【前情回顾】：

在与证人的交谈中，福尔摩斯得知一名醉汉曾出现在案发现场。而这名醉汉的外貌特征与福尔摩斯之前推测出的凶手特点十分吻合。在推测出凶手可能为了戒指而返回罪案现场后，福尔摩斯似乎有了一个计划。

【今日翻译】：

“What’s the matter? You’re not looking quite yourself.
This Brixton Road affair has upset you.” Holmes asked me after we arrived home.
“你怎么了？看起来好像不太像你了。 Brixton街事件让你烦躁了。”我们到家后，Holmes发现了我的情绪异常。

“To tell the truth, it has,” I said.
“I ought to be less sensitive(敏感的) after my Afghan experiences.
I saw my own friends chopped(砍杀) to pieces at Maiwand without losing my nerve(理智).”
“I can understand. There is a mystery(谜案) about this which stimulates(刺激) the imagination.
Where there is no imagination, there is no horror(恐惧).
Have you seen the evening paper?”
“说实话，是有点。
其实在经历Afghan（阿富汗）战争后，我理当不会再这么敏感的。
在Maiwand眼睁睁看着战友被砍成碎片我都不会失去理智。”
“恩我能理解。这桩谜案会激发想象。
而往往是想象更容易让人产生恐惧。
你看晚报了吗？”

“No.”
“It gives a fairly good account of the affair.
It does not mention the fact that when the man was lifted up, a woman’s wedding(结婚) ring fell upon the floor.”
“Why?”
“Look at this advertisement(告示),” he answered.
“I had one sent to every paper this morning immediately after the affair.”
“还没。”
“报纸上完美的给了这件事一个可靠的解释。
压根没提是抬尸体时候发现的女士婚戒这个事实。”
“为啥？”
“呐，你看这个告示。事情发生后我就立即让人给每份报社都发了。”

He threw the paper across to me and I glanced at the place he indicated.
It was the first announcement in the “Found” column(专栏).
“In Brixton Road, this morning,” it ran,
“a plain gold wedding(结婚) ring, found in the roadway between the ‘White Hart’ Tavern and Holland Grove.
Apply Dr. Watson, 221B, Baker Street, between eight and nine this evening.”
他把报纸扔了过来，我瞅了瞅他指的地方。
他在“Found”（失物招领） 专栏首位。
“今早，Brixton 路，在‘White Hart’ Tavern 与 Holland Grove 之间的巷道处发现一枚女士白金婚戒。
失者请于今晚8点-9点期间，至Baker街221B处于Watson医生处认领。”

“Excuse my using your name,” he said.
“If I used my own, some of these stupid detectives(侦探) would recognize it, and want to interfere(介入) with the affair.”
“That is all right,” I answered. “But, supposing anyone responds, I have no ring.”
“Oh yes, you have,” said he, handing me one.
“This will do very well. It is almost a perfect copy.”
“And who do you expect will answer this advertisement(告示).”
“Well, the man in the brown coat—our red-faced friend with the square toes(方头鞋).
If he does not come himself, he will send an accomplice(同伙).”
“Would he not think it too dangerous?”
“抱歉我用了你的名字。因为如果用我名字的话，有些蠢侦探就会知道这件事，会介入整个事件中。”
“没事儿。不过，先要是有人来认领的话，我没戒指啊。”
“哦，你有。”说着，他就给了我一枚，“这个就成，是那枚戒指的高仿。”
“你觉得会是谁来认领？”
“就那个穿棕色外衣的，咱的那位穿方头靴的红脸朋友。要是他自己没来，那就是他的同伙。”
“他会不会觉得太冒险所以不来？”

“Not at all. If my view of the case is correct, this man would rather risk anything than lose the ring.
According to my theory, he dropped it while bent over Drebber’s body, and did not notice it at the time.
After leaving the house he discovered his loss and hurried back, but found the police already in possession, owing to(由于) his own foolishness in leaving the candle burning.
He had to pretend to be drunk in order to trick the officer.
Now put yourself in that man’s place.
On thinking the matter over, it must have occurred to him that it was possible that he had lost the ring in the road after leaving the house.
What would he do, then? He would eagerly look out for the evening papers in the hope of seeing it among the list of things lost and found.
His eye, of course, would light upon this.
He would be thrilled(兴奋的).
Why should he fear a trap? There would be no reason in his eyes why the finding of the ring should be linked with the murder.
He would come. He will come. You will see him within an hour.
I have just had an answer to my American message that I sent.
My view of the case is the correct one.”
“绝对不会。如果我没看错的话，这男的会冒一切风险来拿回这枚戒指。
在我的猜想里，他是弯腰看死者尸体时候掉的戒指，但他当时没注意到。
他走了以后才发现他戒指丢了，然后急忙回去找，结果发现由于他走的时候没有把蜡烛熄灭，所以警察已经发现了案发地。
所以他只能假装醉酒以求蒙混过关。
呐，假如你是这个男的。
你肯定也会想，没准儿戒指是掉在离开屋子之后的路上。
然后他会怎么做？
他会专门盯着晚报，期望能被人捡走然后刊登在失物招领栏上。
当看到这则告示的时候，他肯定激动的眼睛都放光。
他哪里还会怕什么陷阱？更何况人家觉得，找个戒指而已，如果和凶手联系在一起那毫无道理啊！
他肯定马上就到了。不超过一个小时你就胡和人家碰面了。
这是我对于这则告示唯一的结果。
我肯定没错。”

“And that is?” I asked eagerly.
“Put your pistol(手枪) in your pocket. When the fellow comes, speak to him in an ordinary way.
Leave the rest to me. Don’t frighten(惊吓) him by looking at him too hard.” he remarked.
“It is eight o’clock now,” I said, glancing at my watch.
“Yes. He will probably be here in a few minutes.
Open the door slightly. That will do.
Now put the key on the inside. Thank you!”
“他来了之后呢？”我迫切的问。
“把你手枪收好。他来了之后，先用正常语气跟他扯皮子。剩下的交给我。注意眼神，别打草惊蛇。”
“现在八点了。”我瞥了一眼我的表。
“恩，几分钟之内他估计就到了。先把门打开一点，钥匙插里面，行了，谢谢！”

As he spoke there was a sharp(尖锐的) ring at the bell.
Sherlock Holmes rose softly and moved his chair in the direction of the door.
We heard the servant pass along the hall, and the sound of the door as she opened it.
他正说着，就听到了一声尖锐的铃声。
Holmes轻轻地站了起来，把他的椅子向房门口移动了一下。
我们听到女佣走过门廊，然后打开门闩。

“Does Dr. Watson live here?” asked a clear but rather harsh(刺耳的) voice.
We could not hear the servant’s reply, but the door closed, and someone began to climb the stairs(楼梯).
The steps were uncertain and shuffling(慢悠悠的).
A look of surprise passed over the face of my companion as he listened to it.
It came slowly along the passage, and there was a quiet tap at the door.
“Come in,” I cried.
“Watson医生是住这里吗？”一个清晰但很刺耳的声音传来。
我们听不到女佣说了什么，但是门关上了，然后一个人上了楼梯。
步伐很慢，还有点不确定。
我的小伙伴听到这样的声音后，脸上闪过一份惊讶。
脚步声缓慢的穿过了走廊，然后门上响起了轻微的敲击声。
“进来！”我高声应道。

Instead of the man of violence whom we expected, a very old woman walked into the apartment(房间).
She appeared to be dazzled(目眩的) by the sudden glow(光亮) of light, and after curtseying to us, she stood blinking(眨眼) at us with her eyes and searching in her pocket with nervous, shaky(颤抖的) fingers.
I glanced at my companion, and his face had such an unhappy expression that it was all I could do to keep myself from laughing.
The old lady pulled out an evening paper, and pointed at our advertisement(告示).
和我们预想中的彪形大汉不同，一个年纪很大的老妇走了进来。
她被屋里的光亮照的目眩了一下，对我们行过礼后，就眨着眼睛，颤巍巍的从口袋里找东西。
我瞥了眼我的小伙伴，然后看到了他脸上是如此的不高兴。以至于我必须使劲儿才能憋住笑。
老妇拿出一份晚报，给我们指了指告示。

“It’s this that has brought me here, good gentlemen,” she said,curtseying to us again, “a gold wedding(结婚) ring in the Brixton Road.
It belongs to my girl Sally, who was married last year.
Her husband is an agent aboard a Union boat, and what he’d say if he came home and found her without her ring is more than I can think.
He can be an angry drunk. She went to the circus(马戏团) last night along with—”
“我是看了这份告示才来这里的，绅士们，”她又对我们行了个礼，
“在Brixton 路发现的一枚金戒指。那是我女儿Sally的，她去年结的婚。
她丈夫在一艘联盟船上是代理人，如果他回来发现她戒指丢了的话，我真想不出他会说出什么呀的话来。
他肯定很生气。
她昨天是去马戏团了，和——”

“Is that her ring?” I asked.
“Thank Lord!” cried the old woman, “Sally will be a happy woman this night.
That’s the ring.”
“And what may your address be?” I asked, taking up a pencil.
“13, Duncan Street, Houndsditch. A long, tiring way from here.”
“The Brixton Road does not lie between any circus(马戏团) and Houndsditch,” said Sherlock Holmes sharply.
The old woman turned around and looked keenly at him from her little red eyes. “The gentleman asked me for my address,” she said.
“Sally lives at 3, Mayfield Place, Peckham.”
“这是她的戒指吗？”我问。
“哦！感谢老天！Sally今晚上肯定会高兴到哭！就是这枚戒指。”
“请问你的地址是？”我拿了根铅笔问道。
“Houndsditch区，Duncan街13号，离这儿挺远的。”
“从Houndsditch区到任何一个马戏团都不需要经过Brixton街，”Holmes犀利的说。
老太婆转过脸去，一双小红眼锐利地瞅了小伙伴一眼，“那位绅士是在问我的地址。Sally是住在Peckham区，Mayfield公寓3号。”

“And your name is—?”
“My name is Sawyer—hers is Dennis, which she took when Tom Dennis married her—”
“Here is your ring, Mrs. Sawyer,” I said, interrupting her, responding to a sign from my companion,
“it obviously belongs to your daughter, and I am glad to be able to return it to the correct owner.”
With many blessings and much gratitude(感激), the old lady put it away in her pocket, and shuffled(慢悠悠地) off down the stairs(楼梯).
“请问您贵姓——？”
“我姓Sawyer—我女儿自从嫁给了Tom Dennis 后，就姓 Dennis—”
“这是你的戒指，Sawyer女士。”我遵着我的小伙伴的暗示打断了她，“这显然是你女儿的戒指，我很高兴，它物归原主了。”
那老妇感谢天感谢地的， 带着满怀感激的把戒指放进口袋，颤悠悠的下楼走了。

over，不定时更新。