《福尔摩斯探案集·斑点带子案》第33节
“But what harm can there be in that?” “Well, there is at least a curious coincidence of dates. A ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady who sleeps in the bed dies. Does not that strike you?” “I cannot as yet see any connection.” “Did you observe anything very peculiar about that bed?” “No.” “It was clamped to the floor. Did you ever see a bed fastened like that before?” “I cannot say that I have.” “The lady could not move her bed. It must always be in the same relative position to the ventilator and to the rope—or so we may call it, since it was clearly never meant for a bell-pull.” “Holmes,” I cried, “I seem to see dimly what you are hinting at. We are only just in time to prevent some subtle and horrible crime.” “Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge. Palmer and Pritchard were among the heads of their profession. This man strikes even deeper, but I think, Watson, that we shall be able to strike deeper still. But we shall have horrors enough before the night is over; for goodness’ sake let us have a quiet pipe and turn our minds for a few hours to something more cheerful.”
注释摘要
这一段发生在斯托克莫兰庄园勘查之后，福尔摩斯与华生回到皇冠旅馆，在渐浓的夜色中坐在房间里交谈。华生仍然陷在困惑里：他看见了通风口，但不明白两个房间之间的一个狭小开口能有什么害处。福尔摩斯没有直接回答，而是给了他一个“日期的巧合”：通风口被凿出，一根拉绳被挂上，睡在那张床上的小姐便死了。这个并列是典型的溯因——他并不是在证明因果关系，而是在指出，几个平面看无…