书虫三级《三个陌生人》：2、三个陌生人之 第二个陌生人

2.The second stranger
2．第二个陌生人

During this conversation the other visitors had not taken much notice of the stranger, because they were discussing what the fiddler should play next. They were just getting up to start another dance when there was a second knock at the door. At this sound, the stranger turned his back to the door, and seemed very busy trying to light his pipe.

牧羊人和陌生人说话时，其他客人没怎么注意到这个陌生人，因为他们正讨论小提琴手接下来应该拉什么曲子。他们正准备起身再跳一支舞，门再次被敲响了。听到敲门声，陌生人转过身子背对着大门，似乎在忙着点他的烟斗。

Come in!' called Shepherd Fennel a second time. In a moment another man entered. He too was a stranger.

“请进！”牧羊人芬内尔再次喊道。很快，另一个人走了进来。又是一个陌生人。

This one was very different from the first. There was a more cheerful look about him. He was several years older, with greying hair and a full, reddish face. Under his long wet coat he was wearing a dark grey suit.

这人跟第一个人大不相同，神色要欢快一些。他比第一个人大几岁，头发灰白，红光满面，长长的湿外套下面是一身暗灰色的衣服。

I must ask to rest here for a few minutes, friends,' he said, 'or I shall be wet to the skin before I reach Casterbridge.'

“请让我在这儿休息几分钟吧，朋友们，”他说，“要不然我还没到卡斯特桥就会全身湿透了。”

Make yourself at home, sir,' replied Fennel, a little less warmly than when welcoming the first stranger. The cottage was not large, there were not many chairs, and these newcomers brought cold, wet air into the room.

“您请随便，先生。”芬内尔回答道，态度不像迎接第一个陌生人那么热情了。屋子不大，没多少椅子，况且这些陌生人还把湿冷的寒气带到了室内。

The second visitor took off his coat and hat, and sat down heavily at the table, which the dancers had pushed into the chimney corner. He found himself sitting next to the first stranger, who smiled politely at him and passed him the mug of mead. The second man took it, lifted it to his mouth, and drank without stopping, watched by Mrs Fennel, who was not pleased at this free drinking of her best mead.

第二个陌生人脱下外套、摘下帽子，重重地坐在被跳舞的人们推到壁炉边的桌子旁。他发现自己坐在了第一个陌生人旁边。那人礼貌地朝他微笑着，把手里那杯蜂蜜酒递给了他。第二个陌生人接过杯子举到嘴边，一口气喝了下去。芬内尔太太看着他，对这种恣意喝自己最好的蜂蜜酒的行为感到很不高兴。

At last the man in the grey suit put down the mug with a happy sigh. 'That's wonderful mead, shepherd!' he said. 'I haven't tasted anything as good as that for many years.'

最后，灰衣人高兴地叹了口气，放下了杯子。“这酒太棒了，牧羊人！”他说，“我好多年没尝过这么好的东西了。”

I'm pleased you enjoy it, sir!' replied Shepherd Fennel.

“我很高兴你喜欢这酒，先生！”牧羊人芬内尔答道。

It's goodish mead,' agreed his wife, a little coldly. 'Made from our own honey, o'course, and it is trouble enough to make, I can tell ye. But we may not make any more — honey sells well, and we don't need much mead for ourselves.'

“这是上好的蜂蜜酒，”牧羊人的妻子有些冷淡地附和道，“当然，是用我们自己的蜂蜜做的，做起来可真是费劲啊，我跟你说。不过我们可能不会再酿了——蜂蜜卖得不错，而我们自己又不需要太多蜂蜜酒。”

Oh, but you can't stop making this!' cried the man in grey. He took the mug again and drank the last drop. 'I love mead, as much as I love going to church on Sundays, or giving money to the poor!'

“哦，你们可不能不酿了！”灰衣人叫道。他又端起杯子，喝掉了最后一滴酒。“我喜欢蜂蜜酒，就像喜欢星期天去教堂做礼拜、喜欢把钱施舍给穷人一样！”

Ha, ha, ha!' said the man by the fire, who seemed to enjoy the stranger's little joke.

“哈哈哈！”坐在壁炉边的男人笑了起来，似乎被这个陌生人的小笑话给逗乐了。

The old mead of those days, made with the best honey and the freshest eggs, tasted very strong, but it did not taste as strong as it actually was. Before long, the stranger in grey became very cheerful and red in the face. He made himself comfortable in his chair, and continued the conversation.

那时候的蜂蜜酒是用最好的蜂蜜和最新鲜的鸡蛋酿成的，酒味很冲，实际上的酒劲儿却还要大。没过多久，灰衣人就兴奋起来，变得面红耳赤。他在椅子上舒舒服服地坐好，接着往下说。

Well, as I say, I'm on my way to Casterbridge,' he said.

“呃，我说，我这是要去卡斯特桥。”他说。

You don't live there then?' said Shepherd Fennel.

“那么您不住在那儿啰？”牧羊人芬内尔问。

Not yet, although I plan to move there soon.'

“现在还不是，不过我打算很快就搬过去。”

Going to start a business, perhaps?' asked the shepherd.

“您这是准备去做点买卖吗？”牧羊人问道。

No, no,' said his wife. 'It is easy to see that the gentleman is rich, and doesn't need to work at anything.'

“不，不，”他的妻子说，“一看就知道这位先生很有钱，什么都不用做。”

Rich is not the word for me, madam,' replied the man in grey. 'I have to work, and I do work. And even if I only get to Casterbridge by midnight tonight, I must begin work there at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Yes, hot or cold, rain or snow, I must do my day's work tomorrow.'

“有钱这个词不是用来形容我的，夫人，”灰衣人答道，“我必须工作，而且也的确在工作。即便今晚半夜才能到达卡斯特桥，我也必须在明早8点开始工作。是的，无论严寒酷暑、下雨下雪，我明天都得去做我一天的工作。”

Poor man! So, although you look rich and comfortable, your life is harder than ours, is it?' said the shepherd's wife.

“可怜的人！那就是说，虽然你看起来又有钱又自在，你的日子却比我们还要难过，是吧？”牧羊人的妻子说。

Well, it's the work that I have to do, that's all. Now I must leave you, friends. But before I go, there's time for one more drink to your baby's health. Only, the mug is empty.'

“呃，那工作是我必须做的，就这样。好了，我得走了，朋友们。不过，走之前我还有时间再喝一杯，为你家孩子的健康祝福。可是杯子已经空了。”

Here's some small mead, sir,' offered Mrs Fennel. 'We call it small, but it's still made from good honey.'

“这儿还有些低度蜂蜜酒，先生，”芬内尔太太主动说，“虽然我们叫它低度酒，但也是用优质蜂蜜酿成的。”

No,' said the stranger. 'I prefer to remember the taste of your best mead, thank you.'

“那就不用了，”陌生人说道，“我更愿意铭记你们最好的蜂蜜酒的味道，谢谢。”

Of course you do,' said Shepherd Fennel quickly. He went to the dark place under the stairs where the best mead was kept, and filled the mug. His wife followed him and spoke worriedly to him in a low voice.

“您当然得喝点，”芬内尔赶紧说。他走到楼梯下存放最好的蜂蜜酒的黑暗角落里，把杯子装满。他的妻子跟了过去，焦虑地跟他低声说话。

I don't like the look o' the man at all! He's drunk enough for ten men already! Don't give him any more o' the best!'

“我一点都不喜欢那个人的样子！他足足喝了够十个人喝的酒！别再把最好的酒给他了！”

But he's in our house, my love, and 'tis a miserable wet night. What's a mug of mead more or less?'

“可是他在我们家呀，亲爱的，而且今晚又那么潮湿阴冷。一杯蜂蜜酒又有什么呢？”

Very well, just this time then,' she said, looking sadly at the mead. 'But who is he, and what kind of work does he do?'

“那好吧，仅此一次，”她说道，难过地看着蜂蜜酒，“可他是谁？究竟是干什么的？”

I don't know. I'll ask him again.'

“我不知道，等下再问问他。”

While the man in grey drank his mead, Fennel asked him again about his work, but the man did not reply at once. Suddenly the first stranger spoke from his seat by the fire.

趁着灰衣人喝酒的工夫，芬内尔再次问起了他的工作，可他并没有马上回答。突然，坐在壁炉边座位上的第一个陌生人说话了。

Anybody may know what I do — I work with wheels.'

“人人都可以知道我是干什么的——我是和轮子打交道的。”

And anybody may know what I do,' said the man in the grey suit, 'if they're clever enough to find it out.'

“人人也都可以知道我是干什么的，”灰衣人说道，“如果他们足够聪明、能够发现的话。”

There was a short silence, which the shepherd's wife broke by calling for a song. The second mug of mead had made the stranger's face even redder and more cheerful than before, and he offered to sing the first song. This is what he sang:

一阵短暂的沉默之后，牧羊人的妻子提议大家来唱首歌。第二杯蜂蜜酒使得陌生人脸色更加红润，神情也愈发兴奋了，于是他主动要求唱第一首歌。他唱道：

My job is the strangest one,

我的工作最最奇怪，

Honest shepherds all—

诚实的牧羊人们——

Work that all the world can see;

全世界的人都能看见；

My customers I tie, and I take them up so high,

我把顾客绑住，带往高处，

And send 'em to a far country!

送他们到遥远的国度！

No one spoke, except the man near the fire, who joined in the last part, with a deep, musical voice:

没有人吭声，除了那个坐在壁炉边的人。他用低沉悦耳的声音附和着歌曲的最后一部分：

And send 'em to a far country!

送他们到遥远的国度！

None of the people in the room understood what the singer meant, except the man near the fire; who continued smoking, and said calmly, 'Go on, stranger! Sing on!'

屋里没有人明白唱歌的人是什么意思，除了坐在壁炉边的那个人。他继续抽着烟，平静地说：“继续，陌生人！继续唱！”

The man in grey drank again from his mug, and sang:

我不用太多东西，

There isn't much I need,

诚实的牧羊人们——

Honest shepherds all—

就可以解放犯人。

To set the criminals free.

一小截绳子，一个高高的绞架，

A little piece of rope, and a tall hanging post,

我就足够用了！

And that'll be enough for me!

这下屋里所有的人都听明白了，这个陌生人是在用歌声回答牧羊人的问题。他们望着他，眼睛和嘴巴因恐惧而大张着。

Now it was clear to everybody in the room that the stranger was answering the shepherd's question in song. They all looked at him, their eyes and mouths wide open in horror.

“哦，他就是那个刽子手！”人们轻声地交头接耳，“他来就是要在明天绞死卡斯特桥监狱里那个可怜的钟表匠——那个钟表匠没有活干，孩子们都没吃的，所以就偷了一头羊。就因为这个，他要被绞死了！”