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"I am afraid that this is a bad business, Watson," said my companion as he returned after accompanying Mr. Grant Munro to the door.
"我担心这事情不妙，华生，"我的朋友把格兰特·芒罗先生送到门口以后，回来时说道。
"What do you make of it?"
"你认为怎么样？"
"It had an ugly sound," I answered.
"这件事很难办，"我回答道。
"Yes. There's blackmail in it, or I am much mistaken."
"对了，如果我没弄错的话，这里面必定有诈。"
"And who is the blackmailer?"
"那么诈人的是谁呢？"
"Well, it must be the creature who lives in the only comfortable room in the place and has her photograph above his fireplace.
"啊，那一定是住在那唯一舒适的房间里、并把她的照片挂在壁炉墙上的那个人。
Upon my word, Watson, there is something very attractive about that livid face at the window, and I would not have missed the case for worlds."
华生，真的，窗户里那张呆板面孔真是很值得注意呢，我无论如何也不放过这件案子。"
"You have a theory?"
"你已经有了推论吗？"
"Yes, a provisional one. But I shall be surprised if it does not turn out to be correct. This woman's first husband is in that cottage."
"是啊，这仅是暂时的推论。可是如果这推论证明是不正确的，那就不免使我吃惊了。我认为这女人的前夫就住在小别墅里。"
"Why do you think so?"
"你为什么这样想呢？"
"How else can we explain her frenzied anxiety that her second one should not enter it?
"不然，她那样惊惶不安、坚决不让现在的丈夫进去的举动又怎样解释呢？
The facts, as I read them, are something like this: This woman was married in America.
照我想来，事实大致是这样：这个女人在美国结了婚。
Her husband developed some hateful qualities, or shall we say he contracted some loathsome disease and became a leper or an imbecile?
她前夫沾染了什么不良的恶习，或者说，染上了什么令人讨厌的疾病，别人不愿接触了或者能力降低了。
She flies from him at last, returns to England, changes her name, and starts her life, as she thinks, afresh.
她终于抛弃了他，回到英国。更名改姓，想开始一个新的生活。
She has been married three years and believes that her position is quite secure,
现在结婚已经三年，她深信自己的处境非常安全，
having shown her husband the death certificate of some man whose name she has assumed,
她把一张别人的死亡证给丈夫看过，
when suddenly her whereabouts is discovered by her first husband, or, we may suppose, by some unscrupulous woman who has attached herself to the invalid.
可是她的踪迹突然被她的前夫发现，或者可以设想，被某个与这位病人有瓜葛的荡妇发现了。
They write to the wife and threaten to come and expose her. She asks for a hundred pounds and endeavours to buy them off.
他们便写信给这个妻子，威胁说要来揭露她。她便要了一百镑设法去摆脱他们。
They come in spite of it, and when the husband mentions casually to the wife that there are newcomers in the cottage,
他们却仍然来了，当丈夫向妻子提到别墅有了新住户时，
she knows in some way that they are her pursuers.
她知道这就是追踪她的人。
She waits until her husband is asleep, and then she rushes down to endeavour to persuade them to leaveher in peace.
她便等丈夫熟睡以后，跑出去设法说服他们让她安静。
Having no success, she goes again next morning, and her husband meets her, as he has told us, as she comes out.
这一次没有成功，第二天早晨她又去了，可是正像她丈夫告诉我们的那样，她出来时正好碰上了他。
She promises him then not to go there again, but two days afterwards the hope of getting rid of those dreadful neighbours was too strong for her,
这时她才答应不再去了，但两天以后，摆脱这些可怕邻居的强烈愿望，
and she made another attempt, taking down with her the photograph which had probably been demanded from her.
驱使她又进行了一次尝试，这一次她带上他们向她索要的照片。
In the midst of this interview the maid rushed in to say that the master had come home,
正在和前夫会晤，女仆突然跑来报告说主人回家了，
on which the wife, knowing that he would come straight down to the cottage,
此时她知道他必定要直奔别墅而来，
hurried the inmates out at the back door, into the grove of fir-trees, probably, which was mentioned as standing near.
便催促室内的人从后门溜到附近的枞树丛里。
In this way he found the place deserted. I shall be very much surprised, however, if it is still so when he reconnoitres it this evening.
所以，他看到的是一所空房子。但如果他今晚再去，房子还空着才怪呢。
What do you think of my theory?"
你认为我的推论如何？"
"It is all surmise."
"这完全是猜测。"
"But at least it covers all the facts.
"可是它至少符合所有的事实。
When new facts come to our knowledge which cannot be covered by it, it will be time enough to reconsider it.
假使再发现了不相符合的新情况，我们重新考虑也还来得及的。
We can do nothing more until we have a message from our friend at Norbury."
在我们没有收到那位朋友从诺伯里拍来的电报之前，我们只好寸步不前了。"
But we had not a very long time to wait for that. It came just as we had finished our tea.
不过我们并没有等多久。刚刚吃完茶点，电报就来了。
The cottage is still tenanted, it said. Have seen the face again at the window.
电报说道：别墅依旧有人居住。又看到窗内那张面孔。
Will meet the seven-o'clock train and will take no steps until you arrive.
请乘七点钟火车来会，一切等你前来处理。
