福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第2章Part2
"This professor that I've heard you.mention?"
"Exactly!"
Inspector MacDonald smiled, and his eyelid quivered as he glanced towards me. "I won't conceal from you, Mr. Holmes, that we think in the C.I.D. that you have a wee bit of a bee in your bonnet over this professor. I made some inquiries myself about the matter. He seems to be a very respectable, learned, and talented sort of man."
"I'm glad you've got so far as to recognize the talent."
"Man, you can't but recognize it! After I heard your view I made it my business to see him. I had a chat with him on eclipses. How the talk got that way I canna think; but he had out a reflector lantern and a globe, and made it all clear in a minute. He lent me a book; but I don't mind saying that it was a bit above my head, though I had a good Aberdeen upbringing. He'd have made a grand meenister with his thin face and gray hair and solemn-like way of talking. When he put his hand on my shoulder as we were parting, it was like a father's blessing before you go out into the cold, cruel world."
Holmes chuckled and rubbed his hands. "Great!" he said. "Great! Tell me, Friend MacDonald, this pleasing and touching interview was, I suppose, in the professor's study?"
"That's so."
"A fine room, is it not?"
"Very fine -- very handsome indeed, Mr. Holmes."
"You sat in front of his writing desk?"
"Just so."
"Sun in your eyes and his face in the shadow?"
"Well, it was evening; but I mind that the lamp was turned on my face."
"It would be. Did you happen to observe a picture over the professor's head?"
"I don't miss much, Mr. Holmes. Maybe I learned that from you. Yes, I saw the picture--a young woman with her head on her hands, peeping at you sideways."
"That painting was by Jean Baptiste Greuze."
The inspector endeavoured to look interested.
"Jean Baptiste Greuze," Holmes continued, joining his finger tips and leaning well back in his chair, "was a French artist who flourished between the years 1750 and 1800. I allude, of course to his working career. Modern criticism has more than indorsed the high opinion formed of him by his contemporaries."
The inspector's eyes grew abstracted. "Hadn't we better--" he said.
“就是我曾經聽你提到過的那位教授嗎？”
“一點也不錯！”
警官麥克唐納微微一笑，他向我瞥了一眼，眼皮連連眨動着：“不瞞你說，福爾摩斯先生，我們民間犯罪調查部都認爲你對這位教授有一點兒偏見。關於這件事，我曾經親自去調查過。他很象是一個非常可敬的、有學問的、有才能的人啊！”
“我很高興你們竟賞識起這位天才來了。”
“老兄，人們不能不佩服他啊！在我聽到你的看法以後，我就決心去看看他。我和他就日蝕的問題閒談了一陣。我想不起來怎麼會談到這上面去的，不過他那時拿出一個反光燈和一個地球儀來，一下子就把原理說得明明白白了。他借給了我一本書，不過不怕你笑話，儘管我在阿伯丁受過很好的教育，我還是有些看不懂。他面容瘦削，頭髮灰白，說話時神態嚴肅，完全可以當一個極好的牧師呢。在我們分手的時候，他把手放在我肩上，就象父親在你走上冷酷兇殘的社會之前爲你祝福似的。”
福爾摩斯格格地笑着，一邊搓着手，一邊說道：“好極了！好極了！麥克唐納，我的朋友，請你告訴我，這次興致盎然、感人肺腑的會見，我想大概是在教授的書房裏進行的吧。”
“是這樣。”
“一個很精緻的房間，不是嗎？”
“非常精緻——實在非常華麗，福爾摩斯先生。”
“你是坐在他寫字檯對面嗎？”
“正是這樣。”
“太陽照着你的眼睛，而他的臉則在暗處，對嗎？”
“嗯，那是在晚上；可是我記得當時燈光照在我的臉上。”
“這是當然的了。你可曾注意到教授座位上方牆上掛着一張畫嗎？”
“我不會漏過什麼的，福爾摩斯先生。也許這是我從你那裏學來的本領。不錯，我看見那張畫了——是一個年輕的女子，兩手託着頭，斜睨着人。”
“那是讓·巴普蒂斯特·格羅茲的油畫。”
警官盡力顯得很感興趣。
“讓·巴普蒂斯特·格羅茲，"福爾摩斯兩手指尖抵着指尖，仰靠在椅背上，繼續說道，“他是一位法國畫家，在一七五○年到一八○○年之間是顯赫一時的。當然，我是指他繪畫生涯說的。和格羅茲同時代的人對他評價很高，現時的評價，比那時還要高。”
警官雙眼顯出茫然不解的樣子，說道：“我們最好還是……”
