书虫6级《名利场》第九章: 克劳利上校的麻烦

Rawdon went with the three men who arrested him without argument. He knew that if the money was paid, he would be released from prison the next day.

罗顿乖乖地跟逮捕他的三个人走了。他知道，只要付了钱，他第二天就能从监狱里出来。

The third man went to call a cab to take them to the prison. Rawdon was not too anxious. "It's not a lot," he thought. "Becky can find that much quite easily. But she'll be asleep by now. Let her have her sleep. I'll write to her in the morning."

第三个人去叫了辆出租马车，载他们去监狱。罗顿并没太发愁。“钱不多。”他想，“贝姬很容易就能凑到。但是，她现在已经睡了。让她睡吧。我明早给她写信。”

Early on Saturday, he sent this letter by messenger.

周六一早，他派信差送了这封信。

"How much is it for?" he asked the men.

“要多少钱？”他问那些人。

"Only a small amount," the first man replied. "A hundred and seventy pounds. Bills for Mr Nathan."

“只是一笔小钱。”第一个人回答，“一百七十英镑。内森先生的账。”

DEAR BECKY, -- I HOPE you slept well. As I was walking home last night, I was arrested for Nathan's bills -- a hundred and seventy. Take my watch and anything you can spare and sell them to raise the money. Please do it soon, as tomorrow's Sunday and I don't want to spend another night here. I'm glad it's not Rawdy's weekend for coming home. Yours, R. (Please hurry.)

亲爱的贝姬：希望你昨晚睡得好。昨晚走回家时，我因欠内森的账被捕了，共一百七十英镑。拿我的表和其他你能拿出的东西卖了，凑上这笔钱。请快点，明天就是周日，我不想在这里再过一晚了。很高兴罗迪这个周末不回家。罗（请抓紧时间。）

It would only take three hours, he thought, before Becky would arrive with the money and open his prison doors. But the day passed and no messenger came, and no Becky. It was not until the evening that this letter was delivered.

他想，只要三个小时，贝姬就会带着钱来到这里，打开他牢房的门。但是白天过去了，没有信差前来，贝姬也不见踪影。直到晚上才有一封信送来。

I was desperate for them to go and when at last they did, I went down on my knees to Lord Steyne and begged him to give me two hundred pounds. He was in a great fury -- but finally he went away, promising to send me the money in the morning, when I will bring it at once to my poor old prisoner -- with a kiss from his affectionate Becky. (P. S. I am writing in bed. Oh, I have such a headache, and such a heartache!)

我心里急切 盼着他们赶紧离开。最后他们终于走了，我跪在斯泰恩勋爵面前，求他给我两百英镑。他大发雷霆，但是走的时候，答应早晨会把钱送来，那时我就可以立刻带着钱来接我可怜的囚犯了。随信附上一吻，深爱你的贝姬。（又及，我在床上写的信。唉，我的头好痛，心也好痛！）

MY POOR DEAREST LOVE, -- I could not sleep at all last night because of worrying over what had happened to you. In the morning I felt so ill that I sent for the doctor, who gave me some medicine to help me sleep, and said I must not be disturbed. So your messenger spent hours waiting. You can imagine how I felt when I finally read your letter. I got ready at once to go out, but then Lord Steyne arrived with some friends (they were so full of compliments about last night!).

我可怜的、最最亲爱的：我昨晚整夜睡不着觉，担心你出了什么事。早晨我病得很严重，只得请了医生来。他给我开了帮助睡眠的药，说我绝不能受打扰。因此，你的信差等了好几个小 时。你能想象得到，后来我终于看到你的信时是怎样的感受啊。我立刻准备好出门，不料斯泰恩勋爵带着他的朋友们来了（他们对昨晚赞不绝口呢！）。

When Rawdon read this letter, his face turned red with anger, and all his suspicions returned. She could not even go out and sell a few things to free him. She could talk about compliments paid to her while he was in prison. Who had put him there? He could hardly bear to think of what he suspected. Quickly, he sat down and wrote a short note to Sir Pitt or Lady Crawley. He begged them to help him, for the sake of his child.

罗顿读了信，气得满面通红，所有的疑虑又涌上心头。她都不出去卖些东西让他摆脱牢狱之灾。他身在监狱，她还能谈论那些恭维她的话。是谁害他进监狱？他简直不敢想那些疑虑。很快，他坐下来，写了一封短信给皮特爵士和克劳利女士。他哀求他们看在他孩子的份上帮帮他。

The debt was quickly paid, and Rawdon thanked Lady Jane again and again, as the carriage took them home. It was nine o'clock at night. He left Lady Jane at her house, and walked and ran through the streets until he arrived breathless outside his own door. Trembling, he stopped and stared up at the house. Lights shone brightly from the drawing-room windows. She had said that she was in bed and ill. He stood there for some time, the light from the rooms on his pale face.

债务很快就还清了。坐马车回家的路上，罗顿再三感谢简女士。晚上九点钟，他把简女士送到家后，一路上连走带跑，上气不接下气地跑到自己家门前。他停下脚步，抬头看着房子，浑身颤抖。客厅窗户透出明亮的灯光。她之前说她生病卧床。他站了好一会儿，房子里透出的灯光照在他苍白的脸上。

He took out his door key, let himself into the house, and went silently up the stairs. Everywhere was quiet; all the servants had been sent away. He heard laughter in the drawing-room -- laughter and singing. Becky was singing. And a voice shouted, "Well done! Well done!" It was Lord Steyne's.

他取出家门钥匙，开门进屋，悄悄上楼。四处一片安静，仆人们都被打发走了。他听到客厅传来笑声——笑声和歌声。贝姬在唱歌。一个声音大喊：“唱得好！唱得好！”说话人是斯泰恩勋爵。

Rawdon opened the door and went in. There was a little table with dinner for two -- and wine. Lord Steyne was leaning over the sofa on which Becky was sitting. She wore her finest evening dress, and around her neck sparkled the diamonds which Steyne had given her. He had her hand in his, and was bowing over it to kiss it, when Becky jumped up with a faint scream as she caught sight of Rawdon's white face. She tried to smile, and Steyne stood up, pale, and with fury in his face.

罗顿打开门，走了进去。一张小桌子上摆着两人的晚餐，还有葡萄酒。贝姬坐在沙发上，斯泰恩勋爵俯身向她靠去。她穿着她最漂亮的晚礼服，脖子上斯泰恩勋爵送给她的钻石项链闪闪发光。他拉着她的手，正要低头亲吻上去。就在这时，贝姬看见罗顿惨白的脸，发出一声微弱的惊叫，吓得跳了起来。她努力挤出笑脸，而斯泰恩勋爵站起身，铁青着脸，怒形于色。

Rawdon was so moved by her kind voice that he ran to her, and threw his arms round her, gasping out his thanks.

罗顿听到她亲切的声音大为感动，他跑到她面前，拥抱她，气喘吁吁地道谢。

An hour later, he was told he had a visitor. It was Lady Jane. "Pitt was out when your note arrived," she said, "so I came myself."

一个小时后，他被告知有访客。来人是简女士。“你的信到的时候，皮特不在家。”她说，“所以我自己来了。”

The expression on Rawdon's face made Becky throw herself in front of him. "I am innocent, Rawdon," she said. "Before God, I am innocent!" She turned to Lord Steyne. "Say I am innocent!" she cried.

贝姬一看罗顿的脸色，立刻冲到他面前。“我是清白的，罗顿。”她说，“我对天发誓，我是清白的！”她转向斯泰恩勋爵。“说我是清白的！”她大喊。

He attempted a laugh, and came forward, holding out his hand. "What, you're back? How are you, Crawley?" he said.

他勉强笑了一下，走上前来，伸出手。“啊，回来了？你还好吗，克劳利？”他说。

"Take off those jewels." She took them off, still trembling.

“摘掉那些珠宝。”她一面哆嗦，一面把珠宝取下来。

He thought a trap had been laid for him, and was as furious with the wife as with the husband. "You -- innocent! Damn you!" he screamed. "You -- innocent! Why, every jewel on your body has been paid for by me! I have given you thousands of pounds which your husband has spent, and for which he has sold you! Don't think you can frighten me. Let me pass."

他觉得这是给他设的一个圈套，对妻子和对丈夫同样怒不可遏。“你——清白！去你的吧！”他大叫，“你——清白！喂，你身上的每件珠宝都是我掏的钱！我给了你几千英镑，都让你丈夫花了，这等于他把你给卖了！别以为你能吓唬住我。让我过去。”

Rawdon seized him by the neck. "You lie!" he cried. "You lie, you cowardly devil!" he struck the noble Lord twice across the face, and threw him, bleeding, to the ground. Unable to stop him, Becky stood there trembling. She admired her husband, strong, brave, and victorious.

罗顿掐住他的脖子。“你撒谎！”他大喊，“你撒谎，你这个胆小鬼！”他扇了高贵的勋爵两巴掌，不顾他受伤流血，把他推倒在地。贝姬阻止不了罗顿，站在那里浑身发抖。她崇拜她的丈夫——他强壮，勇敢，无往不胜。

"Come here," Rawdon said. Becky came at once.

“过来。”罗顿说。贝姬立刻上前。

What were her thoughts when he left her? She sat for hours, with the sunlight now pouring into the room. She had heard the door bang as her husband left. She knew he would never come back. He was gone for ever. Would he kill himself? No, not until he had fought Lord Steyne. She thought of all her past life -- how comfortless it seemed, how miserable, lonely, and pointless.

他离开的时候，她在想什么？她在房间里坐了几个小时，直到阳光洒了进来。她丈夫走时，她听见门砰的一响。她知道他再也不会回来了，他会在她生活里消失。他会自杀吗？不会，除非他已和斯泰恩勋爵决斗过。她想着以往的生活——似乎是那样缺乏安慰，那样痛苦孤独，那样毫无意义。

"Don't kill me, Rawdon," she said.

“饶我一命，罗顿。”她说。

"No," said Becky, "that is --"

“没。”贝姬说，“那是——”

"I am innocent," Becky said. And he left her without another word.

“我是清白的。”贝姬说。他一言不发，转身离开了。

"I'll send it back to him today," said Rawdon. "And I'll pay Miss Briggs, who was kind to the boy, and some of the debts. You might have sent me a hundred pounds, Becky, out of all this. I have always shared with you."

“我今天就把这个还给他。”罗顿说，“我会付钱给布里格斯小姐，她对孩子很好。我还会再还一些债。贝姬，这么多钱物，你本应该给我送一百英镑的。我一直都跟你共甘苦的啊。”

He laughed angrily. "I want to see if that man lies about the money as he has about me. Has he given you any?"

他愤怒地冷笑。“他骂我的话全是胡说，我要看看关于钱的事他有没有撒谎。他给过你钱吗？”

"Did he give you this?" Rawdon said.

“是他给你的吗？”罗顿说。

"Yes," Becky answered.

“是的。”贝姬回答。

Rawdon took the diamonds and threw them at Lord Steyne.

罗顿拿过钻石项链，扔给斯泰恩勋爵。

"Give me your keys," Rawdon said, and they went out together.

“把你的钥匙给我。”罗顿说。接着他们一起离开客厅。

"Come upstairs," Rawdon said to his wife.

“上楼。”罗顿对妻子说。

Becky had kept back the key to her secret little desk, but Rawdon searched long and hard, and in the end she was forced to open her desk too. It contained love letters, jewellery, and bank-notes -- including a new one for a thousand pounds.

贝姬把她秘密小桌子的钥匙隐藏起来，但是罗顿找了很久，查得很仔细，最后她不得不把她的小桌子也打开了。里面装着情书、珠宝和钞票——其中有一张崭新的一千英镑票子。

"I warned you. I always said this would happen," his brother answered. "I can't give you any more money, Rawdon."

“我警告过你。我总说你会落到这般田地。”他哥哥回答，“我不能再给你钱了，罗顿。”

"Good heavens, Rawdon!" he said. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?"

“老天爷，罗顿！”他说，“你在这里干什么？你怎么没在家待着？”

"It's not money I want," Rawdon said. "It's the boy I'm worried about. Promise me that when I'm gone you'll take him. Your wife has always been kind to him. My marriage is over."

“我要的不是钱。”罗顿说，“我担心的是孩子。答应我，我走了后你会好好照顾他。嫂子一向对他很好。我的婚姻完蛋了。”

"Home!" said Rawdon, with a wild laugh. "Pitt, I'm finished."

“家！”罗顿狂笑着说，“皮特，我完了。”

When Rawdon arrived at his brother's house in Great Gaunt Street, he was shown into the study to wait. As the clock struck nine, Sir Pitt came into the room, fresh and clean, a model of neatness. He stared in surprise when he saw poor Rawdon, redeyed and unshaven, with untidy hair.

罗顿到了大冈特街的哥哥家，被领到书房等候。时钟刚敲九下，皮特爵士就走进书房。他看上去精神抖擞，装扮齐整，简直就是整洁的典范。而可怜的罗顿，眼睛红肿，胡子拉碴，头发乱作一团，爵士吃惊地盯着他。

Sir Pitt immediately guessed the truth, and that the "devil" Rawdon wanted to kill was Lord Steyne. Rawdon told his brother the story, and went on, in a broken voice, "There has to be a fight. I attacked him, so he must have his chance of revenge. And I may be killed. Will you and Jane take care of the boy, Pitt? It would comfort me to know that."

皮特爵士立刻猜到了实情，那个罗顿想杀死的“混蛋”是斯泰恩勋爵。罗顿给他哥哥讲了事情的经过，然后用哽咽的声音继续说：“一定会有一场决斗。我打了他，所以一定要给他机会报仇。我可能会被杀死。皮特，你和简愿意照顾我儿子吗？如果你答应，我就放心了。”

"Good God! Is she dead?" Sir Pitt said, in concern.

“天哪！她死了？”皮特爵士关心地问。

"I wish I was," said Rawdon. "If there wasn't my son to worry about, I'd have killed myself this morning, and that devil too."

“我希望是我 死了。”罗顿说，“要不是担心我儿子，我今天早晨就自杀了，还要杀了那个混蛋。”

Sir Pitt was deeply moved, and shook his brother's hand. "Of course, Rawdon, of course. You have my word on it."

皮特爵士大为感动，和弟弟握了握手。“当然，罗顿，当然。我向你保证。”

"Good thing too," Macmurdo said. "Who is it?"

“干得好。”麦克默多说，“是谁啊？”

The money for Miss Briggs was not forgotten, and Rawdon gave it to Pitt. "Please see that she gets it," he said. "I've always felt ashamed of taking the poor old woman's money."

给布里格斯小姐的钱也没落下，罗顿把钱交给了皮特。“请确保她收到。”他说，“我一直都很羞愧，拿了可怜老妇人的钱。”

Rawdon went next to see his friend, Captain Macmurdo, to ask him to make the arrangements for the fight. "I'm going to kill him, Mac," Rawdon said. "There's only one way out of it. They had me arrested. I found them alone together. I told him he was a liar and a coward, and knocked him down and beat him."

接下来，罗顿去见他的朋友麦克默多上尉，请他安排决斗的事宜。“我要杀了他，麦克。”罗顿说，“只有一条路可走。他们害我被逮捕。我发现他们单独在一起。我对他说他是个骗子、懦夫，然后把他打倒，揍了他一顿。”

"No," said Rawdon. He took out the thousand-pound note he had found in Becky's desk. "He gave her this, Mac, and she hid it. She had all this money in the house, and she didn't come and rescue me when I was locked up for debt. You don't know how much I loved her. I sacrificed everything for her."

“不会。”罗顿说。他拿出在贝姬桌里找到的那张一千英镑的票子。“这是他给她的，麦克，而她藏了起来。这笔钱一直在屋里放着，我因为欠债被关起来，她都没来解救我。你不知道我有多么爱她。我为她牺牲了一切。”

Rawdon told him.

罗顿告诉了他。

"Steyne! Good God! He's a friend of the Prince. But -- she may be innocent, after all," Macmurdo said.

“斯泰恩！老天！他是亲王的朋友。不过——她毕竟也有可能是清白的。”麦克默多说。

When Becky finally shook off her mood of black despair, it was late in the morning. She rang the bell for the servants, again and again, but no one came. In the end she went downstairs and found several people in the drawing-room. The landlord, the landlord's wife, the cook, and several other servants were sitting there, complaining loudly and drinking wine.

贝姬终于从绝望的情绪中缓过劲来时，上午快过去了。她一遍又一遍地打铃召唤仆人，但没有人来。最后，她下楼去，发现客厅里有几个人。房东、房东的妻子、厨子，还有其他几个仆人正坐在那里，一边喝酒，一边大声抱怨。

Becky was furious. "How dare you!" she screamed at them. "How dare you sit on my sofas, drinking my wine!"

贝姬怒火中烧。“你们好大胆！”她对他们尖叫，“你们竟敢坐我的沙发，喝我的葡萄酒！”

The Captain sighed, and agreed to make the arrangements.

上尉叹了口气，同意安排决斗的事。

Every servant in the house knew what had happened, and that Becky was finished. They knew she had no money, and could not pay them their long-overdue wages. Some of them had already left, taking valuables with them. Becky's French maid had taken the jewellery left lying on the drawing-room floor, together with all the silver spoons and several of Becky's fine dresses.

家里的仆人都知道发生了什么事，知道贝姬完蛋了。他们知道她没钱，付不了长期拖欠他们的薪水。他们中有一些人已经拿上值钱的东西离开了。贝姬的法国女仆拿走了丢在客厅地板上的珠宝首饰，以及所有的银汤匙和贝姬的几件高级裙子。

"Your sofa, indeed!" said the cook. "I'm sitting on a sofa that belongs to your landlord, like everything else in this house!"

“你的 沙发，哼！”厨子说，“我坐的沙发是你房东的，这房里所有的东西都是！”

"Is it true, then, what I read in the paper?" said Sir Pitt. He had just read a paragraph that had surprised him greatly.

“那么，我在报纸上看到的是真的？”皮特爵士说。他刚读到一段文章，令他大吃一惊。

The landlord was almost weeping. "Where's my rent, Mrs Crawley, eh? You've ruined me! I've known the Crawley family all my life. I never thought that one of them would ruin me!"

房东就快哭出来了。“我的房租呢，克劳利夫人，呃？你害得我倾家荡产了！我从小就认识克劳利一家人，我从来没想到他们家会有人弄得我倾家荡产啊！”

Becky promised to pay them all the next day, and hurried out of the house. She walked quickly through the streets (she had no money to pay for a carriage) to Sir Pitt's house in Great Gaunt Street. Where was Lady Jane Crawley? It was Sunday, she was at church. And Sir Pitt? In his study. Becky slipped past the servant and was in Sir Pitt's room before her astonished brother-in-law had even laid down his newspaper.

贝姬许诺次日付清欠他们的钱，然后就匆匆出门了。她快步穿过街道（她没钱雇马车），前往大冈特街皮特爵士的家。简·克劳利女士在哪里？那天是星期天，她在教堂。皮特爵士呢？在书房。贝姬溜过仆人身边，闯进了皮特爵士的书房，她吃惊的大伯还没来得及把报纸放下。

He turned red, and moved back from her with a look of great alarm and horror.

他涨红了脸，往后退去，一副惊慌失措的样子。

"Don't look at me like that," Becky said. "I am not guilty, dear Pitt. You must believe me! You were my friend once. Oh, how could this happen just when I had such good news -- just when all our problems were going to be ended."

“别那样看着我。”贝姬说，“我是无辜的，亲爱的皮特。你一定要相信我！你曾是我的朋友啊。唉，怎么能发生这种事呢，就在我刚得到好消息的时候——就在我们所有的问题都快解决的时候。”

And so she went on with her persuasive story, pouring it into the ears of her confused brother-in-law. Yes, she had money of which Rawdon knew nothing. But Pitt knew what his brother was like, knew how careless he was about money, how he would have spent it on horses and gambling…

她继续说着合情合理的故事，一股脑儿灌进她大伯的耳朵里，弄得他迷迷瞪瞪的。没错，她是有些罗顿不知道的钱，但皮特知道他弟弟是什么样的人，对钱是多么不放在心上，有钱就会拿去赌马或赌博……

"Yes, it's true. Lord Steyne told me on Friday night that as soon as the news arrived of the death of the previous Governor, he obtained the position for my husband. Rawdon will be the new Governor of Coventry Island! But I had to wait until the announcement was official. And then Rawdon came home…"

“是的，是真的。斯泰恩勋爵周五晚上告诉我，前任总督的死讯一到，他就帮我丈夫拿到了这个职位。罗顿就要当考文垂岛的新任总督了！但是我得等到官方通知下来。然后罗顿就回到家……”

"I did it all for my dear husband," she cried. "Lord Steyne liked me, yes, and I tried hard, in every honest way I could, to please him. But it was for Rawdon -- and you! I wanted him to get Rawdon a good position -- I wanted him to make you a lord. Oh, Pitt, dear Pitt, pity me! Bring Rawdon back to me!"

“我做这一切都是为了亲爱的丈夫。”她哭着说，“斯泰恩勋爵喜欢我，没错，而我也想尽办法讨好他，良家妇女能做的我都做了。但那是为了罗顿，也为了你啊！我想让他给罗顿谋个好职位，我想让他把你弄成勋爵。啊，皮特，亲爱的皮特，可怜可怜我吧！把罗顿带回我身边吧！”

As she spoke, she threw herself down on her knees and, weeping passionately, seized Pitt's hand and kissed it.

说到这里，她跪在地上放声痛哭，一把抓住皮特的手亲吻。

It was at that moment that Lady Jane, returning from church, came into the room. She was pale with anger.

就在这时，从教堂回来的简女士走进房间。她气得面色苍白。

"My love!" cried Sir Pitt. "You do Rebecca an injustice…"

“亲爱的！”皮特爵士大叫，“你冤枉丽贝卡了……”

"How dare Mrs Crawley enter this house?" she said. "She's a wicked woman -- a heartless mother, a false wife!"

“克劳利夫人怎么敢进这个家？”她说，“她是个邪恶的女人，没心肝的母亲，不忠诚的妻子！”

"I have been a faithful and obedient wife to you, Pitt," Lady Jane continued, "but I will not have that woman in my house. If she enters it, I and my children will leave it. You must choose, sir, between her and me." And with that, she walked out of the room, leaving Becky and Sir Pitt astonished by her strong words.

“我一直是个忠顺的妻子，皮特。”简女士继续说，“但是我的家里容不下那个女人。她要在这里，我就和孩子们离开。先生，你必须在我和她之间作出选择。”说完，她走出了房间，贝姬和皮特爵士听了她激烈的言辞，目瞪口呆。

"It was the diamond bracelet you gave me," Becky said sadly. And before she left him, Sir Pitt had promised to find Rawdon and do all he could to persuade him to forgive his wife.

“那是因为你把钻石手镯送给我的缘故。”贝姬伤心地说。在她离开之前，皮特爵士答应找到罗顿，竭尽所能说服他原谅妻子。

Lord Steyne refused to challenge Colonel Crawley to a duel. He sent a friend to talk to Captain Macmurdo, and the friend explained that Lord Steyne was innocent, Mrs Crawley was innocent; that he and his wife had also been invited to Curzon Street on that fatal evening but had failed to come owing to his wife's headache; and finally, that the proof of Lord Steyne's friendship for Colonel Crawley was demonstrated beyond question by the appointment of Colonel Crawley as the new Governor of Coventry Island.

斯泰恩勋爵拒绝和克劳利上校决斗。他派了一个朋友和麦克默多上尉谈。这个朋友解释说，斯泰恩勋爵是清白的，克劳利夫人也是清白的。那个不幸的晚上，他和他妻子也受邀去柯曾大街作客，但是因为妻子头痛而没有赴约。最后，斯泰恩勋爵对克劳利上校的友情也得到了证明，是毋庸置疑的：克劳利上校被任命为考文垂岛的新总督。

Sir Pitt tried hard to bring Rawdon and Becky together again. He pointed out to his brother all the arguments that supported Becky's story, and stated his own belief in her innocence.

皮特爵士费尽心思想让罗顿和贝姬重归于好。他向弟弟指出诸多支撑贝姬说法的证据，声明他本人相信她的清白。

"Don't be a fool, man," he said. "You've knocked Steyne down and beaten him already. It's my belief your wife's innocent. I think you should take the appointment and hold your tongue."

“别傻了，老兄。”他说，“你已经把斯泰恩打倒，揍过他了。我相信你妻子是清白的。我觉得你应该接受任命，不再提这件事了。”

Rawdon still wanted to fight, but Captain Macmurdo said no.

罗顿还想打一场，但是麦克默多上尉不同意。

So there was no duel between the two men. The thousand-pound note was sent back to Lord Steyne, and after long, hard persuasion from his friends, Rawdon finally agreed to accept the position of Governor of Coventry Island. The climate on the island was said to be very unhealthy -- the previous Governor had died after only eighteen months there -- but the salary was excellent, and Rawdon would be free of debt for the first time in many long years.

因此，两位男士没有决斗，一千英镑的票子也还给了斯泰恩勋爵。经过朋友们苦口婆心的一番劝说，罗顿终于同意接受考文垂岛总督一职。据说，岛上气候对健康十分不利，前任总督在那里才待了十八个月就死了。但是薪俸极高，罗顿这么多年来负债累累的日子就快结束了。

But Rawdon would not hear of it. "She's been hiding money from me for ten years," he said. "She swore that night that she had received no money from Steyne. She knew it was all over, as soon as I found it. If she's not guilty, Pitt, she's as bad as guilty; and I'll never see her again -- never." His head sank down on his chest as he said this, and he looked quite broken and sad.

但是罗顿听不进去。“她瞒着我藏了十年钱。”他说，“她那晚发誓，她没有从斯泰恩那里收过钱。我一找到，她就知道一切都完了。皮特，即使她无罪，她的罪名也不能因此减轻。我决不再见她，决不。”他说话时，脑袋耷拉着，看上去悲痛欲绝。

His mother never made any attempt to see him. Was she guilty or not? Everybody knows that Vanity Fair is never kind with its verdicts in these matters. Rawdon's lawyers paid her enough money to live on, and people said she had gone to Europe, but where she lived, or how she lived, no one knew -- or cared.

他母亲没有想办法和他见面。她是不是有罪呢？大家都知道，名利场在这些事的裁定上从不仁慈大度。罗顿的律师给了她足够生活的钱。有人说她去了欧洲，但是她住在哪里，过得如何，却无人知晓，也无人关心。

True to his word, Rawdon left for Coventry Island without forgiving Becky, and young Rawdy went home to Sir Pitt and Lady Jane at Queen's Crawley in the school holidays, where he was very happy. His father wrote to him by every mail.

罗顿没有食言，他没有原谅贝姬，就启程去考文垂岛了。学校放假时，小罗迪去皮特爵士和简女士在昆士克劳利的家，他在那里十分快乐。每班邮船上都会有他父亲给他写的信。