福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第7章Part1

Next morning, after breakfast, we found Inspector MacDonald and White Mason seated in close consultation in the small parlour of the local police sergeant. On the table in front of them were piled a number of letters and telegrams, which they were carefully sorting and docketing. Three had been placed on one side.
"Still on the track of the elusive bicyclist?" Holmes asked cheerfully. "What is the latest news of the ruffian?"
MacDonald pointed ruefully to his heap of correspondence."He is at present reported from Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton, Derby, East Ham, Richmond, and fourteen other places. In three of them--East Ham, Leicester, and Liverpool--there is a clear case against him, and he has actually been arrested. The country seems to be full of the fugitives with yellow coats."
"Dear me!" said Holmes sympathetically. "Now, Mr. Mac and you, Mr. White Mason, I wish to give you a very earnest piece of advice. When I went into this case with you I bargained, as you will no doubt remember, that I should not present you with half-proved theories, but that I should retain and work out my own ideas until I had satisfied myself that they were correct. For this reason I am not at the present moment telling you all that is in my mind. On the other hand, I said that I would play the game fairly by you, and I do not think it is a fair game to allow you for one unnecessary moment to waste your energies upon a profitless task. Therefore I am here to advise you this morning, and my advice to you is summed up in three words--abandon the case."
MacDonald and White Mason stared in amazement at their celebrated colleague.
"You consider it hopeless!" cried the inspector.
"I consider your case to be hopeless. I do not consider that it is hopeless to arrive at the truth."
"But this cyclist. He is not an invention. We have his description, his valise, his bicycle. The fellow must be somewhere. Why should we not get him?"
"Yes, yes, no doubt he is somewhere, and no doubt we shall get him; but I would not have you waste your energies in East Ham or Liverpool. I am sure that we can find some shorter cut to a result."
"You are holding something back. It's hardly fair of you, Mr. Holmes." The inspector was annoyed.

第二天吃過早飯，我們到當地警察局去，看見警官麥克唐納和懷特·梅森正在警官的小會客室裏密商某事。他們面前的公事桌上堆着許多書信和電報，他們正在仔細地整理和摘錄，有三份已經放在一邊了。
“還在追蹤那個難以捉摸的騎自行車人嗎？"福爾摩斯高興地問道，“關於這個暴徒有什麼最新消息？”
麥克唐納沮喪地指了指他那一大堆信件，說道：“目前從萊斯特、諾丁漢、南安普敦、德比、東哈姆、里士滿和其他十四個地方都來了關於他的報告。其中東哈姆、萊斯特和利物浦三處有對他明顯不利的情況。因此，他實際上已受到注意了。不過好象全國到處都有穿黃大衣的亡命徒似的。”
“哎呀！"福爾摩斯同情地說道，“現在，麥克先生，還有你，懷特·梅森先生 ，我願意向你們提出一個非常誠懇的忠告。當我和你們一起研究這件案子時，你們一定還記得，我曾經提出過條件：我不會對你們發表未經充分證實的見解；我要保留並制定出我自己的計劃，直到我認爲它們是正確的，而使自己滿意爲止。因此，眼下我還是不想告訴你們我的全部想法。另一方面，我說過我對你們一定要光明磊落，如果我眼看你們白白把精力浪費在毫無益處的工作上，那就是我的不是了。所以今天早晨我要向你們提出忠告，我的忠告就是三個字：'放棄它'。”
麥克唐納和懷特·梅森驚奇地瞪着大眼望着他們這位出名的同行。
“你認爲這件案子已經沒法辦了嗎？"麥克唐納大聲說道。
“我認爲你們這樣辦這件案子是沒有希望的，但我並不認爲本案不能真相大白。”
“可是騎自行車的人並不是虛構的啊。我們有他的外貌特徵，他的手提箱，他的自行車。這個人一定藏在什麼地方了，爲什麼我們不應當緝拿他呢？”
“不錯，不錯，毫無疑問，他藏在某個地方，而且我們一定可以捉到他。不過我不願讓你們到東哈姆或是利物浦這些地方去浪費精力，我相信我們能找到破案捷徑。”
“你是對我們瞞了什麼東西了。這可就是你的不是了，福爾摩斯先生，"麥克唐納生氣地說。