福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part8

"You have no reason to think it was criminal?"
"On the contrary, I never met a straighter man in my life."
"Was there anything curious about his life in California?"
"He liked best to stay and to work at our claim in the mountains. He would never go where other men were if he could help it. That's why I first thought that someone was after him. Then when he left so suddenly for Europe I made sure that it was so. I believe that he had a warning of some sort. Within a week of his leaving half a dozen men were inquiring for him."
"What sort of men?"
"Well, they were a mighty hard-looking crowd. They came up to the claim and wanted to know where he was. I told them that he was gone to Europe and that I did not know where to find him. They meant him no good--it was easy to see that."
"Were these men Americans--Californians?"
"Well, I don't know about Californians. They were Americans, all right. But they were not miners. I don't know what they were, and was very glad to see their backs."
"That was six years ago?"
"Nearer seven."
"And then you were together five years in California, so that this business dates back not less than eleven years at the least?"
"That is so."
"It must be a very serious feud that would be kept up with such earnestness for as long as that. It would be no light thing that would give rise to it."
"I think it shadowed his whole life. It was never quite out of his mind."
"But if a man had a danger hanging over him, and knew what it was, don't you think he would turn to the police for protection?"
"Maybe it was some danger that he could not be protected against. There's one thing you should know. He always went about armed. His revolver was never out of his pocket. But, by bad luck, he was in his dressing gown and had left it in the bedroom last night. Once the bridge was up, I guess he thought he was safe."
"I should like these dates a little clearer," said MacDonald. "It is quite six years since Douglas left California. You followed him next year, did you not?"
"That is so."
"And he had been married five years. You must have returned about the time of his marriage."
"About a month before. I was his best man."
"Did you know Mrs. Douglas before her marriage?"
"No, I did not. I had been away from England for ten years."
"But you have seen a good deal of her since."
Barker looked sternly at the detective.

“你可认为他做过犯罪的事么？”
“恰恰相反，在我一生里，从来没遇到过象他这样正直的人。”
“他在加利福尼亚州时，生活上有什么古怪的地方吗？”
“他最喜欢到山里来，来我们的矿区工作。他总是尽可能不到生人多的地方去。所以我才首先想到有人在追踪他。后来，当他那么突然地离开那里到欧洲去，我愈发相信是这么回事了。我相信他曾经接到某种警告。在他走后的一星期里，曾有五六个人向我打听过他的行踪。”
“是些什么人呢？”
“嗯，是一群看来非常冷酷无情的人。他们来到矿区，打听道格拉斯在什么地方。我告诉他们说，他已经到欧洲去了，我也不知道他住在什么地方。不难看出，他们对他不怀好意。”
“这些人是美国人，也是加利福尼亚人吧？”
“这个，对于加利福尼亚人，我不太了解。但他们确实都是美国人，不过他们不是矿工。我不知道他们是些什么人，只巴不得他们快点走开。”
“那是六年以前的事吧？”
“将近七年了。”
“这么说，你们在加利福尼亚一起住了五年，所以，这桩事不是至少有十一年了么？”
“是这样。”
“其中一定有不共戴天的冤仇，隔了这么长的时间，还不能忘怀。形成冤仇的原因看来决不是小事。”
“我以为这就是道格拉斯一生中的隐患，使他永远难以忘怀。”
“不过，一个人大难临头，而且知道是怎样的危难，你想，他哪有不求警察保护的道理呢？”
“也许这种危险是别人无法保护他的。有一件事你们应当知道。他出门总是带着武器的。他的手枪从来不离开他的衣袋。但是，不幸的是，昨晚他只穿着睡衣，把手枪留在卧室里了。我猜想，他一定以为吊桥一拉起来，他就安全了。”
麦克唐纳说道：“我希望再把年代弄清楚些。道格拉斯离开加利福尼亚州整六年了。你不是在第二年就随之而来了吗？”
“是的。”
“他再婚已经有五年了。你一定是在他结婚前后那年回来的吧。”
“大约在他结婚前一个月。我还是他的男傧相呢。”
“道格拉斯夫人结婚以前，你认识她吗？”
“不，我不认识她。我离开英国已经有十年了。”
“可是从那以后，你常常和她见面吧？”
巴克严肃地望着那个侦探。