The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The start of one of Holmes' cases,
 "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet."

"Homes," said I as I stood one morning in our bow-window looking down the street, "here is madman coming along. It seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out alone."

My friend rose lazily from his armchair and stood with his hands in the pockets of his dressing-gown, looking over my shoulder. It was a bright, crisp February morning, and the show of the day before still lay deep upon the ground, shimmering brightly in the wintry sun. Down the centre of Baker Street it had been ploughed into a brown crumbly band by the traffic, but at either side and on the heaped-up edges of the foot-paths it still lay as white as when it fall. The grey pavement had been cleaned and scraped, but was stil dangerously slippery, so that there were fewer passengers than usual. Indeed, from the direction of the Metropolitan Station no one was coming to save the single gentleman whose eccentric conduct had drawn my attention.

He was a man of about fifty, tall, portly, and imposing, with a massive, strongly marked face and a commanding figure. He was dressed in a somber yet rich style, in back frock-coat, shining hat, neat brown gaiters, and well-cut pearl-grey trousers. Yet his actions were in absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress and features, for he was running hard, with occasional little springs, such as a weary man gives who is little accustomed to set any tax upon his legs. As he ran he jerked his hands up and down, waggled his head, and writhed his face into the most extraordinary contortions.




Language Note


Shimmer
to shine with or reflect a subdued, tremulous light
아른 아른 빛나다, 희미하게 빛나다

crumbly
easily broken into small fragments
부서지기 쉬운, 무른

head-up
to arrange into piles or stacks
쌓다

eccentric
deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.
괴상한, 이상한

portly
rather heavy or fat; stout; corpulent
뚱뚱한, 비만한

imposing
very impressive because of great size, stately appearance, dignity, elegance, etc.
인상적인, 남의 눈을 끄는

absurd
utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue
불합리한, 어리석은

waggle
to move up and down or from side to side in a short, rapid manner
요동하다, 흔들리다

writhe
to twist the body about, or squirm, as in pain, violent effort, etc.
몸부림치다, 몸을 뒤틀다

contortion
a tortuous and twisted shape or position
뒤틀림, 찌그러짐



EBS Power English Aug, 2008 중에서