《福尔摩斯探案集·红发会》第32节
I placed my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case behind which I crouched. Holmes shot the slide across the front of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness—such an absolute darkness as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready to flash out at a moment’s notice. To me, with my nerves worked up to a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and subduing in the sudden gloom, and in the cold dank air of the vault. “They have but one retreat,” whispered Holmes. “That is back through the house into Saxe-Coburg Square. I hope that you have done what I asked you, Jones?” “I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front door.” “Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be silent and wait.” What a time it seemed! From comparing notes afterwards it was but an hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night must have almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us. My limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position; yet my nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light.
注释摘要
这段文字是《红发会》中最典型的一幕——不是推理的展示，而是推理转化为行动之后，漫长而紧张的等待。华生蹲在木箱后面，把已经扳开击锤的左轮手枪搁在箱顶上，这个细节本身就很说明问题：他是个军人出身，知道怎么用枪，“cocked”一词表明他做好了随时击发的准备。而福尔摩斯把提灯的铁片滑过去，将四个人瞬间抛入“我从未经历过的绝对黑暗”之中。这里有一个值得留意的感官细…