《福尔摩斯探案集·波希米亚丑闻》第12节
“But you can understand,” said our strange visitor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, “you can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consulting you.” “Then, pray consult,” said Holmes, shutting his eyes once more. “The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during a lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you.” “Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor,” murmured Holmes without opening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information. In this case I found her biography sandwiched in between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a staff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-sea fishes. “Let me see!” said Holmes. “Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 1858. Contralto—hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsaw—yes! Retired from operatic stage—ha! Living in London—quite so! Your Majesty, as I understand, became entangled with this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, and is now desirous of getting those letters back.”
注释摘要
来访者以手覆额的动作本身就是一个值得留意的细节。他那句“我不惯于亲自处理此类事务”道出了王权的一种尴尬：君主习惯的是派遣臣仆去执行自己的意志，却在情书与照片这种私密的事情上发现自己无人可派，因为每一个代理人都可能反手握住他的命脉。这短短两句话，实则勾画了这桩案件的根本张力——权力在此处失灵了，国王不得不以“隐姓埋名者”的身份，亲自走进一个平民侦探的客厅。 …