《福尔摩斯探案集·斑点带子案》第27节
“It goes to the housekeeper’s room.” “It looks newer than the other things?” “Yes, it was only put there a couple of years ago.” “Your sister asked for it, I suppose?” “No, I never heard of her using it. We used always to get what we wanted for ourselves.” “Indeed, it seemed unnecessary to put so nice a bell-pull there. You will excuse me for a few minutes while I satisfy myself as to this floor.” He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his hand and crawled swiftly backward and forward, examining minutely the cracks between the boards. Then he did the same with the wood-work with which the chamber was panelled. Finally he walked over to the bed and spent some time in staring at it and in running his eye up and down the wall. Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a brisk tug. “Why, it’s a dummy,” said he. “Won’t it ring?” “No, it is not even attached to a wire. This is very interesting. You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little opening for the ventilator is.” “How very absurd! I never noticed that before.”
注释摘要
这一节发生在斯托克莫兰老宅的卧室里，字面上的推进十分紧凑。福尔摩斯问海伦·斯托纳，床边那根粗大的铃绳通向哪里，海伦答是管家的房间。他立刻注意到这根绳子比其他陈设新，海伦也承认它不过装上一两年，而且已故的姐姐从未用过，因为姐妹俩平日习惯亲力亲为，并不差遣仆人。福尔摩斯说了一句看似牢骚的话：放一根做工如此考究的铃拉在这里，实在多此一举。随后他请海伦原地稍候，自…