5 A Surprise at Breakfast

Chapter 5 A Surprise at Breakfast "I can't understand why he's chosen to remain in Woking instead of pursuing the investigation in London," said Phelps anxiously, as we pulled out of the station. I tried reassure him. "My dear Percy, Holmes's methods may be unusual, but they are almost always effective." "You trust him, then?" "I've seen him do remarkable things." I'd hoped that would be enough to ease his mind, but throughout the journey and for the rest of that day at the Baker Street apartment, Phelps remained nervous. "I'll bet he never solved such a dark and complex problem before," he fretted.

“我不明白他为什么选择留在沃金，而不去伦敦进行调查，”我们驶出车站时，费尔普斯焦急地说。 我试着让他放心。“我亲爱的珀西，福尔摩斯的方法也许不同寻常，但几乎总是有效的。” “那么你信任他了？”“我见过他做过了不起的事情。” 我本希望这足以让他放松心情，但在整个旅程中，以及那天在贝克街公寓的剩余时间里，菲尔普斯一直很紧张。 “我敢打赌，他以前从来没有解决过这么黑暗和复杂的问题，”他烦恼地说。

"Oh, he's solved problems far murkier than this one." "Oh, Watson, I wish I had your faith, but I fear this problem might be too difficult even for the great Mr. Holmes." As evening fell, I told my friend to stop worrying and go to bed so he'd be fresh for whatever awaited us the next day. At last he did, though I could tell from his agitated manner that there wasn't much hope of sleep for him. Holmes arrived in a cab shortly after eight o'clock the following morning. From the window, Phelps and I watched him get out. His left hand was bandaged and his face was grim and pale.

“哦，他解决的问题比这个复杂得多。” “哦，华生，我真希望我能有你的信任，可是我恐怕这个问题对伟大的福尔摩斯先生来说也太困难了。” 夜幕降临时，我告诉我的朋友不要再担心了，去睡觉吧，这样他就能精神饱满地面对第二天等待着我们的一切。 他终于睡着了，不过从他激动的样子我看得出来，他睡不着多少希望。 第二天早晨八点钟刚过，福尔摩斯就乘马车来了。 菲尔普斯和我从窗口看着他走了出来。 他的左手缠着绷带，脸色阴沉而苍白。

"He looks a beaten man," Phelps groaned, and I was forced to agree. "Are you wounded, Holmes?" I asked when he came in. "A mere scratch," he replied, nodding greetings to us. "This case of yours is one of the darkest I've ever investigated, Mr. Phelps." "Will you tell us what happened?" asked Phelps. "After breakfast. I've no energy for talk until I've eaten." Just then, Sherlock's landlady, Mrs. Hudson, entered with a trolley containing coffee and three covered dishes. "Mrs. Hudson, this looks splendid!" said Holmes, uncovering his dish of curried chicken. "What's yours, Watson?" "Ham and eggs," I replied. "Wonderful! And what do you have, Mr. Phelps?" "Thank you, but I have no appetite," said Phelps. "Come, come!" said Holmes. "I'm filled with curiosity."

“他看起来像个败类，”菲尔普斯呻吟道，我不得不同意。 “你受伤了吗，福尔摩斯？”他进来时我问。 “一点擦伤，”他点头向我们问好，回答说。 “你的案子是我调查过的最黑暗的案子之一，菲尔普斯先生。” “你能告诉我们发生了什么事吗？”菲尔普斯问。 “早餐后。不吃东西我就没力气说话。” 就在这时，夏洛克的房东赫德森太太推着一辆手推车进来了，里面装着咖啡和三个盖着盖子的盘子。 “赫德森太太，这道菜看上去真漂亮！”福尔摩斯一边说，一边打开他那盘咖喱鸡。 “你的呢，华生？”“火腿和鸡蛋，”我回答。 “太棒了!你有什么消息，菲尔普斯先生？”“谢谢你，但我没有胃口，”菲尔普斯说。 “得了，得了！”福尔摩斯说道。 “我充满了好奇心。”

"Very well then," said Phelps. He lifted the cover and uttered a scream. On the plate lay a roll of pale blue paper."

“那好吧，”菲尔普斯说。 他掀开被子，发出一声尖叫。 盘子里放着一卷淡蓝色的纸。”