解説　場面 198「暖炉のある夜」

It was the end of November, and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker Street. Since the tragic upshot of our visit to Devonshire he had been engaged in two affairs of the utmost importance, in the first of which he had exposed the atrocious conduct of Colonel Upwood in connection with the famous card scandal of the Nonpareil Club, while in the second he had defended the unfortunate Mme. Montpensier from the charge of murder which hung over her in connection with the death of her step-daughter, Mlle. Carére, the young lady who, as it will be remembered, was found six months later alive and married in New York. My friend was in excellent spirits over the success which had attended a succession of difficult and important cases, so that I was able to induce him to discuss the details of the Baskerville mystery. I had waited patiently for the opportunity for I was aware that he would never permit cases to overlap, and that his clear and logical mind would not be drawn from its present work to dwell upon memories of the past. Sir Henry and Dr. Mortimer were, however, in London, on their way to that long voyage which had been recommended for the restoration of his shattered nerves. They had called upon us that very afternoon, so that it was natural that the subject should come up for discussion.

十一月の末、冷え冷えと霧の立ちこめる夜に、ホームズと私はベーカー街の居間で燃え盛る暖炉を挟んで座っていた。デヴォンシャー訪問が悲劇的な結末を迎えて以来、彼はきわめて重要な二つの事件に携わっていた。一つ目では、ノンパレイル・クラブの有名なカード事件に絡むアップウッド大佐の残虐な行いを暴き、二つ目では、継娘のカレール嬢の死に関してかけられた殺人容疑から、不運なモンパンシエ夫人を救っていた。その若い女性は、覚えている人もいるだろうが、半年後にニューヨークで生きて結婚しているところを発見されたのである。友人は難しく重要な事件を次々と解決した成功で上機嫌だったので、私は彼にバスカヴィル事件の詳細を話してもらうことができた。私はその機会を辛抱強く待っていた。彼が事件を重ねて扱うことを決して許さず、明晰で論理的な頭脳を目の前の仕事から引き離して過去の記憶へ向けようとしないことを知っていたからだ。しかしサー・ヘンリーとモーティマー博士は、傷ついた神経を回復させるため勧められた長い航海へ向かう途中で、ロンドンに来ていた。二人はまさにその日の午後に私たちを訪ねてきたので、この話題が議論に上るのは自然なことだった。