At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned.
三點鐘整,我到了貝克街,福爾摩斯尚未回來。
The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning.
據(jù)女房東說,他是在早晨剛過八點的時候出去的。
I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be.
盡管如此,我在壁爐旁坐下,打算不管他去多久都要等待,
I was already deeply interested in his inquiry, for,
因為我已經(jīng)對他的調(diào)查深感興趣。
though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded,
雖然這案子缺乏我記錄過的那兩件罪案所具有的那種殘忍和不可思議的特征,
still, the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own.
可是,這案子的性質(zhì)及其委托人的高貴地位,卻使它具有其本身應有的特色。
Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my friend had on hand,
的確,除了我的朋友正在進行調(diào)查的案子的性質(zhì)外,
there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning,
他那種巧妙地掌握情況和敏銳而又透徹地推理的工作方式,
which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work,
讓我從中得到很大樂趣
and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries.
以及那種解決最難解決的奧秘的迅速而精細的方法,很值得我去研究和學習。
So accustomed was I to his invariable success that the very possibility of his failing had ceased to enter into my head.
他一貫取勝,這在我已是司空見慣。所以,在我的腦海里從未產(chǎn)生過他也有可能失敗的想法。
It was close upon four before the door opened, and a drunken-looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered,
四點鐘左右,屋門開了,走進來一個醉醺醺的馬夫。他樣子邋邋遢遢,留著絡腮胡須,
with an inflamed face and disreputable clothes, walked into the room.
面紅耳赤,衣衫破爛不堪。
Accustomed as I was to my friend's amazing powers in the use of disguises,
盡管我對我朋友的化裝術的驚人技巧已經(jīng)習以為常了,
I had to look three times before I was certain that it was indeed he.
我還是要再三審視才敢肯定真的是他。
With a nod he vanished into the bedroom, whence he emerged in five minutes tweed-suited and respectable, as of old.
他向我點頭招呼一下就進了臥室。不消五分鐘,他就和往常一樣身穿花呢衣服,風度高雅地出現(xiàn)在我面前。