"This is unworthy of you, Holmes," I said.
我道:"福爾摩斯,這就是你的不對了。
"I could not have believed that you would have descended to this.
我真無法相信,你竟然會耍出這么一套來,
You have made inquiries into the history of my unhappy brother,
你一定預先訪察了我哥哥的慘史,
and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way.
現(xiàn)在假裝用一些玄妙的方法,推斷出來這些事實。
You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch!
你想我會相信你從這只舊表上就能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)這些事實嗎?
It is unkind and, to speak plainly, has a touch of charlatanism in it."
不客氣地說,你這些話簡直是有些騙人。"
"My dear doctor," said he kindly, "pray accept my apologies.
他和藹地答道:"親愛的醫(yī)師,請你寬恕我。
Viewing the matter as an abstract problem, I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you.
我按著理論來推斷一個問題,卻忘了這可能對你是一件痛苦的事情。
I assure you, however, that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch."
我向你保證,在你給我觀察這只表以前,我并不知道你還有一位哥哥呢。"
"Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts?
"可是你怎么能這樣神妙地推測出這些事實來呢?
They are absolutely correct in every particular."
你所說的沒有一樣不是與事實相符的。"
"Ah, that is good luck. I could only say what was the balance of probability.
"啊!這還算僥幸,我只是說出一些可能的情況,
I did not at all expect to be so accurate."
并沒想到會這樣正確。"
"But it was not mere guesswork?"
"那么你并不是猜想出來的了?"
"No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit–destructive to the logical faculty.
"對,對,我向來不猜想。猜想是很不好的習慣,它有害于作邏輯的推理。
What seems strange to you is only so because you do not follow my train of thought
你所以覺得奇怪,是因為你沒有了解我的思路,
or observe the small facts upon which large inferences may depend.
沒有注意到往往能推斷出大事來的那些細小問題。