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"I happen to know who is the first link in his chain -- a chain with this Napoleon-gone-wrong at one end,
"我偶然发现莫里亚蒂锁链中的第一个环节--锁链的一端是这位罪大恶极的人物，
and a hundred broken fighting men, pickpockets, blackmailers, and card sharpers at the other, with every sort of crime in between.
另一端则有上百个出手伤人的打手、扒手、诈骗犯和靠耍弄花招骗钱的赌棍，中间夹杂着五花八门的罪行。
His chief of staff is Colonel Sebastian Moran, as aloof and guarded and inaccessible to the law as himself. What do you think he pays him?"
给他们出谋划策的是塞巴斯蒂恩·莫兰上校，而国法对这位'参谋长'和对莫里亚蒂本人一样无能为力。你知道莫里亚蒂教授给他多少钱吗？"
"I'd like to hear."
"我很愿意听一听。"
"Six thousand a year. That's paying for brains, you see -- the American business principle.
"一年六千镑。这是他绞尽脑汁的代价。你知道这是美国的商业原则。
I learned that detail quite by chance. It's more than the Prime Minister gets.
我了解到这一详情，完全出于偶然。这比一个首相的收入还要多。
That gives you an idea of Moriarty's gains and of the scale on which he works.
从这一点就可以想象莫里亚蒂的收入究竟有多少，以及他所从事的活动规模有多大了。
Another point: I made it my business to hunt down some of Moriarty's checks lately -- just common innocent checks that he pays his household bills with.
另外一点：最近我曾有意地搜集了莫里亚蒂的一些支票--只不过是一些他支付家庭用度的无嫌疑的普通支票。
They were drawn on six different banks. Does that make any impression on your mind?"
这些支票是从六家不同的银行支取的。这一点使你产生了什么印象呢？"
"Queer, certainly! But what do you gather from it?"
"当然，非常奇怪！可是你想从这点得出什么结论呢？"
"That he wanted no gossip about his wealth. No single man should know what he had.
"他不愿让人议论他的财富。谁也别想知道他到底有多少钱。
I have no doubt that he has twenty banking accounts; the bulk of his fortune abroad in the Deutsche Bank or the Credit Lyonnais as likely as not.
我深信他开了足有二十个银行账户。他的大部分财产很可能存在国外德意志银行或者是利翁内信贷银行。
Sometime when you have a year or two to spare I commend to you the study of Professor Moriarty."
以后当你能有一两年空闲时间的时候，我请你把莫里亚蒂教授好好研究一下。"
Inspector MacDonald had grown steadily more impressed as the conversation proceeded. He had lost himself in his interest.
这番谈话给麦克唐纳留下了很深的印象，他颇感兴趣地听得出了神。
Now his practical Scotch intelligence brought him back with a snap to the matter in hand.
现在他那种讲究实际的苏格兰人性格又使他马上转回到当前的案子上来。
"He can keep, anyhow," said he. "You've got us side-tracked with your interesting anecdotes, Mr. Holmes.
"不管怎样，他当然可以存在任何一家银行的，"麦克唐纳说，“你讲这些饶有兴味的轶闻旧史，引得我都离了题，福尔摩斯先生。
What really counts is your remark that there is some connection between the professor and the crime.
真正重要的是你所说的：那位教授和这件罪案是有牵连的。
That you get from the warning received through the man Porlock. Can we for our present practical needs get any further than that?"
就是你从波尔洛克那个人那里收到的警告信上所说的那点。我们能不能为了当前的实际需要再前进一步呢？"
"We may form some conception as to the motives of the crime.
"我们不妨推测一下犯罪动机。
It is, as I gather from your original remarks, an inexplicable, or at least an unexplained, murder.
我根据你原来所讲的情况来推测，这是一宗莫名片妙的、或者至少是一起难于解释的凶杀案。
Now, presuming that the source of the crime is as we suspect it to be, there might be two different motives.
现在，假定犯罪的起因正象我们所怀疑的那样，可能有两种不同的动机。
In the firstplace, I may tell you that Moriarty rules with a rod of iron over his people.
首先，我可以告诉你，莫里亚蒂用一种铁的手腕来统治他的党羽。
His discipline is tremendous. There is only one punishment in his code. It is death.
他的纪律非常严。在他的法典里，只有一种惩戒形式，那就是处死。
Now we might suppose that this murdered man
现在我们可以假定这个被害人，
this Douglas whose approaching fate was known by one of the archcriminal's subordinates -- had in some way betrayed the chief.
道格拉斯，以某种方式背叛过他的首领，而他那即将临头的厄运却被这个首领的某个部下知道了。
His punishment followed, and would be known to all -- if only to put the fear of death into them."
继之而来的就是对他的惩戒，而且这个惩戒也就会被所有的人都知道--其目的不过是要使部下都感到死亡的恐怖。"
"Well, that is one suggestion, Mr. Holmes."
"好！这是一种意见。福尔摩斯先生。"
"The other is that it has been engineered by Moriarty in the ordinary course of business. Was there any robbery?"
"另一种看法就是惨案的发生是按照那种营生的常规做法由莫里亚蒂策划的了。那里遭到抢劫没有？"
"I have not heard."
"这个我没有听说。"
"If so, it would, of course, be against the first hypothesis and in favour of the second.
"当然，如果是这样，那么第一种假设可能就不符合实际，而第二种假设就较接近实际了。
Moriarty may have been engaged to engineer it on a promise of part spoils, or he may have been paid so much down to manage it.
莫里亚蒂可能是在分得部分赃物的应许下参加策划的，不然就是别人给他很多钱叫他主持这一罪恶勾当。
Either is possible. But whichever it may be, or if it is some third combination, it is down at Birlstone that we must seek the solution.
两种假设都有可能。可是，不管是第一种还是第二种可能，或者还有什么第三种综合性的可能，咱们也必须到伯尔斯通去找答案。
I know our man too well to suppose that he has left anything up here which may lead us to him."
我对咱们这个对象可太了解了，他决不会在这里留下任何能使咱们跟踪追击到他名下的线索。"
"Then to Birlstone we must go!" cried MacDonald, jumping from his chair.
"那么，咱们非得到伯尔斯通去不可了！"麦克唐纳从椅子上跳起来，大声说道。
"My word! It's later than I thought. I can give you, gentlemen, five minutes for preparation, and that is all."
"哎呀！比我想的要晚多了。先生们，我只能给你们五分钟准备时间，就这样吧。"
"And ample for us both," said Holmes, as he sprang up and hastened to change from his dressing gown to his coat.
"对我们俩来说，这就足够了。"福尔摩斯跳起来，急忙脱下睡衣，换上外套说道。
"While we are on our way, Mr. Mac, I will ask you to be good enough to tell me all about it."
“麦克先生，等我们上了路，请你把一切情况详细地告诉我。"
