PART1 Chapter2 演绎推理-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《福尔摩斯探案经典之血字的研究A Study in Scarlet》

Chapter2 The Science ofDeduction We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected^{} the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bed-rooms and a single large airy sitting-room, cheerfully furnished^{②}, and illuminated^{③} by two broad windows. So desirable in every way were the apartments, and so moderate did the terms seem when divided between us, that the bargain was concluded upon the spot, and we at once entered into possession④. That very evening I moved my things round from the hotel, and on the following morning Sherlock Holmes followed me with several boxes and portmanteaus{. For a day or two we were busily employed in unpacking and laying out our property to the best advantage. That done, we gradually began to settle down and to accommodate{} ourselves to our new surroundings. Holmes was certainly not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be up after ten at night and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning Sometimes he spent his day at the chemical laboratory, sometimes in the dissecting-rooms, and occasionally in long walks, which appeared to take him into the lowest portions^{} of the City. Nothing could exceed^{} his energy when the working fit was upon him: but now and again a reaction would seize him, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering{} a word or moving a muscle from morning to night. On these occasions I have noticed .020. 第二章 演绎推理 ① inspect lin'spektlv 查看 翠日,我们按照福尔摩斯事先的安排见了面,然 后去查看了贝克大街二百二十一号乙的寓所,就是我 ② furnish I'fa:nillv 配备家 们头一次见面时他提到的那一处。寓所有两间舒适的 具 ③ illuminate li'lu:mineit] v 卧室,还有单独一间敞亮透气的客厅,客厅装饰得温 照亮 馨明快,两扇大窗,令室内光线充足。寓所的条件各 个方面都很合我们满意,租金由我们两个人分摊,非 ④ possession Ipe'zefanl n. 财 产,这里指房子 常合算。我们当场就把事情谈妥了,立刻租下了住房。 我当晚就把自已的行李从旅馆搬了过来,日早上, portmanteau [po:t'maentou] 福尔摩斯也跟着搬来了几只箱子和旅行包。紧接着的 n.旅行箱 一两天里,我们忙着拆包裹,把东西摆放得妥妥帖帖 accommodate la'komadeit] 的。一切安排妥当之后,我们慢慢地开始安顿下来了, x适应 熟悉了周围的新环境。 福尔摩斯确实不是个很难相处的人。他喜欢安静 生活挺有规律。他夜间极少十点钟之后上床睡觉,早上 我还没起床,他总是用过了早餐出门了。他有时候一整 天都待在化学试验室,或者在解剖室,偶尔也会散步到 portion Ipo:fanl n. 部分 很远的地方,走到伦敦城的贫民区。当他工作热情高 ⑧ exceed lik'si:dlv 超过 涨,于什么事情都有使不完的劲头。但时不时地也会出 utterIAtalv 发出 现相反的情况,一连几天,躺在客厅的沙发上,从早到 晚不吭一声,一动不动。在这种时候,我注意到他眼里 ·021· Chapter 2 The Science of Deduction such a dreamy, vacant{①} expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic^②,had not the temperance③} and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion As the weeks went by, my interest in him and my curiosity as to his aims in life, gradually deepened and increased. His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual obseryer. In height he was rathe over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor^{④ to which I have alluded: and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence{ and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments The reader may set me down as a hopeless busybody, when I confess how much this man stimulated my curiosity, and how often I endeavoured to break through the reticence which he showed on all that concerned himself. Before pronouncing judgment, however, be it remembered how objectless was my life. and how little there was to engage my attention. My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial, and I had no friends who would call upon me and break the monotony{} of my daily existence. Under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed{} the little mystery which hung around my companion, and spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it. He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question. confirmed Stamford's opinion upon that point. Neither did he appear to have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science or any other recognized portal{} which would give him an entrance into the learned world. Yet his zeal^{} for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded^{} me. Surely no man would work so .022· 第一章 演绎摧理 ① vacant I'veikontl a. 茫然 流露出茫然若失的神情。若不是知道他平日生活严谨又 的;空白的 ② narcotic Ina: kotikl n. 麻 爱干净,我真会怀疑他沾染上毒瘾。 醉剂 ③ temperance I'temporonsl n 几个礼拜后,我对他的兴趣与日俱增,对他人生目 节制 标的好奇心越来越强。他的身材相貌非同寻常,即使再 不经意的旁观者都会予以关注。他身高六英尺多,但瘦 骨鳞峋,似乎平添了身材的高度。目光犀利,但在我刚 才所说那种慵懒期除外。细长的鹰钩鼻令他显得格外机 ④ torpor f'to:pal n. 麻木 敏果敢。下巴刻方正突出,说明他是个意志坚定的人。 双手总是沾满了墨迹和化学药品,但手上动作显得异常 prominence I'praminans 灵巧,因为他在摆弄那些易碎的实验仪器时,我常常会 n.突出 注视着。 如果我承认,眼前这个人激起了我强烈的好奇心 而且常常想要冲破他把自己掩盖得严严实实的屏障 读者们兴许会把我看成是一个多管闲事的人。不过, 在下此结论前,应该记住的是,我当时的生活多么漫 reticence I'retisansl n. 沉 无目标,吸引自已注意力的东西少之又少。由于身体 默;谨严 不好,除非天气特别温暖宜人,否则我决不能贸然外 出,而且也没有朋友上门来看我,每天的生活都过得 单调沉闷。在这种状况下,我便迫不及待地想要探穷 我的同伴身上的种种小秘密,而且把大部分时间花费 monotony Ima'notanil n 单调 在揭秘上面。 ⑧ hail [heillv 喝彩 他不是在研究医学。有一次在回答一个问题时, 他亲口证实了斯坦福德的判断。看起来,他也不是在 攻读什么课程,以便获得某个理学学位,或者赢得某 种认可,路身学界。但是,他对某些研究所表现出的 热情令人觉得不可思议。他对某些生僻领域内的知识 极为渊博精细,以致他的见解令我颇感惊讶。可以肯 portal lpo:tolln. 大门 定地说,如果不是为了某一特定的目的,没人会如此 zeal [zi:lln.热情 孜孜不倦,掌握如此精确的知识。读书漫无目的人他 astound la'staund] v 使... 震惊 们知识很难是非常精湛的。一般人不会费心劳神地专 .023· Chapter2 The Science ofDeduction hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning. Nc man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so. His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax^{①}, however, when L found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it. "You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it." “To forget it!" "You see,"he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose A fool takes in all the lumber② of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upor it. Now the skilful workman is yery careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment{③, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic^{} walls and can distend^{} to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones." "But the Solar System!" I protested "What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently: "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth .024· 第一章 演绎摧理 注于琐碎的事情,除非有十分充足的理由这样做。 如同他的学识一样,他的无知也是显而易见的。关 于当代文学、哲学和政治学,他几乎一无所知。当我引 述托马斯·卡菜尔的文章时,他竟十分天真地问我卡菜 尔是谁,做过些什么。然而,最让我感到惊讶的是,我 无意中发现他对于哥白尼学说以及太阳系的构成,竞然 也一无所知。十九世纪,一个有教养的人竟然不知道地 ①climax ['klaimaeksl n. 高 球绕着太阳转。这在我看来实在是异乎寻常,简直不可 潮 理解。 “你似乎很惊讶啊,”他说,冲着我惊讶的表情露出 了微笑,“即便我知道了,也会竭尽全力忘掉它的。” “忘掉它!” “你看吧,”他解释说,“我认为,人的大脑原本就 像一间空的小阁楼,只能装入自己选中的家具。傻瓜才 会不加选择,碰到什么都往里面放,以致那些对他有用 的知识反而被挤得容不下了,或者最多也就是同其他东 西挤成一团,结果使用起来很不方便。因此,一个熟练 ② lumber llamberl n. 杂物 的技工在选择东西,放进小阁楼般的大脑时,会非常谨 慎。除了对工作有用的东西外,什么都不会放进去。这 些东西不但要样样俱全,而且须摆放得井井有条。如果 你认为小阁楼的墙壁富有弹性,可以无止境地往外撑开 的话,那就大错特错了。由此可知,迟早有一天,你 ③ assortment Io'so:tmontl n 的知识每增加一点,原有的知识就会忘掉一点。因此 混合物:分类 ④elastic li'laestik] a. 有弹性 最要紧的就是不能让那些无用的东西把有用的知识挤 的 出去。” distend Idi'stendl v 膨胀 “但那是太阳系啊!”我争辩说 “这跟我又有什么关系呢?”他打断了我的话 显得不耐烦,“你说我们是围绕着太阳转的。但即便 我们是绕着月亮转的,那也丝毫影响不到我和我的工 作啊。” .025. Chapter 2 The Science ofDeduction of difference to me or to my work." I was on the point of asking him what that work might be, but something in his manner showed me that the guestion would be an unwelcome one, I pondered over our short conversation, however, and endeavoured to draw my deductions{①} from it. He said that he would acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his obiect. Therefore all the knowledge which he possessed was such as would be useful to him. I enumerated^{②} in my own mind all the various points upon which he had shown me that he was exceptionally well-informed. I even took a pencil and jotted them down. I could not help smiling at the document when I had completed it. It ran in this way SHERLOCK HOLMEShis limits 1. Knowledge of Literature.-Nil. 2. Knowledge of Philosophy.-Nil. 3. Knowledge of Astronomy③.-Nil. 4. Knowledge of Politics.-Feeble. 5. Knowledge of Botany④.-Variable. Well up in belladonna^{, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening 6. Knowledge of Geology.-Practical, but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes uponhis trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them 7. Knowledge of Chemistry.-Profound. 8. Knowledge of Anatomy{}.-Accurate, but unsystematic. 9. Knowledge of Sensational Literature.-Immense{. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century. 10. Plavs the violin well 11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman 12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law. .026. 第一章 演绎理 我差一点就要问他,他干的是什么工作,但他当 时那神情清楚地告诉我,这不会是个受欢迎的问题。不 过,我仔细琢磨了我们刚才简短的对话,极力想要从中 ① deduction Idi'dAkfanl n 寻找答案。他说他不想去学习那些与其目标无关的知 演绎,推论 识。那么,他所掌握的所有知识,对他都是有用的了。 我心中暗暗列举出自己所观察到的情况,他哪些知识领 悟了解得特别深。我甚至拿起来了一支铅笔,把它们写 ② enumerate Ii'nju:mareitl v 例举 了下来。清单列完了之后,我对着它微笑了起来。内容 如下: 夏洛克·福尔摩斯--其学识范围 一、文学知识--无。 二、哲学知识--无。 三、天文学知识--无。 四、政治学知识--粗浅。 ③ astronomy Ia'stronamil n 天文学 五、植物学知识一一因对象而异,在颠茄、鸦片 方面知识丰富对毒药有一般了解,但在园艺方面一无 ④botany Ibotaniln. 植物学 belladonna I.bela'donal n 所知。 颠茄 六、地质学知识一掌握了实用性的知识,但很有 限。一眼就能分辨不同土质。散步回来后,曾向我展示 splash Isplaelln. 污点 溅在他裤腿上的泥点,并根据泥点的颜色和黏稠度,告 诉我是在伦敦的哪个区域溅上的。 七、化学知识--渊博。 八.解剖学知识一-精准,但不成系统。 anatomy lo'naetamil n. 解 九、凶案文献知识一一极丰富。他好像熟悉本世纪 剖学 发生的每一桩恐怖案件的所有细节 ⑧ immense li'mens] a. 丰富 的 十、小提琴拉得很好。 十一、善于棍棒术,精于拳击和剑术。 十二、掌握了丰富的英国法律实用知识。 ·027· Chapter2 The Science ofDeduction When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. "If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling^{①} all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all." I said tc myself, "I may as well give up the attempt at once." I see that I have alluded above to his powers upon the violin. These were very remarkable, but as eccentric as all his other accomplishments. That he could play pieces, and difficult pieces, I knew well, because at my request he has played me some of Mendelssohn's Lieder, and other favourites. When left to himself, however, he would seldom produce any music or attempt any recognized air. Leaning back in his arm-chair of an evening, he would close his eyes and scrape②} carelessly at the fiddle which was thrown across his knee. Sometimes the chords were sonorous③ and melancholy④. Occasionally they were fantastic and cheerful. Clearly they reflected the thoughts which possessed him, but whether the music aided those thoughts, or whether the playing was simply the result of a whim or fancy was more than I could determine. I might have rebelled against these exasperating{} solos had it not been that he usually terminated them by playing in quick succession a whole series of my favourite airs as a slight compensation for the trial upon my patience. During the first week or so we had no callers, and I had begun to think that my companion was as friendless a man as I was myself. Presently, however, I found that he had many acquaintances, and those in the most different classes of society. There was one little sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow who was introduced to me as Mr. Lestrade, and who came three or four times in a single week. One morning a young girl called, fashionably dressed, and stayed for half an hour or more. The same afternoon brought a grey-headed, seedy visitor, looking like a Jew pedlar, who appeared to me to be much excited, and who was closely followed by a slip-shod elderly woman. On another occasion an old white-haired gentleman had an interview with my companion: and on another a railway porter in his .028. 第一章 演绎挥理 我把清单列到这儿后,接着便失望地把它扔到了火 ① reconcile f'rekonsaill v 里。“如果我把这样一些特长糅合到一块儿,并且找到 使.-致 某种需要所有这些特长的行当,但结果却不能发现这家 伙在干些什么,”我心里想着,“那还不如干脆打消这个 念头呢。” 上面我已经提到了他拉小提琴的能力,虽然可说是 出类拔萃,但也像他的其他特长一样,有些怪异。我很 清楚,他会拉很多曲目,而且是有难度的,因为他曾应 我的请求,为我演奏一些门德尔松的《歌曲》,还有其 他一些喜爱的曲目。然而,他自己一个人拉琴的时候 ② scrape Iskreipl v 刮 拉出的声音根本不成调,根本听不出他拉的是什么玩意 ③ sonorous I'sonaras] a. 洪 儿。黄昏时刻,他会靠在椅背上,紧闭双眼,把小提琴 亮的 ④ melancholy I'melonkolil a 放在腿上,手随意地拨弄琴弦。有时拨出的弦声高亢却 忧郁的 又悲凉,有时怪异而又欢快。显然,琴音传递出他当时 的心境,但是,究竟是琴声将他引入这样的心境呢,还 是某种念头或情情驱使他奏出这样的曲调呢?我无法做 exasperating Iig'zespa reitinla. 使人恼怒的 出判断。如果不是他往往会紧接着演奏好几首我喜欢的 曲目,弥补一下对我耐性的折磨,我可能早就对他的独 奏提出抗议了。 开始的一两个星期时间里,我们没有任何朋友登 门拜访。于是,我开始觉得,我的这位同伴和我自己 一样,也没有一个朋友。不过,我很快就发现,他有 许多熟人,那些人来自很不相同的社会阶层。其中有 个身材矮小的人,脸色灰黄,面容不善,眼睛黑色, 据介绍,他名叫菜斯特雷德,一个星期之内来过三四 次。一天上午,有个打扮入时的姑娘上门了,待了半 个多小时。同一天下午,来了个头发灰白、衣衫襟楼 pedlar I'pedlal n. /小败 的客人,看上去像个犹太小商败,在我面前显得很激 动,身后还紧跟着一个遏航脏的老妇人。另有一次, 有位白发苍苍的老绅士同他进行了交谈。还有一次 来了个身穿棉绒制服的火车站搬运工。每当这些莫名 ·029·