Well, to my surprise and delight, everything was as right as possible.

唔，使我又惊又喜的是，一切都很顺利。

The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross was there to see that I got fairly to work.

桌子已给我摆好了，邓肯·罗斯先生在那里照料，好让我顺利地开始工作。

He started me off upon the letter A, and then he left me; but he would drop in from time to time to see that all was right with me.

他让我从字母A开始抄，然后离开我，但他不时走进来看看我工作进行得是否顺当。

At two o'clock he bade me good-day, complimented me upon the amount that I had written, and locked the door of the office after me.

下午两点钟他和我说再见，并称赞我抄写得真不少。我走出办公室后，他就把门锁上。

This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the manager came in and planked down four golden sovereigns for my week's work.

福尔摩斯先生，事情就这样一天天地继续下去。到了星期六，那干事进来，付给我四个英镑的金币作为我一周工作的报酬。

It was the same next week, and the same the week after.

下星期是这样，再下星期还是这样。

Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I left at two.

我每天上午十点到那里上班，下午两点下班。

By degrees Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in only once of a morning, and then, after a time, he did not come in at all.

以后邓肯·罗斯先生就逐渐地不怎么常来了，有时候一个上午只来一次，再过一段时间，他就根本不来了。

Still, of course, I never dared to leave the room for an instant,

当然，我还是一会儿也不敢离开办公室，

for I was not sure when he might come, and the billet was such a good one, and suited me so well, that I would not risk the loss of it.

因为我不敢肯定他什么时候可能会来的，而这个职务确实很不错，对我很合适，我不愿冒丢掉它的风险。

Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about Abbots and Archery and Armour and Architecture and Attica,

就这样，八个星期的时间过去了。我抄写了'男修道院院长' 、'盔甲' 、'建筑学' 和'雅典人'等词条；

and hoped with diligence that I might get on to the B's before very long.

并且希望由于我的勤奋努力，不久就可以开始抄写以字母B为首的词条。

It cost me something in foolscap, and I had pretty nearly filled a shelf with my writings.

我花了不少钱买大页书写纸，我抄写的东西几乎堆满了一个架子。

And then suddenly the whole business came to an end.

接着，这整个事情突然宣告结束。