圣誕歡歌 5.故事的結(jié)尾

5 The end of the story

5.故事的結(jié)尾

Yes!and the bedpost was his own.The bed was his own，the room was his own.Best and happiest of all， the future was his own， to change his life in!

是的!床柱子是他自己的，床是他自己的，房間是他自己的，最好最幸福的，能夠改變他未來的生活也是他自己。

‘I will remember the past，and think of the future，’repeated Scrooge，as he jumped out of bed.‘God bless you，Jacob Marley!And God bless Christmas!’

“我將記住過去，并要為將來考慮，”斯克羅吉重復著并跳下了床。“上帝保佑你，雅各布·馬利!上帝保佑圣誕節(jié)!”

In his excitement he found it difficult to speak.His face was still wet from crying.‘Here are my bed-curtains!’he cried delightedly.‘They aren't stolen! And I'm alive!Those were only shadows of things that may be!The future will be different!I know it will!’

他興奮之中發(fā)現(xiàn)說話有些吃力。他的臉上依舊是淚跡斑斑。“這是我的床圍子!”他高興地說。“它們沒被偷走!我還活著!那些不過是可能發(fā)生的事情的影子!未來會全然不同的!我知道會的!”

All this time his hands were busy，hurriedly putting on his clothes.He put his left foot in his right shoe，couldn't find the buttons on his shirt，and forgot to brush his hair.

他的手一直沒閑著，他匆匆穿好衣服。他把左腳穿進了右腳的鞋子里，找不到襯衣上的鈕扣，忘記了梳頭。

‘I don't know what I'm doing!’said Scrooge， laughing and crying at the same time.‘A merry Christmas to everybody!A happy new year to all the world!Hurrah! There's the door which Jacob's ghost came through!There's the corner where the ghost of Christmas Present sat!There's the window where I saw the travelling ghosts!It's all true，it all happened!Ha ha ha!’

“我不知道我在做什么!”斯克羅吉笑著大聲說。“祝所有的人圣誕快樂!祝整個世界新年快樂!好哇!雅各布就是從這個門進來的!“今日圣誕”鬼魂就是坐在這個角落里!我就是從這扇窗戶看見了游蕩的鬼魂們!這全是真的，這全都發(fā)生過!哈哈哈!”

Really，for a man who hadn't laughed for so many years，it was an excellent laugh.The father of a long line of excellent laughs!

的確，對一個若干年沒有笑過的人來說，這笑太開懷了。這是一長串開懷大笑之最!

‘I don't know what day of the month it is!’said Scrooge.‘I don't know how long I've been with the spirits!I don't know anything.I'm just like a baby.Never mind!I prefer being a baby!Hurrah!’

“我不知道今天是幾號了!”斯克羅吉說。“我不知道我和幽靈們呆了多久!我什么都不知道，我就像個嬰兒!別介意!我寧愿當個嬰兒!好哇!”

Just then he heard the church bells ring out louder than he had ever heard before.Running to the window， he opened it and looked out.No fog at all， a clear， bright， cold day， golden sunlight， blue sky，sweet clean air，merry bells.Oh， wonderful!wonderful!

這時他聽見教堂的鐘聲敲得比以往要響。他跑到窗前，打開窗戶朝外望去。根本沒有霧，天氣晴朗、明亮、寒冷，金色的日光，湛藍的天空，清新的空氣，快樂的鈴鐺聲。噢，太美妙了!太美妙了!

‘What's today?’he cried，calling down to a boy in the street.

“今天是什么日子?”他叫住街上的一個男孩大聲地問。

‘Today?’replied the boy，in great surprise.‘Why，it's Christmas Day!’

“今天?”孩子大為吃驚地回答說，“怎么啦，今天是圣誕節(jié)!”

‘So I haven't missed it!’thought Scrooge.‘The spirits have done it all in one night!’He called down to the boy again，‘Hallo， young man!Do you know the meat shop at the corner of the next street? ’

“所以我沒錯過它!”斯克羅吉想，“幽靈們在一夜之間做完了這些事情!”他又叫那個男孩停下，“喂，小孩!你認識下一條街角的那家肉店嗎?”

‘Of course I do，’replied the boy.

“當然認識。”男孩回答說。

‘What an intelligent boy!’said Scrooge.‘Do you know if they've sold the big turkey that was in the shop window yesterday?’

“多聰明的孩子啊!”斯克羅吉說。“你知道他們昨天有沒有把櫥窗里最大的火雞賣掉?”

‘What，the one as big as me?’asked the boy.

“什么，那只像我這么大的火雞?”男孩問。

‘What a delightful boy!’said Scrooge.‘It's wonderful talking to him.Yes， that's the one!’

“多么可愛的孩子啊!”斯克羅吉說，“同他說話真是太好了。是的，就是那只!”

‘It's still there in the window，’said the boy.

“它還在櫥窗里擺著呢。”男孩說。

‘Is it?’said Scrooge.‘Well， go and buy it.’

一是嗎?”斯克羅吉說。“那好，你去把它買下來。”

‘You don't mean it!’cried the by.

“你不是這意思吧!”男孩大聲說。

‘I do，I do.I'm serious.Go and buy it，and tell the man to bring it back here.Come back with the man and I'll give you a shilling.Come back in less than five minutes and I'll give you three shillings!’

“我是這意思，我是這意思。我沒開玩笑。去把它買下來，井讓店主送到這兒來。你和店主一起回來，我就給你一先令。如果在5分鐘之內(nèi)回來我就給你三個先令!”

The by went off like a bullet from a gun.

男孩像出了槍膛的子彈一樣很快消失了。

‘I'll send the turkey to Bob Cratchit's! laughed Scrooge.‘He'll never know who's sent it!It's twice as big as Tiny Tim!Ha ha ha!’

“我要把這只火雞送給鮑勃·克拉奇蒂一家!”斯克羅吉笑了廣他永遠也不會知道是誰送去的!它比小蒂姆還大一倍!哈哈哈!”

He went on laughing as he wrote Bob's address，gave it to the man with the turkey，and paid for a taxi，because the turkey was much too heavy to carry all the way to Camden Town.

他一邊寫鮑勃的地址一邊笑著，他把地址遞給了那個抱著火雞的人，并叫了一輛出租車付了費，因為那只火雞太沉了，無法一路抱到卡姆登鎮(zhèn)。

Now he finished dressing，and went out into the streets， wearing his best clothes.The town was full of happy， busy people，and Scrooge smiled at all of them.Three or four men said cheerfully to him， ‘Good morning，sir! And a merry Christmas to you!’scrooge thought these were the best sounds that he had ever heard.

現(xiàn)在他穿好了衣服，他穿著他最好的衣服出去來到了街上。鎮(zhèn)子上到處都是幸福、忙碌的人們，斯克羅吉對每個人都微笑著。有三四個人高興地對他說：“早上好，先生!祝你圣誕快樂!”斯克羅吉覺得這是他曾經(jīng)聽到過的最美妙的聲音。

As he was walking， he suddenly noticed one of the comfortable-looking gentlemen who had come to his office to ask for money for the poor.Scrooge went straight up to him， took the old gentleman by both hands，and said，‘My dear sir，how are you? A merry Christmas to you， sir!’

他走著走著忽然發(fā)現(xiàn)了曾經(jīng)到他辦公室為窮人要錢，長相英俊的一位紳士。斯克羅吉徑直朝他走去，握住那位老先生的雙手說，“我親愛的先生，你好嗎?祝你圣誕快樂，先生!”

‘Mr Scrooge?’asked the gentleman，surprised.

“斯克羅吉先生嗎?”紳士驚奇地問。

‘Yes， that's my name.I'm very sorry for what I said to you when you visited me yesterday.Will you please—’and he spoke very quietly in the gentleman's ear.

“是的，我是斯克羅吉。我為我昨天所說的話感到抱歉。你可以——”他悄悄地對著紳士的耳朵說。

‘Good Heavens!’cried the gentleman.‘My dear Mr Scrooge，are you serious?’

“我的天哪!”紳士大聲說道，“我親愛的斯克羅吉先生，你是當真嗎?”

‘I am.Not a shilling less.I must tell you，I haven't given anything to anyone for years.’

“我說話算數(shù)。一先令也不會少。我必須告訴你，若干年來，我從未給過任何人任何東西。”

‘My dear sir!’said the gentleman，shaking hands with him.‘I don't know how to thank you for—’

“我親愛的先生!”紳士說著并同他握手。“這——我不知道該如何感激您。”

Don't say anything，please，’replied Scrooge.‘Will you come and see me tomorrow about it?’

“請什么也不要說，”斯克羅吉回答說。“你明天能就此事來見我嗎?”

‘I will!’cried the old gentleman happily.

“我會的。”老紳士高興地大聲說。

‘Thank you，and God bless you!’said Scrooge.

“謝謝你，愿上帝保佑你!”斯克羅吉說。

He went to church， and watched the people，and gave children money for sweets， and discovered that he had never been so happy in his life.In the afternoon he went to his nephew's house He passed the door several times before he was brave enough to knock.But at last he did it，and was taken into the sitting-room，where Fred and his pretty wife were waiting for their friends to arrive for dinner.

他去做了禮拜，看著教堂里的人們，給孩子們錢去買糖果，他發(fā)現(xiàn)他一生中從未這樣幸福過。下午他去了他外甥家。他在門前走了好幾趟，因為他沒有勇氣敲門。但最后他還是敲了，他被帶進了起居室，弗雷德和他漂亮的妻子正在這兒等著他們的朋友來吃晚飯。

‘Fred!’said Scrooge.‘It's your uncle Scrooge.I've come to dinner.Will you let me stay， Fred?’“弗雷德!”斯克羅吉說。“我是你舅舅斯克羅吉，我是來吃晚飯的。你會留我嗎，弗雷德?”

Let him stay!Fred almost shook his uncle's arm off.Scrooge felt at home in five minutes.Nothing could be merrier.And what a wonderful dinner they had!Wonderful party，wonderful games，wonderful happiness!

讓他留下。弗雷德都快把他舅舅的胳膊搖掉了。5分鐘后斯克羅吉就不再拘束了。沒有什么比這更快樂了。他們的晚餐真是棒極了!絕妙的晚會，絕妙的游戲，無與倫比的幸福!

But he was early at the office next morning.Oh，he was there early.He wanted to catch Bob Cratchit arriving late.And he did!The clock struck nine.No Bob.A quarter past.No Bob.He was eighteen and a half minutes late when he finally hurried in.Scrooge was sitting with his office door open.

但第二天早晨他早早地趕到了辦公室。噢，他到的很早，他想抓住鮑勃來晚了，他確實抓到了!鐘敲了9點，鮑勃沒來。過了一刻鐘，鮑勃還是沒來。當他匆忙進來的時候，他遲到了18分半。斯克羅吉坐在那兒，他辦公室的門敞開著。

‘Hallo!’said Scrooge in his old，hard voice.‘What do you mean by coming here so late?’

“喂!”斯克羅吉用他年邁、刻薄的聲音說，“你這么晚才來是什么意思?”

I'm very sorry，sir， said Bob.‘I am late.It's only once a year.We were rather merry yesterday，sir.’

“先生，很抱歉，”鮑勃說。“我確實是晚了。一年中不就這么一次嗎。先生，我們昨天過得太快活了。”

‘Now I'll tell you what，my friend，said Scrooge，‘I'm not going to have this any longer.And so’，he continued， jumping off his chair and shaking Bob's hand，‘I'm going to pay you twice as much!’

“現(xiàn)在我要告訴你什么，我的朋友，”斯克羅吉說，“我再也不能這樣了，所以，”他從椅子上跳出來握著鮑勃的手繼續(xù)說道，“我要付給你雙倍的工資!”

Bob's face went white.For a second or two he thought that Scrooge had gone crazy.

鮑勃的臉變白了。一時間他想斯克羅吉可能是瘋了。

‘A merry Christmas，Bob!’said Scrooge，and it was clear that he meant It.‘A merrier Christmas，Bob，than I've given you for a long time.I'm going to pay you well，and help you with your family，and we'll discuss it all this afternoon over a Christmas drink， Bob! Put more wood on the fire at once， Bob Cratchit，and let's be comfortable!’

“圣誕快樂，鮑勃!”斯克羅吉說，很顯然他是真心說這番話的。“鮑勃，祝你有一個，比我以前給你的更為快樂的圣誕。我要給你加薪，而且要幫助你們?nèi)?，今天下午我們邊喝圣誕酒邊商量這件事，鮑勃!馬上給火里多加些木柴，鮑勃·拉克奇蒂，咱們也舒服點!”

Scrooge did everything that he had promised，and more.To Tiny Tim， who did NOT die，he became a second father.He became as good a friend，employer and man， as anyone in London or in the world.Some people laughed to see the change in him，but he did not care.His own heart laughed inside him，and that was good enough for him.He never had any more conversations with spirits， but kept Christmas cheerfully，and lived a happy life.That is what all of us want， and so，as Tiny Tim said，‘God bless us， every one!’

斯克羅吉兌現(xiàn)了他所有的承諾，甚至更多。對小蒂姆來說，他根本沒有死，他成了他的第二個父親。他同倫敦或是全世界上的任何一個朋友、雇主和男人一樣好。有人發(fā)現(xiàn)了他的變化就笑，但他不在乎。他從心里笑，這對他來說就夠不錯的了。他再也沒有同幽靈們說過話，但圣誕節(jié)他一直過得都很快活，并且生活得很幸福。這也是我們大家共同的心愿，正如小蒂姆所說：“愿上帝保佑我們每個人!”