牛津書蟲系列 三十九級臺階 9 The thirty-nine steps

9 The thirty-nine steps

9 三十九級臺階

Sir Walter got up and left the room. He came back after ten minutes. 'I've spoken to Alloa. I got him out of bed-he was very angry. He hasn't left his house all day. '

瓦爾特爵士站起身走出房間。十分鐘后又回來了。“我和阿羅通過話了。我把他叫下床——他火了。一整天他沒離開過房間。”

'It's impossible，' said Winstanley. ' I sat next to him for nearly half an hour. '

“那不可能，”溫斯坦利說。“我在他旁邊坐了差不多半個小時。”

'That's what's so clever，' I said. 'You were too interested in other things to look at him closely. You knew that he might be well enough to come tonight and，as First Sea Lord，it was natural for him to be here. Why should you suspect that it wasn't him?'

“這就是所謂聰明，”我說。“你們的興趣太專注在其它事情上了，而沒有仔細看他。你們知道他的身體也許允許他今晚來開會，而且作為第一海軍大臣來這里也是合情合理的。你們有什么理由懷疑不是他呢?”

Then the Frenchman spoke，very slowly，and in good English.

后來那個法國人開口了，他說得很慢但英語講得很好。

'This young man is right. He understands our enemies. People only see what they expect to see. This man came late，spoke little，and left early but he behaved exactly as we would expect Lord Alloa to behave. '

“這個年輕人說得對。他了解敵人。人們只能看到他們期待看到的東西。這個人來得晚、說得少、走得早——他的言行舉止和我們想像的阿羅勛爵一模一樣。”

'But I don't understand，'said Winstanley. 'Our enemies don't want us to know what they have learnt about our war plans. But if one us talked to Alloa abut tonight's meeting，we would discover immediately that he hadn't been here. '

“可我不明白，”溫斯坦利說。“敵人不想讓我們知道他們已經(jīng)獲悉我們的作戰(zhàn)計劃。但要是我們有誰向阿羅談起今晚會議的事，我們立刻就會發(fā)現(xiàn)他沒來這里。”

Sir Walter laughed angrily. 'That shows their cleverness again， in choosing Alloa. They took a risk， but everybody knows that Alloa is a sick man and is often too ill to go to meetings. And even when he is well，he is impatient，difficult，and a man of very few words. Which of us was likely to speak to him about tonight?'

瓦爾特爵士冷笑著。“這再次說明他們選中阿羅是他們的聰明之處。他們確實在鋌而走險，可人們都知道阿羅有病，而且常常病得不能出席會議。即便他好的時候，他也沒有耐心、難打交道、很少說話。我們誰會向他提今天晚上的事呢?”

'But the spy hasn't taken the plans，'said Winstanley. ' He saw them， but could he carry away pages of information in his head?'

“可是間諜還沒有拿到計劃呀，”溫斯坦利說。“他見到了計劃，可是他能把一頁頁的情報放在腦袋里裝走嗎?”

'It's not difficult，'said the Frenchman. 'A good spy can remember things photographically. '

“那并不難，”法國人說。“好間諜記東西和照相一樣。”

'Well，I suppose we'll have to change our plans，'said Sir Walter unhappily.

“我想我們必須改變計劃，”瓦爾特爵士悻悻地說。

'There's another problem，'said Royer. 'I said a lot about the plans of the French army. That information will be very valuable to our enemies. That man， and his friends，must be stopped immediately. '

“還有一個問題，”羅耶說。“關于法軍的計劃我談了很多。這些情報對敵人非常有用。得馬上制止這個人和他同伙的行動。”

'They could simply send their information in a letter，'said Whittaker. 'It may already be in the post. '

“他們僅僅寫封信就可以把情報送出去，”惠特克說。“說不定現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)在郵局了。”

'No，' said Rower. 'A spy brings home his information personally and he collects his pay personally. These men must cross the sea， so we still have a chance. You must watch the coast and search ships. It is desperately important for both France and Britain. '

“不會的，”羅耶說。“間諜都是親自帶著情報，也親自領取報酬。這伙人一定會從海上走，我們還有一次機會。你們要監(jiān)視海岸，搜查船只。這件事對法國和英國都至關重要。”

Royer was right. We could do something. But none of us felt very hopeful. How， among the forty million people in Britain， could we find the three cleverest criminals in Europe?

羅耶說得很對。我們還有所作為。但都覺得希望不大。英國有四千萬人口，怎么才能找到那三個歐洲最機智過人的罪犯呢?”

Then，suddenly， I had an idea.

后來，我突然想出個主意來。

'Where is Scudder's book?'I asked Sir Walter. 'Quick， I remember something in it. '

“斯卡德爾的小本在哪兒?”我問瓦爾特爵士。“快點，我記得里邊有點什么。”

He gave it to me.

他把小本遞給我。

I found the place. 'Thirty-nine steps，'I read， and again， 'Thirty-nine steps-I counted them-high tide，10. 17p. m. '

我找到那一頁。“三十九級臺階，”我念著，接著又念下去，“三十九級臺階——我數(shù)過——漲潮，下午十點十七分。”

Whittaker clearly thought I had gone mad.

惠特克顯然認為我瘋了。

'Don' t you see it's a clue?' I cried. 'Scudder knew where they were going to leave England. Tomorrow was the day，and it's somewhere where high tide is at 10. 17. '

“您沒看到這是一條線索嗎?”我大聲說。“斯卡德爾知道他們會在那兒出發(fā)離開英格蘭。就在明天，那個地方十點十七分漲潮。”

'Perhaps they've already gone tonight，'someone suggested.

“說不定他們今天晚上已經(jīng)走了。”有人提醒說。

'Not them. They have their own secret way，and why should they hurry?They don't know that we're after them. Where can I get a book of Tide Tables?'

“他們不會。他們有自己的一套秘密方式，他們急什么?而且并不知道我們在跟蹤。哪兒能搞到一本潮汐表?”

Whittaker looked happier. 'It's a chance，'he said. 'Let's go to the Navy Offices. '

惠特克顯得振作起來。“這是個機會，”他說。“我們到海軍部去。”

Sir Walter went off to Scotland Yard to get MacGilllvray. The rest of us drove to the Navy Offices where we went to a big room full of books and maps. We got a copy of the Tide Tables， and I sat down and looked through it while the others watched.

瓦爾特爵士去蘇格蘭場找麥吉里夫雷。其他人驅(qū)車前去海軍部，我們到了一間大屋子，屋子滿是書和地圖。找到一本潮汐表，我坐下來一頁頁地翻，而其他人則在旁邊看著。

It was no good. There were more than fifty places where high tide was at 10. 27. We needed more information than that.

沒用。有五十多處漲潮時間是十點十七分。僅這一點不夠，我們需要知道得多些。

I thought hard. What did Scudder mean by steps，and why was it so important to count them? It must be somewhere with several paths going down to the sea. This path would be the only one with thirty-nine steps.

我苦思冥想。斯卡德爾說的臺階是什么意思，為什么數(shù)臺階那么重要?一定有個地方有幾條路通往海邊。唯有這條路有三十九級臺階。

I had another thought and checked the time of regular ships leaving England. There was no ship at 10. 17.

我又想出一個主意，于是核對從英格蘭出發(fā)的班船時間?？墒菦]有十點十七分的班船。

Why was high tide important?In a big harbour the tide doesn't matter. It is only important in a small harbour，or somewhere where there is no harbour at all.

為什么漲潮那么重要?在大港口潮汐并不重要。只有小港口，或者根本沒有港口的地方才重要。

Then I thought about where a man would leave England if he were going to Germany. Not from the south coast， or the west coast， or Scotland. It would be somewhere on the east coast， probably between Cromer and Dover.

接著我考慮如果有人要去德國，他會在英格蘭什么地方離岸。不會從南岸，或者西岸，或者從蘇格蘭離岸。而可能是東岸某處，也許在克羅默和多佛之間。

I am not Sherlock Holmes. But I am used to using my head，and when I guess， my guesses are often right.

我并非歇洛克·福爾摩斯。但我好動腦筋，并且推測起來，往往都是對的。

I wrote out my ideas on a piece of paper：

我把想法寫在一張紙上。

ALMOST CERTAIN

幾乎肯定

(1) A place where there are several paths down to the sea.One of these has thirty-nine steps.

1.有個地方有幾條路通往海邊。其中一條有三十九級臺階。

(2) High tide at 10. 17p. m. A place where it is only possible for a ship to leave the coast at high tide.

2.漲潮時間是晚上十點十七分。某處，船只只有在漲潮時才能離岸。

(3) Probably not a harbour， but open coast with cliffs and a beach.

3.多半不是港口，而是有海灘和峭壁的開闊海岸。

(4)Ship probably a small one，a yacht or a fishing boat.

4.大概是條小船，游艇或者漁船。

(5) Somewhere on the east coast between Cromer and Dover.

5.在東岸克羅默和多佛之間的某處。

It seemed strange to be sitting at a table， watched by a groupof very important people， trying to understand something written by a dead man. But it was a matter of life or death to us.

我坐在桌旁寫字，一群大人物注目旁觀，極力想搞明白一個死人寫的是什么東西，這情景很古怪。然而對我們來說這是生死攸關的大事。

Sir Walter and MacGillivray arrived. They had men watching all the harbours and railway stations with descriptions of the three men. But none of us thought that this would help

瓦爾特爵士和麥吉里夫雷來了。他們已經(jīng)派人根據(jù)那三個人的相貌特征監(jiān)視所有的港口和車站。沒人認為會有什么用。

'Here's the best I can do，'I said. 'We have to find a place where there is a path with thirty-nine steps down to a beach. It must be somewhere on the east coast. Of course，it's somewhere where high tide is at 10. 17 tomorrow night. Who can we ask who knows the east coast really well?'

“我已盡力而為了，”我說。“我們必須找到一處，那里有三十九級臺階通往海邊。還必須在東海岸。當然，這個地方明天晚上的漲潮時間是十點十七分。找誰問哪個人非常熟悉東岸?”

Whittaker said he knew a man who lived in south London. He went off in a car to get him and came back at about one o'clock in the morning with an old sailor who had worked all his life on the east coast.

惠特克說他認識一個住倫敦南部的人。他開車去找他，大約凌晨一點回來了，帶著個老海員，這個人在東海岸干了一輩子。

'We want you to tell us about places you know on the east coast where there are cliffs and steps going down to the beach，'said Winstanley.

“我們想請您說說在東海岸哪些地方有峭壁和通往海灘的臺階。”溫斯坦利說。

He thought for a minute or two. 'There are a lot of seaside towns-holiday places-where there are steps from the town down to the beach. '

他思考了一兩分鐘。“海邊有許多村鎮(zhèn)——度假地——那里都有臺階通往海灘。”

'No， that's not private enough，'I said.

“不，那不夠隱秘，”我說。

'Well， I don't know. Of course， there's the Ruff—'

“那我就不知道了。當然，有個叫拉福的——”

'What's that?'

“什么?”

'It's in Kent，near Bradgate. There are cliffs with houses along the top-big houses. Some of the houses have steps down to a beach Mostly rich people live there， the sort of people who like to be private.

“在肯特，離布拉蓋特很近。那有峭壁，房子建在峭壁頂上——都是大房子。一些房子有臺階通往海灘。多數(shù)是富人住在那里，就是那些喜歡隱秘的主兒們。”

I opened the Tide Tables at Bradgate. High tide was at 10. 27 on the 15th of June.

我打開布拉蓋特的潮汐表。六月十五日那里的漲潮時間是十點二十七分。

'This looks hopeful，'I cried. 'How can I find out when high tide is at the Ruff?'

“看來有希望，”我叫了起來。“怎么找出拉福的漲潮時間?”

'I can tell you that， sir，'said the sailor. 'I used to go fishing there. High tide is ten minutes before Bradgate. '

“先生，這我可以告訴您，”那個海員說。“過去我常常到那里釣魚。漲潮時間比布拉蓋特早十分鐘。”

I closed the book and looked up at the others.

我合上書，抬起頭看著其他人。

'If one of those paths has thirty-nine steps， then I think we have a good chance，'I said. 'Can I take a car， Sir Walter， and a map? If Mr MacGillivray can help me，perhaps we can prepare something for tomorrow. '

“如果有一條路是三十九級臺階的話，那么我想我們就有勝算了，”我說。“瓦爾特爵士，能給我輛車和一張地圖嗎?如果麥吉里夫雷先生能幫忙的話，也許可以為明天做些準備。”

It seemed strange for me to take control like this. But I was used to action， and they could see it. It was the Frenchman，Royer，who said what they were all thinking. 'I am quite happy，'he said，'to leave this business in Mr Hannay's hands. '

我這樣指揮大家好像不倫不類。但本人敢做敢為，他們也可以看得出來。還是那個法國人羅耶說出了大家的心里話。他說：“我很高興把這件事交給哈內(nèi)先生去辦。”

At half-past three in the morning I was driving through Kent in the moonlight，with MacGillivray next to me.

凌晨三點半我驅(qū)車在月色中穿過肯特，麥吉里夫雷就坐在我身邊。