《福尔摩斯探案集·红发会》第5节
Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. “Well, I never!” said he. “I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see that there was nothing in it after all.” “I begin to think, Watson,” said Holmes, “that I make a mistake in explaining. ‘Omne ignotum pro magnifico,’ you know, and my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?” “Yes, I have got it now,” he answered with his thick red finger planted halfway down the column. “Here it is. This is what began it all. You just read it for yourself, sir.” I took the paper from him and read as follows: “TO THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE: On account of the bequest of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., there is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of £ 4 a week for purely nominal services. All red-headed men who are sound in body and mind and above the age of twenty-one years, are eligible. Apply in person on Monday, at eleven o’clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope’s Court, Fleet Street.”
注释摘要
杰贝兹·威尔逊先生听完福尔摩斯那一番漂亮的推理，没有像一般读者那样显出五体投地的神情，反而如释重负地大笑起来。他的反应很值得玩味——起先以为对方施了什么神通，一等对方把底牌掀开，他便立刻得出结论：这不过如此。这种心理并不罕见：神秘感一旦被拆解，便从云端跌进尘土里，而多数人并不会因为理解了来龙去脉而更钦佩那份洞察力，只会觉得事情本来就很简单。福尔摩斯对华生说…