解説　場面 60「雪の窓辺」

"When I arrived at the house," continued Holmes, "I at once went very carefully round it to observe if there were any traces in the snow which might help me. I knew that none had fallen since the evening before, and also that there had been a strong frost to preserve impressions. I passed along the tradesmen's path, but found it all trampled down and indistinguishable. Just beyond it, however, at the far side of the kitchen door, a woman had stood and talked with a man, whose round impressions on one side showed that he had a wooden leg. I could even tell that they had been disturbed, for the woman had run back swiftly to the door, as was shown by the deep toe and light heel marks, while Wooden-leg had waited a little, and then had gone away. I thought at the time that this might be the maid and her sweetheart, of whom you had already spoken to me, and inquiry showed it was so. I passed round the garden without seeing anything more than random tracks, which I took to be the police; but when I got into the stable lane a very long and complex story was written in the snow in front of me.

「屋敷へ着くと」とホームズは続けた。「雪の中に役立つ痕跡がないか観察するため、私はただちに、たいへん注意深く周囲を回りました。前夜から雪が降っていないこと、また強い霜が降り、跡を保っていたことも知っていました。商人用の小道を通りましたが、一面が踏み荒らされ、見分けがつきませんでした。しかしそのすぐ先、台所の扉の向こう側には、女性が立って男と話した跡がありました。片側にある丸い跡から、その男に木の脚があると分かりました。二人が何かに邪魔されたことまで分かりました。女性は扉へ素早く走って戻ったため、つま先が深く、かかとが浅い跡が残っていました。一方、義足の男は少し待ってから立ち去っていました。その時、これはすでに話に出た女中と恋人だろうと思い、尋ねてみると、そのとおりでした。庭を回る間、警察のものと思われるばらばらの足跡以外は見ませんでした。しかし厩舎横の道へ入ると、目の前の雪に、たいへん長く複雑な物語が書かれていました。