"Well, Watson," said Holmes when our visitor had left us, "what do you make of it all?"

在客人走了以后，福尔摩斯对我说："好啦，华生，依你看，这到底是怎么回事呢？"

"I make nothing of it," I answered frankly. "It is a most mysterious business."

我坦率地回答说："我一点也看不出问题来。这件事太神秘了。"

"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be.

福尔摩斯先生说："一般地说，愈是稀奇的事，一旦真相大白，就可以看出并不是那么高深莫测。

It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling,

那些普普通通、毫无特色的罪行才真正令人迷惑。

just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over this matter."

就像一个人的平淡无奇的面孔最难以辨认一样。但是，我必须立即采取行动去处理这件事。"

"What are you going to do, then?" I asked.

我回答他："那么你准备怎么办呢？"

"To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes."

他回答说："抽烟，这是要抽足三斗烟才能解决的问题；同时我请你在五十分钟内不要跟我说话。"

He curled himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his hawk-like nose,

他蜷缩在椅子里，瘦削的膝盖几乎碰着他那鹰钩鼻子。

and there he sat with his eyes closed and his black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird.

他闭上眼睛静坐在那里，叼着的那只黑色陶制烟斗，很象某种珍禽异鸟的那个又尖又长的嘴。

I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and indeed was nodding myself,

我当时认为，他一定沉入梦乡了，我也打起瞌睡来；

when he suddenly sprang out of his chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind and put his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.

而正在这个时候，他忽然从椅子里一跃而起，一副拿定了主意的神态，随即把烟斗放在壁炉台上。

"Sarasate plays at the St. James's Hall this afternoon," he remarked.

他说："萨拉沙特今天下午在圣詹姆士会堂演出。

"What do you think, Watson? Could your patients spare you for a few hours?"

华生，你看怎么样？你的病人可以让你有几小时空闲的时间吗？"

"I have nothing to do to-day. My practice is never very absorbing."

"我今天没什么事。我的工作从来不是那么离不开的。"

"Then put on your hat and come. I am going through the City first, and we can have some lunch on the way.

"那么戴上帽子，咱们走吧。我们将经过市区，顺路可以吃点午饭。

I observe that there is a good deal of German music on the programme, which is rather more to my taste than Italian or French.

我注意到节目单上德国音乐很不少。我觉得德国音乐比意大利或法国音乐更为优美动听。

It is introspective, and I want to introspect. Come along!"

德国音乐听了发人深省。我正要做一番内省的功夫。走吧。"