第6章
At first I decided to tell the police my story.
起先我打算把我的故事告诉警察，
But would they believe me?
但他们会相信我吗？
I had been very ill.
我一直都生着病。
When the police learnt about my illness, they would think the monster was just one of my bad dreams.
如果警察了解到我的病情，他们会认为那个怪物只是我的一个恶梦而已。
I decided that I could not tell anybody.
我决定不去告诉任何人。
I went home to my family and they were very pleased to see me.
我回到家里，家人都为见到我而高兴。
Then they told me that the police had found the murderer.
接着他们告诉我说警察已找到了凶手。
Perhaps you will think that this was good news, but I have not told you who the police had arrested.
你也许会认为这是个好消息，但是我还没有告诉你警察抓的是谁。
As I went into the house, I noticed that one person did not come to meet me.
在我进屋时，我注意到有个人没有来见我。
It was Justine, the young woman who looked after the children and who was like a sister to us.
那就是贾斯汀，就是曾照看孩子们并像姐妹一样对待我们的那个年轻女孩。
And it was Justine that the police had arrested.
而警察逮捕的就是贾斯汀。
A few days after the murder, the police had searched the house and had found the gold chain in Justine’s coat pocket.
在谋杀案发生了几天之后，警察搜查了房子并在贾斯汀的外衣口袋里找到了那条金链。
Everyone in the family knew that Justine had not murdered William.
家里人都知道贾斯汀没有杀害过威廉。
I knew who the murderer was, but I could not tell anyone.
我清楚凶手是谁，但是我不能告诉任何人。
We were sure that Justine would be free after the trial, because nobody could believe that she was a murderer.
我们确信审判过后贾斯汀将会被释放的，因为没有人相信她是凶手。
But we were wrong.
但是我们错了。
The trial did not go well for Justine.
审判对贾斯汀不利。
There were a number of strange facts that were difficult to explain, and the judge decided that she was the murderer.
有许多难以解释的奇怪现象，但法官认定她就是凶手。
The punishment for murder was death.
谋杀的处罚乃是死刑。
We argued and cried.
我们又申辩又哭喊着。
We said she could not murder anyone.
我们说她不可能谋杀任何人。
But nothing could change the judge’s order.
但没什么能改变法官的判决。
So I got up early and went to the judge’s house and told him about the monster.
于是我一大早便起床到法官的家中并告诉他有关那个怪物的事情。
He did not believe me.
他不相信我。
He thought I was lying in order to save Justine’s life.
他认为我是为了救贾斯汀而在撒谎。
In the prison Justine waited quietly for death.
贾斯汀在监狱里安静地等着死去。
We spent many hours with her, and she spoke calmly and kindly to us.
我们同她呆了好几个小时，她从容而温和地同我们说话。
She was happy because we believed that she had not killed William.
她为我们相信不是她杀害了威廉而高兴。
And she was almost looking forward to death, because then she would be with William and our dear mother in a place of peace.
她几乎在期盼着死去，因为那样她就可以在一个安宁的地方同威廉和我们亲爱的妈妈在一起了。
Her love and gentleness added to my great unhappiness.
她的爱心和温柔加重了我那巨大的痛苦。
I knew she was going to die because of me.
我知道她将因我而死去。
I knew my brother had died because of me.
我知道我弟弟已经因我而死。
I had brought nothing but sadness and misery to my family.
我给我家里带来的只有悲伤和苦难。
I took a boat and went out on Lake Geneva.
我乘船去了日内瓦湖。
Why didn’t I end my life then?
我那时为什么没有结束自己的生命呢？
Two things stopped me.
那是因为两件事情。
My father was old and another death would probably kill him.
我父亲已经年迈，再有人死很可能会要了他的命。
And I had to stay alive—to keep my family safe from the monster.
并且我必须活着——以便我的家人免遭怪物的伤害。
Fear for my family and hate for my monster were with me day and night.
对家人的担忧和对怪物的痛恨日夜牵扯着我。
I became ill again, and Elizabeth’s love could not help me.
我再一次病倒了，连伊丽莎白的爱也帮不了我。
I needed to escape for a while—to leave my unhappiness behind me.
我需要逃避一阵子——去将伤心抛诸脑后。
So I went to walk alone in the Alps.
因此我便独自一人去阿尔卑斯山散步。
I hoped the wild beauty of the mountains would help me.
我希望群山的旷野之美能够帮助我。
Slowly I became calmer among the beautiful mountains.
在美丽的山峦中我慢慢地平静了些。
I learnt to sleep again, and for days I did not see anybody.
我又学会了安心去睡，并且有好几天我都没有见任何人。
Then one morning I saw a figure coming towards me faster than any man could go.
后来的一天早晨我看见有个人朝我走来，比任何人走得都要快。
It jumped easily over the rocks and I saw with horror the monster that I had created.
在其轻松地跳过岩石之时，我便恐惧地看见了我所创造的那个怪物。
On his face was a look of deep sadness, but also of evil.
他的脸上露出深深的悲伤，但也带着邪恶。
At first I could not speak because I hated him so much.
起先我说不出话来，因为我太恨他了。
But at last I said: ‘You are an evil creature. I shall kill you if I can, because you have killed two people that I love.’
但是最后我说道：“你是个邪恶的东西。如果我做得到的话，我便会杀了你的，因为你已害死了我爱的两个人了。”
The monster’s yellow eyes looked at me. ‘I am the unhappiest creature in the world, but I shall fight for my life,’ he said.
怪物的黄色的眼睛看着我。“我是世界上最不幸的人了，但是我得为我的生命而战斗。”他说道，
‘I am bigger and stronger than you, but I will not start the fight.
“虽然我比你大，又比你强壮，但我不会挑起战斗的。
I shall always be gentle to you because you are my king and creator.
我将永远温柔地对待你，因为你是我的国王和我的创造者。
You made me, and you should love me and be kind to me, like a father.
你既然造了我，那就应该爱我并善待我，就像一个父亲那样。
William and Justine died because you did not love me.
威廉和贾斯汀的死是因为你不爱我。
Why did you create me if you were not ready to love me?’
既然你没有打算爱我那又为什么要创造我呢？”
‘We are enemies,’ I said. ‘Leave me now, or let us fight until one of us is dead. You are a murderer. How can I be kind to you?’
“我们是敌人。”我说，“马上给我离开，否则就让我们搏斗到我们中的一个死去为止。你是个杀人凶手，我怎么会待你好呢？”
‘You say I am a murderer,’ the monster said, ‘but you want to kill your own creature. Isn’t that wrong, too?
“你说我是一个杀人凶手，”怪物说道，“然而你却要杀死你自己创造的生物。这不也是错误的吗？
I ask you to do one thing for me—listen. Come with me to a warmer place, and listen to my story. Then you can decide.’
我请你为我做一件事——听着。跟我到一个暖和些的地方去并且听听我的故事。然后你就可以做出决定了。”
I thought carefully about what he had said. It was true that I had given him life but I had not given him love.
我认真地考虑了他所说的话。我给了他生命却没有给他爱，这是事实。
I decided to go with him and listen to his story.
我决定跟他走并听听他的故事。
He took me to a mountain hut where he lit a fire.
他带我到了一间他已生了火的山间茅屋。
We sat down by the fire and he began to tell me his story.
我们围着火坐下后，他便开始讲起了他的故事。
0 条评论