The Adventure of the Copper Beeches 铜山毛榉案（6）

时间：2020-05-19 06:52:21

（单词翻译:单击）

"I was so terrified that I do not know what I did. I suppose that
I must have rushed past him into my room. I remember nothing
until I found myself lying on my bed trembling all over. Then I
thought of you, Mr. Holmes. I could not live there longer without
some advice. I was frightened of the house, of the man of the
woman, of the servants, even of the child. They were all horrible
to me. If I could only bring you down all would be well. Of
course I might have fled from the house, but my curiosity was
almost as strong as my fears. My mind was soon made up. I would
send you a wire. I put on my hat and cloak, went down to the
office, which is about half a mile from the house, and then
returned, feeling very much easier. A horrible doubt came into my
mind as I approached the door lest the dog might be loose, but I
remembered that Toller had drunk himself into a state of
insensibility that evening, and I knew that he was the only one
in the household who had any influence with the savage1 creature,
or who would venture to set him free. I slipped in in safety and
lay awake half the night in my joy at the thought of seeing you.
I had no difficulty in getting leave to come into Winchester this
morning, but I must be back before three o'clock, for Mr. and
Mrs. Rucastle are going on a visit, and will be away all the
evening, so that I must look after the child. Now I have told you
all my adventures, Mr. Holmes, and I should be very glad if you
could tell me what it all means, and, above all, what I should
do."
 
Holmes and I had listened spellbound to this extraordinary story.
My friend rose now and paced up and down the room, his hands in
his pockets, and an expression of the most profound gravity upon
his face.
 
"Is Toller still drunk?" he asked.
 
"Yes. I heard his wife tell Mrs. Rucastle that she could do
nothing with him."
 
"That is well. And the Rucastles go out to-night?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Is there a cellar with a good strong lock?"
 
"Yes, the wine-cellar."
 
"You seem to me to have acted all through this matter like a very
brave and sensible girl, Miss Hunter. Do you think that you could
perform one more feat2? I should not ask it of you if I did not
think you a quite exceptional woman."
 
"I will try. What is it?"
 
"We shall be at the Copper3 Beeches4 by seven o'clock, my friend
and I. The Rucastles will be gone by that time, and Toller will,
we hope, be incapable5. There only remains6 Mrs. Toller, who might
give the alarm. If you could send her into the cellar on some
errand, and then turn the key upon her, you would facilitate
matters immensely."
 
"I will do it."
 
"Excellent! We shall then look thoroughly7 into the affair. Of
course there is only one feasible explanation. You have been
brought there to personate someone, and the real person is
imprisoned8 in this chamber9. That is obvious. As to who this
prisoner is, I have no doubt that it is the daughter, Miss Alice
Rucastle, if I remember right, who was said to have gone to
America. You were chosen, doubtless, as resembling her in height,
figure, and the color of your hair. Hers had been cut off, very
possibly in some illness through which she has passed, and so, of
course, yours had to be sacrificed also. By a curious chance you
came upon her tresses. The man in the road was undoubtedly10 some
friend of hers--possibly her fiance--and no doubt, as you wore
the girl's dress and were so like her, he was convinced from your
laughter, whenever he saw you, and afterwards from your gesture,
that Miss Rucastle was perfectly11 happy, and that she no longer
desired his attentions. The dog is let loose at night to prevent
him from endeavoring to communicate with her. So much is fairly
clear. The most serious point in the case is the disposition12 of
the child."
 
"What on earth has that to do with it?" I ejaculated.
 
"My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining
light as to the tendencies of a child by the study of the
parents. Don't you see that the converse13 is equally valid14. I have
frequently gained my first real insight into the character of
parents by studying their children. This child's disposition is
abnormally cruel, merely for cruelty's sake, and whether he
derives15 this from his smiling father, as I should suspect, or
from his mother, it bodes16 evil for the poor girl who is in their
power."
 
"I am sure that you are right, Mr. Holmes," cried our client. "A
thousand things come back to me which make me certain that you
have hit it. Oh, let us lose not an instant in bringing help to
this poor creature."
 
"We must be circumspect17, for we are dealing18 with a very cunning
man. We can do nothing until seven o'clock. At that hour we shall
be with you, and it will not be long before we solve the
mystery."
 

分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 savage ECxzR     
adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人
参考例句：
  • The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
  • He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。
2 feat 5kzxp     
n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的
参考例句：
  • Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
  • He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。
3 copper HZXyU     
n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的
参考例句：
  • The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
  • Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
4 beeches 7e2b71bc19a0de701aebe6f40b036385     
n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材
参考例句：
  • The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网
  • There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网
5 incapable w9ZxK     
adj.无能力的，不能做某事的
参考例句：
  • He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
  • Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
6 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
7 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
8 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
9 chamber wnky9     
n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所
参考例句：
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
10 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地，无疑地
参考例句：
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
11 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。
12 disposition GljzO     
n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署
参考例句：
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
13 converse 7ZwyI     
vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反
参考例句：
  • He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
  • I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。
14 valid eiCwm     
adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的
参考例句：
  • His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
  • Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？
15 derives c6c3177a6f731a3d743ccd3c53f3f460     
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取
参考例句：
  • English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 bodes cc17e58636d1c4347f183c6aba685251     
v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待
参考例句：
  • This bodes ill for the failure of the programme. 这是那项计划有凶兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • This bodes him no good. 这对他是不祥之兆。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
17 circumspect 0qGzr     
adj.慎重的，谨慎的
参考例句：
  • She is very circumspect when dealing with strangers.她与陌生人打交道时十分谨慎。
  • He was very circumspect in his financial affairs.他对于自己的财务十分细心。
18 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法，待人态度
参考例句：
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

©2005-2010英文阅读网