一词多义/熟词多义
1. [ air ]
在文中表示一种“神态，气场”，常见的意思是“空气，气体”。
原句：He was a man with a certain air of command.（一种命令的神情）
2. [ beat ]
在文中是指“有规律的一连串敲打”，常见的意思是“打败，拍打”。
这里放在短语中on the beat指“在巡逻，在执勤”的意思。
原句：Our man on the beat saw a light there about two in the morning,
3. [ bear ]
在这里指“具有”，常用意思是“忍受，承受”。
原句：The gentleman had cards in his pocket bearing the name of ‘Enoch J. Drebber.’
句子解析
1.However, there still remained some suspicion in my mind that the whole thing was pre-arranged, intended to dazzle me.
然而，在我心中还是保留着一些疑问，疑问就是整个事件都是pre-arranged预先安排好的，故意使我dazzle惊诧。就算到现在，华生还是不敢相信我们的福尔摩斯居然这么的厉害。
2.Even across the street I could see a great blue anchor tattooed on the back of the fellow’s hand. That smelled of the sea.
即使穿过街道，我也能看到一个很大的蓝色锚 纹在他的手背上。蓝色代表海洋，锚代表着船舶，所以福尔摩斯才推测出他是一个海军。
smell 有“闻到，察觉”的意思。在文中“大海的味道”引申为“是海军的标志”。
3. It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it.If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact.
弄明白送信员为什么曾是海军比证明我为什么知道更容易。机智的福尔摩斯举例子：如果让你去证明2+2=4，你可能会发现有点困难，但是这却是个人人都知道的事实。
4. He was a man with some amount of self-importance and a certain air of command.
self-importance( 自负的 )，command ( 发号施令 )，他是一个自负的人并且散发着一种发号施令的气场。air 再一次的出现了，可以理解为神情，气场，曾用来形容福尔摩斯的果决 his thin nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision.
5. There has been a bad business during the night at 3, Lauriston Gardens, off the Brixton Road.
夜里，Brixton路上的Lauriston花园发生了一起重大案件。这里的business本来有“要事，重大事件”之意，结合上下文可以译为“重大案件”有“距离......”之意，在这里是“在......旁”的意思，相当于aside的意思。
“信上说案发地是Lauriston花园3号。遗憾这个地点在Google Map上找不到，不过我们可以看到Brixton Road这条路。
Enoch J. Drebber, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. 这个美国男人便是Sherlock和Watson一起办的第一个案子的死者。
6. There had been no robbery, nor is there any evidence as to how the man met his death.
“既没有发生抢劫，也没有证据显示这个男人是怎么死的。” nor表示“也没有”，又一次的倒装，后面半句话相当于there is no any evidence as to how the man met his death, either.本案到底是不是谋杀案呢？侦探们各显神通，从蛛丝马迹中探寻真相吧。「 meet one's death 」 死去。as to 有“关于，至于，就......而论”在文中理解为：没有关于这个人是怎么死的证据。
7. When Holmes insisted upon stopping and finishing our journey upon foot, we were still a hundred yards or so from the house.
最后一百码左右的路程Sherlock坚持要步行，由此可见我们这位侦探有多么心思细腻，不会放过任何线索。yard是英制长度单位，1 yard等于0.9144米。insisted upon 执意
8. The latter looked out with three levels of windows, all blank and dull, except here and there a“For Rent” card was placed on the glass.
房子的后面有三层朝外的窗子，全都空白阴暗，除了“出租”的告示零星可见。level可以指“楼层”，三层楼上都有着朝外的窗子。而 「 here and there」有“零零落落，到处”的意思。
此处的“the latter”指的3号楼的后面。为什么这个the latter不是指具体哪一栋房子呢？因为前面已经明确说了，案发现场是Lauriston花园3号楼，并描写了这栋楼的破败，所以叙述的中心始终是这栋楼。
9.At the door of the house, we were met by a tall, white-faced, blonde-haired man, with a notebook in his hand.
Tobias Gregson出场。这是Gregson的第一次出场，他的职位是苏格兰场的police inspector（巡官），也就相当于派出所所长。
10. “With two such men as yourself and Lestrade upon the ground, there will not be much for a third party to find out”
“有像你和Lestrade这样的人负责，那其他人在这地方也不会再有什么新发现了”。上一句刚抱怨过““跟一群水牛经过造成的混乱差不多”，Sherlock对“警察进进出出留下的脚印太多”已经很不满。所以这句话Sherlock是在高端黑警察们，然而我们的派出所所长（警长）似乎没有听出来，还喜滋滋地搓搓手。
「 a third party 」是“第三方，第三人”的意思。
11.You broke the line of thought, but perhaps it is as well.
这句话大意是指：你打断了我的思路，但也没什么（也无妨）。
「as well 」除了有“也”的意思，在口语中还有“也行”这层含义，因此在文章中理解为“没关系，没什么” it在这里是指前文you broke the line of thought.
今日短语
pre-arranged 提前安排好的
in the world=on earth 究竟
cast an eye over sth 迅速浏览.....
out of the common 非同寻常
on the beat 执勤
meet one's death 死去
insist upon doing sth 坚持做.....
at once 立即
walk up and down 来回走动
draw one's own conclusion 得出自己的结论
