四签名 15寻求解答（2）

I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick,

我戴上帽子，拿了一支最粗重的手杖，

but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.

福尔摩斯从抽屉里拿了他的手枪放进衣袋里。

It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one.

这说明他料到今晚的工作或许是一个冒险的尝试。

Miss Morstan was muffled¹ in a dark cloak, and her sensitive face was composed but pale.

摩斯坦小姐穿着黑色的衣服，缠着围巾，她虽然还保持着镇定，可是面色惨白。

She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking²,

假若她对于我们今晚奇特的冒险不觉得有些不安的话，她的毅力确是超过平常一般女子的了。

yet her self-control was perfect, and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her.

她能够完全控制住自己的感情，对于歇洛克·福尔摩斯所提出的几个新问题，她全能够立刻答复。

"Major Sholto was a very particular friend of Papa's," she said.

她道："舒尔托少校是爸爸的一位特别要好的朋友。

"His letters were full of allusions³ to the major.

在他的来信里面总是常常提到少校。

He and Papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together.

他和爸爸同是安达曼群岛驻军的指挥官，所以他们时常在一起。

By the way, a curious paper was found in Papa's desk which no one could understand.

还有，在我爸爸的书桌里发现过一张没人能懂的字条，

I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance,

我想未必和本案有关，

but I thought you might care to see it, so I brought it with me. It is here."

但您也许愿意看一看，所以我把它带来了。这就是。"

Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee.

福尔摩斯小心地把纸打开，放在膝盖上平铺，

He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.

然后用双层放大镜有条不紊地细看了一遍。

"It is paper of native Indian manufacture," he remarked. "It has at some time been pinned to a board.

他指出："这纸是印度的土产，过去曾经在板上钉过。

The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls, corridors, and passages.

纸上的图似乎是一所大建筑图样的一部分，其中有许多大房间、走廊和甬道。

At one point is a small cross done in red ink, and above it is '3.37 from left,' in faded pencil-writing.

中间一点有用红墨水画的十字，在这上面写有模糊的用铅笔写的'从左边3.37' 。

In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic⁴ like four crosses in a line with their arms touching⁵.

纸的左上角有一个有神秘意味的怪字，象四个联接的十字形。

Beside it is written, in very rough and coarse characters,

在旁边用极粗陋的笔法写着，

'The sign of the four--Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.'

'四个签名--琼诺赞·斯茂，莫郝米特·辛格，爱勃德勒·克汗，德斯特·阿克勃尔' 。

No, I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.

我实在也不能断定这个和本案有什么关联！

Yet it is evidently a document of importance.

可是无疑地是一个重要文件。

It has been kept carefully in a pocketbook, for the one side is as clean as the other."

这张纸曾经在皮夹里小心地收藏过，因为两面全都同样干净。"

"It was in his pocketbook that we found it."

"这是我们从他的皮夹里找到的。"

"Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Morstan, for it may prove to be of use to us.

"摩斯坦小姐，您好好地将它保存起来吧，可能以后对我们还有用处。

I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I must reconsider my ideas."

现在我觉得这个案情比我最初所想象的更要深奥和费解了。我需要重新考虑一下。"

He leaned back in the cab, and I could see by his drawn⁶ brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently.

说着他就向后靠在车座靠背上。从他紧皱的眉毛和发呆的目光中，我可以看出，他正在深思。

Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome,

摩斯坦小姐和我轻轻地聊天，谈到我们目前的行动和可能的结果，

but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.

但是我们的伙伴却始终保持着静默，一直到我们抵达旅程的终点。

1 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

3 allusions   

暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We should not use proverbs and allusions indiscriminately. 不要滥用成语典故。
• The background lent itself to allusions to European scenes. 眼前的情景容易使人联想到欧洲风光。

4 hieroglyphic   

n.象形文字

参考例句：

• For centuries hieroglyphic word pictures painted on Egyptian ruins were a mystery.几世纪以来，刻划在埃及废墟中的象形文字一直是个谜。
• Dongba is an ancient hieroglyphic language.东巴文是中国一种古老的象形文字。

5 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。