福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第7章Part1

Next morning, after breakfast, we found Inspector MacDonald and White Mason seated in close consultation in the small parlour of the local police sergeant. On the table in front of them were piled a number of letters and telegrams, which they were carefully sorting and docketing. Three had been placed on one side.
"Still on the track of the elusive bicyclist?" Holmes asked cheerfully. "What is the latest news of the ruffian?"
MacDonald pointed ruefully to his heap of correspondence."He is at present reported from Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton, Derby, East Ham, Richmond, and fourteen other places. In three of them--East Ham, Leicester, and Liverpool--there is a clear case against him, and he has actually been arrested. The country seems to be full of the fugitives with yellow coats."
"Dear me!" said Holmes sympathetically. "Now, Mr. Mac and you, Mr. White Mason, I wish to give you a very earnest piece of advice. When I went into this case with you I bargained, as you will no doubt remember, that I should not present you with half-proved theories, but that I should retain and work out my own ideas until I had satisfied myself that they were correct. For this reason I am not at the present moment telling you all that is in my mind. On the other hand, I said that I would play the game fairly by you, and I do not think it is a fair game to allow you for one unnecessary moment to waste your energies upon a profitless task. Therefore I am here to advise you this morning, and my advice to you is summed up in three words--abandon the case."
MacDonald and White Mason stared in amazement at their celebrated colleague.
"You consider it hopeless!" cried the inspector.
"I consider your case to be hopeless. I do not consider that it is hopeless to arrive at the truth."
"But this cyclist. He is not an invention. We have his description, his valise, his bicycle. The fellow must be somewhere. Why should we not get him?"
"Yes, yes, no doubt he is somewhere, and no doubt we shall get him; but I would not have you waste your energies in East Ham or Liverpool. I am sure that we can find some shorter cut to a result."
"You are holding something back. It's hardly fair of you, Mr. Holmes." The inspector was annoyed.

第二天吃过早饭，我们到当地警察局去，看见警官麦克唐纳和怀特·梅森正在警官的小会客室里密商某事。他们面前的公事桌上堆着许多书信和电报，他们正在仔细地整理和摘录，有三份已经放在一边了。
“还在追踪那个难以捉摸的骑自行车人吗？"福尔摩斯高兴地问道，“关于这个暴徒有什么最新消息？”
麦克唐纳沮丧地指了指他那一大堆信件，说道：“目前从莱斯特、诺丁汉、南安普敦、德比、东哈姆、里士满和其他十四个地方都来了关于他的报告。其中东哈姆、莱斯特和利物浦三处有对他明显不利的情况。因此，他实际上已受到注意了。不过好象全国到处都有穿黄大衣的亡命徒似的。”
“哎呀！"福尔摩斯同情地说道，“现在，麦克先生，还有你，怀特·梅森先生 ，我愿意向你们提出一个非常诚恳的忠告。当我和你们一起研究这件案子时，你们一定还记得，我曾经提出过条件：我不会对你们发表未经充分证实的见解；我要保留并制定出我自己的计划，直到我认为它们是正确的，而使自己满意为止。因此，眼下我还是不想告诉你们我的全部想法。另一方面，我说过我对你们一定要光明磊落，如果我眼看你们白白把精力浪费在毫无益处的工作上，那就是我的不是了。所以今天早晨我要向你们提出忠告，我的忠告就是三个字：'放弃它'。”
麦克唐纳和怀特·梅森惊奇地瞪着大眼望着他们这位出名的同行。
“你认为这件案子已经没法办了吗？"麦克唐纳大声说道。
“我认为你们这样办这件案子是没有希望的，但我并不认为本案不能真相大白。”
“可是骑自行车的人并不是虚构的啊。我们有他的外貌特征，他的手提箱，他的自行车。这个人一定藏在什么地方了，为什么我们不应当缉拿他呢？”
“不错，不错，毫无疑问，他藏在某个地方，而且我们一定可以捉到他。不过我不愿让你们到东哈姆或是利物浦这些地方去浪费精力，我相信我们能找到破案捷径。”
“你是对我们瞒了什么东西了。这可就是你的不是了，福尔摩斯先生，"麦克唐纳生气地说。