牛津書蟲系列 誘拐 5 David comes home

5 David comes home

5 戴維回了家

We decided that Alan would stay hidden in the fields，while I walked to Queensferry to find Mr Rankeillor.Alan promised not to come out until he heard me return. In order to be sure that it was me， he taught me to whistle a little Gaelic song.I have never forgotten it.I think that it will run in my head when I lie dying. Every time it comes to me， I think of that last day of my travels， with Alan whistling oppo site me in the grass， while the first light of the sun touched his face.

我們決定，艾倫藏在田野里而我則步行到昆斯費里去找蘭基勒先生。艾倫答應(yīng)他直到聽到我回來才出來。為了確認(rèn)是我，他教我吹一首蓋爾語小曲。我從來沒有忘記它。我想這首歌會在我彌留之際時索繞在我腦中。每當(dāng)我想起這首歌，我就想到我們一起旅行的最后一天：在草叢中，艾倫躺在我對面吹著口哨，早晨的第一縷陽光撫摸著他的臉。

Soon I arrived in Queensferry.When I saw people looking strangely at me， and realized how dirty my clothes were， I be gan to feel afraid. Would Mr Rankeillor want to talk to me?How could I prove who I was? I had no papers with me. I was too ashamed to ask any of the townspeople for help，so I walked up and down，not knowing what to do.

我很快就到了昆斯費里。當(dāng)我看到人們奇怪地看著我時，我意識到我的衣服有多么臟，我開始害怕了。蘭基勒先生想和我說話嗎?我怎樣證明我自己?我隨身沒帶任何證明文件。我太羞愧了，以至于不敢向任何市民求助，于是我走來走去，不知道該做什么。

By midday I was tired and hungry.I stopped in front of a large house， with clean windows， flowers in the garden， and a dog sitting on the doorstep.

到了正午我又累又餓。我在一座大房子前停住了，那房子窗戶潔凈，園子里有花，門階上一條狗臥立著。

Suddenly the door opened，and a large， well-dressed， kind-looking man came out.

門突然間開了，一個身材高大、穿著考究、和藹可親的人走了出來。

‘What are you doing here， my lad?’ he asked.

“小伙子，你在這兒干嘛?”他問道。

‘I'm looking for Mr Rankeillor's house，sir，’I answered.

“我在找蘭基勒先生的家，先生。”我答道。

‘ Well， I'm Rankeillor，and this is my house.Who are you?’

“唔，我就是蘭基勒，而且這就是我的家。你是誰?”

‘My name is David Balfour，’ I replled.

“我叫戴維·鮑爾弗。”

‘David Balfour?’ he repeated， and looked closely at me.‘Come inside，Mr Balfour，and we'll talk.’

“戴維·鮑爾弗?”他重復(fù)著，細(xì)盯著我。“進(jìn)來，鮑爾弗先生，我們談一談。”

In Mr Rankeillor's comfortable sitting-room， I told him the story of my early life， and explained that my uncle had paid Captain Hoseason to kidnap me and take me to sea.

在蘭基勒先生舒適的客廳里，我給他講述了我早年的故事，告訴他我的叔叔買通霍齊亞森船長誘拐了我并把我?guī)У搅撕Ｉ稀?/p>

The lawyer listened carefully.‘I heard that Hoseason's ship went down near the island of Mull two months ago，’ he said.‘What have you been doing since then?’

律師認(rèn)真地聽著。“我聽說霍齊亞森的船兩個月前在馬爾島附近沉了。”他說道，“你從那以后一直在干什么?”

‘I can easily tell you， sir， I replied，‘but if I tell you， a friend's life may be in danger. Promise me that you will not get him into trouble， or tell the soldiers about him!’

“告訴你很容易，先生，”我答道，“但如果告訴你，一位朋友的生命將受到威脅。答應(yīng)我你不要使他陷入麻煩或向士兵告發(fā)他!”

Although he looked a little worried at first， he promised，and I told him the rest of my adventures While I talked， his eyes were closed and he seemed to be asleep， but I discovered soon afterwards that he had understood and remennbered everything.

雖然起初他看起來有點擔(dān)心，但他答應(yīng)了，我告訴他我其余的冒險經(jīng)歷。我講時，他閉著眼，看起來像睡著了，但之后不久我發(fā)現(xiàn)他明白了并記住了所有事情。

Whem O spoke the name of Alan Breck， he opened his eyes and sat up.‘Don't use unnecessary names， Mr Balfour， ’ he said.‘A lawyer has to be very careful， when discussing High landers.I don't think I heard your friend's name very well.Let's call him— Mr Thomson.’

當(dāng)我提到艾倫·布雷克這個名字時，他睜開了眼并坐正了。“不要用不必要的名字，鮑爾弗先生。”他說道，“律師在討論蘇格蘭高地人時得非常小心。我認(rèn)為我沒太聽清你朋友的名字。就讓我們稱他——湯姆森先生吧。”

‘Of course，’ I thought，‘all over Scotland people are talk ing about Alan， now that he's accused of the murder of Colin Campbell.’ I was sure that Rankeillor had recognized his name. But I just smiled， and continued my story， using the name of Mr Thomson instead of Alan Breck.

“當(dāng)然，”我想，“全蘇格蘭的人都在談?wù)摪瑐?，既然他被指控謀殺了科林·坎貝爾的話。”我確信蘭基勒已認(rèn)出了他的名字。但我只是微微一笑，繼續(xù)講我的故事，用湯姆森先生這個名字代替艾倫·布雷克。

‘Well， well，’ said the lawyer， when I had finished，‘ what an exciting adventure! You will have to write it down one day! I had heard of you，Mr David，from your friends in Essendean， who wrote to me when they had no word from you. Your uncle then told me that he had given you money to study in Europe， but I did not think that was true. I'm afraid we all know that Ebenezer Balfour is not a very good or honest man! Then Captain Hoseason appeared， saying that you were lost when his ship went down. But now I understand what really happened， and I know that you are David Balfour.’ He put a hand on my shoulder in a fatherly way and continued.‘You'll want to know about the house of Shaws.It's a strange story. When they were young， your father Alexander and his younger brother Ebenezer loved the same girl. Your father was always a kind， loving brother， so when the girl decided to marry him， Alexander left Cramond and let Ebenezer have the house and farmland. Well， I think it was a bad mistake. What happened was that your parents were always very poor，and Ebenezer became more and more interested in money. He never married，of course.’

“唔，唔，”我講完以后律師說道，“多驚險的經(jīng)歷啊!你真應(yīng)該有朝一日把它寫下來!我曾經(jīng)從你在埃森丁的朋友那里聽說過你，戴維先生，他們在沒有你的消息時曾經(jīng)寫信給我。當(dāng)時你的叔叔告訴我說他已經(jīng)給你錢讓你在歐洲學(xué)習(xí)，但我當(dāng)時就想那不是真的。我想我們都知道埃比尼澤·鮑爾弗先生并不是一個好人或老實人!后來霍齊亞森船長出現(xiàn)了，說他的船下沉?xí)r你就不見了。但現(xiàn)在我知道真的發(fā)生了什么事。我知道你就是戴維·鮑爾弗。”他慈父般地把手放在我的肩上并繼續(xù)說：“你可能想知道肖家大院的有關(guān)情況。是一個奇特的故事。你父親亞歷山大和他的弟弟埃比尼澤年輕時愛上了同一個女孩。你父親一直是一個友善的、討人喜歡的兄弟，所以那個女孩決定嫁給他時他便離開了克萊蒙德并把房子和農(nóng)田留給了埃比尼澤。唔，我想這是一個大錯。所發(fā)生的事情是，你的父母一直很窮，而埃比尼澤越來越對金錢感興趣。他從未結(jié)婚，當(dāng)然了。”

‘Well， sir，’I said，‘ and now， what will happen?’

“那么，先生，”我說，“現(xiàn)在又會怎么樣呢?”

‘Now that your father is dead，’ replied the lawyer，‘you own the house of Shaws and the farms around it. But Ebenezer won't accept that， and it will be expensive if he wants us to prove it in court.In fact，we must stay out of court，if possible.The kidnapping will be difficult to prove，and we don't want people asking questions abut your friend Mr Thomson. No， I think that we should leave Ebenezer at Shaws， where he's been for twenty-five years， and ask him to pay you some money everyyear， instead of giving you the house.What do you think?’

“既然你的父親去世了，”律師回答說，“你就擁有肖家大院和周圍的農(nóng)常但埃比尼澤不會接受，如果他要我們在法庭上證明這一點那將花銷很大。事實上我們必須盡可能不去法庭。這次誘拐很難證明，我們也不愿意讓別人問一些關(guān)于你朋友湯姆森的問題。對，我想我們應(yīng)該讓埃比尼澤留在肖家大院，他在那兒已經(jīng)待了25年了。而且我們可以要求他每年給你一些錢而不是要他把房子還你。你認(rèn)為怎么樣?”

‘That sounds excellent to me， sir，’ I replied.‘ But I think that we could accuse my uncle of kidnapping me. It's easier to prove than you think.Listen，’and I described my plan to him.

“那樣聽起來很棒，先生。”我回答，“但我想我們可以控告我叔叔誘拐了我。證明起來比你想像得容易。聽著，”我然后向他描述了我的計劃。

He was very pleased with it.‘Yes， Mr David， very good!If we can catch Ebenezer like that， he can't refuse to give you some of the money that belongs to you!’ He called to his sec retary， Torrance. ‘You must come with us tonight，Torrance. You'll have to listen to the conversation you hear，and write it all down. And bring the Balfour papers with you.’ Then he turned to me.‘But if I accept your plan， Mr David， I'll have to meet your friend Mr Thomson， who may be，I only say may be，a criminal.’He was silent for a while，thinking deeply， then went on，‘Well， let's talk of something different. Do you know， the other day， I saw Torrance in the street?But because I wasn't wearing my glasses，I didn't recognize him! My own secretary! Ha-ha-ha!’ and he laughed happily at himself.

他對此很高興。“是，戴維先生，很好!如果我們能那樣套住埃比尼澤的話，他不可能拒絕把本屬于你的一些錢還給你!”他大叫他的秘書托倫斯：“你必須今晚和我們一起來，托倫斯。你必須認(rèn)真聽你聽到的，并將其記錄下來。并且?guī)砼c鮑爾弗家族有關(guān)的文件。”接著他轉(zhuǎn)身對我說：“但是如果我接受了你的計劃，戴維先生，我必須見一下你的朋友湯姆森先生。他可能是，我只是說可能是，一個罪犯。”他沉默了一會兒，沉思著，然后接著說;“好了，讓我們聊一下別的什么事情。你知道嗎?前幾天我在街上看見了托倫斯，但因為當(dāng)時我沒帶眼鏡，我沒有認(rèn)出他來!我自己的秘書!哈哈哈!”他還自嘲地開懷大笑。

I smiled politely.‘Perhaps he's getting old，’I thought.

我禮貌地微微一笑。“可能他變老了，”我想。

But later that evening， when Mr Rankeillor， Torrance and I were walking out of Queensferry，the lawyer suddenly cried out， laughing，‘Well， how stupid of me! I've forgotten my glasses!’And I understood why he had told met he story about Torrance. Now he could meet Alan， a man wanted for murder， and if the soldiers asked him later for information he could say that he never saw Alan clearly and could not possibly recognize him.

但這之后那天晚上，我、蘭基勒先生和托倫斯走出昆斯費里后，蘭基勒這位律師突然笑著叫道：“唉，我多思蠢!我忘了我的眼鏡!”于是我明白了他為什么給我講托倫斯的故事。他現(xiàn)在可以見到正被人通緝捉拿的艾倫了，一旦士兵日后問他有關(guān)情況，他會講他從未看清艾倫，也不可能認(rèn)出他。

When we arrived near Alan's hiding-place， I whistled the little Highland song. When he appeared， we explained to him what we wanted him to do， and he readily agreed.

當(dāng)我們靠近艾倫隱蔽的地方時，我用口哨吹起了那首高地小曲。艾倫出來以后，我們對他解釋想讓他做什么，他欣然同意了。

So the four of us continued walking until we reached the house of Shaws.

于是我們四個人繼續(xù)前行，直到到了肖家大院。

It was a dark night， and there were no lights in the windows. My uncle was probably in bed. Mr Rankeillor，Torrance and I hid below the steps， near enough to hear any conversation， while Alan went straight up to the door and knocked loudly. After some time my uncle opened his bedroom window， and called down， in a frightened voice，‘ What do ye want at this time of night? Who are ye?’

那天晚上很黑，窗戶也沒透出亮光。我叔叔可能上床睡覺了。我、蘭基勒先生還有托倫斯藏在臺階下邊，離房子近得都可以聽清任何談話，而艾倫徑直走向房門并大聲敲了起來。過了一會兒之后我叔叔打開了他臥室的窗戶，用驚恐的聲音對下面叫道;“晚上這個時候你想干什么?你是誰?”

‘I do not want to give ye my own name，’ replied Alan，‘but I've come to talk to ye about someone called—David.’

“我不想告訴你我自己的名字，”艾倫回答說，“但我來是想和你談一下一個人——一個叫戴維的人的事情。”

‘What!’ cried my uncle. And after a moment， he said un happily，‘Will ye come inside， to discuss—the matter?’

“什么?!”我叔叔大叫起來。過了一會兒他不快地說：“你能進(jìn)來以便談一下——這事嗎?”

‘I will not，’ said Alan sharply.‘It's here on this doorstep that we must talk.Come down and speak to me.’

“我不行，”艾倫機(jī)警地說，“我們得在門階這兒說。下來對我說。”

After Ebenezer had thought about it， he decided to do what Alan wanted. It took him a long time to come downstairs， and a longer time to unlock the heavr door，but at last we saw him in the doorway， holding his gun in his shaking hands.

埃比尼澤考慮了之后，決定做艾倫想要他做的事。他花了很長時間才到樓下，花了更長的時間才打開沉重的大門，但我們終于看到他站在門口，用他發(fā)抖的手握著槍。

‘ Now，’ said Alan，‘ye're intelligent enough to see that I'm a Highlander. I have friends who live near the island of Mull.Well， it seems that a ship went down near there， and soon afterwards my friends found a lad， half-dead， on the beach.Your nephew， Mr Balfour. Since then they've been taking care of him. And now they'd like to know， Mr Balfour， if ye want him back. Ye'll have to pay， if ye do. My friends are very poor.

“現(xiàn)在，”艾倫說道，“你肯定已經(jīng)看出來了我是一個高地人。我有幾個朋友住在馬爾島附近。唔，似乎是有一條船在那兒附近沉沒了，之后不久我的朋友們在沙灘上發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個奄奄一息的小伙子。是你的侄子，鮑爾弗先生。自那之后，他們一直在照顧他。現(xiàn)在他們想知道，鮑爾弗先生，你是否想讓他回來。如果你同意，你必須付錢。我的朋友們很窮。”

‘I don't want him back，’ said my uncle.‘He wasn't a good lad. I won't pay a shilling for him!’

“我不想讓他回來。”我叔叔說，“他那時就不是一個好小伙子。我不會為他付一個先令!”

‘Blood's thicker than water， sir，’ said Alan.‘He's your brother's son! But if ye don't want him back， will ye pay us to keep him? And ye'll have to hurry. I'm not waiting here all night!’

“血濃于水，先生。”艾倫說，“他是你兄弟的兒子!但是如果你不讓他回來，你愿意付我們錢以撫養(yǎng)他嗎?而且你必須快一點兒。我不可能在這兒等你一晚上!”

‘Give me a minute to think， will ye?’ cried my uncle.

“給我一分鐘讓我想一想，行不行?”我叔叔叫著。

‘In two words， sir， do ye want us to kill or keep the lad?’

“兩個字，先生，你是讓我們殺他還是留他?”

‘Oh，sir!’ cried Ebenezer.‘Don't talk of killing!’

“噢，先生!”埃比尼澤叫道，“不要談殺!”

‘Well， killing's easier， and quicker， and cheaper.’

“唔，相比之下，殺是較簡單、快捷又省錢的辦法。”

‘I'm an honest man，’ said my uncle，‘and no murderer.’

“我是一個誠實的人，”我叔叔說，“而且不是一個殺人犯。”

‘ Well， well，’ replied Alan，‘ and now how much will ye pay for us to keep him? First I need to know how much ye paid Hoseason to kidnap the lad.How much was it?’

“好了，好了，”艾倫說，“你現(xiàn)在愿意付多少錢給我們?nèi)狃B(yǎng)他?首先我想知道你付了多少錢給霍齊亞森讓他去誘拐這個小伙子。是多少?”

‘Hoseason? Kidnap? What are ye talking about， man?’ screamed my uncle， jumping up and down on the doorstep.

“霍齊亞森?誘拐?你在說什么，伙計?”我叔叔尖叫著，氣得在門階那兒上下亂跳。

‘Hoseason himself has told me about it，’ said Alan calmly，‘so ye needn't pretend.Just answer the question，or ye'll find my sword in your stomach!’

“霍齊亞森本人已告訴我這件事，”艾倫鎮(zhèn)靜地說著，“所以你不用裝了。只回答問題，不然你會發(fā)現(xiàn)我的劍將刺入你的肚子!”

‘Don't get angry!’ cried my uncle.‘I gave him twenty pounds， that's all. But to be honest with ye—he was going to sell the lad as a slave， and keep that money，ye see.’

“別生氣，”我叔叔喊著，“我給他20鎊，就那么多。但老實和你說——他想把這小伙子當(dāng)奴隸賣掉，并且獨吞那筆錢，你知道。”

‘ Thankyou， Mr Thomson，that's excellent，’ saidthe lawyer，stepping forward.‘Good evening，Mr Balfour，’he said politely to the old man.

“謝謝你，湯姆森先生，那太好了。”律師走上前說。“晚上好，鮑爾弗先生，”他禮貌地對這個老人說。

And，‘Good evening， uncle Ebenezer， ’ said I.

還有，“晚上好，埃比尼澤叔叔，”我說。

And，‘It's a grand evening， Mr Balfour，’ added Torrance.

還有，“這真是一個重要的夜晚，鮑爾弗先生，”托倫斯補(bǔ)充道。

My uncle said nothing， but stood there on the doorstep with his mouth open. We took him into the kitchen， and sat down to discuss matters. After an hour， it was all decided. My uncle accepted that Shaws belonged to me， but he would stay there during his lifetime. He agreed to pay me money every year，and Mr Rankeillor would check that he did.

我叔叔什么也沒說，但張嘴站在臺階上。我們帶他進(jìn)了廚房，坐下來商量事情。一個小時后，一切都定下來了。我叔叔同意肖家大院歸我所有，但他要待在那兒度過余生。他同意每年付給我錢，而且蘭基勒先生將監(jiān)督他的行為。

We all stayed that night at the house of Shaws. But while Alan and Torrance and Mr Rankeillor slept on the hard beds upstairs， I lay down on the kitchen chests，which now belonged to me. I， who had slept out on the hills for so many days and nights， was now the owner of a large house and several farms.

那天晚上我們整夜都待在肖家大院。但當(dāng)艾倫、托倫斯和蘭基勒先生躺在樓上的硬床上睡覺時，我躺在廚房的柜子上，那些現(xiàn)在屬于我了。這么多個日日夜夜我一直在山上露天躺著，而現(xiàn)在成了一幢大房子和幾個農(nóng)場的主人。

My head was full of exciting plans and ideas，and I found it difficult to sleep.

我腦子里滿是令人興奮的計劃和念頭，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己難以入睡。

The next day， while Mr Rankeillor and I were having breakfast together， I talked to him about Alan.

第二天，當(dāng)我和蘭基勒先生一起用早餐時，我和他說起了艾倫。

‘Mr Thomson is still in danger，’ said the lawyer.‘He must leave the country as soon as possible， and stay with his friends in France for a while. I'll give you money to buy him a place on a ship. He'll have to stay hidden until then.’

“湯姆森先生仍然有危險。”律師說，“他必須盡快離開這個國家，和他在法國的朋友待一段時間。我將給你錢以便給他在船上買個艙位。在此之前他必須一直藏匿著。”

‘And his clansman， James Stewart， who's in prison?’ I asked.‘I know he didn't kill Colin Campbell. I saw the mur derer! I must speak for James Stewart in court!’

“還有他的同族人，詹姆斯·斯圖爾特，即還在監(jiān)獄里的那位呢?”我問。“我知道他并沒有殺害科林·坎貝爾。我看到了謀殺犯!我肯定會在法庭上為詹姆斯·斯圖爾特說話的!”

‘My dear boy，’ said Rankeillor，‘it's dangerous for anyone to speak for a Stewart in Campbell court. But you must do what you think is right. I'll write you a letter to a good lawyer who will be able to help Mr Thomson's clansman.’ He stood up.‘Well， I think that we've finished our business here. I must leave now，and go back to my work.

“我親愛的孩子，”蘭基勒說，“每一個在坎貝爾族人的法庭上為斯圖爾特人說話的人都會有危險的。但你應(yīng)該做你認(rèn)為對的事。我將為你給一個能幫助湯姆森先生的同族人的好律師寫封信。”他站起來。“唔，我想我們在這兒的事已經(jīng)結(jié)束了。我現(xiàn)在必須離開，回去做我的工作。

Come and see me often， Mr David! Goodbye!’

常來看我吧，戴維先生!再見!”

Alan and I started walking towards Edlnburgh，while Mr Rankeillor and Torrance turned back to Queensferry. we talked about what would happen next. Alan was going to hide in the countryside near Edinburgh， until it was safe for him to take a ship to France.

我和艾倫開始向愛丁堡走去，而蘭基勒先生和托倫斯則折回昆斯費里。我們討論接下來怎么辦。艾倫將躲在愛丁堡城附近的鄉(xiāng)下，直到他坐船去法國脫離危險為止。

When I had found him a place，I would send him a message. Then I planned to go back to the High lands to help James Stewart return to his family.

我為他在船上找到了地方時，我將給他送個信。然后我計劃回到高地幫助詹姆斯·斯圖爾特回到自己的家。

Alan and I walked slowly. We were both thinking that soon we would have to leave each other. And we had been through so much together!We stopped when we came to the top of the Corstorphine Hill， and looked down at Edinburgh. We knew that this was the moment to say goodbye， but we stood there silently for a while.

我和艾倫慢慢地走著。我們都想著不久后我們將各自離去。而且我們曾經(jīng)在一起經(jīng)歷這么多事情!我們走到科西托芬小山的山頂?shù)臅r候停了下來，俯瞰著愛丁堡。我們知道已經(jīng)到了說再見的時候了，但我們在那兒靜靜地站了片刻。

‘Well， goodbye，’ said Alan， and held out his hand.

“好了，再見，”艾倫說著，并伸出了他的手。

‘ Goodbye，’I said， and took his hand.

“再見，”我說，并握住了他的手。

Then I went off down hill.I did not look back at him，but I felt very miserable， and wanted to sit down and cry like a baby.

然后我下山去。我沒有回頭看他，但我感到很難受，并想坐在地上像小孩子一樣大哭一常

Edinburgh was full of noise and traffic and people， but I did not notice any of that. All the time I was thinking of Alan on the hill， and there was an ice-cold feeling inside me.

愛丁堡聲音嘈雜，車水馬龍，人群熙攘，但我一點兒沒有注意到那些。我一直想小山上的艾倫，心里感到冰冷。

In the months that followed， I kept Alan's silver button safe and often looked at it， remembering our escape through the heather in the wild Highlands. I felt proud to call Alan Breck Stewart my friend， and wondered if I would ever see him again.When I returned to the Highlands to help his clansman， James，I found that my adventures with the Stewarts were far from finished… but that is another story.

之后的歲月里，我一直珍藏著艾倫的銀扣，并且經(jīng)常拿出來看一看，回憶著我們一起在荒涼的高地石南叢中逃跑的事。我為能把艾倫·布雷克·斯圖爾特當(dāng)自己的朋友而自豪，我不知道我能否還能再見到他。當(dāng)我回到高地去幫助他的族人詹姆斯時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)我和斯圖爾特人在一起的歷險還遠(yuǎn)未結(jié)束……但那是另外一個故事了。