The letter had no date, signature or address. The letter said:
这封信上没有日期，也没有签名和地址。信上写道：
signature n. 签名
At a quarter to eight this evening, a gentleman will come to your house. He wishes to talk to you about a serious matter. What you have done for one of the royal houses of Europe has shown that you can be trusted with matters of great importance. Many people have told us how great you are. Wait for the gentleman at your apartment. He might come wearing a mask, but please do not be offended.
今晚七时三刻，有位绅士将拜访阁下住处。他有要事想与阁下相商。阁下最近为欧洲一王室所行之事表明，足可信任阁下办理极为重要之事。吾辈已从多人口中得知阁下能力非凡。请于阁下住处等候这位绅士拜访。来客若戴面具，请勿介怀。
offend v. 冒犯
"This is a mystery," I said. "What do you think this is all about?"
“这可真是件神秘的事，”我说，“你觉得这是什么意思？”
"I have no data yet," he said. "It is foolish to theorize before one has data. Without data, one begins to twist facts to match theories. Take another look at the note. What can you learn from it?"
“我还没有事实资料，”他回答道，“在得到事实资料之前就妄加推断，愚蠢至极。没有事实资料，人们就会开始歪曲现实来适应他的理论。再看一眼这张便条。你能从中看出些什么来？”
data n. 事实资料
theorize v. 推断
twist v. 歪曲
fact n. 现实
match v. 适应
theory n. 理论
I carefully examined the letter.
我仔细检查着这张纸。
examine v. 检查
"The man who wrote it was probably rich," I said. "This kind of paper is very expensive. It is strangely strong and stiff."
“写这东西的人大概挺有钱的，”我说道，“这种纸非常贵。纸张出奇地结实和挺括。”
stiff adj. 挺括
"You're right," said Holmes. "It is not an English paper. Hold it up to the light."
“你说的没错，”福尔摩斯说，“这根本不是英国纸。你把它举起来对着光看看。”
I did so, and noticed a large "E" with a small "g", a "P," and a large "G" with a small "t" woven into the texture of the paper.
我照他说的做了，注意到纸质纹理中有一个大“E”和一个小“g”、一个“P”以及一个大“G”和小“t”交织在一起。
notice v. 注意
weave v. 交织
texture n. 纹理
"It's probably the monogram of the maker," I said.
“没准这是制造者名字的交织字母，”我说道。
monogram n. 交织字母
"You're wrong. The 'G' with the small 't' stands for 'Gesellschaft.' It means 'Company' in German. Of course 'P' stands for 'Papier,' meaning "paper." Now for the 'Eg.' Let us take a look at our Continental Gazeteer."
“不对。‘G’和小‘t'代表的是Gesellschaft。在德文里它是公司的意思。'P'当然代表的是'Papier'，就是纸的意思。然后就是’EG'了。让我们来瞧一瞧我们的《大陆地名词典》。”
stand for 代表
Gesellschaft n. 公司（德语）
the Continental Gazetteer 《大陆地名词典》
He took down a heavy brown book from his shelves.
福尔摩斯从他的书架上拿下一本厚厚的棕色封皮的书。
