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"And now I have to consider the motive of this singular crime.
"现在我必须考虑这件奇案的犯罪动机了。
To get at this, I endeavoured first of all to solve the reason of the original burglary at Mr. Acton's.
为了达到这一点，我首先要搞清在阿克顿先生家发生的头一件盗窃案的起因。
I understood, from something which the colonel told us, that a lawsuit had been going on between you, Mr. Acton, and the Cunninghams.
从上校告诉我们的某些事情里，我了解到，阿克顿先生，你和坎宁安家正打着一场官司。
Of course, it instantly occurred to me that they had broken into your library with the intention of getting at some document which might be of importance in the case."
当然，我立即想到，他们闯到你书房里去，一定是想偷取有关此案的某个重要文件。"
"Precisely so," said Mr. Acton. "There can be no possible doubt as to their intentions.
"一点也不错，"阿克顿先生说道，"毫无疑问，他们是想这样干的。
I have the clearest claim upon half of their present estate, and if they could have found a single paper -- which, fortunately, was in the strong-box of my solicitors -- they would undoubtedly have crippled our case."
我完全有权要求获得他们现有财产的一半，可是如果他们能找到我那一纸证据，他们就一定能够胜诉，不过，幸运得很，我已经把这张证据放在我律师的保险箱里了。"
"There you are," said Holmes, smiling. "It was a dangerous, reckless attempt in which I seem to trace the influence of young Alec.
"你看怎么样，"福尔摩斯微笑着说，"这是一次危险而鲁莽的尝试，我似乎觉得这是亚历克做的。
Having found nothing, they tried to divert suspicion by making it appear to be an ordinary burglary, to which end they carried off whatever they could lay their hands upon.
他们找不到什么，就故布疑阵，顺手牵羊地拿走一些东西，使人把它当做一件普通的盗窃案。
That is all clear enough, but there was muchthat was still obscure.
这一点是再清楚不过了，但是还有不少地方仍然模糊不清。
What I wanted, above all, was to get the missing part of that note.
首先，我要找到被撕走的那半张纸条。
I was certain that Alec had torn it out of the dead man's hand, and almost certain that he must have thrust it into the pocket of his dressing-gown. Where else could he have put it?
我确信它是亚历克从死者手中撕下的，也确信他一定把它塞进了睡衣的口袋里。不然，他能把它放到别的什么地方呢？
The only question was whether it was still there. It was worth an effort to find out, and for that object we all went up to the house.
唯一的问题是，它是否还在衣袋里。这是很值得下功夫去把它找到的。为了这个目的，我们大家一同到他们家里去了。
The Cunninghams joined us, as you doubtless remember, outside the kitchen door.
你们大概还记得，坎宁安父子是在厨房门外跟我们碰上的。
It was, of course, of the very first importance that they should not be reminded of the existence of this paper, otherwise they would naturally destroy it without delay.
当然，头等重要的是，不能在他们面前提及这张纸的事，否则他们就会毫不迟延地把它毁掉。
The inspector was about to tell them the importance which we attached to it when, by the luckiest chance in the world, I tumbled down in a sort of fit and so changed the conversation."
在警官正要把我们对这张纸的重视告诉他们时，我装做突然发病晕倒在地，才把话题岔开。"
"Good heavens!" cried the colonel, laughing, "do you mean to say all our sympathy was wasted and your fit an imposture?"
"哎呀！"上校笑着喊道，"你是说，我们大家都白为你着急了，你突然发病原来是装的？"
"Speaking professionally, it was admirably done," cried I, looking in amazement at this man who was forever confounding me with some new phase of his astuteness.
"从职业观点上说，这一手做得太漂亮了，"我大声地说道，一边惊奇地望着这位经常运用变幻莫测的手法把我搞得晕头转向的人。
"It is an art which is often useful," said he.
"这是一种艺术，经常用得着的，"福尔摩斯说道。
"When I recovered I managed, by a device which had perhaps some little merit of ingenuity, to get old Cunningham to write the word 'twelve,' so that I might compare it with the 'twelve' upon the paper."
"我恢复常态以后，便又略施小计，让老坎宁安写上了'twelve'这个字，这样，我就可以和写在密约信上的'twelve'进行对比了。"
