评论
打印
Sherlock Holmes had pushed away his untasted breakfast and lit the unsavoury pipe which was the companion of his deepest meditations.
歇洛克·福尔摩斯推开他一口没尝过的早餐，点着了索然乏味的烟斗，这是他默然沉思时的伴侣。
"I wonder!" said he, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
"我很奇怪！"他把身子仰靠在椅背上，凝视着天花板，说道。
"Perhaps there are points which have escaped your Machiavellian intellect. Let us consider the problem in the light of pure reason.
“也许你那马基雅维里的才智，漏过了一些东西。让我们靠单纯推理来考虑一下这个问题吧。
This man's reference is to a book. That is our point of departure."
这个人编写密码信的蓝本是一本书。咱们就从这点出发吧。"
"A somewhat vague one."
"相当没把握的出发点。"
"Let us see then if we can narrow it down. As I focus my mind upon it, it seems rather less impenetrable. What indications have we as to this book?"
"那么让咱们看看能不能把范围缩小一点吧。当我把思想集中到它上面的时候，这件事就似乎不是那么莫测高深了。关于这本书，我们有什么可供查清的迹象没有呢？"
"None."
"一点也没有。"
"Well, well, it is surely not quite so bad as that. The cipher message begins with a large 534, does it not?
"嗯，嗯，未必完全糟到这个地步。这封密码信，开始是一个大534，不是吗？
We may take it as a working hypothesis that 534 is the particular page to which the cipher refers.
我们可以假设，534是密码出处的页数。
So our book has already become a large book, which is surely something gained.
那么我们这本书就是一本很厚的书了。这样我们就多少有所进展了。
What other indications have we as to the nature of this large book? The next sign is C2. What do you make of that, Watson?"
关于这本厚书的种类，我们有些什么别的可以查明的迹象没有呢？第二个符号是C2，你看它是什么意思呢？华生。"
"Chapter the second, no doubt."
"当然是说第二章了。"
"Hardly that, Watson. You will, I am sure, agree with me that if the page be given, the number of the chapter is immaterial.
"不见得是这样，华生。我相信你会同意我的理由的：既然已经指出了页码，那章数就无关紧要了。
Also that if page 534 finds us only in the second chapter, the length of the first one must have been really intolerable."
再说，假如534页还在第二章，那第一章就一定长得令人吃不消了。"
"Column!" I cried.
"代表第几栏！"我喊道。
"Brilliant, Watson. You are scintillating this morning. If it is not column, then I am very much deceived.
"高明，华生。今天早晨，你真是才华横溢呀。如果它不是第几栏，那我可就真是误入歧途了。
So now, you see, we begin to visualize a large book, printed in double columns, which are each of a considerable length,
所以现在你看，我们设想有一本很厚的书，每页分两栏排印，每一栏又相当长，
since one of the words is numbered in the document as the two hundred and ninety-third.
因为在这信中，有一个词的标数是二百九十三。
Have we reached the limits of what reason can supply?"
现在我们的推理是否到顶了呢？"
"I fear that we have."
"恐怕是到顶了。"
"Surely you do yourself an injustice. One more coruscation, my dear Watson -- yet another brain-wave!
"你太小看自己了，我亲爱的华生。让你的智慧再放一次光芒吧。再动一动脑筋看！
Had the volume been an unusual one, he would have sent it to me.
如果这本书是一本不常见的书，他一定早已寄给我了。
Instead of that, he had intended, before his plans were nipped, to send me the clue in this envelope.
在他的计划遭到挫败以前，他没有把书寄给我，只是打算通过信件把线索告诉我。
He says so in his note. This would seem to indicate that the book is one which he thought I would have no difficulty in finding for myself.
他在信中是这样说的。这就足以表明，这本书一定是他认为我自己不难找到的。
He had it–and he imagined that I would have it, too. In short, Watson, it is a very common book."
他有这样一本，所以料想我也会有。总之，华生，这是一本很普通的书。"
"What you say certainly sounds plausible."
"你的话听起来确实合情合理。"
"So we have contracted our field of search to a large book, printed in double columns and in common use."
"所以我们已经把探讨的范围缩小到一本厚书上了。书分两栏排印，并且是一本常用的书。"
"The Bible!" I cried triumphantly.
"圣经！"我得意洋洋地大声说道。
"Good, Watson, good! But not, if I may say so, quite good enough!
"好，华生，好！可是，如果你不见怪的话，还不够十分好。
Even if I accepted the compliment for myself, I could hardly name any volume which would be less likely to lie at the elbow of one of Moriarty's associates.
即使我接受对我的赞扬，我也不会列举出一个莫里亚蒂党徒手边不大会有的书来。
Besides, the editions of Holy Writ are so numerous that he could hardly suppose that two copies would have the same pagination.
此外，《圣经》的版本那么多，很难设想两个版本页码都相同。
This is clearly a book which is standardized. He knows for certain that his page 534 will exactly agree with my page 534."
这本书显然是版本统一的书。他知道他书上的534页肯定和我书上的534页完全相同。"
"But very few books would correspond with that."
"可是符合这种条件的书却很少呢。"
"Exactly. Therein lies our salvation. Our search is narrowed down to standardized books which anyone may be supposed to possess."
"一点也不错，我们的出路恰恰就在这里。我们的查找范围又缩小到版本统一而又人人都会有的一本书了。"
"Bradshaw!"
"肖伯纳的著作！"
"There are difficulties, Watson. The vocabulary of Bradshaw is nervous and terse, but limited.
"华生，这还是有问题的。肖伯纳的文字洗炼而简洁，但词汇量有限。
The selection of words would hardly lend itself to the sending of general messages. We will eliminate Bradshaw.
其词汇很难选择用来传递普通消息。我们还是把肖伯纳的著作排除吧。
The dictionary is, I fear, inadmissible for the same reason. What then is left?"
由于同样的理由，我看字典也不适合。那么还有什么书籍呢？"
"An almanac!"
"年鉴！"
"Excellent, Watson! I am very much mistaken if you have not touched the spot. An almanac! Let us consider the claims of Whitaker's Almanac.
"太好了，华生！如果你没有猜中要害，那我就大错特错了！一本年鉴！让我们来仔细考虑一下惠特克年鉴的条件吧。
It is in common use. It has the requisite number of pages. It is in double column.
这是本常有的书。它有我们需要的那么多页数，分两栏排印。
Though reserved in its earlier vocabulary, it becomes, if I remember right, quite garrulous towards the end."
虽然开始词汇很简练，如果我没记错，它快到结尾时就很罗嗦了。"
He picked the volume from his desk.
福尔摩斯从写字台上拿起这本书来。
"Here is page 534, column two, a substantial block of print dealing, I perceive, with the trade and resources of British India.
“这是第534页，第二栏，我看这是很长的一栏，是讨论英属印度的贸易和资源问题的。
Jot down the words, Watson! Number thirteen is 'Mahratta.' Not, I fear, a very auspicious beginning.
华生，请你把这些字记下来！第十三个字是'马拉塔'，我担心这不是一个吉利的开始。
Number one hundred and twenty-seven is 'Government'; which at least makes sense, though somewhat irrelevant to ourselves and Professor Moriarty.
第一百二十七个字是'政府'，虽然这个字对我们和莫里亚蒂教授都有点离题，但至少还有点意义。
Now let us try again. What does the Mahratta government do? Alas! the next word is 'pig's-bristles.'
现在我们再试试看。马拉塔政府做了些什么呢？哎呀，下一个字是'猪鬃'。
We are undone, my good Watson! It is finished!"
我的好华生，咱们失败了！这下子算完了！"
