よみうち英語Read the classics by typingNotes Scene 42: What He Wanted to See
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Notes on this scene
Holmes reveals that he wanted to inspect the assistant’s knees, not his face, and found exactly what he expected. He refuses to explain the tapping of the pavement, insisting that they must observe before discussing conclusions. Together they walk around the corner to examine what lies behind Saxe-Coburg Square.
Japanese in this scene
- ていた
- The 〜ていた form is the past of 〜ている. It describes an action that was in progress or a state that continued at the time being discussed.
- に
- に marks a target, destination, time, recipient, or resulting state. Its exact English equivalent depends on the predicate it accompanies.
- で
- で commonly marks the place of an action or the means used: “at; in; by; with.” It can also be the connective form of the copula だ.
- は
- は marks the topic of a sentence and can also set up a contrast with another item.
Background
- Pavement
- In British English, pavement means the pedestrian walkway beside a road; American English normally uses sidewalk. Holmes struck this surface with his stick in the preceding scene.
Full text: original English and Japanese translation
"Not him."
「彼じゃないよ」
"What then?"
「じゃあ、何を？」
"The knees of his trousers."
「ズボンのひざさ」
"And what did you see?"
「それで、何が見えたんだい？」
"What I expected to see."
「思っていたとおりのものさ」
"Why did you beat the pavement?"
「どうして歩道を叩いたんだい？」
"My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies in an enemy's country. We know something of Saxe-Coburg Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it."
「いいかね、先生、今は観察するときで、おしゃべりをするときではないよ。私たちは敵地に入り込んだスパイなんだ。サックス・コバーグ・スクエアのことは、いくらか分かった。今度はその裏手を探ってみよう」