巴斯克維爾的獵犬

The Hound of the Baskervilles

   第七章

   Chapter 7

   梅利琵宅邸的主人斯台普吞

   The Stapletons of Merripit House

   第二天早晨的清新美景,多少消除了我們初見巴斯克維爾莊園時所產生的恐怖與陰鬱的印象。當巴斯克維爾爵士和我坐下來吃早飯的時候,陽光已由高高的窗欞中散射進來,透過裝在窗上的盾徽形窗玻璃投射出一片片淡弱無力的色光,深色的護牆板被金色的陽光照得發出象青銅色的光輝;要說這就是昨晚在我們的心靈上投以暗影的那個房間,實在難以令人相信。

   The fresh beauty of the following morning did something to efface from our minds the grim and gray impression which had been left upon both of us by our first experience of Baskerville Hall. As Sir Henry and I sat at breakfast the sunlight flooded in through the high mullioned windows, throwing watery patches of colour from the coats of arms which covered them. The dark panelling glowed like bronze in the golden rays, and it was hard to realize that this was indeed the chamber which had struck such a gloom into our souls upon the evening before.

   “我想這只能怪咱們自己,而不能怪房子!”準男爵說道,“那時,咱們由於旅途勞頓,乘車寒冷,以致對這地方產生了不快的印象。現在,咱們的身心已經煥然一新,所以又感到很愉快了。”

   "I guess it is ourselves and not the house that we have to blame!" said the baronet. "We were tired with our journey and chilled by our drive, so we took a gray view of the place. Now we are fresh and well, so it is all cheerful once more."

   “可是,這還不僅僅是想象的問題,”我回答道,“比如說吧,您聽到了有人——我想是個婦女,——在夜裡哭泣嗎?”

   "And yet it was not entirely a question of imagination," I answered. "Did you, for example, happen to hear someone, a woman I think, sobbing in the night?"

   “真是奇怪,我在半醒半睡的時候確實聽到過哭聲。我等了很久,可是再也聽不到了,因此我就肯定了那都是做夢。”

   "That is curious, for I did when I was half asleep fancy that I heard something of the sort. I waited quite a time, but there was no more of it, so I concluded that it was all a dream."

   “我聽得清清楚楚,而且我敢肯定地說,是女人的哭聲。”

   "I heard it distinctly, and I am sure that it was really the sob of a woman."

   “咱們得馬上將這事問清楚。”他搖鈴叫來了白瑞摩,問他是否能對我們所聽到的哭聲給以解釋。據我看來,總管聽到主人所問的問題之後,蒼白的面孔變得更加蒼白了。

   "We must ask about this right away." He rang the bell and asked Barrymore whether he could account for our experience. It seemed to me that the pallid features of the butler turned a shade paler still as he listened to his master's question.

   “亨利爵爺,在這房子裡只有兩個女人,”他回答道,“一個是女仆,她睡在對面廂房裡;另一個就是我的妻子,可是我敢保證,哭聲決不是由她發出來的。”

   "There are only two women in the house, Sir Henry," he answered. "One is the scullery-maid, who sleeps in the other wing. The other is my wife, and I can answer for it that the sound could not have come from her."

   可是後來證明他竟是撒謊,因為在早飯之後,我碰巧在長廊上遇到了白瑞摩太太,陽光正照着她的臉,她是個體格高大、外表冷淡、身體胖胖的女人,嘴角上帶著嚴肅的表情。 可是她的兩眼無可掩飾地都紅着,還用紅腫着的眼睛望了我一下。這麼說,夜間哭的就是她了。如果她確是哭過,她丈夫就一定知其原委,可是他居然冒着顯然會被人發現的危險否認事實。他為什麼要這樣做呢?還有,她為什麼哭得那樣傷心呢?在這面孔白皙、漂亮、蓄着黑鬍鬚的人的周圍,已經形成了神秘而淒慘的氣氛。是他第一個發現了查爾茲爵士的屍體,而且我們也只由他那裡才得到了關於將那老人引向死亡的有關情況的介紹。可能嗎?難道我們在攝政街所看到的那輛馬車裡的那個人就是白瑞摩嗎?鬍鬚很可能是相同的。 馬車伕形容的是個身材相當矮小的人,可是這樣的印象很可能是錯誤的。我怎樣才能弄清這一點呢?顯然,首先該做的就是去找格林盆的郵政局長,弄清那件試探性的電報是否真的當面交給了白瑞摩。無論答案如何,我至少應該有些能向歇洛克·福爾摩斯報告的事。

   And yet he lied as he said it, for it chanced that after breakfast I met Mrs. Barrymore in the long corridor with the sun full upon her face. She was a large, impassive, heavy-featured woman with a stern set expression of mouth. But her tell-tale eyes were red and glanced at me from between swollen lids. It was she, then, who wept in the night, and if she did so her husband must know it. Yet he had taken the obvious risk of discovery in declaring that it was not so. Why had he done this? And why did she weep so bitterly? Already round this pale-faced, handsome, black-bearded man there was gathering an atmosphere of mystery and of gloom. It was he who had been the first to discover the body of Sir Charles, and we had only his word for all the circumstances which led up to the old man's death. Was it possible that it was Barrymore after all whom we had seen in the cab in Regent Street? The beard might well have been the same. The cabman had described a somewhat shorter man, but such an impression might easily have been erroneous. How could I settle the point forever? Obviously the first thing to do was to see the Grimpen postmaster, and find whether the test telegram had really been placed in Barrymore's own hands. Be the answer what it might, I should at least have something to report to Sherlock Holmes.

   早餐之後,亨利爵士有很多檔案要看,因此這段時間恰好可以讓我出門了。這是一次令人愉快的散步,我沿著沼地的邊緣走了四英里路,最後走到了一個荒涼單調的小村,村中有兩所較其餘都高的大房子,事後知道一所是客棧,一所是摩梯末醫生的房子,那位郵政局長——又是本村的食品雜貨商,對那封電報記得很清楚。*

   Sir Henry had numerous papers to examine after breakfast, so that the time was propitious for my excursion. It was a pleasant walk of four miles along the edge of the moor, leading me at last to a small gray hamlet, in which two larger buildings, which proved to be the inn and the house of Dr. Mortimer, stood high above the rest. The postmaster, who was also the village grocer, had a clear recollection of the telegram.

   “肯定的,先生,”他說道,“我是完全按照指示叫人將那封電報送交白瑞摩先生的。”

   "Certainly, sir," said he, "I had the telegram delivered to Mr. Barrymore exactly as directed."

   “誰送去的?”

   "Who delivered it?"

   “我的小孩送去的。傑姆士,上星期是你把那封電報送交住在莊園的白瑞摩先生的,是不是?”

   "My boy here. James, you delivered that telegram to Mr. Barrymore at the Hall last week, did you not?"

   “是的,爸爸,是我送的。”

   "Yes, father, I delivered it."

   “是他親手收到的嗎?”我問道。

   "Into his own hands?" I asked.

   “啊,當時他正在樓上呢,所以我沒有能親自交到他手,可是,我把它交到了白瑞摩太太的手裡了,她答應說馬上就送上去。”

   "Well, he was up in the loft at the time, so that I could not put it into his own hands, but I gave it into Mrs. Barrymore's hands, and she promised to deliver it at once."

   “你看到白瑞摩先生了嗎?”

   "Did you see Mr. Barrymore?"

   “沒有,先生,我跟您說他是在樓上呢。”

   "No, sir; I tell you he was in the loft."

   “如果你並沒有看到他,你怎麼能知道他是在樓上呢?”

   "If you didn't see him, how do you know he was in the loft?"

   “噢,當然他自己的妻子應該知道他在什麼地方啊!”郵政局長有些慍怒地說道,“究竟他收到了那份電報沒有?如果發生了任何差錯,也應該是白瑞摩先生自己來質問啊。”

   "Well, surely his own wife ought to know where he is," said the postmaster testily. "Didn't he get the telegram? If there is any mistake it is for Mr. Barrymore himself to complain."

   要想繼續這件調查似已無望了,可是有一點是很清楚的,雖然福爾摩斯使用了巧計,我們仍未能證明白瑞摩一直也沒有去過倫敦。假設事實就是如此——假設他就是最後看到查爾茲爵士還活着的人,就是首先跟蹤剛剛回到英倫的新繼承人的人,那又怎麼樣呢?他是受別人的指使呢,還是另有個人的陰謀呢?害巴斯克維爾家的人對他會有什麼好處呢?我想起了用《泰晤士報》評論剪貼而成的警告信。這是否就是他干的呢,還是可能有誰因為決心要反對他的陰謀而干的呢? 唯一能想象得出的就是亨利爵士所猜測過的那種動機,那就是說,如果莊園的主人能被嚇跑的話,那麼白瑞摩夫婦就能到手一個永久而舒適的家了。可是這樣一種解釋,對於如同環繞年輕的準男爵織成一面無形羅網的、深謀遠慮的陰謀來說,確乎十分不當。福爾摩斯本人曾說過,在他那一長串驚人的偵探案裡,再沒有過比這更複雜的案子了。在我沿著顏色灰白而又孤寂的道路回來的途中,心裡默默地禱告着,願我的朋友能從他的事務中脫身到這裡來,從我的雙肩上卸下這份沉重的責任吧。

   It seemed hopeless to pursue the inquiry any farther, but it was clear that in spite of Holmes's ruse we had no proof that Barrymore had not been in London all the time. Suppose that it were so--suppose that the same man had been the last who had seen Sir Charles alive, and the first to dog the new heir when he returned to England. What then? Was he the agent of others or had he some sinister design of his own? What interest could he have in persecuting the Baskerville family? I thought of the strange warning clipped out of the leading article of the Times. Was that his work or was it possibly the doing of someone who was bent upon counteracting his schemes? The only conceivable motive was that which had been suggested by Sir Henry, that if the family could be scared away a comfortable and permanent home would be secured for the Barrymores. But surely such an explanation as that would be quite inadequate to account for the deep and subtle scheming which seemed to be weaving an invisible net round the young baronet. Holmes himself had said that no more complex case had come to him in all the long series of his sensational investigations. I prayed, as I walked back along the gray, lonely road, that my friend might soon be freed from his preoccupations and able to come down to take this heavy burden of responsibility from my shoulders.

   忽然一陣跑步聲和喚着我名字的聲音打斷了我的思路,我轉過身去,心想一定是摩梯末醫生,但是很使我驚奇,追我的竟是一個陌生人。他是個矮小瘦削、鬍子颳得很乾淨和麵貌端正的人,長着淡黃色的頭髮,下巴尖瘦,大約三四十歲的樣子,穿著一身灰色衣服,戴着草帽,肩上掛着一隻薄薄的植物標本匣,一隻手裡拿着一把綠色的捕蝶網。

   Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running feet behind me and by a voice which called me by name. I turned, expecting to see Dr. Mortimer, but to my surprise it was a stranger who was pursuing me. He was a small, slim, clean-shaven, prim-faced man, flaxen-haired and lean-jawed, between thirty and forty years of age, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a straw hat. A tin box for botanical specimens hung over his shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his hands.

   “我相信您一定會原諒我的冒昧無禮,華生醫生,”當他喘着氣跑到我跟前的時候說道,“在這片沼地裡,人們都象是一家人似的,彼此相見,都不用等着正式的介紹。我想您從咱們的朋友摩梯末醫生那裡可能已經聽說過我的姓名了,我就是住在梅利琵的斯台普吞。”

   "You will, I am sure, excuse my presumption, Dr. Watson," said he, as he came panting up to where I stood. "Here on the moor we are homely folk and do not wait for formal introductions. You may possibly have heard my name from our mutual friend, Mortimer. I am Stapleton, of Merripit House."

   “您的木匣和網就已經很清楚地告訴我了,”我說道,“因為我早就知道斯台普吞先生是一位生物學家。可是您怎麼會認識我呢?”

   "Your net and box would have told me as much," said I, "for I knew that Mr. Stapleton was a naturalist. But how did you know me?"

   “在我拜訪摩梯末醫生的時候,您正從他的窗外走過,於是,他就把您指給我看了。因為咱們走的是一條路,所以我想趕上您來作個自我介紹。我相信亨利爵士的這趟旅行一切都好吧?”

   "I have been calling on Mortimer, and he pointed you out to me from the window of his surgery as you passed. As our road lay the same way I thought that I would overtake you and introduce myself. I trust that Sir Henry is none the worse for his journey?"

   “謝謝您,他很好。”

   "He is very well, thank you."

   “在查爾茲爵士慘死之後,我們都擔心這位新來的準男爵也許會不願住在這裡呢。要想使一位有錢的人屈尊埋沒在這樣一個地方,確實有點說不過去。可是,用不着我多說,這一點對鄉鄙之地說來,確實是關係重大呢。我想,亨利爵士對這件事不會有什麼迷信的恐懼心理吧?”

   "We were all rather afraid that after the sad death of Sir Charles the new baronet might refuse to live here. It is asking much of a wealthy man to come down and bury himself in a place of this kind, but I need not tell you that it means a very great deal to the country-side. Sir Henry has, I suppose, no superstitious fears in the matter?"

   “我想大概不會吧。”

   "I do not think that it is likely."

   “您一定聽說過關於纏着這一族人的魔鬼似的獵狗的那件傳說吧?”

   "Of course you know the legend of the fiend dog which haunts the family?"

   “我聽說過了。”

   "I have heard it."

   “這裡的農民們真是太容易輕信傳聞了!他們每個人都能發誓說,在這片沼地裡曾經見到過這樣一隻畜生。”他說話時帶著微笑,可是我好象從他的眼裡看得出來,他對這件事情的態度很認真呢。“這事在查爾茲爵士的心理上產生了很大的影響。我肯定地相信,就因為這件事才使得他落得這樣悲慘的結局。”

   "It is extraordinary how credulous the peasants are about here! Any number of them are ready to swear that they have seen such a creature upon the moor." He spoke with a smile, but I seemed to read in his eyes that he took the matter more seriously. "The story took a great hold upon the imagination of Sir Charles, and I have no doubt that it led to his tragic end."

   “怎麼會呢?”

   "But how?"

   “他的神經已緊張到一看見狗就會對他那有病的心臟發生致命影響的程度。我估計他臨死的那天晚上,在水松夾道里,他真的看到了什麼類似的東西。過去我常擔心會發生什麼災難,因為我很喜歡那位老人,而且我也知道他的心臟很弱。”

   "His nerves were so worked up that the appearance of any dog might have had a fatal effect upon his diseased heart. I fancy that he really did see something of the kind upon that last night in the Yew Alley. I feared that some disaster might occur, for I was very fond of the old man, and I knew that his heart was weak."

   “您怎麼會知道這一點呢?”

   "How did you know that?"

   “我的朋友摩梯末告訴我的。”

   "My friend Mortimer told me."

   “那麼,您認為是有一隻狗追着查爾茲爵士,結果他就被嚇死了嗎?”

   "You think, then, that some dog pursued Sir Charles, and that he died of fright in consequence?"

   “除此以外您還有什麼更好的解釋嗎?”

   "Have you any better explanation?"

   “我還沒有作出任何結論呢。”

   "I have not come to any conclusion."

   “歇洛克·福爾摩斯先生呢?”

   "Has Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"

   這句話使我剎時間屏住了呼吸,可是再一看我那同伴的溫和平靜的面孔和沉着的目光,才又覺得他並非故意要使我驚訝。

   The words took away my breath for an instant, but a glance at the placid face and steadfast eyes of my companion showed that no surprise was intended.

   “要想讓我們假裝不認識您,那是毫無用處的,華生醫生,”他說道,“我們在這裡早已看到了您那偵探案的記述了,而且您也無法做到既讚揚了您的朋友,而又不使您自己聞名。 當摩梯末對我談起您的時候,他也無法否認您的身份。現在您既然到了這裡,那麼顯然是歇洛克·福爾摩斯先生本人也對這件事發生了興趣,而我呢,自然也就很想知道一下他對這件事的看法究竟如何了。”

   "It is useless for us to pretend that we do not know you, Dr. Watson," said he. "The records of your detective have reached us here, and you could not celebrate him without being known yourself. When Mortimer told me your name he could not deny your identity. If you are here, then it follows that Mr. Sherlock Holmes is interesting himself in the matter, and I am naturally curious to know what view he may take."

   “恐怕我回答不了這個問題。”

   "I am afraid that I cannot answer that question."

   “冒昧地請問一下,他是否要賞光親自來這兒呢?”

   "May I ask if he is going to honour us with a visit himself?"

   “目前他還不能離開城裡。他在集中精力搞別的案子呢。”

   "He cannot leave town at present. He has other cases which engage his attention."

   “多麼可惜!他也許能把這件難解的事給我們搞出些端倪來呢。當您在進行調查的時候,如果我能效勞的話,儘管差遣好了。如果我能知道您的疑問或是您準備如何進行調查,我也許馬上就能予以協助或提出建議來呢。”

   "What a pity! He might throw some light on that which is so dark to us. But as to your own researches, if there is any possible way in which I can be of service to you I trust that you will command me. If I had any indication of the nature of your suspicions or how you propose to investigate the case, I might perhaps even now give you some aid or advice."

   “請您相信,我在這裡不過是來拜訪我的朋友亨利爵士,而且我也不需要任何協助。”

   "I assure you that I am simply here upon a visit to my friend, Sir Henry, and that I need no help of any kind."

   “好啊!”斯台普吞說道,“您這樣的小心謹慎完全是正確的。我受到訓斥完全是罪有應得,因為我的想法只是沒有道理的多管閒事。我向您保證,以後再也不提這件事了。”

   "Excellent!" said Stapleton. "You are perfectly right to be wary and discreet. I am justly reproved for what I feel was an unjustifiable intrusion, and I promise you that I will not mention the matter again."

   我們走過了一條狹窄多草的由大道斜岔出去的小路,曲折迂迴地穿過沼地。右側是陡峭的亂石密佈的小山,多年前已被開成了花崗岩採石場;向着我們的一面是暗色的崖壁,隙罅里長着羊齒植物和荊棘;在遠處的山坡上,浮動着一抹灰色的煙霧。

   We had come to a point where a narrow grassy path struck off from the road and wound away across the moor. A steep, boulder-sprinkled hill lay upon the right which had in bygone days been cut into a granite quarry. The face which was turned towards us formed a dark cliff, with ferns and brambles growing in its niches. From over a distant rise there floated a gray plume of smoke.

   “順着這條沼地小徑慢慢走一會兒,就能到梅利琵了,”他說道,“也許您能勻出一小時的時間來吧,我很願意把您介紹給我的妹妹。”

   "A moderate walk along this moor-path brings us to Merripit House," said he. "Perhaps you will spare an hour that I may have the pleasure of introducing you to my sister."

   我首先想到我應當陪伴着亨利爵士,可是隨後又想起了那一堆滿滿地堆在他書桌上的檔案和證券,當然在這些事情上我是無法幫他忙的,而且福爾摩斯還曾特意地說過,我應當對沼地上的鄰人們加以考察,因此我就接受了斯台普吞的邀請,一起轉上了小路。

   My first thought was that I should be by Sir Henry's side. But then I remembered the pile of papers and bills with which his study table was littered. It was certain that I could not help with those. And Holmes had expressly said that I should study the neighbours upon the moor. I accepted Stapleton's invitation, and we turned together down the path.

   “這片沼地可真是個奇妙的地方,”他說道,一面向四周環顧。起伏不平的丘原,象是綿延的綠色浪潮;參差不齊的花崗岩山巔,好象是被浪濤激起的奇形怪狀的水花。“您永遠也不會對這沼地感到厭煩的,沼地裡絶妙的隱秘之處您簡直就無法想象,那樣的廣大,那樣的荒涼,那樣的神秘。”

   "It is a wonderful place, the moor," said he, looking round over the undulating downs, long green rollers, with crests of jagged granite foaming up into fantastic surges. "You never tire of the moor. You cannot think the wonderful secrets which it contains. It is so vast, and so barren, and so mysterious."

   “那麼說,您對沼地一定知道得很清楚囉?”

   "You know it well, then?"

   “我在這裡才只住了兩年,當地居民還把我稱作新來的呢,我們來的時候,查爾茲爵士也是剛在這裡住下沒有多久。 我的興趣促使我觀察了這鄉間的每一部分,所以我想很少有人能比我對這裡知道得更清楚了。”

   "I have only been here two years. The residents would call me a newcomer. We came shortly after Sir Charles settled. But my tastes led me to explore every part of the country round, and I should think that there are few men who know it better than I do."

   “要想弄清楚是很難的事嗎?”

   "Is it hard to know?"

   “很難。您要知道,比如說吧,北面的這個大平原,中間矗起了幾座奇形怪狀的小山。您可看得出來有什麼特殊之處嗎?”

   "Very hard. You see, for example, this great plain to the north here with the queer hills breaking out of it. Do you observe anything remarkable about that?"

   “這倒是個少有的縱馬奔馳的好地方。”

   "It would be a rare place for a gallop."

   “您自然會這樣想,可是到現在為止,這種想法已不知葬送了多少性命了。您看得見那些密佈着嫩綠草地的地方嗎?”

   "You would naturally think so and the thought has cost several their lives before now. You notice those bright green spots scattered thickly over it?"

   “是啊,看來那地方要比其他地方更肥沃些呢。”

   "Yes, they seem more fertile than the rest."

   斯台普吞大笑起來。

   Stapleton laughed.

   “那就是大格林盆泥潭,”他說道,“在那裡只要一步不小心,無論人畜都會喪命的。昨天我還看到一匹沼地的小馬跑了進去,它再也沒有出來。過了很長時間我還看到它由泥坑裡探出頭來,可是最後終於陷了進去。就是在乾燥的月份,穿過那裡也是危險的。下過這幾場秋雨之後,那裡就更加可怕了。可是我就能找到通往泥潭中心去的道路,並且還能活着回來。天哪!又是一匹倒霉的小馬陷進去了。”

   "That is the great Grimpen Mire," said he. "A false step yonder means death to man or beast. Only yesterday I saw one of the moor ponies wander into it. He never came out. I saw his head for quite a long time craning out of the bog-hole, but it sucked him down at last. Even in dry seasons it is a danger to cross it, but after these autumn rains it is an awful place. And yet I can find my way to the very heart of it and return alive. By George, there is another of those miserable ponies!"

   這時,我看到那綠色的苔草叢中,有個棕色的東西正在上下翻滾,脖子扭來扭去地向上伸着,隨後發出一陣痛苦的長鳴,可怕的吼聲在沼地裡起着回音。嚇得我好象渾身都涼了,可是他的神經似乎比我要堅強些。

   Something brown was rolling and tossing among the green sedges. Then a long, agonized, writhing neck shot upward and a dreadful cry echoed over the moor. It turned me cold with horror, but my companion's nerves seemed to be stronger than mine.

   “完了!”他說道,“泥潭已經把它吞沒了。兩天之內就葬送了兩匹,今後,說不定還會陷進多少匹去呢;因為在乾燥的天氣裡,它們已習慣于跑到那裡去,可是它們在被泥潭纏住以前是不會知道那裡天旱和雨後的不同的。格林盆大泥潭真是個糟糕的地方。”

   "It's gone!" said he. "The mire has him. Two in two days, and many more, perhaps, for they get in the way of going there in the dry weather, and never know the difference until the mire has them in its clutches. It's a bad place, the great Grimpen Mire."

   “但是您不是說您能穿得過去嗎?”

   "And you say you can penetrate it?"

   “是啊,這裡有一條小路,只有動作很靈敏的人才能走得過去,我已經找到這條路了。”

   "Yes, there are one or two paths which a very active man can take. I have found them out."

   “可是,您為什麼竟想走進這種可怕的地方去呢?”

   "But why should you wish to go into so horrible a place?"

   “啊,您看到那邊的小山嗎?那真象是周圍被無法通過的、年代久遠的泥潭隔絶了的小島。如果您能有辦法到那裡去的話,那才是稀有植物和蝴蝶的生長之處呢。”

   "Well, you see the hills beyond? They are really islands cut off on all sides by the impassable mire, which has crawled round them in the course of years. That is where the rare plants and the butterflies are, if you have the wit to reach them."

   “哪天我也去碰一碰運氣。”

   "I shall try my luck some day."

   他忽然臉上帶著驚訝的表情望着我。

   He looked at me with a surprised face.

   “千萬放棄這個念頭吧,”他說道,“那樣就等於是我殺了您。我敢說您難得會活着回來的,我是靠着記住某些錯綜複雜的地標才能到那裡去的。”

   "For God's sake put such an idea out of your mind," said he. "Your blood would be upon my head. I assure you that there would not be the least chance of your coming back alive. It is only by remembering certain complex landmarks that I am able to do it."

   “天哪!”我喊了起來,“那是什麼?”

   "Halloa!" I cried. "What is that?"

   一聲又長又低、淒慘得無法形容的呻吟聲傳遍了整個沼地,充滿了整個空間,可是無法說出是從哪裡發出來的。開始是模糊的哼聲,然後變成了深沉的怒吼,再後來又變成了憂傷而有節奏的哼聲。斯台普吞面帶好奇的表情在望着我。

   A long, low moan, indescribably sad, swept over the moor. It filled the whole air, and yet it was impossible to say whence it came. From a dull murmur it swelled into a deep roar, and then sank back into a melancholy, throbbing murmur once again. Stapleton looked at me with a curious expression in his face.

   “沼地真是個奇怪的地方!”他說道。

   "Queer place, the moor!" said he.

   “這究竟是什麼呢?”

   "But what is it?"

   “農民們說是巴斯克維爾的獵狗在尋找它的獵物。我以前曾聽到過一兩次,可是聲音從沒有象這樣大過。”

   "The peasants say it is the Hound of the Baskervilles calling for its prey. I've heard it once or twice before, but never quite so loud."

   我心裡害怕得直打冷戰,一面向四周環顧點綴着一片片綠色樹叢的起伏不平的原野。在廣大的原野上,除了有一對大烏鴉在我們背後的岩崗上呱呱大叫之外,別無動靜。

   I looked round, with a chill of fear in my heart, at the huge swelling plain, mottled with the green patches of rushes. Nothing stirred over the vast expanse save a pair of ravens, which croaked loudly from a tor behind us.

   “您是個受過教育的人,諒必不會相信這些無稽之談吧?” 我說道,“您認為這種奇怪的聲音是從什麼地方發出來的呢?”

   "You are an educated man. You don't believe such nonsense as that?" said I. "What do you think is the cause of so strange a sound?"

   “泥潭有時也會發出奇怪的聲音來的。污泥下沉或是地下水往上冒,或是什麼別的原因。”

   "Bogs make queer noises sometimes. It's the mud settling, or the water rising, or something."

   “不,不,那是動物發出來的聲音。”

   "No, no, that was a living voice."

   “啊,也許是。您聽過鷺鷥叫嗎?”

   "Well, perhaps it was. Did you ever hear a bittern booming?"

   “沒有,從來沒有聽過。”

   "No, I never did."

   “在英倫這是一種很稀有的鳥——几乎已經絶種了—— 可是在沼地裡也許還有。是的,即使剛纔我們聽到的就是絶無僅有的鷺鷥的叫聲,這也是不足為奇的。”

   "It's a very rare bird--practically extinct--in England now, but all things are possible upon the moor. Yes, I should not be surprised to learn that what we have heard is the cry of the last of the bitterns."

   “這真是我一生中所聽到過的最可怕、最奇怪的聲音了。”

   "It's the weirdest, strangest thing that ever I heard in my life."

   “是啊,這裡簡直是個神秘可怕的地方。請看小山那邊,您說那是些什麼東西?”

   "Yes, it's rather an uncanny place altogether. Look at the hill- side yonder. What do you make of those?"

   整個陡峭的山坡上都是灰色石頭圍成的圓圈,至少有二十堆。

   The whole steep slope was covered with gray circular rings of stone, a score of them at least.

   “是什麼呢,是羊圈嗎?”

   "What are they? Sheep-pens?"

   “不,那是咱們可敬的祖先的住處,在史前時期住在沼地裡的人很多,因為從那時以後再沒有人在那裡住過,所以我們看到的那些安排的細微之處還和他們離開房子以前一模一樣。那些是他們的缺了房頂的小屋。如果您竟因為好奇而到裡面去走一趟的話,您還能看到他們的爐灶和床呢。”

   "No, they are the homes of our worthy ancestors. Prehistoric man lived thickly on the moor, and as no one in particular has lived there since, we find all his little arrangements exactly as he left them. These are his wigwams with the roofs off. You can even see his hearth and his couch if you have the curiosity to go inside.

   “真夠個市鎮的規模呢。在什麼時候還有人住過呢?”

   "But it is quite a town. When was it inhabited?"

   “大約在新石器時代——沒有確實的年代可考。”

   "Neolithic man--no date."

   “他們那時幹些什麼呢?”

   "What did he do?"

   “他們在這些山坡上牧放牛群,當青銅的刀開始代替石斧的時候,他們就學會了開掘錫礦。您看對面山上的壕溝,那就是挖掘的遺蹟。是的,華生醫生,您會發現沼地的一些很特別的地方的,噢,對不起,請等一會兒!一定是賽克羅派德大飛蛾。”

   "He grazed his cattle on these slopes, and he learned to dig for tin when the bronze sword began to supersede the stone axe. Look at the great trench in the opposite hill. That is his mark. Yes, you will find some very singular points about the moor, Dr. Watson. Oh, excuse me an instant! It is surely Cyclopides."

   一隻不知是蠅還是蛾的東西橫過了小路,翩翩地飛了過去,頃刻之間斯台普吞就以少有的力量和速度撲了過去。使我大吃一驚的是,那只小動物竟一直向大泥潭飛了過去,而我的朋友卻揮舞着他那綠色的網兜,一步不停地在一叢叢小樹中間跳躍前進着。他穿著灰色的衣服,加以猛然縱跳、曲折前進的動作,使他本身看來就宛如一隻大飛蛾。我懷着既羡慕他那敏捷異常的動作又害怕他會在那莫測深淺的泥潭裡失足的複雜心情,站在那裡望着他往前追去。由於聽到了腳步聲,我轉過身來,看到在離我不遠的路邊有一個女子,她是從浮游着一抹煙霧、說明是梅利琵所在之處的方向來的,因為一直被沼地的窪處遮着,所以直到她走得很近時才被我發現。

   A small fly or moth had fluttered across our path, and in an instant Stapleton was rushing with extraordinary energy and speed in pursuit of it. To my dismay the creature flew straight for the great mire, and my acquaintance never paused for an instant, bounding from tuft to tuft behind it, his green net waving in the air. His gray clothes and jerky, zigzag, irregular progress made him not unlike some huge moth himself. I was standing watching his pursuit with a mixture of admiration for his extraordinary activity and fear lest he should lose his footing in the treacherous mire, when I heard the sound of steps, and turning round found a woman near me upon the path. She had come from the direction in which the plume of smoke indicated the position of Merripit House, but the dip of the moor had hid her until she was quite close.

   我相信這位就是我曾聽說過的斯台普吞小姐,因為在沼地裡太太小姐很少,而且我還記得曾聽人把她形容成是個美人。向我走過來的這個女人,的確是應歸入最不平凡的類型的。兄妹相貌的不同,大概再也沒有比這更顯著的了。斯台普吞的膚色適中,長着淡色的頭髮和灰色的眼睛;而她的膚色呢,比我在英倫見過的任何深膚色型的女郎都更深,身材纖長,儀態萬方。她生就一副高傲而美麗的面孔,五官那樣端正,要不是配上善感的雙唇和美麗的黑色而又熱切的雙眸的話就會顯得冷淡了。她有着完美的身段,再加以高貴的衣着,簡直就象是寂靜的沼地小路上的一個怪異的幽靈。在我轉過身來的時候,她正在看著她的哥哥,隨後她就快步向我走了過來。我摘下了帽子正想說幾句解釋的話,她的話就把我的思潮引進了一條新路。

   I could not doubt that this was the Miss Stapleton of whom I had been told, since ladies of any sort must be few upon the moor, and I remembered that I had heard someone describe her as being a beauty. The woman who approached me was certainly that, and of a most uncommon type. There could not have been a greater contrast between brother and sister, for Stapleton was neutral tinted, with light hair and gray eyes, while she was darker than any brunette whom I have seen in England--slim, elegant, and tall. She had a proud, finely cut face, so regular that it might have seemed impassive were it not for the sensitive mouth and the beautiful dark, eager eyes. With her perfect figure and elegant dress she was, indeed, a strange apparition upon a lonely moorland path. Her eyes were on her brother as I turned, and then she quickened her pace towards me. I had raised my hat and was about to make some explanatory remark, when her own words turned all my thoughts into a new channel.

   “回去吧!”她說道,“馬上回到倫敦去,馬上就走。”

   "Go back!" she said. "Go straight back to London, instantly."

   我只能吃驚得發愣地盯着她。她的眼對我發着火焰似的光芒,一隻腳不耐煩地在地上拍打着。

   I could only stare at her in stupid surprise. Her eyes blazed at me, and she tapped the ground impatiently with her foot.

   “我為什麼就應該回去呢?”我問道。

   "Why should I go back?" I asked.

   “我不能解釋。”她的聲音低微而懇切,帶有奇怪的大舌頭似的聲音,“可是看在上帝的面上,按照我所請求您的那樣做吧,回去吧,再也不要到沼地裡來。”

   "I cannot explain." She spoke in a low, eager voice, with a curious lisp in her utterance. "But for God's sake do what I ask you. Go back and never set foot upon the moor again."

   “可是我剛纔來啊!”

   "But I have only just come."

   “您這個人啊,您這個人哪!”她叫了起來,“難道您還看不出來這個警告是為您好嗎?回倫敦去!今晚就動身!無論如何也要離開這個地方!噓,我哥哥來了!關於我說過的話,一個字也不要提。勞駕您把杉葉藻那邊的那枝蘭花摘給我好嗎?在我們這片沼地上蘭花很多,您顯然是來得太遲了,已經看不到這裡的美麗之處了。”

   "Man, man!" she cried. "Can you not tell when a warning is for your own good? Go back to London! Start to-night! Get away from this place at all costs! Hush, my brother is coming! Not a word of what I have said. Would you mind getting that orchid for me among the mares-tails yonder? We are very rich in orchids on the moor, though, of course, you are rather late to see the beauties of the place."

   斯台普吞已經放棄了對那只小蟲的追捕,回到了我們的身邊,由於勞累而大喘着氣,而且面孔通紅。

   Stapleton had abandoned the chase and came back to us breathing hard and flushed with his exertions.

   “啊哈,貝莉兒!”他說道。可是就我看來他那打招呼的語調並不熱誠。

   "Halloa, Beryl!" said he, and it seemed to me that the tone of his greeting was not altogether a cordial one.

   “啊,傑克,你很熱了吧?”

   "Well, Jack, you are very hot."

   “嗯,我剛纔追一隻賽克羅派德大飛蛾來着,是在晚秋時分很少見的一種。多可惜呀,我竟沒有捉到!”他漫不經心地說著,可是他那明亮的小眼卻不住地向我和那女子的臉上看來看去。

   "Yes, I was chasing a Cyclopides. He is very rare and seldom found in the late autumn. What a pity that I should have missed him!" He spoke unconcernedly, but his small light eyes glanced incessantly from the girl to me.

   “我看得出來,你們已經自我介紹過了。”

   "You have introduced yourselves, I can see."

   “是啊,我正和亨利爵士說,他來得太晚了,已經看不到沼地的真正美麗之處了。”

   "Yes. I was telling Sir Henry that it was rather late for him to see the true beauties of the moor."

   “啊,你以為這位是誰呀?”

   "Why, who do you think this is?"

   “我想象一定是亨利·巴斯克維爾爵士。”

   "I imagine that it must be Sir Henry Baskerville."

   “不,不對,”我說道,“我不過是個卑微的普通人,是爵士的朋友,我是華生醫生。”

   "No, no," said I. "Only a humble commoner, but his friend. My name is Dr. Watson."

   她那富於表情的面孔因懊惱而泛起了紅暈。“我們竟然在誤會之中談起天來了。”她說道。

   A flush of vexation passed over her expressive face. "We have been talking at cross purposes," said she.

   “啊,沒關係,你們談話的時間並不長啊。”她哥哥說話時仍以懷疑的眼光看著我們。

   "Why, you had not very much time for talk," her brother remarked with the same questioning eyes.

   “我沒有把華生醫生當作客人,而是把他當作本地住戶似地和他談話,”她說道,“對他說來,蘭花的早晚是沒多大關係的。可是來吧,您不看一看我們在梅利琵的房子嗎?”

   "I talked as if Dr. Watson were a resident instead of being merely a visitor," said she. "It cannot much matter to him whether it is early or late for the orchids. But you will come on, will you not, and see Merripit House?"

   走了不多的路就到了,是一所沼地上的荒涼孤獨的房子,在從前這裡還繁榮的時候是個牧人的農舍,可是現在經過了修理以後,已經變成一幢新式的住宅了。四周被果園環繞着,可是那些樹就象沼地裡的一般的樹似的,都是矮小的和發育很壞的,這地方整個都顯出一種陰鬱之色。一個怪異、乾瘦、看來和這所房子很相配的、衣着陳舊褪色的老男仆把我們讓了進去。面的屋子很大,室內佈置得整潔而高雅,由此也能看出那位女士的愛好來。我從窗口向外望着,那綿延無際的、散佈着花崗岩的沼地,毫無間斷地向着遠方地平綫的方向起伏着。我不禁感到奇怪,什麼原因使得這位受過高深教育的男子和這位美麗的女士到這樣的地方來住呢?

   A short walk brought us to it, a bleak moorland house, once the farm of some grazier in the old prosperous days, but now put into repair and turned into a modern dwelling. An orchard surrounded it, but the trees, as is usual upon the moor, were stunted and nipped, and the effect of the whole place was mean and melancholy. We were admitted by a strange, wizened, rusty-coated old manservant, who seemed in keeping with the house. Inside, however, there were large rooms furnished with an elegance in which I seemed to recognize the taste of the lady. As I looked from their windows at the interminable granite-flecked moor rolling unbroken to the farthest horizon I could not but marvel at what could have brought this highly educated man and this beautiful woman to live in such a place.

   “選了個怪里怪氣的地點,是不是?”他象回答我所想的問題似地說道,“可是我們竟能過得很快活,不是嗎,貝莉兒?”

   "Queer spot to choose, is it not?" said he as if in answer to my thought. "And yet we manage to make ourselves fairly happy, do we not, Beryl?"

   “很快活。”她說道。可是她的語調卻顯得很勉強。

   "Quite happy," said she, but there was no ring of conviction in her words.

   “我曾經辦過一所學校。”斯台普吞說道,“是在北方,那種工作對我這種性格的人來說,不免要感到枯燥乏味,但能夠和青年們生活在一起,幫助和培養那些青年,並用個人的品行和理想去影響他們的心靈,這對我來說卻是很可貴的。怎奈我們的運氣不好,學校裡發生了嚴重的傳染病,死了三個男孩,經過這次打擊,學校再也沒有恢復起來,我的資金也大部分不可輓救地賠了進去。可是,如果不是因喪失了與那些可愛的孩子們同居共處之樂的話,我本可以不把這件不幸的事唸唸于懷的。因為我對動物學和植物學有着強烈的愛好,在這裡我發現了無窮無盡的材料可供我進行研究,而且我妹妹也和我一樣地深愛着對大自然的研究工作。所有這一切,華生醫生,在觀察着我們窗外的沼地的時候都已鑽進了您的腦子,由您的表情裡就看得出來。”

   "I had a school," said Stapleton. "It was in the north country. The work to a man of my temperament was mechanical and uninteresting, but the privilege of living with youth, of helping to mould those young minds, and of impressing them with one's own character and ideals, was very dear to me. However, the fates were against us. A serious epidemic broke out in the school and three of the boys died. It never recovered from the blow, and much of my capital was irretrievably swallowed up. And yet, if it were not for the loss of the charming companionship of the boys, I could rejoice over my own misfortune, for, with my strong tastes for botany and zoology, I find an unlimited field of work here, and my sister is as devoted to Nature as I am. All this, Dr. Watson, has been brought upon your head by your expression as you surveyed the moor out of our window."

   “我確曾想到,這裡的生活對您妹妹可能有些枯燥無味,也許對您還稍微好些。”

   "It certainly did cross my mind that it might be a little dull--less for you, perhaps, than for your sister."

   “不,不,我從不感到枯燥。”她趕快說道。

   "No, no, I am never dull," said she, quickly.

   “我們有書,有我們的研究工作,而且我們還有着有趣的鄰居。摩梯末醫生在他那一界裡是個最有學問的人了!可憐的查爾茲爵士也是可親的同伴。我們對他知之甚深,並且對他還感到說不出的懷念。您認為我今天下午是否應該冒昧地去拜訪一下亨利爵士呢?”*

   "We have books, we have our studies, and we have interesting neighbours. Dr. Mortimer is a most learned man in his own line. Poor Sir Charles was also an admirable companion. We knew him well, and miss him more than I can tell. Do you think that I should intrude if I were to call this afternoon and make the acquaintance of Sir Henry?"

   “我敢說,他一定會高興見您的。”

   "I am sure that he would be delighted."

   “那麼,最好您順便提一聲,就說我打算這樣作吧。也許在他習慣于這新的環境以前,我們能聊盡綿薄,以使他更方便些呢。華生醫生,您願意上樓看一看我所收集的鱗翅類昆蟲嗎?我想那已是在英倫西南部所能收集的最完整的一套了。 等您看完的時候,午飯差不多也就預備好了。”

   "Then perhaps you would mention that I propose to do so. We may in our humble way do something to make things more easy for him until he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings. Will you come upstairs, Dr. Watson, and inspect my collection of Lepidoptera? I think it is the most complete one in the south-west of England. By the time that you have looked through them lunch will be almost ready."

   可是我已急於要回去看我的委託人了。陰慘的沼地,不幸的小馬的喪命和那與巴斯克維爾的獵狗的可怕的傳說相關聯的、令人毛骨悚然的聲音,所有這些都給我的思想蒙上了一層憂傷的色彩。浮現在這些多少還是模糊的印象之上的,就是斯台普吞小姐的清楚、肯定的警告了。她當時談話的態度又是那樣的誠心誠意,使我無法再懷疑在這警告的後面必然有着深刻而嚴重的理由。我婉謝了一切使我留下來吃午飯的敦請,立刻就踏上了歸途,順着來時的那條長滿野草的小路走了回去。

   But I was eager to get back to my charge. The melancholy of the moor, the death of the unfortunate pony, the weird sound which had been associated with the grim legend of the Baskervilles, all these things tinged my thoughts with sadness. Then on the top of these more or less vague impressions there had come the definite and distinct warning of Miss Stapleton, delivered with such intense earnestness that I could not doubt that some grave and deep reason lay behind it. I resisted all pressure to stay for lunch, and I set off at once upon my return journey, taking the grass-grown path by which we had come.

   好象是路熟的人一定能找到捷徑似的,在我還沒有走上大路的時候,我就大吃一驚地看到了斯台普吞小姐正坐在小路旁邊的一塊石頭上。她由於經過劇烈運動,臉上泛出了美麗的紅暈,兩手叉着腰。

   It seems, however, that there must have been some short cut for those who knew it, for before I had reached the road I was astounded to see Miss Stapleton sitting upon a rock by the side of the track. Her face was beautifully flushed with her exertions, and she held her hand to her side.

   “為了截住您,我一口氣就跑來了,華生醫生,”她說道,“我甚至連帽子都沒有來得及戴。我不能在這裡久停,否則我哥哥就要因我不在而感到寂寞了。對我所犯的愚蠢的錯誤,我想向您致以深深的歉意,我竟把您看成了亨利爵士。請把我所說過的話忘掉吧,這些話與您是毫無關係的。”

   "I have run all the way in order to cut you off, Dr. Watson," said she. "I had not even time to put on my hat. I must not stop, or my brother may miss me. I wanted to say to you how sorry I am about the stupid mistake I made in thinking that you were Sir Henry. Please forget the words I said, which have no application whatever to you."

   “可是我是忘不掉的,斯台普吞小姐,”我說道,“我是亨利爵士的朋友,我非常關心他的幸福。告訴我吧,為什麼您那麼急切地認為亨利爵士應當回到倫敦去呢?”

   "But I can't forget them, Miss Stapleton," said I. "I am Sir Henry's friend, and his welfare is a very close concern of mine. Tell me why it was that you were so eager that Sir Henry should return to London."

   “不過是女人的一時之念罷了,華生醫生。等您對我瞭解得更深一些的時候,您就會知道,我對我自己的一言一行並不是都能說出個道理來的。”

   "A woman's whim, Dr. Watson. When you know me better you will understand that I cannot always give reasons for what I say or do."

   “不對,不對。我還記得您那發抖的聲調,我還記得您那時的眼神。喔,請您對我坦白地講吧,斯台普吞小姐,從我一到這裡起,我就感到周圍都是疑團。生活已經變得象格林盆泥潭一樣了,到處都是小片小片的綠叢,人們會在那裡陷入地裡,而沒有嚮導能給他指出一條脫身的道路。告訴我吧,您究竟是什麼意思,我答應您一定把您的警告轉達給亨利爵士。”

   "No, no. I remember the thrill in your voice. I remember the look in your eyes. Please, please, be frank with me, Miss Stapleton, for ever since I have been here I have been conscious of shadows all round me. Life has become like that great Grimpen Mire, with little green patches everywhere into which one may sink and with no guide to point the track. Tell me then what it was that you meant, and I will promise to convey your warning to Sir Henry."

   她的臉上剎時間閃現了一種猶豫不決的表情,可是在她回答我的時候,她的兩眼馬上又變得堅決起來了。

   An expression of irresolution passed for an instant over her face, but her eyes had hardened again when she answered me.

   “您想得太多了,華生醫生,”她說道,“我哥哥和我聽到了查爾茲爵士的噩耗以後,都非常震驚。我們和這位老人相知甚深,因為他最喜歡穿過沼地到我們的房子這邊來散步。他深深地受着籠罩着他家的厄運的影響。在這悲劇發生之後,我自然而然地感覺到,他所表現的恐懼絶非出之無因。現在當這家又有人到這裡來住的時候,我感到擔心,因此我覺得,對於可能又降臨在他身上的危險,應該提出警告來。這就是我想傳達給他的全部的意思。”

   "You make too much of it, Dr. Watson," said she. "My brother and I were very much shocked by the death of Sir Charles. We knew him very intimately, for his favourite walk was over the moor to our house. He was deeply impressed with the curse which hung over the family, and when this tragedy came I naturally felt that there must be some grounds for the fears which he had expressed. I was distressed therefore when another member of the family came down to live here, and I felt that he should be warned of the danger which he will run. That was all which I intended to convey.

   “可是,您所說的危險是什麼呢?”

   "But what is the danger?"

   “您知道那個獵狗的故事吧?”

   "You know the story of the hound?"

   “我不相信這種無稽之談。”

   "I do not believe in such nonsense."

   “可是我相信。如果您還能影響亨利爵士的話,就請您把他從對他們一家說來永遠是個致命的所在帶走吧。四海之大,盡有安身之處,為什麼他偏偏願意住在這個危險的地方呢?”

   "But I do. If you have any influence with Sir Henry, take him away from a place which has always been fatal to his family. The world is wide. Why should he wish to live at the place of danger?"

   “正因為這是個危險的地方,他才到這裡來住的,亨利爵士的性格就是這樣。除非您能再供給我一些比這更加具體的材料,否則,若想讓他離開這裡恐怕是不太容易的。”

   "Because it is the place of danger. That is Sir Henry's nature. I fear that unless you can give me some more definite information than this it would be impossible to get him to move."

   “我再說不出任何具體的東西來了,因為我根本就不知道任何具體的東西。”

   "I cannot say anything definite, for I do not know anything definite."

   “我要再問您一個問題,斯台普吞小姐。如果說,您當初和我說的時候寓意只不過如此的話,為什麼您不願讓您哥哥聽到您的話呢?這裡面並沒有值得他或是任何人反對的地方啊。”

   "I would ask you one more question, Miss Stapleton. If you meant no more than this when you first spoke to me, why should you not wish your brother to overhear what you said? There is nothing to which he, or anyone else, could object."

   “我哥哥很希望這座莊園能有人住下來,因為他認為這樣對沼地上的窮人們會有些好處。如果他知道我說了什麼可能會使亨利爵士離開這裡的話,他可能會大發雷霆呢。現在我已盡了我的責任了,我再不說什麼了。我得回去了,否則他看不見我,就會懷疑我是來和你見面了。再見吧!”她轉身走去,幾分鐘之內就消失在亂石之中了,而我就懷着莫名的恐懼趕回了巴斯克維爾莊園。

   "My brother is very anxious to have the Hall inhabited, for he thinks it is for the good of the poor folk upon the moor. He would be very angry if he knew that I have said anything which might induce Sir Henry to go away. But I have done my duty now and I will say no more. I must get back, or he will miss me and suspect that I have seen you. Good-bye!" She turned and had disappeared in a few minutes among the scattered boulders, while I, with my soul full of vague fears, pursued my way to Baskerville Hall.

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