《福尔摩斯探案集·歪唇男人》第35节
“Well, very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums of money. I do not mean that any beggar in the streets of London could earn £ 700 a year—which is less than my average takings—but I had exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also in a facility of repartee, which improved by practice and made me quite a recognised character in the City. All day a stream of pennies, varied by silver, poured in upon me, and it was a very bad day in which I failed to take £ 2. “As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation. My dear wife knew that I had business in the City. She little knew what.
注释摘要
这一段是内维尔·圣克莱尔本人在牢房中的自白，也是整桩谜案的点睛之笔。他正在向福尔摩斯、华生和警长解释自己如何从一个为写报道而体验乞讨的记者，滑入一种利润丰厚得难以置信的双重生活。他先给出一个具体数字：一年收入可超过七百英镑，且这还是他“平均收入之下的数目”。这句话在当时的分量，需要放在维多利亚时代的经济坐标系里才能掂量清楚。一个中产阶级家庭的年收入大约在三…