4 The Mysterious Intruder

Chapter 4 The Mysterious Intruder I met Holmes at the station the next morning and we took the same early train down to Woking. He had received no answer to his advertisement and no fresh light had been shed on the case. My friend's face has the mobility of a rock sometimes, and I couldn't tell whether he felt hopeful or gloomy about his chances with this mystery. Phelps was delighted to see us. He looked stronger today and managed to rise from his sofa and greet us with a handshake.

第二天早晨，我在车站遇见了福尔摩斯，我们乘同一班早班火车去了沃金。 他的广告没有得到答复，案子也没有新的线索。 我朋友的脸有时会像岩石一样灵活，我不知道他对自己解开这个谜团的机会是充满希望还是感到沮丧。 菲尔普斯见到我们很高兴。 他今天看起来更强壮了，从沙发上站起来和我们握手打招呼。

"Any news?" he enquired. "Nothing to report as yet," said Holmes. "I've spoken to Forbes and your uncle and made some enquiries, which may yet bear fruit." "I do hope so" breathed Phelps. "You know, something strange happened last night. I had quite an adventure." He was trying to be lighthearted, but I saw the fear springing up in eyes. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the target of a monstrous conspiracy. First the treaty, and now this. Yet I haven't an enemy in the world." "Please tell us what happened," I urged him. Phelps reseated himself on the sofa and told us his story.

“有消息吗？”他问道。“到目前为止还没有什么可报告的，”福尔摩斯说道。 “我已经跟福布斯和你叔叔谈过了，也做了一些调查，可能还会有结果。” “我真希望如此，”菲尔普斯轻声说。 “你知道吗，昨晚发生了一件怪事。 我经历了一次大冒险。” 他试图装出轻松愉快的样子，但我看到恐惧从眼睛里冒了出来。 “有时我觉得自己是一个可怕阴谋的目标。 先是那个条约，现在又是这个。 但我在这个世界上没有敌人。” “请告诉我们发生了什么事。”我催促他。 菲尔普斯重新坐在沙发上，给我们讲了他的故事。

"Last night," he said, "was my first night without a nurse in the room, for I was feeling well enough not to need her. At about two in the morning, I was woken by a slight noise. I lay there for some time listening to it, thinking it was a mouse gnawing on some wood. Then it grew louder, and suddenly from the window I heard a sharp metallic click. I sat up, fearful now, for I realized that the first sound had been a blade being forced through the slit between the window sashes, and the second was a catch being pressed back. "There followed a pause of about ten minutes, as if the person was waiting to see if the noise had woken me. Then I heard a gentle creak as the window was very slowly opened. The tension

“昨晚，”他说，“是我第一次没有护士在房间里过夜，因为我感觉很好，不需要她。 大约凌晨两点的时候，我被一个轻微的声音吵醒了。 我躺在那儿听了一会儿，以为是老鼠在啃木头。 然后声音越来越大，突然从窗户里我听到一声尖锐的金属咔嗒声。 我坐了起来，心里很害怕，因为我意识到第一个声音是刀片从窗扇间的缝隙里插进来的声音，第二个声音是钩子被压回去的声音。 接着是大约十分钟的停顿，好像那个人在等着看那声音是否把我吵醒了。 然后我听到一声轻微的嘎吱声，窗户慢慢地被打开了。 张力

grew too much, and I sprang out of bed and flung open the shutters. A man was crouching there. I only glimpsed him because he was gone in a flash. Most of his face was covered by a cloak, but I did see something gleaming in his hand, which looked like a knife. "If I'd been stronger, I'd have chased after him. Instead, I could only ring the bell and shout for help. That soon brought Joseph down and he roused the rest of the household. They found marks on the flower bed outside the window, but the weather has been dry and they couldn't follow the intruder's trail across the grass. They did, however, find some damage to the fence, where he might have broken into the property."

我从床上跳起来，猛地打开百叶窗。 一个男人蹲在那里。 我只是瞥见了他，因为他一转眼就不见了。 他的大半张脸都被斗篷遮住了，但我确实看到他手里有什么东西在闪闪发光，看起来像是一把刀。 “如果我再强壮一点，我就会去追他。 相反，我只能按门铃，大声呼救。 约瑟很快就下来了，他唤醒了家里其余的人。 他们在窗外的花坛上发现了痕迹，但由于天气干燥，他们无法沿着入侵者的足迹穿过草地。 然而，他们发现篱笆上有一些损坏，他可能是在那里闯入的。”

My friend's story seemed to have an electric effect on Sherlock Holmes. He rose from his chair and began pacing the room in excitement. "Are you strong enough to walk around the grounds with me?" he asked Phelps. "Oh yes, I could do with some fresh air." "And I, too," said Annie. "I'm afraid not, Miss Harrison," said Holmes. "You must stay exactly where you are." The young woman sat back down with a look of displeasure. Her brother, however, joined us, and the four of us set off together around the garden.

我朋友的故事似乎对歇洛克·福尔摩斯产生了巨大的影响。 他从椅子上站起来，开始兴奋地在房间里踱来踱去。 他问菲尔普斯：“你有足够的力气和我一起绕着场地走吗？” “哦，是的，我需要一些新鲜空气。” “我也是，”安妮说。“恐怕不行，哈里森小姐，”福尔摩斯说。 “你必须待在原地。” 那年轻女子带着不悦的表情坐了下来。 然而，她的哥哥加入了我们，我们四个人一起绕着花园出发了。

"I wonder," remarked Holmes, "why the burglar chose your room for his break-in, Mr. Phelps. The larger windows of the drawing room and dining room would be easier to open, less likely to be occupied, and there is more to steal in those rooms."

“我很奇怪，”福尔摩斯说道，“费尔普斯先生，窃贼为什么要选择您的房间来行窃呢？ 客厅和餐厅的大窗户更容易打开，不太可能被占用，而且这些房间里有更多的东西可以偷。”