A
moment later he was in the room. Mr. John
Garrideb, Counsellor at Law, was a short,
powerful man with the round, fresh, clean-shaven
face characteristic of so many American men
of affairs. The general effect was chubby
and rather childlike, so that one received
the impression of quite a young man with a
broad set smile upon his face. His eyes, however,
were arresting. Seldom in any human head have
I seen a pair which bespoke a more intense
inward life, so bright were they, so alert,
so responsive to every change of thought.
His accent was American, but was not accompanied
by any eccentricity of speech.
Un momento
después estuvo en el cuarto. Mr. John
Garrideb, Counsellor at Law, era un hombre
bajo
con una cara redonda, fresca y bien afeitada
como muchos hombres de negocios americanos.
Su apariencia era un poco redonda y puéril,
asi que uno recibía la impresión
de un hombre joven,
con una gran sonrisa en la cara. Sin embargo,
sus ojos eran fascinantes. Rara vez en mi
vida
he visto una pareja que revelaba con tanta
intensidad la vida interior, tan claros eran,
tan intensos,
tan receptivos a cualquier cambio de pensamiento.
Su acento era americano, pero en su forma
de
hablar no había ningún tipo
de excéntrico.
"Mr. Holmes?" he asked, glancing
from one to the other. "Ah, yes! Your
pictures are not unlike you, sir, if I may
say so. I believe you have had a letter from
my namesake, Mr. Nathan Garrideb, have you
not?"
"Mr. Holmes?", preguntó,
mirando de uno a otro. "Ah, sí!
Sus fotos no se distinguen de usted,
si me es permitido decirlo. Creo que usted
tiene una carta de mi tocayo, Mr. Nathan
Garrideb,
no es cierto?".
"Pray sit down," said Sherlock Holmes.
"We shall, I fancy, have a good deal
to discuss." He took up his sheets of
foolscap. "You are, of course, the Mr.
John Garrideb mentioned in this document.
But surely you have been in England some time?" "Why do you say that, Mr. Holmes?"
I seemed to read sudden suspicion in those
expressive eyes. "Your whole outfit is English."
"Le ruego sentarse",
dijo Holmes. "Tendremos, supongo, cantidad
de cosas
a discutir." Tomo el documento largo.
"Usted es seguramente el señor
John Garrideb mencionado
en este documento. Pero seguramente ha estado
en Inglaterra alguna vez?"
"Porque lo pregunta, Mr. Holmes?"
Yo creí poder leer algo de sospecha
en estos ojos expresivos.
"Su forma de vestir es inglés.
"