Księga Spraw Sherlocka Holmesa

EVENTYRET OM DEN FORNEMME KLIENT

The adventure of the illustrious client

„Nu kan det ikke længere skade,“

“It can’t hurt now,”

var hr.

was Mr.

Sherlock Holmes’ kommentar, da jeg

Sherlock Holmes’s comment when,

for tiende gang på lige så mange år

for the tenth time in as many years,

bad ham om lov til at offentliggøre den følgende beretning.

I asked his leave to reveal the following narrative.

Således fik jeg omsider tilladelse til at nedskrive, hvad der

So it was that at last I obtained permission to put on record what was,

på visse måder

in some ways,

var det største øjeblik i min vens karriere.

the supreme moment of my friend’s career.

Både Holmes og jeg havde en svaghed for tyrkisk bad.

Both Holmes and I had a weakness for the Turkish Bath.

Det var over en cigaret, i tørrerummets behagelige mathed, at jeg har oplevet ham mindre tilbageholdende og mere menneskelig end noget andet sted.

It was over a smoke in the pleasant lassitude of the drying-room that I have found him less reticent and more human than anywhere else.

På øverste etage af etablissementet i Northumberland Avenue er der et afsides hjørne, hvor to sofaer står side om side,

On the upper floor of the Northumberland Avenue establishment there is an isolated corner where two couches lie side by side,

og det var på dem, vi lå den 3. september

and it was on these that we lay upon September 3,

1902,

1902,

den dag, hvor min beretning begynder.

the day when my narrative begins.

Jeg havde spurgt ham, om der var noget i gære,

I had asked him whether anything was stirring,

og som svar havde han skudt sin lange,

and for answer he had shot his long,

tynde,

thin,

nervøse arm ud af lagnerne, der omsluttede ham, og trukket en konvolut op af inderlommen på frakken, der hang ved siden af ham.

nervous arm out of the sheets which enveloped him and had drawn an envelope from the inside pocket of the coat which hung beside him.

„Det kan være en eller anden pertentlig,

“It may be some fussy,

selvhøjtidelig tåbe,

self-important fool,

det kan være et spørgsmål om liv eller død,“

it may be a matter of life or death,”

sagde han,

said he,

idet han rakte mig sedlen.

as he handed me the note.

„Jeg ved ikke mere, end hvad denne meddelelse fortæller mig.“

“I know no more than this message tells me.”