The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A2 Students

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A2 Students

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobserving
macchina
machine
thattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalse
posizione
position
.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistractingfactorwhichmight
gettare
throw
adoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitiveinstrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthana
forte
strong
emotioninanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionable
memoria
memory
.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
My
matrimonio
marriage
haddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myown
completa
complete
happiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmy
attenzione
attention
,whileHolmes,wholoathedevery
forma
form
ofsocietywithhiswholeBohemian
anima
soul
,remainedinourlodgingsinBakerStreet,buriedamonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthe
droga
drug
,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeen
natura
nature
.
Hewasstill,asever,deeplyattractedbythe
studio
study
ofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,and
infine
finally
ofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerely
condiviso
shared
withallthereadersofthedaily
stampa
press
,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoa
paziente
patient
(forIhadnowreturnedtocivil
pratica
practice)
,whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.
AsI
passavo
passed
thewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsofthe
Studio
Study
inScarlet,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,spare
figura
figure
passtwiceinadarksilhouetteagainstthe
cieco
blind
.
Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
I
suonato
rang
thebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewas
felice
glad
,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindly
occhio
eye
,hewavedmetoanarmchair,
gettato
threw
acrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicateda
spirito
spirit
caseandagasogeneinthecorner.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputon
sette
seven
andahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andin
pratica
practice
again,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwould
sicuramente
certainly
havebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeinadreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmy
vestiti
clothes
Ican’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenher
preavviso
notice
,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,theleatherisscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Ovviamente
Obviously
theyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyour
pratica
practice
,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablack
segno
mark
ofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,indeed,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactivememberofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelp
ridere
laughing
attheeasewithwhichhe
spiegato
explained
hisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculously
semplice
simple
thatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyou
spieghi
explain
yourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightingacigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
Forexample,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhich
portano
lead
upfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouare
interessato
interested
intheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybe
interessato
interested
inthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthe
tavolo
table
.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteithersignatureor
indirizzo
address
.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquarterto
otto
eight
o’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitor
indossa
wear
amask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyone
comincia
begins
totwistfactstosuittheories,
invece
instead
oftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefullyexaminedthewriting,andthe
carta
paper
uponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Such
carta
paper
couldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket.
Itispeculiarly
forte
strong
andstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawa
grande
large
“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”anda
grande
large
“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothetextureofthe
carta
paper
.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthemaker,no
dubbio
doubt
;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdowna
pesante
heavy
brownvolumefromhisshelves.
“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘Remarkableasbeingthe
scena
scene
ofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreat
blu
blue
triumphantcloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiarconstructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemian
carta
paper
andpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharp
tirare
pull
atthebell.
Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”he
continuò
continued
,glancingoutofthe
finestra
window
.
“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobe
interessante
interesting
.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
A
lento
slow
andheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeen
meno
less
thansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
His
vestito
dress
wasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobad
gusto
taste
.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeep
blu
blue
cloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkandsecuredatthe
collo
neck
withabroochwhichconsistedofa
singolo
single
flamingberyl.
Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownfur,
completarono
completed
theimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
He
portava
carried
abroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whilehe
indossava
wore
acrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.
Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanof
forte
strong
character,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,
dritto
straight
chinsuggestiveofresolution
spinto
pushed
tothelengthofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharsh
voce
voice
andastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“Youmayaddressmeasthe
Conte
Count
VonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchprefertocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristand
spinto
pushed
mebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
The
Conte
Count
shruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
At
attualmente
present
itisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”
continuò
continued
ourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshis
agente
agent
tobeunknowntoyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandaland
seriamente
seriously
compromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparent
sorpresa
surprise
atthelanguid,lounging
figura
figure
ofthemanwhohadbeenno
dubbio
doubt
depictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,withagestureofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceandhurledituponthe
terra
ground
.
“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,
Gran
Grand
DukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidour
strano
strange
visitor,sittingdownoncemoreand
passando
passing
hishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoan
agente
agent
withoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeofconsultingyou.”
“Then,
prego
pray
consult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthy
visita
visit
toWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisno
dubbio
doubt
familiartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadopteda
sistema
system
ofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwas
difficile
difficult
tonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnish
informazioni
information
.
InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
Nato
Born
inNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.