我们一想起侦探,第一个想到的就是夏洛克·福尔摩斯。甚至在距离关于他的第一个故事已一百多年的今天,他仍然是我们心中伟大的侦探。游客们仍然会到伦敦的贝克街去看他的公寓。有很多关于他的电影和图片——我们都知道他的样子,知道他穿什么衣服。 When we think of a detective, we think first of Sherlock Holmes. Even now, more than a hundred years after the first story about him, he is still the greatest detective of all. Tourists still go to Baker Street, in London, to see the place where he had his flat. There are films about him, pictures of him — we all know what he looked like, we all know what kind of clothes he wore. 但是他从来就没存在过。他的故事仅仅是故事而已,那么我们为什么记住他了呢? And yet he never existed. The stories about him are just stories. So, why do we remember him? 因为他喜欢抓罪犯。夏洛克·福尔摩斯追踪罪犯就像猎人追踪狐狸一样。他像猎犬和警犬一样,鼻子贴在地上——追踪罪犯到世界的尽头。罪犯可能试图藏匿——但只要夏洛克·福尔摩斯开始追踪,我们就知道他终会成功。 It is because he loves catching criminals. Sherlock Holmes chases the criminal as a hunter chases a fox. He is a bloodhound, a police dog, with his nose to the ground following the criminal to the end of the world. The criminal may try to hide — but when Sherlock Holmes has started the chase, we know that he will finish it with a ’kill’.
Everything went well until a year later,’ said John Openshaw. ’But one morning my father opened a letter to find five orange pips inside it. "What does this mean, John?" he asked. His face was white.
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“‘看!’我说,‘信封上有三个K。伊莱亚斯叔叔的信封上也有那几个字母!’我们都害怕得发抖。
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"Look!" I said. "There’s K. K. K. on the envelope. Those letters were on Uncle Elias’s envelope too!" We were both shaking and afraid.
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“‘是的,这一次信里说“把文件放到花园里”。’
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"Yes, and this time it says ’Put the papers in the garden’."
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“‘什么文件?伊莱亚斯叔叔盒子里的文件?他把它们都烧了!’我说。
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"Which papers? The papers in Uncle Elias’s box? He burnt them!" I said.
"And where has this letter come from?" my father said. He looked at the envelope. "Dundee, Scotland. Well, I don’t know anything about pips or papers. I’m not going to do anything."
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“‘父亲,你必须通知警察。’我说。
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"Father, you must tell the police," I said.
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“我记起叔叔那封来自印度的信,我非常担心。
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I remembered my uncle’s letter from India, and I was very worried.
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“‘不,他们会笑话我的。让我们忘了它吧,’他回答。
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No, they’ll laugh at me. Let’s just forget about it," he replied.
Three days later my poor father went to visit an old friend who lived some miles away. But he never came back. The police said that he was walking home in the dark when he fell down a hill. He was badly hurt, and he died soon after. They decided it was an accident, but I didn’t agree. I thought it was murder, and I could not forget the five orange pips and the strange letters to my uncle and my father.
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“但是我尽量忘记,到现在我独自住在那个房子里快三年了。而昨天我收到了这个。”
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But I’ve tried to forget, and I’ve lived alone in that house for nearly three years now. Then yesterday I got this.’
The young man showed us an envelope with K. K. K. on the back, and five small orange pips. ’You see?’ he said. ’It comes from East London, and it says "Put the papers in the garden". Those are the words that were in the letter to my father.’
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“那你接着做了什么?”福尔摩斯问。
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So what did you do next?’ asked Holmes.
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“什么也没做。”奥彭肖回答。他用手抱着头。“我不知道该做什么。我害怕。”
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Nothing,’ answered Openshaw. He put his head in his hands. ’I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid.’
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“什么也没做?”福尔摩斯大叫,“年轻人,你必须尽快做点儿什么。你正处在危险当中!”
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Nothing?’ cried Holmes. ’Young man, you must do something fast. You’re in danger!’
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“哦,我已经跟警察谈过了,”奥彭肖闷闷不乐地说,“但是他们笑话我。他们认为没有什么可担心的。”
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Well, I’ve talked to the police,’ said Openshaw unhappily. ’But they laughed at me. They think that there’s nothing to worry about.’
How stupid they are!’ cried Holmes. ’And why didn’t you come to me immediately? Your enemies have had almost two days to make a plan. Haven’t you found anything which will help us?’
Well, I found this in the locked room,’ said John Openshaw. He showed us a small, half-burnt piece of paper. ’It was with my uncle’s papers. It’s his writing. Look, it says:
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1869年3月7日把桔核寄给了三个人,
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March 7th 1869 Sent the pips to three people, Brown,
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布朗、鲁宾逊和威廉。
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Robinson and Williams.
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3月9日布朗离开了。
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March 9th Brown left.
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3月10日威廉离开了。
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March 10th Williams left.
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3月12日拜访了鲁宾逊并跟他做了了结。
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March 12th Visited Robinson and finished business with him.
Thank you,’ said SherlockHolmes. ’And now you must hurry home. Put this paper into your uncle’s box, put in a letter which says that your uncle burnt all the other papers, and put the box outside in the garden. I hope your enemies will be happy with that, and then you won’t be in danger any more. How are you going home?’
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“在滑铁卢车站坐火车。”奥彭肖回答。
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By train from Waterloo station,’ replied Openshaw.
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“街上有很多人,所以我认为你会没事的,但是要小心。”
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There’ll be a lot of people in the streets, so I think that you’ll be all right. But be careful.’
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“谢谢你,福尔摩斯先生,”奥彭肖说,“我会照你说的做。”他出门走进风雨交加的黑夜里。
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Thank you, Mr Holmes,’ said Openshaw. ’I’ll do everything you say.’ He went out into the dark night, the wind and the rain.