身份问题 A Case of Identity （三）

时间：2020-04-20 05:47:15

（单词翻译:单击）

 
 
"Well, she had a slate-colored, broad-brimmed straw hat, with a
feather of a brickish red. Her jacket was black, with black beads1
sewn upon it, and a fringe of little black jet ornaments2. Her
dress was brown, rather darker than coffee color, with a little
purple plush at the neck and sleeves. Her gloves were grayish and
were worn through at the right forefinger3. Her boots I didn't
observe. She had small round, hanging gold earrings4, and a
general air of being fairly well-to-do in a vulgar, comfortable,
easy-going way."
 
Sherlock Holmes clapped his hands softly together and chuckled5.
 
"'Pon my word, Watson, you are coming along wonderfully. You have
really done very well indeed. It is true that you have missed
everything of importance, but you have hit upon the method, and
you have a quick eye for color. Never trust to general
impressions, my boy, but concentrate yourself upon details. My
first glance is always at a woman's sleeve. In a man it is
perhaps better first to take the knee of the trouser. As you
observe, this woman had plush upon her sleeves, which is a most
useful material for showing traces. The double line a little
above the wrist, where the typewritist presses against the table,
was beautifully defined. The sewing-machine, of the hand type,
leaves a similar mark, but only on the left arm, and on the side
of it farthest from the thumb, instead of being right across the
broadest part, as this was. I then glanced at her face, and,
observing the dint7 of a pince-nez at either side of her nose, I
ventured a remark upon short sight and typewriting, which seemed
to surprise her."
 
"It surprised me."
 
"But, surely, it was obvious. I was then much surprised and
interested on glancing down to observe that, though the boots
which she was wearing were not unlike each other, they were
really odd ones; the one having a slightly decorated toe-cap, and
the other a plain one. One was buttoned only in the two lower
buttons out of five, and the other at the first, third, and
fifth. Now, when you see that a young lady, otherwise neatly8
dressed, has come away from home with odd boots, half-buttoned,
it is no great deduction9 to say that she came away in a hurry."
 
"And what else?" I asked, keenly interested, as I always was, by
my friend's incisive10 reasoning.
 
"I noted11, in passing, that she had written a note before leaving
home but after being fully6 dressed. You observed that her right
glove was torn at the forefinger, but you did not apparently12 see
that both glove and finger were stained with violet ink. She had
written in a hurry and dipped her pen too deep. It must have been
this morning, or the mark would not remain clear upon the finger.
All this is amusing, though rather elementary, but I must go back
to business, Watson. Would you mind reading me the advertised
description of Mr. Hosmer Angel?"
 
I held the little printed slip to the light.
 
"Missing [it said] on the morning of the fourteenth, a gentleman
named Hosmer Angel. About five ft. seven in. in height;
strongly built, sallow complexion13, black hair, a little bald in
the centre, bushy, black side-whiskers and moustache; tinted14
glasses, slight infirmity of speech. Was dressed, when last seen,
in black frock-coat faced with silk, black waistcoat, gold Albert
chain, and gray Harris tweed trousers, with brown gaiters over
elastic-sided boots. Known to have been employed in an office in
Leadenhall Street. Anybody bringing--"
 
"That will do," said Holmes. "As to the letters," he continued,
glancing over them, "they are very commonplace. Absolutely no
clew in them to Mr. Angel, save that he quotes Balzac once. There
is one remarkable15 point, however, which will no doubt strike
you."
 
"They are typewritten," I remarked.
 
"Not only that, but the signature is typewritten. Look at the
neat little 'Hosmer Angel' at the bottom. There is a date, you
see, but no superscription except Leadenhall Street, which is
rather vague. The point about the signature is very suggestive
--in fact, we may call it conclusive16."
 
"Of what?"
 
"My dear fellow, is it possible you do not see how strongly it
bears upon the case?"
 
"I cannot say that I do unless it were that he wished to be able
to deny his signature if an action for breach17 of promise were
instituted."
 
"No, that was not the point. However, I shall write two letters,
which should settle the matter. One is to a firm in the City, the
other is to the young lady's stepfather, Mr. Windibank, asking
him whether he could meet us here at six o'clock tomorrow
evening. It is just as well that we should do business with the
male relatives. And now, Doctor, we can do nothing until the
answers to those letters come, so we may put our little problem
upon the shelf for the interim18."
 
I had had so many reasons to believe in my friend's subtle powers
of reasoning and extraordinary energy in action that I felt that
he must have some solid grounds for the assured and easy
demeanour with which he treated the singular mystery which he had
been called upon to fathom19. Once only had I known him to fail, in
the case of the King of Bohemia and of the Irene Adler
photograph; but when I looked back to the weird20 business of 'The
Sign of Four', and the extraordinary circumstances connected with
'A Study in Scarlet21', I felt that it would be a strange tangle22
indeed which he could not unravel23.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链
参考例句：
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
2 ornaments 2bf24c2bab75a8ff45e650a1e4388dec     
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 forefinger pihxt     
n.食指
参考例句：
  • He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。
  • He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。
4 earrings 9ukzSs     
n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子
参考例句：
  • a pair of earrings 一对耳环
  • These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
6 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
7 dint plVza     
n.由于，靠；凹坑
参考例句：
  • He succeeded by dint of hard work.他靠苦干获得成功。
  • He reached the top by dint of great effort.他费了很大的劲终于爬到了顶。
8 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地
参考例句：
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
9 deduction 0xJx7     
n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎
参考例句：
  • No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
  • His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。
10 incisive vkQyj     
adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的
参考例句：
  • His incisive remarks made us see the problems in our plans.他的话切中要害，使我们看到了计划中的一些问题。
  • He combined curious qualities of naivety with incisive wit and worldly sophistication.他集天真质朴的好奇、锐利的机智和老练的世故于一体。
11 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
12 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
13 complexion IOsz4     
n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格
参考例句：
  • Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
  • Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。
14 tinted tinted     
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
  • a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜
  • a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法
15 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
16 conclusive TYjyw     
adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的
参考例句：
  • They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。
  • Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。
17 breach 2sgzw     
n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破
参考例句：
  • We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
  • He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。
18 interim z5wxB     
adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间
参考例句：
  • The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
  • It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。
19 fathom w7wy3     
v.领悟，彻底了解
参考例句：
  • I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
  • What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。
20 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的
参考例句：
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
21 scarlet zD8zv     
n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的
参考例句：
  • The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
  • The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。
22 tangle yIQzn     
n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱
参考例句：
  • I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
  • If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。
23 unravel Ajzwo     
v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开
参考例句：
  • He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
  • This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

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