四签名 28樱沼别墅的惨案（3）

Our guide had left us the lantern.

向导给我们留下了灯笼

Holmes swung it slowly round and peered keenly at the house and at the great rubbish-heaps which cumbered the grounds.

福尔摩斯提着它，缓缓地、认真细致地查看着房子的四周和堆积在空地上的大堆垃圾。

Miss Morstan and I stood together, and her hand was in mine.

摩斯坦小姐和我站在一起，她的手紧握在我的手里。

A wondrous¹ subtle thing is love, for here were we two, who had never seen each other before that day,

爱情真是一件不可思议的事情。我们两人在前一天还没有见过面，

between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed,

今天双方也没有说过一句情话，

and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively² sought for each other.

可是现在遇有患难，我们的手就会不约而同地紧握在一起。

I have marvelled³ at it since,

后来我每想起这件事来就感到有趣，

but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so,

不过当时的动作似乎是出于自然而不自觉，

and, as she has often told me, there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection.

后来她也常常告诉我说，当时她自己的感觉是：只有依傍着我才能得到安慰和保护。

So we stood hand in hand like two children, and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us.

我们两人如同小孩一样，手拉着手站在一起，四周的危险全不在意，心中反觉得坦然无惧。

"What a strange place!" she said, looking round.

她向四周张望着说道："这真是个奇怪的地方！"

"It looks as though all the moles⁴ in England had been let loose in it.

"好象全英国的鼹鼠都放到这里来了。

I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat, where the prospectors⁵ had been at work."

我只在白拉莱特附近的山边看见过相同的景象，当时探矿的正在那里钻探。"

"And from the same cause," said Holmes. "These are the traces of the treasure-seekers.

福尔摩斯道："这里也是经过多次的挖掘啊，留下了寻找宝物的痕迹。

You must remember that they were six years looking for it.

你不要忘记，他们费了六年的工夫来寻找。

No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel-pit."

无怪乎这块地好象砂砾坑一样。"

At that moment the door of the house burst open, and Thaddeus Sholto came running out,

这时候房门忽然敞开，塞笛厄斯·舒尔托向外跑出，

with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes.

两手向前，眼神里充满了恐惧。

"There is something amiss with Bartholomew!" he cried.

他叫道："巴索洛谬一定出了事儿了！

"I am frightened! My nerves cannot stand it."

怕死我了！我的神经受不了这样的刺激。"

He was, indeed, half blubbering with fear,

他确是万分恐惧。

and his twitching⁶, feeble face peeping out from the great astrakhan collar had the helpless,

在他那从羔皮大领子里露出来的、痉挛的、没有血色的脸上，

appealing expression of a terrified child.

表情就象一个惊骇失措奔，逃求救的小孩子一样。

"Come into the house," said Holmes in his crisp, firm way.

福尔摩斯坚决、干脆地说道："咱们进屋里去。"

"Yes, do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. "I really do not feel equal to giving directions."

塞笛厄斯恳求道："请进去！请进去！我真不知如何是好了！"

1 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

2 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 marvelled   

v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 moles   

防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• Two moles of epoxy react with one mole of A-1100. 两个克分子环氧与一个克分子A－1100反应。

5 prospectors   

n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The prospectors have discovered such minerals as calcite,quartz and asbestos here. 探矿人员在这里发现了方解石、石英、石棉等矿藏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The prospectors have discovered many minerals here. 探矿人员在这里发现了许多矿藏。 来自辞典例句

6 twitching   

n.颤搐

参考例句：

• The child in a spasm kept twitching his arms and legs. 那个害痉挛的孩子四肢不断地抽搐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My eyelids keep twitching all the time. 我眼皮老是跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》