解説　場面 27「足もとのこと」

"It surprised me."

「私も驚いたよ」

"But, surely, it was obvious. I was then much surprised and interested on glancing down to observe that, though the boots which she was wearing were not unlike each other, they were really odd ones; the one having a slightly decorated toe-cap, and the other a plain one. One was buttoned only in the two lower buttons out of five, and the other at the first, third, and fifth. Now, when you see that a young lady, otherwise neatly dressed, has come away from home with odd boots, half-buttoned, it is no great deduction to say that she came away in a hurry."

「だが、明らかなことだったじゃないか。次に下を見ると、履いている靴は互いによく似てはいるが、実際にはちぐはぐで、片方のつま先には少し飾りがあり、もう片方は飾りがなかったので、たいへん驚き、興味を引かれた。片方は五つあるボタンの下二つだけが留まり、もう片方は一番、三番、五番が留まっていた。さて、ほかはきちんと身なりを整えた若い女性が、ちぐはぐの靴を履き、ボタンも半分しか留めずに家を出てきたのを見れば、急いで出てきたと言うのに大した推理は要らない」

"And what else?" I asked, keenly interested, as I always was, by my friend's incisive reasoning.

「ほかには」と私は尋ねた。いつものように、友人の鋭い推理にすっかり興味を引かれていた。

"I noted, in passing, that she had written a note before leaving home but after being fully dressed. You observed that her right glove was torn at the forefinger, but you did not apparently see that both glove and finger were stained with violet ink. She had written in a hurry and dipped her pen too deep. It must have been this morning, or the mark would not remain clear upon the finger. All this is amusing, though rather elementary, but I must go back to business, Watson. Would you mind reading me the advertised description of Mr. Hosmer Angel?"

「ついでに気づいたが、彼女は家を出る前、身支度をすっかり整えた後に、短い手紙を書いていた。右手の手袋の人差し指が破れているのは見ただろうが、手袋にも指にも紫のインクが付いているのは、どうやら気づかなかったようだね。急いで書いて、ペンを深く浸しすぎたのだ。今朝のことに違いない。そうでなければ、跡があれほどはっきり指に残ってはいないはずだ。こうしたことは面白いが、かなり初歩的でもある。さて、本題に戻らなければ、ワトソン。エンジェルさんの特徴を記した広告を、読んでくれないか」