柳林風聲：Toad's Adventures 蟾蜍歷險記

When Toad found himself immured in a dank and noisome dungeon, and knew that all the grim darkness of a medieval fortress lay between him and the outer world of sunshine and well-metalled high roads where he had lately been so happy, disporting himself as if he had bought up every road in England, he flung himself at full length on the floor, and shed bitter tears, and abandoned himself to dark despair. ‘This is the end of everything’ (he said), ‘at least it is the end of the career of Toad, which is the same thing; the popular and handsome Toad, the rich and hospitable Toad, the Toad so free and careless and debonair! How can I hope to be ever set at large again’ (he said), ‘who have been imprisoned so justly for stealing so handsome a motor-car in such an audacious manner, and for such lurid and imaginative cheek, bestowed upon such a number of fat, red-faced policemen!’ (Here his sobs choked him.) ‘Stupid animal that I was’ (he said), ‘now I must languish in this dungeon, till people who were proud to say they knew me, have forgotten the very name of Toad! O wise old Badger!’ (he said), ‘O clever, intelligent Rat and sensible Mole! What sound judgments, what a knowledge of men and matters you possess! O unhappy and forsaken Toad!’ With lamentations such as these he passed his days and nights for several weeks, refusing his meals or intermediate light refreshments, though the grim and ancient gaoler, knowing that Toad’s pockets were well lined, frequently pointed out that many comforts, and indeed luxuries, could by arrangement be sent in—at a price—from outside.

蟾蜍被關(guān)進了一個陰森森臭哄哄的地牢，他知道，一座暗無天日的中世紀城堡，把他和外面的世界隔絕開來了。外面那個世界，陽光燦爛，碎石子道路縱橫交錯，前不久，他還在那兒盡情玩樂，好不快活，就像全英國的道路都被他買下了似的。想到這，他一頭撲倒在地上，流著辛酸的淚，完全陷入了絕望。“一切的一切全完啦，”他哀嘆道，“至少是，蟾蜍的前途完啦，反正是一樣。那個名聲顯赫、漂亮體面的蟾蜍，富有好客的蟾蜍，自由自在、無憂無慮、溫文爾雅的蟾蜍，完啦!我膽大妄為，偷了人家一輛漂亮汽車，又厚著臉皮，粗暴無禮，對一大幫紅臉膛的胖警察胡說八道，坐牢是我罪有應(yīng)得，哪還有獲釋的希望!”抽泣噎住了他的喉嚨，“我真蠢哪，現(xiàn)在，我只有在這個地牢里苦熬歲月。有一天，那些曾經(jīng)以認識我為榮的人，連我蟾蜍的名字都給忘了!老獾多明智呀，河鼠多機靈呀，鼴鼠多懂事呀!你們的判斷多么正確!你們看人看事，多透徹呀!唉，我這個不幸的、孤苦無依的蟾蜍喲!”他就這樣晝夜不停地哀嘆，一連過了好幾個星期，不肯吃飯，也不肯吃點心。那位板著面孔的老獄卒知道他的口袋里裝滿了錢，一個勁兒提醒他，只要肯出價，就能為他從監(jiān)獄外面搞到許多好東西，甚至還有奢侈品，可他硬是什么都不吃。

Now the gaoler had a daughter, a pleasant wench and good-hearted, who assisted her father in the lighter duties of his post. She was particularly fond of animals, and, besides her canary, whose cage hung on a nail in the massive wall of the keep by day, to the great annoyance of prisoners who relished an after-dinner nap, and was shrouded in an antimacassar on the parlour table at night, she kept several piebald mice and a restless revolving squirrel. This kind-hearted girl, pitying the misery of Toad, said to her father one day, ‘Father! I can’t bear to see that poor beast so unhappy, and getting so thin! You let me have the managing of him. You know how fond of animals I am. I’ll make him eat from my hand, and sit up, and do all sorts of things.’

卻說，這獄卒有個女兒，她是位心腸慈善的可愛姑娘。在監(jiān)獄里幫著父親干點輕便雜活。她特別喜歡動物，養(yǎng)著一只金絲雀，鳥籠子每天就掛在厚厚的城堡墻上一只釘子上。鳥的鳴唱，吵得那些想在午飯后打個盹兒的犯人苦惱不堪。夜晚，鳥籠就用布罩罩著，放在廳里的桌子上。她還養(yǎng)著幾只花斑鼠，和一只不停地轉(zhuǎn)著圈兒的松鼠。這位好心的姑娘很同情蟾蜍的悲慘處境。有一天，她對父親說：“爹!我實在不忍心看著這只可憐的動物那么受罪，您瞧他多瘦呀。您讓我來管他吧。您知道，我是多么喜歡動物。我要親手喂他東西吃，讓他坐起來，干各種各樣的事。”

Her father replied that she could do what she liked with him. He was tired of Toad, and his sulks and his airs and his meanness. So that day she went on her errand of mercy, and knocked at the door of Toad’s cell.

她父親回答說，她愿意拿蟾蜍怎么辦都可以，因為他已經(jīng)煩透了蟾蜍。他討厭他那副陰陽怪氣、裝腔作勢的卑劣相。于是有一天，她就敲開蟾蜍囚室的門，去做行善的事。

‘Now, cheer up, Toad,’ she said, coaxingly, on entering, ‘and sit up and dry your eyes and be a sensible animal. And do try and eat a bit of dinner. See, I’ve brought you some of mine, hot from the oven!’

“好啦。蟾蜍，打起精神來，”她一進門就說，“坐起來，擦干眼淚，做個懂事的動物。試試看，吃口飯吧。瞧，我給你拿來一點我的飯菜，剛出爐的，還熱著吶。”

It was bubble-and-squeak, between two plates, and its fragrance filled the narrow cell. The penetrating smell of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry, and deeds still to be done; of broad meadows, and cattle browsing in them, raked by sun and wind; of kitchen-gardens, and straight herb-borders, and warm snap-dragon beset by bees; and of the comforting clink of dishes set down on the table at Toad Hall, and the scrape of chair-legs on the floor as every one pulled himself close up to his work. The air of the narrow cell took a rosy tinge; he began to think of his friends, and how they would surely be able to do something; of lawyers, and how they would have enjoyed his case, and what an ass he had been not to get in a few; and lastly, he thought of his own great cleverness and resource, and all that he was capable of if he only gave his great mind to it; and the cure was almost complete.

這是用兩只盤子扣著的一份土豆加卷心菜，香氣四溢，充滿了狹小的牢房。蟾蜍正慘兮兮地伸開四肢躺在地上，卷心菜那股濃烈的香味鉆進了他的鼻孔，一時間使他感到，生活也許還不像他想象的那樣空虛絕望。不過，他還是悲傷地哭個沒完，踢蹬著兩腿，不理會她的安慰。聰明的姑娘暫時退了出去，不過當然，她帶來的熱菜的香氣還留在牢房里。蟾蜍一邊抽泣，一邊用鼻子聞，同時心里想著，漸漸地想到了一些使他激動的新念頭，想到俠義行為，想到詩歌，還有那些等著他去完成的業(yè)績;想到廣闊的草地，陽光下，微風里，在草地上吃草的牛羊;想到菜園子，整齊的花壇，被蜜蜂團團圍住的暖融融的金魚草;還想到蟾宮里餐桌上碗碟那悅耳的丁當聲，和人們拉攏椅子就餐時椅子腳擦著地板的聲音。狹小的囚室里的空氣仿佛呈現(xiàn)出玫瑰色。他想起了自己的朋友們，他們準會設(shè)法營救他的;他想到律師，他們一定會對他的案子感興趣的。他是多么愚蠢，當時為什么不請幾位律師。末了，他想到自己原是絕頂聰明，足智多謀，只要肯動動自己那偉大的腦筋，世間萬事他都能辦到。想到這里，所有的苦惱幾乎一掃而光了。

When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender; of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries. Toad sat up on end once more, dried his eyes, sipped his tea and munched his toast, and soon began talking freely about himself, and the house he lived in, and his doings there, and how important he was, and what a lot his friends thought of him.

幾個鐘頭以后，姑娘又回來了。她端著一個托盤。盤里放著一杯冒著熱氣的香茶，還有堆得老高的一盤熱騰騰的黃油烤面包。面包片切得厚厚的，兩面都烤得焦黃，熔化的黃油順著面包的孔眼直往下滴，變成金黃色的大油珠，象蜂巢里淌出來的蜜。黃油烤面包的氣味，簡直在向蟾蜍講話，說得清清楚楚，半點不含糊。它講到暖融融的廚房，明亮的霜晨的早餐;講到冬日黃昏漫游歸來，穿拖鞋的腳擱在爐架上，向著一爐舒適的旺火;講到心滿意足的貓兒打著呼嚕，昏昏欲睡的金絲雀在啁啾。蟾蜍又一次坐起身來，抹去眼淚，啜起了茶，嚼開了烤面包，無拘無束地對姑娘談起了他自己，他的房子，他在那里都干些什么，他是一位何等顯要的人物，他的朋友們多么敬重他。

The gaoler’s daughter saw that the topic was doing him as much good as the tea, as indeed it was, and encouraged him to go on.

獄卒的女兒看到，這個話題像茶點一樣，對蟾蜍大有裨益，就鼓勵他說下去。

‘Tell me about Toad Hall,’ said she. ‘It sounds beautiful.’

“給我說說你的蟾宮吧，”她說。“看來那是個美麗的地方。”

‘Toad Hall,’ said the Toad proudly, ‘is an eligible self-contained gentleman’s residence very unique; dating in part from the fourteenth century, but replete with every modern convenience. Up-to-date sanitation. Five minutes from church, post-office, and golf-links, Suitable for----‘

“蟾宮嘛，”蟾蜍驕傲地說，“是一所合格的獨門獨戶的紳士住宅。它別具一格，一部分是在14世紀建成的，不過現(xiàn)在安裝了頂方便的現(xiàn)代化設(shè)施。有最新款式的衛(wèi)生設(shè)備。離教堂、郵局、高爾夫球場都很近，只消走五分鐘就到。適合于——”

‘Bless the animal,’ said the girl, laughing, ‘I don’t want to TAKE it. Tell me something REAL about it. But first wait till I fetch you some more tea and toast.’

“上天保佑你這動物，”姑娘大笑著說。“我又不打算買下它。給我講講房子的具體情況吧。不過先等一下，我再給你拿點茶和烤面包來。”

She tripped away, and presently returned with a fresh trayful; and Toad, pitching into the toast with avidity, his spirits quite restored to their usual level, told her about the boathouse, and the fish-pond, and the old walled kitchen-garden; and about the pig-styes, and the stables, and the pigeon-house, and the hen-house; and about the dairy, and the wash-house, and the china-cupboards, and the linen-presses (she liked that bit especially); and about the banqueting-hall, and the fun they had there when the other animals were gathered round the table and Toad was at his best, singing songs, telling stories, carrying on generally. Then she wanted to know about his animal-friends, and was very interested in all he had to tell her about them and how they lived, and what they did to pass their time. Of course, she did not say she was fond of animals as PETS, because she had the sense to see that Toad would be extremely offended. When she said good night, having filled his water-jug and shaken up his straw for him, Toad was very much the same sanguine, self-satisfied animal that he had been of old. He sang a little song or two, of the sort he used to sing at his dinner-parties, curled himself up in the straw, and had an excellent night’s rest and the pleasantest of dreams.

她一溜小跑走開、很快又端來一盤吃的。蟾蜍貪饞地一頭扎進烤面包，情緒多少恢復(fù)過來。他給她講他的船倉、魚塘、圍墻里的菜園;講他的豬圈、馬廄、鴿房、雞舍;講他的牛奶棚、洗衣房、瓷器柜、熨衣板(這玩意她特喜歡);講他的宴會廳，他怎樣招待別的動物圍坐餐桌旁，而他蟾蜍如何意氣風發(fā)，神采飛揚。又唱歌。又講故事，諸如此類。然后，她又要他談他的動物朋友們的情況，津津有味地聽他講他們怎樣過活，怎樣娛樂消遣，一切一切。當然，她沒有說她是把動物當寵物來喜愛，因為她知道那會使蟾蜍大為反感。末了，她給他把水罐盛滿，把鋪草抖松，向他道了晚安。這時，他已經(jīng)恢復(fù)到原先那個沾沾自喜、洋洋得意的蟾蜍了。他唱了一兩支小曲兒，就是他過去在宴會上常唱的那種歌，蜷曲著身子躺在稻草里，美美地睡了一夜，還做了許多頂愉快的好夢。

They had many interesting talks together, after that, as the dreary days went on; and the gaoler’s daughter grew very sorry for Toad, and thought it a great shame that a poor little animal should be locked up in prison for what seemed to her a very trivial offence. Toad, of course, in his vanity, thought that her interest in him proceeded from a growing tenderness; and he could not help half-regretting that the social gulf between them was so very wide, for she was a comely lass, and evidently admired him very much.

打那以后，沉悶的日子過了一天又一天，他們經(jīng)常在一起談得很投機。獄卒的女兒越來越替蟾蜍抱不平，她覺得，這么一只可憐的小動物，為了一件微不足道的過失，就給關(guān)在監(jiān)牢里，太不應(yīng)該了。蟾蜍呢，他的虛榮心又抬頭了，以為她關(guān)心自己，是出于對自己滋生了戀情。只是他認為，他倆之間社會地位太懸殊，他不能不為此感到遺憾，因為她是個挺招人喜歡的小妞兒，而且顯然對他一往情深。

One morning the girl was very thoughtful, and answered at random, and did not seem to Toad to be paying proper attention to his witty sayings and sparkling comments.

有天早上，那女孩像是有心事似的，回答他的問題時有點心不在焉。蟾蜍覺得。他那連篇的機智妙語和才氣橫溢的評論，并沒引起她應(yīng)有的注意。

‘Toad,’ she said presently, ‘just listen, please. I have an aunt who is a washerwoman.’

“蟾蜍，”她開門見山地說。“你仔細聽著。我有個姑母，是個洗衣婦”

‘There, there,’ said Toad, graciously and affably, ‘never mind; think no more about it. I have several aunts who OUGHT to be washerwomen.’

“好啦。好啦，”蟾蜍溫文和藹地說，“這沒關(guān)系，別去想它啦。我也有好幾位姑母，本來都要做洗衣婦的。”

‘Do be quiet a minute, Toad,’ said the girl. ‘You talk too much, that’s your chief fault, and I’m trying to think, and you hurt my head. As I said, I have an aunt who is a washerwoman; she does the washing for all the prisoners in this castle—we try to keep any paying business of that sort in the family, you understand. She takes out the washing on Monday morning, and brings it in on Friday evening. This is a Thursday. Now, this is what occurs to me: you’re very rich—at least you’re always telling me so—and she’s very poor. A few pounds wouldn’t make any difference to you, and it would mean a lot to her. Now, I think if she were properly approached—squared, I believe is the word you animals use—you could come to some arrangement by which she would let you have her dress and bonnet and so on, and you could escape from the castle as the official washerwoman. You’re very alike in many respects—particularly about the figure.’

“蟾蜍，你安靜一會兒好不好，”那女孩說。“你太多嘴多舌了，這是你的大毛病。我正在考慮一個問題，你攪亂我的思路。我剛才說，我有位姑母，她是個洗衣婦。她替這所監(jiān)獄里所有的犯人洗衣服——我們照例總把這類來錢的活兒留給自家人，這你明白。她每星期一上午把要洗的衣服取走。星期五傍晚把洗好的衣服送回來。今兒是星期四。你瞧，我想到這么個招兒：你很有錢——至少你老是這樣對我說——而她很窮。幾鎊錢，對你來說不算回事，可對她卻大有用場。要是多多少少打點打點她——也就是你們動物常說的，籠絡(luò)籠絡(luò)她，我想，你們也許可以做成一筆交易：她讓你穿上她的衣裳，戴上她的布帽什么的。你呢，裝扮成專職洗衣婦，就可以混出監(jiān)獄。你們倆有許多地方挺相像——特別是身材差不多。”

‘We’re NOT,’ said the Toad in a huff. ‘I have a very elegant figure— for what I am.’

“我和她根本不相像，”蟾蜍沒好氣地說。“我身材多優(yōu)美呀——就蟾蜍而言。”

‘So has my aunt,’ replied the girl, ‘for what SHE is. But have it your own way. You horrid, proud, ungrateful animal, when I’m sorry for you, and trying to help you!’

“我姑母也一樣——就洗衣婦而言。”女孩說：“隨你的便。你這個可惡的、驕傲的、忘恩負義的東西!我還為你難過，想幫你一把哩!”

‘Yes, yes, that’s all right; thank you very much indeed,’ said the Toad hurriedly. ‘But look here! you wouldn’t surely have Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, going about the country disguised as a washerwoman!’

“好，好，沒關(guān)系;多謝你的好意啦，”蟾蜍連忙說。“不過，問題是，你總不能讓蟾宮的蟾蜍先生裝成洗衣婦，滿世界跑吧!”

‘Then you can stop here as a Toad,’ replied the girl with much spirit. ‘I suppose you want to go off in a coach-and-four!’

“那你就老老實實呆在這兒，當你的蟾蜍去吧。”女孩怒沖沖地說。“我看，你大概是想坐上四匹馬拉的車出去吧!”

Honest Toad was always ready to admit himself in the wrong. ‘You are a good, kind, clever girl,’ he said, ‘and I am indeed a proud and a stupid toad. Introduce me to your worthy aunt, if you will be so kind, and I have no doubt that the excellent lady and I will be able to arrange terms satisfactory to both parties.’

誠實的蟾蜍總是樂于認錯的，他說：“你是一位善良、聰明的好姑娘，我確實是只又驕傲又愚蠢的蟾蜍。請多關(guān)照，把我介紹給你尊敬的姑母吧。我相信，令姑母大人和在下一定能達成雙方都滿意的協(xié)議。”

Next evening the girl ushered her aunt into Toad’s cell, bearing his week’s washing pinned up in a towel. The old lady had been prepared beforehand for the interview, and the sight of certain gold sovereigns that Toad had thoughtfully placed on the table in full view practically completed the matter and left little further to discuss. In return for his cash, Toad received a cotton print gown, an apron, a shawl, and a rusty black bonnet; the only stipulation the old lady made being that she should be gagged and bound and dumped down in a corner. By this not very convincing artifice, she explained, aided by picturesque fiction which she could supply herself, she hoped to retain her situation, in spite of the suspicious appearance of things.

第二天傍晚，女孩把她的姑母領(lǐng)進蟾蜍的牢房，還帶上本周要洗的衣服，用毛巾包好，別針別住。這次會見，事先已經(jīng)向老太太打過招呼，而蟾蜍又細心周到地把一些金幣放在桌上顯眼的地方，于是談判馬到成功，無需多費唇舌。蟾蜍的金幣換來了一件印花棉布裙衫、一條圍裙、一條大圍巾，還有一頂褪了色的黑布女帽。老太太提出的唯一條件，就是把她的嘴堵上，捆綁起來，扔在墻角。她解釋說，憑著這樣一種不太可信的偽裝，加上她自己編造的一套有聲有色的情節(jié)，她希望能保住自己的飯碗，盡管事情顯得十分可疑。

Toad was delighted with the suggestion. It would enable him to leave the prison in some style, and with his reputation for being a desperate and dangerous fellow untarnished; and he readily helped the gaoler’s daughter to make her aunt appear as much as possible the victim of circumstances over which she had no control.

蟾蜍欣然接受了這個建議。這能使他多少氣派地離開監(jiān)獄，而不辱沒他那個危險的亡命之徒的英名。于是他很樂意地幫助獄卒的女兒，把她的姑母盡量偽裝成一個身不由己的受害者。

‘Now it’s your turn, Toad,’ said the girl. ‘Take off that coat and waistcoat of yours; you’re fat enough as it is.’

“現(xiàn)在，蟾蜍，該輪到你了，”女孩說。“脫掉你身上的外衣和馬甲;你已經(jīng)夠胖的了。”

Shaking with laughter, she proceeded to ‘hook-and-eye’ him into the cotton print gown, arranged the shawl with a professional fold, and tied the strings of the rusty bonnet under his chin.

她一面笑得前仰后合，一面動手給他穿上印花棉布裙衫，緊緊地扣上領(lǐng)扣，披上大圍巾，打了一個符合洗衣婦身份的褶，又把褪色的女帽的帶子系在下巴底下。

‘You’re the very image of her,’ she giggled, ‘only I’m sure you never looked half so respectable in all your life before. Now, good-bye, Toad, and good luck. Go straight down the way you came up; and if any one says anything to you, as they probably will, being but men, you can chaff back a bit, of course, but remember you’re a widow woman, quite alone in the world, with a character to lose.’

“你跟她簡直一模一樣了，”她格格笑著說，“只是我敢說，你這輩子還從沒這么體面過。好啦，蟾蜍，再見吧，祝你好運。順著你進來時的路一直走;要是有人跟你搭訕——他們很可能會的，因為他們都是男人嘛——你當然也可以跟他們打打趣兒，不過要記住，你是一位寡婦，孤身一人在世上過活，可不能丟了名聲呀。”

With a quaking heart, but as firm a footstep as he could command, Toad set forth cautiously on what seemed to be a most hare-brained and hazardous undertaking; but he was soon agreeably surprised to find how easy everything was made for him, and a little humbled at the thought that both his popularity, and the sex that seemed to inspire it, were really another’s. The washerwoman’s squat figure in its familiar cotton print seemed a passport for every barred door and grim gateway; even when he hesitated, uncertain as to the right turning to take, he found himself helped out of his difficulty by the warder at the next gate, anxious to be off to his tea, summoning him to come along sharp and not keep him waiting there all night. The chaff and the humourous sallies to which he was subjected, and to which, of course, he had to provide prompt and effective reply, formed, indeed, his chief danger; for Toad was an animal with a strong sense of his own dignity, and the chaff was mostly (he thought) poor and clumsy, and the humour of the sallies entirely lacking. However, he kept his temper, though with great difficulty, suited his retorts to his company and his supposed character, and did his best not to overstep the limits of good taste.

蟾蜍揣著一顆怦怦亂跳的心，邁著盡可能堅定的步子，小心翼翼地走出牢房，開始一場看來最輕率最風險的行動。不過，他很快就驚喜地發(fā)現(xiàn)，道道關(guān)卡都一帆風順地通過了。可是一想到他的這份好人緣，以及造成這種好人緣的性別，實際上都是另外一個人的，又不免多少感到屈辱。洗衣婦的矮胖身材，她身上那件人們熟悉的印花布衫，對每扇上了閂的小門和森嚴的大門，仿佛都是一張通行證。甚至在他左右為難，不知該往哪邊拐時，下一道門的衛(wèi)兵就會幫他擺脫困境，高聲招呼他快些過去。因為那衛(wèi)兵急著要去喝茶，不愿整夜在那兒等著。主要的危險，倒是他們拿俏皮話跟他搭訕，他自然不能不當機立斷作出恰如其分的回答。因為蟾蜍是個自尊心很強的動物，他們的那些打渾逗趣，他認為多數(shù)都很無聊笨拙，毫無幽默感可言。不過，費了很大勁，總算耐下性子，使自己的回答適合對方和他喬裝的人物的身份，情趣高雅而不出格。

It seemed hours before he crossed the last courtyard, rejected the pressing invitations from the last guardroom, and dodged the outspread arms of the last warder, pleading with simulated passion for just one farewell embrace. But at last he heard the wicket-gate in the great outer door click behind him, felt the fresh air of the outer world upon his anxious brow, and knew that he was free!

仿佛過了好幾個鐘頭，他才穿過最后一個院子，辭謝了最后一間警衛(wèi)室里盛情的邀請;躲開了最后一名看守佯裝要和他擁抱訣別而伸出的雙臂。最后，他終于聽到監(jiān)獄大門上的便門在他身后咔噠一聲關(guān)上了，感到外面世界的新鮮空氣吹拂在他焦慮的額上，他知道，他自由了!

Dizzy with the easy success of his daring exploit, he walked quickly towards the lights of the town, not knowing in the least what he should do next, only quite certain of one thing, that he must remove himself as quickly as possible from the neighbourhood where the lady he was forced to represent was so well-known and so popular a character.

這次大膽的冒臉，這樣輕而易舉就獲得了成功，使得他頭腦發(fā)暈。他朝鎮(zhèn)里的燈光快步走去，絲毫不知道下一步該怎么辦，腦子里只有一個念頭，就是必須盡快離開鄰近地區(qū)，因為他被迫裝扮的那位太太，在這一帶是人人熟識和喜歡的一個人物。

As he walked along, considering, his attention was caught by some red and green lights a little way off, to one side of the town, and the sound of the puffing and snorting of engines and the banging of shunted trucks fell on his ear. ‘Aha!’ he thought, ‘this is a piece of luck! A railway station is the thing I want most in the whole world at this moment; and what’s more, I needn’t go through the town to get it, and shan’t have to support this humiliating character by repartees which, though thoroughly effective, do not assist one’s sense of self-respect.’

他邊走邊想，忽然注意到，不遠處，在鎮(zhèn)子的一側(cè)，有一些紅綠燈在閃爍，機車的噴氣聲，車輛進岔道的撞擊聲，也傳進了他的耳朵。“啊哈!”他想，“真走運!這會兒，火車站是我在世上最渴望的東西;而且，到火車站去不需要穿過鎮(zhèn)子，用不著再裝扮這個丟人現(xiàn)眼的角色，用不著再花言巧語跟人周旋了，盡管那很管用，可有損一個人的尊嚴。”

He made his way to the station accordingly, consulted a time-table, and found that a train, bound more or less in the direction of his home, was due to start in half-an-hour. ‘More luck!’ said Toad, his spirits rising rapidly, and went off to the booking-office to buy his ticket.

他徑直來到火車站，看了看行車時刻表，看到有一趟大致開往他家那個方向的車，半小時以后就開車。“又交上好運啦!”蟾蜍說，他來了精神頭，到售票處去買票。

He gave the name of the station that he knew to be nearest to the village of which Toad Hall was the principal feature, and mechanically put his fingers, in search of the necessary money, where his waistcoat pocket should have been. But here the cotton gown, which had nobly stood by him so far, and which he had basely forgotten, intervened, and frustrated his efforts. In a sort of nightmare he struggled with the strange uncanny thing that seemed to hold his hands, turn all muscular strivings to water, and laugh at him all the time; while other travellers, forming up in a line behind, waited with impatience, making suggestions of more or less value and comments of more or less stringency and point. At last—somehow—he never rightly understood how—he burst the barriers, attained the goal, arrived at where all waistcoat pockets are eternally situated, and found—not only no money, but no pocket to hold it, and no waistcoat to hold the pocket!

他報了離蟾宮最近的車站的名稱。他本能地把手伸進馬甲的兜里去掏錢。那件棉布衫，直到這一刻一直在忠實地為他效勞，他卻忘恩負義，把它忘掉了?，F(xiàn)在這件衣裳橫插一手，阻礙他掏錢。像做惡夢似的，他拼命撕扯那怪東西，可那東西仿佛抓牢了他的手，還不住地嘲笑他，使他耗盡全身的力氣而不能得逞。其他旅客在他后面排成長隊，等得不耐煩了，向他提出有用或沒用的建議，或輕或重的批評。末末了，不知怎么搞的——他也鬧不清是怎么回事——他突破了重重障礙，終于摸到了他素來裝錢的地方，不料卻發(fā)現(xiàn)，非但沒有錢，連裝錢的口袋也沒有，甚至連裝口袋的馬甲也沒啦!

To his horror he recollected that he had left both coat and waistcoat behind him in his cell, and with them his pocket-book, money, keys, watch, matches, pencil-case—all that makes life worth living, all that distinguishes the many-pocketed animal, the lord of creation, from the inferior one-pocketed or no-pocketed productions that hop or trip about permissively, unequipped for the real contest.

他驚恐萬分，想起他把他的外衣和馬甲，連同他的錢包、錢、鑰匙、表、火柴、鉛筆盒，一切的一切，全都丟在地牢里了。正是這些東酉，使一個人活得有價值，使一個擁有許多口袋的動物、造物的寵兒。有別于只擁有一個口袋或根本沒有口袋的低等動物，他們只配湊合著蹦蹦跳跳，卻沒有資格參加真正的競賽。

In his misery he made one desperate effort to carry the thing off, and, with a return to his fine old manner—a blend of the Squire and the College Don—he said, ‘Look here! I find I’ve left my purse behind. Just give me that ticket, will you, and I’ll send the money on to-morrow? I’m well-known in these parts.’

他狼狽不堪，只得孤注一擲。他又擺出自己原有的優(yōu)雅風度——一種鄉(xiāng)村紳士和名牌大學(xué)院長兼有的氣派——說：“唉!我忘帶錢包啦，請把票給我好嗎?明天我就差人把錢送來。在這一帶我是知名人士。”

The clerk stared at him and the rusty black bonnet a moment, and then laughed. ‘I should think you were pretty well known in these parts,’ he said, ‘if you’ve tried this game on often. Here, stand away from the window, please, madam; you’re obstructing the other passengers!’

售票員把他和他那頂褪色的黑布女帽盯了片刻，然后哈哈大笑說：“我相信你在這一帶定會出名的，要是你老耍這套鬼花招。聽著，太太，請你離開窗口，你妨礙別的旅客買票!”

An old gentleman who had been prodding him in the back for some moments here thrust him away, and, what was worse, addressed him as his good woman, which angered Toad more than anything that had occurred that evening.

一位老紳士已經(jīng)在他后背戳了好一陣子，這時干脆把他推到一邊，更不像話的是，竟管蟾蜍叫他的好太太，這比那晚發(fā)生的任何事都更令他惱火。

Baffled and full of despair, he wandered blindly down the platform where the train was standing, and tears trickled down each side of his nose. It was hard, he thought, to be within sight of safety and almost of home, and to be baulked by the want of a few wretched shillings and by the pettifogging mistrustfulness of paid officials. Very soon his escape would be discovered, the hunt would be up, he would be caught, reviled, loaded with chains, dragged back again to prison and bread-and-water and straw; his guards and penalties would be doubled; and O, what sarcastic remarks the girl would make! What was to be done? He was not swift of foot; his figure was unfortunately recognisable. Could he not squeeze under the seat of a carriage? He had seen this method adopted by schoolboys, when the journey-money provided by thoughtful parents had been diverted to other and better ends. As he pondered, he found himself opposite the engine, which was being oiled, wiped, and generally caressed by its affectionate driver, a burly man with an oil-can in one hand and a lump of cotton-waste in the other.

他一肚子委屈，滿心的懊喪，漫無目的地沿著火車?？康脑屡_往前走，眼淚順著兩腮滾落下來。他心想，眼看就要到手的安全和歸家，想不到只因為缺少幾個臭錢，因為車站辦事員吹毛求疵，故意刁難。就全告吹了，多倒霉喲。他逃跑的事很快就會被發(fā)現(xiàn)。跟著就是追捕，被抓住;受辱罵，戴上鐐銬，拖回監(jiān)獄，又回到那面包加白水加稻草地鋪的苦日子。他會加倍受到看管和刑罰。哎呀，那姑娘該怎樣嘲笑他啊!可他天生不是個飛毛腿，跑不快，他的體形又很容易被人辨認出來。怎么辦?能不能藏在車廂座位底下呢?他見過一些小學(xué)生，把關(guān)懷備至的父母給的車錢全都花在別的用途上，就用這辦法混車，他是不是也能如法炮制?他一邊合計著，不覺已走到一輛機車跟前。一位壯實的司機，一手拿著油壺，一手摸著塊棉紗團，正備加愛護地給機車擦拭，上油。

‘Hullo, mother!’ said the engine-driver, ‘what’s the trouble? You don’t look particularly cheerful.’

“你好，大娘!”司機說，“遇到麻煩了嗎?你像是不大高興。”

‘O, sir!’ said Toad, crying afresh, ‘I am a poor unhappy washerwoman, and I’ve lost all my money, and can’t pay for a ticket, and I must get home to-night somehow, and whatever I am to do I don’t know. O dear, O dear!’

“唉，先生，”蟾蜍說，又哭了起來，“我是個不幸的窮洗衣婦，所有的錢都丟失了，沒錢買火車票，可我今晚非趕回家不可，不知道咋辦才好。老天爺呀!”

‘That’s a bad business, indeed,’ said the engine-driver reflectively. ‘Lost your money—and can’t get home—and got some kids, too, waiting for you, I dare say?’

“太糟了，”司機思忖著說。“錢丟了——回不了家——家里還有幾個孩子在等你吧?”

‘Any amount of ‘em,’ sobbed Toad. ‘And they’ll be hungry—and playing with matches—and upsetting lamps, the little innocents!--and quarrelling, and going on generally. O dear, O dear!’

“一大幫孩子，”蟾蜍抽泣著說。“他們準要挨餓的——要玩火柴的——要打翻油燈的，這幫小傻瓜!——會吵架的。吵個沒完。老天爺!老天爺!”

‘Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do,’ said the good engine-driver. ‘You’re a washerwoman to your trade, says you. Very well, that’s that. And I’m an engine-driver, as you well may see, and there’s no denying it’s terribly dirty work. Uses up a power of shirts, it does, till my missus is fair tired of washing of ‘em. If you’ll wash a few shirts for me when you get home, and send ‘em along, I’ll give you a ride on my engine. It’s against the Company’s regulations, but we’re not so very particular in these out-of-the-way parts.’

“好吧，我給你出個主意，”好心的火車司機說。“你說你是干洗衣這行當?shù)?，那很好。我呢，你瞧，是個火車司機。開火車是個臟活。我穿臟的襯衣一大堆，我太太洗都洗煩了。要是你回家以后，替我洗幾件襯衣，洗好給我送來，我就讓你搭我的機車。這是違反公司規(guī)章的，不過這一帶很偏僻，要求不那么嚴。”

The Toad’s misery turned into rapture as he eagerly scrambled up into the cab of the engine. Of course, he had never washed a shirt in his life, and couldn’t if he tried and, anyhow, he wasn’t going to begin; but he thought: ‘When I get safely home to Toad Hall, and have money again, and pockets to put it in, I will send the engine-driver enough to pay for quite a quantity of washing, and that will be the same thing, or better.’

蟾蜍的愁苦一下子變成了狂喜，他急急忙忙爬進駕駛室。自然啰，他這輩子沒洗過一件襯衣，就是想洗也不會，所以，他壓根兒就不打算洗。不過他合計，“等我平安回到蟾宮，有了錢，有了盛錢的口袋，我就給司機送錢去，夠他洗好些衣裳的，那還不是一樣，說不定更好哩。”

The guard waved his welcome flag, the engine-driver whistled in cheerful response, and the train moved out of the station. As the speed increased, and the Toad could see on either side of him real fields, and trees, and hedges, and cows, and horses, all flying past him, and as he thought how every minute was bringing him nearer to Toad Hall, and sympathetic friends, and money to chink in his pocket, and a soft bed to sleep in, and good things to eat, and praise and admiration at the recital of his adventures and his surpassing cleverness, he began to skip up and down and shout and sing snatches of song, to the great astonishment of the engine-driver, who had come across washerwomen before, at long intervals, but never one at all like this.

信號員揮動了他望眼欲穿的那面小旗，火車司機拉響了歡快的汽笛?；疖嚶÷●偝隽苏九_。車速越來越快，蟾蜍看到兩旁實實在在的田野、樹叢、矮籬、牛、馬，飛一般地從他身邊閃過。他想到，每過一分鐘，他就離蟾宮更近，想到同情他的朋友、衣袋里丁當作響的錢幣、軟軟的床、美味的食物，想到人們對他的歷險故事和過人的聰明齊聲贊嘆，——想到這—切，他禁不住蹦上蹦下，大聲喊叫，斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地唱起歌來?；疖囁緳C大為驚詫，因為洗衣婦他以前偶爾也碰到過，但這樣一位洗衣婦，他可是從沒見過。

They had covered many and many a mile, and Toad was already considering what he would have for supper as soon as he got home, when he noticed that the engine-driver, with a puzzled expression on his face, was leaning over the side of the engine and listening hard. Then he saw him climb on to the coals and gaze out over the top of the train; then he returned and said to Toad: ‘It’s very strange; we’re the last train running in this direction to-night, yet I could be sworn that I heard another following us!’

他們已經(jīng)駛過了許多哩的路程，蟾蜍在考慮到家后吃什么晚餐。這時，他注意到司機把頭探出窗外，用心聽著什么，臉上露出疑惑的神情，隨后。司機又爬上煤堆.越過車頂向后張望。一回到車里，他對蟾蜍說：“真怪，今晚這條線上，我們是最后一班車，可是我敢保證，我聽到后面還有一輛車開過來!”

Toad ceased his frivolous antics at once. He became grave and depressed, and a dull pain in the lower part of his spine, communicating itself to his legs, made him want to sit down and try desperately not to think of all the possibilities.

蟾蜍馬上收起了他那套輕浮的滑稽動作，變得嚴肅憂郁起來。脊梁骨下半截一陣隱隱的痛感，一直傳到兩腿，使他只想坐小來，竭力不去想各種可能發(fā)生的情況。

By this time the moon was shining brightly, and the engine-driver, steadying himself on the coal, could command a view of the line behind them for a long distance.

這時，月亮照耀得通明，司機設(shè)法在煤堆上站穩(wěn)了，可以看清他們后面長長的路軌。

Presently he called out, ‘I can see it clearly now! It is an engine, on our rails, coming along at a great pace! It looks as if we were being pursued!’

他立刻喊道：“現(xiàn)在我看清楚了!是一輛機車.在我們同一條軌道上，飛快地開過來了!他們像是在追我們!”

The miserable Toad, crouching in the coal-dust, tried hard to think of something to do, with dismal want of success.

倒霉的蟾蜍蹲在煤末里，絞盡腦汁想脫身之計，可硬是一籌莫展。

‘They are gaining on us fast!’ cried the engine-driver. And the engine is crowded with the queerest lot of people! Men like ancient warders, waving halberds; policemen in their helmets, waving truncheons; and shabbily dressed men in pot-hats, obvious and unmistakable plain-clothes detectives even at this distance, waving revolvers and walking-sticks; all waving, and all shouting the same thing—“Stop, stop, stop!”’

“他們很快就攆上咱們了!”司機說。“機車上滿是奇奇怪怪的人!有的像古代的衛(wèi)兵，手里晃著戟;有的是戴鋼盔的警察，手里揮著警棍;還有一些是穿得破破爛爛戴高禮帽的人，拿著手槍和手杖，即使隔這么遠，也可以斷定那是便衣偵探;所有的人都揮著家伙，喊著同一句話：‘停車，停車，停車!’”

Then Toad fell on his knees among the coals and, raising his clasped paws in supplication, cried, ‘Save me, only save me, dear kind Mr. Engine-driver, and I will confess everything! I am not the simple washerwoman I seem to be! I have no children waiting for me, innocent or otherwise! I am a toad—the well-known and popular Mr. Toad, a landed proprietor; I have just escaped, by my great daring and cleverness, from a loathsome dungeon into which my enemies had flung me; and if those fellows on that engine recapture me, it will be chains and bread-and-water and straw and misery once more for poor, unhappy, innocent Toad!’

這時，蟾蜍一下子跪在煤堆里，舉起兩只合攏的爪子，哀求道：“救救我吧，求求你，親愛的好心的司機先生，我向你坦白一切!我不是那個簡單的洗衣婦!也沒有什么天真的或者淘氣的孩子在家等我!我是一只蟾蜍——是赫赫有名受人愛戴的蟾蜍先生，我是一位地產(chǎn)主。我憑著極大的勇氣和智慧，剛剛從一座可憎的地牢里逃了出來。我坐牢，是由于仇人陷害。要是再給那輛機車上的人抓住，我這個可憐、不幸、無辜的蟾蜍，就會再次陷入戴枷鎖、吃面包、喝白水、睡草鋪的悲慘境地!”

The engine-driver looked down upon him very sternly, and said, ‘Now tell the truth; what were you put in prison for?’

火車司機非常嚴厲地低頭望著他，說：“你老實告訴我，坐牢是因為什么?”

‘It was nothing very much,’ said poor Toad, colouring deeply. ‘I only borrowed a motorcar while the owners were at lunch; they had no need of it at the time. I didn’t mean to steal it, really; but people— especially magistrates—take such harsh views of thoughtless and high-spirited actions.’

“沒什么大不了的事，”可憐的蟾蜍說，滿臉通紅。“我只不過在車主吃午飯的時候，借用一下他們的汽車;他們當時用不著它。我并不是有意偷車，真的;可是有些人——特別是地方官們——竟把這種粗心大意的魯莽行為看得那么嚴重。”

The engine-driver looked very grave and said, ‘I fear that you have been indeed a wicked toad, and by rights I ought to give you up to offended justice. But you are evidently in sore trouble and distress, so I will not desert you. I don’t hold with motor-cars, for one thing; and I don’t hold with being ordered about by policemen when I’m on my own engine, for another. And the sight of an animal in tears always makes me feel queer and softhearted. So cheer up, Toad! I’ll do my best, and we may beat them yet!’

火車司機神情非常嚴肅.他說：“恐怕你確實是一只壞蟾蜍，我有權(quán)把你交給法律去制裁。不過你現(xiàn)在顯然是處在危難中，我不會見死不救。一來，我不喜歡汽車;二來，我在自己的機車上不愛聽警察們支使。再說，看到一只動物流眼淚，我于心不忍。所以，打起精神來，蟾蜍!我要盡最大的努力搭救你，咱們興許還能挫敗他們!”

They piled on more coals, shovelling furiously; the furnace roared, the sparks flew, the engine leapt and swung but still their pursuers slowly gained. The engine-driver, with a sigh, wiped his brow with a handful of cotton-waste, and said, ‘I’m afraid it’s no good, Toad. You see, they are running light, and they have the better engine. There’s just one thing left for us to do, and it’s your only chance, so attend very carefully to what I tell you. A short way ahead of us is a long tunnel, and on the other side of that the line passes through a thick wood. Now, I will put on all the speed I can while we are running through the tunnel, but the other fellows will slow down a bit, naturally, for fear of an accident. When we are through, I will shut off steam and put on brakes as hard as I can, and the moment it’s safe to do so you must jump and hide in the wood, before they get through the tunnel and see you. Then I will go full speed ahead again, and they can chase me if they like, for as long as they like, and as far as they like. Now mind and be ready to jump when I tell you!’

他們一個勁兒往鍋爐里添煤;爐火呼呼地吼，火花四濺，機車上下顛動，左右搖晃，可是追攆的機車還是漸漸逼近了。司機用廢棉紗擦了擦額頭，嘆口氣說：“這樣怕不行，蟾蜍。你瞧，他們沒有負重，跑起來輕快，而且他們的機車更優(yōu)良。咱們只有一個法子，這是你逃脫的唯一機會，好好聽我說。前方不遠，有一條很長的隧道，過了隧道，路軌要穿過一座密林。過隧道時，我要加足馬力，可后面的人因為怕出事故，會放慢速度。一過隧道，我就關(guān)汽，來個急剎車。等車速慢到可以安全跳車時，你就跳下去，在他們鉆出隧道、看到你以前，跑進樹林里藏起來。然后我再全速行駛，引他們來追我，隨他們想追多久就追多遠好啦?，F(xiàn)在注意，做好準備，我叫你跳車，就跳!”

They piled on more coals, and the train shot into the tunnel, and the engine rushed and roared and rattled, till at last they shot out at the other end into fresh air and the peaceful moonlight, and saw the wood lying dark and helpful upon either side of the line. The driver shut off steam and put on brakes, the Toad got down on the step, and as the train slowed down to almost a walking pace he heard the driver call out, ‘Now, jump!’

他們又添了些煤，火車像子彈一樣射進隧洞，機車轟隆隆狂吼著往前直沖，末了，他們從隧道另一端射出來，又駛進新鮮空氣和寧靜的月光。只見那座樹林橫躺在路軌的兩側(cè)，顯得非常樂意幫忙的樣子。司機關(guān)上汽門，踩住剎車，蟾蜍站到踏板上，火車速減慢到差不多和步行一樣時，他聽到司機一聲喊：“現(xiàn)在，跳!”

Toad jumped, rolled down a short embankment, picked himself up unhurt, scrambled into the wood and hid.

蟾蜍跳了下去，一骨碌滾過一段短短的路基，從地上爬起來，居然一點沒傷著。他爬進樹林，藏了起來。

Peeping out, he saw his train get up speed again and disappear at a great pace. Then out of the tunnel burst the pursuing engine, roaring and whistling, her motley crew waving their various weapons and shouting, ‘Stop! stop! stop!’ When they were past, the Toad had a hearty laugh—for the first time since he was thrown into prison.

他從樹林里往外窺望，只見他坐的那輛火車又一次加速行進，轉(zhuǎn)眼間就消失不見了。接著，從隧道里沖出那輛追車，咆哮著，尖聲鳴著笛，車上那幫雜合人群搖晃著各自不同的武器，高喊“停車!停車!停車!”等他們駛了過去時，蟾蜍禁不住哈哈大笑——自打入獄以來，他還是第一次笑得這樣痛快。

But he soon stopped laughing when he came to consider that it was now very late and dark and cold, and he was in an unknown wood, with no money and no chance of supper, and still far from friends and home; and the dead silence of everything, after the roar and rattle of the train, was something of a shock. He dared not leave the shelter of the trees, so he struck into the wood, with the idea of leaving the railway as far as possible behind him.

可是，他很快就笑不起來了，因為他想到，這時已是深夜，又黑又冷，他來到了一座不熟悉的樹林，身無分文，吃不上晚飯，仍舊遠離朋友和家?；疖囌鸲穆÷÷曄乓院螅@里的一切像死一般寂靜，怪嚇人的。他不敢離開藏身的樹叢，覺得離鐵路越遠越好，于是深深鉆進林子。

After so many weeks within walls, he found the wood strange and unfriendly and inclined, he thought, to make fun of him. Night-jars, sounding their mechanical rattle, made him think that the wood was full of searching warders, closing in on him. An owl, swooping noiselessly towards him, brushed his shoulder with its wing, making him jump with the horrid certainty that it was a hand; then flitted off, moth-like, laughing its low ho! ho! ho; which Toad thought in very poor taste. Once he met a fox, who stopped, looked him up and down in a sarcastic sort of way, and said, ‘Hullo, washerwoman! Half a pair of socks and a pillow-case short this week! Mind it doesn’t occur again!’ and swaggered off, sniggering. Toad looked about for a stone to throw at him, but could not succeed in finding one, which vexed him more than anything. At last, cold, hungry, and tired out, he sought the shelter of a hollow tree, where with branches and dead leaves he made himself as comfortable a bed as he could, and slept soundly till the morning.

在監(jiān)獄里蹲了這么久，他感到樹林特生疏，特不友好，像成心在拿他取笑逗樂似的。夜鴛單調(diào)的嘎嘎聲，使他覺得林中布滿了搜索他的衛(wèi)兵，從四面八方向他包抄過來。一只貓頭鷹，悄沒聲地猝然向他撲來，翅膀擦著他的肩頭，嚇得他跳了起來，心驚膽戰(zhàn)地想，那準是一只手;接著又像飛蛾一樣輕輕掠過、發(fā)出一串低沉的“嗬!嗬!嗬!”的笑聲，聽起來非常下流。有一回，他碰上一只狐貍，那狐貍停下來，譏諷地朝他上下打量了一番，說：“喂，洗衣婆!這星期少了我一只襪子，一個枕套!下次留神別再犯!”說罷，竊笑著搖搖擺擺走開了。蟾蜍四處看，想找塊石頭打他，可就是找不到，更把他氣壞了。末了，又冷，又餓，又乏，他找到一個樹洞，躲了進去，設(shè)法用樹枝和枯葉鋪了一張將就舒適的床，沉沉睡著了，直睡到天明。