The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
藍癰的冒險

I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand. Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable hard-felt hat, much the worse for wear, and cracked in several places. A lens and a forceps lying upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination.
耶誕節後的第二天早上，我拜訪了我的朋友夏洛克·福爾摩斯，打算祝他節日快樂。他穿著一件紫色的睡袍，懶洋洋地躺在沙發上，右邊放著一個觸手可及的煙鬥架，近在咫尺的是一堆皺巴巴的晨報，顯然是新研究的。沙發旁邊有一把木椅，靠背的斜角上掛著一頂非常破舊、聲名狼藉的硬氈帽，磨損得更糟糕，有好幾處裂開了。放在椅子座位上的鏡片和鑷子表明，這頂帽子是以這種方式懸掛的，以便檢查。

"You are engaged," said I; "perhaps I interrupt you."
“你訂婚了，”我說;“也許我打斷你了。”

"Not at all. I am glad to have a friend with whom I can discuss my results. The matter is a perfectly trivial one" -- he jerked his thumb in the direction of the old hat --"but there are points in connection with it which are not entirely devoid of interest and even of instruction."
“一點也不。我很高興有個朋友可以和他討論我的結果。這事兒是一件微不足道的小事，“他猛地用拇指指著那頂舊帽子的方向，”可是，有些事情與它有關，並非完全沒有興趣，甚至沒有指導意義。

I seated myself in his armchair and warmed my hands before his crackling fire, for a sharp frost had set in, and the windows were thick with the ice crystals. "I suppose," I remarked, "that, homely as it looks, this thing has some deadly story linked on to it -- that it is the clew which will guide you in the solution of some mystery and the punishment of some crime."
我坐在他的扶手椅上，在他噼啪作響的火堆前暖暖雙手，因為已經結了一層霜，窗戶上布滿了厚厚的冰晶。我想，“我說，”這東西雖然看起來很樸素，但與它有關，卻與一些致命的故事有關——它是指導你解開一些謎團和懲罰某種罪行的線索。

"No, no. No crime," said Sherlock Holmes, laughing. "Only one of those whimsical little incidents which will happen when you have four million human beings all jostling each other within the space of a few square miles. Amid the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity, every possible combination of events may be expected to take place, and many a little problem will be presented which may be striking and bizarre without being criminal. We have already had experience of such."
“不，不。沒有犯罪，「夏洛克·福爾摩斯笑著說。“這隻是那些異想天開的小事件之一，當你有 400 萬人在幾平方英里的空間內互相推搡時，就會發生。在如此密集的人類群體的行動和反應中，可以預期會發生每一種可能的事件組合，並且會出現許多小問題，這些問題可能是引人注目的和離奇的，而不是犯罪的。我們已經有過這樣的經驗了。

"So much so," I remarked, "that of the last six cases which I have added to my notes, three have been entirely free of any legal crime."
“所以，”我說，“在我添加到筆記中的最後六起案件中，有三起完全沒有犯任何法律罪行。

"Precisely. You allude to my attempt to recover the Irene Adler papers, to the singular case of Miss Mary Sutherland, and to the adventure of the man with the twisted lip. Well, I have no doubt that this small matter will fall into the same innocent category. You know Peterson, the commissionaire?"
“沒錯。你提到了我試圖找回愛琳·阿德勒（Irene Adler）的檔，提到了瑪麗·薩瑟蘭小姐（Miss Mary Sutherland）的奇特案，以及那個嘴唇扭曲的男人的冒險經歷。好吧，我毫不懷疑這件小事也會屬於同樣無辜的範疇。你認識看門人彼得森嗎？

"Yes."   “是的。”

"It is to him that this trophy belongs."
“這個獎盃屬於他。”

"It is his hat."   “這是他的帽子。”

"No, no, he found it. Its owner is unknown. I beg that you will look upon it not as a battered billycock but as an intellectual problem. And, first, as to how it came here. It arrived upon Christmas morning, in company with a good fat goose, which is, I have no doubt, roasting at this moment in front of Peterson's fire. The facts are these: about four o'clock on Christmas morning, Peterson, who, as you know, is a very honest fellow, was returning from some small jollification and was making his way homeward down Tottenham Court Road. In front of him he saw, in the gaslight, a tallish man, walking with a slight stagger, and carrying a white goose slung over his shoulder. As he reached the corner of Goodge Street, a row broke out between this stranger and a little knot of roughs. One of the latter knocked off the man's hat, on which he raised his stick to defend himself and, swinging it over his head, smashed the shop window behind him. Peterson had rushed forward to protect the stranger from his assailants; but the man, shocked at having broken the window, and seeing an official-looking person in uniform rushing towards him, dropped his goose, took to his heels, and vanished amid the labyrinth of small streets which lie at the back of Tottenham Court Road. The roughs had also fled at the appearance of Peterson, so that he was left in possession of the field of battle, and also of the spoils of victory in the shape of this battered hat and a most unimpeachable Christmas goose."
“不，不，他找到了。它的擁有者不詳。我懇求你不要把它看作一個破舊的小禮炮，而要把它看作一個智力問題。首先，關於它是如何來到這裡的。它在耶誕節的早晨到達，陪伴著一隻好肥鵝，我毫不懷疑，這隻鵝此時此刻正在彼得森的火爐前烤著。事實是這樣的：耶誕節早晨大約四點鐘左右，彼得森，如你所知，他是一個非常誠實的傢伙，他剛從一些小小的歡樂中回來，正沿著托特納姆法院路回家。在他面前，在煤氣燈下，他看到一個高大的男人，走路微微踉蹌，肩上扛著一隻白鵝。當他走到古奇街的拐角處時，這個陌生人和一小群粗暴的人之間爆發了爭吵。其中一人打掉了那個男人的帽子，他舉起棍子保護自己，然後把棍子揮過頭頂，砸碎了他身後的商店櫥窗。彼得森衝上前來保護這個陌生人免受襲擊者的傷害;但是這個男人對打破窗戶感到震驚，看到一個穿著制服的官員模樣的人向他衝來，他放下鵝，緊跟其後，消失在托特納姆法院路後面迷宮般的小街道中。彼得森一出現，那些粗魯的人也逃跑了，所以他只剩下戰場，還有這頂破舊的帽子和一隻最無可挑剔的聖誕鵝的形狀的勝利戰利品。

"Which surely he restored to their owner?"
“他肯定把這東西還給了他們的主人嗎？”

"My dear fellow, there lies the problem. It is true that 'For Mrs. Henry Baker' was printed upon a small card which was tied to the bird's left leg, and it is also true that the initials 'H. B.' are legible upon the lining of this hat, but as there are some thousands of Bakers, and some hundreds of Henry Bakers in this city of ours, it is not easy to restore lost property to any one of them."
“我親愛的夥伴，問題出在這裡。的確，“For Mrs. Henry Baker”印在一張系在鳥左腿上的小卡片上，這頂帽子的襯裡上也確實可以辨認出首字母“H. B.”，但是由於我們這個城市有成千上萬的貝克和數百名亨利·貝克， 要把失去的財產歸還給他們中的任何一個人都不容易。

"What, then, did Peterson do?"
“那麼，彼得森做了什麼呢？”

"He brought round both hat and goose to me on Christmas morning, knowing that even the smallest problems are of interest to me. The goose we retained until this morning, when there were signs that, in spite of the slight frost, it would be well that it should be eaten without unnecessary delay. Its finder has carried it off, therefore, to fulfil the ultimate destiny of a goose, while I continue to retain the hat of the unknown gentleman who lost his Christmas dinner."
“耶誕節早上，他給我帶來了帽子和鵝，因為他知道即使是最小的問題也會引起我的興趣。我們把鵝留到今天早上，當時有跡象表明，儘管有輕微的霜凍，但最好不要耽誤它。因此，它的發現者把它帶走了，完成了一隻鵝的最終命運，而我則繼續保留著那頂失去聖誕晚餐的無名紳士的帽子。

"Did he not advertise?"   “他沒有做廣告嗎？”

"No."   “不。”

"Then, what clew could you have as to his identity?"
“那麼，你對他的身份有什麼瞭解呢？”

"Only as much as we can deduce."
“只能推斷出我們能推斷的。”

"From his hat?"   “從他的帽子裡？”

"Precisely."   “正是。”

"But you are joking. What can you gather from this old battered felt?"
“但你在開玩笑。你能從這破舊的毛氈里收集到什麼呢？

"Here is my lens. You know my methods. What can you gather yourself as to the individuality of the man who has worn this article?"
“這是我的鏡頭。你知道我的方法。關於穿這篇文章的男人的個性，你能怎麼整理一下呢？

I took the tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather ruefully. It was a very ordinary black hat of the usual round shape, hard and much the worse for wear. The lining had been of red silk, but was a good deal discolored. There was no maker's name; but, as Holmes had remarked, the initials "H. B." were scrawled upon one side. It was pierced in the brim for a hat-securer, but the elastic was missing. For the rest, it was cracked, exceedingly dusty, and spotted in several places, although there seemed to have been some attempt to hide the discolored patches by smearing them with ink.
我把那個破爛的東西拿在手裡，頗為悲哀地把它翻了過來。那是一頂非常普通的黑色帽子，通常的圓形，很硬，而且磨損起來要糟糕得多。襯裡是紅絲綢的，但已經褪色了很多。沒有製作者的名字;但是，正如福爾摩斯所說，首字母“H. B.”被潦草地寫在一邊。帽簷上有刺穿，以便作為帽子固定器，但鬆緊帶不見了。其餘的則開裂，塵土飛揚，有好幾處都有斑點，儘管似乎有人試圖用墨水塗抹來掩蓋變色的斑塊。

"I can see nothing," said I, handing it back to my friend.
“我什麼也看不見，”我說，把它還給我的朋友。

"On the contrary, Watson, you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from what you see. You are too timid in drawing your inferences."
“恰恰相反，華生，你什麼都看得見。然而，你無法從你所看到的進行推理。你太膽怯了，不敢做出你的推論。

"Then, pray tell me what it is that you can infer from this hat?"
“那麼，請告訴我，你能從這頂帽子中推斷出什麼？”

He picked it up and gazed at it in the peculiar introspective fashion which was characteristic of him. "It is perhaps less suggestive than it might have been," he remarked, "and yet there are a few inferences which are very distinct, and a few others which represent at least a strong balance of probability. That the man was highly intellectual is of course obvious upon the face of it, and also that he was fairly well-to-do within the last three years, although he has now fallen upon evil days. He had foresight, but has less now than formerly, pointing to a moral retrogression, which, when taken with the decline of his fortunes, seems to indicate some evil influence, probably drink, at work upon him. This may account also for the obvious fact that his wife has ceased to love him."
他撿起它，以他特有的內省方式凝視著它。“也許沒有它可能那麼具有啟發性，”他評論道，“然而，有一些推論是非常不同的，而另一些推論至少代表了一種強烈的概率平衡。這個人是高智商當然從表面上看是顯而易見的，而且他在過去三年裡還算富裕，儘管他現在已經陷入了邪惡的日子。他有先見之明，但現在比以前少了，這表明他道德上的倒退，當與他的財富下降一起看時，似乎表明某種邪惡的影響，可能是酒精，在對他起作用。這也可以解釋一個明顯的事實，即他的妻子已經不再愛他了。

"My dear Holmes!"   “我親愛的福爾摩斯！”

"He has, however, retained some degree of self-respect," he continued, disregarding my remonstrance. "He is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little, is out of training entirely, is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which he has had cut within the last few days, and which he anoints with lime-cream. These are the more patent facts which are to be deduced from his hat. Also, by the way, that it is extremely improbable that he has gas laid on in his house."
“不過，他還是保持了某種程度的自尊，”他繼續說，無視我的勸告。“他是一個久坐不動的人，很少外出，完全沒有受過訓練，是個中年人，頭髮花白了，這是他最近幾天剪掉的，他用酸橙奶油塗抹。這些是從他的帽子中可以推斷出的更明顯的事實。另外，順便說一句，他家裡有煤氣的可能性極小。

"You are certainly joking, Holmes."
“你肯定是在開玩笑，福爾摩斯。”

"Not in the least. Is it possible that even now, when I give you these results, you are unable to see how they are attained?"
“一點也不。難道即使現在，當我給你這些結果時，你也無法看到它們是如何獲得的嗎？

"I have no doubt that I am very stupid, but I must confess that I am unable to follow you. For example, how did you deduce that this man was intellectual?"
“我毫不懷疑我很愚蠢，但我必須承認，我無法跟隨你。例如，你是怎麼推斷出這個人是個知識份子呢？

For answer Holmes clapped the hat upon his head. It came right over the forehead and settled upon the bridge of his nose. "It is a question of cubic capacity," said he; "a man with so large a brain must have something in it."
福爾摩斯把帽子拍在頭上。它正好越過額頭，落在他的鼻樑上。“這是立方容量的問題，”他說;“一個腦子這麼大的人，一定有什麼東西在裡面。”

"The decline of his fortunes, then?"
“那麼，他的財富衰落了？”

"This hat is three years old. These flat brims curled at the edge came in then. It is a hat of the very best quality. Look at the band of ribbed silk and the excellent lining. If this man could afford to buy so expensive a hat three years ago, and has had no hat since, then he has assuredly gone down in the world."
“這頂帽子已經三年了。這些邊緣捲曲的平帽簷於是進來了。這是一頂品質最好的帽子。看看羅紋真絲帶和出色的襯裡。如果這個人三年前買得起這麼貴的帽子，而且從那以後就再也沒有戴過帽子了，那麼他肯定已經在世界上沉沒了。

"Well, that is clear enough, certainly. But how about the foresight and the moral retrogression?"
“嗯，這當然很清楚。但是，遠見和道德倒退呢？

Sherlock Holmes laughed. "Here is the foresight," said he putting his finger upon the little disc and loop of the hat-securer. "They are never sold upon hats. If this man ordered one, it is a sign of a certain amount of foresight, since he went out of his way to take this precaution against the wind. But since we see that he has broken the elastic and has not troubled to replace it, it is obvious that he has less foresight now than formerly, which is a distinct proof of a weakening nature. On the other hand, he has endeavored to conceal some of these stains upon the felt by daubing them with ink, which is a sign that he has not entirely lost his self-respect."
夏洛克·福爾摩斯笑了起來。“這是先見之明，”他把手指放在帽子固定器的小圓盤和環上說。他們從來不會被帽子賣掉。如果這個人訂購了一個，那就表明他有一定的遠見，因為他不遺餘力地採取了這種防風措施。但是，既然我們看到他已經打破了橡皮筋，而且沒有費心更換它，那麼很明顯，他現在的遠見不如以前了，這是本性衰弱的一個明顯證據。另一方面，他努力用墨水塗抹來掩蓋毛氈上的一些污漬，這表明他並沒有完全失去自尊。

"Your reasoning is certainly plausible."
“你的推理當然是有道理的。”

"The further points, that he is middle-aged, that his hair is grizzled, that it has been recently cut, and that he uses limecream, are all to be gathered from a close examination of the lower part of the lining. The lens discloses a large number of hair-ends, clean cut by the scissors of the barber. They all appear to be adhesive, and there is a distinct odour of lime-cream. This dust, you will observe, is not the gritty, gray dust of the street but the fluffy brown dust of the house, showing that it has been hung up indoors most of the time, while the marks of moisture upon the inside are proof positive that the wearer perspired very freely, and could therefore, hardly be in the best of training."
“再說幾點，他已經中年了，他的頭髮花白了，最近剪過的，他用了石灰霜，這些都是通過仔細檢查襯裡的下部來收集的。鏡頭露出大量的發梢，用理髮師的剪刀乾淨地剪掉。它們似乎都是粘性的，並且有明顯的酸橙奶油氣味。你會注意到，這些灰塵不是街道上砂礫狀的灰色灰塵，而是房子裡蓬鬆的棕色灰塵，這表明它大部分時間都被掛在室內，而裡面的濕氣痕跡則證明穿著者出汗非常自由，因此，幾乎不可能處於最佳訓練狀態。

"But his wife -- you said that she had ceased to love him."
“可是他的妻子——你說她已經不再愛他了。”

"This hat has not been brushed for weeks. When I see you, my dear Watson, with a week's accumulation of dust upon your hat, and when your wife allows you to go out in such a state, I shall fear that you also have been unfortunate enough to lose your wife's affection."
“這頂帽子已經好幾個星期沒刷過了。我親愛的華生，當我看到你帽子上沾滿了一個星期的塵土，當你的妻子允許你在這種狀態下外出時，我擔心你也曾不幸失去了你妻子的愛。

"But he might be a bachelor."
“但他可能是個單身漢。”

"Nay, he was bringing home the goose as a peace-offering to his wife. Remember the card upon the bird's leg."
“不，他把鵝帶回家，作為給他妻子的平安祭品。記住鳥腿上的卡片。

"You have an answer to everything. But how on earth do you deduce that the gas is not laid on in his house?"
“你對一切都有答案。可是你到底怎麼推斷出他家裡沒有煤氣呢？

"One tallow stain, or even two, might come by chance; but when I see no less than five, I think that there can be little doubt that the individual must be brought into frequent contact with burning tallow -- walks upstairs at night probably with his hat in one hand and a guttering candle in the other. Anyhow, he never got tallow-stains from a gas-jet. Are you satisfied?"
“一個，甚至兩個牛油污漬，可能是偶然的;但是當我看到不少於五個時，我想毫無疑問，這個人一定經常接觸燃燒的牛油——晚上上樓時，可能一隻手拿著帽子，一手拿著一根咕嚕咕嚕的蠟燭。不管怎麼說，他從來沒有因為噴氣機而沾上過牛油漬。你滿意嗎？

"Well, it is very ingenious," said I, laughing; "but since, as you said just now, there has been no crime committed, and no harm done save the loss of a goose, all this seems to be rather a waste of energy."
“嗯，這真是太巧妙了，”我笑著說;“可是，正如你剛才所說的，既然沒有犯下任何罪行，除了失去了一隻鵝之外，沒有造成任何傷害，這一切似乎都是在浪費精力。”

Sherlock Holmes had opened his mouth to reply, when the door flew open, and Peterson, the commissionaire, rushed into the apartment with flushed cheeks and the face of a man who is dazed with astonishment.
夏洛克·福爾摩斯正張開嘴想回答，這時門突然打開了，看門人彼得森衝進了公寓，臉頰通紅，臉上露出一個驚訝得發呆的男人。

"The goose, Mr. Holmes! The goose, sir!" he gasped.
“那隻鵝，福爾摩斯先生！那隻鵝，先生！

"Eh? What of it, then? Has it returned to life and flapped off through the kitchen window?" Holmes twisted himself round upon the sofa to get a fairer view of the man's excited face.
“嗯？那麼，它又如何呢？它是否恢復了生機，並從廚房的窗戶拍打著它？福爾摩斯在沙發上扭來扭去，想更清楚地看到這個男人興奮的臉。

"See here, sir! See what my wife found in its crop!" He held out his hand and displayed upon the centre of the palm a brilliantly scintillating blue stone, rather smaller than a bean in size, but of such purity and radiance that it twinkled like an electric point in the dark hollow of his hand.
“看這裡，先生！看看我妻子在它的莊稼裡發現了什麼！他伸出手，在手掌中央展示著一顆閃閃發光的藍色石頭，它的大小比一顆豆子還小，但它是如此的純凈和光芒，以至於它像一個電點一樣在他黑暗的手洞中閃爍。

Sherlock Holmes sat up with a whistle. "By Jove, Peterson!" said he, "this is treasure trove indeed. I suppose you know what you have got?"
夏洛克·福爾摩斯吹了一聲口哨，坐了起來。“喬夫，彼得森，”他說，“這真是個寶庫。我想你知道你得到了什麼吧？

"A diamond, sir? A precious stone. It cuts into glass as though it were putty."
“一顆鑽石，先生？珍貴的寶石。它像膩子一樣切入玻璃。

"It's more than a precious stone. It is the precious stone."
它不僅僅是一顆寶石。它是寶石。

"Not the Countess of Morcar's blue carbuncle!" I ejaculated.
“不是莫爾卡伯爵夫人的藍色痈！”我射精了。

"Precisely so. I ought to know its size and shape, seeing that I have read the advertisement about it in The Times every day lately. It is absolutely unique, and its value can only be conjectured, but the reward offered of 1000 pounds is certainly not within a twentieth part of the market price."
“正是如此。我應該知道它的大小和形狀，因為我最近每天都在《泰晤士報》上讀到關於它的廣告。它絕對是獨一無二的，其價值也只能是推測，但提供的 1000 英鎊的獎勵肯定不在市場價格的二十分之內。

"A thousand pounds! Great Lord of mercy!" The commissionaire plumped down into a chair and stared from one to the other of us.
“一千英鎊！偉大的仁慈之主！看門人一頭扎進椅子上，盯著我們這邊看。

"That is the reward, and I have reason to know that there are sentimental considerations in the background which would induce the Countess to part with half her fortune if she could but recover the gem."
“這就是報酬，而且我有理由知道，如果伯爵夫人能找回那顆寶石的話，背後有感情上的考慮，會誘使她把一半的財產分出去。”

"It was lost, if I remember aright, at the Hotel Cosmopolitan," I remarked.
“如果我沒記錯的話，它在大都會酒店丟失了，”我說。

"Precisely so, on December 22d, just five days ago. John Horner, a plumber, was accused of having abstracted it from the lady's jewel-case. The evidence against him was so strong that the case has been referred to the Assizes. I have some account of the matter here, I believe." He rummaged amid his newspapers, glancing over the dates, until at last he smoothed one out, doubled it over, and read the following paragraph:
“正是如此，就在 12 月 22 日，就在五天前。水管工約翰·霍納 （John Horner） 被指控從這位女士的珠寶盒中取出了它。對他不利的證據如此有力，以至於此案已提交給 Assizes。我相信，我對這兒的事情有一些說明。他在報紙上翻找，掃視著日期，直到最後他把一份報紙弄平，翻了一遍，讀了下面一段：

"Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel Robbery. John Horner, 26, plumber, was brought up upon the charge of having upon the 22d inst., abstracted from the jewel-case of the Countess of Morcar the valuable gem known as the blue carbuncle. James Ryder, upper-attendant at the hotel, gave his evidence to the effect that he had shown Horner up to the dressing-room of the Countess of Morcar upon the day of the robbery in order that he might solder the second bar of the grate, which was loose. He had remained with Horner some little time, but had finally been called away. On returning, he found that Horner had disappeared, that the bureau had been forced open, and that the small morocco casket in which, as it afterwards transpired, the Countess was accustomed to keep her jewel, was lying empty upon the dressing-table. Ryder instantly gave the alarm, and Horner was arrested the same evening; but the stone could not be found either upon his person or in his rooms. Catherine Cusack, maid to the Countess, deposed to having heard Ryder's cry of dismay on discovering the robbery, and to having rushed into the room, where she found matters as described by the last witness. Inspector Bradstreet, B division, gave evidence as to the arrest of Horner, who struggled frantically, and protested his innocence in the strongest terms. Evidence of a previous conviction for robbery having been given against the prisoner, the magistrate refused to deal summarily with the offence, but referred it to the Assizes. Horner, who had shown signs of intense emotion during the proceedings, fainted away at the conclusion and was carried out of court.
“大都會酒店珠寶搶劫案。約翰·霍納 （John Horner），26 歲，水管工，被指控在 22 日從莫爾卡伯爵夫人的珠寶盒中取出了被稱為藍色痈的貴重寶石。旅館的上層服務員詹姆斯·萊德（James Ryder）提供了他的證據，大意是他在搶劫當天帶霍納去了莫爾卡伯爵夫人的更衣室，以便他可以焊接爐排的第二根鬆動的條子。他在霍納身邊呆了一小段時間，但最後還是被叫走了。他回來后，發現霍納不見了，辦公室被強行打開了，而那個小摩洛哥棺材——後來才知道，伯爵夫人習慣於存放她的珠寶——空蕩蕩地躺在梳妝臺上。萊德立即發出警報，霍納在當天晚上被捕;但無論是在他身上還是在他的房間裡都找不到那塊石頭。伯爵夫人的女僕凱薩琳·庫薩克 （Catherine Cusack） 聲稱聽到了萊德在發現搶劫案後沮喪的哭聲，並衝進房間，在那裡她發現了最後一個證人所描述的事情。B 部門的布拉德斯特裡特督察就霍納被捕提供了證據，霍納瘋狂地掙扎，並以最強烈的措辭抗議他的清白。裁判官提供了針對囚犯的搶劫罪前科證據，拒絕立即處理該罪行，而是將其提交給 Assizes。霍納在訴訟過程中表現出強烈的情緒，在結束時暈倒並被帶出法庭。

"Hum! So much for the police-court," said Holmes thoughtfully, tossing aside the paper. "The question for us now to solve is the sequence of events leading from a rifled jewel-case at one end to the crop of a goose in Tottenham Court Road at the other. You see, Watson, our little deductions have suddenly assumed a much more important and less innocent aspect. Here is the stone; the stone came from the goose, and the goose came from Mr. Henry Baker, the gentleman with the bad hat and all the other characteristics with which I have bored you. So now we must set ourselves very seriously to finding this gentleman and ascertaining what part he has played in this little mystery. To do this, we must try the simplest means first, and these lie undoubtedly in an advertisement in all the evening papers. If this fail, I shall have recourse to other methods."
“哼！員警法庭就這麼多了，「福爾摩斯若有所思地說，把那張紙扔到一邊。“我們現在要解決的問題是從一端的線膛珠寶盒到另一端托特納姆法院路的一隻鵝的收割事件的順序。你看，華生，我們的小小的推論突然變得更重要、更不無辜了。這是石頭;石頭來自鵝，鵝來自亨利·貝克先生，這位紳士戴著一頂壞帽子，具有我使你感到厭煩的所有其他特徵。所以現在我們必須非常認真地找到這位先生，弄清楚他在這個小謎團中起了什麼作用。要做到這一點，我們必須首先嘗試最簡單的方法，而這些方法無疑存在於所有晚報的廣告中。如果這失敗了，我就得用其他方法了。

"What will you say?"   “你會說什麼？”

"Give me a pencil and that slip of paper. Now, then: 'Found at the corner of Goodge Street, a goose and a black felt hat. Mr. Henry Baker can have the same by applying at 6:30 this evening at 221B, Baker Street.' That is clear and concise."
“給我一支鉛筆和那張紙條。現在，那麼：「在古奇街的拐角處發現了一隻鵝和一頂黑色的氈帽。亨利·貝克先生可以在今晚 6：30 在貝克街 221B 號申請。這很清楚，很簡潔。

"Very. But will he see it?"
“非常。但他會看到嗎？

"Well, he is sure to keep an eye on the papers, since, to a poor man, the loss was a heavy one. He was clearly so scared by his mischance in breaking the window and by the approach of Peterson that he thought of nothing but flight, but since then he must have bitterly regretted the impulse which caused him to drop his bird. Then, again, the introduction of his name will cause him to see it, for everyone who knows him will direct his attention to it. Here you are, Peterson, run down to the advertising agency and have this put in the evening papers."
“嗯，他肯定盯著那些報紙，因為，對一個窮人來說，損失是沉重的。他顯然被自己不小心打破了窗戶和彼得森的接近嚇壞了，他只想著逃跑，但從那以後，他一定對導致他丟下鳥的衝動感到非常後悔。然後，他的名字的介紹會使他看到它，因為每個認識他的人都會把他的注意力引向它。你來了，彼得森，跑到廣告公司去，把這件事刊到晚報上。

"In which, sir?"   “在哪兒，先生？”

"Oh, in the Globe, Star, Pall Mall, St. James's, Evening News Standard, Echo, and any others that occur to you."
“哦，在環球報、星報、Pall Mall、聖詹姆斯、標準晚報、回聲報，以及你想到的任何其他雜誌。”

"Very well, sir. And this stone?"
“很好，先生。那這塊石頭呢？

"Ah, yes, I shall keep the stone. Thank you. And, I say, Peterson, just buy a goose on your way back and leave it here with me, for we must have one to give to this gentleman in place of the one which your family is now devouring."
“啊，是的，我會保留那塊石頭。謝謝。還有，我說，彼得森，你回去的時候買一隻鵝，把它留給我吧，因為我們必須有一隻鵝可以送給這位先生，而不是你家現在正在吃的那隻鵝。

When the commissionaire had gone, Holmes took up the stone and held it against the light. "It's a bonny thing," said he. "Just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the devil's pet baits. In the larger and older jewels every facet may stand for a bloody deed. This stone is not yet twenty years old. It was found in the banks of the Amoy River in southem China and is remarkable in having every characteristic of the carbuncle, save that it is blue in shade instead of ruby red. In spite of its youth, it has already a sinister history. There have been two murders, a vitriol-throwing, a suicide, and several robberies brought about for the sake of this forty-grain weight of crystallized charcoal. Who would think that so pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the gallows and the prison? I'll lock it up in my strong box now and drop a line to the Countess to say that we have it."
看門人走後，福爾摩斯把石頭撿起來，對著燈光。“這是一件好事，”他說。看看它如何閃閃發光。當然，它是犯罪的核心和焦點。每顆好石頭都是。他們是魔鬼的寵物誘餌。在更大、更古老的珠寶中，每個刻面都可能代表著血腥的行為。這塊石頭還不到二十年。它發現於中國南部的廈門河畔，具有癰的所有特徵，除了它的陰影是藍色而不是寶石紅色之外，它的特點是非凡的。儘管它很年輕，但它已經有一段險惡的歷史。為了這四十格令重的結晶木炭，發生了兩起謀殺案、一起潑灑毒物、一起自殺和幾起搶劫案。誰會想到這麼漂亮的玩具會成為絞刑架和監獄的供應商呢？我現在就把它鎖在我的保險箱裡，然後給伯爵夫人寫個電話，說我們有它。

"Do you think that this man Horner is innocent?"
“你覺得霍納這個人是無辜的嗎？”

"I cannot tell."   “我說不上來。”

"Well, then, do you imagine that this other one, Henry Baker, had anything to do with the matter?"
“那麼，你覺得這個人，亨利·貝克，跟這件事有什麼關係嗎？”

"It is, I think, much more likely that Henry Baker is an absolutely innocent man, who had no idea that the bird which he was carrying was of considerably more value than if it were made of solid gold. That, however, I shall determine by a very simple test if we have an answer to our advertisement."
“我認為，亨利·貝克很可能是一個絕對無辜的人，他不知道他所攜帶的這隻鳥比純金做的鳥更有價值。不過，我得通過一個非常簡單的測試來確定我們是否對我們的廣告有答案。

"And you can do nothing until then?"
“那麼在那之前你什麼都不能做嗎？”

"Nothing."   “沒什麼。”

"In that case I shall continue my professional round. But I shall come back in the evening at the hour you have mentioned, for I should like to see the solution of so tangled a business."
“既然如此，我就繼續我的職業巡視。不過我晚上會在你提到的那個時候回來，因為我想看看解決這樣一件糾結的事情。

"Very glad to see you. I dine at seven. There is a woodcock, I believe. By the way, in view of recent occurrences, perhaps I ought to ask Mrs. Hudson to examine its crop."
“很高興見到你。我七點吃飯。我相信有一隻林鷸。順便說一句，鑒於最近發生的事情，也許我應該請哈德遜太太檢查一下它的收成。

I had been delayed at a case, and it was a little after half-past six when I found myself in Baker Street once more. As I approached the house I saw a tall man in a Scotch bonnet with a coat which was buttoned up to his chin waiting outside in the bright semicircle which was thrown from the fanlight. Just as l arrived the door was opened, and we were shown up together to Holmes's room.
我被一個案子耽擱了，六點半多一點，我發現自己又回到了貝克街。當我走近房子時，我看到一個戴著蘇格蘭帽的高個子男人，外套扣子扣到下巴，在外面從風扇燈扔下來的明亮的半圓里等著。我剛到，門就開了，我們一起被帶到福爾摩斯的房間里。

"Mr. Henry Baker, I believe," said he, rising from his armchair and greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which he could so readily assume. "Pray take this chair by the fire, Mr. Baker. It is a cold night, and I observe that your circulation is more adapted for summer than for winter. Ah, Watson, you have just come at the right time. Is that your hat, Mr. Baker?"
“我相信是亨利·貝克先生，”他說，從扶手椅上站起來，以他很容易想像的輕鬆和藹的語氣向他的客人打招呼。“请把這把椅子放在火爐邊，貝克先生。這是一個寒冷的夜晚，我觀察到你的血液迴圈更適合夏天而不是冬天。啊，華生，你來得正是時候。那是你的帽子嗎，貝克先生？

"Yes, sir, that is undoubtedly my hat."
“是的，先生，那無疑是我的帽子。”

He was a large man with rounded shoulders, a massive head, and a broad, intelligent face, sloping down to a pointed beard of grizzled brown. A touch of red in nose and cheeks, with a slight tremor of his extended hand, recalled Holmes's surmise as to his habits. His rusty black frock-coat was buttoned right up in front, with the collar turned up, and his lank wrists protruded from his sleeves without a sign of cuff or shirt. He spoke in a slow staccato fashion, choosing his words with care, and gave the impression generally of a man of learning and letters who had had ill-usage at the hands of fortune.
他是個大個子，有著圓潤的肩膀，一個巨大的腦袋，一張寬闊而聰明的臉，斜斜地留著一撮灰白的棕色尖鬍子。鼻子和臉頰上泛起一絲紅暈，他伸出的手微微顫抖，使人想起福爾摩斯對他習慣的猜測。他那件生鏽的黑色禮服大衣扣在前面，衣領向上翻，他那纖細的手腕從袖子裡伸出來，沒有袖口或襯衫的痕跡。他說話語氣緩慢而斷斷續續，用詞小心翼翼，給人的印象一般是一個博學多才、文學高興的人，卻在命運的手中被濫用了。

"We have retained these things for some days," said Holmes, "because we expected to see an advertisement from you giving your address. I am at a loss to know now why you did not advertise."
“我們把這些東西留了好幾天了，”福爾摩斯說，“因為我們預計會看到你發來一則廣告，提供你的位址。我現在不知道你為什麼不做廣告。

Our visitor gave a rather shamefaced laugh. "Shillings have not been so plentiful with me as they once were," he remarked. "I had no doubt that the gang of roughs who assaulted me had carried off both my hat and the bird. I did not care to spend more money in a hopeless attempt at recovering them."
我們的客人頗為羞愧地笑了笑。“我以前不像以前那麼多了，”他說。“我毫不懷疑襲擊我的那幫粗暴分子把我的帽子和那隻鳥都帶走了。我不想花更多的錢來無望地試圖找回它們。

"Very naturally. By the way, about the bird, we were compelled to eat it."
“很自然。順便說一句，關於那隻鳥，我們不得不吃掉它。

"To eat it!" Our visitor half rose from his chair in his excitement.
“吃掉它！”我們的客人興奮地從椅子上站了起來。

"Yes, it would have been of no use to anyone had we not done so. But I presume that this other goose upon the sideboard, which is about the same weight and perfectly fresh, will answer your purpose equally well?"
“是的，如果我們不這樣做，這對任何人都毫無用處。但是我想，餐具櫃上的另一隻鵝，它的重量差不多，而且非常新鮮，同樣能很好地滿足你的目的。

"Oh, certainly, certainly," answered Mr. Baker with a sigh of relief.
“哦，當然，當然，”貝克先生鬆了一口氣回答。

"Of course, we still have the feathers, legs, crop, and so on of your own bird, so if you wish --"
“當然，我們還有你自己鳥的羽毛、腿、莊稼等等，所以如果你願意的話——”

The man burst into a hearty laugh. "They might be useful to me as relics of my adventure," said he, "but beyond that I can hardly see what use the disjecta membra of my late acquaintance are going to be to me. No, sir, I think that, with your permission, I will confine my attentions to the excellent bird which I perceive upon the sideboard."
那人放聲大笑。“它們也許對我有用，作為我冒險的遺物，”他說，“但除此之外，我幾乎看不出我已故熟人的那塊 disjecta membra 對我有什麼用處。不，先生，我想，只要您允許，我就把注意力集中在我在餐具櫃上看到的那隻極好的鳥上。

Sherlock Holmes glanced sharply across at me with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
夏洛克·福爾摩斯狠狠地瞥了我一眼，微微聳了聳肩。

"There is your hat, then, and there your bird," said he. "By the way, would it bore you to tell me where you got the other one from? I am somewhat of a fowl fancier, and I have seldom seen a better grown goose."
“那麼，那兒是你的帽子，那兒是你的鳥，”他說。“對了，你告訴我你從哪裡弄來的另一只會很麻煩嗎？”我有點喜歡吃雞，我很少見過長得更好的鵝。

"Certainly, sir," said Baker, who had risen and tucked his newly gained property under his arm. "There are a few of us who frequent the Alpha Inn, near the Museum -- we are to be found in the Museum itself during the day, you understand. This year our good host, Windigate by name, instituted a goose club, by which, on consideration of some few pence every week, we were each to receive a bird at Christmas. My pence were duly paid, and the rest is familiar to you. I am much indebted to you, sir, for a Scotch bonnet is fitted neither to my years nor my gravity." With a comical pomposity of manner he bowed solemnly to both of us and strode off upon his way.
“當然可以，先生，”貝克說，他站起來，把他新得到的財產塞在胳膊下。“我們幾個人經常光顧博物館附近的阿爾法旅館——你懂的，我們白天會在博物館里被發現。今年，我們的好主人，名叫溫迪蓋特（Windigate）的主人，成立了一個鵝俱樂部，根據這個俱樂部，我們每周要花幾便士，在聖誕節每人收到一隻鳥。我的便士已經按時付清了，其餘的你都很熟悉。先生，我非常感激您，因為蘇格蘭帽既不適合我的年齡，也不適合我的體重。他以一種滑稽的姿態，鄭重地向我們倆鞠了一躬，然後大步走了。

"So much for Mr. Henry Baker," said Holmes when he had closed the door behind him. "It is quite certain that he knows nothing whatever about the matter. Are you hungry, Watson?"
“亨利·貝克先生就這麼多了，”福爾摩斯在他身後關上門時說。“可以肯定的是，他對這件事一無所知。你餓了嗎，華生？

"Not particularly."   “不是特別。”

"Then I suggest that we turn our dinner into a supper and follow up this clew while it is still hot."
“那麼我建議我們把晚餐變成晚餐，趁它還熱的時候再來吃。”

"By all means."   “當然。”

It was a bitter night, so we drew on our ulsters and wrapped cravats about our throats. Outside, the stars were shining coldly in a cloudless sky, and the breath of the passers-by blew out into smoke like so many pistol shots. Our footfalls rang out crisply and loudly as we swung through the doctors' quarter, Wimpole Street, Harley Street, and so through Wigmore Street into Oxford Street. In a quarter of an hour we were in Bloomsbury at the Alpha Inn, which is a small public-house at the corner of one of the streets which runs down into Holborn. Holmes pushed open the door of the private bar and ordered two glasses of beer from the ruddy-faced, white-aproned landlord.
那是一個苦澀的夜晚，所以我們穿上了長袍，用領結纏住了我們的喉嚨。外面，星星在萬里無雲的天空中冷冷地閃耀著，過人的呼吸像許多手槍射擊一樣吹成煙霧。當我們穿過醫生區、溫波爾街、哈雷街，穿過威格莫爾街進入牛津街時，我們的腳步聲清脆而響亮。一刻鐘后，我們到達了布盧姆斯伯里的阿爾法旅館（Alpha Inn），這是一座小型公共房屋，位於通往霍爾本的一條街道的拐角處。福爾摩斯推開私人酒吧的門，從臉色紅潤、穿著白色圍裙的房東那裡點了兩杯啤酒。

"Your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your geese," said he.
“如果你的啤酒和你的鵝一樣好，它應該是極好的，”他說。

"My geese!" The man seemed surprised.
“我的鵝！”這個男人似乎很驚訝。

"Yes. I was speaking only half an hour ago to Mr. Henry Baker, who was a member of your goose club."
“是的。半小時前我還和亨利·貝克先生談過話，他是你們鵝俱樂部的會員。

"Ah! yes, I see. But you see, sir, them's not our geese."
“啊！是的，我明白了。可是你看，先生，他們不是我們的鵝。

"Indeed! Whose, then?"   “是的！那麼，是誰呢？

"Well, I got the two dozen from a salesman in Covent Garden."
“嗯，我從考文特花園的一位推銷員那裡買了那二十幾塊。”

"Indeed? I know some of them. Which was it?"
“真的嗎？我認識他們中的一些人。是哪一個？

"Breckinridge is his name."
“佈雷金裡奇是他的名字。”

"Ah! I don't know him. Well, here's your good health landlord, and prosperity to your house. Good-night.
“啊！我不認識他。好吧，這是你身體健康的房東，祝你房子繁榮昌盛。晚安。

"Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coat as we came out into the frosty air. "Remember, Watson that though we have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of this chain, we have at the other a man who will certainly get seven years' penal servitude unless we can establish his innocence. It is possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt but, in any case, we have a line of investigation which has been missed by the police, and which a singular chance has placed in our hands. Let us follow it out to the bitter end. Faces to the south, then, and quick march!"
“現在是佈雷金裡奇先生，”他繼續說，在我們走出來時，他扣上了外套的扣子，走進了寒冷的空氣中。“記住，華生，雖然我們在這條鏈條的一端有一隻鵝這樣樸素的東西，但在另一端，除非我們能證明他的清白，否則他肯定會被判處七年的刑罰。我們的調查可能只能證實他的罪行，但無論如何，我們有一條調查路線被警方錯過了，而這一條線索已經擺在我們手中。讓我們跟著它走到最後。那麼，面朝南方，快點行軍吧！

We passed across Holborn, down Endell Street, and so through a zigzag of slums to Covent Garden Market. One of the largest stalls bore the name of Breckinridge upon it, and the proprietor a horsy-looking man, with a sharp face and trim side-whiskers was helping a boy to put up the shutters.
我們穿過霍爾本，沿著恩德爾街（Endell Street），穿過曲折的貧民窟，來到考文特花園市場（Covent Garden Market）。最大的一個攤位上寫著佈雷金裡奇的名字，店主是個長得駭頭大汗的男人，長著一張尖銳的臉，留著修剪整齊的鬍鬚，正在説明一個男孩拉上百葉窗。

"Good-evening. It's a cold night," said Holmes.
晚上好。這是一個寒冷的夜晚，“福爾摩斯說。

The salesman nodded and shot a questioning glance at my companion.
售貨員點點頭，質疑地瞥了我的同伴一眼。

"Sold out of geese, I see," continued Holmes, pointing at the bare slabs of marble.
“鵝都賣光了，我明白了，”福爾摩斯指著光禿禿的大理石板繼續說。

"Let you have five hundred to-morrow morning."
“明天早上給你五百塊錢。”

"That's no good."   “那不好。”

"Well, there are some on the stall with the gas-flare."
“嗯，攤位上有一些帶著燃氣火炬。”

"Ah, but I was recommended to you."
“啊，但我是被推薦給你的。”

"Who by?"   “誰？”

"The landlord of the Alpha."
“Alpha 的房東。”

"Oh, yes; I sent him a couple of dozen."
“哦，是的;我給他寄了幾十個。

"Fine birds they were, too. Now where did you get them from?"
他們也是好鳥。那麼你是從哪裡弄來的呢？

To my surprise the question provoked a burst of anger from the salesman.
令我驚訝的是，這個問題激起了推銷員的一陣憤怒。

"Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what are you driving at? Let's have it straight, now."
“那麼，先生，”他歪著頭說，雙臂叉著，“你開車幹什麼呢？現在讓我們直截了當。

"It is straight enough. I should like to know who sold you the geese which you supplied to the Alpha."
“它夠直的。我想知道你提供給 Alpha 的鵝是誰賣給你的。

"Well then, I shan't tell you. So now!"
“那麼，我就不告訴你了。所以現在！

"Oh, it is a matter of no importance; but I don't know why you should be so warm over such a trifle."
“噢，這事不重要;可是我不知道你為什麼要為這種小事這麼熱情呢。

"Warm! You'd be as warm, maybe, if you were as pestered as I am. When I pay good money for a good article there should be an end of the business; but it's 'Where are the geese?' and 'Who did you sell the geese to?' and 'What will you take for the geese?' One would think they were the only geese in the world, to hear the fuss that is made over them."
“暖和的！也許，如果你像我一樣被纏著，你會一樣溫暖。當我為一篇好文章支付了高價時，生意就應該結束了;而是『鵝在哪裡？』和『你把鵝賣給誰了？』和『你會拿什麼來換鵝？人們會認為他們是世界上唯一的鵝，聽到了對他們的大驚小怪。

"Well, I have no connection with any other people who have been making inquiries," said Holmes carelessly. "If you won't tell us the bet is off, that is all. But I'm always ready to back my opinion on a matter of fowls, and I have a fiver on it that the bird I ate is country bred."
“嗯，我跟任何打聽的人都沒有關係，”福爾摩斯漫不經心地說。“如果你不告訴我們賭注已經結束，那就這樣。但我總是準備支援我對家禽的看法，我有五分之二的說法是我吃的鳥是鄉下飼養的。

"Well, then, you've lost your fiver, for it's town bred," snapped the salesman.
“嗯，那麼，你丟了你的五分錢，因為它是城裡出產的，”推銷員厲聲說。

"It's nothing of the kind."
“這根本不是那種。”

"I say it is."   “我說是的。”

"I don't believe it."   “我不相信。”

"D'you think you know more about fowls than I, who have handled them ever since I was a nipper? I tell you, all those birds that went to the Alpha were town bred."
“你覺得你比我更瞭解家禽嗎，我從小就開始處理家禽了？我告訴你，所有參加Alpha的鳥都是城裡飼養的。

"You'll never persuade me to believe that."
“你永遠無法說服我相信這一點。”

"Will you bet, then?"   “那麼，你敢打賭嗎？”

"It's merely taking your money, for I know that I am right. But I'll have a sovereign on with you, just to teach you not to be obstinate."
“這隻是拿走你的錢，因為我知道我是對的。但我會派一個君主陪著你，只是為了教你不要固執己見。

The salesman chuckled grimly. "Bring me the books, Bill," said he.
推銷員冷酷地笑了起來。“把書拿來給我，比爾，”他說。

The small boy brought round a small thin volume and a great greasy-backed one, laying them out together beneath the hanging lamp.
小男孩拿來一本薄薄的小書和一本油膩的大書，把它們一起放在吊燈下。

"Now then, Mr. Cocksure," said the salesman, "I thought that I was out of geese, but before I finish you'll find that there is still one left in my shop. You see this little book?"
“那麼，科克蘇爾先生，”推銷員說，“我以為我沒鵝了，可是我還沒說完，你就會發現我的店裡還剩下一隻鵝。你看到這本小書了嗎？

"Well?"   “嗯？”

"That's the list of the folk from whom I buy. D'you see? Well, then, here on this page are the country folk, and the numbers after their names are where their accounts are in the big ledger. Now, then! You see this other page in red ink? Well, that is a list of my town suppliers. Now, look at that third name. Just read it out to me."
“那是我買東西的人的名單。你明白嗎？那麼，這個頁面上是鄉下人，他們名字後面的數位是他們的帳戶在大帳本上的位置。那麼，現在！你看到另一頁是紅色墨水的嗎？嗯，這是我所在城鎮的供應商名單。現在，看看第三個名字。就讀給我聽。

"Mrs. Oakshott, 117, Brixton Road -- 249," read Holmes.
“奧克肖特夫人，布里克斯頓路 117 號——249 號，”福爾摩斯寫道。

"Quite so. Now turn that up in the ledger."
“確實如此。現在把它記在帳本上。

Holmes turned to the page indicated. "Here you are, 'Mrs. Oakshott, 117, Brixton Road, egg and poultry supplier."
福爾摩斯翻到指示的那一頁。“你在這裡，'Oakshott 夫人，布里克斯頓路 117 號，雞蛋和家禽供應商。”

"Now, then, what's the last entry?"
“那麼，最後一條是什麼？”

"'December 22d. Twenty-four geese at 7s. 6d.'"
“'12 月 22 日。24 隻鵝在 7 秒 6 天。

"Quite so. There you are. And underneath?"
“確實如此。你在這兒。在下面呢？

"'Sold to Mr. Windigate of the Alpha, at 12s.'"
“'賣給了 Alpha 的 Windigate 先生，12 秒。'

"What have you to say now?"
“你現在有什麼要說的？”

Sherlock Holmes looked deeply chagrined. He drew a sovereign from his pocket and threw it down upon the slab, turning away with the air of a man whose disgust is too deep for words. A few yards off he stopped under a lamp-post and laughed in the hearty, noiseless fashion which was peculiar to him.
夏洛克·福爾摩斯看起來非常懊惱。他從口袋裡掏出一枚金幣，扔在石板上，轉身離開，神情就像一個厭惡得無法用言語表達的男人。幾碼遠的地方，他在一根燈柱下停了下來，用他特有的爽朗、無聲的風格大笑起來。

"When you see a man with whiskers of that cut and the 'Pink 'un' protruding out of his pocket, you can always draw him by a bet," said he. "I daresay that if I had put 100 pounds down in front of him, that man would not have given me such complete information as was drawn from him by the idea that he was doing me on a wager. Well, Watson, we are, I fancy, nearing the end of our quest, and the only point which remains to be determined is whether we should go on to this Mrs. Oakshott to-night, or whether we should reserve it for to-morrow. It is clear from what that surly fellow said that there are others besides ourselves who are anxious about the matter, and I should --"
“當你看到一個留著那個頭髮的鬍鬚，從口袋裡伸出'粉紅色'的男人時，你總能打賭抽到他，”他說。“我敢說，如果我在他面前放下 100 英鎊，那個人就不會給我提供他從他那裡得到的那麼完整的資訊，因為他是在打賭。嗯，華生，我想，我們的任務已經接近尾聲了，唯一有待確定的一點是，我們是今晚繼續去找這位奧克肖特太太，還是留到明天再去。從那個粗魯的傢伙所說的話中可以清楚地看出，除了我們之外，還有其他人在為這件事感到焦慮，我應該——”

His remarks were suddenly cut short by a loud hubbub which broke out from the stall which we had just left. Turning round we saw a little rat-faced fellow standing in the centre of the circle of yellow light which was thrown by the swinging lamp, while Breckinridge, the salesman, framed in the door of his stall, was shaking his fists fiercely at the cringing figure.
他的話突然被我們剛剛離開的隔間里傳來的一陣喧囂打斷了。我們轉過身來，看到一個老鼠臉的小傢伙站在搖擺的燈投下的黃光圈的中央，而被框在攤位門口的推銷員佈雷金裡奇正對著那個畏縮的身影猛烈地揮舞著拳頭。

"I've had enough of you and your geese," he shouted. "I wish you were all at the devil together. If you come pestering me any more with your silly talk I'll set the dog at you. You bring Mrs. Oakshott here and I'll answer her, but what have you to do with it? Did I buy the geese off you?"
“我已經受夠了你和你的鵝，”他喊道。“我希望你們都一起面對魔鬼。如果你再用你的愚蠢話來纏擾我，我就把狗對準你。你把奧克肖特太太帶到這裡來，我來回答她，但你跟這件事有什麼關係呢？我從你那裡買下了鵝嗎？

"No; but one of them was mine all the same," whined the little man.
“不;但其中一個還是我的，“小個子抱怨道。

"Well, then, ask Mrs. Oakshott for it."
“那麼，請向奧克肖特太太要。”

"She told me to ask you."
“她讓我問你。”

"Well, you can ask the King of Proosia, for all I care. I've had enough of it. Get out of this!" He rushed fiercely forward, and the inquirer flitted away into the darkness.
“嗯，你可以問問普羅西亞國王，我管我怎麼說。我已經受夠了。滾出去！他猛地向前衝去，詢問者飛快地跑進了黑暗中。

"Ha! this may save us a visit to Brixton Road," whispered Holmes. "Come with me, and we will see what is to be made of this fellow." Striding through the scattered knots of people who lounged round the flaring stalls, my companion speedily overtook the little man and touched him upon the shoulder. He sprang round, and I could see in the gas-light that every vestige of color had been driven from his face.
“哈！這樣可以省去我們去布里克斯頓路的麻煩，「福爾摩斯低聲說。“跟我來，讓我們看看這個傢伙會怎麼樣。”我的同伴大步穿過在火光炯炯的馬廄周圍閒逛的零散人群，迅速地追上了那個小個子，碰了碰他的肩膀。他跳過來，我可以在煤氣燈下看到他臉上的每一絲色彩都被驅散了。

"Who are you, then? What do you want?" he asked in a quavering voice.
“那麼，你是誰？你想要什麼？

"You will excuse me," said Holmes blandly, "but I could not help overhearing the questions which you put to the salesman just now. I think that I could be of assistance to you."
“请原諒我，”福爾摩斯淡淡地說，“可是我忍不住偷聽了你剛才向推銷員提出的問題。我想我可以幫你一把。

"You? Who are you? How could you know anything of the matter?"
“你？你是誰？你怎麼知道這件事呢？

"My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know."
“我叫夏洛克·福爾摩斯。我的工作是瞭解其他人不知道的東西。

"But you can know nothing of this?"
“可是你對這事一無所知吧？”

"Excuse me, I know everything of it. You are endeavoring to trace some geese which were sold by Mrs. Oakshott, of Brixton Road, to a salesman named Breckinridge, by him in turn to Mr. Windigate, of the Alpha, and by him to his club, of which Mr. Henry Baker is a member."
“對不起，我什麼都知道。你正在努力追蹤一些鵝，這些鵝是布里克斯頓路的奧克肖特太太賣給一個名叫佈雷金裡奇的推銷員的，然後是他賣給阿爾法的溫迪蓋特先生，又是他賣給他的俱樂部的，亨利·貝克先生就是這個俱樂部的會員。

"Oh, sir, you are the very man whom I have longed to meet," cried the little fellow with outstretched hands and quivering fingers. "I can hardly explain to you how interested I am in this matter."
“哦，先生，你就是我渴望見到的那個人，”那個伸出雙手和顫抖的手指的小傢伙叫道。“我很難向你解釋我對這件事有多感興趣。”

Sherlock Holmes hailed a four-wheeler which was passing. "In that case we had better discuss it in a cosy room rather than in this wind-swept market-place," said he. "But pray tell me, before we go farther, who it is that I have the pleasure of assisting."
夏洛克·福爾摩斯向一輛經過的四輪車打招呼。“那樣的話，我們最好在一個舒適的房間里討論，而不是在這個風吹拂的市場里，”他說。“不過，在我們繼續往前走之前，請告訴我，我有幸説明誰。”

The man hesitated for an instant. "My name is John Robinson," he answered with a sidelong glance.
男人猶豫了一會兒。“我叫約翰·羅賓遜，”他斜頭瞥了一眼回答。

"No, no; the real name," said Holmes sweetly. "It is always awkward doing business with an alias."
“不，不;真名，“福爾摩斯甜甜地說。“用別名做生意總是很尷尬。”

A flush sprang to the white cheeks of the stranger. "Well then," said he, "my real name is James Ryder."
陌生人白皙的臉頰上泛起了紅暈。“那麼，”他說，“我的真名是詹姆斯·萊德。

"Precisely so. Head attendant at the Hotel Cosmopolitan. Pray step into the cab, and I shall soon be able to tell you everything which you would wish to know."
“正是如此。Cosmopolitan 酒店的首席服務員。請你上馬車，我很快就會把你想知道的一切都告訴你。

The little man stood glancing from one to the other of us with half-frightened, half-hopeful eyes, as one who is not sure whether he is on the verge of a windfall or of a catastrophe. Then he stepped into the cab, and in half an hour we were back in the sitting-room at Baker Street. Nothing had been said during our drive, but the high, thin breathing of our new companion, and the claspings and unclaspings of his hands, spoke of the nervous tension within him.
那個小個子站著，用半驚半盯、半是希望的眼神從我們這邊瞥了一眼，彷彿不確定自己是處於意外之財的邊緣，還是處於災難的邊緣。然後他走進馬車，半小時后我們又回到了貝克街的客廳。在我們開車的時候，什麼也沒說，只有我們的新夥伴高亢而細小的呼吸聲，以及他雙手的緊握和鬆開，都說明瞭他內心的緊張。

"Here we are!" said Holmes cheerily as we filed into the room. "The fire looks very seasonable in this weather. You look cold, Mr. Ryder. Pray take the basket-chair. I will just put on my slippers before we settle this little matter of yours. Now, then! You want to know what became of those geese?"
“我們到了！” 福爾摩斯高興地說，我們走進了房間。“在這種天氣下，火看起來非常合時宜。你看起來很冷淡，Ryder先生。請坐籃子椅子。在我們解決你的這件小事之前，我先穿上我的拖鞋。那麼，現在！你想知道那些鵝後來怎麼樣了嗎？

"Yes, sir."   “是的，先生。”

"Or rather, I fancy, of that goose. It was one bird, I imagine in which you were interested -- white, with a black bar across the tail."
“或者更確切地說，我想，就是那隻鵝。我想你感興趣的是一隻鳥——白色的，尾巴上有一條黑條。

Ryder quivered with emotion. "Oh, sir," he cried, "can you tell me where it went to?"
萊德激動得渾身發抖。“噢，先生，”他叫道，“您能告訴我它到哪兒去了嗎？

"It came here."   “它來到這裡。”

"Here?"   “這裡？”

"Yes, and a most remarkable bird it proved. I don't wonder that you should take an interest in it. It laid an egg after it was dead -- the bonniest, brightest little blue egg that ever was seen. I have it here in my museum."
“是的，事實證明這是一隻最了不起的鳥。我並不奇怪你應該對它感興趣。它死後會下蛋——有史以來最漂亮、最亮的藍色小蛋。我把它放在我的博物館里。

Our visitor staggered to his feet and clutched the mantelpiece with his right hand. Holmes unlocked his strong-box and held up the blue carbuncle, which shone out like a star, with a cold brilliant, many-pointed radiance. Ryder stood glaring with a drawn face, uncertain whether to claim or to disown it.
我們的訪客踉踉蹌蹌地站起來，用右手緊緊抓住壁爐臺。福爾摩斯打開他的保險箱，舉起那顆藍色的痈，它像星星一樣閃閃發光，發出冰冷明亮的多尖光。Ryder站在那裡，一臉憔悴，不確定該認領還是否認。

"The game's up, Ryder," said Holmes quietly. "Hold up, man, or you'll be into the fire! Give him an arm back into his chair, Watson. He's not got blood enough to go in for felony with impunity. Give him a dash of brandy. So! Now he looks a little more human. What a shrimp it is, to be sure!"
“比賽結束了，萊德，”福爾摩斯悄悄地說。“等一下，夥計，否則你會掉進火裡的！把一隻胳膊放回他的椅子上，華生。他的血量不足以犯下重罪而不受懲罰。給他少許白蘭地。所以！現在他看起來更像人了。這真是一隻蝦啊！

For a moment he had staggered and nearly fallen, but the brandy brought a tinge of color into his cheeks, and he sat staring with frightened eyes at his accuser.
有那麼一會兒，他踉踉蹌蹌，差點摔倒，但白蘭地在他的臉頰上染上了一絲色彩，他坐在那裡，用驚恐的眼睛盯著他的指控者。

"I have almost every link in my hands, and all the proofs which I could possibly need, so there is little which you need tell me. Still, that little may as well be cleared up to make the case complete. You had heard, Ryder, of this blue stone of the Countess of Morcar's?"
“我手裡幾乎有所有的鏈接，還有我可能需要的所有證據，所以你不需要告訴我的很少。儘管如此，這點也不妨被澄清以使案件完整。萊德，你聽說過莫爾卡伯爵夫人的這塊藍色石頭嗎？

"It was Catherine Cusack who told me of it," said he in a crackling voice.
“是凱薩琳·庫薩克告訴我的，”他用嘶啞的聲音說。

"I see -- her ladyship's waiting-maid. Well, the temptation of sudden wealth so easily acquired was too much for you, as it has been for better men before you; but you were not very scrupulous in the means you used. It seems to me, Ryder, that there is the making of a very pretty villain in you. You knew that this man Horner, the plumber, had been concerned in some such matter before, and that suspicion would rest the more readily upon him. What did you do, then? You made some small job in my lady's room -- you and your confederate Cusack -- and you managed that he should be the man sent for. Then, when he had left, you rifled the jewel-case, raised the alarm, and had this unfortunate man arrested. You then --"
“我明白了——她夫人的侍女。嗯，突然間財富的誘惑如此容易地得到，對你來說太過分了，就像對你之前的優秀男人一樣;但你使用的手段不是很謹慎。在我看來，萊德，你身上有個非常漂亮的惡棍。你知道這個人，水管工，以前也關心過這種事，他更容易受到懷疑。那麼，你做了什麼呢？你在我女士的房間里做了一些小活兒——你和你的同夥庫薩克——你設法使他成為被派來的人。然後，當他走後，你打開了珠寶盒，拉響了警報，把這個不幸的人逮捕了。那麼你——”

Ryder threw himself down suddenly upon the rug and clutched at my companion's knees. "For God's sake, have mercy!" he shrieked. "Think of my father! of my mother! It would break their hearts. I never went wrong before! I never will again. I swear it. I'll swear it on a Bible. Oh, don't bring it into court! For Christ's sake, don't!"
萊德突然撲倒在地毯上，緊緊抓住我同伴的膝蓋。“看在上帝的份上，憐悯吧！”“想想我的爸爸吧！我媽媽！這會讓他們心碎。我以前從來沒有出錯過！我再也不會了。我發誓。我會在聖經上發誓。哦，不要把它帶到法庭上！看在基督的份上，不要！

"Get back into your chair!" said Holmes sternly. "It is very well to cringe and crawl now, but you thought little enough of this poor Horner in the dock for a crime of which he knew nothing."
“回到你的椅子上去！”“現在畏縮和爬行是很好的，但你對被告席上這個可憐的霍納想得不夠多，因為他對這件罪行一無所知。”

"I will fly, Mr. Holmes. I will leave the country, sir. Then the charge against him will break down."
“我要飛，福爾摩斯先生。我要離開這個國家，先生。然後對他的指控就會不攻自破。

"Hum! We will talk about that. And now let us hear a true account of the next act. How came the stone into the goose, and how came the goose into the open market? Tell us the truth, for there lies your only hope of safety."
“哼！我們會討論這個問題。現在讓我們聽聽下一幕的真實描述。石頭是怎麼進鵝的，鵝又是怎麼進公開市場的呢？告訴我們真相，因為這是你唯一的安全希望。

Ryder passed his tongue over his parched lips. "I will tell you it just as it happened, sir," said he. "When Horner had been arrested, it seemed to me that it would be best for me to get away with the stone at once, for I did not know at what moment the police might not take it into their heads to search me and my room. There was no place about the hotel where it would be safe. I went out, as if on some commission, and I made for my sister's house. She had married a man named Oakshott, and lived in Brixton Road, where she fattened fowls for the market. All the way there every man I met seemed to me to be a policeman or a detective; and, for all that it was a cold night, the sweat was pouring down my face before I came to the Brixton Road. My sister asked me what was the matter, and why I was so pale; but I told her that I had been upset by the jewel robbery at the hotel. Then I went into the back yard and smoked a pipe and wondered what it would be best to do.
Ryder用舌頭滑過他乾涸的嘴唇。“我會原封不動地告訴你，先生，”他說。“當霍納被捕時，在我看來，最好是立即把那塊石頭帶走，因為我不知道員警什麼時候會不把這事記在腦子裡，搜查我和我的房間。酒店周圍沒有安全的地方。我出去了，彷彿受了什麼委託，我向我姐姐的房子走去。她嫁給了一個名叫奧克肖特的男人，住在布里克斯頓路，在那裡她為市場養肥家禽。一路上，我遇到的每一個人在我看來都是員警或偵探;而且，儘管這是一個寒冷的夜晚，但在我來到布里克斯頓路之前，汗水已經從我的臉上流下來。我姐姐問我怎麼了，為什麼我這麼蒼白;但我告訴她，我對旅館的珠寶搶劫案感到不安。然後我走進後院，抽著煙鬥，想知道怎麼做最好。

"I had a friend once called Maudsley, who went to the bad, and has just been serving his time in Pentonville. One day he had met me, and fell into talk about the ways of thieves, and how they could get rid of what they stole. I knew that he would be true to me, for I knew one or two things about him; so I made up my mind to go right on to Kilburn, where he lived, and take him into my confidence. He would show me how to turn the stone into money. But how to get to him in safety? I thought of the agonies I had gone through in coming from the hotel. I might at any moment be seized and searched, and there would be the stone in my waistcoat pocket. I was leaning against the wall at the time and looking at the geese which were waddling about round my feet, and suddenly an idea came into my head which showed me how I could beat the best detective that ever lived.
“我曾經有一個叫莫茲利的朋友，他後來變壞了，剛剛在彭頓維爾服刑。有一天，他遇到了我，開始談論盜賊的行事方式，以及他們如何擺脫他們偷來的東西。我知道他對我是真實的，因為我知道關於他的一兩件事;所以我下定決心，要直接到他住的基爾伯恩去，把他交給我。他會教我如何將石頭變成金錢。但是如何安全地找到他呢？我想起了我從酒店出來時所經歷的痛苦。我隨時都可能被抓住和搜查，而我的背心口袋裡就會有那塊石頭。當時我靠在牆上，看著在我腳邊蹣跚而行的大雁，突然一個想法出現在我的腦海中，它告訴我如何擊敗有史以來最好的偵探。

"My sister had told me some weeks before that I might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present, and I knew that she was always as good as her word. I would take my goose now, and in it I would carry my stone to Kilburn. There was a little shed in the yard, and behind this I drove one of the birds -- a fine big one, white, with a barred tail. I caught it, and prying its bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach. The bird gave a gulp, and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and down into its crop. But the creature flapped and struggled, and out came my sister to know what was the matter. As I turned to speak to her the brute broke loose and fluttered off among the others.
“我姐姐幾周前告訴我，我可能會從她的鵝中挑選出來作為聖誕禮物，我知道她總是言出必行。我現在要帶上我的鵝，然後用它把我的石頭帶到基爾伯恩。院子里有一個小棚子，我趕著其中一隻鳥——一隻漂亮的大鳥，白色的，有一條帶條的尾巴。我接住它，撬開它的喙，把石頭它的喉嚨，直到我的手指夠到為止。那隻鳥喝了一口，我感覺到石頭沿著它的食道向下穿過，落入了它的莊稼中。但那生物拍打著，掙扎著，我姐姐出來想知道怎麼回事。當我轉身想和她說話時，那個畜生掙脫了，在其他人中間飛走了。

"'Whatever were you doing with that bird, Jem?' says she.
“'傑姆，你對那隻鳥做什麼呢？'

"'Well,' said I, 'you said you'd give me one for Christmas, and I was feeling which was the fattest.'
“'嗯，'我說，'你說過要給我一個耶誕節禮物，我當時覺得哪個最胖。'

"'Oh,' says she, 'we've set yours aside for you -- Jem's bird, we call it. It's the big white one over yonder. There's twenty-six of them, which makes one for you, and one for us, and two dozen for the market.'
“'噢，'她說，'我們已經把你的鳥留給你了——我們叫它傑姆的鳥。那是那邊那棵大白樹。他們有二十六家，其中一瓶給你，一瓶給我們，二十幾瓶給市場。

"'Thank you, Maggie,' says I; 'but if it is all the same to you, I'd rather have that one I was handling just now.'
“'謝謝你，瑪姬，'我說;'但如果對你來說都是一樣的，我寧願得到我剛才處理的那個。

"'The other is a good three pound heavier,' said she, 'and we fattened it expressly for you.'
“'另一個重了好多三磅，'她說，'我們專門為你養肥了。'

"'Never mind. I'll have the other, and I'll take it now,' said I.
“'沒關係。我要另一個，現在就拿走，“我說。

"'Oh, just as you like,' said she, a little huffed. 'Which is it you want, then?'
“'哦，隨你便，'她有點生氣地說。'那麼，你想要哪一個呢？

"'That white one with the barred tail, right in the middle of the flock.'
“'那隻白色的，有條尾巴，就在羊群的中間。'

"'Oh, very well. Kill it and take it with you.'
“'哦，很好。殺了它，帶走它。

"Well, I did what she said, Mr. Holmes, and I carried the bird all the way to Kilburn. I told my pal what I had done, for he was a man that it was easy to tell a thing like that to. He laughed until he choked, and we got a knife and opened the goose. My heart turned to water, for there was no sign of the stone, and I knew that some terrible mistake had occurred. I left the bird rushed back to my sister's, and hurried into the back yard. There was not a bird to be seen there.
“嗯，我照她說的做了，福爾摩斯先生，我把那隻鳥一路帶到了基爾伯恩。我把我所做的事告訴了我的朋友，因為他是個很容易把這種事情告訴別人的人。他笑到嗆到嗆住了，我們拿了一把刀打開了鵝。我的心變成了水，因為沒有石頭的跡象，我知道發生了什麼可怕的錯誤。我離開了那隻鳥，衝回我姐姐家，匆匆忙忙地跑進了後院。那裡沒有看到一隻鳥。

"'Where are they all, Maggie?' I cried.
“'他們都在哪裡，瑪姬？'我喊道。

"'Gone to the dealer's, Jem.'
“'到經銷商那裡去了，傑姆。'

"'Which dealer's?'   “'哪個轉銷商的？'

"'Breckinridge, of Covent Garden.'
“'布雷金裡奇，考文特花園的。'

"'But was there another with a barred tail?' I asked, 'the same as the one I chose?'
“'可是，還有一條有條尾巴的嗎？'我問道，『和我選擇的一樣？

"'Yes, Jem; there were two barred-tailed ones, and I could never tell them apart.'
“'是的，傑姆;有兩隻有斑尾的，我永遠分不清它們。

"Well, then, of course I saw it all, and I ran off as hard as my feet would carry me to this man Breckinridge; but he had sold the lot at once, and not one word would he tell me as to where they had gone. You heard him yourselves to-night. Well, he has always answered me like that. My sister thinks that I am going mad. Sometimes I think that I am myself. And now -- and now I am myself a branded thief, without ever having touched the wealth for which I sold my character. God help me! God help me!" He burst into convulsive sobbing, with his face buried in his hands.
“嗯，那麼，我當然看到了這一切，我用腳拼命地跑去找佈雷金裡奇這個人;可是他馬上就把那塊地賣掉了，他一句話也不肯告訴我他們去了哪裡。今晚你們自己也聽到了他的聲音。嗯，他總是這樣回答我。我姐姐認為我快瘋了。有時我覺得我就是我自己。而現在——現在我自己就是一個被烙印的小偷，從來沒有碰過我出賣我的角色所換取的財富。上帝保佑我！上帝保佑我！他抽搐著抽泣起來，雙手埋著臉。

There was a long silence, broken only by his heavy breathing and by the measured tapping of Sherlock Holmes's finger-tips upon the edge of the table. Then my friend rose and threw open the door.
一陣長時間的沉默，只有他沉重的呼吸聲和夏洛克·福爾摩斯的指尖有意識地敲擊桌子邊緣的聲音打破了沉默。然後我的朋友站起來，推開了門。

"Get out!" said he.   “滾出去！”

"What, sir! Oh, Heaven bless you!"
“什麼，先生！哦，上天保佑你！

"No more words. Get out!"
不用多說了。滾出去！

And no more words were needed. There was a rush, a clatter upon the stairs, the bang of a door, and the crisp rattle of running footfalls from the street.
“而且不需要更多的言語。一陣匆匆忙忙，樓梯上發出咔嚓咔嚓的聲音，門的砰砰聲，以及街上傳來的嘎嘎作響的腳步聲。

"After all, Watson," said Holmes, reaching up his hand for his clay pipe, "I am not retained by the police to supply their deficiencies. If Horner were in danger it would be another thing; but this fellow will not appear against him, and the case must collapse. I suppose that I am commuting a felony. but it is just possible that I am saving a soul. This fellow will not go wrong again; he is too terribly frightened. Send him to jail now, and you make him a jail-bird for life. Besides, it is the season of forgiveness. Chance has put in our way a most singular and whimsical problem, and its solution is its own reward. If you will have the goodness to touch the bell, Doctor, we will begin another investigation, in which, also a bird will be the chief feature."
“畢竟，華生，”福爾摩斯說，伸手去拿他的陶筒，“員警沒有留我來補補他們的不足。如果霍納處於危險之中，那就另當別論了;但這傢伙不會出庭對他不利，案子必須崩潰。我想我正在減刑，犯了重罪。但我有可能正在拯救一個靈魂。這傢伙不會再出錯了;他太害怕了。現在就把他送進監獄，你就把他當成終身的囚鳥。此外，這是寬恕的季節。機會給我們帶來了一個最奇特、最異想天開的問題，它的解決方案本身就是它的回報。如果你能好好摸摸鈴鐺，博士，我們就開始另一次調查，其中，一隻鳥也將成為主要特徵。