書蟲三級《三個陌生人》：7、牧羊人所見之 第四夜

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4.Fourth night
4．第四夜

On a winter evening many years later, a well-dressed man of business sat in his office at Shakeforest Towers. He had come a long way from the shepherd boy that he once was, but he did not seem happy with his comfortable life. He appeared older than his age, and he looked about him restlessly.

多年后的一個冬夜，一位衣著講究的商人坐在舍克弗洛斯特城堡中自己的辦公室里。他經(jīng)歷了漫長的過程才從當年那個牧羊少年成長到如今，但舒適的生活似乎并沒有使他感到開心。他看起來比實際年齡要老，還心神不寧地四處張望。

He stood up and left the office, and went to a room in another part of the house, where he knocked, and entered. The Duchess had been dead for some years, and the Duke was now a thin old man with white hair.

他起身離開了辦公室，走到城堡里的另一個房間，敲敲門走了進去。公爵夫人幾年前已經(jīng)去世，而公爵現(xiàn)在也已是形銷骨立、白發(fā)蒼蒼的老人了。

Oh — Mills?' he said. 'Sit down. What is it?'

“哦——米爾斯？”他說，“坐。有什么事嗎？”

Old times have come to life again, your Grace.'

“過去的時光又回來了，公爵閣下。”

Which old times are they?'

“哪一段過去的時光？”

That Christmas week twenty-two years ago, when the Duchess's cousin asked her to meet him on Marlbury Downs. I saw the meeting, and I saw much more than that.'

“就是22年前，過圣誕節(jié)的那個星期，公爵夫人的表哥求她到馬爾伯瑞丘陵與他見面的時候。我目睹了那次會面，而且我所見到的遠遠不止這一點?！?

Do you remember a promise made by a shepherd boy?'

“你還記得那個牧羊少年的誓言嗎？”

I do. That boy has kept the promise all his life.'

“記得。那個孩子終生信守著他的誓言?！?

Then I wish to hear no more about it.'

“那我不想再聽到那件事了?！?

Very well. But the secret may soon come out. Not from me, because I'm grateful for what you've done for me. There was great excitement when Captain Ogbourne disappeared, but I spoke not a word, and his body was never found. For twenty-two years I've wondered what you did with him. Now I know. This afternoon I went up on the hill, and did some digging. I saw enough to know that something still lies there in a hole behind the stones.'

“好吧。但秘密可能很快就會傳開了。不是從我這里傳出去，因為我很感激你為我所做的一切。當年奧格本上尉失蹤的消息引起了不小的震動，而我卻緘口不言，他的尸體也一直沒被發(fā)現(xiàn)。22年來，我一直在猜測你究竟對他做了什么?，F(xiàn)在我知道了。今天下午我上山去挖了挖，我所看見的已足夠讓我知道石頭后面的洞里還躺著什么了。”

Mills, do you think the Duchess guessed?'

“米爾斯，你覺得公爵夫人猜到了嗎？”

She never did, I'm sure, to the day of her death.'

“直到去世的那一天，她也沒猜到，我敢肯定?！?

What made you think of going there this afternoon?'

“為什么今天下午你會想起來去那里？”

Something that happened today, your Grace. The oldest man in the village has died — the old shepherd.'

“今天出了點事，公爵閣下。村子里最老的人去世了——那個老牧羊人?！?

Dead at last — how old was he?'

“終于死了——他多大年紀了？”

Ninety-four.'

“94歲。”

And I'm only seventy. I have twenty-four more years!'

“我才70歲，還有24年活頭！”

He was my master when I was a shepherd boy, your Grace. And he was on the hill the second night. He was there all the time, but none of us knew that.'

“當我還是個牧羊少年的時候，他是我的主人，公爵閣下。那年的第二夜他在山上。他一直待在那兒，可我們?nèi)疾恢馈！?

Ah!' said the Duke, looking fixedly at Mills. 'Go on!'

“啊！”公爵叫道，怔怔地看著米爾斯，“繼續(xù)說下去！”

When I heard he was dying, it made me think of the past, and that's why I went up on the hills. Now the villagers are saying that before he died, he confessed a secret to the vicar — a secret that he'd kept for your Grace, about a crime on Marlbury Downs more than twenty years ago.'

“當我聽說他快死的時候，就想起了過去的日子，于是我上了山?，F(xiàn)在村民們都說，他在死之前對牧師坦白了一個秘密——一個為你保守的秘密，是你20多年前在馬爾伯瑞丘陵犯下的罪行。”

That's enough, Mills. I'll see the vicar early tomorrow.'

“夠了，米爾斯。我明天一早就去拜訪牧師?！?

What will you do, your Grace?'

“你打算怎么做，公爵閣下？”

Stop his tongue for twenty-four years, until I am dead at ninety-four, like the old shepherd. Go home now, Mills.'

“讓他閉24年的嘴，直到我年屆94歲，像那個老牧羊人一樣死去。好了，回家去吧，米爾斯?！?

Mills left the room and walked to his own house, where he lived a lonely, friendless life. But he could not sleep, and at midnight he looked out at the colourless moon, and decided to walk up to Marlbury Downs again. Once on the hill, he placed himself where the shepherd's hut had stood. No sheep or lambs were there that winter, but the Devil's Door stood high and white as ever, with dark shadows behind it.

米爾斯離開房間，走回了自己的家。他一直過著孤孤單單、沒有朋友的生活。但他無法入睡。午夜時分，他望著窗外蒼白的月亮，決定再去馬爾伯瑞丘陵一趟。上山以后，他站在了牧羊人小屋過去所在的地方。那年冬天，這里既沒有羊也沒有羊羔，但“魔鬼之門”依然高大蒼白，背后是黑漆漆的影子。

Suddenly he realized he was not alone. A figure in white was moving silently towards the stones. It was the Duke himself, in his long nightshirt, walking in his sleep. He went straight to the covered hole, and dug with his hands like an animal. Then he got up, sighed, and went back down the hill. Mills followed him and saw him enter Shakeforest Towers.

突然，他意識到旁邊還有別的人。一個身著白衣的影子悄無聲息地朝著巨石走去。那正是公爵本人，穿著長長的睡衣在夢游。他徑直來到被遮蔽的洞口前，像動物一樣用雙手刨了起來。接著，他站起身嘆了口氣，朝山下走去。米爾斯尾隨其后，看著他走進了舍克弗洛斯特城堡。

The next morning, when Mills arrived at the great house, the housekeeper came to the door to meet him.

第二天早晨，當米爾斯來到這所大房子時，管家到了門口來迎接他。

Oh, sir,' she said, 'the Duke is dead! He left his room in the night and went walking around somewhere. And on his way back to his room, he fell downstairs and broke his neck.'

“哦，先生，”她說，“公爵去世了！他夜里離開了自己的房間到附近的某個地方去散步，在回房間的路上摔下樓，跌斷了脖子?！?

At last Mills was able to tell the secret that had lain so heavily on his heart for twenty-two years, and he died, at peace with himself, a few years later.

終于，米爾斯可以把在自己心頭壓了22年的沉重秘密說出來了。幾年之后，他安詳?shù)厝ナ懒恕?

There are still fine sheep and lambs on the Marlbury Downs, but shepherds do not like spending the nights close to the Devil's Door. They say that during Christmas week ghostly white shapes are often seen there. Something made of bright metal shines in the moonlight, and there is the shadow of a man pulling something heavy across the grass. But no one can be sure that these things are true.

馬爾伯瑞丘陵仍然盛產(chǎn)優(yōu)質(zhì)的綿羊和羊羔，但牧羊人們都不愿在“魔鬼之門”附近過夜。他們說，在圣誕節(jié)那周，那里經(jīng)常能看到鬼魅般的白影。某種由閃亮金屬制成的東西在月光下閃閃發(fā)光，一個男人的身影拖著重物穿過草叢。不過，沒人敢肯定這些東西是真的。