At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned.
三点钟整，我到了贝克街，福尔摩斯尚未回来。
The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning.
据女房东说，他是在早晨刚过八点的时候出去的。
I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be.
尽管如此，我在壁炉旁坐下，打算不管他去多久都要等待，
I was already deeply interested in his inquiry, for,
因为我已经对他的调查深感兴趣。
though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded,
虽然这案子缺乏我记录过的那两件罪案所具有的那种残忍和不可思议的特征，
still, the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own.
可是，这案子的性质及其委托人的高贵地位，却使它具有其本身应有的特色。
Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my friend had on hand,
的确，除了我的朋友正在进行调查的案子的性质外，
there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning,
他那种巧妙地掌握情况和敏锐而又透彻地推理的工作方式，
which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work,
让我从中得到很大乐趣
and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries.
以及那种解决最难解决的奥秘的迅速而精细的方法，很值得我去研究和学习。
So accustomed was I to his invariable success that the very possibility of his failing had ceased to enter into my head.
他一贯取胜，这在我已是司空见惯。所以，在我的脑海里从未产生过他也有可能失败的想法。
It was close upon four before the door opened, and a drunken-looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered,
四点钟左右，屋门开了，走进来一个醉醺醺的马夫。他样子邋邋遢遢，留着络腮胡须，
with an inflamed face and disreputable clothes, walked into the room.
面红耳赤，衣衫破烂不堪。
Accustomed as I was to my friend's amazing powers in the use of disguises,
尽管我对我朋友的化装术的惊人技巧已经习以为常了，
I had to look three times before I was certain that it was indeed he.
我还是要再三审视才敢肯定真的是他。
With a nod he vanished into the bedroom, whence he emerged in five minutes tweed-suited and respectable, as of old.
他向我点头招呼一下就进了卧室。不消五分钟，他就和往常一样身穿花呢衣服，风度高雅地出现在我面前。
