The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor 单身贵族（二）

时间：2020-05-11 05:50:29

（单词翻译:单击）

 
"'MY DEAR MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES:--"Lord Backwater tells me that I
may place implicit1 reliance upon your judgment2 and discretion3. I
have determined4, therefore, to call upon you and to consult you
in reference to the very painful event which has occurred in
connection with my wedding. Mr. Lestrade, of Scotland Yard, is
acting5 already in the matter, but he assures me that he sees no
objection to your cooperation, and that he even thinks that
it might be of some assistance. I will call at four o'clock in
the afternoon, and, should you have any other engagement at that
time, I hope that you will postpone6 it, as this matter is of
paramount7 importance. Yours faithfully, ST. SIMON.'
 
"It is dated from Grosvenor Mansions8, written with a quill9 pen,
and the noble lord has had the misfortune to get a smear10 of ink
upon the outer side of his right little finger," remarked Holmes
as he folded up the epistle.
 
"He says four o'clock. It is three now. He will be here in an
hour."
 
"Then I have just time, with your assistance, to get clear upon
the subject. Turn over those papers and arrange the extracts in
their order of time, while I take a glance as to who our client
is." He picked a red-covered volume from a line of books of
reference beside the mantelpiece. "Here he is," said he, sitting
down and flattening11 it out upon his knee. "Lord Robert Walsingham
de Vere St. Simon, second son of the Duke of Balmoral. Hum! Arms:
Azure12, three caltrops in chief over a fess sable13. Born in 1846.
He's forty-one years of age, which is mature for marriage. Was
Under-Secretary for the colonies in a late administration. The
Duke, his father, was at one time Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
They inherit Plantagenet blood by direct descent, and Tudor on
the distaff side. Ha! Well, there is nothing very instructive in
all this. I think that I must turn to you Watson, for something
more solid."
 
"I have very little difficulty in finding what I want," said I,
"for the facts are quite recent, and the matter struck me as
remarkable14. I feared to refer them to you, however, as I knew
that you had an inquiry15 on hand and that you disliked the
intrusion of other matters."
 
"Oh, you mean the little problem of the Grosvenor Square
furniture van. That is quite cleared up now--though, indeed, it
was obvious from the first. Pray give me the results of your
newspaper selections."
 
"Here is the first notice which I can find. It is in the personal
column of the Morning Post, and dates, as you see, some weeks
back: 'A marriage has been arranged,' it says, 'and will, if
rumour16 is correct, very shortly take place, between Lord Robert
St. Simon, second son of the Duke of Balmoral, and Miss Hatty
Doran, the only daughter of Aloysius Doran. Esq., of San
Francisco, Cal., U.S.A.' That is all."
 
"Terse17 and to the point," remarked Holmes, stretching his long,
thin legs towards the fire.
 
"There was a paragraph amplifying18 this in one of the society
papers of the same week. Ah, here it is: 'There will soon be a
call for protection in the marriage market, for the present
free-trade principle appears to tell heavily against our home
product. One by one the management of the noble houses of Great
Britain is passing into the hands of our fair cousins from across
the Atlantic. An important addition has been made during the last
week to the list of the prizes which have been borne away by
these charming invaders19. Lord St. Simon, who has shown himself
for over twenty years proof against the little god's arrows, has
now definitely announced his approaching marriage with Miss Hatty
Doran, the fascinating daughter of a California millionaire. Miss
Doran, whose graceful20 figure and striking face attracted much
attention at the Westbury House festivities, is an only child,
and it is currently reported that her dowry will run to
considerably21 over the six figures, with expectancies22 for the
future. As it is an open secret that the Duke of Balmoral has
been compelled to sell his pictures within the last few years,
and as Lord St. Simon has no property of his own save the small
estate of Birchmoor, it is obvious that the Californian heiress
is not the only gainer by an alliance which will enable her to
make the easy and common transition from a Republican lady to a
British peeress.'"
 
"Anything else?" asked Holmes, yawning.
 
"Oh, yes; plenty. Then there is another note in the Morning Post
to say that the mariage would be an absolutely quiet one, that it
would be at St. George's, Hanover Square, that only half a dozen
intimate friends would be invited, and that the party would
return to the furnished house at Lancaster Gate which has been
taken by Mr. Aloysius Doran. Two days later--that is, on
Wednesday last--there is a curt23 announcement that the wedding had
taken place, and that the honeymoon24 would be passed at Lord
Backwater's place, near Petersfield. Those are all the notices
which appeared before the disappearance25 of the bride."
 
"Before the what?" asked Holmes with a start.
 
"The vanishing of the lady."
 
"When did she vanish, then?"
 
"At the wedding breakfast."
 
"Indeed. This is more interesting than it promised to be; quite
dramatic, in fact."
 
"Yes; it struck me as being a little out of the common."
 
"They often vanish before the ceremony, and occasionally during
the honeymoon; but I cannot call to mind anything quite so prompt
as this. Pray let me have the details."
 
"I warn you that they are very incomplete."
 
"Perhaps we may make them less so."

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1 implicit lkhyn     
a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的
参考例句：
  • A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
  • Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。
2 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
3 discretion FZQzm     
n.谨慎；随意处理
参考例句：
  • You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
  • Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。
4 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
5 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。
6 postpone rP0xq     
v.延期，推迟
参考例句：
  • I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
  • She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。
7 paramount fL9xz     
a.最重要的，最高权力的
参考例句：
  • My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
  • Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。
8 mansions 55c599f36b2c0a2058258d6f2310fd20     
n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
9 quill 7SGxQ     
n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶
参考例句：
  • He wrote with a quill.他用羽毛笔写字。
  • She dipped a quill in ink,and then began to write.她将羽毛笔在墨水里蘸了一下，随后开始书写。
10 smear 6EmyX     
v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑
参考例句：
  • He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
  • There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。
11 flattening flattening     
n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词
参考例句：
  • Flattening of the right atrial border is also seen in constrictive pericarditis. 右心房缘变平亦见于缩窄性心包炎。
  • He busied his fingers with flattening the leaves of the book. 他手指忙着抚平书页。
12 azure 6P3yh     
adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的
参考例句：
  • His eyes are azure.他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
  • The sun shone out of a clear azure sky.清朗蔚蓝的天空中阳光明媚。
13 sable VYRxp     
n.黑貂；adj.黑色的
参考例句：
  • Artists' brushes are sometimes made of sable.画家的画笔有的是用貂毛制的。
  • Down the sable flood they glided.他们在黑黝黝的洪水中随波逐流。
14 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。
15 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
16 rumour 1SYzZ     
n.谣言，谣传，传闻
参考例句：
  • I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
  • There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。
17 terse GInz1     
adj.(说话，文笔)精炼的，简明的
参考例句：
  • Her reply about the matter was terse.她对此事的答复简明扼要。
  • The president issued a terse statement denying the charges.总统发表了一份简短的声明，否认那些指控。
18 amplifying 29631b8f34f8b755bf579c2bef5e2907     
放大，扩大( amplify的现在分词 )； 增强； 详述
参考例句：
  • Often they use borrowed funds, amplifying their gains and losses. 他们通常会用借贷的资金交易，从而放大收益或损失。
  • An amplifying type (or analog) device, as opposed to digital device. 放大器类（或模拟）器件，相对于数字器件而言的。
19 invaders 5f4b502b53eb551c767b8cce3965af9f     
入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
  • The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。
20 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的
参考例句：
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
21 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上
参考例句：
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
22 expectancies 1ab24b5aebe5ca8a1e16243584b0462e     
期待，期望( expectancy的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Each of us came with his own expectancies. 我们每个人都有自己的希望。
  • In fact, modern lifestyles are actually exacerbating the gap between male and female life expectancies. 实际上，现代生活方式确实加大了男女寿命差别的鸿沟。
23 curt omjyx     
adj.简短的，草率的
参考例句：
  • He gave me an extremely curt answer.他对我作了极为草率的答复。
  • He rapped out a series of curt commands.他大声发出了一连串简短的命令。
24 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月
参考例句：
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
25 disappearance ouEx5     
n.消失，消散，失踪
参考例句：
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

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