The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening Dutch B2 Translation Books

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening Dutch B2 Translation Books

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
zelden
seldom
heardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
Itwasnotthathefeltany
emotie
emotion
akintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatone
bijzonder
particularly
,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywere
bewonderenswaardige
admirable
thingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingthe
sluier
veil
frommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisown
delicate
delicate
andfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistracting
factor
factor
whichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitive
instrument
instrument
,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrong
emotie
emotion
inanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousand
twijfelachtig
questionable
memory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisown
vestiging
establishment
,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformofsocietywithhiswhole
Boheemse
Bohemian
soul,remainedinourlodgingsin
Baker
Baker
Street,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineand
ambitie
ambition
,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthe
felle
fierce
energyofhisownkeennature.
Hewasstill,asever,deeply
aangetrokken
attracted
bythestudyofcrime,and
bezet
occupied
hisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersof
observatie
observation
infollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeen
verlaten
abandoned
ashopelessbytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vaag
vague
accountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingular
tragedie
tragedy
oftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehad
volbracht
accomplished
sodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhis
activiteit
activity
,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendand
metgezel
companion
.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethrough
Baker
Baker
Street.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantly
verlicht
lit
,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroom
snel
swiftly
,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeand
manier
manner
toldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthe
geur
scent
ofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothe
kamer
chamber
whichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
It
zelden
seldom
was;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,and
wees
indicated
aspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,I
observeer
observe
.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyand
onzorgvuldig
careless
servantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
vreselijke
dreadful
mess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfand
wreef
rubbed
hislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itis
eenvoud
simplicity
itself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,the
leer
leather
isscoredbysixalmost
parallelle
parallel
cuts.
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelessly
geschraapt
scraped
roundtheedgesofthe
zool
sole
inordertoremovecrusted
modder
mud
fromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhada
bijzonder
particularly
malignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbe
saai
dull
,indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobean
actief
active
memberofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelplaughingatthe
gemak
ease
withwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyour
redenering
reasoning
Iambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonot
observeert
observe
.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhave
vaak
frequently
seenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenand
waargenomen
observed
.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewovera
vel
sheet
ofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteither
handtekening
signature
oraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
raadplegen
consult
youuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
Your
recente
recent
servicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofan
belang
importance
whichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyour
kamer
chamber
thenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyour
bezoeker
visitor
wearamask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
onderzocht
examined
thewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwas
vermoedelijk
presumably
welltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringto
imiteren
imitate
mycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfa
kroon
crown
apacket.
Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”
geweven
woven
intothetextureofthepaper.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthe
maker
maker
,nodoubt;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavybrownvolumefromhisshelves.
“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforits
talrijke
numerous
glass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatblue
triomfantelijke
triumphant
cloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethe
eigenaardige
peculiar
constructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
ontdekken
discover
whatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnot
vergis
mistaken
,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharppullatthebell.
Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,
pauzeerde
paused
immediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepblue
mantel
cloak
whichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-coloured
zijde
silk
andsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextended
halverwege
halfway
uphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrown
bont
fur
,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrossthe
bovenste
upper
partofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparently
aangepast
adjusted
thatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.
Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanging
lip
lip
,andalong,straight
kin
chin
suggestiveofresolutionpushedtothe
lengte
length
ofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeep
harde
harsh
voiceandastronglymarkedGerman
accent
accent
.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asif
onzeker
uncertain
whichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whois
af en toe
occasionally
goodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,a
Boheemse
Bohemian
nobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonourand
discretie
discretion
,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemost
uiterste
extreme
importance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythe
pols
wrist
andpushedmebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhis
brede
broad
shoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“by
binden
binding
youbothtoabsolute
geheimhouding
secrecy
fortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofno
belang
importance
.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceupon
Europese
European
history.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrange
bezoeker
visitor
.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImay
bekennen
confess
atoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmense
schandaal
scandal
andseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeak
duidelijk
plainly
,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,
erfelijke
hereditary
kingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Our
bezoeker
visitor
glancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
gebaar
gesture
ofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.
“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,and
erfelijke
hereditary
KingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrange
bezoeker
visitor
,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhite
voorhoofd
forehead
,“youcanunderstandthatIamnot
gewend
accustomed
todoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeof
raadplegen
consulting
you.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsare
kort
briefly
these:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadethe
kennis
acquaintance
ofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmy
index
index
,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphs
met betrekking tot
concerning
menandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.
InthiscaseIfoundher
biografie
biography
sandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,
hum
hum
!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Pensioen
Retired
fromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.