牛津書蟲系列 三十九級臺階 1 The man who died

1 死人

I returned to my flat at about three o'clock on that May afternoon very unhappy with life. I has been back in Britain for three months and I was already bored. The weather was bad，the people were dull，and the amusements of London seemed as exciting as a glass of cold water.'Richard Hannay，'I told myself，'you have made a mistake，and you had better do something about it.'

五月的那個下午三點來鐘我回到寓所，過得很不開心?；氐接齻€月，我已經(jīng)厭煩了。倫敦的氣候糟糕，人也沒勁，各種娛樂好像沒味的白水一杯。我暗暗對自己說：“理查德·哈內(nèi)，這回你錯了，最好想辦法改過吧。”

It made me angry when I thought of the years I had spent in Africa. I had spent those years working very hard and making money. Not a lot of money，but enough for me. I had left Scotland when I was six years old，and I had never been home since. For years I had dreamt of coming home to Britain and spending the rest of my life there，but I was disappointed with the place after the first week. And so here I was，thirty-seven years old，healthy，with enough money to have a good time，and bored to death.

想到在非洲的歲月我就有氣。我呆了那么多年，拼命干活掙錢?，F(xiàn)在錢雖然不多，但足夠我用的。自從六歲我離開蘇格蘭就再也沒回過家。那么多年我一直夢想回英國老家來度我的余生，然而才回來一周，就對這個地方大失所望。眼前的情況是，本人三十七歲，身體健康，有足夠的錢享受，但無聊得要死。

That evening I went out to dinner and sat reading the newspapers afterwards. They were full of the troubles in south-east Europe，and there was a long report about Karolides，the Greek Prime Minister. He seemed to be an honest man，but some people in Europe hated him. However，many people in Britain liked him，and one newspaper said that he was the only man who could prevent a war starting. I remember wondering if I could get a job in south-east Europe;it might be a lot less boring than life in London.

那天晚上我出去吃飯，然后坐在那兒讀報紙。報紙上報道的都是關(guān)于東南歐的動亂，其中有一篇關(guān)于希臘首相卡羅里德斯的長篇報道。這個人看來是個實在人，可是歐洲一些人卻討厭他?？墒且灿行┯讼矚g他，有一家報紙說只有他能防止戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)。我記得我當(dāng)時琢磨能否在東南歐找個工作;那里大概絕不會像倫敦的生活這樣無聊。

As I walked home that night，I decided to give Britain one more day. If nothing interesting happened，I would take the next boat back to Africa.

當(dāng)晚回家的時候我下定決心在英國再呆一天便走人。如果沒有什么叫人感興趣的事，我就乘下一班船回非洲去。

My flat was in a big new building in Langham Place. There was a doorman at the entrance to the building，but each flat was separate，with its own front door. I was just putting the key into my door when a man appeared next to me. He was thin，with a short brown beard and small，very bright eyes. I recognized him as the man who lived in a flat on the top floor of the building. We had spoken once or twice on the stairs.

我的寓所在蘭厄姆一幢新大樓里。大樓的入口處有個看門人，但每個寓所各自獨立，都有個前門。我剛剛把鑰匙插進鎖孔，突然見旁邊有個人。他身材瘦削，留著褐色的短胡子，眼睛不大卻很有光彩。我認出他就住在這幢大樓的頂樓。在樓梯上我們說過一兩次話。

'Can I speak to you?'he asked. 'May I come in for a minute?'His voice was shaking a little.

“可以和您說句話嗎?”他問道。“我可以進去呆一會兒嗎?”他的聲音有點兒發(fā)顫。

I opened the door and we went in.

我打開門，我們進了屋。

'Is the door locked?'he asked，and quickly locked it himself.

“門鎖上了嗎?”他問我，隨后自己趕快把門鎖上。

'I'm very sorry，'he said to me. 'It's very rude of me. But I'm in a dangerous corner and you looked like the kind of man who would understand. If I explain，will you help me?'

“很抱歉，”他對我說，“我這樣做很失禮，我現(xiàn)在身處險境，您看著是個明白人。如果我講出來您能幫我嗎?”

'I'll listen to you，'I said. 'That's all I promise. 'I was getting worried by this strange man's behaviour.

“我會聽您說的，”我答道，“目前就能答應(yīng)這么多。”這個陌生人的舉止讓我不安。

There was a table with drinks on it next to him，and he took a large whisky for himself. He drank it quickly，and then put the glass down so violently that it broke.

在他身旁的桌子上放著飲料，他給自己倒了一大杯威士忌。他一飲而盡，然后把杯子重重一放，力量太大，以致于杯子打破了。

'I'm sorry，'he said. 'I'm a little nervous tonight. You see，at this moment I'm dead. '

“對不起，”他說，“今天晚上我有點兒緊張。您看，現(xiàn)在我已死了。”

I sat down in an armchair and lit my pipe.

我在扶手椅上坐下來，點著煙斗。

'How does it feel?'I asked. I was now almost sure that the man was mad.

“死是什么感覺?”我問他。當(dāng)時我差不多肯定這人是個瘋子。

He smiled. 'I'm not mad-yet. Listen，I've been watching you，and I guess that you're not easily frightened. I'm going to tell you my story. I need help very badly，and I want to know if you're the right man to ask. '

他笑了。“我沒有瘋——還沒有。請聽我說，我一直在觀察您，我猜您不那么容易被嚇祝我想給您講講我的事。我極需幫助，并且想知道我是否求對了人。”

'Tell me your story，'I said，'and I'll tell you if I can help you. '

“那就說說吧，”我說，“然后我才能告訴您我是否能幫您的忙。”

It was an extraordinary story. I didn't understand all of it，and I had to ask a lot of questions，but here it is：

他的故事非同一般，我并不全明白，不得不問好多問題，下面就是他的故事。

His name was Franklin P. Scudder and he was an American，but he had been in south-east Europe for several years. By accident，he had discovered a group of people who were working secretly to push Europe towards a war. These people were clever，and dangerous. Some of them wanted to change the world through war;others simply wanted to make a lot of money，and there is always money to be made from a war. Their plan was to get Russia and Germany at war with each other.

他叫富蘭克林·P·斯卡德爾，是個美國人，已經(jīng)在東南歐呆了幾年。他偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)一伙人正在密謀把歐洲推向戰(zhàn)爭。這伙人狡猾而險惡。有的想通過戰(zhàn)爭改變世界，有的想發(fā)財，打仗總是能發(fā)財?shù)?。他們計劃唆使俄國與德國互相打起來。

'I want to stop them，'Scudder told me，'and if I can stay alive for another month，I think I can. '

“我想制止他們，”斯卡德爾對我說，“如果我能多活一個月，我想我能做到。”

'I thought you were already dead，'I said.

我說：“我原以為您已經(jīng)死了。”

'I'll tell you about that in a minute，'he answered. 'But first，do you know who Constantine Karolides is?'

“過一會兒再談這件事，”他說，“首先，您知道康斯坦丁·卡羅里德斯是誰嗎?”

'The Greek Prime Minister. I've just been reading about him in today's newspapers. '

“是希臘的首相。我剛剛在今天的報紙上讀到他的消息。”

'Right. He's the only man who can stop the war. He's intelligent，he's honest，and he knows what's going on-and so his enemies plan to kill him. I have discovered how. That was very dangerous for me，so I had to disappear. They can't kill Karolides in Greece because he has too many guards. But on the 15th of June he's coming to London for a big meeting，and his enemies plan to kill him here. '

“對。他是唯一能制止這場戰(zhàn)爭的人。他精明誠實，了解現(xiàn)狀——所以他的敵人就打算把他干掉。我已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)他們用什么方法。對我來說這就很危險了，所以我必須躲起來。在希臘他們殺不了卡羅里德斯，因為他有許多衛(wèi)士。但是他準備在六月十五日來倫敦參加一個大會，他的敵人要在這兒把他干掉。”

'You can warn him，'I said. 'He'll stay at home. '

我說：“您可以事先告訴他。他就會呆在家里了。”

'That's what his enemies want. If he doesn't come，they'll win，because he's the only man who understands the whole problem and who can stop the war happening. '

“他的敵人就要他這樣。假如他不來，他們就贏了，因為只有他才了解問題的全部，才能制止戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)。”

'Why don't you go to the British police?'I said.

“那您為什么不去找英國警察?”我問。

'No good. They could bring in five hundred policemen，but they wouldn't stop the murder. The murderer will be caught，and he'll talk and put the blame on the governments in Vienna and Berlin. It will all be lies，of course，but everybody will be ready to believe it. But none of this will happen if Franklin P. Scudder is here in London on the 15th of June. '

“沒有用。他們會帶來五百名警察，但也不能阻止這次謀殺。動手殺人的會被抓住，他也會招供，但會把責(zé)任都推到維也納和柏林政府的頭上。那自然都是謊話，但是人們會馬上相信這套。然而，如果富蘭克林·P·斯卡德爾六月十五日在倫敦，這種事就絕不會發(fā)生。”

I was beginning to like this strange little man. I gave him another whisky and asked him why he thought that he was now in danger himself.

我逐漸開始喜歡這個小個子陌生人。我又給他倒了一杯威士忌，問為什么他認為自己處于危險之中。

He took a large mouthful of whisky. 'I came to London by a strange route-through Paris，Hamburg，Norway，and Scotland. I changed my name in every country，and when I got to London，I thought I was safe. But yesterday I realized that they're still following me. There's a man watching this building and last night somebody put a card under my door. On it was the name of the man I fear most in the world.

他喝了一大口威士忌。“我是通過一條人們不熟悉的路線——穿過巴黎、漢堡、挪威和蘇格蘭來倫敦的。每到一個國家我就更名改姓，到了倫敦，我覺得安全了?？墒亲蛱煳野l(fā)現(xiàn)他們?nèi)匀辉诟櫸?。有個人監(jiān)視著這座大樓而且昨天晚上不知道是誰把一張名片塞到門下面。名片上的名字是這個世界上我最懼怕的人。

'So I decided I had to die. Then they would stop looking for me. I got a dead body-it's easy to get one in London，if you know how-and I had the body brought to my flat in a large suitcase. The body was the right age，but the face was different from mine. I dressed it in my clothes and shot it in the face with my own gun. My servant will find me when he arrives in the morning and he'll call the police. I've left a lot of empty whisky bottles in my room. The police will think I drank too much and then killed myself. 'He paused. 'I watched from the window until I saw you come home，and then came down the stairs to meet you. '

“所以我下決心必須死掉。這樣他們就會不再找我。我搞到一具死尸——在倫敦只要你知道門路，搞個死尸并不難——然后我用一個大衣箱把死尸弄到房間。那個死人和我年紀相符，只是面貌和我不同。我給他穿上我的衣裳，拿槍朝他臉上開了幾槍。等早晨我的仆人來了會發(fā)現(xiàn)我而且會報警。我在房間留下了許多空威士忌酒瓶。警察會以為我飲酒過度，自己送了命。”他停了一下，“我從窗戶向外觀察，一直看到您回家，然后我才下樓來見您。”

It was the strangest of stories. However，in my experience，the most extraordinary stories are often the true ones. And if the man just wanted to get into my flat and murder me，why didn't he tell a simpler story?

這個故事真是奇中之奇。然而根據(jù)我的經(jīng)歷，最奇怪的故事往往是真事。而且，假定這個人進到我房間想害我，為什么他不講簡單一點呢?

'Right，'I said. 'I'll trust you for tonight. I'll lock you in this room and keep the key. Just one word，Mr Scudder. I believe you're honest，but if you're not，I should warn you that I know how to use a gun. '

“好吧，”我說，“今晚我就相信您這一回好了。我把您鎖在這間屋里，我拿著鑰匙。斯卡德爾先生，聽我說一句話。我相信您是個誠實人，但是如果您不誠實，我可警告您，我也知道槍怎么用。”

'Certainly，'he answered，jumping up. 'I'm afraid I don't know your name，sir，but I would like to thank you. And could I use your bathroom?'

“那是自然，”他回答著，激動得跳了起來。“先生，恐怕我還不知道您叫什么，但我要感謝您。我能使用您的浴室嗎?”

When I next saw him，half an hour later，I didn't recognize him at first. Only the bright eyes were the same. His beard was gone，and his hair was completely different. He walked like a soldier，and he was wearing glasses. And he no longer spoke like an American.

半個小時以后，我再見到他，乍一看都認不出來了。只有那雙炯炯發(fā)光的眼睛依然如舊。胡子不見了，頭發(fā)也與剛才完全不同。走起路來像個軍人，戴著一副眼鏡。說話也不再像美國人了。

'Mr Scudder—'I cried.

“斯卡德爾先生——”我叫了起來。

'Not Mr Scudder，'he answered. 'Captain Theophilus Digby of the British Army. Please remember that. '

“不是斯卡德爾先生，”他回答說，“英國陸軍上尉西奧費樂司·迪格比。請記住這個名字。”

I made him a bed in my study，and then went to bed myself，happier than I had been for the past month. Interesting things did happen sometimes，even in London.

我在書房給他鋪了一張床，然后就自己回去睡覺，感到一個月來從沒這么高興過。刺激的事有時到底碰得上，甚至在倫敦也一樣。

The next morning when my servant Paddock arrived，I introduced him to Captain Digby. I explained that the Captain was an important man in the army，but he had been working too hard and needed rest and quiet. Then I went out，leaving them both in the flat. When I returned at about lunchtime，the doorman told me that the gentleman in flat 15 had killed himself. I went up to the top floor，had a few words with the police，and was able to report to Scudder that his plan had been successful. The police believed that the dead man was Scudder，and that he had killed himself. Scudder was very pleased.

第二天早晨我的仆人帕多克來了，我把迪格比上尉介紹給他。我說上尉在軍隊是個重要人物，他工作得太辛苦了需要休息和安靜。然后我就出門去，把他們倆留在房里。大約午飯時我回來，看門人告訴我住在十五號房的先生自殺了。我上了頂樓，和警察談了幾句，就回來告訴斯卡德爾他的計劃成功了。警察相信那個死尸就是斯卡德爾，而且是自殺的。斯卡德爾聽了很高興。

For the first two days in my flat，he was very calm，and spent all his time reading and smoking，and writing in a little black notebook. But after that he became more restless and nervous. It was not his own danger that he worried about，but the success of his plan to prevent the murder of Karolides. One night he was very serious.

他在我寓所住的前兩天神態(tài)非常平靜，一直在讀書，吸煙，在一個黑色的小筆記本上寫東西。然而此后他變得坐臥不寧，惴惴不安。他愁的不是自己的危險，而是他制止謀殺卡羅里德斯的計劃能否成功。一天晚上他神色非常嚴肅。

'Listen，Hannay，'he said. 'I think I must tell you some more about this business. I would hate to get killed without leaving someone else to carry on with my plan. '

“聽我說，哈內(nèi)，”他對我說，“我覺得這件事我得多給您講點。如果我來不及托付給別人繼續(xù)執(zhí)行我的計劃就被殺掉，會遺恨無窮的。”

I didn't listen very carefully. I was interested in Scudder's adventures，but I wasn't very interested in politics. I remember that he said Karolides was only in danger in London. He also mentioned a woman called Julia Czechenyi. He talked about a Black Stone and a man who lisped when he spoke. And he described another man，perhaps the most dangerous of them all-an old man with a young voice who could hood his eyes like a hawk.

我不甚認真地聽著。因為我對斯卡德爾的冒險故事感興趣，而對政治無所謂。我記得他說過卡羅里德斯只有在倫敦才有危險。我還記得他提過一個叫朱莉婭·采奇尼的女人。他談過一個叫黑石的人和一個說話口齒不清的人。他還繪聲繪色地說起另外一個人，這個人可能最為險惡——一個說話聲音像年輕人，像貓頭鷹似地瞇著眼睛的老人。

The next evening I had to go out. I was meeting a man I had known in Africa for dinner. When I returned to the flat，I was surprised to see that the light in the study was out. I wondered if Scudder had gone to bed early. I turned on the light，but there was nobody there. Then I saw something in the corner that made my blood turn cold.

第二天晚上我得出去一下，去見一個在非洲的熟人，并一塊吃頓飯。我回到寓所時吃驚地看到書房的燈關(guān)掉了。我想斯卡德爾是不是早早睡覺了。打開燈，但一個人也沒有。后來看到墻角處有個什么東西，嚇得我渾身冰涼。

Scudder was lying on his back. There was a long knife through his heart，pinning him to the floor.

斯卡德爾仰面朝天躺著。一把長刀貫穿心臟，把他釘在地板上。