众所周知，柯南·道尔笔下的神探夏洛克·福尔摩斯的推理破案才能让人拍案叫绝，用他的亲密伙伴华生医生的话来说，“他简直是世界上一架用于推理和观察的最完美无瑕的机器。”不过“智者千虑，总有一失”，就算是才华横溢、心思缜密的神探福尔摩斯也难免会有“棋差一着”的时候，而且这回他的对手还是一位传奇的女性。在福尔摩斯心目中，这位女士才貌超群，相比之下，其他女人无不黯然失色。每当他说到这位女士或者提及她的那张照片时，他总是用“那个女人”来称呼她……大家是不是很好奇这位令神探福尔摩斯钦佩不已的女士究竟是谁呢？赶紧一起来看看吧！
Arthur Conan Doyle（阿瑟·柯南·道尔，1859—1930）英国杰出的侦探小说家、剧作家，被誉为英国“侦探小说之父”。 1876年至1881年间，他在爱丁堡大学学习医学，毕业后作为一名随船医生前往西非海岸，1882年回国后在普利茅斯开业行医，在此期间道尔开始写作。他的第一部重要作品是发表在Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887（《1887年比顿圣诞年刊》）上的侦探小说A Study in Scarlet（《血字的研究》），这部小说的主角就是之后名声大噪的夏洛克·福尔摩斯。道尔一生一共写了56篇短篇侦探小说以及4部中篇侦探小说，包括《冒险史》系列、《新探案》系列、《四签名》等，全部以福尔摩斯为主角。除此之外，他还曾写过多部其他类型的小说，如科幻小说、爱情小说、戏剧、诗歌等。与同时代的很多作家不同，道尔的短篇小说画面感非常强，冲突设置集中，情节跌宕，引人入胜，使读者仿佛在读电影故事。本文节选自其短篇小说《波西米亚丑闻》，因篇幅所限，有删节。 ——Maisie
【前情提要：波希米亚的世袭国王就要与斯堪的纳维亚的公主举行婚礼了，而这位背负着伟大的奥姆斯坦家族荣誉的国王年轻时曾与大名鼎鼎的女冒险家、华沙帝国歌剧院首席女歌手艾琳·艾德勒有过一段浪漫情史。因担心艾琳会把两人的一张合照公诸于世，从而使自己陷入严重的丑闻之中，他化名为冯·克拉姆伯爵，找到了福尔摩斯，请他从艾琳·艾德勒手中取回该照片……】
(I)
A man entered who could hardly have been less than six feet six inches in height, with the chest and limbs of a 2)Hercules. His dress was rich with a richness which would, in England, be looked upon as akin to bad taste. Boots which extended halfway up his calves, and which were trimmed at the tops with rich brown fur, completed the impression of3)barbaric opulence which was suggested by his whole appearance. He carried a broad-brimmed hat in his hand, while he wore across the upper part of his face, extending down past the cheekbones, a black 4)vizard mask, which he had apparently adjusted that very moment, for his hand was still raised to it as he entered.
“You had my note?” he asked with a deep harsh voice and a strongly marked German accent. “I told you that I would call.” He looked from one to the other of us, as if uncertain which to address.
“5)Pray take a seat,” said Holmes. “This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, who is occasionally good enough to help me in my cases. Whom have I the honor to address?”
“You may address me as the 6)Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman. I understand that this gentleman, your friend, is a man of honor and7)discretion, whom I may trust with a matter of the most extreme importance. If not, I should much prefer to communicate with you alone.”
I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me back into my chair. “It is both, or none,” said he. “You may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me.”
The Count shrugged his broad shoulders. “Then I must begin,” said he, “by 8)binding you both to absolute secrecy for two years; at the end of that time the matter will be of no importance. At present it is not too much to say that it is of such weight it may have an influence upon European history.”
“I promise,” said Holmes.
“And I.”
“You will excuse this mask,” continued our strange visitor. “The 9)august person who employs me wishes his agent to be unknown to you, and I may confess at once that the title by which I have just called myself is not exactly my own.”
“I was aware of it,” said Holmes 10)dryly.
“The circumstances are of great 11)delicacy, and every precaution has to be taken to quench what might grow to be an immense scandal and seriously 12)compromise one of the reigning families of Europe. To speak plainly, the matter implicates the great House of Ormstein, 13)hereditary kings of Bohemia.”
“I was also aware of that,” murmured Holmes, settling himself down in his armchair and closing his eyes.
Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the 14)languid, 15)lounging figure of the man who had been no doubt depicted to him as the most 16)incisive reasoner and most energetic 17)agent in Europe. Holmes slowly reopened his eyes and looked impatiently at his gigantic client. “If your 18)Majesty would 19)condescend to state your case,” he remarked, “I should be better able to advise you.”
The man sprang from his chair and paced up and down the room in uncontrollable 20)agitation. Then, with a gesture of desperation, he tore the mask from his face and hurled it upon the ground. “You are right,” he cried; “I am the King. Why should I attempt to conceal it?”
“Why, indeed?” murmured Holmes. “Your Majesty had not spoken before I was aware that I was addressing Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia.”
“But you can understand,” said our strange visitor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, “you can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not21)confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come 22)incognito from 23)Prague for the purpose of consulting you.”
一个男人走了进来，他的身高不下于6.5英尺（约1.98米），胸膛宽阔，四肢有力。他的衣着华丽，但在英国这地方那华美的装束显得有点近乎俗气。他脚上穿着一双高至小腿肚的皮靴，靴口上镶着深棕色毛皮。他整个外表本来就给人一种粗野奢华的印象，而这靴子更是着墨一笔。他手里拿着一顶大檐帽，脸的上半部戴着一张盖过颧骨的黑色伪装面具。显然他刚刚整理过面具，因为进屋时他的手还停留在面具上。
“你收到我的条子了吗？”他问道，声音深沉、沙哑，带着浓重的德国口音。“我告诉过你我要来拜访的。”他目光在我们两人之间游移，好像拿不准要对着谁说话似的。
“请坐，”福尔摩斯说道，“这位是我的朋友和同事——华生医生。他不时帮助我办案子。请问，我应该怎么称呼您？”
“你可以称呼我为冯·克拉姆伯爵。我是波希米亚的一名贵族。我想这位先生——你的朋友，是位值得尊敬且审慎的人，这件事关重大的事情让他知道也无碍吧。否则，我还是希望跟你单独交谈。”
我站起来要走，但福尔摩斯抓住了我的手腕，把我拽回到椅子里。“要说就对我们两个一起说，否则就免谈，”他对来客说道，“能跟我谈的，在这位先生面前也可以尽管谈。”
伯爵耸了耸他那宽阔的肩膀。“那么我首先得跟你们二位立约，替我在两年内绝对保密；两年后这件事就无关紧要了。而目前，可以毫不夸张地说，事情之重要，也许可以影响整个欧洲历史的进程。”他说道。
“我保证保密，”福尔摩斯答道。
“我也是。”
“这面具你们不介意吧，”我们这位陌生怪客继续说道，“派我来的贵人不愿意让你们知道他派来的使者是谁，我可以现在就坦白，我刚才所说的称呼并不是我自己真正的名字。”
“这我知道，”福尔摩斯冷冷地答道。
“情况十分棘手。我们必须采取一切预防措施，尽力防止事情演变成一桩大丑闻，进而使一个欧洲王族的形象遭到严重损害。坦率地说，这件事牵涉到伟大的奥姆斯坦家族——波希米亚的世袭国王。”
“这个我也知道，”福尔摩斯喃喃低语道，随即他坐到扶手椅里，闭上了眼睛。
在来客的心目中，福尔摩斯无疑曾被描述为欧洲分析问题最透彻的推理者和精力最充沛的侦探。此时，我们的来客不禁用一种明显很惊讶的目光扫了一眼面前这个无精打采而懒洋洋地瘫坐椅子上的人。福尔摩斯慢条斯理地重新张开双眼，不耐烦地看着他那身材魁伟的委托人。“要是陛下肯屈尊将案情阐明，”他说道，“那我将能更好地为您效劳。”
这人从椅子里猛地站了起来，激动难控地在屋子里踱来踱去。接着，急迫无奈地把脸上的面具扯下扔到地上。“你说对了，”他大声说道，“我就是那个国王，但我为什么想隐瞒呢？”
“是的，为什么呢？”福尔摩斯喃喃低语道，“陛下还没开口，我就知道自己面前的是卡斯尔－费尔施泰因大公、波希米亚的世袭国王。”
“但是你能理解，”我们那怪客又重新坐下来，用手摸了一下他那又高又白的前额说道，“你能理解我是不惯于亲自办这种事的。可是这件事太棘手了，根本不可能假手于人，让别人知道了，这件事就会成为把柄让我任人摆布。我是为了求助于你才化名从布拉格来此的。”