SAT閱讀文章（文學作品）第10篇

阿瑟·伊格納修斯·柯南·道爾爵士（Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle，1859年5月22日—1930年7月7日）英國作家，醫生。因塑造了成功的偵探人物──福爾摩斯，而成為偵探小說歷史上最重要的作家之一。除此之外他還曾寫過多部其他類型的小說，如科幻、歷史小說、愛情小說、戲劇、詩歌等。他也是一名共濟會成員。

《The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes》《福爾摩斯冒險史》，此乃福爾摩斯系列的首本短篇小說集，最初於1891年7月至1892年6月間於斯特蘭德雜誌上連載，其後於1892年由出版商喬治·紐恩斯結集成書。

This passage is adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Originally published in 1892. The narrator, Dr. Watson, works closely with detective Sherlock Holmes.

The portly client puffed out his chest with an appearance of some little pride and pulled a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from the inside pocket of his greatcoat. As he glanced down the advertisement column, with his head thrust forward and the paper flattened out upon his knee, I took a good look at the man and endeavoured, after the fashion of my companion, to read the indications which might be presented by his dress or appearance.

I did not gain very much, however, by my inspection. Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He wore rather baggy grey shepherd』s check trousers, a not over-clean black frock-coat, unbuttoned in the front, and a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain, and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament. A frayed top-hat and a faded brown overcoat with a wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair beside him. Altogether, look as I would, there was nothing remarkable about the man save his blazing red head, and the expression of extreme chagrin and discontent upon his features.

Sherlock Holmes』 quick eye took in my occupation, and he shook his head with a smile as he noticed my questioning glances. 「Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.」

Mr. Jabez Wilson started up in his chair, with his forefinger upon the paper, but his eyes upon my companion.

「How, in the name of good-fortune, did you know all that, Mr. Holmes?」 he asked. 「How did you know, for example, that I did manual labour? It』s as true as gospel, for I began as a ship』s carpenter.」

「Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size larger than your left. You have worked with it, and the muscles are more developed.」

「Well, then, and the Freemasonry?」

「I won』t insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as, rather against the strict rules of your order, you use an arc-and-compass breastpin.」

「Ah, of course, I forgot that. But the writing?」

「What else can be indicated by that right cuff so very shiny for five inches, and the left one with the smooth patch near the elbow where you rest it upon the desk?」

「Well, but China?」

「The fish that you have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could only have been done in China. I have made a small study of tattoo marks and have even contributed to the literature of the subject. That trick of staining the fishes』 scales of a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When, in addition, I see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch-chain, the matter becomes even more simple.」

Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. 「Well, I never!」 said he. 「I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see that there was nothing in it after all.」

「I begin to think, Watson,」 said Holmes, 「that I make a mistake in explaining. 『Omne ignotum pro magnifico,』* you know, and my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?」

「Yes, I have got it now,」 he answered with his thick red finger planted halfway down the column. 「Here it is. This is what began it all. You just read it for yourself, sir.」

Beginning of reading passage footnotes.

* Roughly translated as 「Everything unknown is/seems magnificent.」
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