【前情回顾】：

两人就一篇描写观察与推理能力的有趣文章展开了讨论。福尔摩斯告诉了华生他咨询侦探的职业，这让华生难以理解。同时福尔摩斯也向华生展示了他的推理过程。而仍心存怀疑的华生询问福尔摩斯到来的信使的职业，结果却让他大吃一惊。

【今日翻译】：

I confess(承认) that I was considerably shocked by this fresh proof(证明) of my companion’s theories.
My respect for his powers of analysis(分析) increased greatly.
However, there still remained some suspicion(疑惑) in my mind that the whole thing was pre-arranged, intended(打算) to dazzle(使折服) me.
When I looked at him, he had finished reading the note.
这证据简直是赤裸裸打脸……太鲜明的例子，我实在太震惊了。
一下子对他的分析能力多了份尊重崇拜。
不过，我心底还是有着一丝怀疑：是不是他早就安排好了一切，迷惑折服我的？
我看向了他，他已经看完了信件。

“How in the world did you figure that out?” I asked.
“Figure what out?” said he.
“That he was a retired sergeant(中士) of Marines(海军).”
“I have no time for such simple games,” he answered.
Then with a smile he said, “Excuse my rudeness.You broke the line of thought, but perhaps it is as well.
So you actually were not able to see that that man was a sergeant(中士) of Marines(海军)?”
“No, indeed.”
“你咋知道的？”我实在是有点好奇。
“知道什么？”
“就是知道他是个退休海军中士。”
“我实在没时间回答这种太简单的问题。”他说。然后又笑了一下，说，“抱歉我刚刚太粗鲁。你刚刚打断了我的思路。所以你完全看不出他是个退休海军中士么？”
“恩，完全看不出。”

“It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it.
If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact.
Even across the street I could see a great blue anchor(锚) tattooed on the back of the fellow’s hand.
That smelled of the sea.
He had a military carriage, however, and a regulation(符合规定的) military haircut.
There we have the marine(海军).
He was a man with some amount of self-importance(自负的) and a certain air of command.
You must have observed the way in which he held his head.
His face also showed that he was a steady(沉稳的), respectable, middle-aged man—all facts which led me to believe that he had been a sergeant(中士).”
“知道么倒是很好知道，解释起来反倒有些麻烦……
就像，你知道2+2明明等于4，却很难跟别人解释为啥等于4。
就算隔着街，我也能看到他手背上纹着蓝色锚纹。
那象征着海洋。
他身姿和军事范儿，以及军事的发型。
那很明显他是个海军。
他整个人的气质带些自负，以及发号施令的味道。
这从看他举手的样子能看出来。
他的面貌也显示他是一个沉稳，让人肃然起敬，的中年男人。
——所有的证据都表明，他以前是个海军中士。”

“Wonderful!” I said.
“No—very ordinary,” said Holmes, though I thought from his expression that he was pleased at my evident surprise and admiration.
“I said just now that there were no criminals.
It appears that I am wrong—look at this!”
He threw me over the note which the gentleman had brought.
“娘啊！太吊了！”
“不，这很平常。”虽然他努力装作很平静，但我还是看到他对于我的赞扬表示很受用。“我刚刚才说过最近没有犯罪，就被打脸了——你看！”
他把那封信扔给了我。

“Oh,” I cried, as I cast my eye over it, “this is terrible!”
“It does seem to be a little out of the common,” he remarked, calmly.
“Would you mind reading it to me aloud?”
This is the letter which I read to him—
“哦！天啊！好可怕！”
“这次事件有点超出寻常，”他好冷静，“你能帮我念一下么？”
接下来是我念的信件内容——

“My dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:
“There has been a bad business during the night at 3, Lauriston Gardens, off the Brixton Road.
Our man on the beat saw a light there about two in the morning, and as the house was an empty one, he thought that something was wrong.
He found the door open, and in the front room he discovered the body of a gentleman.
The gentleman was well-dressed, and had cards in his pocket bearing the name of ‘Enoch J. Drebber, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.’
There had been no robbery, nor is there any evidence as to how the man met his death.
There are marks of blood in the room, but there is no wound upon his body.
Indeed, the whole affair is a mystery(谜).
If you can come round to the house any time before twelve, you will find me there.
I have left everything as it is until I hear from you.
If you are unable to come I will give you fuller details(细节), and would be grateful if you would do this favor for me.
“Yours faithfully, TOBIAS GREGSON.”
“我亲爱的Sherlock：
“昨天晚上，在Brixton 街头的Lauriston花园3号屋，发生了一起凶杀案。
我们的巡逻人员于今日早晨发现屋子里有两点灯光。但那其实是个空房子。所以他意识到事情大条了。
随后他发现，那屋子门是开着的，且在客厅发现了一位男士的尸体。
这位男士穿着得体，在上衣口袋发现他的名片：Enoch J. Drebber，美国俄亥俄州，克利夫兰人。
现场没有抢劫迹象，也没有迹象表明男子如何遇害。
房间内有血迹，但尸体身上没有伤口。
整个事件是个谜。
若你能来案发现场，12点前我都在此恭候。
我会保证案发现场不被破坏。
若你无法前来，我会整理细节报告给您，承蒙您的指点。
拜上。 TOBIAS GREGSON（特白厄斯·葛莱森）。”

“Get your hat,” Holmes said.
“You wish me to come?”
“Yes, if you have nothing better to do.”
“带上你的帽子。”Holmes说。
“咦？我也去么？”
“恩，反正你也没什么事做。”

A minute later we were both in a cab(出租马车), driving for the Brixton Road.
When Holmes insisted upon stopping and finishing our journey upon foot, we were still a hundred yards or so from the house.
Number 3, Lauriston Gardens wore an unlucky and threatening look.
It was one of four houses which stood back some little way from the street, two being occupied(已居住的) and two empty.
The latter looked out with three levels of windows, all blank and dull(昏暗的), except here and there a “For Rent(出租)” card was placed on the glass.
一分钟后，我们坐着出租车，去Brixton街的案发现场。
当Holmes非要停车步行的时候，我们离那个屋子还有一百码（约92米）。
Lauriston花园3号屋，看起来破败萧索，是这条街上的4栋房屋之一。
4栋房屋有2栋住人，2栋空的。
从空屋子的三层窗户看进去，里面都是昏暗空荡的，除了玻璃上贴着“出租”的宣传纸。

The whole place was very muddy(泥泞的) from the rain which had fallen through the night.
The garden was surrounded(被环绕) by a three-foot brick wall with wood railings upon the top.
I had imagined that Sherlock Holmes would at once have hurried into(匆忙进入) the house and rushed into(冲进) a study of the mystery(谜).
But it appeared that that was not his intention.
整条路，都因为下了一夜的雨变得泥泞不堪。
花园四周围绕着三英尺高的砖墙，上头有木栅栏。
我以为Holmes会立即冲进屋子里，开始解谜。
然后我又被他的行动啪啪打脸了。

He acted very calmly; he walked up and down the pavement(路面), and gazed(注视) vacantly at the ground, the sky, the opposite(对面的) houses and the line of fence railings.
Having finished his observation, he proceeded(继续) slowly down the path keeping his eyes focused upon(集中（注意力）于) the ground.
Twice he stopped, and once I saw him smile, and heard him utter(发出) a sound of satisfaction.
他很镇静，在路上漫步行走，时不时看看天，看看地，看看对面，看看房子，看看栅栏。
看完这些，又缓步前行，并且一路观察地面。
走了两遍他停住了，满意的笑出了声。

There were many marks of footsteps upon the wet soil, but since the police had been coming and going over it, I was unable to see how my companion could hope to learn anything from it.
But I had no doubt that he could see a great deal which was hidden from me, as I had seen his amazing power before.
泥地上有许多脚印，但是我看着有很多警察都已经走来走去了好几次，所以真是不知道小伙伴到底能看出什么东西。
不过，在见识他神奇的天赋后，我知道他肯定是看出了什么关键证据。

At the door of the house, we were met by a tall, white-faced, blonde-haired(金发的) man, with a notebook in his hand.
He rushed forward and shook my companion’s hand.
“It is indeed kind of you to come,” he said, “I have had everything left untouched.”
“Except that!” my friend answered, pointing at the path.
“If a herd(一群) of buffaloes had passed through there could not be a greater mess.
No doubt, however, you had drawn your own conclusions(结论), Gregson, before you permitted this.”
在门口，站着一位高个子，白皮肤，金棕色头发的男人，手里还拿着笔记本。
他立马冲过来和我的小伙伴握手。
“哦你能来真的是我的荣幸，这里所有现场都保存完好。”
“除了那里！”小伙伴指着外面的泥地。“就算是一群水牛走过那里都没有这么凌乱。
显然，Gregson，你已经有了自己的结论。
不然你不会允许他们从那里经过。”

“I have had so much to do inside the house,” the detective(警探) said.
“My coworker, Mr. Lestrade, is here. I had depended upon(依靠) him to look after this.”
Holmes glanced at(瞥一眼) me and raised his eyebrows(眉毛).
“With two such men as yourself and Lestrade upon the ground, there will not be much for a third party to find out,” he said.
Gregson rubbed(搓) his hands in a self-satisfied way.
“I think we have done all that can be done,” he answered, “it’s an unusual case though, and I knew your taste for such things.”
“恩我主要是在屋子里侦查，屋子里比较重要。”警探说，“我的合作者， Lestrade先生也在这里。我让他负责侦查这条路的。”
Holmes看了我一眼，挑了下眉，“像你和 Lestrade 这样杰出的人看过的现场，其他人很难再找出有用的线索。”
Gregson略带自豪的搓了搓手。
“我觉得我们已经做了所有能做的，但这个案子是在不同寻常，我知道您有这方面的天赋。”

“You did not come here in a cab(马车)?” asked Sherlock Holmes.
“No, sir.” “Nor Lestrade?” “No, sir.”
“Then let us go and look at the room.”
With this irrelevant(毫无关联的) remark, he walked into the house, followed by Gregson.
“你来这里不是坐马车来的？”Holmes问。
“没有。”
“ Lestrade也没有？”
“没有”。
“那我们进屋里看看。”说完这个看似毫无关联的问题，就进了屋子。Gregson跟着一起进去了。

over。不定时更新。