He said very softly: “I think the time has come to do something about this.”
他特别轻声地悄悄说：“我看到时候了，又得干点什么了吧。”
At eight o’clock the wind was blowing more strongly, but Lombard did not hear it. He was asleep again.
到八点钟，风刮得更猛烈起来。不过，隆巴德没有听见。他又睡着了。
The wind had somewhat abated but was still blowing. He could hear no sound of rain…
风势多少有些减弱了，但还在刮着，雨声却听不见……
Blore looked over his shoulder at a small travelling clock by his bedside. He said: “Twenty-five to ten. Wouldn’t have believed I could have slept like that. Where’s Rogers?”
布洛尔回过头去看看放在床边的一只小旅行钟说道：“十点差二十五分，想不到我会睡到现在。罗杰斯在哪儿呢？”
Philip Lombard said affably: “Sleeping the clock round? Well, shows you’ve got an easy conscience.”
菲利普·隆巴德非常客气地说道：“足足睡了十二个小时？行啊，说明你问心无愧。”
At twenty-five minutes to ten he was tapping on the closed door of Blore’s room.
九时三十五分，他敲敲布洛尔紧闭着的房门。
Blore said shortly: “What’s the matter?”
布洛尔只说了三个字：“干什么？”
At nine-thirty he was sitting on the edge of his bed looking at his watch. He put it to his ear. Then his lips drew back from his teeth in that curious wolf-like smile characteristic of the man.
九点半，他坐在床沿上看表，又把表放在耳朵上听听，双唇紧紧贴着牙齿咧开，露出一副男人特有的狼一般的奇特的微笑。
The latter opened it cautiously. His hair was tousled and his eyes were still dim with sleep.
布洛尔谨慎小心地开了门。头发还蓬乱着，睡眼惺松的。
Lombard answered: “Anybody called you — or brought you any tea? Do you know what time it is?”
隆巴德回答说：“有人叫过你吗——或者说，给你送过茶吗？你知道现在是什么时候了？”
Philip Lombard had the habit of waking at daybreak. He did so on this particular morning. He raised himself on an elbow and listened.
菲利普·隆巴德的习惯是天一亮就醒。那一天，也不例外。他用胳膊肘儿撑起身子来听了听。
Lombard said: “He got up all right.”
隆巴德说道：“他已经起床，这是没问题的。”
Wait Philip Lombard nodded. He moved along the line of closed doors.
菲利普·隆巴德点点头。他挨着一扇扇关着的房门走过去。
He found Armstron up and nearly dressed.
他看到阿姆斯特朗已经起床，差不多穿好衣服了。
Blore swore under his breath. He said: “Where the devil can he be? Out on the island somewhere?”
布洛尔低声骂起娘来，他说道：“见鬼，他能到哪里去了呢？在外面岛上的什么地方吗？我穿上点衣服，看看别人知道不知道。”
“What d’you mean?” asked the other sharply.
“你这是什么意思？”另一个叫了起来。
Mr. Justice Wargrave, like Blore, had to be roused from sleep. Vera Claythorne was dressed. Emily Brent’s room was empty.
沃格雷夫法官先生像布洛尔一样，还得把他从睡梦中叫醒。维拉·克莱索恩已经梳妆完毕，而埃米莉·布伦特的房内却空无一人。
Lombard said: “My dear girl, I’m prepared to think anything of any one! My advice is that we keep together until we find him.”
隆巴德说道：“我亲爱的姑娘，谁会谁不会，在这里还是在那里，我都随便。但我要奉劝大家别走散，直到找到罗杰斯为止。”
Vera said in a low voice which she tried to make firm and assured: “You don’t think he’s — hiding somewhere — waiting for us?”
维拉强作镇静，故意沉着而低声地说道：“你们看，他会不会在哪儿躲一会儿，等我们起床呢？”
Lombard said: “I mean that Rogers is missing. He isn’t in his room or anywhere else. And there’s no kettle on and the kitchen fire isn’t even fit.”
隆巴德说道：“我意思是说罗杰斯不见了。他不在他的房间里，也不在别的地方。水壶也没有煮上，连厨房里的火都没有生。”
Philip Lombard said: “It’s a case of echo answers where?”
菲利普·隆巴德说道：“让回音来回答你吧。”
The little party moved through the house. Rogers’ room, as Philip Lombard had already ascertained, was untenanted. The bed had been slept in, and his razor and sponge and soap were wet.
这一小伙人在房子里走着，正如菲利普·隆巴德所说，罗杰斯的房间是空的。从床上看，有人睡过，刮胡子刀、海绵、肥皂也都水迹斑斑，还没干呢。
Blore who had joined them, dressed, but still unshaved, said: “Where’s Miss Brent got to — that’s another mystery?”
布洛尔刚刚来到，衣服是穿整齐了，但胡子还没刮。他说道：“布伦特小姐上哪儿去了——这又是一个谜。”
Armstrong said: “He must be out on the island somewhere.”
阿姆斯特朗说道：“他想必是跑到岛上哪儿去了。”
But as they arrived in the hall, Emily Brent came in through the front door. She had on a mackintosh. She said: “The sea is as high as ever. I shouldn’t think any boat could put out today.”
不过，当他们刚走到大厅时，埃米莉·布伦特从前门走了进来，她穿着雨衣。“海水还是涨得那么高，我看今天是不会有船出海的了。”她说。
Emily Brent said: “I assure you, Mr. Blore, that I kept an extremely sharp lookout.”
埃米莉·布伦特说道：“我请你放心，布洛尔先生，我是处处特别留神来着。”
Blore said: “Have you been wandering about the island alone, Miss Brent? Don’t you realize that that’s an exceedingly foolish thing to do?”
布洛尔说道：“你一直是一个人在岛上转悠的吗，布伦特小姐？难道你不相信这样做是最愚蠢不过的事吗？”
Mr. Justice Wargrave, shaved, dressed and with his false teeth in position, came down the stairs. He moved to the open dining-room door. He said: “Ha, laid the table for breakfast, I see.”
沃格雷夫法官先生刮光胡子，穿好衣服，戴上假牙，下楼走到敞着房门的餐厅门口说：“哈，早饭桌子已经摆好了，我说呢。”
Blore grunted. He said: “Seen anything of Rogers?”
布洛尔嘟囔着说道：“见到罗杰斯了吗？”
Miss Brent’s eyebrows rose. “Rogers? No, I haven’t seen him this morning. Why?”
布伦特小姐抬了抬眉毛说：“罗杰斯？没有，今儿早晨没见到过他。干吗？”
They all moved inside the room, looking at the neatly set plates and cutlery. At the row of cups on the sideboard. At the felt mats placed ready for the coffee urn.
他们一起走进餐厅，看见杯盘刀叉都整整齐齐地摆着，食柜上的酒杯排列成行，毡垫子也放好了，准备搁咖啡壶。
Lombard said: “He might have done that last night.”
隆巴德说道：“他可能是昨天晚上就摆好了的。”
He was in the little wash-house across the yard. He had been chopping sticks in preparation for lighting the kitchen fire. The small chopper was still in his hand. A bigger chopper, a heavy affair, was leaning against the door — the metal of it stained a dull brown. It corresponded only too well with the deep wound in the back of Rogers’ head…
他在院子对面的洗衣房里。为了准备把厨房里的火点起来，正在劈柴来着。小斧子还攥在他的手里。另外有把大斧子——一把大家伙，靠在门上，斧口上染着一溜儿紫红色的血痕，和罗杰斯后脑勺上的伤口深度正相吻合……
They found him shortly afterwards.
后来，没过多久，他们就找到罗杰斯了。
She cried out: “The Indians! Look!”
她失声地大喊：“那些印地安小瓷人儿！瞧！”
Mr. Justice Wargrave asked: “Would it have needed great force, doctor?”
沃格雷夫法官先生问道：“一定要使很大劲儿吗？大夫？”
“Perfectly clear,” said Armstrong. “The murderer must have crept up behind him, swung the chopper once and brought it down on his head as he was bending over.”
“太明显了，”阿姆斯特朗说道，“凶手是从后面偷偷地捱上去的。当时他正弯着腰，抡起斧子只一下子就砸在他的头上了。”
It was Vera who saw it first. She caught the judge’s arm and her athletic finger, made the old man wince.
还是维拉第一个看见的，她一把抓住法官的胳膊。她那运动员的手指头掐得老头子直往后缩。
Armstrong said gravely: “A woman could have done it if that’s what you mean.” He gave a quick glance round. Vera Claythorne and Emily Brent had retired to the kitchen. “The girl could have done it easily — she’s an athletic type. In appearance Miss Brent is fragile looking, but that type of woman has often a lot of wiry strength. And you must remember that any one who’s mentally unhinged has a good deal of unsuspected strength.”
阿姆斯特朗郑重其事地说道：“如果你是指这个意思的话，那么，一个女人的力气就够了。”说着他忙向四周望了望，维拉·克莱索恩和埃米莉·布伦特都走进了厨房。“那个姑娘要干的话，太轻而易举了——她有运动员的体格，从表面上看，布伦特小姐像是体弱无力的。然而这类女人往往有一股虽瘦犹刚的蛮劲儿。而且你总能记得，凡是一个人的精神出了毛病，他就会有不知从哪儿来的想像不到的大力气。”
Blore was busy on the handle of the chopper and the flour sifter from the kitchen.
布洛尔从厨房里找来一个面粉筛子，忙着往斧子柄上洒粉末，想找出指纹来。
There were only six china figures in the middle of the table.
桌子正中只有六个小瓷人儿了！
The judge nodded thoughtfully.
法官沉思着点点头。
They stared at her uncomprehendingly. It was as though the sane well-balanced girl had gone mad before their eyes. She went on in that high unnatural voice:
大家全都凝视着她。莫名其妙！一个正常而颇能自持的姑娘，在众目睽睽之下就发疯了。而且还继续怪声怪调地叫喊着。
A sound of laughter was heard — they turned sharply.
忽然一声大笑——他们都急忙转过身去。
Blore rose from his knees with a sigh. He said: “No fingerprints. Handle was wiped afterwards.”
蹲在那里的布洛尔叹口气站起身来说：“没有指印。当时就擦干净了。”
Vera Claythorne was standing in the yard. She cried out in a high shrill voice, shaken with wild bursts of laughter: “Do they keep bees on this island? Tell me that. Where do we go for honey? Ha! ha!”
维拉·克莱索恩站在院子里。她喊叫的声音又响又尖，还夹杂着一声声的狂笑：“他们在岛上也养蜂吗？给我说清楚！我们去哪儿弄蜂蜜啊？哈！哈！”
“Don’t stare like that! As though you thought I was mad. It’s sane enough what I’m asking. Bees, hives, bees! Oh, don’t you understand? Haven’t you read that idiotic rhyme? It’s up in all your bedrooms — put there for you to study! We might have come here straightaway if we’d had sense. Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks. And the next verse. I know the whole thing by heart, I tell you! Six little Indian boys playing with a hive. And that’s why I’m asking — do they keep bees on this island? — isn’t it funny? — isn’t it damned funny…?”
“别这样瞪着我！就好像你们都以为我疯了似的。我问的问题是再正常不过的。蜜蜂，蜂窝，蜜蜂！喔！你们怎么不懂呢？难道你们没读过那首胡扯蛋的儿歌？你们卧室里都挂着——就是放在那儿让你们学的！如果我们脑子还清楚的话，马上会从这句想起：七个印地安小男孩，砍树砍枝不顺手。还有下面几段。我全都背得出来，我告诉你们！六个印地安小男孩，玩弄蜂窝惹蜂怒。就是因为这个，我才问——他们在岛上也养蜜蜂吗？——不是挺有意思的吗？——不是挺他妈的有意思吗？”
She began laughing wildly again. Dr. Armstrong strode forward. He raised his hand and struck her a flat blow on the cheek.
她又开始疯狂地大笑起来。阿姆斯特朗大踏步走过去，伸出手来狠狠地打了她一个耳光。
She turned and went across the yard into the kitchen saying: “Miss Brent and I are getting you breakfast. Can you — bring some sticks to light the fire?”
她转过身去，穿过院子，走进厨房，一边说道：“我和布伦特小姐来给你们弄早饭吧。你们能——弄点劈柴来生火吗？”
Her voice was once more calm and controlled — the voice of the efficient games mistress.
她的声音又恢复了平静和自制——一个教惯了孩子唱歌识字的干练的保育员的声音。
Armstrong said apologetically: “Had to! We can’t cope with hysteria on the top of everything else.”
阿姆斯特朗抱歉地说道：“不得不这样！歇斯底里不解决，别的问题都谈不到。”
She gasped, hiccuped — and swallowed. She stood motionless a minute, then she said: “Thank you… I’m all right now.”
她喘着粗气，打着嗝儿——又咽着唾沫，站在那里足有一分钟，一动也不动。然后她说道：“谢谢您……我现在好了。”
Armstrong agreed. “Oh, no. Good healthy sensible girl. Just the sudden shock. It might happen to anybody.”
阿姆斯特朗表示同意：“喔，不是。她是健康良好、头脑正常的姑娘，只是突然受了刺激。谁碰上了都一样。”
Rogers had chopped a certain amount of firewood before he had been killed. They gathered it up and took it into the kitchen. Vera and Emily Brent were busy. Miss Brent was raking out the stove. Vera was cutting the rind off the bacon.
罗杰斯遇害之前原已劈好一部分劈柴了，他们收拢以后，把劈柴送到厨房里。维拉和埃米莉忙着呐！布伦特小姐在捅炉子，维拉则把咸肉上的硬皮一块一块地切掉。
Philip Lombard said: “She’s not a hysterical type.”
菲利普·隆巴德说道：“她不是那种容易歇斯底里大发作的女人。”
The marks of the doctor’s hand stood out red on her cheek.
她两颊发红，上面还留着大夫的指头印记。
As she went into the kitchen Blore said: “Well, you dealt with that all right, doctor.”
她走进厨房之后，布洛尔说道：“很好，你处理得很好，大夫。”
Emily Brent said: “Thank you. We’ll be as quick as we can — say half an hour to three quarters. The kettle’s got to boil.”
埃米莉·布伦特说道：“谢谢你们。我们尽量快——大约半个小时到三刻钟吧。先得把水烧开。”
Philip Lombard said: “As you’re just about to tell me, it’s not worth the trouble of guessing.”
菲利普·隆巴德说道：“你既然要告诉我，那又何必费劲去猜呢？”
He went on heavily: “There was a case in America. Old gentleman and his wife — both killed with an axe. Middle of the morning. Nobody in the house but the daughter and the maid. Maid, it was proved, couldn’t have done it. Daughter was a respectable middle-aged spinster. Seemed incredible. So incredible that they acquitted her. But they never found any other explanation.” He paused. “I thought of that when I saw the axe — and then when I went into the kitchen and saw her there so neat and calm. Hadn’t turned a hair! That girl, coming all over hysterical — well, that’s natural — the sort of thing you’d expect — don’t you think so?”
他仍然粗声粗气地往下讲：“在美国有过这么一桩案子，一位老先生和他的太太都被斧子砍死了。上午十点左右吧。家里除了女儿和使女之外，没有别人。使女呢，查明了不可能是她干的。女儿是一个很受敬重的中年老姑娘。看来也难以想像，是那样的难以想像，以至于他们开释了她。但是，结果他们找不到另外的答案。”他停了一下，“我一看到斧子就想起这件事来了——接着，走进厨房又看到她在那里，端端正正，平平静静的，连汗毛都没有惊动一根！而那个姑娘，歇斯底里大发作——对了！这才是自然的——这种情况我们都能意料得到的——你认为是吗？”
Ex-Inspector Blore was an earnest man. A light touch was incomprehensible to him.
前探长布洛尔是一个一板一眼的死脑筋人。什么软钉子、小刺几之类，他是理会不了的。
Ex-Inspector Blore said in a low hoarse voice to Philip Lombard: “Know what I’m thinking?”
前探长布洛尔粗着嗓门低声地对菲利普·隆巴德说道：“知道我在想什么吗？”
Blore went on. “But the other! So neat and prim — wrapped up in that apron — Mrs. Rogers’ apron, I suppose — saying: ‘Breakfast will be ready in half an hour or so.’ If you ask me that woman’s as mad as a hatter! Lots of elderly spinsters go that way — I don’t mean go in for homicide on the grand scale, but go queer in their heads. Unfortunately it’s taken her this way. Religious mania — thinks she’s God’s instrument, something of that kind! She sits in her room, you know, reading her Bible.”
布洛尔又说了下去：“可是，另一位呢！真是太干净利索了。系着那条围裙——罗杰斯太太的围裙，我想错不了——还说什么‘早饭半点钟左右就好’。你要问的话，我说这个女人才是疯了，上了年纪的老姑娘好多是这样的——我的意思不是说她们都会大规模地杀人，而只是说念头古怪。说来不幸得很，她也成了这种样子，那是种宗教狂——认为自己是上帝的工具，诸如此类的吧！你知道她蹲在房里干什么？在读圣经！”
Philip Lombard said laconically: “It might be.”
菲利普·隆巴德简短地说道：“也许是吧。”
Philip Lombard sighed and said: “That’s hardly proof positive of an unbalanced mentality, Blore.”
菲利普叹口气说道：“这些都很难证明你说的精神上的不正常，布洛尔。”
But Blore went on, ploddingly, perseveringly: “And then she was out — in her mackintosh, said she’d been down to look at the sea.”
但布洛尔还在继续说下去，顽固而反复地企图证明自己的论点：“再说，她还跑出去了——穿着雨衣，说去看看海什么……”
The other shook his head. He said: “Rogers was killed as he was chopping firewood — that is to say first thing when he got up. The Brent woman wouldn’t have needed to wander about outside for hours afterwards. If you ask me, the murderer of Rogers would take jolly good care to be rolled up in bed snoring.”
那一位还是摇摇头说：“罗杰斯是正在劈柴的时候被杀的，也就是说他早晨一起来就碰上了。那么，布伦特用不着后来在外面兜上几个小时。你要是问我的话，我说杀罗杰斯的凶手满可以卷着被窝睡大觉。”
Blore said: “You’re missing the point, Mr. Lombard. If the woman was innocent she’d be too dead scared to go wandering about by herself. She’d only do that if she knew that she had nothing to fear. That’s to say if she herself is the criminal.”
布洛尔说道：“你没听懂我的意思，隆巴德先生，要是那个女人真正简简单单的话，她就无论如何也不敢一个人在外面转悠。只有她完全不懂得什么叫做害怕，才能这样做。也就是说，她自己就是一个干得出那种事来的老手。”
He added with a faint grin: “Glad you don’t still suspect me.”
他微微一笑，又添上了一句：“幸而你不再怀疑我了。”
Philip Lombard said: “That’s a good point… Yes, I hadn’t thought of that.”
菲利普·隆巴德说道：“这说法不错……对了，这点儿我可没有想到。”
Philip said thoughtfully: “I may be wrong, of course, but I can’t feel that you’ve got enough imagination for this job. All I can say is, if you’re the criminal, you’re a damned fine actor and I take my hat off to you.” He lowered his voice. “Just between ourselves, Blore, and taking into account that we’ll probably both be a couple of stiffs before another day is out, you did indulge in that spot of perjury, I suppose?”
菲利普若有所思地说道：“也许我看错了，总之，我想不通你会是那种工于心计干得出这桩事情的人，依我看，凶手要真是你的话，你他妈的可真会演戏——我真得向你脱帽致敬。”随后，他又压低了嗓门儿说道：“布洛尔，说不定过不了一天，我们俩都得呜呼哀哉。天知，地知，你知，我知。你说说那件伪证案子，你是搞鬼了吧？”
Blore said rather shamefacedly: “I did start by thinking of you — that revolver — and the queer story you told — or didn’t tell. But I’ve realized now that that was really a bit too obvious,” He paused and said: “Hope you feel the same about me.”
布洛尔挺不好意思地说道：“我起初很有点儿不放心你，那枝枪，还有你说的不像话的来历——只是不说而已。但我现在看出来了，这些还不都是明摆着的吗？”他顿了顿又说道：“希望你别见怪。”
“I couldn’t know he was going to die, could I?” demanded Blore.
“我哪知道他会死！”布洛尔反问说。
Blore shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. He said at last: “Doesn’t seem to make much odds now. Oh, well, here goes. Landor was innocent right enough. The gang had got me squared and between us we got him put away for a stretch. Mind you, I wouldn’t admit this –“
布洛尔拿不定主意地前后挪动着双腿，最后他还是说道：“反正现在说不说都一样了，喏，事情是这样的。兰道确实是一清二白的，那一帮人买通了我，我们一块儿想法子把他拉扯上的，我可跟你照直说了，我本来是不会承认……”
“And Landor got penal servitude and died in prison.”
“而兰道被判处监禁劳役，而且在牢里送了命。”
“No, that was your bad luck.”
“不是这个意思，我是说你运气不好。”
“Mine? His, you mean.”
“我运气不好？你是说他运气不好吧？”
“If there were any witnesses,” finished Lombard with a grin. “It’s just between you and me. Well, I hope you made a tidy bit out of it.”
“上有天，下有地，”隆巴德一乐，说：“我保证不会出卖你。老兄，你捞到的好处，我看少不了吧？”
“Yours, too. Because, as a result of it, it looks as though your own life is going to be cut unpleasantly short.”
“你运气也不好。因为看来由于此事引起，你老兄也得无可奈何地提早寿终正寝。”
“Didn’t make what I should have done. Mean crowd, the Purcell gang. I got my promotion, though.”
“没有我原来估计的那么多。真不要脸呐，这帮子强盗。反正，总算晋了级。”
“Me?” Blore stared at him. “Do you think I’m going to go the way of Rogers and the rest of them? Not me! I’m watching out for myself pretty carefully, I can tell you.”
“我？”布洛尔睁大眼睛干瞪着说道，“你认为我也会遭到罗杰斯他们同样的命运吗？甭想！我可以对你说，我可替自己留神着呐！”
Lombard said: “Oh, well — I’m not a betting man. And anyway if you were dead I wouldn’t get paid.”
隆巴德说道：“啊，行啊——我从来不赌咒发誓。而且说来说去，就是你死了，我也得不到好处。”
“Look here, Mr. Lombard, what do you mean?”
“请问，隆巴德先生，你这是什么意思？”
Philip Lombard showed his teeth. He said: “I mean, my dear Blore, that in my opinion you haven’t got a chance!”
菲利普·隆巴德露出一口白牙地说：“我的意思是，我亲爱的布洛尔，我看你是没有生路了。”
Philip Lombard’s face went hard and dangerous. He said:”I’ve a pretty good imagination of my own. I’ve been in tight places before now and got out of them! I think — I won’t say more than that but I think I’ll get out of this one.”
菲利普·隆巴德满脸凶相地说道：“我有我自己动脑筋的一套法子。以前，再棘手的场合我都领教过，而且都闯过来了！我看——也用不着多说别的，我认为这次照样能闯过去。”
“Your lack of imagination is going to make you absolutely a sitting target. A criminal of the imagination of U. N. Owen can make rings round you any time he — or she — wants to.”
“你这个死脑筋啊，只能让自己坐着等人家搞掉你，像尤·纳·欧文这样会动脑筋的罪犯，他（或者她）想在什么时候就能在什么时候让你上圈套。”
“What?”
“什么？”
Blore’s face went crimson. He demanded angrily: “And what about you?”
布洛尔涨红了脸，怒气冲冲地反问说：“你自己呢？”
The eggs were in the frying-pan. Vera, at the stove, thought to herself: “Why did I make a hysterical fool of myself? That was a mistake. Keep calm, my girl, keep calm.”
锅里正煎着鸡蛋，维拉站在炉台旁，一边寻思：“我干吗歇斯底里地出洋相？真是蠢极了。要冷静，我的姑娘，要冷静啊！”
After all, she’d always prided herself on her levelheadedness!
何况，她对自己的遇事沉着，从来就很自鸣得意。
Why think of that now? All that was over — over… Cyril had disappeared long before she got near the rock. She had felt the current take her, sweeping her out to sea. She had let herself go with it — swimming quietly, floating — till the boat arrived at last…
干吗现在要想这个？一切都是往事——已经了结了的往事，等她游近岩石旁边时，西里尔早已消失多时了。她只觉得激流卷身，直把她住外海拖拽。她故意随波逐流——静静地游着，浮着——直到救援的小船最后来到……
“Miss Claythorne was wonderful — kept her head — started off swimming after Cyril at once.”
“克莱索恩小姐真是了不起——头脑冷静——立刻游过去追西里尔。”
Emily Brent lifted out the last egg from the sizzling fat.
埃米莉·布伦特把最后一个鸡蛋从吱吱作响的油锅里捞了出来。
God, how it hurt, even now, to think of Hugo…
天哪，多使人伤心，就是现在吧，一想到雨果……
She paused and then added: “Or don’t you mind dying?”
过一会儿，她又补充了一句：“或者说，你难道不怕死吗？”
But not Hugo. Hugo had just — looked at her…
但，雨果不是，雨果只是——瞧了她一眼……
Emily Brent said sharply: “Vera, that bacon is burning.”
埃米莉·布伦特尖声喊道：“维拉，咸肉烧糊了。”
Vera, putting fresh pieces of bacon in the frying-pan, said curiously: “You’re wonderfully calm, Miss Brent.”
维拉又在煎锅里放上重新切成片的咸肉。她好奇地问道：“布伦特小姐，你真了不起，多镇静啊！”
“Oh, sorry, Miss Brent, so it is. How stupid of me.”
“啊，对不起，布伦特小姐，真是糊了。瞧，我这个蠢劲儿。”
Emily Brent said, pressing her lips together: “I was brought up to keep my head and never to make a fuss.”
埃米莉·布伦特说着，嘴唇紧闭着：“我从小就是这样长大的，遇事要沉着，切忌咋咋呼呼的。”
She said: “Aren’t you afraid?”
她说道：“你难道不害怕吗？”
Vera thought mechanically: “Repressed as a child… That accounts for a lot…”
维拉自然而然地想着：“从小就受管教约束……确实说明不少问题……”
Dying! It was as though a sharp little gimlet had run into the solid congealed mass of Emily Brent’s brain. Dying? But she wasn’t going to die! The others would die — yes — but not she, Emily Brent. This girl didn’t understand! Emily wasn’t afraid naturally — none of the Brents were afraid, All her people were Service people. They faced death unflinchingly. They led upright lives just as she, Emily Brent, had led an upright life… She had never done anything to be ashamed of… And so, naturally, she wasn’t going to die…
死！这个字，犹似锋利的手钻径直往埃米莉·布伦特坚固结实的脑门子里钻。死！她可不打算去死！别人会死——会的，但是她，埃米莉·布伦特不会。这老姑娘不懂得这一点。埃米莉从来不害怕，天生的——布伦特家的人！没有一个会害怕的。她那一家子人都是吃公事饭的，死啊活啊的，那是家常便饭，连眼睛都不兴眨一眨！他们都和她，埃米莉·布伦特一样，做人从来规规矩矩……她从来没有做过任何亏心事……因此自然，她也从来不想死……
They had praised her courage and her sang-froid…
大家一致称赞她临危不惧，镇定自若……
Where was he? What was he doing? Was he engaged — married?
他在哪儿呢？他在干什么呢？他定亲了没有——结婚了吗？
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day…” It was daylight now — there was no terror. “We shall none of us leave this island…” Who had said that? General Macarthur, of course, whose cousin had married Elsie MacPherson. He hadn’t seemed to care. He had seemed — actually — to welcome the idea! Wicked! Almost impious to feel that way. Some people thought so little of death that they actually took their own lives. Beatrice Taylor… Last night she had dreamed of Beatrice — dreamt that she was outside pressing her face against the window and moaning, asking to be let in. But Emily Brent hadn’t wanted to let her in. Because, if she did, something terrible would happen…
“黑夜，你无所摄于恐怖；白昼，你无所畏于流矢……”（圣经句——译者注）而现在正是大白天——没有任何恐怖可言。“我们谁也别想离开这个岛。”这是谁说的？还不是麦克阿瑟将军！他的堂兄娶了埃尔西·麦克弗森。他看来毫不在乎，事实上，反倒似乎挺高兴！有这种念头，多可恶！简直可以说是作孽。有的人就是不在乎死，往往还自己干掉自己。比阿特丽斯·泰勒……昨天晚上她梦见了比阿特丽斯——梦见她从外面把脸贴在玻璃窗上，呻吟着，要求让她进屋里来。但是，埃米莉·布伦特就是不想让她进来。因为，万一让她进来，就得出事，可怕的事……
“The Lord is mindful of his own.”
“主从来是心中有数的。”
Breakfast was a curious meal. Every one was very polite.
这顿早餐与昨天不同。每个人都客气得要命。
“May I get you some more coffee, Miss Brent?”
“我给你再来点咖啡怎么样，布伦特小姐？”
Emily came to herself with a start. That girl was looking at her very strangely. She said in a brisk voice: “Everything’s ready, isn’t it? We’ll take the breakfast in.”
埃米莉猛然一下子从神思恍惚中恢复了常态，发现维拉这姑娘正在十分诧异地望着她，就立刻说道，而且说得特别响脆：“一切都准备齐全了吧？我们把早饭端进去吧！”
“Six of those little china figures… only six — how many will there be by tonight?…”
“六个小瓷人儿……只剩六个了——今晚会是几个呢……”
“Who’ll have the last egg?”
“还有最后一个蛋，谁吃？”
“Marmalade?”
“要桔子酱吗？”
“Miss Claythorne, a slice of ham?”
“克莱索恩小姐，来片火腿？”
“Another piece of bacon?”
“再来块咸肉？”
“The damned fool, he believed every word I said to him. It was easy… I must be careful, though, very careful…”
“这个该死的傻瓜，我说什么他全信了。太简单了……可我还得小心，还得非常小心。”
“It’s crazy — every thing’s crazy. I’m going crazy. Wool disappearing — red silk curtains — it doesn’t make sense. I can’t get the hang of it…”
“简直是发狂——全都发狂了，我也要发狂了。毛线不见了——紫红闪光绸的帘子——都是想不通的事。我一点儿也不明白……”
“Would it work? I wonder. It’s worth trying. If there’s time. My God, if there’s time…”
“行得通吗？我是怀疑的。但是，试试总是值得的。只要时间上来得及就行，我的上帝，只要时间上来得及……”
And within? Thoughts that ran round in a circle like squirrels in a cage…
其实内心呢？思潮起伏，一如十五只吊桶打水，七上八下的……
Six people, all outwardly self-possessed and normal.
六个人，外表镇定自若。
“What next? What next? Who? Which?”
“下一个？下一个？该轮到谁了？该出什么事了？”
“Religious mania, that’s the ticket… Looking at her, though, you can hardly believe it… Suppose I’m wrong…”
“宗教狂，一点不错……模样上可是一点也瞧不出来……万一我弄错了呢……”
“Thanks, can I give you some ham?”
“多谢。再给我一点火腿吧。”
Six people, behaving normally at breakfast…
六个人一起吃着早饭，一切正常……
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