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."

点击收听单词发音  

1 infantry
n.[总称]步兵(部队)
参考例句：
The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。 We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

2 obtuse
adj.钝的；愚钝的
参考例句：
You were too obtuse to take the hint.你太迟钝了，没有理解这种暗示。 "Sometimes it looks more like an obtuse triangle,"Winter said.“有时候它看起来更像一个钝角三角形。”温特说。

3 culminates
v.达到极点( culminate的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Each civilization is born, it culminates, and it decay. 各种文明都要历经诞生，鼎盛和衰落。 来自《用法词典》 The tower culminates in a 40-foot spire. 这塔的顶端是一个40英尺高的塔尖。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 deprivation
n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困
参考例句：
Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。 Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

5 injustice
n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利
参考例句：
They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。 All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 pensively
adv.沉思地，焦虑地
参考例句：
Garton pensively stirred the hotchpotch of his hair. 加顿沉思着搅动自己的乱发。 来自辞典例句 "Oh, me,'said Carrie, pensively. "I wish I could live in such a place." “唉，真的，"嘉莉幽幽地说，"我真想住在那种房子里。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 muffled
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）
参考例句：
muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音 There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 embarking
乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事
参考例句：
He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。 The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

9 allusions
暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 )
参考例句：
We should not use proverbs and allusions indiscriminately. 不要滥用成语典故。 The background lent itself to allusions to European scenes. 眼前的情景容易使人联想到欧洲风光。

10 hieroglyphic
n.象形文字
参考例句：
For centuries hieroglyphic word pictures painted on Egyptian ruins were a mystery.几世纪以来，刻划在埃及废墟中的象形文字一直是个谜。 Dongba is an ancient hieroglyphic language.东巴文是中国一种古老的象形文字。

11 touching
adj.动人的，使人感伤的
参考例句：
It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。 His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

12 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 dreary
adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的
参考例句：
They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。 She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

14 dense
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
参考例句：
The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

15 drizzly
a.毛毛雨的(a drizzly day)
参考例句：
This section of the country is drizzly in the winter. 该国的这一地区在冬天经常细雨蒙蒙。 That region is drizzly in winter. 那个地区冬天常下小雨。

16 drooped
弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。

17 strand
vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）
参考例句：
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。 The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

18 misty
adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的
参考例句：
He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。 The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

19 diffused
散布的，普及的，扩散的
参考例句：
A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。 Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

20 glimmer
v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光
参考例句：
I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。 A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

21 murky
adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗
参考例句：
She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。 She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

22 eerie
adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的
参考例句：
It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。 I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

23 depressed
adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的
参考例句：
When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。 His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

24 jotted
v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下
参考例句：
I jotted down her name. 我匆忙记下了她的名字。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The policeman jotted down my address. 警察匆匆地将我的地址记下。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

25 memoranda
n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式
参考例句：
There were memoranda, minutes of meetings, officialflies, notes of verbal di scussions. 有备忘录，会议记录，官方档案，口头讨论的手记。 Now it was difficult to get him to address memoranda. 而现在，要他批阅备忘录都很困难。

26 rattling
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
参考例句：
This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。 At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

27 cargoes
n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负
参考例句：
This ship embarked cargoes. 这艘船装载货物。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The crew lashed cargoes of timber down. 全体船员将木材绑牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 rendezvous
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
参考例句：
She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。 I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。

29 accosted
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
参考例句：
She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。 His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

31 penetrating
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
参考例句：
He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。 He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。

32 shrill
adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫
参考例句：
Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。 The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

33 plunged
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。 She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

34 demeanor
n.行为；风度
参考例句：
She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。 The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

35 resolute
adj.坚决的，果敢的
参考例句：
He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。 The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

36 anecdote
n.轶事，趣闻，短故事
参考例句：
He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。 It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

37 musket
n.滑膛枪
参考例句：
I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。 So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟，突然，乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。

38 cub
n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人
参考例句：
The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。 The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

39 rattled
慌乱的，恼火的
参考例句：
The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。 Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

40 tortuous
adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的
参考例句：
We have travelled a tortuous road.我们走过了曲折的道路。 They walked through the tortuous streets of the old city.他们步行穿过老城区中心弯弯曲曲的街道。

41 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

42 fleeting
adj.短暂的，飞逝的
参考例句：
The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。 Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

43 labyrinth
n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路
参考例句：
He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。 The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

44 lark
n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏
参考例句：
He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。 She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

45 questionable
adj.可疑的，有问题的
参考例句：
There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。 Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

46 villas
别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅
参考例句：
Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。 Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

47 tentacles
n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛
参考例句：
Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。 Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

48 suburban
adj.城郊的，在郊区的
参考例句：
Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。 There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

49 spoke
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
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。