马斯格雷夫礼典13（在线收听）

“Here was one of my fixed points secured.

“‘Have you any old elms?’ I asked.

“‘There used to be a very old one over yonder but it was struck by lightning  ten years ago, and we cut down the stump,’

“‘You can see where it used to be?’

“‘Oh, yes.’

“‘There are no other elms?’

“‘No old ones, but plenty of beeches.’

“‘I should like to see where it grew.’

“We had driven up in a dogcart, and my client led me away at once, without our  entering the house, to the scar on the lawn where the elm had stood. It was  nearly midway between the oak and the house. My investigation seemed to be  progressing.

“‘I suppose it is impossible to find out how high the elm was?’ I asked.

“‘I can give you it at once. It was sixty-four feet.’

“‘How do you come to know it?’ I asked, in surprise.

“‘When my old tutor used to give me an exercise in trigonometry, it always  took the shape of measuring heights. When I was a lad I worked out every tree  and building in the estate.’

“This was an unexpected piece of luck. My data were coming more quickly than I  could have reasonably hoped.

“‘Tell me,’ I asked, ‘did your butler ever ask you such a question?’

“Reginald Musgrave looked at me in astonishment. ‘Now that you call it to my  mind,’ he answered, ‘Brunton did ask me about the height of the tree some  months ago, in connection with some little argument with the groom.’

“This was excellent news, Watson, for it showed me that I was on the right  road. I looked up at the sun. It was low in the heavens, and I calculated that  in less than an hour it would lie just above the topmost branches of the old  oak. One condition mentioned in the Ritual would then be fulfilled. And the  shadow of the elm must mean the farther end of the shadow, otherwise the trunk  would have been chosen as the guide. I had, then, to find where the far end of  the shadow would fall when the sun was just clear of the oak.”

“That must have been difficult, Holmes, when the elm was no longer there.”

“我猜中的一点已经证实，我便问道：‘你们家有老榆树吗？’

“‘那边过去有一棵很老的榆树，十年以前被雷电击毁了。我们把树干锯掉了。’

“‘你能指出那棵榆树的遗址吗？’

“‘啊，当然可以了。’

“‘没有别的榆树了吗？’

“‘没有老榆树了，不过有许多新榆树。’

“‘我很想看看这棵老榆树的旧址。’

“我们乘坐的是单马车，没有进屋，委托人立即把我引到草坪的一个坑洼处，那就是榆树过 去生长的地方。这地方几乎就在橡树和房屋的正中间。我的调查看来正有所进展。

“‘我想我们不可能知道这棵榆树的高度了吧？’我问道。

“‘我可以立刻告诉你树高六十四英尺。’

“‘你怎么知道的呢？’我吃惊地问道。

“‘我的老家庭教师经常叫我做三角练一习一，往往是测量高度。我在少年时代就测算过庄 园里的每棵树和每幢建筑物。’

“这真是意外的幸运。我的数据来得比我想得还快啊。

“‘请告诉我，’我问道，‘管家曾向你问过榆树的事吗？’

“雷金纳德-马斯格雷夫吃惊地望着我。‘经你一提醒我想起来了，’他回答道，‘几个月 以前，布伦顿在同马夫发生一场小争论时，的的确确向我问过榆树的高度。’

“这消息简直太妙了，华生，因为这说明我的路子对了。我抬头看看太一陽一，已经偏西， 我算出，不要一小时，就要偏到老橡树最顶端的枝头上空。礼典中提到的一个条件满足了。 而榆树的一陰一影一定是指一陰一影的远端，不然为什么不选树干做标竿呢？于是，我寻找 太一陽一偏过橡树顶时，榆树一陰一影的最远端落在什么地方。”

“那一定是非常困难的，福尔摩斯，因为榆树已经不在了。”我说道。