My health forbade me from venturing out unless the weather was exceptionally genial,
除非是天气特别晴和，我的健康情况又不允许我到外面去；
and I had no friends who would call upon me and break the monotony of my daily existence.
同时，我又没有什么好友来访，足以打破我单调的日常生活。
Under these circumstances, I eagerly hailed the little mystery which hung around my companion,
在这种情况下，我自然就对围绕在我伙伴周围的这个小小的秘密发生了极大的兴趣，
and spent much of my time in endeavouring to unravel it.
并且把大部分时间消磨在设法揭穿这个秘密上。
He was not studying medicine. He had himself, in reply to a question, confirmed Stamford's opinion upon that point.
他并不是在研究医学。在回答我的一个问题的时候，他自己证实了斯坦弗在这一点上的说法是正确的。
Neither did he appear to have pursued any course of reading which might fit him for a degree in science
他既不象是为了获得科学学位而在研究任何学科，
or any other recognized portal which would give him an entrance into the learned world.
也不象是在采取其他任何一般的途径，使他能够进入学术界。
Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable,
然而他对某些方面研究工作的热忱却是惊人的；
and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me.
在一些稀奇古怪的知识领域以内，他的学识却是异常的渊博，因此，他往往出语惊人。
Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view.
肯定地说，如果不是为了某种一定的目的，一个人决不会这样辛勤地工作，以求获得这样确切的知识的。
Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning.
因为漫无目标、无书不读的人，他们的知识很难是非常精湛的。
No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.
除非是为了某种充分的理由，否则绝不会有人愿意在许多细微末节上这样花费精力。
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge.
他的知识疲乏的一面，正如他的知识丰富的一面同样地惊人。
Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing.
关于现代文学、哲学和政治方面，他几乎一无所知。
Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done.
当我引用托马斯·卡莱耳的文章的时候，他傻里傻气地问我卡莱耳究竟是什么人，他干过些什么事情。
My surprise reached a climax,
最使我惊讶不止的是：
however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System.
我无意中发现他竟然对于哥白尼学说以及太阳系的构成，也全然不解。
That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that
当此十九世纪，一个有知识的人居然不知道
the earth travelled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
地球绕着太阳运行的道理，这件怪事简直令我难以理解。
“You appear to be astonished,” he said, smiling at my expression of surprise.
他看到我吃惊的样子，不觉微笑着说："你似乎感到吃惊吧。
“Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.”
即使我懂得这些，我也要尽力把它忘掉。"
“To forget it!”
"把它忘掉！"
“You see,” he explained,
他解释道："你要知道，
“I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.
我认为人的脑子本来象一间空空的小阁楼，应该有选择地把一些家具装进去。
A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across,
只有傻瓜才会把他碰到的各种各样的破烂杂碎一古脑儿装进去。
so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out,
这样一来，那些对他有用的知识反而被挤了出来；
or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it.
或者，最多不过是和许多其他的东西掺杂在一起。因此，在取用的时候也就感到困难了。
Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.
所以一个会工作的人，在他选择要把一些东西装进他的那间小阁楼似的头脑中去的时候，
He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work,
他确实是非常仔细小心的。除了工作中有用的工具以外，
but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.
他什么也不带进去，而这些工具又样样具备，有条有理。
It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.
如果认为这间小阁楼的墙壁富有弹性，可以任意伸缩，那就错了。
Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.
请相信我的话，总有一天，当你增加新知识的时候，你就会把以前所熟习的东西忘了。
It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
所以最要紧的是，不要让一些无用的知识把有用的挤出去。"
“But the Solar System!” I protested.
我分辩说："可是，那是太阳系的问题啊！"
“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently: “you say that we go round the sun.
他不耐烦地打断我的话说："这与我又有什么相干？你说咱们是绕着太阳走的，
If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”
可是，即使咱们绕着月亮走，这对于我或者对于我的工作又有什么关系呢？"
