Notes　Scene 47: The Street Brawl

As he spoke the gleam of the sidelights of a carriage came round the curve of the avenue. It was a smart little landau which rattled up to the door of Briony Lodge. As it pulled up, one of the loafing men at the corner dashed forward to open the door in the hope of earning a copper, but was elbowed away by another loafer, who had rushed up with the same intention. A fierce quarrel broke out, which was increased by the two guardsmen, who took sides with one of the loungers, and by the scissors-grinder, who was equally hot upon the other side. A blow was struck, and in an instant the lady, who had stepped from her carriage, was the centre of a little knot of flushed and struggling men, who struck savagely at each other with their fists and sticks. Holmes dashed into the crowd to protect the lady; but, just as he reached her, he gave a cry and dropped to the ground, with the blood running freely down his face. At his fall the guardsmen took to their heels in one direction and the loungers in the other, while a number of better dressed people, who had watched the scuffle without taking part in it, crowded in to help the lady and to attend to the injured man. Irene Adler, as I will still call her, had hurried up the steps; but she stood at the top with her superb figure outlined against the lights of the hall, looking back into the street.

彼がそう言ううちに、馬車の側灯の光が通りの曲がり角を回ってきた。それは洒落た小型の四輪馬車で、がらがらと音を立ててブライオニー荘の戸口に乗りつけた。馬車が止まると、角でぶらついていた男の一人が、小銭にありつこうと扉を開けに飛び出したが、同じつもりで駆けつけた別の浮浪者に肘で押しのけられた。激しいけんかが始まり、片方の男に二人の近衛兵が味方し、もう一方には研ぎ屋が同じくらい熱くなって加勢したので、騒ぎはますます大きくなった。誰かが一発殴りつけると、馬車から降りたばかりの婦人は、たちまち、顔を真っ赤にしてもみ合い、拳や杖で荒々しく殴り合う男たちの輪の真ん中に取り囲まれてしまった。ホームズは婦人を守ろうと人ごみに飛び込んだが、彼女のもとにたどり着いたまさにそのとき、叫び声をあげて地面に倒れた。顔にはおびただしい血が流れていた。彼が倒れると、近衛兵たちは一方へ、浮浪者たちは反対の方へと一目散に逃げ出し、それまで騒ぎに加わらずに眺めていた、もう少し身なりのよい人々が、婦人を助け、けが人の手当てをしようと押し寄せてきた。アイリーン・アドラーは――私はいまも彼女をこう呼ぶことにする――急いで石段を上がったが、上りきったところで足を止め、玄関ホールの明かりを背にその見事な姿を浮かび上がらせながら、通りを振り返っていた。