4 To Stoke Moran

Chapter 4 To Stoke Moran At Waterloo, we caught a train to Leatherhead, where we hired a trap at the station inn. The drive through the quiet Surrey lanes was very pleasant. It was a perfect spring day, with a bright sun and a few fleecy clouds in the sky. New leaves were appearing on the trees and hedges, and the air smelled of moist earth. It was easy to forget, at least for a while, the sinister quest upon which we were engaged.

在滑铁卢，我们搭上了去莱瑟黑德的火车，在车站旅馆租了一辆轻便马车。 开车穿过宁静的萨里小巷是非常愉快的。 这是一个完美的春日，阳光明媚，天空飘着几朵轻盈的云。 树木和树篱上长出了新叶，空气中弥漫着潮湿的泥土味。 我们很容易忘记，至少在一段时间内，我们所从事的险恶的探索。

My companion sat at the front of the trap, arms folded and hat pulled down over his eyes, sunk in the deepest thought. Suddenly, he glanced up. "Look there!" he said. He was pointing toward a gently sloping hill dotted with trees. At the top, appearing above the tree branches, was the roof of an old mansion. "Is that Stoke Moran?" he asked. "Yes, sir," answered the driver. "This road takes us to the village, but if you want the house, it would be quicker to get out here. Climb over that stile and take the footpath through the fields where that lady is walking." "The lady, I believe, is Miss Stoner," said Holmes, shading his eyes to see better. "Yes, Driver, we'll do as you suggest." We got off the trap, paid the fare, and climbed over the stile into the field. Miss Stoner, spotting us, hurried over.

我的同伴坐在车的前面，双臂交叉，帽子拉下遮住眼睛，陷入了沉思。 突然，他抬起头来。“看那儿！”他说。 他指着一座长满树木的缓坡小山。 树梢上露出来的，是一座古宅的屋顶。 “那是斯托克莫兰吗？” “是的，先生。”车夫回答。 “这条路把我们带到村里，但如果你想要房子，从这里出去会更快。 翻过那道台阶，走那条小路，穿过那位女士正在走的田野。” “我想这位女士就是斯托纳小姐，”福尔摩斯一边说，一边遮住眼睛以便看得更清楚。 “好的，司机，我们照你说的做。” 我们下了陷阱，付了车费，爬过栅栏进入了田地。 斯托纳小姐看见了我们，急忙走了过来。

"I've been waiting so eagerly for you!" she cried, shaking hands with us warmly. "All has turned out extremely well. My stepfather has gone to town and is unlikely to be back before evening." "We had the pleasure of meeting the good doctor ourselves," said Holmes, and he briefly explained what had happened. Miss Stoner turned pale with fear. "Oh dear!" she shuddered. "He followed me then." "So it appears."

“我一直在热切地等待你们！”她喊道，热情地和我们握手。 “一切都很顺利。 我继父进城去了，晚上以前不大可能回来。” “我们有幸亲自见到了这位好医生，”福尔摩斯说道，并简要地解释了所发生的事情。 斯托纳小姐吓得脸色发白。 “哦，天哪！"她颤抖着说。“然后他跟着我。” “看来是这样。”

"He is so cunning, that man. I don't think I will ever be safe from him. What will he do when he returns?" "He'll need to take care, because there's someone even more cunning on his trail," said Holmes. "You must lock yourself in your room tonight, madam. If he's violent, we'll take you to your aunt in Harrow. Now, let's make good use of the time we have. Please show us to the rooms we need to examine." Stoke Moran was an old stone house with a large central section and two curving wings stretching out on either side like the claws of a crab. Most of it was in a state of disrepair, but the right-hand wing was in good repair with blinds in the windows and smoke curling from its chimneys. This was where the family lived.

“那个人真狡猾。 我觉得我永远都逃不过他的魔爪。 他回来的时候会做什么呢？”福尔摩斯说：“他得小心了，因为有一个比他更狡猾的人在跟踪他。” “今晚你必须把自己锁在房间里，夫人。 如果他有暴力倾向，我们就带你去哈罗的姨妈那里。 现在，让我们好好利用我们的时间。 请带我们去检查那些房间。” 斯托克莫兰是一座古老的石头房子，中间有一个很大的部分，两边伸展着两个弯曲的翅膀，像螃蟹的爪子。 它的大部分都年久失修，但右翼维修得很好，窗户上装着百叶窗，烟囱里袅袅冒出烟来。 这就是他们家住的地方。

Holmes paced the lawn, examining this part of the house. "This, I take it, is your room," he said. "The central one belonged to your sister, and the one next to the main building is Dr. Roylott's." "Exactly so," said Miss Stoner. "But I'm now sleeping in the middle one while they repair the end wall." Holmes studied the scaffolding on the end wall. "I see nothing in particular that needs repairing here. One might almost think it was an excuse to move you to your present room." He turned to Miss Stoner. "Madam, would you please go into your room and close and bolt your shutters." She did so, and Holmes tried everything to force them open. There was no slit his knife could penetrate to raise the lock. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "No one could get through these shutters if they were bolted." The first place we examined inside the house was the central bedroom where Miss Stoner was now sleeping. It was a homely little room with a low ceiling and simple furnishings. Holmes took out his magnifying glass and kneeled down to

福尔摩斯在草坪上踱来踱去，察看着房子的这一部分。 “我想，这是你的房间吧，”他说。 “中间的那间是你妹妹的，主楼旁边的那间是你妹妹的。 窗板的。”“正是这样，”斯托纳小姐说。 “但我现在睡在中间，他们在修最后一堵墙。” 福尔摩斯端详着尽头墙上的脚手架。 “我看这里没有什么特别需要修理的东西。 人们几乎会认为这是把你调到现在这个房间的借口。” 他转向斯托纳小姐。“夫人，请您到您的房间里去，把百叶窗关好。” 她照做了，福尔摩斯想尽办法想把它们撬开。 他的刀没有能刺穿开锁的缝隙。 他若有所思地抚摸着下巴。 “如果这些百叶窗上了闩，谁也进不去。” 我们在屋里检查的第一个地方是斯通纳小姐正在睡觉的中央卧室。 这是一间朴素的小房间，天花板很低，陈设简单。 福尔摩斯拿出放大镜，跪下来看

study the cracks between the floorboards. He checked the wooden panels on the walls with equal care. Finally, he went over to the bed. "What's that bell for?" he asked, pointing to a thick bell rope that hung down almost to the pillow. "It's to call the housekeeper," replied Miss Stoner. "It looks fairly new." "Yes, it was put in a couple of years ago." "Your sister asked for it?" "No. In fact, I don't ever remember her using it. We always got what we wanted for ourselves." Holmes took hold of the bell rope and gave it a brisk tug. "Why, it's a dummy," he said.

仔细观察地板之间的裂缝。 他同样仔细地检查了墙上的木板。 最后，他走到床边。 “那个铃铛是干什么用的？”他指着一根几乎垂到枕头上的粗铃铛绳问道。 “叫管家来，”斯托纳小姐回答。 “它看起来很新。”“是的，几年前装上的。” “你姐姐要的？”“没有。 事实上，我不记得她用过。 我们总是能得到我们想要的。” 福尔摩斯抓住铃绳，使劲一拉。 “哎，这是个假人，”他说。