It was half-past five before Holmes returned. He was bright, eager, and in excellent spirits,--a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression.
"There is no great mystery in this matter," he said, taking the cup of tea which I had poured out for him. "The facts appear to admit of only one explanation."
"What! you have solved it already?"
"Well, that would be too much to say. I have discovered a suggestive fact, that is all. It is, however, VERY suggestive. The details are still to be added. I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Times, that Major Sholto, of Upper Norword, late of the 34th Bombay Infantry1, died upon the 28th of April, 1882."
"I may be very obtuse2, Holmes, but I fail to see what this suggests."
"No? You surprise me. Look at it in this way, then. Captain Morstan disappears. The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto. Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London. Four years later Sholto dies. WITHIN A WEEK OF HIS DEATH Captain Morstan's daughter receives a valuable present, which is repeated from year to year, and now culminates3 in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation4 of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death, unless it is that Sholto's heir knows something of the mystery and desires to make compensation? Have you any alternative theory which will meet the facts?"
"But what a strange compensation! And how strangely made! Why, too, should he write a letter now, rather than six years ago? Again, the letter speaks of giving her justice. What justice can she have? It is too much to suppose that her father is still alive. There is no other injustice5 in her case that you know of."
"There are difficulties; there are certainly difficulties," said Sherlock Holmes, pensively6. "But our expedition of to-night will solve them all. Ah, here is a four-wheeler, and Miss Morstan is inside. Are you all ready? Then we had better go down, for it is a little past the hour."
I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick, but I observed that Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it into his pocket. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one.
Miss Morstan was muffled7 in a dark cloak, and her sensitive face was composed, but pale. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking8, yet her self-control was perfect, and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her.
"Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's," she said. "His letters were full of allusions9 to the major. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands, so they were thrown a great deal together. By the way, a curious paper was found in papa's desk which no one could understand. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance, but I thought you might care to see it, so I brought it with me. It is here."
Holmes unfolded the paper carefully and smoothed it out upon his knee. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens.
"It is paper of native Indian manufacture," he remarked. "It has at some time been pinned to a board. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls, corridors, and passages. At one point is a small cross done in red ink, and above it is '3.37 from left,' in faded pencil- writing. In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic10 like four crosses in a line with their arms touching11. Beside it is written, in very rough and coarse characters, 'The sign of the four,--Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.' No, I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter. Yet it is evidently a document of importance. It has been kept carefully in a pocket-book; for the one side is as clean as the other."
"It was in his pocket-book that we found it."
"Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Morstan, for it may prove to be of use to us. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. I must reconsider my ideas." He leaned back in the cab, and I could see by his drawn12 brow and his vacant eye that he was thinking intently. Miss Morstan and I chatted in an undertone about our present expedition and its possible outcome, but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey.
It was a September evening, and not yet seven o'clock, but the day had been a dreary13 one, and a dense14 drizzly15 fog lay low upon the great city. Mud-colored clouds drooped16 sadly over the muddy streets. Down the Strand17 the lamps were but misty18 splotches of diffused19 light which threw a feeble circular glimmer20 upon the slimy pavement. The yellow glare from the shop-windows streamed out into the steamy, vaporous air, and threw a murky21, shifting radiance across the crowded thoroughfare. There was, to my mind, something eerie22 and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light,--sad faces and glad, haggard and merry. Like all human kind, they flitted from the gloom into the light, and so back into the gloom once more. I am not subject to impressions, but the dull, heavy evening, with the strange business upon which we were engaged, combined to make me nervous and depressed23. I could see from Miss Morstan's manner that she was suffering from the same feeling. Holmes alone could rise superior to petty influences. He held his open note-book upon his knee, and from time to time he jotted24 down figures and memoranda25 in the light of his pocket-lantern.
At the Lyceum Theatre the crowds were already thick at the side- entrances. In front a continuous stream of hansoms and four- wheelers were rattling26 up, discharging their cargoes27 of shirt- fronted men and beshawled, bediamonded women. We had hardly reached the third pillar, which was our rendezvous28, before a small, dark, brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted29 us.
"Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?" he asked.
"I am Miss Morstan, and these two gentlemen are my friends," said she.
He bent30 a pair of wonderfully penetrating31 and questioning eyes upon us. "You will excuse me, miss," he said with a certain dogged manner, "but I was to ask you to give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer."
"I give you my word on that," she answered.
He gave a shrill32 whistle, on which a street Arab led across a four-wheeler and opened the door. The man who had addressed us mounted to the box, while we took our places inside. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse, and we plunged33 away at a furious pace through the foggy streets.
The situation was a curious one. We were driving to an unknown place, on an unknown errand. Yet our invitation was either a complete hoax,--which was an inconceivable hypothesis,--or else we had good reason to think that important issues might hang upon our journey. Miss Morstan's demeanor34 was as resolute35 and collected as ever. I endeavored to cheer and amuse her by reminiscences of my adventures in Afghanistan; but, to tell the truth, I was myself so excited at our situation and so curious as to our destination that my stories were slightly involved. To this day she declares that I told her one moving anecdote36 as to how a musket37 looked into my tent at the dead of night, and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub38 at it. At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving; but soon, what with our pace, the fog, and my own limited knowledge of London, I lost my bearings, and knew nothing, save that we seemed to be going a very long way. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault, however, and he muttered the names as the cab rattled39 through squares and in and out by tortuous40 by-streets.
"Rochester Row," said he. "Now Vincent Square. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. We are making for the Surrey side, apparently41. Yes, I thought so. Now we are on the bridge. You can catch glimpses of the river."
We did indeed get a fleeting42 view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad, silent water; but our cab dashed on, and was soon involved in a labyrinth43 of streets upon the other side.
"Wordsworth Road," said my companion. "Priory Road. Lark44 Hall Lane. Stockwell Place. Robert Street. Cold Harbor Lane. Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions."
We had, indeed, reached a questionable45 and forbidding neighborhood. Long lines of dull brick houses were only relieved by the coarse glare and tawdry brilliancy of public houses at the corner. Then came rows of two-storied villas46 each with a fronting of miniature garden, and then again interminable lines of new staring brick buildings,--the monster tentacles47 which the giant city was throwing out into the country. At last the cab drew up at the third house in a new terrace. None of the other houses were inhabited, and that at which we stopped was as dark as its neighbors, save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. On our knocking, however, the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban, white loose- fitting clothes, and a yellow sash. There was something strangely incongruous in this Oriental figure framed in the commonplace door-way of a third-rate suburban48 dwelling-house.
"The Sahib awaits you," said he, and even as he spoke49 there came a high piping voice from some inner room. "Show them in to me, khitmutgar," it cried. "Show them straight in to me."
收听单词发音 |
1
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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culminates
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| v.达到极点( culminate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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deprivation
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| n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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pensively
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| adv.沉思地，焦虑地 | |
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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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hieroglyphic
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| n.象形文字 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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drizzly
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| a.毛毛雨的(a drizzly day) | |
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drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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memoranda
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| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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