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"I went back to the hotel with the big book under my arm, and with very conflicting feelings in my breast.
"我腋下夹着那本大书回到旅馆，心里充满了矛盾的感觉。
On the one hand, I was definitely engaged and had a hundred pounds in my pocket;
一方面，我已被正式录用了，而且口袋里装着一百镑钞票；
on the other, the look of the offices, the absence of name on the wall, and other of the points which would strike a business man had left a bad impression as to the position of my employers.
另一方面，这个办公室的样子，公司没有挂名牌，以及一个实业人员一目了然的其它诸事，使我对东家的经济情况印象不佳。
However, come what might, I had my money, so I settled down to my task.
然而，不管怎么说，反正我拿到了钱，于是我坐下来抄录。
All Sunday I was kept hard at work, and yet by Monday I had only got as far as H.
整个星期日我都在埋头苦干，可是到星期一我才抄到字母H。
I went round to my employer, found him in the same dismantled kind of room, and was told to keep at it until Wednesday, and then come again.
我便去找我的东家，还是在那间像被洗劫过的屋子里找到了他。他告诉我要一直抄到星期三，然后再去找他。
On Wednesday it was still unfinished, so I hammered away until Friday -- that is, yesterday. Then I brought it round to Mr. Harry Pinner.
可是到星期三我还没有抄完，于是又苦干到星期五，也就是昨天。然后我把抄好的东西带去交给哈里·平纳先生。"
'Thank you very much,' said he, 'I fear that I underrated the difficulty of the task. This list will be of very material assistance to me.'
'非常感谢你，'他说道，'我恐怕把这项任务的困难估计过低了。这份单子对我有很大的实际用处。'
'It took some time,' said I.
'我用了不少时间，'我说道。
'And now,' said he, 'I want you to make a list of the furniture shops, for they all sell crockery.'
'现在，'他说道，'我要你再抄一份家具店的单子，这些家具店都出售瓷器。'
'Very good.'
'很好。'
'And you can come up to-morrow evening at seven and let me know how you are getting on.
'你可以在明天晚上七点钟到这里来，告诉我进展情况。
Don't overwork yourself. A couple of hours at Day's Music Hall in the evening would do you no harm after your labours.'
请不要过于劳累，经过一天的劳累之后，晚上到戴斯音乐厅去欣赏两小时音乐，这对你是有益无损的。'
He laughed as he spoke, and I saw with a thrill that his second tooth upon the left-hand side had been very badly stuffed with gold."
他说话时面带笑容，我一看，顿时毛骨悚然，因为他左上边第二个牙齿上胡乱镶着金牙。"
Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands with delight, and I stared withastonishment at our client.
歇洛克·福尔摩斯兴奋地搓着双手，我惊奇地望着我们的委托人。
"You may well look surprised, Dr. Watson, but it is this way," said he:
"显然你很惊奇，华生医生。事情是这样的，"他说道，
"When I was speaking to the other chap in London, at the time that he laughed at my not going to Mawson's,
"我在伦敦和那个家伙谈话时，他听我说不去莫森商行了，便笑逐颜开，
I happened to notice that his tooth was stuffed in this very identical fashion.
我无意中发现他就是在第二个牙齿上胡乱镶着金牙。
The glint of the gold in each case caught my eye, you see.
要知道，这两种场合我都看到了金光一闪。
When I put that with the voice and figure being the same,
再加上这两人的声音和体形一模一样，
and only those things altered which might be changed by a razor or a wig, I could not doubt that it was the same man.
只是那些可以用剃刀或假发改装的地方才有所不同，因此，我毫不怀疑，他们'哥儿俩'就是同一个人。
Of course you expect two brothers to be alike, but not that they should have the same tooth stuffed in the same way.
当然人们会想到两兄弟可能长得一模一样，可他们绝不会在同一个牙上镶上同样形状的金牙。
He bowed me out, and I found myself in the street, hardly knowing whether I was on my head or my heels.
他恭敬地把我送出来，我走到街上，简直不知道如何是好。
Back I went to my hotel, put my head in a basin of cold water, and tried to think it out.
我回到旅馆，在凉水盆里洗了头，绞尽脑汁思索这件事。
Why had he sent me from London to Birmingham? Why had he got there before me? And why had he written a letter from himself to himself?
他为什么把我支使到伯明翰来呢？他为什么比我先来呢？他又为什么自己给自己写一封信呢？
It was altogether too much for me, and I could make no sense of it.
总而言之，这些问题对我来说是太伤脑筋了，无论如何也弄不清楚。
And then suddenly it struck me that what was dark to me might be very light to Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
后来我突然想到在我看来是烟雾一团的事，在歇洛克·福尔摩斯看来却可能了如指掌。
I had just time to get up to town by the night train to see him this morning, and to bring you both back with me to Birmingham."
我正好赶上夜车回到城里，今天清早就来拜访福尔摩斯先生，并请你们二位与我一起回伯明翰去。"
There was a pause after the stock-broker's clerk had concluded his surprising experience.
这位证券经纪人的书记员把他奇异的经历讲完以后，我们都默不作声。
Then Sherlock Holmes cocked his eye at me, leaning back on the cushions with a pleased and yet critical face,
后来歇洛克·福尔摩斯睨视了我一眼，向后仰靠在座垫上，脸上露出一种满意而又想评论的表情，
like a connoisseur who has just taken his first sip of a comet vintage.
好像一位品尝家刚刚啜入第一口美酒似的。
"Rather fine, Watson, is it not?" said he.
"相当不错，对不对？华生，"他说道。
"There are points in it which please me.
"这里面有许多地方使我很感兴趣。
I think that you will agree with me that an interview with Mr. Arthur Harry Pinner in the temporary offices of the Franco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited, would be a rather interesting experience for both of us."
我想你一定同意我的意见，我们到法国中部五金有限公司的临时办公室去拜访一下阿瑟·平纳先生，对你我二人来说，一定是一次相当有趣的经历。"
"But how can we do it?" I asked.
"可是我们怎样才能拜访他呢？"我问道。
"Oh, easily enough," said Hall Pycroft cheerily.
"啊，这很容易，"霍尔·派克罗夫特高兴地说道。
"You are two friends of mine who are in want of a billet, and what could be more natural than that I should bring you both round to the managing director?"
"我就说你们是我的朋友，想找个差使干，这样我带你们两个人去找总经理不是更自然一些吗？"
"Quite so, of course," said Holmes.
"当然，完全如此，"福尔摩斯说道。
"I should like to have a look at the gentleman and see if I can make anything of his little game.
"我很愿见一见这位绅士，看看我是否能从他那小小的把戏中找出个头绪来。
What qualities have you, my friend, which would make your services so valuable? Or is it possible that..."
我的朋友，你到底有什么本领使你的效劳如此难能可贵？也许能够..."
He began biting his nails and staring blankly out of the window, and we hardly drew another word from him until we were in New Street.
他说到这里，开始啮咬他的指甲，茫然若失地凝望着窗外，直到我们到达新大街，再没有听他讲一句话。
