2 The Torn Paper

Chapter 2 The Torn Paper Sherlock Holmes pondered what Forrester had said. "Did the robber break into the house before Keegan got there?" he asked. Forrester shook his head. "We think he only managed to break open the door when the coachman arrived." "Did Keegan say anything to his mother before going out?" "She's very old and deaf. We can't get any information from her. But we did find something of significance." The inspector took a small piece of torn paper from his notebook and placed it on the table.

歇洛克·福尔摩斯思索着福雷斯特所说的话。 “在基冈到达之前，强盗闯进了房子吗？”他问。 福雷斯特摇了摇头。“我们认为他是在马车夫到来的时候才把门砸开的。” “基冈出门前跟他妈妈说什么了吗？”“她又老又聋。 我们无法从她那里得到任何信息。 但我们确实发现了一些重要的东西。” 探长从他的笔记本里拿出一小张撕破的纸放在桌子上。

at quarter to twelve. Learn what? Maybe "This was found clasped between Keegan's finger and thumb," he said. "It appears to have been torn from a larger sheet of paper. You'll notice that the time mentioned on it is the time poor Keegan was killed. The murderer might have ripped the rest of the sheet from his grasp, or Keegan might have wrenched this fragment from the murderer."

差一刻十二点。学习什么? 也许“这是基冈的手指和拇指夹在一起发现的，”他说。 “它似乎是从一张更大的纸上撕下来的。 你会注意到上面提到的时间是可怜的基冈被杀的时间。 凶手可能从他手中扯下了床单的其余部分，或者基冈可能从凶手手中抢走了这片碎片。”

Holmes picked up the scrap of paper and studied it. "It looks to me," continued the inspector, "like an arrangement for a meeting. William Keegan is generally regarded around here as an honest man, but it's possible he was in league with the thief." "What makes you think so?" I asked. "Keegan may have met the thief there, may even have helped him force open the door, and then they got into an argument." "The writing on this piece of paper is of huge significance," said Holmes, who had been examining it with intense concentration. "This

福尔摩斯拾起那张小纸片，仔细研究起来。 “在我看来，”巡查员继续说，“这像是一次会面的安排。 威廉·基冈在这里通常被认为是一个诚实的人，但他也有可能和那个小偷是一伙的。” “你为什么这么想？”我问。 “基冈可能在那里遇到了小偷，甚至可能帮他强行打开了门，然后他们发生了争执。” “这张纸上写的字意义重大，”福尔摩斯说，他一直在聚精会神地检查着这张纸。 “这

puzzle is far more intriguing than I'd previously thought." Inspector Forrester smiled to see how his little case had so captured the attention of the famous London detective. "Your theory," said Holmes, "that there was an understanding between the burglar and the coachman is certainly a possibility, but this writing..." His voice trailed off, and his head sank into his hands as he lapsed into profound thought. When he raised his face again, I saw his cheeks were flushed and his eyes as bright as they had been before his illness. He sprang to his feet with all his old energy.

这个谜题比我原先想象的要有趣得多。” 福雷斯特探长笑了，看到他的小案子如此吸引了这位著名的伦敦侦探的注意。 “你的理论，”福尔摩斯说道，“窃贼和马车夫之间有一种默契，这当然是有可能的，但是这封信……” 他的声音越来越小，他的头埋在双手里，陷入了沉思。 当他再次抬起脸时，我看到他的脸颊通红，他的眼睛像生病前一样明亮。 他以他原有的全部精力跳了起来。

"There's something about this case that fascinates me deeply," he said. "If you don't mind, Colonel Hayter, I'd like to leave you in the company of Dr. Watson while I head off with the inspector and test one or two ideas of mine. I'll return in half an hour." An hour and a half later, the inspector returned alone. "Mr. Holmes is walking up and down in the field outside your house, Colonel," he reported. "He wants all of us to go up to the Cunningham place together." "What for?" asked Hayter.

“这个案子有一些东西深深吸引着我，”他说。 “如果你不介意的话，海特上校，我想把你留在海特博士的陪伴下。 华生，而我则和探长一起去检验一下我的一两个想法。 我半小时后回来。” 一个半小时后，巡查员独自回来了。 “上校，福尔摩斯先生正在你房子外面的田野里走来走去，”他报告说。 “他要我们大家一起到坎宁安家去。” “为什么？”海特问。

Forrester shrugged. "I don't know, sir. Between ourselves, I'm not sure Mr. Holmes has quite got over his illness yet. He's been behaving rather oddly, and he's a bit overexcited." "I wouldn't worry too much, Inspector," I said. "Holmes's manner can appear unusual to those who don't know him, but I've generally found there's method in his madness." "Some might say there's madness in his method," muttered Forrester. "However, he's extremely keen to get started, so if you're ready we'd best go and join him." We found Holmes pacing up and down in the field, his chin sunk onto his chest, his hands thrust in his trouser pockets.

Forrester耸耸肩。“我不知道，先生。 别告诉别人，我不敢肯定福尔摩斯先生的病是否完全好了。 他最近表现得很奇怪，而且有点过于兴奋了。” “我不会太担心的，探长，”我说。 “对于不了解福尔摩斯的人来说，他的举止可能会显得与众不同，但我通常发现他的疯狂是有规律的。” “有人可能会说他的方法有些疯狂，”弗雷斯特喃喃地说。 “然而，他非常渴望开始，所以如果你准备好了，我们最好去和他一起玩。” 我们发现福尔摩斯在田野里踱来踱去，下巴垂在胸前，双手插在裤兜里。