclay has always, I understand, been as popular with the ladies of the regiment as her husband was with his brother officers. I may add that she was a woman of great beauty, and that even now, when she has been married for upward of thirty years, she is still of a striking and queenly appearance.

中文翻译
      新婚数月之后的一个夏夜，我坐在自家的壁炉跟前，一边抽睡前的最后一斗烟，一边对着一本小说频频点头，因为日间的工作十分繁忙，让人筋疲力尽。我妻子已经上了楼，早些时候我还听见了前厅大门上锁的声音，由此知道仆人们也已经回房休息。
      我从椅子上站起身来，正在磕烟斗上的烟灰，门铃却突然叮叮当当地响了起来。
     我看了看钟，时间是十一点三刻。这时候不会有客人上门，来的显然是一个病人，兴许会让我整夜不得休息。想到这里，我愁眉苦脸地走进前厅，替来人打开了门。出乎我意料的是，站在我家门口的竟然是歇洛克•福尔摩斯。
      “噢，华生，”他说道，“我就知道，这时候来找你还不算太晚。”
      “亲爱的伙计，赶紧进来吧。”
      “你看起来非常惊讶，当然！同时又显得如释重负，难怪！你还在抽你单身时抽的那种阿卡迪亚混合烟草，显然！你外套上那些蓬松的烟灰是个明白无误的证据。华生啊，人家一看就知道你是个穿惯了制服的人。如果不改掉把手帕塞在袖子里的习惯，你的平民模样终归是有破绽。今晚你可以收留我吗？”
      “乐意之至。”
      “以前你说过，你家有一间供男宾使用的单人客房，眼下呢，我已经瞧出来了，你家里并没有男宾。反正啊，你的帽架是这么说的。”
      “你愿意留下的话，我会觉得非常高兴的。”
      “谢谢你，那我就把帽架上的这个空钩子占上好了。可惜呀，我发现你家最近请了修理工，他们上门可不会是什么好事。该不会是下水道出问题了吧？”
      “不是，是煤气管道的问题。”
      “是吗！修理工的靴子在你的油布地毡上留下了两个鞋钉印子，刚好是在灯光下面。不用，谢谢，晚饭我已经在滑铁卢车站对付过了。不过，我倒很乐意跟你一块儿抽一斗烟。”
      我把烟草袋子递给了他，他坐到我的对面，默不作声地抽了一会儿。我心里非常清楚，没有专业上的重要事务，他是不会在这样的时间来找我的，于是我耐心等待，等他自己讲明来意。
      “我说，最近你业务很忙啊，”他一边说，一边用明察秋毫的目光打量着我。
      “是啊，今天我确实挺忙的，”我回答道。“你可能觉得我这么说很愚蠢，”我补了一句，“可我真的不明白，这你是怎么知道的。”
      福尔摩斯吃吃地笑了笑。
      “我的优势在于我了解你的习惯，亲爱的华生，”他说道。“出诊的时候，路近你就走着去，路远你就坐马车。我注意到你的靴子虽然穿过，但却一点儿也不脏，因此就可以断定，眼下你忙得够戗，不得不用马车代步。”
      “妙极了！”我赞叹了一声。
      “简单之极，”他说道。“这是一个小小的例证，说明演绎专家之所以能制造出让旁人觉得不可思议的效果，仅仅是因为旁人没有留意到他用作演绎基础的那个小小细节。同样道理，我亲爱的伙计，你撰写的那些小小故事之所以能有耸人听闻的效果，实际上只是因为你把案情当中的一些要素捏在了自个儿的手心里，从来不跟读者分享。好了，我眼下的处境就跟你那些读者一模一样，因为我碰上了一件空前离奇的疑难案子，也掌握了几条线索，偏偏又缺了那么一两个要素，没法把自己的假设补充完整。不过，我会找到它们的，华生，会找到的！”说到这里，他的双眼熠熠闪光，瘦削的双颊也泛起了淡淡的红晕。有那么一瞬间，他那种机警热切的天性从面幂之下探出了头，不过，这也仅仅是一瞬间而已。等我再看他的时候，他的面孔已经恢复了印第安人那种铁板一块的模样，就因为这种模样，许多人都觉得他不像是一个有血有肉的人，更像是一部机器。
      “这件案子呈现出了一些有趣的特征，”他说道。“依我看，说这些特征前所罕见也不为过。我已经进行了深入的调查，照我自己的估计，答案也已经近在眼前。如果你能陪我完成最后这个步骤的话，就算是帮了我一个大忙。”
      “乐意效劳。”
      “明天得去奥尔德肖特那么远的地方，你走得开吗？”
      “毫无疑问，杰克逊会帮我处理病人的。”
      “很好。我打算明天上午去滑铁卢车站搭十一点十分的火车。”
      “那我就有足够的时间做准备了。”
      “那么，如果你不是特别困的话，我这就给你大致讲讲之前的事情，讲讲接下来该怎么做。”
      “你来之前我挺困的，现在倒没有什么睡意。”
      “我尽量长话短说，前提是不落下案情当中的关键之处。我甚至觉得，没准儿你已经读到了一些相关的报道。我正在调查的是巴克利上校疑似遇害案，上校属于皇家芒斯特步兵团，这个团驻扎在奥尔德肖特。”
      “我一点儿也没听说过这件事情。”
      “由此看来，除了在案发当地之外，这件案子还没有引起广泛的关注。案发时间离现在只有两天，案情大致是这样的：
      “你应该知道，皇家芒斯特步兵团是本国陆军当中最著名的爱尔兰团之一，曾在克里米亚战争和印度兵变期间立下赫赫奇功。从那以后，它在各种场合当中的表现也都是卓越不凡。到周一晚上为止，它的指挥官一直都是詹姆斯•巴克利。巴克利是一名勇敢无畏的老兵，起初不过是一名普通战士，凭借印度兵变之中的英勇表现才有了军官的身份，后来又在自己的团队里步步高升，最终就从肩扛步枪的小卒变成了整支团队的指挥官。“还是一名中士的时候，巴克利上校就成了家，他妻子闺名南希•德沃伊，妻子的父亲曾经是同一个团队里的护旗军士。可想而知，成婚之后，这对年青夫妇（当时他俩还很年青）发现自己的外部环境起了变化，社交方面也受了一些排挤。不过，他俩似乎很快就适应了这样的变化，从我了解的情况来看，巴克利太太一直都很受同团女眷的欢迎，她丈夫也很受军中袍泽的喜爱。我还得补充一点，她是个非常漂亮的女子，即便是在结婚三十多年之后的现在，她依然拥有女王一般的惊人美貌。

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