1 The Redheaded League

The Redheaded League It was a cool, autumn day when I decided to visit my friend Sherlock Holmes. The walk was pleasant and I was soon at Baker Street. But Holmes already had company. His visitor was a large, older man with hair as red as fire. "You are just in time, Watson," said Holmes. "I believe you will find this gentleman's tale most interesting. It could prove what I have told you all along—that truth is stranger than fiction. And that the smallest of crimes are sometimes the most interesting.

红发联盟一个凉爽的秋日，我决定去拜访我的朋友歇洛克·福尔摩斯。 散步很愉快，我很快就到了贝克街。 但是福尔摩斯已经有了客人。 他的客人是一个身材高大、头发红得像火的老人。 “你来得正是时候，华生，”福尔摩斯说道。 “我相信你会觉得这位先生的故事很有趣。 它可以证明我一直对你说的话——事实比小说更离奇。 最微不足道的罪行有时却是最有趣的。

"This is Mr. Jabez Wilson, who was telling me about some most unusual events. Please, Mr. Wilson, be so kind as to begin again." Before the red-haired man began to tell his tale, he pulled a newspaper from his coat pocket. As he scanned the newspaper, I looked at him carefully. I tried to guess things about him, the way my detective friend always did. Holmes could see what I was doing. He looked at me and said, "Watson, I see nothing, either. Except of course that our Mr. Wilson is a laborer, that he is a member of the organization known as the Freemasons, that he has visited China, and that he has been writing a lot recently." Mr. Wilson looked up from the newspaper with wide eyes. "How on earth did you know that, Mr. Holmes? It's true that I was a laborer. I used to be a ship's carpenter. And

“这位是杰贝兹·威尔逊先生，他正在给我讲一些非常不寻常的事情。 威尔逊先生，请您重新开始吧。” 在红头发的人开始讲述他的故事之前，他从外套口袋里掏出一张报纸。 当他浏览报纸时，我仔细地看着他。 我试着猜测他的一些事情，就像我的侦探朋友经常做的那样。 福尔摩斯看得出我在做什么。 他看着我说：“华生，我也什么也没看见。 当然，除了我们的威尔逊先生是一名工人，他是一个叫共济会的组织的成员，他去过中国，最近写了很多东西。” 威尔逊先生睁大眼睛从报纸上抬起头来。 “福尔摩斯先生，你究竟是怎么知道的呢？” 的确，我曾经是一名劳动者。 我曾经是一名船上的木匠。 和

the rest is all true, too." Holmes explained, "The muscles of your right hand are larger than your left. That tells me you used your hands in your work. You are wearing a pin with the symbol of the Freemasons. I see that the cuff of your right sleeve is very shiny and worn, a sign that you have spent a lot of time writing. "Also," he continued, "there is a tattoo of a fish on your right wrist. I have studied tattoos. That one could only have been done in China. I also see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch chain. These things tell me you have been to that distant land." I was always amazed by the store of facts in Holmes' head. He might not know that the earth circled the sun, or be able to name the author of a famous book. But he could tell you what country a certain tattoo came from. Or he could study the ash of different

其他的也都是真的。” 福尔摩斯解释说：“你右手的肌肉比左手的大。 这说明你在工作中用过手。 你戴的别针上有共济会的标志。 我看到你右袖的袖口已经磨得很亮了，说明你花了很多时间写字。 “还有，”他接着说，“在你的右手腕上有一个鱼的纹身。 我研究过纹身。那只可能在中国完成。 我还看到你的表链上挂着一枚中国硬币。 这些事告诉我你去过那遥远的地方。” 福尔摩斯脑子里的事实储备总是使我感到惊奇。 他可能不知道地球绕着太阳转，或者能说出一本名著的作者的名字。 但他能告诉你某个纹身来自哪个国家。 或者他可以研究不同的灰烬

cigarettes and tell them apart. Mr. Wilson laughed loudly. "I understand now, Mr. Holmes. At first, I thought you had done something difficult. But now I see how easy it was." "Watson, remind me not to explain my methods in the future," he said to me with a grin. "And now, Mr. Wilson, have you found the item in the newspaper?" "Yes. Here it is. This is what started it all." Wilson handed me the two-month-old paper. He pointed to a small notice on the page, which I read: To the Redheaded League: At the request of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., employment is available to a redheaded man who is of sound body and mind, and is above the age of 21. The successful applicant will

并区分香烟。 威尔逊先生大笑起来。 “我现在明白了，福尔摩斯先生。 一开始，我以为你做了什么难事。 但现在我明白了，那是多么容易。” “华生，提醒我以后不要解释我的方法，”他咧着嘴笑着对我说。 “现在，威尔逊先生，你在报纸上找到这条消息了吗？”“是的。 在这里。这就是一切的开始。” 威尔逊把两个月前的报纸递给我。 他指了指书页上的一个小告示，我看了看：致红发联盟：应已故的美国宾夕法尼亚州黎巴嫩市的伊泽基亚·霍普金斯先生的请求，凡年满21岁、身心健康的红发男子，均可申请加入。 成功的申请者将

receive a salary. Please apply in person on Monday, at eleven o'clock, to Duncan Ross, at 7 Pope's Court, Fleet Street. "What on earth does this mean?" I asked. "Well, Mr. Watson," Wilson said, "I have a small pawnshop where I buy and sell used items from people. I barely make enough to live on. I wouldn't even be able to pay my helper, except that he is willing to work for half of what I should be paying him, just so he can learn the business. "His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he's a fine worker. My only complaint is that he spends too much time with his hobby—photography. He takes pictures, then spends hours in his darkroom in the shop basement. "There is also a young girl in the shop. She does some cooking and cleaning. I'm not married and have no family. So it is just the

领取薪水。请于星期一十一点亲自到舰队街教皇院七号邓肯·罗斯处申请。 “这到底是什么意思？”我问。 “哦，华生先生，”威尔逊说，“我有一家小当铺，在那里我向人们买卖旧物。 我挣的钱几乎不够生活。 我甚至付不起我的助手的工资，除非他愿意只拿我应该付给他的一半，这样他就可以学习这门生意了。 “他叫文森特·斯波尔丁，是个好工人。 我唯一的抱怨是他花了太多时间在他的爱好摄影上。 他先拍照，然后在商店地下室的暗房里待上几个小时。 “店里还有一个年轻的女孩。 她做一些烹饪和清洁。 我没有结婚，也没有家庭。 所以它就是

three of us, living quietly. "But then, two months ago," he continued, "Spaulding showed me the notice you just read. He said he wished he had red hair because he had heard the job was easy and paid well. He also heard that Ezekiah Hopkins was an American millionaire. It seemed that Hopkins had red hair and was an odd fellow. He had wanted his fortune to go to men with red hair. So, when he died, he left money to be given to them in this odd way. "Spaulding explained that Hopkins had lived in London years ago. It seems he loved the place. So the money was left only for red- haired men from this city. My assistant said that the offer seemed perfect for me. "So," continued Mr. Wilson, "we closed the shop and made our way to the offices of the League. Well, Mr. Holmes, when we arrived

我们三个，安静地生活。 “但是，两个月前，”他接着说，“斯波尔丁给我看了你刚才看到的通知。 他说他希望自己有一头红头发，因为他听说这份工作很容易，薪水也很高。 他还听说伊泽基亚·霍普金斯是一位美国百万富翁。 霍普金斯似乎长着一头红头发，是个古怪的家伙。 他本来希望自己的财产属于红头发的人。 所以，当他死后，他留下钱以这种奇怪的方式给他们。 斯波尔丁解释说，霍普金斯多年前曾住在伦敦。 看起来他很喜欢这个地方。 所以这笔钱只留给这个城市的红头发男人。 我的助理说这份工作对我来说再合适不过了。 “于是，”威尔逊先生继续说，“我们关了店，向联盟的办公室走去。 福尔摩斯先生，当我们到达时