Either his hearers were not sincere, or else they had less power to aid him than they boasted.

要么他的听众并不真诚， 要么他们帮助他的能力不如他们吹嘘的那么大。

" It puzzles me to know why Mr. Briggs wrote to you about me; or how he knew you, or could fancy that you, living in such an out-of-the-way place, had the power to aid in my discovery" .

“我很想知道为什么布里格斯先生写信给你关于我的事；或者他是怎么认识你的，或者怎么会想像你，住在这样一个偏僻的地方，有能力帮助我发现” .