Page 178 - 血字的研究·四签名(外研社双语读库) (福尔摩斯探案全集)

刚发生的、吸引他全部心神的事情来得重要。在他心中绽放出来的爱

情，不是少年那种忽闪忽灭、变化无常的幻想，而是一个意志坚定、
个性刚毅的男人奔放而强烈的激情。他早已习惯了做什么事情都一帆

风顺。他暗暗发誓，只要人类的努力和恒心能够使他获得成功的话，
那么，这一次他也绝不会失败。

He called on John Ferrier that night, and many times
again, until his face was a familiar one at the farm-house.
John, cooped up in the valley, and absorbed in his work, had
had little chance of learning the news of the outside world

during the last twelve years. All this Jefferson Hope was able
to tell him, and in a style which interested Lucy as well as
her father. He had been a pioneer in California, and could
narrate many a strange tale of fortunes made and fortunes

lost in those wild, halcyon days. He had been a scout too,
and a trapper, a silver explorer, and a ranchman. Wherever
stirring adventures were to be had, Jefferson Hope had been
there in search of them. He soon became a favourite with

the old farmer, who spoke eloquently of his virtues. On such
occasions, Lucy was silent, but her blushing cheek and her
bright, happy eyes, showed only too clearly that her young
heart was no longer her own. Her honest father may not

have observed these symptoms, but they were assuredly
not thrown away upon the man who had won her affections.

当天晚上，他就去拜访了约翰·费里尔，之后又去了很多次，终于

在农场混熟了。约翰·费里尔深居山谷之中，一心致力于他的工作，在
近十二年间，几乎很少有机会知道外界的消息。而这些事情，杰菲逊·

霍普都能讲给他听，而且讲得不但让这位父亲兴致盎然，而且让露西
也同样觉得非常有趣。霍普曾经是加利福尼亚的一个拓荒者，因此，

他能够说出许多在那些狂野的太平日子里，发财致富或倾家荡产的离
奇故事。他做过侦察兵，设陷阱捕捉过野兽，也曾寻找过银矿，并在

大农场做过工人。只要哪里有令人心动的冒险事业，杰菲逊·霍普就要
前去探索一番。很快，他就获得了老农约翰的喜爱，他对霍普赞不绝

口。在这种情况下，露西总是默默无言，但是，她那泛起红晕的双