【薄荷阅读】福尔摩斯探案 chapter15

【前情回顾】:

Holmes最终成功验证自己的猜想,原来药盒里只有一片药有剧毒。两位探员希望Holmes能明确给出凶手的姓名,但Holmes却在这关键时刻卖起了关子。然而,一名马车夫的到来让事情出现重大转机。原来凶手居然就是这位不起眼的马车夫!

【今日翻译】:

A man named John Ferrier and his daughter, Lucy Ferrier, were making a long journey across the Sierra Nevada desert in the United States.
They found themselves without water or food and about to die.
Before the creatures of the desert could get to them, a traveling group of Mormons found them, led by their famous leader, Brigham Young.
The Mormons agreed to rescue them, but only if they also agreed to become Mormons.
一个叫John Ferrie的男人,带着他的女儿Lucy Ferrier,在美国(the United States)内华达(Sierra Nevada)沙漠里艰难的行走着。
他们周边没有水,没有食物,频临死神的到来。
在他们被沙漠中的怪兽叼走之前,一群Mormons(摩门)教徒发现了他们。领头人Brigham Young同意救他们,但前提是他们也要成为Mormons教徒。

After leading them to safety, the Mormons told them, “You shall remain here. In a few days you will have recovered from your exhaustions(疲惫).
Remember that now and forever you are of our religion. Brigham Young has said it, and he speaks with the voice of God.”
在将这对父女带至安全地带后,Mormons教徒对父女说,“你就留在这里。几天后你的身体就能恢复健康。记住,你将永远要对Mormons保持忠诚。Brigham Young (领头人)用他天父般的声音说的。”

Finally they arrived in Utah, which Young told them was the Promised Land.
Young proved himself to be an expert manager as well as a firm chief.
In the country there was draining(开沟浚壑), planting and clearing, until the next summer saw the whole country golden with the wheat crop.
Everything thrived(繁荣) in the strange settlement.
Ferrier, having recovered from his hardships, distinguished(使出众) himself as a useful guide and a hunter, and was given a good farm.
He built himself a house in which Lucy grew up, and helped her father in all his activities.
最后,他们抵达了Utah(犹他)州,一个被那年轻人说是神赐之地的存在。
那年轻人很快通过成为专家和公司总裁而证明了这个语言。
于是,在这个地方,开沟浚壑,种植清理,直到第二年的夏天,这里被黄灿灿的麦子覆盖为一篇金色。
在这个奇怪的地方,所有事情都是欣欣向荣。
Ferrier,那位父亲,从旅途的疲惫中恢复了健康,也因为自己的能力出众,成为一个向导,更是一名猎人。并且被赋予了一片上好的农场。
他建了一栋房子,和女儿Lucy居住其中,女儿也经常帮她父亲做一些力所能及的事情。

So the bud(花蕾) bloomed(绽放) into a flower: it was not the father, however, who first learned that the child had developed into the woman.
One morning she was riding her horse along a road when she ran into a herd(群) of cattle, of which one suddenly turned and attacked her.
She would have fallen and been killed, if a stranger had not caught her wildly-moving horse and led it calmly away.
女儿就像一朵正在绽放的鲜花。这已经不是父亲第一次意识到,女儿即将长大成为女人了。
(女儿越来越美,唇红齿白,皓腕凝眸,肤若初雪,腮若嫣桃。身姿娇俏诱人,声音婉转动听,让父亲时不时的迷恋,凝视……等等,有什么东西乱入了)
一天早上,姑娘正在英姿飒爽的骑着她的马在路上溜达着,却不小心闯入了牛群中,激怒了一头牛,攻击她。
如果不是有位陌生男子抓住了她那激烈挣扎的马,还让马儿安静了下来,她一定会坠马而亡。

“You’re not hurt, I hope, miss,” said her savior(救星).
She looked up at his dark, fierce face, and laughed.
“I’m frightened(受惊了),” she said, “whoever would have thought that my horse would have been so scared(惊吓) by a lot of cows?”
“Thank God you kept your seat,” the other said earnestly.
“小姐,但愿您没有受伤。”她的救星说。
她抬头望向那黝黑却棱角分明的脸庞,笑了,“我有点被吓到了。谁知道我的马会被一群牛吓成这样?”
“谢天谢地,你抱紧了马鞍。”救星说的非常认真。

He was a tall, savage(粗犷的)-looking young fellow, seated on a powerful brown horse, and clothed in the rough dress of a hunter, with a long rifle(步枪) over his shoulders.
“I guess you are the daughter of John Ferrier,” he remarked, “I saw you ride down from his house.
When you see him, ask him if he remembers the Jefferson Hopes of St. Louis.
If he’s the same Ferrier, my father and he were pretty friendly.”
他很高,面貌粗野年轻,坐在一匹棕色健壮的大马上,穿着粗布的猎人装,肩上背着一把长步枪。
“我想你应该是John Ferrier的女儿,我看你从庄园那边骑来的。你见到他的时候,麻烦问下他是否还记得圣路易街区的Jefferson Hope一家人。如果他是那位Ferrier先生的话,我父亲曾经和他还是好朋友的。”

“Hadn’t you better come and ask yourself?” she asked.
The young fellow seemed pleased at the suggestion. “I’ll do that,” he said.
“He has a good deal to thank you for, and so have I,” she answered.
“You must come and see us. I must leave now—Good-bye!”
“Good-bye,” he answered, raising his hat, and bending over her little hand.
“您自己来问他不是更好?”姑娘说。
年轻小伙子看起来很高兴这个建议,“好的我会去的。”
“他会很高兴你能来,我也是。”她回到,“你一定要来哦!我现在得走了,再见!”
“再见。”他举了举帽子,低头吻了一下她的小手。

【薄荷阅读】福尔摩斯探案 chapter15_第1张图片

He called on John Ferrier that night, and many times again, until his face was a familiar one at the farm-house.
He soon became a favorite with the old farmer.
Lucy’s red-faced cheeks and her bright, happy eyes showed clearly that she was in love.
Her father may not have noticed, but her visitor certainly did.
Jefferson Hope had to leave for two months on urgent(紧急的) business.
He asked Lucy to wait for him, which she agreed to do, and promised to marry her on his return.
当天晚上,他就去拜访了 John Ferrier 。随后,他又去拜访了多次,渐渐地他们都熟识起来。
很快,他就获得了老农的欢心。
Lucy那绯红的面颊,明亮闪光的眼眸,都宣告着她已经坠入爱河。
她父亲或许还没有观察到,但是上门拜访的人一眼就看了出来。
Jefferson Hope因为一件紧急事情,需要出去两个多月。
他跟Lucy讲一定等他回来。Lucy答应了,并且承诺,当他回来的时候,她就嫁给他。

Then she walked back into the house, the happiest girl in all Utah.
One fine morning, John Ferrier was about to set out to his wheat fields, when he heard the click of the latch(门闩) on his gate, and, looking through the window, saw a middle-aged man coming up the path.
His heart jumped to his mouth, for this was none other than the great Brigham Young himself.
然后这个全Utah最开心的姑娘进了屋子。
一个晴朗的早晨,John Ferrier 刚要去打理他的麦田,就听到了大门的敲门声,并且,从窗户能看到,外面路上站着一位中年男人。
他的心差点跳出了嘴,因为这不是别人,是那位领头人,Brigham Young 。

“Brother Ferrier,” Young said, taking a seat, and eyeing the farmer, “the true believers have been good friends to you.
We picked you up when you were starving(挨饿) in the desert; we shared our food with you, led you safe to the Chosen Valley, gave you a good share of land, and allowed you to become rich under our protection. Is not this so?”
“It is so,” answered John Ferrier.
“Good then, it is of your daughter that I would speak to you,” said the leader of the Mormons.
“There are rumors(传言) that she is to marry a non-Mormon.
But you know the law: ‘Let every girl of the true faith marry one of the chosen; for if she marries a Gentile, she commits a serious sin(罪孽).’ ”
“ Ferrier兄弟,”那位Young找了个座位,看着老农说道,“真正的信徒们对你们还不错吧?我们在你们快要饿死在沙漠的时候带你们走了出来;我们给你们分享了自己的食物,让你们能够安全到达这个山谷,给了你一块上好的地,并且在我们的保护下,让你变得如此富有。是不是这样?”
“是的。”John Ferrier答到。
“那好,我要与你说的是你女儿的事情。”那位领头人这么说,“有传言说她要嫁给一位不是Mormon教徒的人。但是你应该知道有这么一条律法: 每一位教徒的女儿,都应嫁给被选者中的一位;如果她嫁给了外邦人,那是一场严重的罪孽。”

【薄荷阅读】福尔摩斯探案 chapter15_第2张图片

John Ferrier made no answer, but he played nervously with his riding-whip(马鞭).
“We will give your daughter a choice.
Stangerson has a son, and Drebber has a son, and either of them would gladly welcome your daughter to their house.
Let her choose between them.
They are young and rich, and of the true faith. What do you say to that?”
Ferrier remained silent for some little time.
John Ferrier 没说话,不安的摆弄着马鞭。
“我们会给你女儿一个选择的机会。Stangerson有个儿子,Drebber也有一位儿子,他们无论哪一个,都很欢迎你的女儿嫁过去。让你女儿从他们之中选择一个。他们都年轻富有,并且是忠实的Mormon教徒。你怎么说?”
Ferrier又是几分钟没有讲话。

“You will give us time,” he said at last.
“My daughter is very young —she is not old enough to marry.”
“She will have a month to choose,” said Young, rising from his seat.
“At the end of that time she should give her answer.”
Some hours after Young had left, Ferrier was still sitting with his elbows(手肘) upon his knees, considering how he should explain the matter to his daughter, when a soft hand was laid upon his, and looking up, he saw her standing beside him.
One glance at her pale, frightened(受惊吓的) face showed him that she had heard what had happened.
“请你给我们一点时间。”最后他还是开口了,“我女儿还很年轻,她还不带嫁人的时候。”
“她有一个月的时间做出选择,”领头人从椅子上站了起来,“时间截止的时候,她要给出她的答案。”
领头人走了之后的几个小时,Ferrier一直维持着手肘撑着膝盖的姿势,思考着他该怎么跟女儿解释这件事情,知道他感到一只柔软的小手放到他的肩膀上的时候,他发现女儿就站在他旁边。
看到她那苍白惊吓的小脸,他就知道,他家姑娘听到了所有事情。

“There are some travelers starting for Nevada tomorrow, and I’ll ask them to carry a message to Jefferson Hope telling him the trouble we’re in.
Knowing him, he’ll be back sooner than anyone might expect.
In the meantime(同时), we have a clear month before us,” said the father, “and at the end of that, I guess we had better leave Utah.”
“Leave Utah!”
“That’s about the size of it(大概是这样吧).”
“But the farm?”
“明天会有一些旅行者们要出发去Nevada,我会让他们帮忙带封信给 Jefferson Hope ,告诉他我们现在的困境。
我了解他,他知道这些后肯定很快就会回来。
同时,我们还有一个月的清净时间,到时候,我想我们最好还是离开Utah。”父亲说。
“离开Utah!”
“大概是这样的吧。”
“那农场怎么办?”

“We will raise as much as we can in money, and let the rest go.
To tell the truth, Lucy, it isn’t the first time I have thought of doing it.
I don’t like to follow any man, as these folk do their prophet(先知).
I’m a free-born American, and it’s all new to me. Guess I’m too old to learn.”
“But they won’t let us leave,” his daughter cried.
“我们带上所有能带走的钱,其他的就随它去吧。说实话,Lucy,这其实不是我第一次想离开这里了。我不喜欢追随谁信仰谁,尤其是像当地那些居民那样信仰他们的先知,我不喜欢。我是一个自由主义的美国人,这里的一切我都不习惯。就假设是我实在太老,所以没法再接受新事物了吧。”
“但是他们不会让我们走的。”女儿喊道。

“Wait till Jefferson comes, and we’ll soon manage that.
In the meantime(同时), don’t you worry yourself.
There’s nothing to be afraid about, and there’s no danger at all.”
Mr. Ferrier was not nearly as confident as he tried to sound, but he sent a message to Jefferson Hope telling the young man of the danger, and how necessary it was that he should return.
Having done that he felt easier in his mind, and returned home with a lighter heart.
“等Jefferson 来,我们一起策划。同时,你不必担心。这没什么事情好担心的,并不会有什么危险。”
其实Ferrier先生并没有他说的那么自信,但他还是给Jefferson Hope写了封信,说明了领头人的恐怖危险,以及他必须得回来。
做完这些,他感觉心里稍微轻松了些许,随后略显愉悦的回了家。


over。明天一定早点来翻译。不然总是翻译到这么晚。

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