《福尔摩斯探案集·歪唇男人》第32节
“Great heavens!” cried the inspector, “it is, indeed, the missing man. I know him from the photograph.” The prisoner turned with the reckless air of a man who abandons himself to his destiny. “Be it so,” said he. “And pray what am I charged with?” “With making away with Mr. Neville St.— Oh, come, you can’t be charged with that unless they make a case of attempted suicide of it,” said the inspector with a grin. “Well, I have been twenty-seven years in the force, but this really takes the cake.” “If I am Mr. Neville St. Clair, then it is obvious that no crime has been committed, and that, therefore, I am illegally detained.” “No crime, but a very great error has been committed,” said Holmes. “You would have done better to have trusted your wife.” “It was not the wife; it was the children,” groaned the prisoner. “God help me, I would not have them ashamed of their father. My God! What an exposure! What can I do?” Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch and patted him kindly on the shoulder. “If you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up,” said he, “of course you can hardly avoid publicity. On the other hand, if you convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against you, I do not know that there is any reason that the details should find their way into the papers. Inspector Bradstreet would, I am sure, make notes upon anything which you might tell us and submit it to the proper authorities. The case would then never go into court at all.”
注释摘要
这一节是全书最具戏剧性的翻转之一，也是身份主题的集中爆发。我们先讲清楚字面上发生了什么：福尔摩斯用一块浸湿的海绵擦掉了囚犯脸上的污垢，结果那张丑陋的、布满疤痕的乞丐面孔竟然整片脱落下来——那不是真皮肤，而是化妆。躺在牢房床上的人，正是失踪多日的乡绅内维尔·圣克莱尔。探长布雷兹特里特惊得脱口而出，认出了他。囚犯起初以一种听天由命的姿态反问自己犯了什么罪，探长…