The next morning Gertrude got ready to leave for Caster bridge. She did not want to go by road because she did not want to meet any of her husband’s friends.
第二天一早，格特鲁德准备出发前往卡斯特桥。她不想走大路，因为不想碰到任何她丈夫的朋友。
So she took one of the heavy horses from the farm, and rode west across the hills.
于是她牵了农场上一匹健壮的马，翻山越岭朝西而去。
She was afraid of riding with a half-dead arm, but the farm horse was quiet and slow, and easy to ride.
拖着一条几乎残废的胳膊骑马赶路，她有点儿担心，好在这匹马温顺，走得也慢，不难驾驭。
He carried her uphill and downhill, past rivers and through trees, moving west all the time.
马儿驮着她跋山涉水，穿过树林，一直朝西走。
The sun slowly went down in the sky, and it was nearly eight o’clock when Gertrude stopped for a moment at the top of a hill.
太阳慢慢地从天空落了下去，快到八点的时候，格特鲁德在一座山的山顶稍作停歇。
It was the last hill before the town, and she could see the roofs of Casterbridge below.
这是到达镇子前的最后一个山头，她能看到山下卡斯特桥镇上房子的屋顶了。
There was a big building on a hill at the end of the town, with a white roof. She knew this was the jail, and she could see a lot of workmen on the roof.
在镇子尽头的山上，有一座很大的建筑，屋顶是白色的。她知道这就是监狱。她还看到屋顶上有好多工人。
‘What are they doing?’ she thought. ‘They’re building something up there on the roof… Oh!’
“他们在做什么？”她想，“在屋顶上把什么东西竖起来……啊！”
Suddenly, she understood, and quickly turned her eyes away. It was a warm summer evening, but she shivered with cold.
她突然明白过来，于是立刻把目光转向了别处。这是个温暖的夏夜，她却冷得发抖。
‘Tomorrow they’re going to hang a man on that roof,’ she thought. ‘And when he is dead…’
“明天他们就要在屋顶上绞死一个人。”她想，“他死了以后……”
She shivered again, but then she remembered her husband’s cold words and his unsmiling face, and she rode on down into the town.
她又打了个寒战。但转念想起丈夫冷漠的话语和没有笑容的面孔，她又继续骑着马朝镇上走去。
She found a room to stay for the night, and then went out into the town.
她先是找了间过夜的屋子，然后出门去了镇上。
‘What do I do now?’ she thought. ‘How can I get into the jail tomorrow? Who must I talk to? The men at the jail, or the hangman?’
“我现在该做什么？”她想，“我明天怎么才能进到监狱里面？我要去找谁说？是监狱里的人，还是执行绞刑的刽子手？”
She was afraid to go to the jail, so she went to find the hangman. He had a house down by the river, a boy in the town told her.
她不敢去监狱，只好去找刽子手。镇子里的一个男孩告诉她，刽子手在河的下游有座房子。
When she found the house, she stood outside for some minutes, afraid to go to the door. Then the door opened and a man came out.
找到房子之后，她在外面站了几分钟，不敢去敲门。这时，门开了，一个男人走了出来。
‘Who are you?’ he called out. ‘What do you want?’
“你是谁？”他喊道，“你想干什么？”
‘I want to speak to you for a minute.’
“我想跟您谈几句话。”
He came nearer, and looked at her. ‘Well, well, that’s a pretty face,’ he said. ‘Come into the house.’
男人来到她跟前，看着她。“唔，不错，好漂亮的脸蛋儿。”他说，“进来吧！”
They went inside. Davies (that was his name) was a hangman on some days, but a gardener on other days.
他们进到屋内。戴维斯（这是男人的名字）有些日子做刽子手，其他时候则是个园丁。
‘Is it about gardening work?’ he asked Gertrude. ‘I can’t do any tomorrow, because I’m working at the jail.’
“是园艺活儿吗？”他问格特鲁德，“我明天做不了，因为得给监狱干活儿。”
‘Yes, yes, I know. That’s why I’m here.’
“是，是，我知道。这正是我来这儿的原因。”
‘Ah! I thought so. Is the poor man one of your family then? Perhaps your young brother? No,’ – Davies looked at Gertrude’s dress – ‘I don’t think so. Was he one of your farm workers perhaps?’
“啊！我猜就是这样。那个可怜的家伙是你的家人？大概是你弟弟吧？不对，”戴维斯看着格特鲁德的裙子——“应该不是你弟弟。他是你农场上的工人吧？”
‘No. What time is the hanging?’
“不是。绞刑什么时候执行？”
‘The same as usual – twelve o’clock.’
“跟平常一样——十二点钟。”
‘And it is… it is going to happen, yes?’
“那……那是会执行了，对吗？”
‘Oh yes, nothing can stop the hanging now,’ said Davies.’But I’m sorry for this young man, I truly am. He’s only eighteen. They say it was arson, but I don’t know. He was there when the fire began, but there were twenty other men there too. So how do they know? I think they just want to hang someone… anyone. But what can I do for you, my pretty?’
“哦，是的。现在没有什么能阻止这次行刑了。”戴维斯说，“不过我倒是替那个年轻人难过，真心难过。他才十八岁。他们说他是纵火犯，我看倒是不见得。火着起来的时候他是在那儿，可还有另外二十个人也在那儿啊。他们怎么知道是谁放的火呢？我猜他们就是为了要绞死个人……管他是谁。对了，我能为你做点儿什么呢，美人儿？”
‘I need a cure,’ Gertrude said, ‘a cure for a curse. And a Wise Man told me about the hanged man, and – and turning the blood…’
“我需要一个秘方，”格特鲁德说，“一个解除咒语的秘方。一位大师告诉我要找个刚绞死的人，这样——这样就能流转血脉……”
‘Oh yes, miss! Now I understand. People sometimes come for that. But not pretty young things like you. Well, well. What’s the cure for?’
“哦，对啊，小姐！现在我明白了。有时是有些人会为这事而来。不过还没有像你这么漂亮的。好吧，好吧。这个秘方是要治什么？”
‘It’s this.’ Gertrude uncovered her left arm.
“治这个。”格特鲁德露出左胳膊。
‘Ah! It’s all withered,’ said the hangman, looking at it.
“啊！萎缩成这样了。”刽子手看着胳膊说。
‘Yes,’ she said.
“是啊。”她说。
‘Well, a hanged man’s neck is the best cure for that,’ he said. ‘Your Wise Man was right.’
“没错，绞刑犯的脖子是治这个的最好办法。”他说，“你的大师说得对。”
‘So can you help me?’ Gertrude whispered.
“那您能帮我吗？”格特鲁德小声问。
‘Usually people go to the jail, and take their doctor with them, and give their name and address… But yes, I can help you – for a little money, perhaps.’
“病人通常要到监狱去，还要带着他们的大夫，报上名字和地址……不过没关系，我能帮你——只要你给点儿钱。”
‘Oh, thank you!’ Gertrude said. ‘It’s better like this. I don’t want people to know about it.’
“哦，谢谢您！”格特鲁德说，“这样更好。我不想让别人知道这件事。”
‘Don’t want your lover to know, eh?’
“不想让你的情人知道，是吗？”
‘No – husband.’
“不——是丈夫。”
‘Aha! Very well. You can touch the body.’
“啊哈！好吧。可以让你摸那具尸体。”
‘Where is it now?’ she said, shivering.
“它现在在哪儿？”她颤抖着问。
‘It? – He, you mean; he’s still alive tonight. He’s in the jail, a little room right at the top.’
“它？——你说的是他吧。他今儿晚上还活着，就在监狱顶层的一个小监房里面。”
‘And what must I do tomorrow?’ Gertrude said.
“我明天要怎么做？”格特鲁德问。
‘There’s a little door at the back of the jail. Be there at one o’clock, no later. I can open the door from inside, and can take you to the body when they bring him in. Goodnight. Don’t be late. And you don’t want people to see you, so cover your face. Goodnight, my pretty!’
“监狱后面有扇小门。一点钟的时候等在那里，别来晚了。我从里面把门打开，等他们把尸体抬回来，我就把你带过去。晚安。别来晚了。不想让别人看见你，就把脸遮上吧。晚安，我的美人儿！”
Gertrude went away, and walked up to the jail on the hill. She wanted to find the little door at the back, to know it for tomorrow.
格特鲁德离开之后，走到小山上的监狱跟前。她想找到监狱后面那扇小门，好知道明天怎么走。
Then she went back down into the town and went to her room, and waited for the morning.
随后，她下山回到了镇子里自己的房间，等待着早晨的到来。
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