《福尔摩斯探案集·斑点带子案》第2节
It was early in April in the year ’83 that I woke one morning to find Sherlock Holmes standing, fully dressed, by the side of my bed. He was a late riser, as a rule, and as the clock on the mantelpiece showed me that it was only a quarter-past seven, I blinked up at him in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for I was myself regular in my habits. “Very sorry to knock you up, Watson,” said he, “but it’s the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me, and I on you.” “What is it, then—a fire?” “No; a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and knock sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing which they have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting case, you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from the outset. I thought, at any rate, that I should call you and give you the chance.”
注释摘要
这一节开篇是一场被提前打断的睡眠，也是一桩案子真正迈入叙述者视野的第一脚。华生把时间点钉得很明确：一八八三年四月初，早晨七点一刻。这个精确到分钟的钟点，本身就是一个信号，意味着某种日常秩序被打破了。福尔摩斯平时起床很晚，此刻却衣着整齐地站在床边，两者之间的反差一下子就把异常推到了读者眼前。华生自己的感受也写得老实：惊讶之中夹着一点点被冒犯的情绪，因为他自认…