四签名

推理的科学

The Science of Deduction

夏洛克·福尔摩斯从火炉上方的架子上拿下一个小瓶子。接着，他从整洁的皮套里取出一根针。他那双修长白皙的手指准备好针，然后把左边的袖子推上去。

Sherlock Holmes took a small bottle from the shelf above the fire. Then he took a needle out of its neat leather case. His long, white fingers got the needle ready, and he pushed back his left sleeve.

他盯着自己瘦弱但有力的手臂看了一会儿。上面有很多旧针眼。接着，他把针扎进手臂。他靠在柔软的扶手椅里，长长地舒了一口气，看起来很满足。

For a moment he looked at his thin, strong arm. There were many small marks of old needles on it. Then he pushed the needle into his arm. He sat back in his soft armchair and let out a long, happy breath.

几个月来，我每天三次看着他这样做，心里一天比一天讨厌。每天晚上我都对自己很生气。我心想：“为什么我不说点什么呢？”但福尔摩斯冷静、沉着又非常聪明。和他争论并不容易，而且我还有点怕他。

I watched this three times a day for many months, and I hated it more every day. Every night I was angry with myself. “Why don’t I say something?” I thought. But Holmes was cool, calm and very clever. It was not easy to argue with him, and I was a little afraid of him.

那天下午，我午餐时喝了一些红酒。也许是因为酒。但我突然再也无法保持沉默了。

That afternoon I drank some red wine with my lunch. Maybe it was the wine. But suddenly I could not stay quiet any longer.

“今天是什么？”我问。“吗啡还是可卡因？”

“What is it today?” I asked. “Morphine or cocaine?”

他慢慢地从一本旧书里抬起头。可卡因是一种强效药，他经常用。

He looked up slowly from an old book. Cocaine is a strong drug, and he took it often.

“是可卡因，”他说。“百分之七的可卡因溶液。你想试试吗？”

“It is cocaine,” he said. “Seven per cent cocaine in water. Do you want to try it?”

“不，谢谢，”我严厉地回答。“我的身体在阿富汗战争后还很虚弱。我不能再给它任何压力了。”

“No, thank you,” I answered sharply. “My body is still weak from the war in Afghanistan. I can’t give it any more stress.”

他对我强硬的话笑了笑。“也许你是对的，华生，”他说。“也许这对身体不好。但它能让我的头脑变得清晰敏捷。其他的事对我来说不重要。”

He smiled at my strong words. “Perhaps you are right, Watson,” he said. “Perhaps it is bad for the body. But it makes my mind so clear and so quick. The rest does not matter much to me.”

“但你想想看！”我说。“想想代价！没错，它能刺激你的大脑。但这是病，不是天赋。它会让你的大脑永远变弱。而且你知道事后你会感到多么阴暗和难过。为什么为了短暂的快乐去冒险毁掉你伟大的头脑？我是以朋友的身份对你说。但我也以医生的身份说话，你的健康有一部分是我的责任。”

“But think about it!” I said. “Think about the cost! Yes, it excites your brain. But it is an illness, not a gift. It can make your brain weak for ever. And you know how dark and sad you feel afterwards. Why do you want to risk your great mind for a short pleasure? I speak to you as a friend. But I also speak as a doctor, and your health is partly my job.”

他看起来并不生气。他把指尖合在一起，靠在椅子的扶手上。

He did not seem angry. He put the tips of his fingers together and leaned on the arms of his chair.

“我的大脑讨厌停下来，”他说。“给我问题。给我工作。给我最难的密码，我就很高兴。那样我就不需要药了。但我讨厌平淡生活的无聊日子。我的大脑需要刺激。这就是我选择这份工作的原因。或者说，是我创造了它。我是世界上唯一做这个的人。”

“My mind hates to stand still,” he said. “Give me problems. Give me work. Give me the most difficult secret code, and I am happy. Then I don’t need drugs. But I hate the boring days of normal life. My mind needs excitement. That is why I chose my job. Or rather, I made it. I am the only one in the world.”

“唯一的私家侦探？”我问。我挑了挑眉毛。

“The only private detective?” I asked. I lifted my eyebrows.