1 Mr. Sherlock Holmes

A Study in Scarlet

猩红的研究

Chapter 1 Mr.SherlockHolmes People often ask me how I first met Sherlock Holmes. In the year 1878, I became a surgeon in the army and joined a regiment stationed in India. In 1880, I was struck in the arm by a bullet in Afghanistan. Then, while recovering in hospital, I came down with a fever which left me so weak that the army medical board decided to send me back to England. I ended up in London where I took up residence in a hotel on the Strand. London is a vast, unfriendly place when you don't know anyone. It's also expensive, and I could barely make ends meet. One day, I was sitting in a bar by myself, thinking I should probably find somewhere

人们常问我是怎样第一次见到夏洛克·福尔摩斯的。 1878年，我成为一名军医，加入了驻扎在印度的一个团。 1880年，我在阿富汗被子弹击中手臂。 后来，在医院休养期间，我发烧了，身体非常虚弱，军队医疗委员会决定把我送回英国。 我最后到了伦敦，在斯特兰德的一家旅馆里住了下来。 当你不认识任何人时，伦敦是一个广阔而不友好的地方。 而且很贵，我几乎入不敷出。 有一天，我一个人坐在酒吧里，想着我应该找个地方

cheaper to live, when I felt a tap on the shoulder. To my delight, I saw it was Stamford, an old colleague from my days as a hospital doctor. "Where have you been, Dr. Watson?" he cried. "You're as thin as a rake." I told him briefly about my misadventures in the East. "Poor devil!" he said. "What are you up to now?" "Looking for lodgings." "By Jove!" he said. "You're the second person to say that to me today." "Who was the first?" I asked. "A fellow called Sherlock Holmes, who works in the chemical laboratory at the hospital. He was complaining this morning because he couldn't find anyone to go halves with him on some lovely rooms he'd found on Baker Street." "Well, if he's looking for a roommate, I'm the man for him," I said. "I'm fed up with living alone." "I warn you, he's a little strange," said Stamford. "Strange in what way?" "He's rather too scientific for my tastes—almost cold- blooded in his search for the truth." "Is he a medical student?" "No—I don't really know what he is. He's very knowledgeable on anatomy, and a first-class chemist, but his studies are very eccentric." Something about this man intrigued me. "I should like to meet him," I said.

当我感到有人轻拍我的肩膀时。 令我高兴的是，我看到是斯坦福德，我在医院当医生时的老同事。 “您到哪儿去了，华生医生？” “你瘦得像耙子一样。” 我简单地告诉他我在东方的不幸遭遇。 “可怜的家伙！”他说。“你现在在忙什么？”“找住处。” “天哪！”“你是今天第二个对我这么说的人了。” “谁是第一个？”我问。 "一个叫夏洛克·福尔摩斯的家伙，他在医院的化学实验室工作。 今天早上他还在抱怨，说他在贝克街找到了几间漂亮的房子，找不到人跟他合租呢。" “好吧，如果他在找室友，我就是他的不二之选，”我说。 “我受够了一个人住。” “我警告你，他有点怪，”斯坦福德说。 “奇怪在哪里？”“他太科学了，不合我的口味——他在寻求真理方面几乎是冷血的。” “他是医科学生吗？”“不，我真的不知道他是什么。 他在解剖学方面知识渊博，是一流的化学家，但他的研究很古怪。” 这个人的某些特质引起了我的兴趣。 “我很想见见他，”我说。

So, after lunch, we drove over to the hospital, where we found Holmes in the chemical laboratory. At the sound of our steps, he glanced around and uttered a cry of pleasure. "I've found it!" he cried. "I've found the perfect test for identifying blood stains." "Sherlock Holmes, meet Dr. John Watson," said Stamford. "Pleased to meet you," said Holmes, shaking my hand. "You've been in Afghanistan, I see." "How on earth did you know that?" I asked in astonishment.

所以，午饭后，我们开车去医院，在那里我们发现福尔摩斯在化学实验室里。 听到我们的脚步声，他环顾四周，高兴地叫了一声。 “我找到了！”他叫道。 “我找到了鉴定血迹的完美方法。” "夏洛克·福尔摩斯，这位是福尔摩斯医生。 约翰·华生，”斯坦福德说。 福尔摩斯握着我的手说："很高兴见到你。 “我知道你去过阿富汗。” “你到底是怎么知道的？”我惊讶地问。

"Never mind," he said. "Come and observe this test." He seized me by the coat sleeve and dragged me to the table where he'd been working. "I need fresh blood," he said, pricking his finger with a long needle and drawing a drop of blood into a jar full of water and stirring it. He added some crystals and a drop of transparent fluid, and the water turned a dull brown. "You see!" he said. "The presence of even the tiniest drop of blood can be revealed by this method." "And how is this useful?" I asked.

“没关系，”他说。“过来看看这个测试。” 他抓住我的衣袖，把我拖到他工作的桌子旁。 “我需要新鲜的血液，”他说着，用一根长针扎了手指，从一个装满水的罐子里抽出一滴血，搅拌起来。 他加了一些晶体和一滴透明的液体，水变成了暗褐色。 “你看！”他说。“通过这种方法，即使是最微小的一滴血也能被发现。” “这有什么用呢？”我问。

"Why, it could determine a person's guilt or innocence of a crime," he declared. "A suspect might have brownish stains on his clothing. Are they blood, mud, or fruit juice? The Sherlock Holmes test will determine the truth!" His eyes glittered as he spoke, and he gave a bow, as if to an applauding crowd. "Congratulations, Holmes," said Stamford, "but we're actually here on business. My friend here is, like you, looking for lodgings, so I thought I'd bring you two together." Holmes seemed delighted by the idea. "You don't mind me conducting chemical experiments in the flat?" he asked. "Or playing the violin?"

“为什么，它可以决定一个人是否有罪，”他宣称。 “嫌疑犯的衣服上可能有褐色的污渍。 它们是血、泥还是果汁？ 夏洛克·福尔摩斯测试将决定真相！”他说话的时候眼睛闪闪发光，他鞠了一躬，好像在向鼓掌的人群致意。 “恭喜你，福尔摩斯，”斯坦福德说，"不过我们实际上是来谈正事的。 我这位朋友跟你一样，也在找住处，所以我想把你们俩撮合在一起。” 福尔摩斯似乎对这个主意感到高兴。 “你不介意我在公寓里做化学实验吧？”他问。 “或者拉小提琴？”