冰与火之歌系列之《权力的游戏》第474期:第二十七章 艾德(11)

 　　Ned slid the dagger¹ that Catelyn had brought him out of the sheath on his belt. The Imp's knife. Why would the dwarf² want Bran dead?  奈德从腰际的刀鞘里抽出凯特琳带来的那把匕首。小恶魔的刀。那侏儒为何会要置布兰于死地？

　　To silence him, surely. Another secret, or only a different strand³ of the same web? 想必是为了叫他永远闭嘴。这是又一个秘密，还是同一张蛛网上不同的丝线？

　　Could Robert be part of it? He would not have thought so, but once he would not have thought Robert could command the murder of women and children either.  这其中劳勃有份吗？他不会这么想，但从前他也不会想到劳勃竟干得出谋害妇孺的事。

　　Catelyn had tried to warn him. You knew the man, she had said. The king is a stranger to you. The sooner he was quit of King's Landing, the better.  凯特琳警告过他，你清楚的是过去的他。当时她说，现在的国王对你而言，已经成了陌生人。

　　If there was a ship sailing north on the morrow, it would be well to be on it. 看来他越快离开君临越好，假如明天刚好有北上的船只，能搭上是再好不过。

　　He summoned Vayon Poole again and sent him to the docks to make inquiries⁴, quietly but quickly.  于是他再次找来维扬·普尔，吩咐他去港口询问，不能张扬但动作要快。

　　Find me a fast ship with a skilled captain, he told the steward⁵.  帮我找条快船，得有经验丰富的船长。

　　I care nothing for the size of its cabins or the quality of its appointments, so long as it is swift and safe. I wish to leave at once. 他告诉管家，我不在乎船舱大小或豪华与否，只要迅速安全就成。我打算即刻动身。

　　Poole had no sooner taken his leave than Tomard announced a visitor. Lord Baelish to see you, m'lord. 普尔刚奉命离开，托马德便宣告有访客到来。大人，贝里席大人想见您。

　　Ned was half-tempted to turn him away, but thought better of it. He was not free yet; until he was, he must play their games. Show him in, Tom. 奈德很想把他赶走，但最后还是作罢。他还未脱身，在重获自由之前，必须照他们的游戏规则来玩。汤姆，请他进来吧。

　　Lord Petyr sauntered into the solar as if nothing had gone amiss that morning.  培提尔伯爵若无其事地踱进书房，浑若上午无事发生。

　　He wore a slashed⁶ velvet⁷ doublet in cream-and-silver, a grey silk cloak trimmed with black fox, and his customary mocking smile. 他穿了件乳白和银色相间的天鹅绒上衣，以及滚着黑狐狸皮边的灰色丝披风，脸上则挂着一惯的嘲弄笑容。

　　Ned greeted him coldly. Might I ask the reason for this visit, Lord Baelish? 奈德冷淡地问候他：贝里席大人，请问您此次来访有何目的？

1 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

2 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

3 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

4 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 steward   

n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员

参考例句：

• He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
• He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员，到过世界各地。

6 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。