红发会 THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE（三）

时间：2020-04-20 05:44:30

（单词翻译:单击）

"You see, Watson," he explained in the early hours of the morning
as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda1 in Baker2 Street, "it
was perfectly3 obvious from the first that the only possible
object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of
the League, and the copying of the Encyclopaedia4, must be to get
this not over-bright pawnbroker5 out of the way for a number of
hours every day. It was a curious way of managing it, but,
really, it would be difficult to suggest a better. The method was
no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the color of his
accomplice's hair. The 4 pounds a week was a lure6 which must draw
him, and what was it to them, who were playing for thousands?
They put in the advertisement, one rogue7 has the temporary
office, the other rogue incites8 the man to apply for it. and
together they manage to secure his absence every morning in the
week. From the time that I heard of the assistant having come for
half wages, it was obvious to me that he had some strong motive9
for securing the situation."
 
"But how could you guess what the motive was?"
 
"Had there been women in the house, I should have suspected a
mere10 vulgar intrigue11. That, however, was out of the question. The
man's business was a small one, and there was nothing in his
house which could account for such elaborate preparations, and
such an expenditure12 as they were at. It must, then, be something
out of the house. What could it be? I thought of the assistant's
fondness for photography, and his trick of vanishing into the
cellar. The cellar! There was the end of this tangled13 clew. Then
I made inquiries14 as to this mysterious assistant and found that I
had to deal with one of the coolest and most daring criminals in
London. He was doing something in the cellar--something which
took many hours a day for months on end. What could it be, once
more? I could think of nothing save that he was running a tunnel
to some other building.
 
"So far I had got when we went to visit the scene of action. I
surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was
ascertaining15 whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind.
It was not in front. Then I rang the bell, and, as I hoped, the
assistant answered it. We have had some skirmishes, but we had
never set eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his
face. His knees were what I wished to see. You must yourself have
remarked how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They spoke16 of
those hours of burrowing17. The only remaining point was what they
were burrowing for. I walked round the corner, saw the City and
Suburban18 Bank abutted19 on our friend's premises20, and felt that I
had solved my problem. When you drove home after the concert I
called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the bank
directors, with the result that you have seen."
 
"And how could you tell that they would make their attempt
to-night?" I asked.
 
"Well, when they closed their League offices that was a sign that
they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson's presence--in other
words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was essential
that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered, or the
bullion21 might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than
any other day, as it would give them two days for their escape.
For all these reasons I expected them to come to-night."
 
"You reasoned it out beautifully," I exclaimed in unfeigned
admiration22 "It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings
true."
 
"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas23! I already
feel it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort
to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little
problems help me to do so."
 
"And you are a benefactor24 of the race," said I.
 
He shrugged25 his shoulders. "Well, perhaps, after all, it is of
some little use," he remarked. " 'L'homme c'est rien--l'oeuvre
c'est tout,' as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand."

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1 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水；汽水
参考例句：
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
2 baker wyTz62     
n.面包师
参考例句：
  • The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
  • The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
3 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
4 encyclopaedia Jp3xC     
n.百科全书
参考例句：
  • An encyclopaedia contains a lot of knowledge.百科全书包含很多知识。
  • This is an encyclopaedia of philosophy.这是本哲学百科全书。
5 pawnbroker SiAys     
n.典当商，当铺老板
参考例句：
  • He redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker's.他从当铺赎回手表。
  • She could get fifty dollars for those if she went to the pawnbroker's.要是她去当铺当了这些东西，她是可以筹出50块钱的。
6 lure l8Gz2     
n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引
参考例句：
  • Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
  • He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。
7 rogue qCfzo     
n.流氓；v.游手好闲
参考例句：
  • The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
  • They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
8 incites 68eca287329b28545dbd9d6a3cf30705     
刺激，激励，煽动( incite的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • In all countries any person who incites others to insurrection is guilty of treason. 在任何国家里，煽动他人谋反者，都属犯叛国罪。
  • The success of the handicapped man incites us to pursue our dreams. 这位残疾人的成功激励我们追求自己的梦想。
9 motive GFzxz     
n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的
参考例句：
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
10 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
11 intrigue Gaqzy     
vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋
参考例句：
  • Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
  • The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。
12 expenditure XPbzM     
n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗
参考例句：
  • The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
  • The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。
13 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
14 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
15 ascertaining e416513cdf74aa5e4277c1fc28aab393     
v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind. 我当时是要弄清楚地下室是朝前还是朝后延伸的。 来自辞典例句
  • The design and ascertaining of permanent-magnet-biased magnetic bearing parameter are detailed introduced. 并对永磁偏置磁悬浮轴承参数的设计和确定进行了详细介绍。 来自互联网
16 spoke XryyC     
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
17 burrowing 703e0bb726fc82be49c5feac787c7ae5     
v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻
参考例句：
  • What are you burrowing around in my drawer for? 你在我抽屉里乱翻什么？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The forepaws are also used for burrowing and for dragging heavier logs. 它们的前爪还可以用来打洞和拖拽较重的树干。 来自辞典例句
18 suburban Usywk     
adj.城郊的，在郊区的
参考例句：
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
19 abutted 6ae86e2d70688450be633807338d3245     
v.（与…）邻接( abut的过去式和过去分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠
参考例句：
  • Their house abutted against the hill. 他们的房子紧靠着山。 来自辞典例句
  • The sidewalk abutted on the river. 人行道紧挨着河川。 来自辞典例句
20 premises 6l1zWN     
n.建筑物，房屋
参考例句：
  • According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
  • All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。
21 bullion VSryB     
n.金条，银条
参考例句：
  • In the London bullion market yesterday,the price of gold was steady.昨天伦敦金银市场黄金价格稳定。
  • Police have launched a man-hunt for the bullion robbers.警方已大举搜捕抢劫金条的罪犯。
22 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
23 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句：
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
24 benefactor ZQEy0     
n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人
参考例句：
  • The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
  • The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。
25 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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