Dirk, filled with compassion, begged her to take the message at once. 戴尔克心头充满了无限悲悯，请求她立刻把这句话说给她听。

It may cure her. I beseech you to ask her now. “也许这会治好她的病的。我求求你现在就去问她吧。”

With a faint smile of pity, the nurse went back into the room. 护士的脸上泛起一丝怜悯的笑容，走进病室。

We heard her low voice, and then, in a voice I did not recognise the answer: 我们听到她低声说了两句什么，接着就是一个我辨认不出的声音在回答：

No. No. No. The nurse came out again and shook her head. “不，不，不。”护士走出来，摇了摇头。

Was that she who spoke then? I asked. "Her voice sounded so strange." “刚才是她在说话吗？”我问。“她的嗓音全变了。”

It appears that her vocal cords have been burnt by the acid. “她的声带似乎被酸液烧坏了。”

Dirk gave a low cry of distress. I asked him to go on and wait for me at the entrance, for I wanted to say something to the nurse. 戴尔克发出一声痛苦的低声叫喊。我叫他先到外面去，在进门的地方等着我，因为我要同护士说几句话。

He did not ask what it was, but went silently.  他并没有问我要说什么，便闷声不响地走开了。

He seemed to have lost all power of will; he was like an obedient child. 他好象失去了全部意志力，象个听话的小孩似地任凭别人支使。

Has she told you why she did it? I asked. No. “她对你说过没有，为什么她做出这件事来？”我问护士说。“没有。

She won't speak. She lies on her back quite quietly. She doesn't move for hours at a time. 她什么话也不说。她安安静静地仰面躺着，有时候一连几个钟头一动也不动。

But she cries always. Her pillow is all wet. 但是她却不停地流眼泪，连枕头都流湿了。

She's too weak to use a handkerchief, and the tears just run down her face. 她身体非常虚弱，连手帕也不会使用，就让眼泪从脸上往下淌。”

It gave me a sudden wrench of the heart-strings. I could have killed Strickland then, 我突然感到心弦一阵绞痛。要是思特里克兰德在我跟前，我真能当时就把他杀死。

and I knew that my voice was trembling when I bade the nurse good-bye. 当我同护士告别的时候，我知道连自己的声音都颤抖起来了。

I found Dirk waiting for me on the steps. 我发现戴尔克正在门口台阶上等着我。

He seemed to see nothing, and did not notice that I had joined him till I touched him on the arm. We walked along in silence. 他好象什么都没看见，直到我触到他的胳臂时，他才发觉我已经站到他身边。我们两个默默无言地向回走。

I tried to imagine what had happened to drive the poor creature to that dreadful step. 我拼命地想象，究竟发生了什么事逼得这个可怜的人儿走上这条绝路。

I presumed that Strickland knew what had happened, for someone must have been to see him from the police, and he must have made his statement. 我猜想思特里克兰德已经知道发生的这个不幸事件了，因为警察局一定已经派人找过他，听取了他的证词。

I did not know where he was. I supposed he had gone back to the shabby attic which served him as a studio. 我不知道思特里克兰德现在在哪里。说不定他已经回到那间他当作画室的简陋的阁楼去了。

It was curious that she should not wish to see him. 她不想同他见面倒是有些奇怪。

Perhaps she refused to have him sent for because she knew he would refuse to come. 也许她不肯叫人去找他是因为她知道他绝不会来。

I wondered what an abyss of cruelty she must have looked into that in horror she refused to live. 我很想知道，她看到了一个什么样的悲惨的无底深渊才恐惧绝望、不想再活下去。