よみうち英語Read the classics by typingNotes Scene 58: The Long Wait
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Notes on this scene
The four men wait motionless in darkness. Only an hour and fifteen minutes pass, but Watson imagines that dawn must be near. He hears every faint breath around him. At last, just when the tension seems unbearable, a tiny gleam of light appears on the stone floor.
Japanese in this scene
- にちがいない
- にちがいない expresses strong confidence: “must be; there is no doubt.” It is a conclusion based on the speaker’s judgment, not a command.
- てみる
- Verb + てみる means “try doing” in order to see the result. It describes an experimental action, not simply looking at something.
- 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.
- 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.
Full text: original English and Japanese translation
"Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be silent and wait."
「それなら、穴はすべてふさいだわけだ。あとは黙って待つだけだ」
What a time it seemed! From comparing notes afterwards it was but an hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night must have almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us. My limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position; yet my nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light.
なんと長い時間に思えたことか！あとで互いに確かめ合ってみると、わずか一時間十五分にすぎなかったのだが、私には、夜はもうほとんど過ぎ去り、頭上では夜が明けかけているにちがいないと思えた。姿勢を変えるのがこわくて、手足はくたびれてこわばっていたが、神経は極度に張りつめ、耳はひどく鋭くなっていたので、仲間たちのかすかな息づかいが聞こえるばかりか、太ったジョーンズの深く重い吸う息と、銀行の重役のか細いため息のような息とを聞き分けることさえできた。私のいる場所からは、木箱越しに床のほうを見ることができた。突然、私の目がきらりと光るものをとらえた。