赖盖特之谜01

The Reigate Puzzle

It was some time before the health of my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes recovered  from the strain caused by his immense exertions² in the spring of '87. The whole  question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of the colossal³ schemes of Baron  Maupertuis are too recent in the minds of the public, and are too intimately  concerned with politics and finance to be fitting subjects for this series of  sketches⁴. They led, however, in an indirect fashion to a singular and complex  problem which gave my friend an opportunity of demonstrating the value of a  fresh weapon among the many with which he waged his life-long battle against  crime.

On referring to my notes I see that it was upon the 14th of April that I  received a telegram from Lyons which informed me that Holmes was lying ill in  the Hotel Dulong. Within twenty-four hours I was in his sick-room, and was  relieved to find that there was nothing formidable in his symptoms. Even his  iron constitution, however, had broken down under the strain of an investigation  which had extended over two months, during which period he had never worked less  than fifteen hours a day, and had more than once, as he assured me, kept to his  task for five days at a stretch. Even the triumphant⁵ issue of his labors⁶ could  not save him from reaction after so terrible an exertion¹, and at a time when  Europe was ringing with his name and when his room was literally⁷ ankle-deep with  congratulatory telegrams I found him a prey⁸ to the blackest depression. Even the  knowledge that he had succeeded where the police of three countries had failed,  and that he had outmanoeuvred at every point the most accomplished⁹ swindler in  Europe, was insufficient¹⁰ to rouse him from his nervous prostration¹¹.

Three days later we were back in Baker¹² Street together; but it was evident that  my friend would be much the better for a change, and the thought of a week of  spring time in the country was full of attractions to me also. My old friend,  Colonel Hayter, who had come under my professional care in Afghanistan, had now  taken a house near Reigate in Surrey, and had frequently asked me to come down  to him upon a visit. On the last occasion he had remarked that if my friend  would only come with me he would be glad to extend his hospitality to him also.  A little diplomacy¹³ was needed, but when Holmes understood that the establishment  was a bachelor one, and that he would be allowed the fullest freedom, he fell in  with my plans and a week after our return from Lyons we were under the Colonel's  roof. Hayter was a fine old soldier who had seen much of the world, and he soon  found, as I had expected, that Holmes and he had much in common.

赖盖特之谜

那是在一八八七年春天，我的朋友歇洛克-福尔摩斯先生由于一操一劳过度，把身一体累垮 了，健康尚未恢复。荷兰-苏门答腊公司案和莫波吐依兹男爵的庞大计划案，人们还记忆犹 新。这些案件与政治和经济关系极为密切，不便在我的一系列回忆录中加以报道。但是，从 另一个角度来说，那两起案子又很独特、复杂，使我的朋友有机会证实一种新的斗争方法的 重要，这方法是他在毕生与犯罪行为作斗争中所使用的许多方法中的一种。

我查阅笔记，看到在四月十四日，我曾收到一封从里昂发来的电报，通知我，福尔摩斯在杜 朗旅馆卧病在一床一。没过二十四小时，我就赶到他的病房，发现他的症状不甚严重，方才 放心。不过，甚至象他这样钢铁般的体质，在两个多月调查的劳累之下，也免不了垮了下来 。在这段期间，他每天最少工作十五小时，而且他向我说，还有一次他夜以继日地工作了五 天。甚至胜利的喜悦也不能使他在如此可怕的劳累之后恢复过来。在他的名字响遍欧洲，各 处发来的贺电在他屋中堆积如山的时候，我发现福尔摩斯依然感到很痛苦，神情沮丧。消息 传来，三个国家的警察都失败了，而他却赢得了成功，他在各方面都挫败了欧洲最高超的诈 骗犯玩一弄的鬼把戏。即使这样，也不能使他从疲惫中振作起来。

三天以后，我们一起回到了贝克街。不过，换个环境对我的朋友显然会更好一些，乘此大好 春一光，到乡间去呆一个星期，这种想法对我也充满着吸引力。我的老朋友海特上校在阿富 汗时，请我给他治过病。他现在在萨里郡的赖盖特附近买了一所住宅，经常邀请我到他那里 去作客。最近，他说，只要我的朋友愿意和我一起去，他也会很高兴地款待他。我转弯抹角 地把这意思说了出来，当福尔摩斯听说主人是个单身汉，而且他完全可以自一由行动时，他 同意了我的计划。在从里昂回来后一个星期，我们便来到了上校的住所。海特是一个洒脱的 老军人，见多识广，他很快就发觉，他和福尔摩斯很谈得来，这正是我料到的。

1 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

2 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

3 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

4 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

6 labors   

v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
• Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

10 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

11 prostration   

n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳

参考例句：

• a state of prostration brought on by the heat 暑热导致的虚脱状态
• A long period of worrying led to her nervous prostration. 长期的焦虑导致她的神经衰弱。

12 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。