just on impulse,I might share something like the brief of what I read or learn when i am reading this big volume in the future. It might be irregular. and certainly it is written in Chinese.

今天(2023年8月8日)讀了the sign of four的chapter 8:the Baker Street irregulars.
Holmes和Watson被狗仔Toby帶錯地方，而後他們返回並去了另一個方向，最終到達碼頭。跟Mrs.Smith交流之後，知道wooden-legged 跟Mr. Smith開船跑了。之後打道回府，holmes交代Wiggins (也就是本chapter標題)去找a steam launch called the Aurora. 之後Watson在Holmes的琴声中睡着(這段情節讓我覺得Holmes有温柔的一面)，醒來見到Miss Morstan.

Holmes跟Watson講的一段話也很有趣：
"The main thing with people of that sort,"said Holmes as we sat in the sheets of the wherry,"is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you. If you do they will instantly shut up like an oyster;If you listen to them under protest,as it were,you are very likely to get what you want."

(手打被吞了) 這一段holmes 対watson的対話我覚得還是挺有道理的:

chapter 9有一句話: I took our mongrel accordingly and left him, together with a half-sovereign, at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane.
這裏的 together with a half-sovereign我一開始不知所云，跟誰在一起？字典也没有。後来查了原来 a half-sovereign是半個pound，即是10個shilling的意思。原来這是華生付給狗主的銭。

chapter 10: The end of the islander (2023/08/10)
這一回講了Holmes，Waston和Jones去追逐The Aurora, 並最終抓獲the wooden-legged man。作為"adventure"来講還是挺精彩的，看到後面我都不想查単詞拖慢節奏了。比較意外的是，那個little man居然跳海，MD真的太勇了。這段情節也展現了Holmes的縝密性，把犯人困在海上，他再狡猾也只是甕中之鱉。

chapter 10 中有這两句:
I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith knowing where they live.
It is centainly ten to one that they go downstream, but we cannot be certain.
這個書挺多出現這様的表達，ten to one, a hundred to one這様来表達likely, 当然第一句加上against就変成了unlikely.不過不知道這是不是比較口語化的表達。

I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time- as we had evidence that he maintained a continual watch over the house- he could hardly leave at a moment's notice,but would need some little time,if it were only a day,to arrange his affairs.
這裡的at a moment's notice 我大概感覚他差不多是at once的意思，不過説不完全一様。経過討論，大概接近without notcie的用法。

還有很多学習到的語法知識...The sign of four差不多也快看完了，終於理解新一為甚麼喜歓四簽名了。Holmes的形象在這一篇也基本上飽満起来了，他会法徳語，還会煮飯，還弾奏小提琴幫助華生入睡，冷酷但也有溫柔的一面。当然他也会装B還有說一些看起来自大的話，還有很多細節...总体上会譲讀者喜歓上他。

chapter 11: The great Agra treasure.
這一章比較短，Waston帶著寶藏箱去見心愛的Miss Morstan，但結果箱子打開是空的。不過結局倒是兩人都收穫了愛人。It is a relatively romantic episode where what mattered most in their hearts is love rather than the treasure.

看英文版的時候有時感覺有一種“戲台”對話的感覺。
例如chapter 11裡，
I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr.Sholto.
(I assure you that I never raised hand against Mr.Sholto.)
With all the will in the world, I could never have followed up a clue which taxed even his analytical genius.
(With my utmost determination, I could never have followed up a clue which taxed even his analytical genius.)
書裡有很多這種表達，我總覺得他們好像在戲台上講這些對白。有點這樣的感覺，還是挺帶感的。

還有swing這個詞，詞義比較多，挺難把握的。
chapter 11就有兩句用了這個詞:
I don't believe that I can swing over the job.
這裡swing over大致是handle,manage,accomplish的意思。
Now,if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart.
swing for 這裡大概可理解為strike at(擊打),不過這裡用hang(絞死)好像也講得通。

I don't believe that I can swing over the job.
查了這一句，這裡的swing應該還是類似於絞死的意思。看到有兩個貼子有討論過這一句：
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7410962607
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/i-don%E2%80%99t-believe-that-i-can-swing-over-the-job.3616777/
第二個鏈接的答主是英格蘭的，應該算比較可靠。
“I don’t believe that I can swing over the job. <---> "I don't believe that I will be executed for the crime"