《福尔摩斯探案集·蓝宝石案》第32节
“‘Whatever were you doing with that bird, Jem?’ says she. “‘Well,’ said I, ‘you said you’d give me one for Christmas, and I was feeling which was the fattest.’ “‘Oh,’ says she, ‘we’ve set yours aside for you—Jem’s bird, we call it. It’s the big white one over yonder. There’s twenty-six of them, which makes one for you, and one for us, and two dozen for the market.’ “‘Thank you, Maggie,’ says I; ‘but if it is all the same to you, I’d rather have that one I was handling just now.’ “‘The other is a good three pound heavier,’ said she, ‘and we fattened it expressly for you.’ “‘Never mind. I’ll have the other, and I’ll take it now,’ said I. “‘Oh, just as you like,’ said she, a little huffed. ‘Which is it you want, then?’ “‘That white one with the barred tail, right in the middle of the flock.’ “‘Oh, very well. Kill it and take it with you.’ “Well, I did what she said, Mr. Holmes, and I carried the bird all the way to Kilburn. I told my pal what I had done, for he was a man that it was easy to tell a thing like that to. He laughed until he choked, and we got a knife and opened the goose. My heart turned to water, for there was no sign of the stone, and I knew that some terrible mistake had occurred. I left the bird, rushed back to my sister’s, and hurried into the back yard. There was not a bird to be seen there.
注释摘要
这一段是詹姆斯·赖德对自己当晚在妹妹家的行动所做的详尽交代，而它实际上构成了整个谜题最关键的一套齿轮终于咬合的时刻。在这之前，福尔摩斯和华生已经通过帽子、广告、鹅贩子和考文特花园的争吵，一路追踪到赖德本人，却仍然不知道那颗蓝宝石究竟是怎么从伯爵夫人的梳妆盒跑到一只鹅的嗉囊里去的。现在赖德开始亲口填补那个空缺。 我们先看清他说了什么。那天晚上他妹妹发现他在院…