《能言马与男孩》 第七章 阿拉维斯在塔什班城

CHAPTER SEVEN ARAVIS IN TASHBAAN

第七章　阿拉维斯在塔什班城

WHAT had really happened was this. When Aravis saw Shasta hurried away by the Narnians and found herself alone with two horses who (very wisely) wouldn' t say a word, she never lost her head even for a moment. She grabbed Bree' s halter and stood still, holding both the horses;and though her heart was beating as hard as a hammer, she did nothing to show it. As soon as the Narnian lords had passed she tried to move on again. But before she could take a step, another crier ("Bother all these people"thought Aravis) was heard shouting out,"Way, way, way ! Way for the Tarkheena Lasaraleen !"and immediately, following the crier, came four armed slaves and then four bearers carrying a litter which was all a-flutter with silken curtains and all a-jingle with silver bells and which scented the whole street with perfumes and flowers. After the litter, female slaves in beautiful clothes, and then a few grooms, runners, pages, and the like. And now Aravis made her first mistake. She knew Lasaraleen quite well-almost as if they had been at school together-because they had often stayed in the same houses and been to the same parties. And Aravis couldn' t help looking up to see what Lasaraleen looked like now that she was married and a very great person indeed.

沙斯塔所想象的，跟事实可不太一样。当阿拉维斯看到沙斯塔被纳尼亚人带走，并且发现自己单独和两匹非常聪明的不愿说话的马在一起时，她没有一分钟丧失自己的理智。她抓住布里的缰绳，仍旧站在那里，同时控制两匹马。虽然她的心脏像锤子一样砰砰跳着，她一点没有表露出来。纳尼亚王爷们刚一走过去，她便尝试再次前进。但她还没有迈步，就听到另一个传唤者大喊出声：“所有的这些人真讨厌”，阿拉维斯心中想，“让路，让路，让路!为泰坎希娜拉斯阿拉莉恩让路!”紧接着，跟随那个传唤者走过来四个全副武装的奴隶，以及抬着一顶轿子的四个轿夫，轿子上面丝绸轿帘飘扬，银色铃铛叮当作响，整条街上都弥漫着芳香和花朵的味道。在轿子的后面，有四个穿着漂亮衣服的女奴隶，然后是几个侍从，跑腿的小厮，青年侍从和类似的人。在这个时候，阿拉维斯犯了第一个错误。她十分了解拉斯阿拉莉恩——几乎好像她们一起上过学一样，因为她们过去经常待在相同的房间里，参加相同的聚会。如今拉斯阿拉莉恩已经结婚了并且成为了一个阔气的太太，所以阿拉维斯禁不住抬头去看现在的拉斯阿拉莉恩是什么样子的。

It was fatal. The eyes of the two girls met. And immediately Lasaraleen sat up in the litter and burst out at the top of her voice.

这是毁灭性的错误。两个女孩的眼光交汇，拉斯阿拉莉恩立即从轿子里站起来，用她最高的嗓门喊道。

"Aravis ! What on earth are you doing here ? Your father—" There was not a moment to lose.Without a second' s delay Aravis let go the Horses,caught the edge of the litter, swung herself up beside Lasaraleen and whispered furiously in her ear.

“阿拉维斯!你究竟在这里做什么啊?你的父亲……”真是一刻也不能放松。阿拉维斯一秒钟也没有推迟，她松开了马，抓住轿子的边缘，自己窜到拉斯阿拉莉恩的身旁，并且在她的耳边愤怒地低声说道：

"Shut up !Do you hear !Shut up.You must hide me. Tell your people—"

“闭嘴!你没听到吗?闭嘴。你必须把我藏起来。告诉你的仆从们……”

"But darling—"began Lasaraleen in the same loud voice. (She didn' t in the least mind making people stare;in fact she rather liked it.)

“但是亲爱的……”拉斯阿拉莉恩用和之前一样的大嗓门开始说话。她一点都没有介意，这使得人们都盯着她看，事实上，她很喜欢这样。

"Do what I tell you or I'll never speak to you again," hissed Aravis. "Please, please be quick, Las. It's frightfully important. Tell your people to bring those two horses along. Pull all the curtains of the litter and get away somewhere where I can' t be found.And do hurry."

“按照我对你说的去做，否则我将永远不再和你说话，”阿拉维斯低声说道，“请，请快点，拉斯。事情严重得可怕。告诉你的仆从们带上那两匹马，把你轿子上的所有轿帘都放下来，并且到一个不会被发现的地方。尽快!”

"All right,darling," said Lasaraleen in her lazy voice. "Here.Two of you take the Tarkheena's horses. " (This was to the slaves.) "And now home.I say,darling,do you think we really want the curtains drawn on a day like this ?I mean to say—" But Aravis had already drawn the curtains, enclosing Lasaraleen and herself in a rich and scented, but rather stuffy, kind of tent.

“好吧，亲爱的。”拉斯阿拉莉恩用她懒洋洋的腔调说道，“这里，你们中的两个带上泰坎希娜的马”这里是对奴隶们说话。“然后现在回家。听我说，亲爱的，你真的想要所有的轿帘都在这样的日子里放下来吗?我的意思是说……”这时阿拉维斯已经将轿帘放下来了，将拉斯阿拉莉恩和她自己封闭在一个富丽芳香，但却相当闷热，类似于帐篷一样的东西中。

"I mustn't be seen, "she said. "My father doesn't know I'm here.I' m running away."

“我必须不被任何人看到，”她说，“我的父亲并不知道我在这里。我正在逃跑。”

"My dear, how perfectly thrilling, "said Lasaraleen. "I'm dying to hear all about it. Darling, you' re sitting on my dress. Do you mind ? That' s better.It is a new one. Do you like it ? I got it at—"

“我亲爱的，多么完美的刺激之旅啊，”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我非常想听关于这件事的全部。亲爱的，你坐到我的衣服上了。介意挪一挪吗?现在好多了。这是一件新衣服。你喜欢它吗?我买到它是在……”

"Oh,Las,do be serious,"said Aravis..Where is my father ?"

“噢，拉斯，请严肃些，”阿拉维斯说道，“我的父亲在哪?”

"Didn' t you know?"said Lasaraleen..He' s here,of course. He came to town yesterday and is asking about you everywhere. And to think of you and me being here together and his not knowing anything about it ! It' s the funniest thing I ever heard."And she went off into giggles.She always had been a terrible giggler,as Aravis now remembered.

“你不知道吗?”拉斯阿拉莉恩说，“他当然就在这里。他昨天来到城镇里，并且到处询问关于你的下落。而且你想一想，你和我一起在这里，但是他却一点都不知道。这是我听到过的最可笑的事情。”她开始咯咯地笑着说。阿拉维斯现在记起来，她始终都是个令人感到可怕的咯咯地笑个不停的人。

"It isn' t funny at all,"she said..It' s dreadfully serious. Where can you hide me ?"

“这一点都不好笑。”她说道，“这非常严肃。你能把我藏在什么地方?”

"No difficulty at all, my dear girl,"said Lasaraleen..I'll take you home. My husband' s away and no one will see you. Phew!It' s not much fun with the curtains drawn.I want to see people.There' s no point in having a new dress on if one' s to go about shut up like this."

“这一点困难都没有，我亲爱的女孩。”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我将带你回家。我的丈夫出去了，没有人会看到你。瞧，轿帘放下来就没那么有趣了。我想要给人们看看。如果一个人要像这样封闭起来，穿上一件新的衣服就没有意义了。”

"I hope no one heard you when you shouted out to me like that,"said Aravis.

“小声一点儿，我不希望被人听到你和我说话。”阿拉维斯说道。

"No,no,of course,darling,"said Lasaraleen absentmindedly..But you haven' teven told me yet what you think of the dress."

“不，当然没有人听到，亲爱的。”拉斯阿拉莉恩心不在焉地说，

"Another thing,"said Aravis..You must tell your people to treat those two horses very respectfully. That' s part of the secret. They' re really Talking Horses from Narnia."

“但是你到现在都没有告诉我你认为这件衣服怎么样呢。”“还有一件事，”阿拉维斯说，“你必须告诉你的仆从们要非常尊敬地对待那两匹马儿。它们是秘密的一部分。它们的确是来自纳尼亚的会说话的马。”

"Fancy !"said Lasaraleen..How exciting !And oh,darling,have you seen the barbarian queen from Narnia ? She' s staying in Tashbaan at present.They say Prince Rabadash is madly in love with her. There have been the most wonderful parties and hunts and things all this last fortnight. I can' t see that she' s so very pretty myself.But some of the Narnian men are lovely. I was taken out on a river party the day before yesterday, and I was wearing my—"

“多么富有想象力啊!”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“多么令人振奋人心啊!而且，噢，亲爱的，你见过来自纳尼亚的野蛮女王吗?她现在正在塔什班城里。人们说王子罗八达疯狂地爱上了她。最近两星期，一直在举行最美妙的聚会，打猎以及所有的事情。我自己可看不出来她有那么漂亮。但是一些纳尼亚的男人们非常可爱。我前天被邀请参加了河边的聚会，而且我穿上了我的……”

How shall we prevent your people telling everyone that you' ve got a visitor-dressed like a beggar' s brat-in your house ? It might so easily get round to my father."

“我们怎么才能阻止你的仆从告诉别人你有一个客人——穿得像乞丐一样的在你的房间里?这消息可能很容易传到我的父亲那里。”

"Now don' t keep on fussing, there' s a dear,"said Lasaraleen..We' ll get you some proper clothes in a moment. And here we are !"

“现在不要这么大惊小怪，亲爱的。”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我们立刻就会给你些合适的衣服。看，我们到了。”

The bearers had stopped and the litter was being lowered. When the curtains had been drawn Aravis found that she was in a courtyard-garden very like the one that Shasta had been taken into a few minutes earlier in another part of the city. Lasaraleen would have gone indoors at once but Aravis reminded her in a frantic whisper to say something to the slaves about not telling anyone of their mistress' s strange visitor.

轿夫们已经停了下来，轿子被放下来。当轿帘被拉开的时候，阿拉维斯发现自己正处在一个庭院当中，就和之前早些时候在城市的另一个地方沙斯塔被带进去的庭院差不多。拉斯阿拉莉恩本来立刻就要进入室内，但是阿拉维斯用疯疯癫癫的私语提醒她要交代奴隶们一些事情——不要告诉任何人他们女主人有奇怪的来访者这件事。

"Sorry, darling, it had gone right out of my head,"saidLasareleen. "Here. All of you. And you, doorkeeper. No one is to be let out of the house today. And anyone I catch talking about this young lady will be first beaten to death and then burned alive and after that be kept on bread and water for six weeks.There."

“很抱歉，亲爱的，我完全忘记了这件事。”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“听着，所有人，包括你、门房。今天谁也不许离开这个房子。如果我抓到谈论有关这位年轻女士事情的人，首先会先被我打到半死，然后六个星期不给任何面包和水等着活活地烧死。就这样。”

Although Lasaraleen had said she was dying to hear Aravis' s story,she showed no sign of really wanting to hear it at all. She was,in fact,much better at talking than at listening. She insisted on Aravis having a long and luxurious bath (Calormene baths are famous) and then dressing her up in the finest clothes before she would let her explain anything.The fuss she made about choosing the dresses nearly drove Aravis mad. She remembered now that Lasaraleen had always been like that, interested in clothes and parties and gossip. Aravis had always been more interested in bows and arrows and horses and dogs and swimming.You will guess that each thought the other silly. But when at last they were both seated after a meal (it was chiefly of the whipped cream and jelly and fruit and ice sort) in a beautiful pillared room (which Aravis would have liked better if Lasaraleen' s spoiled pet monkey hadn' t been climbing about it all the time), Lasaraleen at last asked her why she was running away from home.

虽然拉斯阿拉莉恩说过她很想听阿拉维斯的故事，但是她根本没有表现出来一点确实想听的迹象。事实上，比起听，她更喜欢去讲。她坚持要阿拉维斯洗一个漫长且奢华的澡。在卡乐门洗澡是出了名的奢华，然后在她允许她解释任何事情之前，用最好的衣服将她打扮了起来。她选择哪件衣服都要小题大做，几乎让阿拉维斯感到疯狂了。她记起拉斯阿拉莉恩始终都是这个样子的：对衣服，聚会还有流言感兴趣。阿拉维斯则总是对弓、箭、马、狗和游泳有更多的兴趣。你可以猜到她们俩每一个都认为另一个很愚蠢。但是当最后她们两个都吃完饭——主要是冰激凌，果子冻，水果和冰点后，在美丽的圆柱房间里坐下来的时候，拉斯阿拉莉恩终于询问她为什么从家里逃出来了。要不是那只被拉斯阿拉莉恩宠坏了的宠物猴子爬来爬去，阿拉维斯会更加喜欢房间。

When Aravis had finished telling her story, Lasaraleen said, "But,darling, why don't you marry Ahoshta Tarkaan ? Everyone' s crazy about him.My husband says he is beginning to be one of the greatest men in Calormen.He has just been made Grand Vizier now old Axartha has died.Didn't you know ?"

当阿拉维斯告诉她自己的故事之后，拉斯阿拉莉恩说道：“但是，亲爱的，为什么你不和泰坎阿霍什塔结婚呢?每个人都为他疯狂。我的丈夫说他将是卡乐门最伟大的男人之一。如今老阿克萨沙死掉，他刚刚成为首相大臣。你不知道吗?”

"I don't care.I can't stand the sight of him," said Aravis.

“我毫不在意。我连看到他都不能忍受。”阿拉维斯说道。

"But, darling, only think ! Three palaces, and one of them that beautiful one down on the lake at Ilkeen. Positively ropes of pearls, I' m told. Baths of asses' milk. And you' d see such a lot of me."

“但，亲爱的，仔细想想。三个宫殿，其中一个非常漂亮，就在伊尔基茵湖的下游。我听其他人说，珍珠都确确实实是大串大串的。可以用驴的乳汁沐浴。而且你还可以经常看到我。”

"He can keep his pearls and palaces as far as I'm concerned," said Aravis.

“我不关心这些，他可以留着他的珍珠和宫殿。”阿拉维斯说道。

"You always were a queer girl,Aravis," said Lasaraleen. "What more do you want ?"

“你总是一个古怪的女孩，阿拉维斯。”拉斯阿拉莉恩说，“你还想要更多的什么呢?”

In the end, however, Aravis managed to make her friend believe that she was in earnest and even to discuss plans. There would be no difficulty now about getting the two horses out of the North gate and then on to the Tombs. No one would stop or question a groom in fine clothes leading a war horse and a lady' s saddle horse down to the river, and Lasaraleen had plenty of grooms to send. It wasn' t so easy to decide what to do about Aravis herself. She suggested that she could be carried out in the litter with the curtains drawn. But Lasaraleen told her that litters were only used in the city and the sight of one going out through the gate would be certain to lead to questions.

最后，阿拉维斯还是设法使她的朋友相信她是认真的，甚至讨论起她的计划。如果现在将两匹马从北门带出去，然后赶到坟场，没有任何困难。没有人将会阻止或者询问一个穿着华丽，牵着一匹战马，并且带着一位骑马的女士到河的下游去的侍从。而且拉斯阿拉莉恩拥有很多可以派遣的侍从。决定阿拉维斯本人要做什么是一件不容易的事情。她提议她可以坐在轿帘放下来的轿子中。但是拉斯阿拉莉恩告诉她，轿子仅仅可以在城里使用，而且看到一顶轿子从城门出去，一定会引起人们的注意。

When they had talked for a long time-and it was all the longer because Aravis found it hard to keep her friend to the point-at last Lasaraleen clapped her hands and said,"Oh, I have an idea. There is one way of getting out of the city without using the gates. The Tisroc' s garden (may he live for ever !) runs right down to the water and there is a little water-door. Only for the palace people of course-but then you know, dear. "(here she tittered a little) "We almost are palace people. I say, it is lucky for you that you came to me. The dear Tisroc (may he live for ever !) is so kind. We' re asked to the palace almost every day and it is like a second home. I love all the dear princes and princesses and I positively adore Prince Rabadash. I might run in and see any of the palace ladies at any hour of the day or night. Why shouldn' t I slip in with you, after dark, and let you out by the water-door ? There are always a few punts and things tied up outside it. And even if we were caught—"

她们已经讨论了很长一段时间——阿拉维斯发现之所以需要这么长时间，是因为很难确保她的朋友停留在这个话题之上——最后拉斯阿拉莉恩抓住她的手并且说，“噢，我有一个主意了。有一个方法可以不利用城门就离开这座城市。太洛帝，愿吾皇万寿无疆!他的花园一直延伸到河的下游，在那里有一个小的水门。当然仅仅供宫殿里的人们使用。但是你要知道，亲爱的，说到这里，她哧哧地笑了笑，我们几乎也算是宫殿里的人了。我是说，你来找我真的很幸运。亲爱的太洛帝非常善良。愿吾皇万寿无疆!我们几乎可以每天到宫殿里拜访，并且将它当作自己的第二个家。我喜欢所有亲爱的王子和公主，而且我十分崇拜王子罗八达。我可以在白天或者晚上的任何一个时间进入宫殿里去见任何一位夫人。为什么我们不在天黑后带你溜进去，然后将你从水门放出去呢?总是有一些平底船一类的东西系在水门外边。而且，即使我们被抓住了……”

"All would be lost,"said Aravis.

“那一切就完了。”阿拉维斯说道。

"Oh darling, don' t get so excited,"said Lasaraleen.. I was going to say, even if we were caught everyone would only say it was one of my mad jokes. I'm getting quite well known for them. Only the other day-do listen, dear, this is frightfully funny—"

“噢，亲爱的，你不要这么激动。”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我要说的是，即使我们被抓住了，每个人也仅仅会说，这不过是我开的疯狂玩笑之一罢了。我因为开玩笑而十分出名。就在几天之前，听着，亲爱的，这真的是非常有趣……”

"I meant, all would be lost for me,"said Aravis a little sharply.

“我的意思是，对于我来说一切都完了。”阿拉维斯有些生气地说道。

"Oh-ah-yes-I do see what you mean, darling. Well, can you think of any better plan ?"

“噢……啊……是的……我完全知道你在说什么，亲爱的，但是，你能想出更好的计划吗?”

Aravis couldn' t, and answered,.No. We' ll have to risk it. When can we start ?"

阿拉维斯想不出来，只能回答道：“不能。我们将不得不冒险了。我们什么时候可以开始呢?”

"Oh, not tonight,"said Lasaraleen..Of course not tonight. There' s a great feast on tonight (I must start getting my hair done for it in a few minutes) and the whole place will be a blaze of lights. And such a crowd too !It would have to be tomorrow night."

“噢，今晚不行，”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“当然不能是今晚。今晚有一个巨大的盛会，我必须开始在几分钟之内整理好我的头发，而且整个宫殿将灯火通明，还非常拥挤。不得不改到明天晚上了。”

This was bad news for Aravis,but she had to make the best of it. The afternoon passed very slowly and it was a relief when Lasaraleen went out to the banquet, for Aravis was very tired of her giggling and her talk about dresses and parties, weddings and engagements and scandals. She went to bed early and that part she did enjoy: it was so nice to have pillows and sheets again.

这对阿拉维斯来说是一个坏消息，但是她不得不充分利用这个消息。今天下午过得非常缓慢，当拉斯阿拉莉恩去赴宴的时候对她来说反而是个解脱。因为阿拉维斯厌倦了她咯咯的笑声，厌倦她只谈论关于衣服，聚会，婚礼，订婚和丑闻。她早早地上床，这一点她真的很享受：重新睡在床单和枕头之上真的十分舒坦。

But the next day passed very slowly.Lasaraleen wanted to go back on the whole arrangement and kept on telling Aravis that Narnia was a country of perpetual snow and ice inhabited by demons and sorcerers,and she was mad to think of going there. .And with a peasant boy,too !"said Lasaraleen..Darling, think of it ! It' s not Nice."Aravis had thought of it a good deal, but she was so tired of Lasaraleen' s silliness by now that,for the first time,she began to think that travelling with Shasta was really rather more fun than fashionable life in Tashbaan.So she only replied,.You forget that I' ll be nobody, just like him, when we get to Narnia.And anyway, I promised."

但是第二天过得十分缓慢。拉斯阿拉莉恩想要取消整个计划，并且坚持告诉阿拉维斯，纳尼亚是一个终年下雪和结冰，并且居住着恶魔和巫师的国家，她一想到要去那里就感到疯狂。“而且还是和一个乡下男孩一起!”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“亲爱的，想想看!这可一点都不美好。”阿拉维斯仔细思考过了，但是她如今真的厌倦了拉斯阿拉莉恩的愚蠢，第一次，她开始想到比起塔什班城时髦的生活，和沙斯塔的旅行真的是有趣得多。所以她只是重复道：“你忘记了，当我们到达纳尼亚的时候，我和他一样都是无名小卒。而且无论如何，我承诺过要一起去的。”

"And to think," said Lasaraleen,almost crying, .that if only you had sense you could be the wife of a Grand Vizier !" Aravis went away to have a private word with the horses.

“你想想，”拉斯阿拉莉恩几乎哭着说道，“如果你自己有头脑的话，你就可以成为首相大臣的妻子!”阿拉维斯却跑出去，对马儿说起悄悄话。

"You must go with a groom a little before sunset down to the Tombs,"she said..No more of those packs. You' ll be saddled and bridled again. But there' ll have to be food in Hwin' s saddle-bags and a full water-skin behind yours, Bree. The man has orders to let you both have a good long drink at the far side of the bridge."

“你们必须和一个侍从一起，在太阳下山之前早一点赶到坟场。”她说道，“不要再背着这些包裹了。你将再次配上马鞍和辔头。但是赫温的鞍囊里需要放一些东西，布里，你的则需要放上满满一皮袋的水。侍从会奉命带你们两个在远离大桥的岸边美美地喝上一顿水。”

"And then, Narnia and the North !"whispered Bree..But what if Shasta is not at the Tombs."

“然后呢，直奔纳尼亚和北方!”布里低声地说道，“但是如果沙斯塔不在坟场，怎么办呢?”

"Wait for him of course," said Aravis. "I hope you've been quite comfortable."

“当然要等他了，”阿拉维斯说道，“我想你们在这里过得足够舒适。”

"Never better stabled in my life," said Bree. "But if the husband of that tittering Tarkheena friend of yours is paying his head groom to get the best oats, then I think the head groom is cheating him."

“我从来没有待过比这更好的马厩，”布里说道，“但是如果你那位哧哧笑的朋友泰坎希娜的丈夫给他的侍从头子钱要去买最好的燕麦，那么我认为侍从头子一定欺骗了他。”

Aravis and Lasaraleen had supper in the pillared room.

阿拉维斯和拉斯阿拉莉恩在圆柱房间里用了晚餐。

About two hours later they were ready to start. Aravis was dressed to look like a superior slave-girl in a great house and wore a veil over her face. They had agreed that if any questions were asked Lasaraleen would pretend that Aravis was a slave she was taking as a present to one of the princesses.

大概两个小时之后，她们已经准备好出发了。阿拉维斯打扮得像一个大户人家的高级女奴，并且带上了面纱。她们商量好，如果有人问起，拉斯阿拉莉恩就假装说，阿拉维斯是她准备作为礼物送给某一位公主的女奴。

The two girls went out on foot. A very few minutes brought them to the palace gates. Here there were of course soldiers on guard but the officer knew Lasaraleen quite well and called his men to attention and saluted. They passed at once into the Hall of Black Marble. A fair number of courtiers, slaves and others were still moving about here but this only made the two girls less conspicuous. They passed on into the Hall of Pillars and then into the Hall of Statues and down the colonnade, passing the great beatencopper doors of the throne room. It was all magnificent beyond description;what they could see of it in the dim light of the lamps.

两个女孩都光着脚走了出来。没过几分钟就到了宫殿的门前。门口当然有士兵在站岗，但是军官对拉斯阿拉莉恩十分熟悉，并且让他手下的士兵们立正敬礼。她们立刻走进了黑色大理石做成的大厅。许多大臣，奴隶和其他一些人仍然在大厅里来回走动，使得两个女孩更加不引人注目了。她们进入圆柱大厅，然后进入雕像大厅，然后沿着柱廊走下去，经过觐见室的铜箔大门。她们在昏暗的灯光中所看到的一切，都是无法用语言形容的富丽堂皇。

Presently they came out into the garden-court which sloped downhill in a number of terraces.On the far side of that they came to the Old Palace. It had already grown almost quite dark and they now found themselves in a maze of corridors lit only by occasional torches fixed in brackets to the walls. Lasaraleen halted at a place where you had to go either left or right.

不久她们走出了宫殿，进入到王宫花园中，花园利用许多台阶依山而建。她们从花园的另一边来到古老的宫殿。天色已经几乎完全黑了，并且她们现在发现自己置身于回廊的迷宫里，只能依靠着偶尔出现的，固定在墙壁上的火把照明。拉斯阿拉莉恩在一个不知该往左走，还是往右走的路口停了下来。

"Go on, do go on," whispered Aravis, whose heart was beating terribly and who still felt that her father might run into them at any corner.

“继续走啊，继续走。”阿拉维斯低声说道，她的心可怕地砰砰跳着，她心里觉得她的父亲很可能突然出现在任何一个角落撞见她们。

"I'm just wondering---"said Lasaraleen."I'm not absolutely sure which way we go from here. I think it' s the left. Yes, I' m almost sure it' s the left.What fun this is !"

“我只是觉得奇怪……”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我不确定哪条路能让我们从这里出去。我认为是左边的。是的，我几乎确定是左边这条路了。多么有趣啊!”

They took the left hand way and found themselves in a passage that was hardly lighted at all and which soon began going down steps.

她们选择了左手边的那条路，然后发现她们自己置身在一条几乎没有任何光的通道里，通道不久就出现了一级又一级向下延伸的台阶。

"It's all right," said Lasaraleen. "I'm sure we're right now. I remember these steps."But at that moment a moving light appeared ahead. A second later there appeared from round a distant corner, the dark shapes of two men walking backwards and carrying tall candles. And of course it is only before royalties that people walk backwards. Aravis felt Lasaraleen grip her arm-that sort of sudden grip which is almost a pinch and which means that the person who is gripping you is very frightened indeed. Aravis thought it odd that Lasaraleen should be so afraid of the Tisroc if he were really such a friend of hers, but there was no time to go on thinking. Lasaraleen was hurrying her back to the top of the steps,on tiptoes,and groping wildly along the wall.

“这就对了，”拉斯阿拉莉恩说道，“我现在确认我们对了。我记得这些台阶。”但就在这个时候，一个移动的光出现在前方。不一会，从一个遥远的角落里，出现了两个男人的黑色影子，他们拿着高大的蜡烛，正倒退着行走。当然，只有在王室的人面前，人们才会倒退着行走。阿拉维斯感觉到拉斯阿拉莉恩抓住了她的手臂——这突然的一抓几乎是拧了她一把，这意味着伸手去抓的人确实十分惊恐。阿拉维斯感到很奇怪，拉斯阿拉莉恩竟然会这么害怕太洛帝，如果太洛帝真的是她的一个朋友的话。但阿拉维斯几乎没有时间继续思考。拉斯阿拉莉恩正匆忙地赶回台阶的顶端，发疯似的沿着墙壁前进。

"Here's a door," she whispered. "Quick. "

“这有一个门。”她低声说道，“快点。”

They went in,drew the door very softly behind them, and found themselves in pitch darkness.Aravis could hear by Lasaraleen' s breathing that she was terrified.

她们走了进去，轻轻地将身后的门关上，然后发现她们置身于一团漆黑之中。阿拉维斯可以从拉斯阿拉莉恩的呼吸中知道她十分惊恐。

"Tash preserve us !"whispered Lasaraleen..What shall we do if he comes in here.Can we hide ?"

“塔什神救救我们吧。”拉斯阿拉莉恩低声说道，“如果他们走到这里来，我们能做什么呢?我们能躲起来吗?”

There was a soft carpet under their feet. They groped forward into the room and blundered on to a sofa.

她们脚下有一块柔软的地毯。她们摸索着进入房间，结果撞到了一张沙发上。

"Let's lie down behind it," whimpered Lasaraleen. "Oh, I do wish we hadn' t come."

“让我们在沙发后面躺下来，”拉斯阿拉莉恩呜咽地说道，“噢，我真希望我们从来没有来过这里。”

There was just room between the sofa and the curtained wall and the two girls got down. Lasaraleen managed to get the better position and was completely covered. The upper part of Aravis' s face stuck out beyond the sofa, so that if anyone came into that room with a light and happened to look in exactly the right place they would see her. But of course, because she was wearing a veil, what they saw would not at once look like a forehead and a pair of eyes. Aravis shoved desperately to try to make Lasaraleen give her a little more room. But Lasaraleen, now quite selfish in her panic, fought back and pinched her feet. They gave it up and lay still, panting a little. Their own breath semed dreadfully noisy,but there was no other noise.

沙发和幕墙之间恰好有空间仅够两个女孩躺下。拉斯阿拉莉恩试图占据更好的位置，并且几乎完全遮住了自己的身体。阿拉维斯的上半部分脸从沙发后面露了出来，这样的话，如果有什么人拿着灯走进房间中，碰巧朝着这个地方看过来，就会看到她了。由于她带着面纱，他们一下子看到的也不会像是一个前额和一双眼睛。阿拉维斯绝望地试图让拉斯阿拉莉恩给自己更多的空间。但是现在的拉斯阿拉莉恩，已经陷入恐慌之中。她十分自私，又把阿拉维斯挤了回去，并且拧她的脚。她们最终放弃了，只能挤在一起躺着，有一点点气喘。她们自己的呼吸似乎吵得可怕，但是那里没有任何其他声音。

"Is it safe ?" said Aravis at last in the tiniest possible whisper.

“这里安全吗?”阿拉维斯最后用尽可能小的声音低声问道。

"I-I-think so," began Lasaraleen. "But my poor nerves-" and then came the most terrible noise they could have heard at that moment: the noise of the door opening. And then came light.And because Aravis couldn' t get her head any further in behind the sofa, she saw everything.

“我……我……我认为是这样的。”拉斯阿拉莉恩开始说，“但我可怜的神经……”此刻传来了她们能够听到的最可怕的声音：开门的声音。然后灯光照了进来，而且因为阿拉维斯不能让她的头更多地藏在沙发后面，她可以看到一切。

First came the two slaves (deaf and dumb, as Aravis rightly guessed, and therefore used at the most secret councils) walking backwards and carrying the candles. They took up their stand one at each end of the sofa. This was a good thing, for of course it was now harder for anyone to see Aravis once a slave was in front of her and she was looking between his heels. Then came an old man, very fat, wearing a curious pointed cap by which she immediately knew that he was the Tisroc. The least of the jewels with which he was covered was worth more than all the clothes and weapons of the Narnian lords put together: but he was so fat and such a mass of frills and pleats and bobbles and buttons and tassels and talismans that Aravis couldn' t help thinking the Narnian fashions (at any rate for men) looked nicer. After him came a tall young man with a feathered and jewelled turban on his head and an ivory—sheathed scimitar at his side. He seemed very excited and his eyes and teeth flashed fiercely in the candlelight. Last of all came a little hump-backed, wizened old man in whom she recognized with a shudder the new Grand Vizier and her own betrothed husband,Ahoshta Tarkaan himself.

首先进来的是两个奴隶( 又聋又哑，就像阿拉维斯猜测的那样，这里方便用于最秘密的会议)，手执蜡烛，倒退着走了进来。他们站在了沙发的两边。这是一件好事，因为一旦阿拉维斯面前站了一个奴隶，任何人就很难看到她了，而且她可以通过两个奴隶的脚跟之间向外看。然后走进来一个老人，很胖，戴着一顶奇怪的帽子，凭借这个帽子，她立即就知道这个人就是太洛帝。他浑身上下都是珠宝首饰，加起来超过纳尼亚王王爷们所有的衣服和武器加在一起的总价值——但是他太胖了，况且那么一大堆首饰、皱裙、羊毛球、纽扣、流苏、辟邪物，使得阿拉维斯禁不住想到纳尼亚的时装( 无论如何那是给人穿的) 看起来更漂亮一些。在他进来之后，一个高高的年轻人走了进来，年轻人头上戴着羽毛和珠宝装饰的头巾，身旁佩戴者一把象牙刀鞘的弯刀。他看起来十分兴奋，他的眼睛和牙齿在烛光里凶狠地闪烁。最后，进来了一个驼背、枯槁的老人，让她感到惊恐，因为她认出这个老头正是新的首相大臣，她新订婚的丈夫，泰坎阿霍什塔本人。

As soon as all three had entered the room and the door was shut, the Tisroc seated himself on the divan with a sigh of contentment, the young man took his place, standing before him, and the Grand Vizier got down on his knees and elbows and laid his face flat on the carpet.

三个人一进入到房间，门就被关上了。太洛帝在沙发上落座，发出惬意的声音。年轻的男人也站到他的位置上，就在太洛帝的面前，首相大臣则双膝跪了下来，他双肘撑地，脸则埋入到地毯之上。