福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第5章Part9

"Yes, we have been married five years."
"Have you heard him speak of anything which occurred in America and might bring some danger upon him?"
Mrs. Douglas thought earnestly before she answered. "Yes," she said at last, "I have always felt that there was a danger hanging over him. He refused to discuss it with me. It was not from want of confidence in me--there was the most complete love and confidence between us--but it was out of his desire to keep all alarm away from me. He thought I should brood over it if I knew all, and so he was silent."
"How did you know it, then?"
Mrs. Douglas's face lit with a quick smile. "Can a husband ever carry about a secret all his life and a woman who loves him have no suspicion of it? I knew it by his refusal to talk about some episodes in his American life. I knew it by certain precautions he took. I knew it by certain words he let fall. I knew it by the way he looked at unexpected strangers. I was perfectly certain that he had some powerful enemies, that he believed they were on his track, and that he was always on his guard against them. I was so sure of it that for years I have been terrified if ever he came home later than was expected."
"Might I ask," asked Holmes, "what the words were which attracted your attention?"
"The Valley of Fear," the lady answered. "That was an expression he has used when I questioned him. 'I have been in the Valley of Fear. I am not out of it yet.'--'Are we never to get out of the Valley of Fear?' I have asked him when I have seen him more serious than usual. 'Sometimes I think that we never shall,' he has answered."
"Surely you asked him what he meant by the Valley of Fear?"

“对，我们已经结婚五年了。”
“你听到他讲过在美洲发生过什么危及到他的事吗？”
道格拉斯夫人认真地思索了一会儿才答道，“对，我总觉得有一种危险在时刻威胁着他，但他不肯与我商量。这并不是因为他不信任我，顺便说一句，我们夫妻一向无比恩爱，推心置腹，而是因为他不想叫我担惊受怕。他认为如果我知道了一切，就会惊惶不安。所以他就不声不响了。”
“那你是怎么知道的呢？”
道格拉斯夫人脸上掠过一丝笑容，说道：“做丈夫的一生保守着秘密，而热爱着他的女人却一点也觉察不出，这可能吗？我是从许多方面知道的：从他避而不谈他在美洲生活的某些片段；从他采取的某些防范措施；从他偶尔流露出来的某些言语；从他注视某些不速之客的方式。我可以完全肯定，他有一些有势力的仇人，他确知他们正在追踪他，所以他总是在防备着他们。因为我深信这点，所以这几年来，只要他回来得比预料得晚，我就非常惊恐。”
“我可以问一句吗？"福尔摩斯说道，“哪些话引起你注意呢？”
“'恐怖谷'，"妇人回答道，“这就是我追问他时，他用的词儿。他说：‘我一直身陷"恐怖谷"中，至今也无从摆脱。''难道我们就永远摆脱不开这"恐怖谷"了吗？'我看到他更失常时曾这样问过他。他回答说，'有时我想，我们永远也摆脱不了啦。'”
“你想必问过他，‘恐怖谷'是什么意思吧？”