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“And these other people?”
"还有另外那些人呢？"
“They are mostly sent on by private inquiry agencies.
"他们多半是由私人侦探指点来的，
They are all people who are in trouble about something and want a little enlightening.
都是遇到些麻烦问题、需要别人加以指引的。
I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee.”
我仔细听取他们的事实经过，他们则听取我的意见；这样，费用就装进我的口袋里了。"
“But do you mean to say,” I said,
我说："你的意思是说，
“that without leaving your room you can unravel some knot which other men can make nothing of,
别人虽然亲眼目睹各种细节，但都无法解决，
although they have seen every detail for themselves?”
而你足不出户，却能解释某些疑难问题吗？"
“Quite so. I have a kind of intuition that way.
"正是如此。因为我有那么一种利用直觉分析事物的能力。
Now and again a case turns up which is a little more complex.
有时也会遇到一件稍微复杂的案件，
Then I have to bustle about and see things with my own eyes.
那么，我就得奔波一番，亲自出马侦查。
You see I have a lot of special knowledge which I apply to the problem, and which facilitates matters wonderfully.
你知道，我有许多特殊的知识，把这些知识应用到案件上去，就能使问题迎刃而解。
Those rules of deduction laid down in that article which aroused your scorn are invaluable to me in practical work.
那篇文章里所提到的几点推断法则虽曾惹起你的讪笑，但在实际工作中，对我却有着无比的价值。
Observation with me is second nature.
观察能力是我的第二天性。
You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan.”
咱们初次会面时，我就对你说过，你是从阿富汗来的，你当时好象还很惊讶哩。"
“You were told, no doubt.”
"没问题，一定有人告诉过你。"
“Nothing of the sort. I knew you came from Afghanistan.
"没有那回事。我当时一看就知道你是从阿富汗来的。
From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind
由于长久以来的习惯，一系列的思索飞也似地掠过我的脑际，
that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps.
因此在我得出结论时，竟未觉察得出结论所经的步骤。
There were such steps, however.
但是，这中间是有着一定的步骤的。
The train of reasoning ran,
在你这件事上，我的推理过程是这样的：
‘Here is a gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man.
‘这一位先生，具有医务工作者的风度，但却是一副军人气概。
Clearly an army doctor, then.
那么，显见他是个军医。
He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark,
他是刚从热带回来，因为他脸色黝黑，
and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair.
但是，从他手腕的皮肤黑白分明看来，这并不是他原来的肤色。
He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly.
他面容憔悴，这就清楚地说明他是久病初愈而又历尽了艰苦。
His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner.
他左臂受过伤，现在动作品来还有些僵硬不便。
Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded?
试问，一个英国的军医在热带地方历尽艰苦，并且臂部负过伤，这能在什么地方呢？
Clearly in Afghanistan.’
自然只有在阿富汗了。'
The whole train of thought did not occupy a second.
这一连串的思想，历时不到一秒钟，
I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished.”
因此我便脱口说出你是从阿富汗来的，你当时还感到惊奇哩。"
“It is simple enough as you explain it,” I said, smiling.
我微笑着说："听你这样一解释，这件事还是相当简单的呢。
“You remind me of Edgar Allan Poe’s Dupin.
你使我想起埃德加·爱伦·坡的作品中的侦探人物杜班来了。
I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of stories.”
我真想不到除了小说以外，实际上竟会真有这样人物存在。"
Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe.
福尔摩斯站了起来，点燃他的烟斗。
“No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin,” he observed.
他说："你一定以为把我和杜班相提并论就是称赞我了。
“Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow.
可是，在我看来，杜班实在是个微不足道的家伙。
That trick of his of breaking in on his friends’ thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour’s silence is really very showy and superficial.
他先静默一刻钟，然后才突然道破他的朋友的心事，这种伎俩未免过于做作，过于肤浅了。
He had some analytical genius, no doubt;
不错，他有些分析问题的天才，
but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appeared to imagine.”
但决不是爱伦·坡想象中的非凡人物。"
