よみうち英語Read the classics by typingNotes Scene 41: Asking the Way
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Notes on this scene
The assistant promptly gives Holmes directions and closes the door. Holmes describes him as perhaps the fourth cleverest man in London and one of its boldest criminals. Watson assumes that the request for directions was only an excuse to see the man’s face, but Holmes’s real object was different.
Japanese in this scene
- かもしれない
- かもしれない means “might; may.” It marks a possibility rather than a firm conclusion and is less certain than でしょう or だろう.
- ている
- The 〜ている form can show an action in progress, a continuing condition, or the present result of a completed action. The surrounding context selects the meaning.
- らしい
- らしい can mean “apparently; it seems” when based on indirect evidence. After a noun, it can also mean “typical of; characteristic of.”
- ため
- ため can mean “for the purpose of” or “because of.” A following action usually signals purpose, while a completed fact before it often gives a cause.
Background
- The Strand
- The Strand is a busy central London road running toward the City. It was lined with theaters, hotels, and shops, and later gave its name to The Strand Magazine.
Full text: original English and Japanese translation
"Thank you," said Holmes, "I only wished to ask you how you would go from here to the Strand."
「ありがとう」とホームズは言った。「ここからストランド街へはどう行けばいいか、聞きたかっただけなんだ」
"Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly, closing the door.
「三つ目を右、四つ目を左です」と助手は即座に答え、扉を閉めた。
"Smart fellow, that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known something of him before."
「抜け目のない男だね、あれは」と、歩き去りながらホームズが言った。「私の見るところ、あれはロンドンで四番目に頭の切れる男で、大胆さにかけては三番目と言ってもいいかもしれない。前から少しばかり知っている男なんだ」
"Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you inquired your way merely in order that you might see him."
「どうやら」と私は言った。「ウィルソンさんの助手は、この赤毛組合の謎でかなり大事な役どころらしいね。きみが道を尋ねたのは、ただ彼の顔を見るためだったんだろう」