巴斯克维尔的猎犬 华生医生的第二份报告（17）

 

　　The woman's words came with an intense earnestness which carried conviction with them.

　　那女人的话听着十分诚恳， 话的本身就能证明这都是实情。

　　"Is this true, Barrymore?"

　　“这都是真的吗？ 白瑞摩？ ”

　　"Yes, Sir Henry. Every word of it."

　　“是的， 亨利爵士。 完全是真实的。”

　　"Well, I cannot blame you for standing by your own wife. Forget what I have said. Go to yourroom, you two, and we shall talk further about this matter in the morning."“好吧， 我不能怪你帮了 你太太的忙。 把我刚才说过的话都忘掉吧。 你们现在可以回到自己的屋子里去了， 关于这件事， 咱们明早再谈吧。”

　　When they were gone we looked out of the window again. Sir Henry had flung it open, andthe cold night wind beat in upon our faces. Far away in the black distance there still glowed thatone tiny point of yellow light.

　　他们走了以后， 我们又向窗外望去。 亨利爵士把窗户打开， 夜间的寒风吹着我们的脸。

　　在漆黑的远处， 那黄色的小小光点依旧在亮着。

　　"I wonder he dares," said Sir Henry.

　　“我真奇怪他怎么敢这么干呢？ ” 亨利爵士说道。

　　"It may be so placed as to be only visible from here."“也许他放出光亮的地方只能由这里看到。”

　　"Very likely. How far do you think it is?"“很可能， 您认为距这里有多远？ ”

　　"Out by the Cleft Tor, I think."

　　“我看是在裂口山那边。”

　　"Not more than a mile or two off."

　　“不过一二英里远。”

　　"Hardly that."

　　“恐怕还没有那么远呢。”

　　"Well, it cannot be far if Barrymore had to carry out the food to it. And he is waiting, thisvillain, beside that candle. By thunder, Watson, I am going out to take that man!"“嗯， 白瑞摩送饭去的地方不可能很远， 而那个坏蛋正在蜡烛旁边等着呢。 天哪， 华生，我真想去抓那个人去。”

　　The same thought had crossed my own mind. It was not as if the Barrymores had taken usinto their confidence. Their secret had been forced from them. The man was a danger to thecommunity, an unmitigated scoundrel for whom there was neither pity nor excuse. We were onlydoing our duty in taking this chance of putting him back where he could do no harm. With hisbrutal and violent nature, others would have to pay the price if we held our hands. Any night, forexample, our neighbours the Stapletons might be attacked by him, and it may have been thethought of this which made Sir Henry so keen upon the adventure.

　　在我的脑子里也产生过同样的想法， 看样子白瑞摩夫妇不见得信任我们， 他们的秘密是被迫暴露出来的。 那个人对社会说来是个危险， 是个十足的恶棍， 对他既不应该可怜， 也不应该原谅。 如果我们借这机会把他送回使他不能再为害于人的地方去的话， 那我们也只不过是尽了我们应尽的责任罢了。 就他这样残暴、 凶狠的天性来说， 如果我们袖手旁观的话， 别人可能就要付出代价呢。 譬如说吧， 随便哪天夜晚， 我们的邻居斯台普吞都可能受到他的袭击， 也许正是因为想到了这一点才使得亨利爵士要去冒这样的险呢。