福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第53期:猶他之花(3)

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It was not the father, however, who first discovered that the child had developed into the woman. It seldom is in such cases.

但是，第一個感覺到這個女孩子已經(jīng)長大成人的并不是她的父親。這種事情很少是由作父親的首先發(fā)覺的。

That mysterious change is too subtle and too gradual to be measured by dates.

這種神秘的變化十分微妙，而且形成得非常緩慢，不能以時日來衡量。

Least of all does the maiden herself know it until the tone of a voice or the touch of a hand sets her heart thrilling within her,

對于這種變化最難覺察的還是少女本身，直到她聽到某一個人的話語，或者接觸到某人的手時，她感到心頭突突亂跳，產(chǎn)生出一種驕傲和恐懼交織起來的情感。

and she learns, with a mixture of pride and of fear, that a new and a larger nature has awakened within her.

這時，她才知道，一種新奇的、更加奔放的人的本性已經(jīng)在她的內(nèi)心深處覺醒了。

There are few who cannot recall that day and remember the one little incident which heralded the dawn of a new life.

世界上很少有人能不憶起自己當年的情景，很少有人能不回想起預(yù)示他新生命已經(jīng)到來的那件細微瑣事。

In the case of Lucy Ferrier the occasion was serious enough in itself, apart from its future influence on her destiny and that of many besides.

至于露茜·費瑞厄，姑且不論這件事對于她和其他人的未來命運所產(chǎn)生的影響如何，就其本身來說，已經(jīng)是夠嚴重的了。

It was a warm June morning, and the Latter Day Saints were as busy as the bees whose hive they have chosen for their emblem.

六月里的一個溫暖的早晨，摩門教徒們象蜂群一樣地忙碌著——他們就是以蜂巢作為他們的標志的。

In the fields and in the streets rose the same hum of human industry.

田野里，街道上，到處都有人們勞動時的嘈雜聲。

Down the dusty high roads defiled long streams of heavily laden mules, all heading to the west, for the gold fever had broken out in California, and the overland route lay through the city of the Elect.

塵土飛揚的大道上，重載的騾群，川流不息地絡(luò)繹而過，全都是朝著西方進發(fā)。這時，加利福尼亞州正涌起了采金的熱潮。橫貫大陸、通往太平洋沿岸的大道整整穿過依雷克特這座新城。

There, too, were droves of sheep and bullocks coming in from the outlying pasture lands, and trains of tired immigrants, men and horses equally weary of their interminable journey.

大道上也有從遙遠的牧區(qū)趕來的成群牛羊；也有一隊隊疲憊的移民，經(jīng)過長途跋涉之后，顯得人困馬乏。

Through all this motley assemblage, threading her way with the skill of an accomplished rider, there galloped Lucy Ferrier, her fair face flushed with the exercise and her long chestnut hair floating out behind her.

在這人畜雜沓之中，露茜·費瑞厄仗著她的騎術(shù)高明，縱馬穿行而過；漂亮的面龐由于用力而紅了起來，栗色的長發(fā)在腦后飄蕩著。

She had a commission from her father in the city, and was dashing in as she had done many a time before, with all the fearlessness of youth, thinking only of her task and how it was to be performed.

她是奉了父親之命，前往城中辦事的。她象往常一樣，憑著年輕人的膽大，不顧一切地催馬前進，心中只是盤算著她要去辦的事情。

The travel-stained adventurers gazed after her in astonishment, and even the unemotional Indians, journeying in with their peltries, relaxed their accustomed stoicism as they marvelled at the beauty of the pale-faced maiden.

那些風塵仆仆的淘金冒險家，一個個驚奇地瞧著她，就連那些運輸皮革的冷漠的印第安人，瞧見了這個美麗無比的白皙的少女，也感到十分驚愕，不禁松弛了他們一向呆板的面孔。

She had reached the outskirts of the city when she found the road blocked by a great drove of cattle, driven by a half-dozen wild-looking herdsmen from the plains.

露茜來到城郊時，她發(fā)現(xiàn)有六個面目粗野的牧人，從大草原趕來了一群牛，牛群已把道路擁塞不通。

In her impatience she endeavoured to pass this obstacle by pushing her horse into what appeared to be a gap.

她在一旁等得不耐煩，于是就朝著牛群中的空隙策馬前進，打算越過這群障礙。