Wistan, then, could not be so badly hurt. Indeed, he must have managed this same journey down the hill not long ago, and while it was still dark. Had he had to lean heavily on the arm of his guide? Or had he managed to go mounted on his mare, perhaps with a monk holding steady the bridle?
这么说，维斯坦受伤不会很重。他肯定是不久前走这同一条路下山的，那时候天还没亮。他要靠在领路人的胳膊上吗？或者他还能够骑马，可能由一名僧侣牵着缰绳？
“Father Jonus says not. There’s none wiser.”
“乔纳斯神父说没事。他最明智。”
The young monk was a thin, sickly-looking Pict who spoke Edwin’s language well. No doubt he had been delighted to have in his company someone nearer his own age, and for the first part of the journey down through the dawn mists, he had talked with relish. But since entering the trees, the young monk had fallen silent and Edwin now wondered if he had in some way offended his guide. More likely the monk was simply anxious not to attract the attention of whatever lurked in these woods; amidst the pleasant birdsong, there had been some strange hissings and murmurs. When Edwin had asked once again, more from a wish to break the silence than for reassurance, “So my brother’s wounds seemed not to be mortal?” the reply had been almost curt.
那名年轻的僧侣是个身形瘦削、面色憔悴的皮克特人，能流利地说埃德温的语言。有个年纪差不多的人陪着，他显然很高兴。两人在清晨的雾霭中走着，一开始，他兴致勃勃地说个不停。但是，进入树林之后，年轻僧侣就默不作声，埃德温甚至想，自己是不是什么地方得罪了这位领路人。更有可能的是，树林中藏匿着东西，僧侣担心会引起它们的注意；在悦耳的鸟鸣声中，不时传来奇怪的咝咝声和沙沙声。埃德温又一次问道：“我哥哥的伤口不致命吧？”这次他不是为了放心，而是为了打破沉默。但对方的回答简短，似乎不耐烦。
At least he had done his utmost once he had emerged into the chilly morning air. He had run almost the whole way back up to the monastery, slowing only for the steepest slopes. Sometimes, pushing through the woods, he had felt himself lost, but then the trees had thinned and the monastery had appeared against the pale sky. So he had gone on climbing and arrived at the big gate, breathless and with his legs aching.
至少，他走入清晨的寒冷空气之后，是尽了力的。他几乎是一路跑回到了山上的修道院，遇到最陡的坡才会慢下来。有时候，他要穿过密林，感觉走错了路，但随后树木变稀，修道院又出现在灰色的天空之下。于是他接着往上爬，到大门的时候，双腿酸痛、气喘吁吁。
“Show this boy down to the cooper’s cottage. And take care no one sees you leave the monastery.” Such, according to the young monk, had been Father Jonus’s instruction to him. So Edwin would soon be reunited with the warrior, but what sort of welcome could he expect? He had let Wistan down at the first challenge. Instead of hurrying to his side at the first sign of battle, Edwin had run off into the long tunnel. But his mother had not been down there, and only when the tunnel’s end had finally appeared, distant and moon-like in the blackness, had he felt lifting from him the heavy clouds of dream and realised with horror what had occurred.
“把男孩领到山下箍桶匠的屋里。不要让人看见你离开修道院。”根据年轻僧侣的说法，乔纳斯神父是这么吩咐的。看来埃德温很快就能和武士团聚，但他能期待什么样的欢迎呢？第一次遇到挑战，他就让维斯坦失望了。埃德温没能在战斗一开始时就赶到他身旁，而是跑进了那条长长的隧道。但他母亲不在那下面，最后隧道的出口终于出现，在遥远的前方，黑暗中如同月亮，这时候梦的阴云才从他心头散去，他回过神来，想起发生的事，感到非常震惊。
For some time he came across neither monk nor soldier. But as he moved along the high wall, ducking his head so as not to be spotted from some far-off window, he had seen below the soldiers’ horses crowded together in the small yard inside the main gate. Bound on all sides by high walls, the animals, still saddled, were circling nervously, even though there was scarcely space to do so without colliding. Then as he came towards the monks’ quarters, where another of his age might well have rushed on to the central courtyard, he had had the presence of mind to recall the geography of the grounds and proceed by a roundabout route, utilising what he remembered of the back ways. Even on reaching his destination, he had placed himself behind a stone pillar and peered round cautiously.
一开始，他没有碰到僧侣，也没遇上士兵。他沿着高墙走，脑袋低着，以免被远处某扇窗户里的人看到，这时他看到下面大门内的小院子里，挤满了士兵们的马。马鞍没下，四周都是高墙，所以马儿都在焦虑地转圈，地方很小，有时候会互相撞上。他继续朝僧侣的住处走去，换作别的孩子，肯定就直接跑到中央的院子里去了，他却心思周密，想了一下修道院的布局之后，他走了一条绕弯子的路，利用了他记忆中的那些隐秘路径。就是快到目的地的时候，他还是要躲在一根石柱后面，先小心翼翼地看看周围。
The small door beside the main gate was unlocked, and he had managed to collect himself sufficiently to enter the grounds with stealthy care. He had been aware of smoke for the latter part of his climb, but now it tickled his chest, making it hard not to cough loudly. He knew then for sure it was too late to move the hay wagon, and felt a great emptiness opening within him. But he had pushed the feeling aside for another moment, and pressed on into the grounds.
大门旁的那扇小门没锁，他打起精神，偷偷摸摸溜了进去。山路走了一半的时候，他就意识到了烟味儿，这时候烟熏得他胸口疼，忍不住要大声咳嗽。他知道，这时候去移干草车，肯定太迟了，顿时感到心里空荡荡的，没有着落。但他还是把这种感觉放到了一边，继续朝里面走。
The central courtyard was barely recognisable. Three robed figures were sweeping wearily, and as he watched, a fourth arrived with a pail and tossed water across the cobbles, setting to flight several lurking crows. The ground was strewn in places with straw and with sand, and his eyes were drawn to the several shapes covered over with sackcloth, which he supposed to be corpses. The old stone tower, where he knew Wistan had held out, loomed over the scene, but this too had changed: it was charred and blackened in many places, especially around its arched entryway and each of its narrow windows. To Edwin’s eyes the tower as a whole appeared to have shrunk. He had been craning his neck around the pillar to ascertain if the pools surrounding the covered shapes were of blood or of water, when the bony hands had grasped his shoulders from behind.
中央的院子简直认不出来了。三个人穿着僧袍，懒洋洋地扫着地，在他看的时候，又来了一个人，拿着桶往鹅卵石上泼水，躲在一旁的几只乌鸦受了惊吓，飞走了。地面上零零散散撒了干草和沙，他注意到有几个人形的东西，用麻布盖着，他猜可能是尸体。他知道维斯坦曾在那儿负隅抗敌的古老石塔，这时依然巍巍耸立，但连塔也发生了变化：塔身很多地方成了焦黑色，尤其是入门的拱廊和每一扇窄窗的周围。在埃德温看来，整个石塔似乎一下子缩小了。他从柱子后面伸长脖子，想确定一下，麻布覆盖的人形周围那一摊摊潮湿的地方，究竟是血还是水，这时一双瘦骨嶙峋的手从背后抓住了他的肩膀。
He had twisted around to find Father Ninian, the silent monk, staring into his eyes. Edwin had not cried out, but had said, in a low voice, pointing towards the bodies: “Master Wistan, my Saxon brother. Does he lie there?”
他扭过身子，发现尼尼安神父——那个不说话的僧侣——正盯着自己的眼睛。埃德温没有喊叫，而是指着尸体，低声说道：“维斯坦阁下，我的撒克逊兄弟。他也躺在那儿？”
“Who knows, boy. Perhaps we’ll be left in peace. But there’s one I fancy may betray our presence here, and even now the good Brennus may be issuing his orders. Test it well, young comrade. Britons have a way of dividing a bale from within with wooden slats. We need it pure hay all the way down.”
“谁知道呢，孩子。也许没人会来打扰我们吧。但是，我觉得有个人可能会说出我们的行踪，此时此刻，说不定好心的布雷纳斯正在发命令呢。用心检查，年轻的战友。不列颠人喜欢往干草垛里插木条，把草分成一份份的。从上到下，我们都需要不掺杂物的干草。”
The silent monk appeared to understand, and shook his head emphatically. But even as he raised a finger to his lips in the familiar manner, he had stared warningly into Edwin’s face. Then, glancing furtively around him, Ninian had tugged Edwin away from the courtyard.
沉默的僧侣似乎能听懂他的话，用力摇了摇头。他抬起一根手指，放在嘴唇上，但就在做这个熟悉的动作时，他仍在瞪着埃德温的脸，似乎是要警告对方。然后，尼尼安偷眼望了望四周，把埃德温拉走了。
He and Wistan had been in the barn behind the old tower. Having for the moment done with woodcutting, the warrior had been seized by the urge to load the rickety wagon high with the hay stored at the back of the shed. As they had set about this task, Edwin had been required at regular intervals to clamber up onto the bales and prod into them with a stick. The warrior, observing carefully from the ground, would sometimes make him go over a section again, or order him to thrust a leg as far down as possible into a particular spot.
当时，他和维斯坦在古老石塔后面的谷仓里。武士这下子不去劈柴了，却又急不可耐地要把马棚后面储藏的干草搬过来，堆到那辆摇摇晃晃的推车上。他们动手干这件事的时候，他又不时让埃德温爬上草垛，用棒子往里捅。武士站在地上认真看着，有时候会让他到某个地方重新捅一遍，或者命令他把腿伸进某个具体的位置，越深越好。
“Can we be certain, warrior,” he had asked Wistan the day before, “the soldiers will really come? Who’ll tell them we’re here? Surely these monks believe us but simple shepherds.”
“我们能确定吗，武士，”头一天他曾问维斯坦，“那些当兵的真的会来？谁会告诉他们，我们在这儿呢？这些僧侣显然都相信，我们不过是牧羊人。”
“Who’ll betray us, warrior? The monks don’t suspect us. They’re so concerned with their holy quarrels, they hardly glance our way.”
“谁会背叛我们呢，武士？僧侣们没怀疑我们。他们忙着神圣的争辩，几乎都不看我们。”
Although at that point the warrior had given no hint as to the purpose of the hay, Edwin had known straight away it had to do with the confrontation ahead, and that was why, as the bales had piled up, he had asked his question about the soldiers.
当时武士没有透露准备干草的目的，但埃德温立即知道，这与眼前的冲突有关，所以等干草摞好了，他问了个关于士兵的问题。
“These holy men are just the sort to get absent-minded,” Wistan had said by way of explanation. “They may have left a spade or pitchfork in the hay. If so, it would be a service to retrieve it for them, tools being scarce up here.”
“这些修道的人有些马虎大意，”维斯坦解释道。“也许会把铁锹或草叉丢在干草堆里。如果是这样的话，把东西拿出来可是帮他们的忙，这儿工具不多。”
“They may be Britons, but I don’t fear their treachery. Yet you’d be wrong to suppose them foolish, boy. Master Axl, for one, is a deep fellow.”
“尽管他们是不列颠人，我却不担心他们会背叛。但是，孩子，你要以为他们傻，那就错了。至少，埃克索阁下是个有城府的人。”
“Can it be, warrior, it’s the old couple will betray us? Surely they’re too foolish and honest.”
“武士，有没有可能那对年老的夫妇会背叛我们？他们显然很傻、很老实。”
“Maybe so, boy. But test there too. Just there.”
“也许吧，孩子。那儿也捅一捅。就那儿。”
“They slow us, right enough, and we’ll part ways soon. Yet this morning as we set off, I felt eager for Master Axl’s company. And I may wish for more of it yet. As I say, he’s a deep one. He and I may have a little more to discuss. But just now let’s concentrate on what faces us here. We must load this wagon in a sure and steady way. We need pure hay. No wood or iron there. See how I depend on you, boy.”
“他们拖慢我们，没错，很快我们就会分手。但今天早晨我们出发的时候，我很希望有埃克索阁下的陪伴。也许我还希望他能多陪一会儿。我说过，他是个有城府的人。我和他也许还有更多事情可以讨论。但是，我们还是专心做好眼前的事情吧。我们要把车子装得稳稳当当的。我们需要不掺杂物的干草。那儿不能有木头或铁。孩子，你看我要指望你呢。”
“Warrior, why do we travel with them? They slow us at every turn.”
“武士，我们为什么跟他们一起走呢？他们总是拖慢我们。”
Had his real mother called him in his dreams? Perhaps that was why he had remained asleep for so long. And why, when he had been shaken awake by the crippled monk, instead of rushing to the warrior’s side, he had followed after the others down into the long, strange tunnel, for all the world as if he were still in the depths of dreaming.
他真正的母亲在梦里喊他了吗？也许是这个原因，他才睡了那么久，被跛脚的僧侣叫醒之后，他没有冲到武士身旁，而是跟在其他人后面，进了那条奇怪的长隧道，好像他仍旧在梦境深处一样。
It had been his mother’s voice without doubt, the same voice that had called to him in the barn. “Find the strength for me, Edwin. Find the strength and come rescue me. Come rescue me. Come rescue me.” There had been an urgency there he had not heard the previous morning. And there had been more: as he had stood at that open trap-door, staring down at the steps leading into the darkness, he had felt something pull at him with such force he had become giddy, almost sick.
那毫无疑问是他母亲的声音，同一个声音在谷仓里也曾向他呼喊。“埃德温，为了我，找到力量吧。找到力量，来救我。来救我。来救我。”与头天早晨相比，这时的声音里有一种急迫感。还有别的：站在打开的暗门前、盯着通向黑暗的台阶时，他曾感到有东西在拉他，力气很大，让他头晕目眩，几乎要呕吐。
But Edwin had let him down. How could he have gone on sleeping for so long? It had been a mistake to lie down at all. He should simply have sat upright in the corner, napping a few winks the way he had seen Wistan do, ready at the first noise to start to his feet. Instead, like an infant, he had accepted from the old woman a cup of milk, and fallen into a deep sleep in his corner of the chamber.
可埃德温却让他失望了。他怎么会睡了那么久呢？躺下来本身就是个错误。他就该直挺挺地坐在角落里，偶尔闭闭眼睛，像维斯坦那样，一听到声音立即就能站起身来。可他呢，像个婴儿一样，喝了老太太递来的一杯牛奶，就在房间那一头沉睡不醒。
The young monk was holding back blackthorn with a stick, waiting for Edwin to go ahead of him. Now at last he spoke, though in a hushed voice.
年轻的僧侣用手杖挡住李树的枝桠，等待埃德温走到前面去。这时候他终于说话了，不过声音很低。
“A short cut. We’ll soon see the roof of the cooper’s cottage.”
“抄小路。我们很快就能看到箍桶匠小屋的屋顶。”
He had not at first seen the pond that day, for it had been small and well hidden by rushes. A cloud of brightly coloured insects had flown up before him, an event normally to draw his attention, but on this occasion he had been too preoccupied by the noise coming from the water’s edge. An animal in a trap? There it was again, behind the birdsong and the wind. The noise followed a pattern: an intense burst of rustling, as of a struggle, then silence. Then soon, more rustling. Approaching cautiously, he had heard laboured breathing. Then the girl had been before him.
那天，一开始他没看见池塘，因为池塘很小，隐藏在灯芯草中。一片颜色鲜艳的昆虫在他面前飞了起来，一般情况下，他会关注昆虫，但这次水边传来的声音吸引了他的注意力。动物落入了陷阱？声音又来了，夹在鸟鸣声和风声之中。这声音有个规律：一阵剧烈的摩擦声，好像在挣扎，然后是寂静。不久，又传来摩擦声。他小心翼翼地走到近前，听见了吃力的呼吸声。然后，他眼前就出现了那个女孩。
As they came out of the woods to where the land swept down into the receding mist, Edwin could still hear movement and hissing in the nearby bracken. And he thought of the sunny evening towards the end of summer, when he had talked with the girl.
他们走出树林，眼前大地开阔，斜斜没入退却的迷雾之中，但埃德温仍然能够听见，附近蕨丛中有东西在动，并发出咝咝声。他想起了夏末那个霞光灿烂的傍晚，他和那位女孩谈过话。
It occurred to him she was an apparition or a sprite, but when she spoke her voice had no echo to it.
他想，这可能是个鬼魂或精灵，但她开口说话时，却没有回声。
“What do you want? Why have you come?”
“你想要干什么？你为什么要来？”
Recovering himself, Edwin said: “If you like, I could help you.”
埃德温定定神，说道：“你要是愿意，我可以帮你。”
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“你受伤了吗？”他问。
She was lying on her back in the rough grass, her torso twisted to one side. She was a few years older than him — fifteen or sixteen — and her eyes were fixed on him without fear. It took a while to realise her odd posture had to do with her hands being tied under her body. The flattened grass around her marked the area where, by pushing with her legs, she had been sliding about in her struggles. Her cloth smock, tied at the waist, was discoloured — perhaps soaked — all along one side, and both her legs, unusually dark-skinned, bore fresh scratches from the thistles.
她仰面躺在野草中，身体扭到了一边。她比他要大几岁，十五或十六，她的眼睛盯着他，毫无惧色。他打量了一会儿才意识到，她姿势奇怪，是因为她双手被绑住了，压在身体下面。四周有一片地方，野草是平的，那是她挣扎时靠腿的力量滑动身体碾压出来的。她穿着布罩衣，在腰间系住，衣服一侧已经变了颜色——或许是浸泡了水，她的腿肤色特别黑，两条腿上都有蓟草划出来的新鲜伤痕。
“These knots aren’t difficult. They just tied me more tightly than usual.”
“这些绳结不难解。他们就是绑得比平时紧一点。”
Only now did he notice her face and neck were covered in perspiration. Even as she spoke, her hands, under her back, were busily struggling.
这时候他才注意到，她脸上、脖子上全是汗。连说话的时候，她双手仍在背后不停地挣扎着。
“You’re just a child.”
“你还是个孩子。”
“Not hurt. But a beetle landed on my knee just now. It clung on and bit me. There’ll be a swelling now. I can see you’re still too much of a child to help me. It doesn’t matter, I’ll manage myself.”
“没有。但一只甲壳虫刚落在我膝盖上，趴在那儿咬了我一口。现在肿起来了。我能看出来，你自己还是个孩子，帮不了我。没关系，我自己能行。”
“I could help,” Edwin said. “I’m good with knots.”
“我可以帮忙，”埃德温说。“我擅长解绳结。”
Her gaze remained fixed on him, even as her face tightened and she twisted and raised her torso a little way off the ground. He watched, transfixed, expecting at any moment to see the hands come out from under her. But she sagged down defeated and lay in the grass, breathing hard and staring angrily at him.
她绷紧了脸，扭动着，将身体从地面抬起了一点点，但她的眼睛一直盯着他。他看着，呆住了，以为她那双手随时会从身后拿出来。但是，她泄了气，身体松软下来，躺在草上，嘴里大口喘着气，眼睛愤怒地盯着他。
“I’m not. I’m nearly twelve.”
“不是。我都快十二了。”
“Are they grown-ups?”
“他们是大人吗？”
“They’ll come back soon. If they find you’ve untied me, they’ll beat you.”
“他们很快就会回来。如果他们发现你解开了绳子，会打你的。”
“Are they from the village?”
“他们是村子里的吗？”
“The village?” She looked at him with contempt. “Your village? We pass village after village every day. What do we care about your village? They may come back soon, then you’ll be in trouble.”
“村子？”她鄙夷地看着他。“你的村子？我们每天都经过不同的村子。我们才不会管你的村子呢！他们可能很快就会回来，那你就麻烦了。”
“They think they are, but they’re just boys. Older than you though and there’s three of them. They’d like nothing better than to beat you. They’ll force your head into that muddy water until you pass out. I’ve watched them do it before.”
“他们自己以为是，但其实不过是男孩子。不过，比你大点儿，而且有三个。要是打你一顿，他们肯定会很高兴。他们会把你的脑袋摁到那边的泥水里，直到你晕过去。我看他们以前干过。”
“Why did they tie you?”
“他们为什么要绑住你？”
“Where’s she gone?”
“她去哪儿啦？”
Yet something still held him back. He had expected her eyes to shift away, or her body at least to accommodate the prospect of his approach. But she had gone on staring at him, while under her arched back her hands continued their struggle. Only when she let out a long sigh did he realise she had been holding her breath for some time.
但是，有什么东西拦住了他。他本来以为她的眼睛会避开，身体要调整一下，因为他要走过来了。但她却一直瞪大眼睛看着他，与此同时，她的双手仍在背后挣扎着。她发出一声长长的叹息声，这时他才意识到，她刚才一直屏着呼吸，时间挺长。
“I’ll release you,” he said suddenly. “And if they come back, I won’t be frightened of them.”
“我来把你放开，”他突然说。“如果他们回来，我也不怕他们。”
“Who do you travel with?”
“和谁一起旅行呢？”
“I don’t know. She was taken. I live with my aunt now.”
“我不知道。她是被人抓走的。我现在和阿姨住。”
“I always free myself.” She twisted again.
“我总是自己脱身。”她又扭动起来。
“When I was a child like you,” she said, “I lived in a village. Now I travel.”
“我像你这么大，还是个孩子的时候，”她说，“也住在一个村子里。现在我到处旅行。”
“Oh… with them. We pass this way quite often. I remember them tying me and leaving me here once before, this very spot, last spring.”
“噢…和他们。我们经常经过这条路。我记得他们以前在这个地方绑过我，把我丢在这儿，就是同一个地方，去年春天的时候。”
“I’m allowed because I finished three corners by myself already today.” Then he added: “My real mother’s not in the village any more.”
“我得到了允许，因为今天我一个人已经完成了三个角。”然后他又说道：“我真正的母亲已经不在这个村子里了。”
“I’m not afraid. I could free you if you like.”
“我不害怕。如果你愿意，我可以帮你脱身。”
“Why? I suppose so they could watch. Watch me try to get free. But they’re gone now, to steal food.” Then she said: “I thought you villagers worked all day. Why does your mother let you wander?”
“为什么？我想是为了看吧。看我想办法脱身。现在他们走了，偷吃的去了。”然后她说：“我还以为你们这些村民整天都要干活呢。你母亲为什么让你到处乱逛？”
“I can usually do it,” she said. “If you weren’t here, I’d have done it by now.”
“我一般是能解开的，”她说。“如果你不在，我现在都已经解开了。”
“Run away? Where would I run away? I travel with them.” Then she said: “Why did you come to me? Why don’t you go help your mother instead?”
“逃走？我能逃到哪里？我和他们旅行呢。”然后她说，“你到我这儿来干吗？为什么不去帮助你母亲？”
“Do they tie you to stop you running away?”
“他们绑你，是不想让你逃走吗？”
“My mother?” He was genuinely surprised. “Why should my mother want me to help her?”
“我母亲？”他是真的吃了一惊。“我母亲为什么要我去帮她？”
“You said she was taken, didn’t you?”
“你说她是被抓走的，不是吗？”
“Yes, but that was long ago. She’s happy now.”
“是啊，但那是很久以前的事。她现在很开心。”
“How can she be happy? Don’t you think she wants someone to come and help her?”
“她怎么能开心呢？你不是说她在旅行吗？难道你不觉得她想有人来帮助她吗？”
“She’s just travelling. She wouldn’t want me to…”
“她就是在旅行。她不会要我去…”
“She didn’t want you to come before because you were a child. But you’re nearly a man now.” She fell silent, arching her back as she made another concerted effort. Then she sagged back down again. “Sometimes,” she said, “if they come back and I haven’t got myself free, they don’t untie me. They watch and don’t say a word until I manage by myself and my hands come loose. Until then they sit there watching and watching, their devil’s horns growing between their legs. I’d mind it less if they spoke. But they stare and stare and don’t say anything.” Then she said: “When I saw you, I thought you’d do the same. I thought you’d sit and stare and not say a thing.”
“她不会要你去，因为以前你还是个孩子。可你现在都快是个男人了。”她不说话了，弓起背，又一次攒足了力气挣扎。然后她又松软下来。“有时候，”她说，“他们回来，我还没有解开，他们也不来解。他们就看，一句话也不说，一直到我自己解开绳子，双手挣脱出来。他们就一直坐在那儿看哪、看哪，裤裆里那魔鬼角也一直变大。他们要是说话，我会觉得好一点儿。但他们就一直瞪着眼睛看啊、看啊，一句话也不说。”然后她又说：“看到你的时候，我以为你也会这么做。我以为你会坐下来，睁大眼睛看着，不说话。”
Edwin hurried forward, like a thief spying an opportunity, and crouching in the grass began to tug at the knots. The twine was thin and coarse, cutting cruelly into her wrists; the palms, in contrast, spread open one across the other, were small and tender. At first the knots did not yield, but he forced himself to be calm and studied carefully the path the coils took. Then when he tried again, the knot gave under his touch. Now he went about his work more confidently, glancing from time to time at the soft palms, waiting like a pair of docile creatures.
埃德温匆忙上来，像发现了机会的小偷一样，蹲在草地上开始解绳结。绳子又细又粗糙，无情地勒进了她的手腕；两只手掌叠在一起，相比之下，显得又小又脆弱。一开始，绳结解不开，他强迫自己镇定下来，仔细观察绳子缠绕的路径。然后他又试了一次，一个绳结解开了。这下他更加自信，继续解其他的绳结，不时看一眼那柔软的手掌，像一对温驯的小动物一样等待着。
“You’re only a child.” Suddenly tears appeared. It happened so quickly, and because her face showed no other sign of emotion, Edwin thought at first he was watching perspiration. But then he realised they were tears, and because her face was half-upturned, the tears rolled oddly, past the bridge of her nose and down the opposite cheek. All the while she held her gaze on him. The tears confused him, making him stop in his tracks.
“你还是个孩子。”眼泪突然流出来了。事情发生得太快，而且她脸上没有情绪改变的迹象，所以埃德温一开始以为那只是汗水。随即他意识到，那是眼泪，她半仰着脸，所以眼泪流得很奇怪，经过鼻梁，然后从另一边的脸颊上流下去。在这过程中，她眼睛一直盯着他。她的眼泪让他疑惑，他当时就愣了。
“Shall I untie you? I’m not afraid of them, and I’m good with knots.”
“要我帮你解吗？我不怕他们，而且我擅长解绳子。”
“Come on then,” she said, and for the first time moved onto her side, letting her gaze fall away towards the bulrushes in the water.
“那来吧，”她说。她第一次侧过身体，目光也侧过去，看着水里的芦苇。
“If they come,” she said quietly, “they’ll drag you through the reeds then half-drown you. You’d better go. Go back to your village.” She reached out a hand experimentally, as though unsure if even now it was under her control, and pushed his chest. “Go. Hurry.”
“如果他们回来，”她轻声说，“会把你拖过芦苇，然后把你淹个半死。你最好走。回到你的村子。”她试探着伸出一只手来——似乎还不太确定现在这只手能不能动——在他胸口推了一把。“走吧。快。”
After he pulled the twine from her, she turned and sat facing him at what suddenly felt an uncomfortably close distance. She did not, he noticed, smell of stale excrement the way most people did: her odour was like that of a fire made from damp wood.
他把绳子拉开之后，她转过身来，坐在他面前，两人之间的距离突然近得有些尴尬。他发现，她不像大多数人那样发出干粪便的气味：她的味道，像用湿柴生出来的火。
“You’re not afraid. But they’ll still do all these things to you. You helped me, but you have to go away now. Go, hurry.”
“你是不怕。但他们还是会那么干。你帮了我，但你现在必须走了。走吧。快。”
“I’m not afraid of them.”
“我不怕他们。”
When he returned just before sunset, the grass was still flattened where she had lain, but there was no other trace left of her. All the same, the spot felt almost uncannily tranquil, and he had sat down in the grass for some moments, watching the bulrushes waving in the wind.
太阳落山之前，他回来了，她躺过的地方，草还是平的，但看不到她留下的其他痕迹。不过，那地方感觉安静得出奇，他在草丛里坐了一会儿，看芦苇在风里摇摆。
He never told anyone about the girl — not his aunt, who would quickly have concluded she was a demon, nor any of the other boys. But in the weeks that followed, a vivid image of her had often returned to him unbidden; sometimes at night, within his dreams; often in broad daylight, as he was digging the ground or helping to mend a roof, and then the devil’s horn would grow between his legs. Eventually the horn would go away, leaving him with a feeling of shame, and then the girl’s words would return to him: “Why did you come to me? Why don’t you go help your mother instead?”
女孩的事，他从没告诉过别人，包括他的阿姨——她当时就会下结论说女孩是个魔鬼——也没告诉其他男孩子。但在随后的几个星期里，他脑海里常常突然出现她鲜活的样子；有时候是在晚上，在他的梦里；更多是在白天，在他挖地或帮忙修房顶的时候，然后他两腿之间的魔鬼角就会变大。最后魔鬼角会退回去，留给他一种羞耻感，然后他又会想起女孩的话：“你到我这儿来干吗？为什么不去帮助你母亲？”
But had it really been her voice that had led him away? Had it not been sheer terror of the soldiers? Such questions drifted into his mind as he followed the young monk down a barely trodden path beside a descending stream. Was he sure he had not simply panicked when he had been awoken and seen from the window the soldiers running about the old tower? But now, when he considered it all carefully, he was certain he had felt no fear. And earlier, during the day, when the warrior had led him into that same tower and they had talked, Edwin had felt only an impatience to stand at Wistan’s side in the face of the oncoming enemy.
可是，引领他离开的，真的是她的声音吗？难道不是对士兵们的畏惧？一条小溪沿山坡而下，溪边有一条几乎没人走过的路，他跟在年轻僧侣后面，脑海里想起了这些问题。被人喊起来，从窗户里看到士兵们围着古老的石塔乱跑，他确定当时没有惊慌失措吗？现在，仔细考虑之后，他确信当时心里并未感到恐惧。之前，白天的时候，武士领着他进入石塔，两人谈了话，那时候埃德温也只觉得很想和维斯坦并肩战斗，对付即将到来的敌人。
But that had all changed the moment Wistan had thrown open the barn door, forcing in the dazzling light, and declared that it was he, Edwin, who had been chosen for the mission. And now here they were, Edwin and the warrior, travelling across the country, and surely it would not be long till they came upon her. Then the men travelling with her would tremble.
然而，维斯坦推开谷仓门的那一刻，这一切都变了。那一刻，刺眼的光射进来，维斯坦宣布，他——埃德温——被选中参与这一使命。现在，他们两个人，埃德温和武士，要穿越这个国家，不久他们必然会与她相遇。到那时候，与她一起旅行的那些人就要颤抖。
But how could he go to his mother? The girl herself had said he was “only a child.” Then again, as she had pointed out, he would soon be a man. Whenever he recalled those words, he would feel his shame anew, and yet he had been able to see no way forward.
可他怎么去找母亲呢？女孩自己说过，他“还是个孩子”。但话又说回来，她也说他很快就会成为男人。他一想起这些话，就会重新体验一遍羞耻感，但前面的路该怎么走，他一直看不清。
Glancing down, Edwin had seen in front of him a kind of moat which followed the circular wall all the way to form a ring. It was too wide for a man to leap, and the simple bridge of two planks was the only way to reach the central floor of trodden earth. As he stepped onto the planks, gazing down into the darkness below, he heard the warrior say behind him:
埃德温低下头，看到眼前似乎有条壕沟，围着圆形的石墙形成一个圆圈。沟太宽了，跳不过去，两块木板搭成一个简单的桥，只有从桥上走，才能到达塔中央的夯土地面。他迈步走上木板，眼睛望着黑漆漆的桥下，武士在他身后说：
As they had entered under the low arch into the chilly dimness of the tower’s interior, the warrior had said to him: “Take care. You think you’re inside, but look to your feet.”
他们穿过低矮的拱廊，进入又冷又暗的石塔内部。武士对他说：“小心啊。你以为进了塔，可你看看脚下。”
Wistan had been preoccupied with the old tower from the time they had first arrived at the monastery. Edwin could remember him continually glancing up at it while they had been cutting logs in the woodshed. And when they had pushed the barrow around the grounds to deliver the firewood, they had twice made diversions just to go past it. So it had come as no surprise, once the monks had disappeared into their meeting and the courtyard was empty, that the warrior should lean the axe on the woodpile and say: “Come a moment, young comrade, and we’ll examine more closely this tall and ancient friend who stares down at us. It seems to me he watches where we go, and takes offence we’ve yet to pay him a visit.”
从他们来到修道院之后，维斯坦就念念不忘石塔。埃德温还记得，他们在柴火棚里劈柴的时候，维斯坦不时抬头望着石塔。他们推着车到处送柴火时，有两次都特别绕道，就为了从塔边经过。所以后来的那一幕也就不奇怪了：僧侣们一进去开会，中央的院子里没人了，武士立即把斧头靠在柴堆上，说：“等一会儿吧，小战友，这位又高又老的朋友一直盯着我们，我们去看个仔细。我觉得，我们到哪儿，它都一直看着，我们到现在还没去拜访它，它生气了。”
“Notice there’s no water there, young comrade. And even if you fell right in, I’d say you’d find it no deeper than your own height. Curious, don’t you think? Why a moat on the inside? Why a moat at all for a small tower like this? What good can it do?” Wistan came over the planks himself and tested with his heel the central floor. “Perhaps,” he went on, “the ancients built this tower to slaughter animals. Perhaps once this was their killing floor. What they didn’t wish to keep of an animal, they simply pushed over the side into the moat. What do you think, boy?”
“注意到了吧，年轻的战友，那下面没有水。如果你径直摔下去，我敢说，那也不过你腰那么深。奇怪，你不觉得吗？为什么在里面挖条壕沟？这样的小塔，为什么要壕沟？能有什么用呢？”维斯坦从木板上走过来，用脚后跟试了试塔中央的地面，然后继续说道：“古人建这个塔，也许是用来屠杀动物的。也许这儿就是以前的屠宰场。动物杀死之后，没有用的东西，他们就直接推进旁边的沟里。你觉得呢，孩子？”
“That’s possible, warrior,” Edwin said. “Yet it would have been no easy thing to lead a beast across narrow planks like that.”
“有可能，武士，”埃德温说。“但是，要把牲口领过那么窄的木板，可不是容易的事情。”
“Perhaps in olden times there was a better bridge here,” Wistan said. “Sturdy enough to bear an ox or a bull. Once the beast had been led over, and it guessed its fate, or when the first blow failed to make it sink to its knees, this arrangement ensured it could not easily flee. Imagine the animal twisting, trying to charge, yet finding the moat wherever it turned. And the one small bridge so hard to locate in a frenzy. It’s no foolish notion, that this was once such a place of slaughter. Tell me, boy, what do you find when you look up?”
“也许以前这儿有更好的桥，”维斯坦说。“很结实，一头牛都能站上去。领过桥之后，如果牲口猜到了自己的命运，或者第一击没能让牲口跪下来，那么这样的布置就能保证牲口不会轻易逃掉。想象一下，动物扭过头，想冲出去，却发现四面都是沟。一座小桥急切之间是很难找到的。以前这儿是个屠宰场，看来这个想法不算傻。跟我说说，孩子，你抬头看看，能发现什么？”
“What do you make of it?”
“你认为是怎么回事呢？”
Edwin, seeing the circle of sky high above, said: “It’s open at the top, warrior. Like a chimney.”
埃德温望着高高的头顶上那一圈天空，说道：“顶上是开口的，武士。像烟囱一样。”
“You say something interesting there. Let’s hear it again.”
“这话很有意思。你再说一遍。”
“It’s like a chimney, warrior.”
“像个烟囱，武士。”
“It’s likely, boy, just as you say. I wonder if these Christian monks have any inkling of what went on here once? These gentlemen, I fancy, come inside this tower for its quiet and seclusion. See how thick is this circling wall. Hardly a sound comes through it, though the crows were shrieking as we entered. And the way the light comes from on high. It must remind them of their god’s grace. What do you say, boy?”
“有可能，孩子，就像你说的那样。以前这儿曾发生过什么事，恐怕这些基督教僧侣一点儿也不知道吧？我猜，这些先生们到塔里来，是因为这里偏僻、安静。你看这环形的墙有多厚。我们进来的时候，乌鸦在乱叫，但一点儿声音也透不出去。还有，光从上面那样射进来。肯定会让僧侣们想起上帝的荣光。你说呢，孩子？”
“If the ancients used this place for their slaughter, warrior, they’d have been able to build a fire just where we now stand. They could have jointed the animal, roasted the meat, the smoke escaping up to the sky.”
“如果古代的人用这个地方来屠宰，武士，那么他们应该在我们现在站的地方生火。他们也许能剥骨头、烤肉，烟可以直接飘出去。”
“The gentlemen might come in here and pray, right enough, warrior. Though this ground’s too soiled to kneel on.”
“没错，那些先生们可以进来祈祷，武士。不过，要跪下来，这地上可太湿了。”
“Perhaps they pray standing, guessing little how this was once a place of slaughter and burning. What else do you see looking up, boy?”
“也许他们是站着祈祷的，他们不可能猜到，这儿曾经是屠杀和焚烧的场所。孩子，上面你还看到了什么？”
“Ah, the steps. Tell me about the steps.”
“对啦，台阶。你跟我说说台阶。”
“Nothing, sir.”
“没了，先生。”
“Only the steps, warrior.”
“只有台阶，先生。”
“Nothing?”
“没了？”
“That’s well observed. Now listen carefully.” Wistan stepped closer and lowered his voice. “This place, not just this old tower, but this entire place, all of what men today call this monastery, I’d wager was once a hillfort built by our Saxon forefathers in times of war. So it contains many cunning traps to welcome invading Britons.” The warrior moved away and slowly paced the perimeter of the floor, staring down into the moat. Eventually he looked up again and said: “Imagine this place a fort, boy. The siege broken after many days, the enemy pouring in. Fighting in every yard, on every wall. Now picture this. Two of our Saxon cousins, out there in the yard, hold back a large body of Britons. They fight bravely, but the enemy’s too great in number and our heroes must retreat. Let’s suppose they retreat here, into this very tower. They skip across the little bridge and turn to face their foes at this very spot. The Britons grow confident. They have our cousins cornered. They press in with their swords and axes, hurry over the bridge towards our heroes. Our brave kin bring down the first of them, but soon must retreat further. Look there, boy. They retreat up those winding stairs along the wall. Still more Britons cross the moat until this space where we stand is filled. Yet the Britons’ greater numbers can’t yet be turned to advantage. For our brave cousins fight two abreast on the stairs, and the invaders can but meet them two against two. Our heroes are skilled, and though they retreat higher and higher, the invaders cannot overwhelm them. As Britons fall, those following take their place, then fall in their turn. But surely our cousins grow weary. Higher and higher they retreat, the invaders pursue them stair by stair. But what’s this? What’s this, Edwin? Do our kin finally lose their nerve? They turn and run the remaining circles of steps, only now and then striking behind them. This is surely the end. The Britons are triumphant. Those watching from down here smile like hungry men before a banquet. But look carefully, boy. What do you see? What do you see as our Saxon cousins near that halo of sky above?” Grasping Edwin’s shoulders, Wistan repositioned him, pointing up to the opening. “Speak, boy. What do you see?”
“观察得很好。现在，你听仔细了。”维斯坦走近了点儿，压低了声音。“这个地方，不仅是这座古塔，而是整个地方，今天大家称作修道院的整个地方，以前是我们的撒克逊祖先在战争时期修建的要塞，我敢打赌。所以有很多聪明的陷阱，来迎接入侵的不列颠人。”武士走到一旁，一边看着壕沟，一边绕着圈慢慢走。最后他又抬头向上望，说道：“把这儿想象成要塞，孩子。过了很多天，要塞被攻破了，敌人拥进来。每个院子里，每堵墙壁上，都在搏斗。现在，你想象这个场景。我们的两个撒克逊兄弟，在外面的院子里，抵挡着一大群不列颠人。他们勇敢地战斗，但敌人太多，我们的英雄们必须撤退。我们假设他们退到这儿，就退到这座古塔里。他们跳过小桥，转过身来，就在这儿面对敌人。不列颠人信心更足了。他们把我们的兄弟逼入了死角。他们拿着剑和斧头逼近，冲过桥，来杀我们的英雄。我们勇敢的兄弟砍倒前面几个，但很快就要继续撤退。孩子，你看那边。他们沿着墙上盘旋的台阶撤退。更多的不列颠人跨过壕沟，最后我们站的地方都挤满了人。但是，不列颠人数量多，却不能发挥优势。因为我们勇敢的兄弟两人并肩，站在台阶上作战，入侵者一次只能上去两个人。我们的英雄本领高强，他们必须步步撤退，越撤越高，但入侵者却不能以数量压倒他们。不列颠人一倒下，后面的就跟上来，然后又倒下。但是，我们的兄弟肯定会累。他们越撤越高，入侵者在台阶上步步紧逼。这可怎么办呢？怎么办，埃德温？我们的族人最后胆怯了吗？他们转过身，跑上最后几圈台阶，偶尔才会回身打斗几下。这肯定完了。不列颠人胜利在握。站在下面看的那些人笑了，像饥饿的人看见了大餐。但是，你仔细看着，孩子。看到什么了？我们的撒克逊兄弟走近头顶那片光晕一样的天空，你看到什么啦？”维斯坦抓住埃德温的肩膀，调整他的位置，指着天上的出口。“说啊，孩子。你看到什么了？”
“They first rise over the moat, then circle and circle, bending with the roundness of the wall. They rise till they reach the sky at the top.”
“一圈一圈的，顺着环形的墙走。一直延伸到顶上的天空。”
“Our cousins throw the torches down.”
“我们的兄弟们把火把扔下来。”
“What, onto the heads of the enemy?”
“什么，扔到敌人头上？”
“Think again, boy.”
“再想想，孩子。”
“Can it be a dozen of our greatest warriors? Then together with our two cousins, they can fight their way down again till they cut into the ranks of the Britons here below.”
“会不会藏着十几名我们最优秀的武士？然后他们和我们两位兄弟一起，一路杀下来，一直杀到下面的不列颠人当中。”
“Good. And what do you suppose hides there?”
“很好。那你认为那里藏着什么东西呢？”
“When did you last meet a lion, boy?”
“孩子，你上次见到狮子是什么时候？”
“Well said, lad! And how’s the trap made?”
“说得好，孩子！那么，陷阱是怎么设的呢？”
“A fierce bear, then, warrior. Or a lion.”
“那，一头凶猛的熊，武士。或者一头狮子。”
“Fire, warrior. There’s fire behind that alcove.”
“是火，武士。壁龛后面是火。”
“Well said, boy. We can’t know for sure what happened so long ago. Yet I’d wager that’s what waited up there. In that little alcove, hardly glimpsed from down here, was a torch, or maybe two or three, blazing behind that wall. Tell me the rest, boy.”
“说得好，孩子。那么久远的事情，我们难以确定。但我敢打赌，上面藏的就是火。那个小壁龛，站在下面几乎看不到，里面藏着一根火把，也许有两三根，点亮了，在那堵墙后面。剩下的，你来跟我说吧，孩子。”
Edwin considered for a moment, then said: “Just before the stairway reaches its highest point, warrior, I can see what looks from here to be an alcove. Or is it a doorway?”
埃德温想了想，说道：“在台阶抵达最高点的地方，武士，我看到了，从这儿看好像是个壁龛。或者是个门道？”
“Our cousins spring a trap, sir. They retreat upwards only to draw in the Britons as ants to a honey pot.”
“我们的兄弟设了一个陷阱，先生。他们往上撤退，就是为了把不列颠人引过来，像把蚂蚁引到蜜罐里一样。”
“The moat? Filled with water?”
“壕沟？里面全是水？”
“No, warrior. Down into the moat.”
“不是，武士。扔到壕沟里。”
“No, warrior. The moat’s filled with firewood. Just like the firewood we’ve sweated to cut.”
“不是，武士。壕沟里全是木柴。像我们卖力劈的那种木柴。”
“Just so, boy. And we’ll cut more yet before the moon’s high. And we’ll find ourselves plenty of dry hay too. A chimney, you said, boy. You’re right. It’s a chimney we stand in now. Our forefathers built it for just such a purpose. Why else a tower here, when a man looking from the top has no better view than one at the wall outside? But imagine, boy, a torch dropping into this so-called moat. Then another. When we circled this place earlier, I saw at its back, close to the ground, openings in the stone. That means a strong wind from the east, such as we have tonight, will fan the flames ever higher. And how are the Britons to escape the inferno? A solid wall around them, only a single narrow bridge to freedom, and the moat itself ablaze. But let’s leave this place, boy. It may be this ancient tower grows displeased we should guess so many of his secrets.”
“就是这样，孩子。月亮上来之前，我们还要多劈点柴。我们还要弄很多干草呢。像个烟囱，孩子，你说的。你说得对。我们现在就站在烟囱里。我们的祖先造塔，就是为了这个目的。否则这儿要塔干什么呢？站在外面的墙上，和站在塔顶，视野是一样的。但是你想想，孩子，一根火把扔进这道所谓的壕沟里。然后又扔进一根。之前我们在周围看的时候，我看到塔背上离地面很近的地方有好几个口子。也就是说，像今天晚上这样的强东风，会把火苗扇得更高。不列颠人怎么能逃出这地狱的火海呢？四周是坚固的墙，只有一个窄窄的桥通向自由，而整道壕沟都大火熊熊。不过，孩子，我们离开这个地方吧。我们猜出了这么多秘密，这座古塔可能会不高兴。”
“But warrior,” he said. “Our two brave cousins. Must they burn in the flames with their foes?”
“但是，武士，”他说。“我们那两个勇敢的兄弟。他们也要和敌人一起，在火里烧死吗？”
“If they did, wouldn’t it be a glorious bargain? Yet perhaps it needn’t come to that. Perhaps our two cousins, even as the scalding heat rises, race to the rim of the opening and leap from the top. Would they do that, boy? Even though they lack wings?”
“就算烧死了，难道不是很辉煌、很划算的事情吗？不过，也许不会到那一步。在下面的热浪升上来时，我们的两个兄弟也许能冲到洞开的塔顶边上，然后从上面跳下去。他们能这么做吗，孩子？虽然他们没有翅膀？”
“They have no wings,” Edwin said, “but their comrades may have brought a wagon behind the tower. A wagon loaded deep with hay.”
“他们没有翅膀，”埃德温说，“但他们的战友可能推了一辆车在塔后面。车上装满了厚厚的干草。”
“It’s possible, boy. Who knows what went on here in ancient days? Now let’s finish with our dreaming and cut a little more wood. For surely these good monks face many chilly nights yet before the summer comes.”
“有可能，孩子。谁知道古时候这儿发生了什么事呢？现在，我们不要再做梦啦，还去劈点柴火吧。夏天到来之前，这些好心的僧侣还要熬过很多个寒冷的夜晚呢。”
Wistan turned towards the planks, but Edwin was still gazing up to the top of the tower.
维斯坦转身准备过桥，但埃德温还在盯着塔顶看。
In a battle, there was no time for elaborate exchanges of information. A swift look, a wave of a hand, a barked word over the noise: that was all true warriors needed to convey their wishes to one another. It had been in such a spirit Wistan had made his thoughts clear that afternoon in the tower, and Edwin had let him down utterly.
在战斗中，没有时间进行复杂的信息交换。飞快地看一眼，挥一下手臂，在吵闹声中喊一句话：真正的武士靠这些，就能够传递自己的想法。那天下午在塔里，维斯坦带着这样的气度说明自己的想法，而埃德温让他彻底失望。
“Master Baldwin made them for me. The most skilled shoemaker in the village, even though he has fits every full moon.”
“鲍德温阁下给我做的。他是村里技术最高的鞋匠，不过每到月圆的时候，他都要发狂。”
“Off with them. A soaking’s sure to wreck them. Can you see the stepping stones? Lower your head more, and try to gaze beneath the water’s surface. There, you see them? That’s our pathway. Keep them in your sight and you’ll stay dry.”
“脱下来。泡了水肯定就毁了。你看见垫脚石了吗？头再低一点，尽量往水面以下看。那儿，看到了没？那就是我们的路。眼睛一直看着路，就不会掉进水里。”
The young monk had paused by the edge of the stream to unfasten his shoes. “This is where we ford,” he said. “The bridge is much further down and the land there’s too open. We may be seen from even the next hilltop.” Then pointing to Edwin’s shoes, he said: “Those look skilfully crafted. Did you make them yourself?”
年轻的僧侣在溪边停下来，脱下鞋子。“我们在这儿过河，”他说。“桥还在小溪下游，而且那儿土地开阔，没什么遮挡。隔座山，从山顶上都可能看到我们。”然后他指着埃德温的鞋子，说道：“你的鞋好像做工很不错啊。你自己做的吗？”
But had the warrior expected too much? Even old Steffa had only talked of Edwin’s great promise, what he would become once he had been taught the warrior’s ways. Wistan had yet to finish training him, so how was Edwin to respond with such understanding? And now, it seems, the warrior was wounded, but surely this could not be Edwin’s fault alone.
可是，武士是不是期望太高？连老斯特法也只说过埃德温的巨大潜力，只说一旦他学会了武士之道，前途不可限量。维斯坦对他的训练还没结束呢，埃德温怎么能表现出那样的默契？现在武士似乎是受了伤，但这肯定不是埃德温一个人的错吧。
They had met in the chilly corridor outside Father Jonus’s cell, where Edwin had been waiting while several voices, lowered but passionate, argued from within. The dread of what he might soon be told had mounted, and Edwin had been relieved when instead of being summoned inside, he had seen the young monk emerge, a cheerful smile on his face.
他们在乔纳斯神父房间外面那条阴冷的走廊里见面，之前埃德温在外面等了一会儿，里面有几个人在争论，声音很低，但都很激动。埃德温不知道接下来他们会说什么，心里慢慢害怕起来，令他宽慰的是，他们没喊他进房间，却有一名年轻僧侣走了出来，脸上笑容灿烂。
“I’ve been chosen to be your guide,” he had said triumphantly, in Edwin’s language. “Father Jonus says we’re to go at once and slip out unseen. Be brave, young cousin, you’ll be at your brother’s side before long.”
“他们选了我当你的向导，”他喜气洋洋地用埃德温的语言说。“乔纳斯神父说，我们要马上出发，悄悄出去，不能让人看到。勇敢点，我年轻的兄弟，很快你就到你哥哥身边啦。”
Again, the young monk’s tone had something curt about it. Could it be that since they had set off he had had time to piece together in his mind Edwin’s role in what had occurred? At the start of their journey, the young monk had not only been warmer in manner, he had hardly been able to stop talking.
和之前一样，年轻僧侣的语气又有些不礼貌。有没有可能，他们出发之后，他利用路上的时间，心里慢慢想明白了，知道了埃德温在事情中的角色？刚开始的时候，年轻僧侣不仅态度更加热情，而且话很多，几乎停不下来。
The young monk had an odd way of walking, clutching himself tightly like someone intensely cold, both arms lost within his robe, so that Edwin, following him down the mountain path, had wondered at first if he was one of those born with missing limbs. But as soon as the monastery was safely behind them, the young monk had fallen in step beside him, and producing a thin, long arm had placed it supportively around Edwin’s shoulders.
年轻僧侣走路的样子很奇怪，他整个人缩起来，像很冷一样，两只手都藏在袍子里，埃德温跟着他下山，心里想，他是不是天生就没有胳膊。等两人离开修道院，进入安全地带，年轻僧侣放慢脚步，与埃德温并肩，这时他从袍子里伸出一条又瘦又长的胳膊，用力搂住了埃德温的肩膀。
“It was foolish of you to come back as you did, and after you’d made good your escape. Father Jonus was angry to hear of it. But here you are, safely away again, and with luck no one’s the wiser about your return. But what an affair this is! Is your brother always so quarrelsome? Or is it one of the soldiers made some fierce insult to him in passing? Perhaps once you reach his bedside, young cousin, you’ll ask him how it all began, for none of us can make head or tail of it. If it was he who insulted the soldiers, then it must have been something strong indeed, for they as one forgot whatever purpose brought them to see the abbot, and turning into wild men, set about trying to extract payment for his boldness. I myself woke at the sounds of the shouting, even though my own chamber’s far from the courtyard. I ran there in alarm, only to stand helpless alongside my fellow monks, watching in horror all that unfolded. Your brother, they soon told me, had run into the ancient tower to escape the wrath of the soldiers, and though they rushed in after him with a mind to tear him limb from limb, it seems he began to fight them as best he knew. And a surprising match he seemed to be, even though they were thirty or more and he just one Saxon shepherd. We watched expecting any moment to see his bloody remains brought out, and instead it’s soldier after soldier running from that tower in panic, or staggering out carrying wounded comrades. We could hardly believe our eyes! We were praying for the quarrel soon to end, for whatever the original insult, such violence’s surely uncalled for. Yet it went on and on, and then, young cousin, the dreadful accident occurred. Who knows it wasn’t God himself, frowning on so black a quarrel within his holy buildings, pointed a finger and struck them with fire? More likely it was one of the soldiers running back and forth with torches tripped and made his great error. The horror of it! Suddenly the tower was ablaze! And who’d think an old damp tower could offer so much kindling? Yet blaze it did and Lord Brennus’s men together with your brother caught within. They’d have done better forgetting their quarrel at once and running out as fast as they could, but I fancy they thought instead to fight the flames, and saw only too late the fires engulfing them. An accident of true ghastliness, and the few who came out did so just to die twisting horribly on the ground. Yet miracle of miracles, young cousin, your brother it turns out escaped! Father Ninian found him wandering the darkness of the grounds, dazed and wounded, but still alive, even as the rest of us watched the blazing tower and prayed for the trapped men inside. Your brother lives, but Father Jonus, who himself treated his wounds, has counselled the few of us who know this news to keep it a solemn secret, even from the abbot himself. For he fears if the news gets further, Lord Brennus will send out more soldiers seeking vengeance, not caring that most died by accident and not by your brother’s hand. You’d do well not to whisper a word of it to anyone, at least not until you’re both far from this country. Father Jonus was angry you should risk yourself returning to the monastery, yet he’s contented he can the more easily reunite you with your brother. ‘They must travel together out of this country,’ he said. The best of men is Father Jonus, and still our wisest, even after what the birds have done to him. I dare say your brother owes him and Father Ninian his life.”
“你都已经逃走了，这样跑回来很傻。听到这事，乔纳斯神父很生气。但是，你看看你，现在又安全地离开啦，运气好的话，还没人知道你回来过呢。不过，这都是什么事啊！你哥哥总是这么喜欢吵架吗？还是某个士兵经过的时候，狠狠地羞辱过他？也许等你到他床边，我的小兄弟，你可以问问他，事情是怎么开始的，我们可都搞不清楚前因后果。如果是他冒犯了士兵，那他的话肯定是非常难听，因为来见院长要干什么，那帮人统统忘记了，大家都跟疯了一样，要惩罚你哥哥的胆大妄为。我自己是被他们的喊叫声吵醒的，虽然我的房间离院子很远。我紧张地跑到那儿，什么也做不了，只能和其他僧侣一起，无助地站在那儿，惊讶地看着事情发生。不久他们告诉我，你哥哥跑进了那座古塔，以躲避愤怒的士兵，士兵们跟在后面也冲了进去，要把他撕成碎片，后来你哥哥好像奋力和他们打了起来。还势均力敌呢，真让人觉得意外，士兵有三十多人，他不过是个放羊的撒克逊人。我们在外面，以为随时都会看到他被大卸八块，血淋淋地被人抬出来，可实际上呢，倒是士兵们一个接一个惊慌失措地从塔里跑出来，有的踉踉跄跄，抬着受伤的战友。我们简直不相信自己的眼睛！我们都祈祷争执快点结束，无论原来谁侮辱了谁，这样的暴力肯定都不好。可打斗却一直进行，后来啊，小兄弟，可怕的事故就发生啦。谁知道呢，说不定上帝看到自己的神圣建筑里发生这样恶劣的争执，生气了，伸出手指来降了天火？也可能是哪个士兵，拿着火把跑来跑去，摔了一跤，铸成了大错。多可怕啊！突然之间，塔就烧着了！谁能想到，一座潮湿的古塔竟然这么能烧？可塔真的燃起了熊熊大火，布雷纳斯的手下和你哥哥都困在里面。他们要是立即抛开双方的争执，尽可能快地跑出来，那倒还好，但我猜他们肯定是想扑灭大火，等到发现四下里全是火海，就已经来不及了。真是场极其可怕的事故，几个人跑出来，倒在地上扭动挣扎，最后也都死了。但是，小兄弟，奇迹中的奇迹是，你哥哥竟然逃出来了！尼尼安神父发现他在黑暗中乱走，有点迷糊，受了伤，但还活着，而这时候其他人还在看着大火熊熊的古塔，为里面的人祈祷。你哥哥活下来了，乔纳斯神父亲自给他治了伤，只有我们几个人知道这件事，乔纳斯神父让我们严格保密，连院长也不能说。他担心如果消息传出去，布雷纳斯爵爷会派更多士兵过来复仇，实际上大多士兵死于事故，不是你哥哥杀的，但这一点他可不管。你一个字也不要说出去，对你有好处，至少要等到你们俩远远离开这个国家。乔纳斯神父很生气，你竟然冒着生命危险回到修道院，但他也很高兴，因为让你和哥哥团聚就更容易了。‘他们必须一起离开这个国家，’他说。乔纳斯神父真是最善良的人，就算被那些鸟啄成重伤，他仍然是我们当中最有智慧的。我敢说，你哥哥这条命可多亏了他和尼尼安神父。”
But that had been earlier. Now the young monk had become distant, and his arms were once again tucked firmly within his robe. As Edwin followed him across the stream, trying his best to see the rocks beneath the swiftly running water, the thought came to him that he should make a clean breast of it to the warrior; tell him about his mother and how she had called to him. If he explained it all from the start, honestly and frankly, it was possible Wistan would understand and give him another chance.
但是，他说这些话，是之前的事情。现在，年轻的僧侣疏远了，两只手又紧紧缩回到袍子里。埃德温跟在他身后过河，眼睛尽量看清楚激流之下的石头。这时他想到，他应该向武士坦白一切，跟他说母亲的事，说她在召唤。如果他诚恳、坦白地把一切从头解释清楚，维斯坦也许能够理解，再给他一次机会。
A shoe in each hand, Edwin sprang lightly towards the next rock, faintly cheered by this possibility.
想到这儿，埃德温心情有些好转。他一手拎着一只鞋子，轻快地跳向下一块石头。
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