10 Life in the country
第十章 乡村生活
The weeks slipped contentedly past, and spring turned into summer.
几周时光在满足中悄然流逝，春去夏来。
Oliver was now a strong and healthy boy, and very fond of Rose and Mrs Maylie — as they were of him.
奥利弗如今已是个强壮健康的男孩，他非常喜欢罗斯和梅利太太——她们也同样喜爱他。
One hot summer evening, after a walk in the country, Rose became very weak and pale, and confessed she felt ill.
一个炎热的夏日傍晚，在乡间散步回来后，罗斯变得非常虚弱苍白，承认自己感觉不舒服。
By the next morning she was in a dangerous fever, and Mrs Maylie and Oliver were afraid she might die.
到了第二天早上，她发起了危险的高烧，梅利太太和奥利弗都担心她可能会死去。
Mrs Maylie sent Oliver to the nearest town, four miles away, to post two express letters.
梅利太太派奥利弗去四英里外最近的镇上寄两封加急信。
One was to Dr Losberne in Chertsey, the other to Harry Maylie, Mrs Maylie’s son.
一封是给彻特西的洛斯伯恩医生，另一封是给梅利太太的儿子哈里·梅利。
Oliver, filled with anxiety, ran as fast as he could along the country roads and across the fields until, hot and exhausted, he reached the town.
奥利弗满心焦虑，沿着乡间小路和田野拼命奔跑，直到又热又累地到达镇上。
He posted the letters and turned to hurry home again.
他寄出信后便转身急忙赶回家。
As he was running past a pub in the main street, he accidentally bumped into a tall man in black coming out.
当他跑过主街上的一家酒馆时，不小心撞到了一个走出来的黑衣高个子男人。
The man stared at Oliver. ‘What the devil’s this?’ he said, stepping back.
那人盯着奥利弗。“这到底是什么鬼？”他说着向后退了一步。
‘I’m sorry, sir. I was in a hurry, and didn’t see you.’
“对不起，先生。我太急了，没看见您。”
The man murmured angrily to himself, ‘Who would have thought it? Curse him! I can’t get away from him!’
那人愤怒地自言自语道：“谁能想到呢？该死的！我怎么也躲不开他！”
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ repeated Oliver, frightened by the man’s wild, staring eyes.
“对不起，先生，”奥利弗重复道，他被那人狂野凝视的眼神吓坏了。
‘The devil break your bones!’ the man said through his teeth. ‘What are you doing here?’
“让魔鬼打断你的骨头！”那人咬牙切齿地说，“你在这里干什么？”
He raised his hand and started towards Oliver with a mad look in his eyes, but fell violently to the ground, shaking and gasping, in a fit.
他举起手，眼里闪着疯狂的光芒朝奥利弗逼近，却突然剧烈地倒在地上，浑身抽搐、气喘吁吁地发作起来。
People hurried up and helped the man into the pub while Oliver, thinking that the man was mad, ran quickly home.
人们赶紧上前把那人扶进酒馆，而奥利弗以为那人是个疯子，便飞快地跑回了家。
Mrs Maylie and Oliver passed a sleepless night, and Rose grew steadily worse as the fever burned in her.
梅利太太和奥利弗度过了一个不眠之夜，罗斯在高烧中病情持续恶化。
Oliver said every prayer he had ever learnt ten times over.
奥利弗把他学过的每一句祈祷文都念了十遍。
Late the next day Dr Losberne and Harry Maylie arrived, and the house was full of worried faces and anxious whispers.
第二天晚些时候，洛斯伯恩医生和哈里·梅利赶到了，屋子里满是焦急的面孔和忧虑的低语。
But the danger passed, and by the next night Dr Losberne was able to announce that, though seriously ill, Rose would not die.
但危险终于过去了，到第二天晚上，洛斯伯恩医生宣布罗斯虽然病重，但不会有生命危险。
Oliver cried for joy.
奥利弗高兴得哭了起来。
A day or two later, Mrs Maylie talked privately to her son.
一两天后，梅利太太私下里和儿子谈了一次话。
Harry was a handsome young man of about twenty-five, with a cheerful, honest face and friendly manners.
哈里是个二十五岁左右的英俊青年，面容开朗诚实，待人友善。
He was clearly very fond of Rose.
他显然非常喜欢罗斯。
‘I know that you want to marry Rose,’ Mrs Maylie told her son, ‘and she is the nicest person I know. But I want you to remember one thing — her birth.’
“我知道你想娶罗斯，”梅利太太对儿子说，“她是我认识的最善良的人。但我希望你记住一件事——她的出身。”
‘Mother, that means nothing to me,’ said the young man. ‘I love her.’
“妈妈，那对我来说毫无意义，”年轻人说，“我爱她。”
‘I know you do, Harry, but she herself is well aware of her doubtful birth, and this might affect her answer if you ask her to marry you.
“我知道你爱她，哈里，但她自己很清楚身世不明，如果你向她求婚，这可能会影响她的答复。
I know you have ambitions to enter politics. If you marry a woman with a stain on her name, even though it’s not her fault, it might spoil your chances of success in life.
我知道你有从政的抱负。如果你娶了一个名声有污点的女人，即使那不是她的错，也可能毁了你成功的机会。
Society is cruel, Harry. People might use the knowledge of your wife’s doubtful birth against you, and against your children; too.
社会是残酷的，哈里。人们可能会利用你妻子身世不明这一点来攻击你，甚至攻击你的孩子。
And one day, you might begin to regret your marriage.’
终有一天，你可能会开始后悔这门婚事。”
‘Only a selfish man would do that, Mother!’ Harry answered impatiently. ‘No, I am quite determined. I have loved Rose for a long time, and nothing will ever change that.’
“只有自私的男人才会那样做，妈妈！”哈里不耐烦地回答，“不，我已经下定决心了。我爱罗斯很久了，什么都不会改变这一点。”
Mrs Maylie sighed. ‘And she, I know, is very fond of you. But she herself may try to protect you, and refuse an offer of marriage from you, for your sake. Remember that, Harry. But now, I must go back and sit with her.’
梅利太太叹了口气。“我知道她也很喜欢你。但她可能会为了保护你而拒绝你的求婚，这都是为了你好。记住这一点，哈里。不过现在，我得回去陪她了。”
‘Will you tell her how much I’ve worried about her?’ asked Harry. ‘And how anxious I am to see her again?’
“您能告诉她我有多担心她吗？”哈里问，“还有我多么渴望再见到她？”
‘Of course I will,’ replied Mrs Maylie.
“我当然会，”梅利太太答道。
Some days after this conversation, Oliver was sitting in the room where he studied in the evenings.
这次谈话过了几天，奥利弗正坐在他晚间学习的房间里。
It was a warm night, and he had been studying hard for some hours. He fell asleep at his desk and started dreaming.
那是个温暖的夜晚，他已经刻苦学习了好几个小时。他在书桌前睡着了，并开始做梦。
He dreamt that he was in Fagin’s house again, and could see the old man sitting in his corner, whispering to another man.
他梦见自己又回到了费金的住处，看见老头子坐在角落里，正跟另一个人窃窃私语。
‘Yes, my dear,’ he heard Fagin say, ‘you’re right. That’s him.’
“是的，亲爱的，”他听见费金说，“你说得对。就是他。”
In Oliver’s dream the other man answered, ‘Of course it is! I told you I’d seen him. I’d recognize him anywhere. If I walked across his unmarked grave, I’d know it was him buried under the ground.’
在奥利弗的梦中，另一个人回答道：“当然是他！我告诉过你我见过他。无论在哪我都能认出他。就算走过他没有标记的坟墓，我也知道埋在下面的就是他。”
He said this with such hatred that Oliver woke up from fear.
他说这话时充满了仇恨，奥利弗被吓得醒了过来。
In front of him, at the open window, so near he could almost touch them, were Fagin and the strange, wild man he had bumped into outside the pub in the town.
就在他面前敞开的窗户处，近得几乎触手可及的地方，站着费金和那个他在镇上酒馆外撞见的怪异狂野的男人。
In a flash, they were gone. Oliver sat still, white with terror, for a second, then shouted loudly for help.
一瞬间，他们就不见了。奥利弗吓得脸色惨白，呆坐了一秒钟，然后大声呼救。
Harry and Dr Losberne came running, and hearing what had happened, they rushed outside into the night and searched the garden and the fields around. There was no sign of anybody.
哈里和洛斯伯恩医生闻声跑来，听完事情经过后，他们冲进夜色中搜查了花园和周围的田野，但没有发现任何人的踪迹。
‘It must have been a bad dream, Oliver,’ said Harry, breathless after running through the fields. He had heard all about Oliver’s past from his mother.
“那一定是个噩梦，奥利弗，”哈里穿过田野跑得气喘吁吁地说。他已从母亲那里听说了奥利弗过去的所有经历。
‘No,’ replied Oliver, still frightened. ‘I saw them both as plainly as I see you now.’
“不，”奥利弗仍然心有余悸地回答，“我看见他们俩就像现在看见你一样清楚。”
Nothing more was seen or heard of the two men, and after a few days, the event was forgotten.
那两个人再也没有出现过或有任何消息，几天后这件事就被遗忘了。
Rose recovered rapidly and was soon able to go outside again.
罗斯恢复得很快，不久就能再次出门了。
Harry Maylie waited a few days, then, as his mother had expected, he asked Rose to marry him. And as his mother had warned him, Rose refused.
哈里·梅利等了几天，然后正如他母亲预料的那样，向罗斯求婚了。也正如他母亲警告过他的那样，罗斯拒绝了。
‘Don’t you love me?’ he asked her, holding her hand.
“难道你不爱我吗？”他握着她的手问道。
‘I do,’ she whispered, ‘but please try to forget me. It would ruin your future as a politician if anybody found out about my birth. I could never, never forgive myself.’
“我爱你，”她低声说，“但请试着忘掉我。如果有人发现我的身世，就会毁了你的政治前途。我永远、永远无法原谅我自己。”
Harry paused for a few minutes. ‘Tell me one thing, dear Rose. Could you have accepted if your past had been different? Or if I had been poor and friendless, with no hope of riches or success?’
哈里沉默了几分钟。“告诉我一件事，亲爱的罗斯。如果你的过去不同，或者如果我一贫如洗、举目无亲，没有发财或成功的希望，你会接受我吗？”
‘I could,’ answered Rose, covering her face to hide her tears. ‘But as you are, I can never be more than a friend to you.’
“我会的，”罗斯捂着脸掩饰泪水回答道，“但以你现在的条件，我永远只能做你的朋友。”
‘I shall ask you once more,’ said Harry softly. ‘In a year’s time or less, I shall ask you to change your mind.’
“我会再问你一次，”哈里轻声说，“一年或不到一年后，我会请求你改变主意。”
The girl shook her head and smiled sadly. ‘No, it will be useless.’
女孩摇了摇头，悲伤地笑了笑。“不，那也没用的。”
Harry left the next day, having asked Oliver to write to him secretly with news of his mother and Rose. From an upstairs window, Rose watched him leave with tears in her eyes.
哈里第二天就离开了，临走前嘱咐奥利弗秘密写信告诉他母亲和罗斯的近况。罗斯站在楼上的窗边，含泪目送他离去。
Mr Bumble was now a married man, and not a happy one.
班布尔先生现在已经结婚了，但过得并不幸福。
He was no longer a beadle but the manager of the workhouse, and his wife, formerly Mrs Corney, scolded and argued with him day and night.
他不再担任教区干事，而是成了济贫院的管理员，他的妻子（即以前的科尼太太）日夜不停地责骂他、与他争吵。
One evening, after a particularly violent fight, when she threw things at him and chased him out of the house, he went for a walk alone through the town.
一天傍晚，在一次特别激烈的争吵后，妻子拿东西砸他并把他赶出家门，他便独自在镇上闲逛。
He felt very sorry for himself, and finally went into a pub to find comfort in gin-and-water.
他觉得自己非常可怜，最后走进一家酒馆，想靠杜松子酒兑水来寻求慰藉。
A tall dark man, sitting in the corner, watched Mr Bumble while he drank. The stranger’s clothes were dusty and muddy, as if he had travelled a long way.
一个坐在角落里的黝黑高个子男人在班布尔喝酒时一直盯着他。这个陌生人的衣服上满是尘土和泥浆，仿佛长途跋涉而来。
Mr Bumble began to feel uncomfortable at the man’s hard stare, and tried to avoid meeting his eyes.
那人死死盯着的目光让班布尔先生感到不自在，他试图避开对方的视线。
‘I’ve seen you before,’ the stranger said, eventually. ‘You were the beadle here.’
“我以前见过你，”陌生人终于开口了，“你以前是这里的教区干事。”
‘I was. But I don’t recognize you.’
“我是。但我不认识你。”
‘It doesn’t matter. I came here to look for you, and I’m lucky to have found you. I’d like some information.’ He pushed a couple of coins across the table.
“没关系。我来这里就是为了找你，很幸运找到了。我想打听些消息。”他把几枚硬币推过桌面。
‘What information?’ asked Mr Bumble suspiciously, slipping the coins into his pocket.
“什么消息？”班布尔先生怀疑地问，顺手把硬币滑进口袋。
‘About a workhouse birth. A boy called Oliver Twist.’
“关于济贫院里出生的一个孩子。一个叫奥利弗·特威斯特的男孩。”
‘Young Twist! I remember him! He was a dreadful —’
“小特威斯特！我记得他！他是个可怕的——”
‘It’s not him I want to talk about,’ interrupted the stranger. ‘I’ve heard enough of him. It’s the old woman who was the nurse for his mother. Where is she?’
“我不是要谈他，”陌生人打断道，“关于他的事我听够了。我要找的是给他母亲当护士的那个老太婆。她在哪？”
‘Oh — she died last winter,’ said Mr Bumble. Then he remembered that his wife had been there when old Sally had died, and he realized that this information might be worth something.
“哦——她去年冬天死了，”班布尔先生说。接着他想起老萨莉死的时候妻子也在场，于是意识到这个消息可能值点钱。
He told the man that one woman had been with the nurse when she died, and had heard some secret from her.
他告诉那人，护士临死前有一个女人在身边，并从她那里听到了某个秘密。
‘Where can I find this woman?’ the stranger asked quickly, showing in his pale face how important this was to him.
“我在哪里能找到这个女人？”陌生人急切地问，苍白的脸色显示出这事对他有多么重要。
‘I can bring her to meet you tomorrow,’ said Mr Bumble.
“明天我可以带她来见你，”班布尔先生说。
‘All right. Down by the river, at nine in the evening.’ The man wrote the address on a piece of paper.
“好。晚上九点，河边见。”那人把地址写在一张纸上。
‘And your name?’ asked Mr Bumble.
“请问尊姓大名？”班布尔先生问。
‘Monks,’ replied the stranger, ‘but you don’t need to remember it.’ Then he quickly left the pub.
“蒙克斯，”陌生人答道，“但你没必要记住。”说完他便迅速离开了酒馆。
The next evening was dark and cloudy; a storm threatened and already the first drops of rain were falling.
第二天傍晚天色阴暗多云，暴风雨即将来临，雨滴已经开始落下。
Mr and Mrs Bumble walked up the main street of the town, then turned towards a group of ruined old houses next to the river.
班布尔夫妇沿着镇上的主街走去，然后转向河边一排破败的老房子。
Mr Bumble went first, carrying a dim light, and his wife followed closely behind.
班布尔先生提着昏暗的灯走在前面，妻子紧随其后。
At the oldest and most ruined building, they stopped and Mr Bumble took out his piece of paper.
在最古老、最破败的那栋建筑前，他们停了下来，班布尔先生掏出了那张纸条。
The first distant crash of thunder shook air, and the rain began to pour down heavily. Then they heard Monks calling out of an upstairs window.
远处第一声雷鸣震动了空气，大雨倾盆而下。这时他们听见蒙克斯从楼上的窗户喊他们。
‘Is that the man?’ Mrs Bumble asked her husband.
“就是那个人吗？”班布尔太太问丈夫。
‘Yes.’
“是的。”
‘Then be careful to say as little as you can. Don’t tell him I’m your wife.’
“那就注意尽量少说话。别告诉他我是你妻子。”
Monks opened a small door, saying impatiently, ‘Come in! Don’t keep me waiting!’
蒙克斯打开一扇小门，不耐烦地说：“进来！别让我等！”
Mr Bumble was only brave when dealing with poor, helpless people. He felt very uneasy about entering this dark building with an ill-tempered stranger.
班布尔先生只有在面对贫穷无助的人时才显得勇敢。要跟一个脾气暴躁的陌生人进入这栋黑暗的建筑，他感到非常不安。
However, he was equally afraid of his wife. Nervously, he followed her through the door.
然而，他也同样害怕自己的妻子。于是他紧张地跟着她走进了门。
Inside, Monks stared at Mrs Bumble for some time. ‘So this is the woman, is it?’
进去后，蒙克斯盯着班布尔太太看了一会儿。“这就是那个女人，是吗？”
‘Yes,’ replied Mr Bumble cautiously.
“是的，”班布尔先生谨慎地回答。
As they walked upstairs, there was a bright flash of lightning outside, followed by loud thunder. They sat down at the table and Monks started immediately.
当他们走上楼时，外面闪过一道明亮的闪电，紧接着是响亮的雷声。他们在桌旁坐下，蒙克斯立刻切入正题。
‘So you were present when the old woman died, is that right? And she told you something?’ He stared at Mrs Bumble again.
“那么老太婆死的时候你在场，对吧？她告诉了你一些事？”他又盯着班布尔太太。
‘Yes,’ said Mrs Bumble. ‘Something about the mother of Oliver Twist. But first, how much will you pay me for the information?’
“是的，”班布尔太太说，“关于奥利弗·特威斯特母亲的事。但首先，你愿意为这个消息付多少钱？”
‘If it’s what I want to hear — twenty-five pounds,’ said Monks. ‘But it’s a lot of money for something which has been lying dead for twelve years.’
“如果是我想听的——二十五英镑，”蒙克斯说，“但对于一件已经尘封十二年的往事来说，这可是笔大数目。”
Reluctantly, he pushed the money across the table towards her, then bent forward to listen.
他不情愿地把钱推过桌子递给她，然后探身向前倾听。
The faces of the three nearly touched, as the two men leant over the table to hear what the woman had to say, and the woman leant over towards them so that they could hear her whisper. In the dim lamplight their faces looked pale and ghostly.
三个人的脸几乎贴在一起，两个男人趴在桌上听女人讲述，女人也向他们凑过去以便让他们听清低语。在昏暗的灯光下，他们的面孔显得苍白而阴森。
‘The old woman who was the nurse died with only me in the room,’ said Mrs Bumble.
“那个当护士的老太婆死的时候，房间里只有我一个人，”班布尔太太说。
‘No one else was there?’ asked Monks fiercely.
“没有别人在场吗？”蒙克斯凶狠地问。
‘No one.’
“没有。”
‘Good,’ said Monks. ‘Go on.’
“很好，”蒙克斯说，“继续。”
‘She spoke about a young woman who had given birth in the same bed some years before. The child was Oliver Twist. And this nurse had robbed the child’s mother.’
“她说起几年前在同一张床上生孩子的一个年轻女子。那孩子就是奥利弗·特威斯特。而这个护士抢劫了孩子的母亲。”
‘Robbed in life?’ asked Monks.
“生前抢的吗？”蒙克斯问。
‘In death. She stole from the body when it was hardly cold. But the old woman fell back and died before she could tell me more.’
“死后。尸体还没凉透她就偷了东西。但那老太婆还没来得及告诉我更多就倒下死了。”
‘It’s a lie!’ shouted Monks furiously. ‘You know more! I’ll kill you both if you don’t tell me what else she said.’
“撒谎！”蒙克斯狂怒地吼道，“你知道得更多！如果不告诉我她还说了什么，我就杀了你们俩。”
‘She said no more,’ repeated Mrs Bumble calmly, showing (unlike Mr Bumble) no fear of the strange man’s violence. ‘But in her hand I found a piece of dirty paper.’
“她没再说别的，”班布尔太太平静地重复道，丝毫不畏惧这个陌生男人的暴力（这点不像班布尔先生）。“但在她手里我发现了一张脏纸片。”
‘Which contained… ?’
“上面写着……？”
‘Nothing. It was only a receipt from a pawnbroker. I went to the pawnbroker and got back a little gold locket. Inside was a gold wedding ring and on the locket itself, the name “Agnes”.’ She put the locket on the table in front of Monks.
“没什么。只是一张当铺的收据。我去当铺赎回了一个小金盒。里面有一枚金结婚戒指，金盒本身上刻着‘艾格尼丝’这个名字。”她把金盒放在蒙克斯面前的桌子上。
He picked it up immediately and looked at it closely, his hands shaking. ‘Is this all?’
他立刻拿起金盒仔细端详，双手颤抖。“就这些吗？”
‘It is. And now I want to ask you a question. What do you intend to do with the locket?’
“就这些。现在我想问你一个问题。你打算拿这个金盒怎么办？”
‘This. So it can never be used against me.’ Monks suddenly pushed the table to one side and opened a small door in the floor. Down below rushed the river, its muddy waters swollen by the heavy rain.
“这样。让它永远不能用来对付我。”蒙克斯突然把桌子推到一边，掀开地板上的一个小门。下面河水奔涌，浑浊的水面因暴雨而上涨。
‘If you threw a man’s body down there, where would it be tomorrow?’ asked Monks.
“如果把一具尸体扔下去，明天会在哪里？”蒙克斯问。
‘Twelve miles down the river, and cut to pieces,’ replied Mr Bumble in a shaky voice.
“顺流而下十二英里，并且会被撕成碎片，”班布尔先生声音颤抖地回答。
Monks tied the locket to a heavy weight and dropped it into the water. In a second, it was gone. The three of them looked into each other’s faces, and seemed to breathe more freely.
蒙克斯把金盒绑在一个重物上扔进水里。转眼间它就消失了。三人面面相觑，似乎呼吸都顺畅了些。
‘Now we have nothing more to say,’ said Monks, with a threatening look at Mr Bumble. ‘And nothing to say to anyone else either. Do you understand?’
“现在我们没什么可说的了，”蒙克斯威胁地看了班布尔先生一眼，“对任何人也都无可奉告。明白吗？”
‘Certainly,’ said Mr Bumble, very politely. He moved away from the strange man, anxious to leave quickly.
“当然明白，”班布尔先生非常客气地说。他远离了这个陌生人，急于尽快离开。
At the door to street, Monks turned again to Mr Bumble. ‘And if we ever meet again, we don’t know each other. Do you understand that as well?’
在临街的门口，蒙克斯又转向班布尔先生。“如果我们以后再见面，我们互不相识。这一点你也明白吗？”
‘Perfectly,’ said the relieved Mr Bumble, moving away into the rain and pulling his wife with him.
“完全明白，”班布尔先生如释重负地说，拉着妻子走进了雨中。
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