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Sherlock Holmes was as good as his word, for about one o'clock he rejoined us in the colonel's smoking-room.
福尔摩斯非常守约，一小时以后，他同我们在上校的吸烟室里又会面了。
He was accompanied by a little elderly gentleman, who was introduced to me as the Mr. Acton whose house had been the scene of the original burglary.
他由一个矮小的老绅士陪伴前来，福尔摩斯向我介绍，这就是阿克顿先生，头一件盗窃案就发生在他的家里。
"I wished Mr. Acton to be present while I demonstrated this small matter to you," said Holmes, "for it is natural that he should take a keen interest in the details.
"我向你们说明这件小案子时，我希望阿克顿先生也在场听一听，"福尔摩斯说道，"自然，他对案子的详情也很感兴趣。
I am afraid, my dear Colonel, that you must regret the hour that you took in such a stormy petrel as I am."
我亲爱的上校，接待了像我这样一个爱闯祸的人，我恐怕你一定感到后悔吧。"
"On the contrary," answered the colonel warmly, "I consider it the greatest privilege to have been permitted to study your methods of working.
"恰恰相反，"上校热情地答道，"我认为有机会学习你的侦探方法，是我最大的荣幸。
I confess that they quite surpass my expectations, and that I am utterly unable to account for your result. I have not yet seen the vestige of a clue."
我承认，这是完全出乎我意料之外的，我也完全不能解释你所获得的结果。我连一点儿线索也没有看出来。"
"I am afraid that my explanation may disillusion you, but it has always been my habit to hide none of my methods, either from my friend Watson or from anyone who might take an intelligent interest in them.
"我恐怕我的解释会使你们失望的，可是无论对于我的朋友华生，还是对于任何认真关心我的工作方法的人，我的工作方法是一点也不保密的。
But, first, as I am rather shaken by the knocking about which I had in the dressing-room, I think that I shall help myself to a dash of your brandy, Colonel. My strength has been rather tried of late."
不过，因为我在更衣室里遭到袭击，我想喝一点白兰地定定神，上校。刚才我的起力已经用尽了。"
"I trust you had no more of those nervous attacks."
"我相信你的神经痛不会再这样突然发作了。"
Sherlock Holmes laughed heartily. "We will come to that in its turn," said he.
歇洛克·福尔摩斯放声大笑起来。"我们待会儿再谈这件事，"福尔摩斯说道。
"I will lay an account of the case before you in its due order, showing you the various points which guided me in my decision. Pray interrupt me if there is any inference which is not perfectly clear to you.
"我把这件案子按顺序给你们讲一讲，并把促使我下决心的几点告诉你们。如果有不十分清楚的地方，请随时问我。
It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital.
在侦探艺术中，最主要的就在于能够从众多的事实中，看出哪些是要害问题，哪些是次要问题。
Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated.
否则，你的精力不但不能集中，反而会被分散。
Now, in this case there was not the slightest doubt in my mind from the first that the key of the whole matter must be looked for in the scrap of paper in the dead man's hand.
所以，这个案子从一开始，我就毫不怀疑，全案的关键一定在于死者手中那张碎纸起。
Before going into this, I would draw your attention to the fact that, if Alec Cunningham's narrative was correct, and if the assailant, after shooting William Kirwan, had instantly fled, then it obviously could not be he who tore the paper from the dead man's hand.
在讨论这个问题以前，我想提请你们注意，如果亚历克·坎宁安讲的那一套是真的，如果凶手在打死威廉·柯万之后马上就逃跑了，那么，凶手显然不能从死者手中撕去那张纸。
But if it was not he, it must have been Alec Cunningham himself, for by the time that the old man had descended several servants were upon the scene.
可是如果不是凶手撕的，那就一定是亚历克·坎宁安本人，因为在那个老人下楼以前，几个仆人已经在现场了。
The point is a simple one, but the inspector had overlooked it because he had started with the supposition that these county magnates had had nothing to do with the matter.
这一点是很简单的，可是警官却忽略了，因为他一开始，就推测这些乡绅们与本案无关。
Now, I make a point of never having any prejudices, and of following docilely wherever fact may lead me, and so, in the very first stage of the investigation, I found myself looking a little askance at the part which had been played by Mr. Alec Cunningham.
那时，我决心不持任何偏见，而按照事实给我指引的方向走，因此，一开始调查，我便以怀疑的眼光注视着亚历克·坎宁安先生扮演的角色。
And now I made a very careful examination of the corner of paper which the inspector had submitted to us.
我非常仔细地检查了警官交给我们的那张纸角。
It was at once clear to me that it formed part of a very remarkable document. Here it is. Do you not now observe something very suggestive about it?"
我立即清楚地看出，这是一张非常值得注意的东西。这就是那张条子。现在你们没有看出某些很能说明问题的地方吗？"
