6 The Twisted Tree

Chapter 6 The Twisted Tree Our former home looked much as it had three years ago, if a great deal tidier. Following an arson attack by Moriarty's gang, Mrs. Hudson and I had decided to redecorate the place in the same style. Holmes was especially pleased to see in their old places the acid-stained table where he once conducted his chemical experiments, and his treasured violin, both of which had survived the fire with minimal damage. Mrs. Hudson was very relieved to see we were safe after our adventure. "I went to it on my knees to make the adjustments, sir, just as you told me," she said, pointing to the wax dummy of my friend. It stood on a small table near the window.

第六章扭曲的树我们以前的家看上去和三年前差不多，只是整洁多了。 在莫里亚蒂一伙纵火之后，哈德森太太和我决定把这里重新装修成同样的风格。 福尔摩斯特别高兴地看到，在他们原来的地方，有一张酸渍的桌子，他曾经在那里做过化学实验，还有他珍爱的小提琴，这两件东西都在火灾中幸而幸存，损坏很小。 哈德逊太太看到我们历险之后安然无恙，感到很放心。 “我跪着去调整，先生，就像你告诉我的那样，”她指着我朋友的蜡像说。 它放在靠窗的一张小桌子上。

"You did brilliantly, Mrs. Hudson," said Holmes. "Did you see where the bullet went?" "Yes, sir. I'm afraid it has ruined your beautiful sculpture, for it passed right through your head and into the wall behind. I picked up the bullet from the carpet. Here it is." Holmes showed it to me. "A revolver bullet, as you can see, Watson. There's genius in that, for who would expect such a thing to be fired from an air gun?" He bent to examine the bust's forehead. "The old hunter has certainly not lost his eye," he said. "He was the best shot in India, and I expect in London, too."

福尔摩斯说："你干得很出色，赫德森太太。 “你看到子弹打到哪里去了吗？”“是的,先生。 我担心它毁了你美丽的雕塑，因为它直接穿过你的头，进入后面的墙。 我从地毯上捡起了子弹。 给你。”福尔摩斯把它拿给我看。 “一颗左轮手枪子弹，你也看到了，华生。 这是一种天才，因为谁会想到气枪会射出这样的东西呢？”他弯下腰检查半身像的前额。 “老猎人肯定没有失去他的眼睛，”他说。 “他是印度最好的射手，我想在伦敦也是如此。”

Mrs. Hudson left us, and we settled into our familiar armchairs by the fire that danced and flickered in the breeze coming through the broken window. "Have you heard of Colonel Moran, Watson?" "No, I haven't." Holmes took down a book from his shelf. "Here we are," he said. "My A to Z of Famous Criminals." He seated himself back in his chair and slowly turned the pages. "My collection of M's is a fine one. As well as Moriarty himself, we have Morgan the poisoner, Meridew the forger, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine

赫德森太太离开了我们，我们坐在熟悉的扶手椅上，炉火在破窗吹进来的微风中摇曳起舞。 “华生，你听说过莫兰上校吗？”“不，我没有。” 福尔摩斯从书架上取下一本书。 “我们到了，”他说。“我从A到Z的著名罪犯” 他靠在椅子上，慢慢地翻着书。 “我的M系列是很好的。 除了莫里亚蒂本人，我们还有投毒者摩根，伪造者梅里德，还有打昏我左犬的马修斯

tooth in the waiting room at Charing Cross. And finally, we have the man of the hour..." He handed the book to me, and I read the entry under Moran, Sebastian, Colonel. He had been born in London, the son of a high-ranking politician. He was educated at Eton and Oxford and served with distinction in the British Indian Army on a number of campaigns. "This is astonishing," I said, handing back the book. "The man was from a wealthy, privileged background. He had a first-rate education and was a brave soldier. What the devil happened to him?" "There are certain trees," said Holmes, "that grow very well up to a certain height, and then develop an ugly twist. You see it occasionally in humans, too. For much of his life, Colonel Moran was a model human being, at least outwardly. But then, for whatever reason, he began to go wrong. "He retired from the army, moved back to London, and embarked on a life of crime. Before long, he came to the attention of Moriarty, who made him his right-hand man. You remember

在查令十字车站的候车室里。 最后，我们迎来了风云人物……” 他把书递给我，我读了“莫兰，塞巴斯蒂安，上校”的条目。 他出生在伦敦，是一位高级政治家的儿子。 他曾就读于伊顿公学和牛津大学，并在英属印度军队中多次出征，表现优异。 “这太令人吃惊了，”我说着，把书还给了他。 “这名男子出身富裕、享有特权。 他受过一流的教育，是个勇敢的战士。 他到底出了什么事？”“有些树，”福尔摩斯说，“长到一定高度就长得很好，然后就长出了难看的歪头。 你偶尔也会在人类身上看到这种情况。 在他生命的大部分时间里，莫兰上校都是一个模范人物，至少在外表上是这样。 但后来，不知什么原因，他开始出错了。 他从军队退役，搬回伦敦，开始了犯罪的生活。 不久，他引起了莫里亚蒂的注意，莫里亚蒂任命他为自己的得力助手。 你还记得

that day I visited you in April 1890 and I insisted on closing the shutters for fear of air guns? You probably thought I'd gone mad, but I knew Moran was at large, armed with his remarkable gun. "It was because of Moran that I spent all that time away on my travels. So long as he remained at liberty in London, I could never return. The shadow of his gun would have been on me constantly, and sooner or later he would have got his chance.

我在1890年4月拜访你的那天，因为害怕气枪，我坚持要关上百叶窗。 你可能以为我疯了，但我知道莫兰还逍遥法外，带着他那把了不起的枪。 “正是因为莫兰，我把所有的时间都花在了旅行上。 只要他在伦敦自由自在，我就永远不能回去。 他的枪的影子会一直照着我，他迟早会有机会的。

"While I was in France, I kept in constant touch with the news from London, waiting for an opportunity to rid myself of this shadow. My chance finally came with the death of Ronald Adair. Everything I knew about Moran pointed to him being the murderer. He'd played cards with Adair. He must have followed him home from the club and shot him through the open window. The bullets alone were enough to prove his guilt.

“当我在法国的时候，我一直与伦敦的新闻保持着联系，等待一个机会来摆脱自己的阴影。 罗纳德·阿代尔死后，我的机会终于来了。 我所知道的关于莫兰的一切都表明他是凶手。 他和阿代尔打过牌。 他一定是从俱乐部跟着他回家然后从开着的窗户向他开枪。 光是子弹就足以证明他有罪。