In a year the situation of Mr. Ralph Spencer was this: he had won the respect of most of the inhabitants of the place, his shoe-store was prospering, and he and Annabel were to be married in two weeks. Mr. Adams, Annabel’s father, who was a typical country banker, approved of Spencer. Annabel herself was very proud of her fiancé. In fact her pride almost equaled her affection. Jimmy was as much at home in the family of Mr. Adams and that of Annabel’s married sister as if he were already a member.

在一年的時(shí)間里，拉爾夫·斯賓塞先生達(dá)到了這樣一種境況：他贏得了本地大多數(shù)居民的尊敬；他的鞋店生意興��；他和安娜貝爾也將于兩周內(nèi)喜結(jié)良緣。亞當(dāng)斯先生，安娜貝爾的父親，這位典型的地方銀行家，也對斯賓塞非常滿意。安娜貝爾對自己的未婚也很自豪。實(shí)際上，她的自豪幾乎和她的愛情不相上下�；�米在亞當(dāng)斯先生的家里以及在安娜貝爾已經(jīng)出嫁的姐姐那里，都感到像在自己家里一般無拘無束。

One day Jimmy sat down in his room and wrote this letter which he sent to the address of one his old friends:

一天，基米坐在他的房里，給一個(gè)好友寫了這樣一封信： “Dear Old Chap,

I want you to be at Brown’s Cafe, in Little Rock, next Wednesday night at nine o’clock. I want you to do something for me. And, also, I want to make you a present of my tools. I know you’ll be glad to get them—you couldn’t get such a set for a thousand dollars. Say, Billy, I gave up the old business—a year ago. I’ve got a nice store. I’m making an honest living, and in two weeks I’m going to marry the finest girl on earth. It’s the only life, Billy, the straight one. I wouldn't’ touch a dollar of another man’s money now for a million. After I get married I’m going to sell my store and go west, where there won’t be so much danger of meeting people who knew me before. I tell you, Billy, she’s an angel. She believes in me and I would never do another crooked thing for the whole world. Do come to Brown’s, for I must see you. I’ll bring the tools with me.

Your old friend, Jimmy.”

“親愛的老伙計(jì)：

下周三晚上9點(diǎn)，希望你到小石城波浪咖啡館來。我有事相托。同時(shí)，我將把我的工具送給你。我知道，你得到它們會(huì)很高興的——你花1000美元也買不到這一套東西。聽我說，比利。我已經(jīng)在一年前金盆洗手。我開了一家非常出色的商店。我現(xiàn)在過的是正直清白的生活，兩周內(nèi)我要和世界上最好的姑娘結(jié)婚。這才是真正的生活，比利，這才是正直的人生。現(xiàn)在我已經(jīng)對別人的東西秋毫不犯。結(jié)婚后，我打算將店賣掉，移居西部，在那里可以更安全些，不致碰到那些知道我過去底細(xì)的人。我對你說，比利，她真是一個(gè)天使。她信任我，而我無論如何也不能再走邪路了。務(wù)必到波浪咖啡館來。我必須見你。我將隨身帶來那些工具。

你的好友

基米”

On the Monday night after Jimmy wrote this letter, Ben Price, the detective, arrived in Elmore. He walked about the town quietly until he found out what he wanted to know. From the drugstore across the street from Spencer’s shoe-store he got a good look at Ralph D. Spencer.

星期一晚上，也正是在基米寫完這封信之后，本·普萊斯偵探來到了愛爾摩。他悄悄地走遍了整個(gè)鎮(zhèn)子，直到他搞清了他想要知道的種種情況。他從斯賓塞鞋店對面馬路的一家雜貨店中，詳細(xì)地觀察了拉爾夫·斯賓塞的一舉一動(dòng)。