福尔摩斯：巴斯克维尔猎犬-第19课

前情提要  

当天下午，斯台普顿兄妹便前往巴斯克维尔庄园拜访了亨利爵士。亨利爵士对斯台普顿小姐一见倾心，不久后便深深爱上了她。亨利爵士有一个邻居福兰克兰，他买了一架望远镜观察沼地，希望找到凶手。一天凌晨，华生发现白瑞摩举着蜡烛在一间无人卧室的窗边驻足许久。这一奇怪举动让他和亨利爵士决定第二天晚上跟踪白瑞摩……

故事原文  

The Hound of the Baskervilles L19

巴斯克维尔猎犬 L19

Sir Henry walked into the room and said: 'What are you doing here, Barrymore?'

亨利爵士走进屋里并且说道：“你在这里干什么呢，白瑞摩？”

Barrymore turned round quickly, surprise and horror on his face.

白瑞摩赶快转过身来，脸上露出又惊又怕的神色。

'Nothing, Sir,' he said. The shadows on the wall from his light were jumping up and down as his hand shook.(1) 'It was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are closed, and this one wasn't shut.'

“没干什么，爵爷，”他说道。由于他的手抖动着，墙壁上烛光里的人影也不停地上下跳动着。“是由于窗户，爵爷。我在夜间巡视是想看看窗户是否都已关好了，而这个窗户并没关好。”

'Come now, Barrymore,' said Sir Henry. 'No lies. What were you doing with that light? You were holding it up to the window.'

“得了吧，白瑞摩，”亨利爵士说道，“不要撒谎。你用那个蜡烛干什么？你刚才可是把它举在窗口了。”

I suddenly had an idea. 'I think he was sending a message,' I said. 'Let's see if there's an answer from someone on the moor.'

我突然灵机一动。“我想他那时是在传送信号，”我说道，“我们来看一下沼地上是否有人回答信号。”

I held the light up to the window, and looked out into the darkness. Suddenly a light answered from the moor.

我把蜡烛高举向窗口并注视着漆黑的外面。突然之间，一个光点从沼地那边回应着。

'There it is,' I cried. I waved my light backwards and forwards across the window. The light on the moor answered by moving in the same way.

“就在那儿，”我喊道。我在窗户边前后晃动着蜡烛。沼地上的灯光也以同样的方式移动着以回应我们。

'Now, Barrymore, who is your friend on the moor? What's going on?'

“我说，白瑞摩，沼地上的你的那个朋友是谁？发生着什么事情？”

'That's my business,' said Barrymore, 'I won't tell you.'

“那是我个人的事，”白瑞摩说道，“我不会告诉您的。”

'Are you making some criminal plan against me?' Sir Henry said.

“你是在搞什么阴谋加害我吗？”亨利爵士说道。

'No, it's nothing against you, sir,' said a voice behind us. It was Mrs Barrymore. She had followed us and was standing at the door. 'He's doing it for me. My unhappy brother is cold and hungry on the moor. We cannot let him die. Our light is to tell him that food is ready for him. His light shows us where to take it.'

“不，爵爷，不是害您呀！”从我们身后传来了一个声音。此人是白瑞摩太太。她一直跟踪着我们，现在正站在门口。“是为了我他才这么干的。我那不幸的弟弟正在沼地上忍饥受冻。我们不能让他死。这烛光是告诉他食物已经给他准备好了。他那边的灯光则向我们表明我们该把食物送到什么地点。”

'Then your brother is…' began Sir Henry.

“那么说，你的弟弟是……”亨利爵士开口道。

'The escaped prisoner, sir. Selden, the murderer. He is my younger brother. He has done evil things, but to me he is still the little boy I loved and cared for.(2) I had to help him. Everything my husband has done has been for me. Please don't take his job from him. It's not his fault.'(3)

“是那个潜逃的罪犯，爵爷。塞尔登，那个杀人凶手。他是我弟弟，他干了许多坏事。但是对我来讲他依旧是我曾爱护过的那个小男孩。我得帮他。我丈夫所做的一切都是为了我。请别把他辞掉。这不是他的过错。”

Sir Henry turned to Barrymore and said:

亨利爵士转向白瑞摩，并说道：

'I cannot blame you for helping your wife.(4) Go to bed, and we'll talk about this in the morning.'

“你帮你太太的忙，我不能为此怪你。去上床睡觉吧，我们明早再谈这件事。”

The Barrymores left us.

白瑞摩夫妇从我们这儿走开了。

'The murderer is waiting out there by that light,' said Sir Henry. 'He's a danger to everyone. I'm going to catch him. If you want to come with me, Watson, fetch your revolver and let's go.'

“那个杀人凶手正在外边的那个亮光旁等着呢，”亨利爵士说道。“他对大家都是个危险。我要去抓住他。如果您想和我一道去的话，华生，那就去取您的左轮，然后咱们就去吧。”

We left the Hall immediately.

我们马上离开了庄园。

'We must surprise him and catch him,' said Sir Henry. 'He's a dangerous man. Now, Watson, what would Holmes say about this? Do you remember what the old papers said? They said the Devil does his work when the world is dark.'

“我们必须出其不意地将其抓获，”亨利爵士说道，“他是个危险人物。我说，华生，这样干福尔摩斯会说什么呢？您还记得那份古老的手稿怎么说的吗？说恶魔兴于黑夜。”

Just as he spoke there came a strange cry from across the moor. It was the same cry I had heard when I was with Stapleton on the edge of the Great Grimpen Marsh.(5)

他正说话的当中，沼地上传来了一声奇怪的叫声。就是我在格林盆大泥潭边缘与斯台普顿在一起时听到的那种声音。

（原文中出现高光标示内容请见核心语言点）

核心语言点  

1. shadow 阴影，影子

    in the shadow of… 在……的阴影之下

    cast/throw a shadow 给……投下阴影

例句：

It was hot, and we decided to walk in the shadow of the wall.

天气太热，我们决定走在墙的阴影下。

The building cast a shadow across the narrow street.

这栋建筑给这条窄道投下了阴影。 

2. care for 照看，照料（= take care of）；喜欢，喜爱（= like）

例句：

The children are well cared for/taken care of.

小孩被照顾得非常好。

He sent flowers to show that he cares for you.

他给你送花是表明他喜欢你。

I got the feeling he never really cared for me.

我有感觉他从来就没有喜欢过我。  

3. take 去掉，脱掉（= remove）；拿走，偷（= steal）

例句：

Take your feet off the seats.

请不要把脚放在座位上。

Police say money and jewellery were taken in the raid.

珠宝和钱都在这次袭击中被拿走了。

The thief broke into her house and took some cash.

小偷破门而入把她家的现金偷走了。

Thousands of cars get stolen every year.

每年有成千上万的汽车被盗。 

4. blame 责备；责怪

    blame sb. for sth. 怪某人做某事

    sb./sth. be to blame 某人/某事是……的原因

例句： 

Don't blame me if you miss the bus!

如果你没赶上公车可别怪我！

The hot weather is partly to blame for the water shortage.

炎热的天气是缺水的原因之一。 

5. edge 边缘

    the edge of… ……的边缘

    cutting-edge 尖端的

    on the edge of your seat 翘首以盼，激动不已

拓展：

the right hand edge of the page 

页面右下角最边缘

cutting-edge scientific discoveries  

尖端的科学发现

The film’s ending had me on the edge of my seat.

这部电影的结局让我激动不已。