Scene 21 · Notes

Notes　Scene 21: What He Has Done

Next scene: 22 Seeking the Police ›Read this scene again (from the start)

Notes on this scene

Holmes asks what John has done since receiving the warning. John admits that fear has left him feeling helpless and trapped. Holmes sharply tells him that action is essential, and John explains that he has already taken the story to the police.

Japanese in this scene

ている
The 〜ている form can show an action in progress, a continuing state, or the result of a completed action. The surrounding sentence decides which meaning applies.
ように
ように can express a goal, a desired result, or the manner in which something is done. It often follows a plain-form verb.
のです
のです adds an explanatory tone to the speaker’s account, presenting the feeling as the reason behind his helplessness.

Full text: original English and Japanese translation

"What have you done?" asked Holmes.

「何をなさいましたか」とホームズは尋ねた。

"Nothing."

「何もしていません」

"Nothing?"

「何も」

"To tell the truth"—he sank his face into his thin, white hands—"I have felt helpless. I have felt like one of those poor rabbits when the snake is writhing towards it. I seem to be in the grasp of some resistless, inexorable evil, which no foresight and no precautions can guard against."

「正直に言うと」と青年は細い白い両手に顔を埋めた。「どうすることもできない気がしていたのです。蛇が身をくねらせて近づいてくるときの、哀れなウサギのような気持ちでした。先の見通しも用心も役に立たない、抗いようのない容赦ない悪の力に、つかまれているように思えるのです」

"Tut! tut!" cried Sherlock Holmes. "You must act, man, or you are lost. Nothing but energy can save you. This is no time for despair."

「まあ、まあ」とホームズは声を上げた。「行動なさらなければ、命がありません。あなたを救えるのは行動力だけです。絶望している場合ではありません」

"I have seen the police."

「警察には相談しました」

"Ah!"

「ほう」

Japanese words in this scene (with English meanings; ☆ saves a word)

  • のです — the expectation is that ...; the reason is that ...; the fact is that ...; the explanation is that ...hard
  • 抗う（あらがう） — to resist; to struggle againsthard
  • 悪（あく） — evil; wickedness; (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.); the bad guyhard
  • なさる — Respectful equivalent of する: to do.
  • 何も（なにも） — (not) anything; (nothing) at all; (not) any; nothing
  • て — connective particle used in verb forms
  • 正直（しょうじき） — honest; frank; candid; straightforward
  • 青年（せいねん） — young man; youth

Next scene: Seeking the Police

John explains that he has already told the police about his situation. How did they understand the connection between the letters and the events that befell his family? Holmes asks further questions, seeking to learn what precautions have been arranged and whether they offer John any real protection at this moment.

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