跳舞的小人（10）

Sherlock Holmes preserved his calm professional manner until our visitor had left us, although it was easy for me, who knew him so well, to see that he was profoundly excited. The moment that Hilton Cubitt's broad back had disappeared through the door my comrade rushed to the table, laid out all the slips of paper containing dancing men in front of him, and threw himself into an intricate and elaborate calculation. For two hours I watched him as he covered sheet after sheet of paper with figures and letters, so completely absorbed in his task that he had evidently forgotten my presence. Sometimes he was making progress and whistled and sang at his work; sometimes he was puzzled, and would sit for long spells with a furrowed brow and a vacant eye. Finally he sprang from his chair with a cry of satisfaction, and walked up and down the room rubbing his hands together. Then he wrote a long telegram upon a cable form. “If my answer to this is as I hope, you will have a very pretty case to add to your collection, Watson,” said he. “I expect that we shall be able to go down to Norfolk to-morrow, and to take our friend some very definite news as to the secret of his annoyance.”

I confess that I was filled with curiosity, but I was aware that Holmes liked to make his disclosures at his own time and in his own way; so I waited until it should suit him to take me into his confidence.

But there was a delay in that answering telegram, and two days of impatience followed, during which Holmes pricked up his ears at every ring of the bell. On the evening of the second there came a letter from Hilton Cubitt. All was quiet with him, save that a long inscription had appeared that morning upon the pedestal of the sun-dial. He inclosed a copy of it, which is here reproduced:—

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Holmes bent over this grotesque frieze for some minutes, and then suddenly sprang to his feet with an exclamation of surprise and dismay. His face was haggard with anxiety.

一直到我们这位客人走了，福尔摩斯始终保持住他那种职业一性一的沉着。但是我很了解他，能很容易地看出来他心里是十分兴奋的。希尔顿·丘比特的宽阔背影刚从门口消失，我的伙伴就急急忙忙跑到桌边，把所有的纸条都摆在自己面前，开始进行一精一细复杂的分析。我一连两小时看着他把画着小人和写上字母的纸条，一张接一张地来回掉换。他全神贯注在这项工作上，完全忘了我在旁边。他干得顺手的时候，便一会儿吹哨，一会儿唱起来；有时给难住了，就好一阵子皱起眉头、两眼发呆地望着。最后，他满意地叫了一声，从椅子上跳起来，在屋里走来走去，不住地一搓一着两只手。后来，他在电报纸上写了一张很长的电报。"华生，如果回电中有我希望得到的答复，你就可以在你的记录中添上一件非常有趣的案子了，他说，道使他烦恼的原因。”

说实话，我当时非常想问个究竟，但是我知道福尔摩斯喜欢在他选好的时候，以自己的方式来谈他的发现。所以我等着，直到他觉得适合向我说明一切的那天。

可是，迟迟不见回电。我们耐着一性一子等了两天。在这两天里，只要门铃一响，福尔摩斯就侧着耳朵听。第二天的晚上，来了一封希尔顿·丘比特的信，说他家里平静无事，只是那天清早又看到一长行跳舞的人画在日晷仪上。他临摹了一张，附在信里寄来了：

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福尔摩斯伏一在桌上，对着这张怪诞的图案看了几分钟，猛然站起来，发出一声惊异、沮丧的喊叫。焦急使他脸色憔悴。