目 录 上一节 下一节 
在这一群茅屋的中心，紧挨河边，立着一幢上边几层悬在水上的大房子。这房子从前是一家什么工厂，当年也许曾经为附近居民提供过就业的机会，但早已成为废墟。老鼠，蛀虫，加上潮气的侵蚀，房屋的木桩已经烂掉，楼的很大一部分已经沉人水中，余下来的部分摇摇欲坠，伏在黑沉沉的水流上，好像是在等待一个适当的机会，跟随旧日同伴而去，接受同样的命运。 It was before this ruinous building that the worthy couple paused, as the first peal of distant thunder reverberated in the air, and the rain commenced pouring violently down. 这可敬的一对就是在这一座没落的大楼前边停了下来，这时远远的第一阵雷声在空中炸响了，大雨倾泻而下。 'The place should be somewhere here,' said Bumble, consulting a scrap of paper he held in his hand. “想必就在这附近什么地方。”邦布尔核对着手中的纸片，说道。 'Halloa there!' cried a voice from above. “喂！”一个声音从头上传来。 Following the sound, Mr. Bumble raised his head and descried a man looking out of a door, breast-high, on the second story. 顺着喊声，邦布尔先生抬起头来，发现有个男人正从二楼一扇门里探出身子张望。 
“稍等一会儿，”那声音大声叫道，“我这就来接你们。”说话间那个脑袋消失了，门也关上了。 'Is that the man?' asked Mr. Bumble's good lady. “是那个人吗？”邦布尔先生的贤内助问道。 Mr. Bumble nodded in the affirmative. 邦布尔先生肯定地点了点头。 'Then, mind what I told you,' said the matron: 'and be careful to say as little as you can, or you'll betray us at once.' “到时候，记住我跟你说的话，”女总管说，“尽量少开口，要不你一转眼就把我们的底给抖出去了。” Mr. Bumble, who had eyed the building with very rueful looks, was apparently about to express some doubts relative to the advisability of proceeding any further with the enterprise just then, when he was prevented by the appearance of Monks: w ho opened a small door, near which they stood, and beckoned them inwards. 邦布尔先生很是泄气地望着大楼，显然正打算就这档子事继续搞下去是否值得提出某些疑问，但他已经没有机会开口了。孟可司露面了，他打开一道就在他们旁边的小门，示意他们上里边去。 
“进来吧！”他很不耐烦地嚷着说，用脚跺了一下地面。“我可没闲功夫老呆在这儿。” The woman, who had hesitated at first, walked boldly in, without any other invitation. Mr. Bumble, who was ashamed or afraid to lag behind, followed: obviously very ill at ease and with scarcely any of that remarkable dignity which was usually his chief characteristic. 邦布尔太大先是迟疑了一下，接着不待对方进一步邀请，便大着胆子走了进去。邦布尔先生不好意思或者说是不敢掉在后边，紧跟着进去了，活脱脱一副六神无主的样子，他的主要特征本来是那种引人注目的威风，此时却简直难以找到一星半点。 'What the devil made you stand lingering there, in the wet?' said Monks, turning round, and addressing Bumble, after he had bolted the door behind them. “真是活见鬼，你怎么淋着雨在那儿逛荡？”孟可司在他们身后闩上门，回过头来，跟邦布尔搭话道。 'We--we were only cooling ourselves,' stammered Bumble, looking apprehensively about him. “我们--我们只是在凉快凉快。”邦布尔结结巴巴地说，一边提心吊胆地四下里乱看。 'Cooling yourselves!' retorted Monks. 'Not all the rain that ever fell, or ever will fall, will put as much of hell's fire out, as a man can carry about with him. You won't cool yourself so easily; don't think it!' “凉快凉快？”孟可司把他的话顶了回去。“没听说什么时候落下来的雨，或者将来下的雨，能浇灭人心头的欲望之火，正如浇不灭地狱之火一样。凉快凉快，没那么舒服，想都别想。” 
说罢这一番至理名言，孟可司骤然转向女总管，目光逼视着她，连从不轻易屈服的她也只得把眼光缩回去，转向地面。 'This is the woman, is it?' demanded Monks. “就是这位女士了，对吗？”孟可司问道。 'Hem! That is the woman,' replied Mr. Bumble, mindful of his wife's caution. “嗯嗯。是这位女士。”邦布尔牢记着太太的告诫，口答说。 'You think women never can keep secrets, I suppose?' said the matron, interposing, and returning, as she spoke, the searching look of Monks. “我猜想，你认为女人是绝对保守不住秘密的，是吗？”女总管插了进来，一边说，一边也用锐利的目光回敬孟可司。 'I know they will always keep ONE till it's found out,' said Monks. “我知道她们只有一件事能保住秘密，直到被人发现为止。”孟可司说。 
“那又是什么秘密呢？”女总管问。 'The loss of their own good name,' replied Monks. 'So, by the same rule, if a woman's a party to a secret that might hang or transport her, I'm not afraid of her telling it to anybody; not I! Do you understand, mistress?' “秘密就是她们失去了自个儿的好名声，”孟可司答道，“所以，根据同一条法则，假如一个女人介入了一个会把她送上绞刑架或是流放的秘密，我用不着担心她会告诉任何人，我不怕。你明白吗，夫人？” 'No,' rejoined the matron, slightly colouring as she spoke. “不明白。”女总管说话时脸有点发红。 'Of course you don't!' said Monks. 'How should you?' “你当然不明白。”孟可司说，“你怎么会明白？” Bestowing something half-way between a smile and a frown upon his two companions, and again beckoning them to follow him, the man hastened across the apartment, which was of considerable extent, but low in the roof. He was preparing to ascend a steep staircase, or rather ladder, leading to another floor of warehouses above: when a bright flash of lightning streamed down the aperture, and a peal of thunder followed, which shook the crazy building to its centre. 那人投向两个同伴的表情一半像是微笑，一半像是在皱眉头，又一次招手要他们跟上，便匆匆走过这间相当宽敞但屋顶低矮的房间。他正准备登上笔直的楼梯或者梯子什么的，到上边一层库房里去，一道雪亮的闪电从上边的窟窿里钻进来，接着就是一阵隆隆的雷声，这座本来就东倒西歪的大楼整个晃动起来。 
“听啊！”他往后一退，嚷了起来。“听啊！轰隆一声就下来了，好像是在大小魔头躲藏的无数个洞窟里齐声响起来的一样。我讨厌这声音。 He remained silent for a few moments; and then, removing his hands suddenly from his face, showed, to the unspeakable discomposure of Mr. Bumble, that it was much distorted and discoloured. 他沉默了一会儿，接着，突然将捂在脸上的双手拿开，邦布尔先生看见他的脸大变样，脸色也变了，自己心里真有说不出的烦躁。 'These fits come over me, now and then,' said Monks, observing his alarm; 'and thunder sometimes brings them on. Don't mind me now; it's all over for this once.' “我三天两头都要这么抽筋，”孟可司注意到了邦布尔先生惊恐的样子，便说道。“有的时候打雷也会引起。现在不用管我，这一次算是过去了。” Thus speaking, he led the way up the ladder; and hastily closing the window-shutter of the room into which it led, lowered a lantern which hung at the end of a rope and pulley passed through one of the heavy beams in the ceiling: and which cast a dim light upon an old table and three chairs that were placed beneath it. 他这么说着，带头登上梯子，来到一个房间。他手忙脚乱地把房间的窗板关上，又把挂在天花板下一根横梁上的滑轮升降灯拉下来，昏暗的灯光落在下边放着的一张旧桌子和三把椅子上。 'Now,' said Monks, when they had all three seated themselves, 'the sooner we come to our business, the better for all. The woman know what it is, does she?' “眼下，”三个人全都坐下来，孟可司说话了，“我们还是谈正事吧，这对大家都有好处。这位女士是不是知道谈什么？” 
问题是冲着邦布尔提出来的，可是他的夫人却抢先作了回答，说自己完全清楚要谈什么事。 'He is right in saying that you were with this hag the night she died; and that she told you something--' “他可是说了，那个丑八怪死的当晚，你跟她在一块儿，她告诉了你一件事--” 'About the mother of the boy you named,' replied the matron interrupting him. 'Yes.' “这事和你提到的那个孩子的母亲有关，”女总管打断了他的话，答道，“是有这么回事。” 'The first question is, of what nature was her communication?' said Monks. “头一个问题是，她谈的事属于什么性质？”孟可司说道。
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