Holmes pushed open the door of the private bar and ordered two glasses of beer from the ruddy-faced, white-aproned landlord.

福尔摩斯推开这家私人酒店的门，从红光满面、系着白围裙的老板那里要了两杯啤酒。

"Your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your geese," said he.

"如果你的啤酒能象你的鹅一样出色，那将是最上等的啤酒了。"他说道。

"My geese!" The man seemed surprised.

"我的鹅！"这个人好象很吃惊。

"Yes. I was speaking only half an hour ago to Mr. Henry Baker, who was a member of your goose club."

"是的，仅在半小时以前我刚和你们俱乐部的会员亨利·贝克先生谈过。"

"Ah! yes, I see. But you see, sir, them's not our geese." "Indeed! Whose, then?"

"啊，我明白了。可是你知道吗，先生，那些鹅不是我们的！""真的！那么，是谁的呢？"

"Well, I got the two dozen from a salesman in Covent Garden."

"噢，我从考文特园一个推销员那里买了二十四只。"

"Indeed? I know some of them. Which was it?" "Breckinridge is his name."

"真的？我认识他们当中几个人，是哪一个呢？""他的名字叫布莱肯里奇。"

"Ah! I don't know him. Well, here's your good health, landlord, and prosperity to your house. Good-night."

"噢，我不认识他，好吧，老板，祝你身体健康，生意兴隆。再见。"

"Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coat as we came out into the frosty air.

"现在去找布莱肯里奇，"我们离开酒店走进寒冷的空气中。他一边扣着外衣，一边继续往下说，

"Remember, Watson, that though we have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of this chain,

"记住，华生，虽然在这条锁链的一端，我们现在只找到象鹅这样家常的东西，

we have at the other a man who will certainly get seven years' penal servitude unless we can establish his innocence.

但在另一端，我们却会找到一个肯定将被判处七年徒刑的人，除非我们能够证明他是无罪的；

It is possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt;

可是，很可能我们的调查也许只能证明他有罪；

but, in any case, we have a line of investigation which has been missed by the police,

无论如何，有一条被警察忽略了的调查线索

and which a singular chance has placed in our hands.

由于一种特别机缘落入我们的手中。

Let us follow it out to the bitter end. Faces to the south, then, and quick march!"

让我们顺着这条线索追查下去。现在朝南快步前进！"