On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion Bar, when someone tapped me on the shoulder, and turning round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser(/'drɛsɚ/n.化妆师；裹伤员) under me at Bart’s. The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness(/'wɪldɚnəs/n.茫茫一片,茫茫人海) of London is a pleasant thing indeed(/ɪn’did/ adv.真正地；甚至) to a lonely man. In old days Stamford had never been a particular(特别的) crony( /'kroni/n. 密友；好朋友) of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm
( /ɛn’θuzɪæzəm/n. 热情),and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted( /dɪ’laɪtɪd/adj. 高兴的) to see me. In the exuberance（/ɪg’zjʊbərəns/n. 丰富 (感情等的)过度(或极度)表现） of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and we started off together in a hansom.（ /'hænsəm/n. 出租马车）
就在我决定这样做的那天，我正站在克莱梯利安酒吧门前的时候，忽然有人拍了拍我的肩膀。我回头一看， 原来是小斯坦弗。他是我在巴茨时的一个助手。在这茫茫人海的伦敦城中，居然能够碰到一个熟人，对于一个孤独的人来说，确是一件令人非常愉快的事。斯坦弗当日并不是和我特别要好的朋友，但现在我竟热情地向他招呼起来。他见到我，似乎也很高兴。我在狂喜之余，立刻邀他到侯本餐厅去吃午饭；于是我们就一同乘车前往。
“Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?” he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled（/'rætl/ vi. 喋喋不休地讲话）through the crowded London streets.“You are as thin as a lath（ /læθ/n. 板条；瘦人） and as brown as a nut.”
当我们的车子辚辚地穿过伦敦热闹街道的时候，他很惊破地问我：“华生，你近来干些什么？看你面黄肌瘦，只剩了一把骨头了。”
I gave him a short sketch（ /skɛtʃ/n. 素描；略图；梗概） of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.（ /,destɪ’neɪʃ(ə)n/）
我把我的危险经历简单地对他叙述了一下。我的话还没有讲完，我们就到达了目的地。
“Poor devil!”（ /'dɛvl/n.冒失鬼） he said, commiseratingly（ 怜悯地）, after he had listened to my misfortunes（不幸）. “What are you up to now?”
“Looking for lodgings,”（ /'lɑdʒɪŋ/n.寄宿处） I answered. “Trying to solve the problem as to whether it is possible to get comfortable rooms at a reasonable price.”
他听完了我的不幸遭遇以后，怜悯地说：“可怜的家伙！你现在作何打算呢？”我回答说：“我想找个住处，打算租几间价钱不高而又舒适一些的房子，不知道这个问题能不能够解决。”
“That’s a strange thing,” remarked my companion; “you are the second man today that has used that expression to me.”
我的伙伴说：“这真是怪事，今天你是第二个对我说这样话的人了。”
“And who was the first?” I asked.
“A fellow who is working at the chemical laboratory（ /ˈlæbrəˌtɔrɪ/ n. 实验室，研究室） up at the hospital. He was bemoaning himself this morning because he could not get someone to go halves with him in some nice rooms which he had found, and which were too much for his purse.”
我问道：“头一个是谁？”
“是一个在医院化验室工作的。今天早晨他还在唉声叹气，因为他找到了几间好房子，但是，租金很贵，他一个人住不起，又找不到人跟他合租。”
“By Jove!” I cried; “if he really wants someone to share the rooms and the expense, I am the very man for him. I should prefer having a partner to being alone.”
我说：“好啊，如果他真的要找个人合住的话，我倒正是他要找的人。我觉得有个伴儿比独自一个儿住要好 的多。”
Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wineglass.“You don’t know Sherlock Holmes yet,” he said; “perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion.”
“Why, what is there against him?”
小斯坦弗从酒杯上很惊破地望着我，他说：“你还不知道歇洛克•福尔摩斯吧，否则你也许会不愿意和他作 一个长年相处的伙伴哩。”
“为什么，难道他有什么不好的地方吗？”
“Oh, I didn’t say there was anything against him. He is a little queer（ /kwɪr/ adj. 奇怪的） in his ideas–an enthusiast（ /ɪn’θuzɪæst/n. 爱好者，热心家） in some branches of science. As far as I know he is a decent（/'disnt/adj. 正派的） fellow enough.”
“A medical student, I suppose?” said I.
“哦，我不是说他有什么不好的地方。他只是思想上有些古怪而已——他老是孜孜不倦地在研究一些科学。
据我所知，他倒是个很正派的人。”
我说：“也许他是一个学医的吧？”
“No–I have no idea what he intends（打算） to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy（ /ə’nætəmi/n.解剖学）, and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far as I know, he has never taken out any systematic medical classes. His studies are very desultory（ /'des(ə)lt(ə)rɪ / adj. 断断续续的）and eccentric（/ɪk’sɛntrɪk/ n. 古怪的人）, but he has amassed （ /ə’mæs/ vt. 积聚，积累）a lot of out-of-the-way knowledge which would astonish his professors.
“不是，我一点也摸不清他在钻研些什么。我相信他精于解剖学，又是个第一流的药剂师。但是，据我了 解，他从来没有系统地学过医学。他所研究的东西非常杂乱，不成系统，并且也很离破；但是他却积累了不少 稀破古怪的知识，足以使他的教授都感到惊讶。”
“Did you never ask him what he was going in for?” I asked.
“No; he is not a man that it is easy to draw out, though he can be communicative enough when the fancy seizes him.”
我问道：“你从来没有问过他在钻研些什么吗？”
“没有，他是不轻易说出心里话的，虽然在他高兴的时候，他也是滔滔不绝地很爱说话。”