名著·雾都孤儿 - 第124节


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  整个这段时间,他一次也没有背对尸体,是的,片刻也没有。一切部收拾好了,他退到门口,一边拉住狗,以免那畜生的爪子又一次沾上血迹,把新的罪证带到大街上。他轻轻地关门上锁,取下钥匙,离开了那所房子。

   He crossed over, and glanced up at the window, to be sure that nothing was visible from the outside. There was the curtain still drawn, which she would have opened to admit the light she never saw again. It lay nearly under there. HE knew that. God, how the sun poured down upon the very spot!

  他走到马路对面,抬头瞅了瞅那扇窗户,必须保证外面什么也看不出来。窗帘纹丝不动地垂挂着,她本想拉开窗帘,让屋里亮一些,可她再也看不到亮光了。尸体几乎就横躺在窗帘下边。这一点他是知道的。天啦,阳光怎么偏偏往那个地方倾泻。

   The glance was instantaneous. It was a relief to have got free of the room. He whistled on the dog, and walked rapidly away.

  这一瞥只是一刹那的功夫。谢天谢地,总算脱离了那个房间。他冲着狗打了一声口哨,快步走开了。

   He went through Islington; strode up the hill at Highgate on which stands the stone in honour of Whittington; turned down to Highgate Hill, unsteady of purpose, and uncertain where to go; struck off to the right again, almost as soon as he began to descend it; and taking the foot-path across the fields, skirted Caen Wood, and so came on Hampstead Heath. Traversing the hollow by the Vale of Heath, he mounted the opposite bank, and crossing the road which joins the villages of Hampstead and Highgate, made along the remaining portion of the heath to the fields at North End, in one of which he laid himself down under a hedge, and slept.

  他走过爱灵顿,大步朝高门山附近那座矗立着惠廷敦纪念碑的土坡走去,再到高门山。他一点主意没有,也不知道上哪儿去--刚一动身下山,便又朝右边插过去,抄小路穿过田野,绕过凯茵森林,来到汉普司泰德荒原。他涉过健康谷旁边的洼地,爬上对面的沙丘,横穿连接汉普司泰德和高门两处村庄的大道,沿着余下的一段荒原往北郊的田野走去,在田边一道篱笆底下躺下来,睡着了。

   Soon he was up again, and away,--not far into the country, but back towards London by the high-road--then back again--then over another part of the same ground as he already traversed--then wandering up and down in fields, and lying on ditches' brinks to rest, and starting up to make for some other spot, and do the same, and ramble on again.

  不多一会儿,他又起来,开始赶路--不是深入乡村,而是沿着大路返回伦敦--接着又倒回来--又从另一边朝他已经走过的那一带走去--时而在田野里游来荡去,时而躺在沟边歇一歇,时而又一跃而起,换一个地方躺下,随后又四处乱跑。

  上什么地方弄点吃的喝的呢,既要近便,又要人不太多?亨顿。那是个好去处,路不远,又不怎么当道。他决定到那边去--有时疾走飞奔,有时出于一种奇怪的逆反心理,像蜗牛一样磨磨蹭蹭,或者索性停下来,懒洋洋地用手杖在篱笆上敲敲打打。可是到了那个地方,他遇见的每一个人--连站在门口的小孩也一样--好像都拿出一副怀疑的目光瞅着他似的。他只得转过身,没有胆量去买点吃的喝的,尽管他已经好几个小时没吃东西了。他又一次在荒原上游荡开了,不知道该上哪儿去。

   He wandered over miles and miles of ground, and still came back to the old place. Morning and noon had passed, and the day was on the wane, and still he rambled to and fro, and up and down, and round and round, and still lingered about the same spot. At last he got away, and shaped his course for Hatfield.

  他游荡了不知多少里路,又回到了老地方,早晨与中午已经过去了,白昼即将结束,他仍在东游西荡,上坡下坡,兜了一圈又一圈,始终在原地徘徊。末了,他拔腿往海菲尔德方向走去。

   It was nine o'clock at night, when the man, quite tired out, and the dog, limping and lame from the unaccustomed exercise, turned down the hill by the church of the quiet village, and plodding along the little street, crept into a small public-house, whose scanty light had guided them to the spot. There was a fire in the tap-room, and some country-labourers were drinking before it.

  已经是夜里九点钟了,村子里一片宁静,那汉子浑身筋疲力尽,从教堂旁边的小山上走下来。狗也因少有这种训练走起来一瘸一拐。他们顺着狭窄的街道蹒跚而行,悄悄溜进一家小酒店,原来是店里暗淡的灯光将他们引到了这里。店堂里生着一炉火,有几个农民正围着火炉喝酒。

   They made room for the stranger, but he sat down in the furthest corner, and ate and drank alone, or rather with his dog: to whom he cast a morsel of food from time to time.

  他们替这位陌生人让出了一块地方,可他却在最远的角落里坐下来,独自吃喝,说得更确切一些,是和他的狗一起吃,他时不时地扔给那畜生一点儿吃的。

   The conversation of the men assembled here, turned upon the neighboring land, and farmers; and when those topics were exhausted, upon the age of some old man who had been buried on the previous Sunday; the young men present considering him very old, and the old men present declaring him to have been quite young--not older, one white-haired grandfather said, than he was--with ten or fifteen year of life in him at least--if he had taken care; if he had taken care.

  那几个聚在一块儿的人谈起了附近的土地与农民。这些话题说够了,又转而开始议论上礼拜天下葬的某个老头儿的岁数。在场的年轻人认为他很有一把年纪了,而几个老头子却宣称他还年轻呢--一位满头白发的老公公说,死者并不比自己年长--要是他好好保养,至少还可以活十年到十五年--要是好好保养的话。

  这个话题没有什么引人入胜或者说激起恐慌的内容。那强盗付了账,不声不响地坐在角落里,无人注意,差一点睡着了。就在这时,一位不速之客进门的嘈杂声将他的睡意多少赶走了一些。

   This was an antic fellow, half pedlar and half mountebank, who travelled about the country on foot to vend hones, stops, razors, washballs, harness-paste, medicine for dogs and horses, cheap perfumery, cosmetics, and such-like wares, which he carried in a case slung to his back. His entrance was the signal for various homely jokes with the countrymen, which slackened not until he had made his supper, and opened his box of treasures, when he ingeniously contrived to unite business with amusement.

  来者是一个喜欢插科打诨的小贩兼江湖骗子,背上挂着一口箱子,周游四乡,兜售磨刀石、磨刀皮带、剃刀、洗面水、马具粘合剂、治狗病和治马病的药、廉价香水、化妆品什么的。他一进店门,就跟几个乡下人有说有笑,无伤大雅地相互逗乐,等他吃饱喝足了,又来了个顺水推舟,打开百宝箱,一边开玩笑,一边做起了生意。

   'And what be that stoof? Good to eat, Harry?' asked a grinning countryman, pointing to some composition-cakes in one corner.

  “那是什么玩意儿?好吃不好吃,哈利?”一个乡下人嘻皮笑脸地指着箱子角落里的几块形状像糕点的东西问道。

   'This,' said the fellow, producing one, 'this is the infallible and invaluable composition for removing all sorts of stain, rust, dirt, mildew, spick, speck, spot, or spatter, from silk, satin, linen, cambrick, cloth, crape, stuff, carpet, merino, muslin, bombazeen, or woollen stuff. Wine-stains, fruit-stains, beer-stains, water-stains, paint-stains, pitch-stains, any stains, all come out at one rub with the infallible and invaluable composition. If a lady stains her honour, she has only need to swallow one cake and she's cured at once--for it's poison. If a gentleman wants to prove this, he has only need to bolt one little square, and he has put it beyond question--for it's quite as satisfactory as a pistol-bullet, and a great deal nastier in the flavour, consequently the more credit in taking it. One penny a square. With all these virtues, one penny a square!'

  “这个嘛,”那家伙拿起一块来,说道,“这就是那种百灵百验、物超所值的合成肥皂,专去各种丝绸、缎子、亚麻布、麻纱、棉布、绉纱、呢绒。毛毯、混纺织物、平纹细布、羊毛织品上的斑点、锈迹、污渍、霉点。任何迹印,不管是啤酒迹印、葡萄酒渍、水果渍、水渍、色斑,还是沥青迹印,用这种百灵百验、物超所值的合成肥皂,擦一下管保全部褪尽。若是哪位女士名誉上有了污点,只要吞一块下去,立刻药到病除--这可是毒药呢。如果哪一位绅士有心证明自己的清白,只需要咽一小块,从此名声就不成问题--因为这玩意儿简直跟手枪子弹一样令人称心如意,而且味道差了许多,结果当然是名声大振。一便士一块。有这么多的好处,只卖一便士一块。”

   There were two buyers directly, and more of the listeners plainly hesitated. The vendor observing this, increased in loquacity.

  当场便有了两位买主,更多的听众显然也动心了。小贩见此情形,叫得更起劲了。

  “这玩意儿一造出来,立刻抢购一空,”那家伙说道,“眼下有十四座水磨,六部蒸汽机,还有一组伏打电池,一直开足马力生产,还是供应不上。那些人可卖力了,累死了马上给寡妇发抚恤金,一个孩子每年二十镑,双胞胎五十镑。一便士一块啊。半便士的收两个也是一样,四分之一便士的四个就更欢迎了。一便士一块。专去各种酒类污渍、水果污渍、啤酒污渍、水渍、油漆、沥青、泥浆、血迹。在座一位先生帽子上就有一个迹印,他还没有来得及请我喝一品脱淡啤酒,我就已经擦掉它了。”

   'Hah!' cried Sikes starting up. 'Give that back.'

  “嗨!”赛克斯大叫一声,跳了起来,“把帽子还我。”

   'I'll take it clean out, sir,' replied the man, winking to the company, 'before you can come across the room to get it. Gentlemen all, observe the dark stain upon this gentleman's hat, no wider than a shilling, but thicker than a half-crown. Whether it is a wine-stain, fruit-stain, beer-stain, water-stain, paint-stain, pitch-stain, mud-stain, or blood-stain--'

  “先生,你还没来得及走到房间这边来拿帽子,”小贩朝众人挤了挤眼,答道,“我就可以把它擦得干干净净。各位先生注意了,这位先生帽子上有一块深色的迹印,大不过一个先令,却比一个半克朗硬币还要厚。不管是酒渍、水果渍、水渍、油漆、沥青、泥浆,还是血迹--”

   The man got no further, for Sikes with a hideous imprecation overthrew the table, and tearing the hat from him, burst out of the house.

  那人没能再说下去,因为赛克斯发出一声刺耳的咒骂,掀翻桌子,劈手夺过帽子,冲出酒店去了。

   With the same perversity of feeling and irresolution that had fastened upon him, despite himself, all day, the murderer, finding that he was not followed, and that they most probably considered him some drunken sullen fellow, turned back up the town, and getting out of the glare of the lamps of a stage-coach that was standing in the street, was walking past, when he recognised the mail from London, and saw that it was standing at the little post-office. He almost knew what was to come; but he crossed over, and listened.

  反常的精神状态,内心的举棋不定,是由不得这个凶手的,已经整整折磨了他一天。这时他发觉后面没有人追上来,人们顶多也就是把他当成一个憋着股子火气的醉汉罢了。他转身离开小镇。街上停着一辆邮车,他避开车灯的光亮走过去,认出这是伦敦开来的驿车,正停在那所小小的邮局前边。他差不多猜得到接下来会出现什么情况,却还是走到马路对面,凝神谛听着。

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名著·雾都孤儿 - 第124节