9.What the maid saw 女仆所见
Those were the three important stories heard at the London Coroner’s enquiry in July and August 1876 – the stories of Florence Bravo, Dr James Gully, and Mrs Jane Cox.
这是1876年7月和8月伦敦验尸官调查听证会上听到的三个重要证词——分别来自弗洛伦斯·布拉沃、詹姆斯·格利医生和简·考克斯太太。
There was truth, and perhaps also a few lies, in all the stories.
这些证词中既有事实真相,或许也夹杂着些许谎言。
But there were also other stories heard at the enquiry in 1876.
但在1876年的调查中,还听取了其他一些人的证词。
There was Florence’s maidservant, for example, Mary Ann Keeber …
例如,还有弗洛伦斯的女佣玛丽·安·基伯……
Every day the maid, Mary Ann Keeber, cleaned the bedrooms at The Priory and lit fires in them to make them warm.
每天,女佣玛丽·安·基伯都会打扫修道院宅邸的卧室,并在壁炉里生火取暖。
She always put a bottle of drinking water beside Charles Bravo’s bed.
她总是会在查尔斯·布拉沃的床边放上一瓶饮用水。
Later, in the evenings, she helped Charles and Florence with anything they wanted.
到了晚上,她会随时听候查尔斯和弗洛伦斯的差遣,满足他们的各种需求。
On the night of Tuesday 18th April, Mary Ann closed the two doors to Florence’s bedroom and went downstairs with the dogs.
4月18日星期二当晚,玛丽·安关上弗洛伦斯卧室的两扇门,带着狗下了楼。
But halfway down the stairs, one of the dogs ran back up again.
但走到楼梯一半时,其中一只狗又跑了回去。
As Mary Ann turned to call it, she saw Charles Bravo open his bedroom door.
正当玛丽·安转身唤狗时,她看见查尔斯·布拉沃打开了他的卧室门。
His face was white and he looked afraid.
他脸色苍白,神情惊恐。
‘Florence! Florence!’ he shouted. ‘Hot water! Hot water!’
“弗洛伦斯!弗洛伦斯!”他大喊道,“热水!快拿热水来!”
Then he ran back into his room.
随后他便跑回了房间。
Charles Bravo’s face was white and he looked afraid.
查尔斯·布拉沃脸色煞白,一副惊慌失措的样子。
Mary Ann was surprised.
玛丽·安感到很惊讶。
She waited for Florence or Mrs Cox to come out and help him, but they didn’t.
她等着弗洛伦斯或考克斯太太出来帮他,但没人出来。
Perhaps they hadn’t heard him, she thought.
她心想,也许她们没听见他的喊声。
So she hurried back into Florence’s bedroom.
于是她急忙回到弗洛伦斯的卧室。
Florence was in bed with her eyes closed and Jane Cox was sitting beside her.
弗洛伦斯闭着眼躺在床上,简·考克斯坐在她身旁。
Mary Ann told Jane what had happened.
玛丽·安把刚才发生的事告诉了简。
‘Come quickly,’ she said. ‘There’s something wrong with Mr Bravo!’
“快来,”她说,“布拉沃先生出事了!”
Jane Cox and Mary Ann went into Charles’s bedroom.
简·考克斯和玛丽·安走进了查尔斯的卧室。
They saw Charles standing by an open window.
她们看见查尔斯正站在一扇开着的窗户旁。
His face was grey and wet with sweat.
他面色灰暗,满头大汗。
‘Help!’ he cried. ‘Hot water! Hot water!’
“救命!”他哭喊着,“热水!热水!”
He leaned out of the window and vomited onto the kitchen roof below.
他探出窗外,呕吐在下方的厨房屋顶上。
Then he fell to the floor.
然后便倒在了地板上。
Mrs Cox told Mary Ann to run downstairs and fetch some hot water.
考克斯太太让玛丽·安赶紧下楼去取些热水。
When Mary Ann came back, she saw Charles sitting on the floor.
玛丽·安回来时,看见查尔斯瘫坐在地上。
Mrs Cox had her hands on his chest.
考克斯太太双手按在他的胸口上。
She was trying to help him breathe, Mary Ann thought.
玛丽·安觉得她是在试图帮他呼吸。
‘Get some mustard – hurry!’ Mrs Cox said.
“去拿些芥末——快点!”考克斯太太说。
So Mary Ann ran downstairs again.
于是玛丽·安再次跑下楼。
When she came back, Jane Cox told her to put the mustard into the hot water and lift Charles’s feet into it.
她回来后,简·考克斯让她把芥末放进热水里,然后把查尔斯的双脚抬进去泡着。
‘It’s an old way to help a sick person,’ Mrs Cox said.
“这是一种古老的急救偏方,”考克斯太太说。
‘Rub his feet with the hot water and mustard.’
“用加了芥末的热水搓揉他的脚。”
Mary Ann tried, but Charles knocked the water over and fell on the floor with his eyes closed.
玛丽·安照做了,但查尔斯却打翻了水盆,闭着眼睛倒在了地板上。
So then Mrs Cox gave him some mustard and hot water to drink, and sent Mary Ann downstairs again, for hot coffee.
于是考克斯太太喂他喝了一些芥末热水,又打发玛丽·安下楼去端热咖啡。
But the coffee only made him vomit again, into a bowl.
但这杯咖啡只让他再次呕吐在了碗里。
‘Go and send the groom to fetch Dr Harrison,’ Mrs Cox told Mary Ann.
“去叫马夫请哈里森医生来,”考克斯太太吩咐玛丽·安。
‘And then go and fetch some camphor from my room.’
“然后再去我房间拿些樟脑来。”
So Mary Ann ran downstairs again for the groom, then upstairs to Mrs Cox’s room for the camphor, but she couldn’t find it.
于是玛丽·安又跑下楼去找马夫,接着上楼去考克斯太太的房间找樟脑,却没找到。
So she went into Florence’s bedroom instead.
她便转而走进了弗洛伦斯的卧室。
Florence was lying in bed with her eyes closed.
弗洛伦斯正闭着眼躺在床上。
Mary Ann shook her arm to wake her up.
玛丽·安摇晃着她的手臂想把她叫醒。
‘What is it?’ Florence asked. ‘What’s the matter?’
“怎么了?”弗洛伦斯问,“出什么事了?”
‘It’s your husband, madam,’ Mary Ann said. ‘Come quick. He’s ill.’
“是您的丈夫,夫人,”玛丽·安说,“快去,他病了。”
‘What?’ Florence said. ‘Where is he?’
“什么?”弗洛伦斯说,“他在哪儿?”
She jumped out of bed and ran into Charles’s bedroom.
她从床上一跃而起,冲进查尔斯的卧室。
Mary Ann followed.
玛丽·安紧随其后。
Charles was lying on the floor with Jane Cox sitting beside him.
查尔斯躺在地板上,简·考克斯坐在他身边。
Florence knelt down and took his hand.
弗洛伦斯跪下来握住他的手。
‘Charlie, what’s happened?’ she said. ‘Speak to me, darling – what’s wrong?’
“查理,发生什么事了?”她说,“跟我说句话,亲爱的——你怎么了?”
But he didn’t answer.
但他没有回答。
His eyes were closed and he looked half dead.
他双目紧闭,看起来奄奄一息。
Jane tried to get some coffee into his mouth again but it was no good.
简又试着往他嘴里灌了些咖啡,但无济于事。
He didn’t wake up.
他始终没有醒来。
‘Have you sent for the doctor?’ Florence asked.
“你们派人去请医生了吗?”弗洛伦斯问。
‘Yes, madam,’ Mary Ann said. ‘The groom has gone for Dr Harrison, in Streatham.’
“是的,夫人,”玛丽·安说,“马夫已经去斯特里汉姆请哈里森医生了。”
Florence looked surprised and angry.
弗洛伦斯显得既惊讶又愤怒。
‘But he lives two miles away, he’ll be too late!’ she said.
“可他住在两英里外,等他来就太晚了!”她说。
‘Why didn’t you send for Dr Moore? He lives nearer.’
“你们怎么不去请摩尔医生?他住得近多了。”
She ran downstairs screaming for one of the manservants.
她冲下楼,大声呼喊男仆。
‘Get Dr Moore from Balham, as quickly as you can. Mr Bravo is very ill, he may be dying! Hurry, man, run!’
“快去巴勒姆请摩尔医生,越快越好。布拉沃先生病得很重,恐怕不行了!快点,快去跑!”
Then she came back upstairs and knelt beside her husband again.
然后她又跑回楼上,再次跪在丈夫身边。
‘Try to wake up, Charlie,’ she said. ‘Please, try. Don’t leave me now.’
“努力醒醒吧,查理,”她说,“求你了,坚持住。别在这个时候丢下我。”
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