The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 4
「说得明确一些，」我说道。
"Be a little more explicit," I said.
「嗯，我可以大胆地说，这份文件在某个特定的圈子里赋予持有者相当大的权力，而这种权力在那里极为珍贵。」总督惯用外交辞令。
"Well, I may venture so far as to say that the paper gives its holder a certain power in a certain quarter where such power is immensely valuable." The Prefect was fond of the cant of diplomacy.
「我仍然不太明白，」杜宾说道。
"Still I do not quite understand," said Dupin.
「不明白？好吧；若将此文件披露给某位不便透露姓名的第三者，将会使一位身居显赫地位的人物的名誉受到质疑；正因如此，文件的持有者便对这位名誉与安宁岌岌可危的显赫人物握有了支配权。」
"No? Well; the disclosure of the document to a third person, who shall be nameless, would bring in question the honor of a personage of most exalted station; and this fact gives the holder of the document an ascendancy over the illustrious personage whose honor and peace are so jeopardized."
「但是这种支配权，」我插嘴道，「将取决于窃贼是否知道失主知道窃贼的身份。谁敢——」
"But this ascendancy," I interposed, "would depend upon the robber's knowledge of the loser's knowledge of the robber. Who would dare—"
「窃贼，」G先生说道，「是D——部长，此人无所不敢，不论是否有损体面的事他都做得出来。行窃的手法既大胆又不失机巧。涉案的文件——坦率地说，是一封信——是那位遭窃的人物独处于皇家内室时收到的。正当她阅读之际，突然被另一位显赫人物的到来所打断，而她偏偏最不希望让此人知晓这封信。她慌忙试图将信塞入抽屉，却未能成功，不得不将它原封不动、敞开地放在桌上。然而信封朝上，内容并未暴露，那封信因此未被注意到。就在此时，D——部长走了进来。」
"The thief," said G., "is the Minister D——, who dares all things, those unbecoming as well as those becoming a man. The method of the theft was not less ingenious than bold. The document in question—a letter, to be frank—had been received by the personage robbed while alone in the royal boudoir. During its perusal she was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the other exalted personage from whom especially it was her wish to conceal it. After a hurried and vain endeavor to thrust it in a drawer, she was forced to place it, open as it was, upon a table. The address, however, was uppermost, and, the contents thus unexposed, the letter escaped notice. At this juncture enters the Minister D——.
Vocabulary
- explicit
- 明确的，清楚表达不含糊的
- venture
- 冒险尝试，大胆说出某事
- holder
- 持有者，拥有某物的人
- quarter
- 某方面，某地方或某圈子
- immensely
- 极其，非常，程度极大地
- valuable
- 有价值的，珍贵的
- Prefect
- 长官，警察局长或地方行政长官
- fond
- 喜欢，爱好某事物的
- cant
- 空话，陈腐虚伪的说辞
- diplomacy
- 外交手腕，圆滑处事的技巧
- disclosure
- 披露，公开秘密或隐藏信息
- document
- 文件，书面记录
- nameless
- 不具名的，匿名的
- honor
- 荣誉，名誉
- personage
- 要人，身份显赫的重要人物
- exalted
- 崇高的，地位极高的
- station
- 地位，身份，职位
- ascendancy
- 支配力，控制优势，影响力
- illustrious
- 显赫的，著名而杰出的
- jeopardized
- 使陷入危险，危及
- interposed
- 插话，中途打断说话
- depend
- 取决于，依赖
- robber
- 强盗，抢劫者
- loser
- 失去者，失败者，遭受损失的人
- dare
- 敢于，胆敢
- thief
- 小偷，盗贼
- Minister
- 大臣，部长，政府官员
- unbecoming
- 不得体的，不适合的
- becoming
- 得体的，适合的
- method
- 方法，手段
- theft
- 盗窃，偷盗行为
- ingenious
- 巧妙的，机智的
- bold
- 大胆的，勇敢无畏的
- frank
- 坦率的；此处指邮资已付的信件
- robbed
- 被抢劫的，遭受盗窃的人
- royal
- 皇家的，王室的
- boudoir
- 贵妇私室，女性的私人起居室
- perusal
- 仔细阅读，认真研读
- interrupted
- 打扰，中断
- entrance
- 进入，入口；此处指某人进入
- especially
- 尤其，特别地
- conceal
- 隐藏，隐瞒，不让人知晓
- hurried
- 匆忙的，急促的
- vain
- 徒劳的，无用的，白费力气的
- endeavor
- 努力，尽力尝试
- thrust
- 猛推，硬塞入
- drawer
- 抽屉
- address
- 地址；此处指信封上的收件人
- uppermost
- 最上面的，朝上
- contents
- 内容，里面的东西
- thus
- 因此，这样
- unexposed
- 未被暴露的，未被看到的
- escaped
- 逃过，避开
- notice
- 注意，察觉
- juncture
- 关键时刻，紧要关头
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