Millie
米利耶
Millie stood and watched until the men disappeared from view.
米莉站在那里注视着，直到那些男人们从视线中消失。
When they were far down the road, Willie Cox turned round on his horse and waved to her.
当他们沿着路走远后，威利·考克斯在马上转过身来向她挥手。
But she didn’t wave back.
但她没有回以挥手。
Not a bad young fellow, Willie Cox, but a bit too free and easy in his ways.
威利·考克斯这小伙子人还不错，只是举止有些过于随便了。
Oh, my word! It was hot. Hot enough to fry your hair.
哦，天哪！真热啊。热得简直能把头发烤焦。
Millie put her hand up to keep the sun out of her eyes, and looked out over the dry, burnt paddocks.
米莉举起手遮住刺眼的阳光，眺望着那片干涸焦灼的牧场。
In the distance along the dusty road she could see the horses, like brown flies jumping up and down.
在远处尘土飞扬的道路上，她能看见那些马匹，就像上下跳动的棕色苍蝇。
It was half-past two in the afternoon.
那是下午两点半。
The sun hung in the pale blue sky like a burning mirror, and away beyond the paddocks the blue mountains trembled and jumped like the sea.
太阳像一面燃烧的镜子挂在淡蓝色的天空中，而在牧场远方的蓝色群山则像大海一样颤动起伏。
Sid wouldn’t be back until half-past ten.
西德要到十点半才能回来。
He had ridden over to the town with four of the farm boys, to help find the young fellow who’d murdered Mr Williamson.
他和四个农场小伙骑马去了镇上，帮忙搜寻那个谋杀了威廉姆森先生的年轻人。
Such a terrible thing! And Mrs Williamson left alone with all those kids.
真是太可怕了！留下威廉姆森太太独自带着那么多孩子。
Strange! She couldn’t believe that Mr Williamson was dead. He was such a joker. Always making people laugh.
真奇怪！她无法相信威廉姆森先生已经死了。他是个那么爱开玩笑的人，总是逗得大家哈哈大笑。
Willie Cox said they’d found him in one of the farm buildings, shot bang through the head.
威利·考克斯说他们在一间农舍里发现了他，头部被枪弹贯穿。
The young English fellow who was with the Williamsons to learn about farming had disappeared.
那个和威廉姆森一家住在一起学习农业的英国小伙子失踪了。
Strange! Why would anyone shoot Mr Williamson? He was so popular.
真奇怪！怎么会有人枪杀威廉姆森先生呢？他是那么受人喜爱。
My word! What would they do to that young man when they caught him?
天哪！等抓到那个年轻人，他们会怎么处置他呢？
Well, you couldn’t feel sorry for him. As Sid said, if they didn’t hang him, he could just go out and kill someone else.
唉，你也同情不了他。正如西德所说，如果不绞死他，他可能还会出去杀害别人。
There was blood all over the place.
到处都是血。
Willie Cox said he got such a shock when he saw it, that he picked a cigarette up out of the blood and smoked it. My word! He must have been half crazy.
威利·考克斯说他看到那场面时吓坏了，竟然从血泊中捡起一支烟抽了起来。天哪！他一定是有点疯了。
Millie went back into the kitchen. Slowly, she washed the dinner plates.
米莉回到厨房，慢慢地洗着餐盘。
Then she went into the bedroom, stared at herself in the piece of mirror, and dried her hot, wet face with a towel.
然后她走进卧室，对着那块镜子凝视自己，用毛巾擦干了滚烫湿润的脸庞。
What was the matter with her that afternoon? She wanted to cry—about nothing!
那天下午她到底怎么了？她莫名其妙地想哭！
She decided to change her clothes and have a good cup of tea. Yes, that would help.
她决定换身衣服，再好好喝杯茶。是的，那样会好些。
She sat on the side of the bed and stared at the coloured picture on the wall, Garden Party at Windsor Castle.
她坐在床边，盯着墙上那幅名为《温莎城堡花园派对》的彩色画。
In the middle of green lawns and shady trees sat Queen Victoria, with ladies in flowery dresses all around her.
在绿草如茵、树荫遮蔽的中央坐着维多利亚女王，周围簇拥着身穿碎花裙的女士们。
Behind them you could see the castle, with British flags flying from its towers.
在她们身后可以看到城堡，塔楼上飘扬着英国国旗。
‘I wonder if it really looked like that.’ Millie stared at the flowery ladies, who smiled coolly back at her.
“不知道真实场景是不是真的这样。”米莉凝视着画中穿碎花裙的女士们，她们也冷淡地微笑着回望她。
‘I wouldn’t want their lives. Running round all day after the old Queen…’
“我可不想过她们那种生活，整天围着老女王转……”
On the table that Sid had made for her from packing cases, there was a photograph of her and Sid on their wedding day.
在西德用包装箱为她做的桌子上，放着一张她和西德的结婚照。
Now that was a nice picture! She was sitting in a chair in her white dress, with Sid standing with one hand on her shoulder, looking at her flowers.
那可真是张漂亮的照片！她穿着白纱坐在椅子上，西德站在旁边，一只手搭在她肩上，看着她手中的花束。
Behind them there was a waterfall, and Mount Cook in the distance, covered with snow.
他们身后是一道瀑布，远处是白雪覆盖的库克山。
She had almost forgotten her wedding day. Time passed so quickly, and with nobody to talk to…
她几乎忘了自己的婚礼那天。时光飞逝，身边又没人可以说说话……
‘I wonder why we never had kids… Well, I’ve never missed them. Perhaps Sid has, though. He’s softer than me.’
“不知道为什么我们一直没有孩子……好吧，我倒也没觉得缺了什么。不过西德也许会觉得遗憾吧，他比我心软。”
Then she sat quiet, thinking of nothing at all, with her red hands on her knees. Tick-tick went the clock in the silent kitchen.
然后她静静地坐着，什么也不想，通红的双手放在膝盖上。寂静的厨房里传来时钟滴答滴答的声音。
Quite suddenly, Millie felt frightened. A strange trembling started inside her—in her stomach—and then spread all over to her knees and hands.
突然间，米莉感到一阵恐惧。一种奇怪的颤抖从她体内深处——胃里——升起，随即蔓延到全身直至膝盖和双手。
‘There’s somebody outside.’
“外面有人。”
She went softly into the kitchen. Nobody there. The back door was closed.
她轻手轻脚地走进厨房。那里空无一人，后门紧闭着。
She stopped and listened, and the furniture seemed to stretch and breathe… and listen, too.
她停下来倾听，家具仿佛也在伸展、呼吸……甚至也在倾听。
There it was again—something moving, outside. ‘Go and see what it is, Millie Evans.’
又是那个声音——外面有东西在动。“去看看是什么，米莉·埃文斯。”
She ran to the back door, opened it, and just saw somebody run and hide behind the wood pile.
她跑到后门猛地打开，刚好看到一个人跑开躲到了木柴堆后面。
‘Who’s there?’ she called in a loud, brave voice, ‘Come out! I seen you! I know who you are. I’ve got my gun.’
“谁在那儿？”她用响亮而勇敢的声音喊道，“出来！我看见你了！我知道你是谁。我有枪。”
She was not frightened any more. She was terribly angry. Her heart banged like a drum.
她不再害怕了，反而愤怒至极，心脏像鼓点一样剧烈跳动。
‘I’ll teach you to frighten a woman,’ she shouted, and she took a gun and ran out of the house, over to the wood pile.
“看你还敢不敢吓唬女人，”她大喊道，拿起一把枪冲出屋子，奔向木柴堆。
A young man lay there, on his stomach, with one arm across his face. ‘Get up!’ She kicked him in the shoulders.
一个年轻人趴在那里，一只胳膊横在脸上。“起来！”她踢了他的肩膀一脚。
He didn’t move. ‘Oh, my God, I believe he’s dead.’
他一动不动。“哦，天哪，我想他是死了。”
She knelt down and rolled him onto his back. She sat in the dust, staring at him; her lips trembled with horror.
她跪下来把他翻过身仰面躺着。她坐在尘土中凝视着他，嘴唇因惊恐而颤抖。
He was not much more than a boy, with fair hair and a light beard on his chin.
他不过是个大男孩，金发，下巴上长着淡淡的胡须。
His eyes were closed, his face covered in dirt and dust. He wore a cotton shirt and trousers; there was blood on one of his trouser-legs.
他闭着眼，脸上满是污垢和灰尘。他穿着棉布衬衫和长裤，一条裤腿上沾着血迹。
‘I can’t,’ said Millie, and then, ‘You’ve got to.’
“我不行，”米莉说道，紧接着又说，“你必须行。”
She bent over and felt his heart. ‘Wait a minute,’ she whispered, ‘wait a minute,’ and she ran into the house for brandy and a bucket of water.
她俯下身摸了摸他的心跳。“等一下，”她低语道，“等一下，”然后跑进屋里拿白兰地和一桶水。
‘What are you going to do, Millie Evans? Oh, I don’t know. I never saw anyone unconscious before.’
“你要干什么，米莉·埃文斯？哦，我不知道。我以前从没见过昏迷的人。”
She knelt down, put her arm under the boy’s head, and poured brandy between his lips. It ran out at the sides of his mouth.
她跪下来，把手臂垫在男孩头下，将白兰地灌入他的双唇之间。酒液从他嘴角两侧流了出来。
She took a cloth and washed his face and neck with the cool water. Under the dirt and dust, his face was as white as the cloth, thin, and marked by little lines.
她拿了一块布，用凉水擦洗他的脸和脖子。在污垢和灰尘之下，他的脸像布一样苍白、消瘦，布满了细小的纹路。
A strange and terrible feeling took hold of Millie Evans. Deep inside her chest, it grew like a plant after rain, and burst painfully into leaf.
一种奇异而可怕的感觉攫住了米莉·埃文斯。这种感觉在她胸腔深处像雨后植物般生长，痛苦地抽枝展叶。
‘Feeling better? All right, are you?’ The boy breathed sharply, his eyes opened, and he moved his head from side to side.
“感觉好点了吗？没事了吧？”男孩急促地呼吸着，睁开眼睛，左右摇了摇头。
Millie touched his hair. ‘Feeling fine now, aren’t you?’ The pain in her chest made her breathless.
米莉抚摸着他的头发。“现在感觉好了，是吧？”胸口的痛楚让她喘不过气来。
‘It’s no good crying, Millie Evans. You’ve got to be sensible.’
“哭是没用的，米莉·埃文斯。你得理智点。”
Suddenly he sat up and pulled away from her, staring at the ground. ‘There, there,’ cried Millie, in a strange, shaky voice.
突然他坐起身挣脱了她，盯着地面。“好了，好了，”米莉用奇怪而颤抖的声音叫道。
The boy turned and looked at her, still not speaking. His eyes were so full of pain and terror that she had to shut her teeth together hard to stop herself crying.
男孩转过头看着她，依然一言不发。他的眼中充满了痛苦和恐惧，她不得不紧紧咬住牙关才忍住不哭出声来。
After a long pause he said, in the voice of a little child talking in his sleep, ‘I’m hungry.’ His lips trembled.
过了许久，他用梦呓般的孩童声音说道：“我饿了。”他的嘴唇在颤抖。
She stood up. ‘Come on into the house and have a proper meal,’ she said. ‘Can you walk?’
她站起身来。“进屋好好吃顿饭吧，”她说，“你能走吗？”
‘Yes,’ he whispered, and followed her slowly to the door. Then he stopped. ‘I’m not coming in,’ he said. He sat down in the shade of the house.
“能，”他低声说，慢慢跟着她走到门口。然后他停下了脚步。“我不进去，”他说。他在房子的阴影里坐了下来。
Millie watched him. ‘When did you last eat?’ He shook his head.
米莉注视着他。“你上次吃饭是什么时候？”他摇了摇头。
She went and put meat and bread and butter on a plate, but when she brought it to him, he was standing up, looking around.
她去拿了些肉、面包和黄油放在盘子里，但当她把盘子端给他时，他却站了起来，四处张望。
He did not take the plate of food she held out to him. ‘When are they coming back?’ he whispered.
他没有接她递过来的食物。“他们什么时候回来？”他低声问。
At that moment she knew who he was. She stood there, holding the plate, staring.
就在那一刻，她知道他是谁了。她端着盘子站在那里，呆呆地盯着他。
He was Harrison, the English fellow who’d killed Mr Williamson. ‘I know who you are,’ she said, very slowly, ‘I must have been blind not to see it from the start.’
他就是哈里森，那个杀害了威廉姆森先生的英国人。“我知道你是谁，”她非常缓慢地说道，“我一开始没认出来，真是瞎了眼。”
He made a movement with his hands, which seemed to say, ‘That’s all nothing.’ Again, he asked, ‘When are they coming back?’
他做了一个手势，似乎在说“那都不重要了”。他又问道：“他们什么时候回来？”
And she meant to say, ‘Any minute now. They’re on their way now.’ Instead, she said to the poor frightened face, ‘Not until half-past ten.’
她本想回答“随时都会回来，他们已经在路上了”。然而，对着那张可怜惊恐的面孔，她却说道：“要到十点半才会回来。”
He sat down and closed his eyes. Tears ran down his face. Just a kid. And all those men after him.
他坐下来闭上眼睛。泪水顺着脸颊滑落。他只是个孩子啊，却有那么多人在追捕他。
‘Try a bit of meat,’ Millie said. ‘It’s what you need. Get some good food in your stomach.’
“吃点肉吧，”米莉说，“你需要这个。肚子里装点好东西才行。”
She sat down beside him, with the plate of food on her knees. ‘Here—try a bit.’
她在他身旁坐下，把盛着食物的盘子放在膝盖上。“来，尝一点。”
She broke the bread and butter into little pieces, and she thought, ‘They won’t catch him. Not if I can stop them.
她把涂了黄油的面包掰成小块，心里想着：“他们抓不到他的。只要我能阻止他们就抓不到。”
Men are all rotten. I don’t care what he’s done or not done. Do what you can to help him, Millie Evans. He’s only a sick kid.’
男人都坏透了。我不在乎他做没做过那些事。尽你所能帮他吧，米莉·埃文斯。他只是个生病的孩子。”
Millie lay on her back in bed, with her eyes open, listening.
米莉仰躺在床上，睁着眼睛倾听着。
Sid turned over, pulled the sheet round him and said, ‘Good night, old girl.’
西德翻了个身，拉过床单盖好，说道：“晚安，老伴。”
She heard Willie Cox and the other fellows drop their clothes on the kitchen floor, and then their voices, and Willie Cox saying, ‘Lie down, lie down, you little devil,’ to his dog.
她听见威利·考克斯和其他几个伙计把衣服扔在厨房地板上的声音，接着是他们的说话声，还有威利·考克斯对他的狗说：“趴下，趴下，你这个小魔鬼。”
The house grew quiet. She lay there and listened. It was hot.
房子渐渐安静下来。她躺在那里听着。天气很闷热。
She was frightened to move, because of Sid. ‘He must escape, he must. I don’t care about the law and all that rubbish they’ve been talking about,’ she thought angrily.
因为怕惊醒西德，她不敢动弹。“他必须逃走，必须逃。我才不管什么法律和他们谈论的那些废话，”她愤怒地想着。
She listened to the silence. He ought to be moving…
她聆听着寂静。他应该行动了……
Before there was any sound from outside, Willie Cox’s dog got up and went to the back door.
还没等外面传出任何声响，威利·考克斯的狗就爬起来走到了后门前。
A feeling of terror rose in Millie. ‘What’s that dog doing? What a fool that young fellow is with a dog here. Why doesn’t he lie down and sleep?’
一股恐惧感涌上米莉心头。“那只狗在干什么？这里有狗，那个年轻人真是个傻瓜。他为什么不躺下睡觉？”
The dog stopped, but she knew it was listening.
狗停了下来，但她知道它正在倾听。
Suddenly, with a sound that made her cry out in horror, the dog started barking and rushing about. ‘What’s that? What’s happening?’ Sid got out of bed.
突然，伴随着一声令她惊恐尖叫的动静，狗开始狂吠并四处乱窜。“怎么回事？发生什么了？”西德从床上跳了起来。
‘It’s nothing, it’s only Willie’s dog. Sid, Sid!’ She took his arm, but he pushed her away.
“没什么，只是威利的狗而已。西德，西德！”她抓住他的胳膊，但他把她推开了。
‘By God, there’s something out there!’ Sid quickly pulled his trousers on.
“天哪，外面肯定有东西！”西德迅速穿上裤子。
Willie Cox opened the back door, and the dog rushed madly out of the house.
威利·考克斯打开后门，那条狗疯狂地冲出了屋子。
‘Sid, there’s someone in the paddock,’ one of the men shouted.
“西德，牧场里有人，”其中一个男人大喊。
‘What is it—what’s that?’ said Sid. ‘Here Millie, take the lantern. Willie! There’s someone in with the horses!’
“是什么——那是什么？”西德说。“米莉，拿着提灯。威利！有人混进马群里了！”
The men ran out of the house, and at the same moment, Millie saw Harrison rush across the paddock on Sid’s horse and down the road.
男人们冲出屋子，就在同一时刻，米莉看见哈里森骑着西德的马穿过牧场，沿着大路疾驰而去。
‘Millie, bring that lantern, quick!’ She ran out in her nightdress to give it to him. They were away down the road in a second.
“米莉，快把提灯拿来！”她穿着睡衣跑出去递给他。转眼间他们已经沿着大路追远了。
And as she watched Harrison in the distance, and the men rushing after him, a strange and crazy delight came to her, drowning all other feelings.
当她望着远处的哈里森以及紧随其后追赶的男人们时，一种奇异而疯狂的喜悦涌上心头，淹没了所有其他情感。
She ran into the road—she laughed and screamed and danced in the dust, waving the lantern in the air.
她跑到大路上——在尘土中大笑、尖叫、起舞，在空中挥舞着提灯。
‘After him, after him, Sid! Catch him, Willie! Go on, go on! Shoot him down! Shoot him!’
“追上去，追上去，西德！抓住他，威利！继续，继续！开枪打死他！开枪啊！”
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