《福尔摩斯探案集·铜山毛榉案》第18节
“Let us have everything in its due order.” Holmes thrust his long thin legs out towards the fire and composed himself to listen. “In the first place, I may say that I have met, on the whole, with no actual ill-treatment from Mr. and Mrs. Rucastle. It is only fair to them to say that. But I cannot understand them, and I am not easy in my mind about them.” “What can you not understand?” “Their reasons for their conduct. But you shall have it all just as it occurred. When I came down, Mr. Rucastle met me here and drove me in his dog-cart to the Copper Beeches. It is, as he said, beautifully situated, but it is not beautiful in itself, for it is a large square block of a house, whitewashed, but all stained and streaked with damp and bad weather. There are grounds round it, woods on three sides, and on the fourth a field which slopes down to the Southampton high road, which curves past about a hundred yards from the front door. This ground in front belongs to the house, but the woods all round are part of Lord Southerton’s preserves. A clump of copper beeches immediately in front of the hall door has given its name to the place.
注释摘要
福尔摩斯要求委托人把一切按顺序道来。他伸开双腿朝向壁炉，摆出一个倾听的姿态，这个动作本身就是一种职业承诺——他将在接下来的叙述中保持专注与冷静。亨特小姐开口先说了一句：总的说来，鲁卡斯尔先生和太太并未实际虐待她，她认为应该替他们说一句公道话。可她无法理解他们，心里总觉得不踏实。这话很怪。一个年轻女子孤身去陌生人家中，先声明雇主没有苛待自己，但她的话却恰恰在…