“I hardly expected that you would. (「君が出来るとはほとんど思っていなかった) Let me see if I can make it clearer. (もっとはっきりさせる事が出来るか考えさせてくれ) Most people, (多くの人々は) if you describe a train of events to them, (もし君が連続した出来事を話せば) will tell you what the result would be. (その結果がどうなるだろうかを言う事ができるだろう) They can put those events together in their minds, (彼らはそれらの出来事を心の中で繋ぎ合わせて) and argue from them that (それから主張する) something will come to pass. (何かが生じると) There are few people, however, who, (しかしこういう人間はほとんどいない) if you told them a result, (もし君が彼らに結果を話せば) would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness (自分に内在する意識から発展させる事ができる) what the steps were which led up to that result. (どんな段階がその結果に導いたかを) This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backward, or analytically.” (この能力が僕が逆向きの推理とか分析的と話した意味だ」)

“I understand,” (「なるほど」) said I. (私は言った)

“Now this was a case (「今回はこういう事件だ) in which you were given the result and (結果が与えられて) had to find everything else for yourself. (それ以外の全てを自分で見つけなければならないという) Now let me endeavour to show you (何とかして君に示そう) the different steps in my reasoning. (僕の推理の一つ一つを) To begin at the beginning. (最初から始めよう) I approached the house, (僕は家に近寄った) as you know, on foot, (知っているように、徒歩で) and with my mind entirely free from all impressions. (あらゆる刷り込みから完全に自由な心で) I naturally began by examining the roadway, (僕は自然に車道を調べる事から始めた) and there, (そしてそこで) as I have already explained to you, (僕が既に説明していたように) I saw clearly the marks of a cab, (僕ははっきりと辻馬車の跡を見た) which, (それは) I ascertained by inquiry, (僕は調査して確認したが) must have been there during the night. (夜の間に来たに違いなかった) I satisfied myself that (僕は確信した) it was a cab and not a private carriage (それが辻馬車で自家用馬車でない事を) by the narrow gauge of the wheels. (車輪の幅が狭い事で) The ordinary London growler (ロンドンの一般のグローラーは) is considerably less wide than a gentleman’s brougham. (民間のブロアムよりもかなり幅が狭い」)