3 Interviewing the Witnesses

Chapter 3 Interviewing the Witnesses Just then, one of the servants came in with news. A bicycle had been discovered in a clump of trees next to the driveway. We went out to take a look. It was a well-used machine, splashed with mud, but there was no clue to its owner. "It's a puzzle," said Holmes, "why the murderer left this behind, and how he got away without it." On our return to the house, Holmes asked if we could start interviewing witnesses. We invited

就在这时，一个仆人带着消息走了进来。 在车道旁的树丛中发现了一辆自行车。 我们出去看了看。 这是一台用得很好的机器，溅满了泥，但没有找到它的主人的线索。 福尔摩斯说：“这真是个谜，凶手为什么把这个留在这儿，他又怎么不带它就跑了呢？” 我们一回到房子里，福尔摩斯就问我们是否可以开始采访证人。 我们邀请了

them, in turn, into the dining room. First to be called was Ames the butler. He said he'd worked for Mr. Douglas for five years and found him a kind and considerate employer. Last night, Ames had been in the pantry polishing the silver when he heard the bell ring, summoning him. He heard no shot, but then the pantry is at the very back of the house. The bell also brought Mrs. Allen the housekeeper from her room and they went together to the front of the house. Mrs. Douglas was coming down the stairs. She wasn't hurrying and didn't look very anxious.

他们依次走进餐厅。 第一个被叫来的是管家艾姆斯。 他说他已经为道格拉斯先生工作了五年，觉得他是一位和蔼、体贴的雇主。 昨晚，艾姆斯正在餐具室里擦银器，这时他听到了召唤他的铃声。 他没有听到枪声，但食品储藏室就在房子的最后面。 铃声也把管家艾伦太太从她的房间里叫了出来，他们一起走到房子的前面。 道格拉斯夫人正从楼梯上走下来。 她不慌不忙，看上去也不太着急。

As she reached the bottom, Mr. Barker dashed out of the study and begged her to go back upstairs, saying "Poor John is dead! There's nothing you can do!" Mrs. Allen's account was similar to the butler's. She hadn't heard the gunshot either, though she was somewhat hard of hearing. But she had heard what sounded like a door slamming around half an hour before the bell rang. She escorted Mrs. Douglas back to her bedroom and stayed with her most of the night.

当她走到楼下时，巴克先生冲出书房，恳求她上楼，说：“可怜的约翰死了！你什么也做不了！”艾伦太太的说法与男管家的说法相似。 她也没有听到枪声，虽然她的听力有点差。 但在门铃响前大约半小时，她听到了门砰地关上的声音。 她护送道格拉斯太太回到她的卧室，陪了她大半个晚上。

The lady had been greatly agitated and trembling all over. Next, we spoke to the guest, Cecil Barker. He was convinced the murderer had escaped by the window—the bloody footprint was proof of that, he said. He'd met Mr. Douglas around eleven years ago in California. They had become partners in a gold mine there and had done very well. Five years ago, Douglas suddenly sold his share and sailed for England. Barker sensed Douglas was in some kind of danger and needed to escape. Douglas never talked about it, but Barker suspected he'd offended some kind of secret society and they wanted him dead. "A week after John left," said Barker, "some people came looking for him—hard, mean- looking men. They weren't miners. I don't know who they were, but I was mighty glad to see the back of them." "If he was in danger, why didn't he ask for police protection?" asked Mason. "Maybe this was a danger that he thought only he could protect himself against," said Barker. "He bought this house for its moat and

这位女士非常激动，浑身发抖。 接下来，我们采访了嘉宾塞西尔·巴克。 他确信凶手是从窗户逃走的——血迹就是证据，他说。 大约11年前，他在加州遇到了道格拉斯先生。 他们在那里成为金矿的合伙人，赚得很好。 五年前，道格拉斯突然卖掉了他的股份，乘船去了英国。 巴克感觉到道格拉斯处于某种危险之中，需要逃离。 道格拉斯对此事只字不提，但巴克怀疑他得罪了某个秘密组织，他们想置他于死地。 “约翰走后一个星期，”巴克说，“有人来找他——一群冷酷、刻薄的人。 他们不是矿工。我不知道他们是谁，但我很高兴看到他们的背影。” “如果他有危险，他为什么不请求警察保护呢？”梅森问道。 “也许这是一种危险，他认为只有他才能保护自己，”巴克说。 “他买下这栋房子是因为它的护城河和

drawbridge because it made him feel more secure." "You followed him to England a year later," said MacDonald. "That would have been around the time of his marriage. Did you know Mrs. Douglas before she got married?" "No, I didn't." "But you've become good friends with her since?" Barker frowned. "I'm friends with both of them." "Did Mr. Douglas mind you being friends with his wife?" "You've no right to ask me that," said Barker angrily. "It has nothing to do with this investigation."

吊桥，因为它让他感觉更安全。” “一年后你跟着他到了英国，"麦克唐纳说。 “那大概是在他结婚的时候。 道格拉斯夫人结婚前你认识她吗？”“不，我没有。” “但从那以后你们就成了好朋友了？”巴克皱起了眉头。 “我和他们俩都是朋友。” “道格拉斯先生介意你和他妻子做朋友吗？”“你没有权利问我这个，"巴克生气地说。 “这与这次调查无关。”

"I'm not so sure about that," said MacDonald. "Douglas's wedding ring was removed, which tells me that his marriage and this tragedy are in some way connected. If you don't answer the question, Mr. Barker, it suggests you have something to hide." Barker sighed. "If Douglas had one fault, it was jealousy. He loved us both, but if he saw us talking together, he could get very angry. Yet I swear no man ever had a more faithful wife, nor a more loyal friend." After Barker, we spoke to Mrs. Douglas. She was a tall, beautiful woman of about thirty. Her face was pale and drawn, but she seemed calm,

“这我可不敢肯定，"麦克唐纳说。 “道格拉斯的结婚戒指被取下了，这告诉我他的婚姻和这场悲剧在某种程度上是有联系的。 巴克先生，如果你不回答这个问题，那就说明你有所隐瞒。” 巴克叹了口气。如果道格拉斯有什么缺点的话，那就是嫉妒。 他爱我们两个，但如果他看到我们在一起说话，他会非常生气。 但我发誓，没有人有过比他更忠诚的妻子，更忠诚的朋友。” 巴克之后，我们和道格拉斯夫人谈了谈。 她是一个30岁左右的高个子美女。 她的脸苍白而憔悴，但她似乎很平静，