《福尔摩斯探案集·铜山毛榉案》第26节
“I looked through and was conscious of two glowing eyes, and of a vague figure huddled up in the darkness. “‘Don’t be frightened,’ said my employer, laughing at the start which I had given. ‘It’s only Carlo, my mastiff. I call him mine, but really old Toller, my groom, is the only man who can do anything with him. We feed him once a day, and not too much then, so that he is always as keen as mustard. Toller lets him loose every night, and God help the trespasser whom he lays his fangs upon. For goodness’ sake don’t you ever on any pretext set your foot over the threshold at night, for it’s as much as your life is worth.’ “The warning was no idle one, for two nights later I happened to look out of my bedroom window about two o’clock in the morning. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and the lawn in front of the house was silvered over and almost as bright as day. I was standing, rapt in the peaceful beauty of the scene, when I was aware that something was moving under the shadow of the copper beeches. As it emerged into the moonshine I saw what it was. It was a giant dog, as large as a calf, tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzle, and huge projecting bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow upon the other side. That dreadful sentinel sent a chill to my heart which I do not think that any burglar could have done.
注释摘要
这一节是维奥莱特·亨特向福尔摩斯和华生讲述她到达铜山毛榉宅之后的一件怪事：被雇主带去看一只被锁着的巨型獒犬。 字面上，亨特小姐描述了鲁卡斯尔先生领她到厨房门旁一间小外屋前，从木板缝隙中窥视，她先看到黑暗中两只发光的眼睛和一个蜷缩的模糊身影。鲁卡斯尔笑着告诉她，这是他的獒犬卡洛，但真正能控制它的只有老马夫托勒。他毫不掩饰地说明了喂养策略：每天只喂一次，还不多…