跳舞的小人（8）

（单词翻译）

“Our material is rapidly accumulating,” said he.

“Three days later a message was left scrawled upon paper, and placed under a pebble upon the sun-dial. Here it is. The characters are, as you see, exactly the same as the last one. After that I determined to lie in wait; so I got out my revolver and I sat up in my study, which overlooks the lawn and garden. About two in the morning I was seated by the window, all being dark save for the moonlight outside, when I heard steps behind me, and there was my wife in her dressing-gown. She implored me to come to bed. I told her frankly that I wished to see who it was who played such absurd tricks upon us. She answered that it was some senseless practical joke, and that I should not take any notice of it.

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“‘If it really annoys you, Hilton, we might go and travel, you and I, and so avoid this nuisance.’

“‘What, be driven out of our own house by a practical joker?’ said I. ‘Why, we should have the whole county laughing at us.’

“‘Well, come to bed,’ said she, ‘and we can discuss it in the morning.’

“Suddenly, as she spoke, I saw her white face grow whiter yet in the moonlight, and her hand tightened upon my shoulder. Something was moving in the shadow of the tool-house. I saw a dark, creeping figure which crawled round the corner and squatted in front of the door. Seizing my pistol I was rushing out, when my wife threw her arms round me and held me with convulsive strength. I tried to throw her off, but she clung to me most desperately. At last I got clear, but by the time I had opened the door and reached the house the creature was gone. He had left a trace of his presence, however, for there on the door was the very same arrangement of dancing men which had already twice appeared, and which I have copied on that paper. There was no other sign of the fellow anywhere, though I ran all over the grounds. And yet the amazing thing is that he must have been there all the time, for when I examined the door again in the morning he had scrawled some more of his pictures under the line which I had already seen.”

“太妙了！"福尔摩斯说。"太妙了！请接着说吧。”

“临摹完了，我就把门上这些记号擦了，但是过了两个早上，只出现了新的。我这儿也有一张临摹的。”

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福尔摩斯一搓一着双手，高兴得轻轻笑出声来。

“咱们的资料积累得很快呀！"他说。

“过了三天，我在日晷仪上找到一张纸条，上面压着一块鹅一卵一石。纸条上很潦草地画了一行小人，跟上一次的完全一样。从那以后，我决定在夜里守着，于是取出了我的左轮，坐在书房里不睡，因为从那儿可以望到草坪和花园。大约在凌晨两点的时候，我听到后面有脚步声，原来是我妻子穿着睡衣走来了。她央求我去睡，我就对她明说要瞧瞧谁在这样捉弄我们。她说这是毫无意义的恶作剧，要我不去理它。

“'假如真叫你生气的话，希尔顿，咱们俩可以出去旅行，躲开这种讨厌的人。'

“'什么？让一个恶作剧的家伙把咱们从这儿撵走？'

“'去睡吧，'她说，'咱们白天再商量。'

“她正说着，在月光下我见她的脸忽然变得更加苍白，她一只手紧一抓住我的肩膀。就在对过工具房的一陰一影里，有什么东西在移动。我看见个黑糊糊的人影，偷偷绕过墙角走到工具房门前蹲了下来。我抓起手槍正要冲出去，我妻子使劲把我抱住。我用力想甩脱她，她拼命抱住我不放手。最后，我挣脱了。等我打开门跑到工具房前，那家伙不见了。但是他留下了痕迹，门上又画了一行跳舞的人，排列跟前两次的完全相同，我已经把它们临摹在那张纸上。我把院子各处都找遍了，也没见到那个家伙的踪影。可这件事怪就怪在他并没有走开，因为早上我再检查那扇门的时候，发现除了我已经看到过的那行小人以外，又添了几个新画的。”