马龙探案卷五 之 盛怒的审判二
“但是他不可能被谋杀，” 公路专员办公室的一个丰满女孩一遍又一遍地重复着。“他是佩维利参议员。”
bUt he can’t be murdered,” one of the plump girls from the highway missioner’s office kept repeating over and over. “he’s Senator peveley.”
杰克看着她。“很抱歉，但这是一种我从未听说过的参议员豁免权。”
Jake looked at her. “I’m sorry, but that’s one kind of Senatorial immunity I never heard of.”
他感到愤愤不平，并非完全没有缘由。“这就是我们来到乡村想要摆脱的那种事情，” 他对海伦说。
he felt aggrieved, not altogether without cause. “this is the sort of thing we came to the country to get away from,” he said to helene.
她同情地点点头。“这与我们无关，” 她说。“让我们离开这里，继续我们的钓鱼之旅，不管有没有谋杀案。”
She nodded sympathetically. “It’s none of our business,” she said. “Let’s get out of here and go on with our fishing trip, murder or no murder.”
“恐怕不行，” 杰克说。“即使在乡村，在警察到来之前从尸体旁走开也被认为是不得体的行为。”
“I’m afraid not,” Jake said. “Even in the country it isn’t considered good form to walk away from a corpse before the police arrive.”
现在每个人都在看着已故的佩维利参议员，但是杰克提醒自己，很快那些目光就会带着好奇和敌意投向他们。海伦不会知道这一点。她没有在格罗夫度过她生命的最初几年。
Everybody was now looking at the late Senator peveley but, Jake reminded himself, soon those glances would be directed at them, with a mixture of curiosity and hostility. helene wouldn’t know that. She hadn’t spent the first years of her life in Grove Falls.
令人惊讶的是法院走廊突然挤满了人。就在片刻之前，它还空荡荡、黑漆漆且像洞穴一样。现在它挤满了震惊和好奇的人。他抬头认出了灰发的麦高恩小姐、矮壮的斯金丁斯鲁德先生、高大英俊的菲尔?史密斯。还有其他人，他不认识的人。
It was amazing how the courthouse corridor had suddenly filled with people. only a moment before it had been empty, dark, and cavernous. Now it was crowded with shocked and curious people. he looked up and recognized the gray-haired miss macGowan, the stocky little mr. Skindingsrude, the tall, handsome phil Smith. there were others, strangers to him.
阿尔文?高奇，他的光头闪闪发亮，挤到人群中间。“佩维利参议员被枪击了！这太可怕了！得有人做点什么。”
Alvin Goudge, his bald head shining, pushed his way into the center of the group. “Senator peveley shot! this is terrible! Somebody’s got to do something.”
“佩维利参议员不可能死，” 一个戴眼镜的瘦子疯狂地说。“为什么，我五分钟前还在和他说话。”
“Senator pevely can’t be dead,” a thin, spectacled man said wildly. “why, I was only talking to him five minutes ago.”
“你为什么认为那是一种保证？” 杰克恼怒地说。“你觉得他只是在装死？”
“what makes you think that’s a guarantee?” Jake said irritably. “You figure he’s just doing imitations?”
他专注地环顾人群。从听到第一声尖叫他就一直在这儿，他知道没有人从那两扇双开门出去。在那条走廊里的某个人谋杀了佩维利参议员。
he looked around the group intently. he had been there since the first sound of the scream, and he knew that nobody has gone out through those double doors. Someone, there in that corridor, had murdered Senator peveley.
一个杰克在楼上法庭注意到的穿棕色西装的年轻人挤过人群，站在那里盯着尸体。他是一个英俊的年轻人，带着一种淡淡的忧虑，棕色头发和棕色眼睛。他脸上有一侧有铅笔污渍。
A young, brown-suited man Jake had noticed upstairs in the courtroom had pushed his way through the crowd and was standing staring at the body. he was a handsome young man, in a thin, worried way, brown-haired and brown-eyed. there was a lead pencil smudge on one side of his face.
“杰瑞?勒克斯通，新的地方检察官，” 纽扣先生对杰克小声说。
“Jerry Luckstone, the new district attorney,” buttonholes whispered to Jake.
地方检察官的脸变得惨白。
the district attorney’s face had turned a sickly white.
“但是是佩维利参议员，” 他茫然地说。
“but it’s Senator peveley,” he said in a dazed voice.
“第一次就答对了，” 杰克说。“现在试试回答价值四美元的问题。”
“Right the first time,” Jake said. “Now try for the four-dollar question.”
杰瑞?勒克斯通没有听到。他傻傻地盯着死者白色亚麻西装的背面。
Jerry Luckstone hadn’t heard. he was goggling foolishly at the back of the dead man’s white linen suit.”
“他不可能被谋杀，” 他最后宣称。“我和他的女儿订婚了。”
“he can’t have been murdered,” he declared at last. “I’m engaged to marry his daughter.”
杰克叹了口气。“你只能找别人来把新娘交给新郎了。” 他深吸一口气。“那么，你打算怎么做？一个人被谋杀了。你不能就站在这儿永远看着他。”
Jake sighed. “You’ll just have to get someone else to give the bride away.” he drew a long breath. “well, what are you going to do about it? A man’s been murdered. You can't just stand here looking at him forever.”
杰瑞?勒克斯通瞪大眼睛盯着他。“你究竟是谁？在这里做什么？” 他喘着气说。“你和佩维利参议员有什么仇怨？”
Jerry Luckstone stared at him, wild-eyed. “who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” he gasped. “what did you have against Senator peveley?”
“我这辈子从没见过佩维利参议员。” 杰克愤慨地说。“我们只是碰巧在这个该死的法院拿钓鱼许可证，这时有人杀了你们的参议员，这就是我所知道的全部。”
“I never saw Senator peveley before in my life,” Jake said indignantly. “we just happened to be in this damned courthouse getting a fishing license when somebody bumped off your Senator, and that’s all I know about it.”
“但这里没人可能谋杀他。” 年轻的地方检察官说。他环顾四周的面孔，眼神惊愕。“为什么，我们都互相认识。”
“but nobody here could have murdered him,” the young district attorney said. he looked around at the circle of faces, his eyes startled. “why, we all know each other.”
杰克看到海伦张嘴要说话，便紧紧抓住她的胳膊。这正是他一直在想的。这些人都互相认识。他和海伦是陌生人，是外来者。他知道走廊里的每个人都用冷漠、不友好的眼神盯着他们，他们俩被与其他人分开，独自站着，被怀疑地看着。甚至巴顿也怀疑地看着他们。
Jake saw helene opening her mouth to speak, and tightened his hand on her arm. that was exactly what he’d been thinking. these people all knew each other. they, he and helene, were the strangers, the outlanders. he knew that everyone in the corridor was staring at them, with cold, unfriendly eyes, that the two of them had been set apart from the others, standing alone and regarded with suspicion. Even butttonholes was looking at them dubiously.
“听着。” 杰克坚定地开口。“我们和这个人从那边的楼梯下来时，听到了 ——” 他意识到没人在听。“该死。” 他说，“这里有人知道发生谋杀案时该怎么做吗？”
“Look here,” Jake began firmly. “we were ing down those stairs over there, with this man here, when we heard -” he realized that nobody was listening. “damn it,” he said, “doesn’t anybody here know what to do when a murder’s been mitted?”
甚至在他问这个问题的时候，他就知道答案了。没人知道。杰克逊县已经三十二年没有发生过谋杀案了。
Even as he asked the question, he knew the answer. No one did know. Jackson county hadn’t had a murder for thirty-two years.
海伦的手指紧紧抓住他的胳膊。“我越看这个地方，” 她低声对他说，“就越觉得我们能去的任何其他地方都好。” 她的上唇有细小的汗珠。
helene’s fingers dug into his arm. “the more I see of this place,” she whispered to him, “the better I like any other place we could be.” there were tiny beads of perspiration on her upper lip.
“别担心，” 他低声回应，让人安心。“很快就会没事的，只要他们明白我们只是无辜的旁观者。”
“don’t worry,” he whispered back, reassuringly. “It’ll be all right, soon as they get the idea we’re just innocent spectators.”
“只要他们明白就好。这可能会耗费我们一生中最好的时光。” 她喃喃地说。
“Just so they get the idea. It may take the best years of our life,” she murmured.
突然一声雷鸣，震得这座老建筑摇摇欲坠。杰克能透过公路部门办公室的窗户看到闪电。法院里面有一种奇怪的昏暗光线。
A sudden roar of thunder shook the old building to its foundations. Jake could see the lightning flashes through the window in the highway department office. Inside the courthouse there was a curious, murky light.
这一幕有些奇妙而不可思议。一动不动的人群围成一圈，脸色苍白的年轻地方检察官，以及倒在地上的已故参议员佩维利，他就那样脸朝下倒着，无力的胳膊和腿平摊在地上，他的白色亚麻外套上有一块红色污渍在扩散。在杰克看来，他已经在那里站了好几个小时，海伦的手指冰凉地搭在他的胳膊上，直到他抬头看了看大厅的大钟，才意识到仅仅过了三分钟。
there was something fantastic and incredible about the scene. the circle of motionless people, the white-faced young district attorney, and the late Senator peveley on the floor, exactly as he had fallen, face down, limp arms and legs sprawled flatly on the floor, a red stain spreading on his white linen coat. It seemed to Jake that he had been standing there for hours, helene’s fingers cold on his arm, until he glanced up at the big hall clock and realized that it had only been three minutes.
“我们应该给某人打电话。” 人群中的一个人说。
“we ought to call up somebody,” a man in the group said.
杰克说：“终于你有主意了。你认识谁？”
Jake said, “Now you’re getting the idea. who do you know?”
“我们得让报纸知道。” 另一个人说。
“we’ve got to let the newspapers know,” another man said.
“得有人告诉他女儿。” 埃德?斯金丁斯鲁德说，同时瞥了一眼年轻的地方检察官。
“Somebody has to tell his daughter,” Ed Skindingsrude said, with a sidelong glance at the young district attorney.
英俊的灰发麦高恩小姐清了清嗓子。“杰瑞，给治安官打电话。”
the handsome, gray-haired miss macGowan cleared her throat. “Jerry, call the sheriff.”
每个人都放松下来。地方检察官微微脸红，嘟囔了一句听起来像 “当然” 的话，然后匆匆走进一间办公室。人群开始分成小群体，这里两个人，那里三个人。一阵低沉的交谈声开始了。
Everyone relaxed. the district attorney blushed faintly, muttered something that sounded like “of course,” and hurried into one of the offices. the group began breaking up into subgroups, two people here, three people there. A subdued murmur of voices began.
“在治安官来之前我们不能移动尸体。” 一个女孩说。
“we mustn’t move the body until the sheriff gets here,” a girl said.
杰克突然想到这是第一次有人提到触碰尸体。
It occurred to Jake that was the first time anyone had mentioned touching the body.
突然，走廊里的每个人都盯着海伦。杰克首先感觉到她放在他胳膊上的手指先是变成了钢铁钳子，然后是沉重的负担，接着完全松开了。在下一瞬间，他还没来得及有所行动，她就已经成了地板上一小堆皱巴巴的东西。
Suddenly everyone in the corridor was staring at helene. Jake felt the fingers on his arm first bee steel pincers, then a deadly weight, then slip away entirely. In the next instant, before he had time to make a move, she was a little crumpled heap on the floor.
这就像敲响了一口钟。每个人同时行动起来。法院地板上的一具被谋杀的尸体是没人知道如何处理的事情，而一个晕倒的女人又是另一回事。立刻有十几个人的声音同时响起，说着 “水”“氨水”“法院书记员办公室的沙发”“医生”。
It was as though a bell had been rung. Every person sprang into action at the same time. A murdered man on the courthouse floor was something nobody knew how to cope with, a fainting woman was something else again. there were a dozen voices at once, saying “water,” “ammonia,” “the couch in the clerk of the court’s office,” “a doctor.”
有人说了些关于急救以及曾是童子军辅导员的事情。
Someone said something about first aid and having been a boy Scout counselor.
另一个人告诉他们有一个海伦阿姨过去在葬礼上经常晕倒。
Another person informed them of an Aunt helen who used to faint at funerals.
人们挤在杰克和海伦之间。在他能做任何事之前，一个矮壮的灰发男人已经把她抱起来，带进了法院书记员的办公室。杰克和走廊里的大多数旁观者都落后两步。
people crowded between Jake and helene. before he could do anything, a stocky, gray-haired man had picked her up and carried her into the office of the clerk of court. Jake, and most of the spectators in the corridor, were two steps behind.
在破旧的皮沙发上，她看起来非常小而且非常苍白，一缕银色的头发落在她毫无血色的脸颊上。一阵突如其来的恐惧攫住了杰克。他以前从未见过海伦晕倒。他扑倒在沙发旁边，握住她冰冷的手。
on the worn leather couch, she looked very small and very pale, one strand of her silvery hair fallen across her colorless cheek. A sudden pang of terror seized Jake. he had never seen helene faint before. he flung himself down beside the couch and took her cold hand in his.
“一定是热的。” 那个曾是童子军辅导员的男人说。
“It must have been the heat,” the man who’d been a boy Scout counselor said.
“她看起来很虚弱。” 县委员会主席评论道。
“She looks puny,” the chairman of the county board mented.
杰克感觉到冰冷的手指紧紧握了一下他的手。他仔细地看着她。她苍白的脸一动不动，眼皮紧闭。手指再次迅速地紧紧握住。他轻轻地回握了一下，然后站了起来。
Jake felt the ice-cold fingers tighten on his hand. he looked at her closely. her white face was motionless, her eyelids closed. Again the fingers tightened, ever so quickly. he gave a faint pressure in return and rose to his feet.
“她会没事的。” 杰克坚定地说。“只是有点中暑。” 他拿出一块已经潮湿的手帕擦了擦额头。“就让她在这里休息一会儿，她就会好的。她时不时会有这样的情况。”
“She’ll be all right,” Jake said firmly. “Just a touch of the sun.” he took out an already damp handkerchief and mopped his brow. “Just let her rest here a minute, and she’ll be all right. She has these spells now and then.”
让他大大松了一口气的是，旁观者退回到了大厅里，留下他和海伦单独在一起。他坐到她旁边的一把椅子上。
to his great relief, the spectators retreated into the hall, leaving him with alone with helene. he dropped into a chair beside her.
“到底怎么回事？” 他低声愤怒地问道。
“what the hell’s the idea?” he whispered fiercely.
“杰克，我必须离开那群人。” 她低声回答，眼睛仍然闭着。“我必须和你谈谈。”
“Jake, I had to get out of that crowd,” she whispered back, without opening her eyes. “I had to talk to you.”
“好吧，说吧。用一个短语来说，我们终于单独在一起了。”
“well, go ahead. we are, to coin a phrase, alone at last.”
她睁大眼睛盯着他。“一个人被谋杀了，而每个人只是站在周围，看起来很傻。”
She opened her eyes wide and stared at him. “A man’s been murdered, and everybody just stands around and looks silly.”
“他们只是很震惊，所以表现得很自然。”
“they’re just shocked, so they act natural.”
“杰克，我们离开这里吧。我们快点离开，上车，在任何人能说‘哇’之前就赶到去下一个城镇的半路上。”
“Jake, let’s get out of here. Let’s get out quick and get in the car and be halfway to the next town before anyone can say ‘boo.’ ”
“然后让杰克逊县的每一辆警车都来追捕我们，就因为我们逃跑了？此外，我们不可能不被拦住就穿过那条走廊出去。这里有几个家伙看起来能很快说‘哇’。”
“And have every police car in Jackson county looking for us because we beat it? besides, we never could get out through that corridor without being stopped. A couple of these boys look as if they could say ‘boo’ fast.”
“我不喜欢这里。” 她固执地说。
“I don’t like it here,” she said stubbornly.
“你的观点有道理。然而，过一会儿他们就会想起前参议员佩维利与我们毫无关系。我们只是碰巧在大楼里，这时有人杀了他。那个治安官一到，我们就可以告诉他我们所看到的，然后离开。” 这是个精彩的给自己壮胆的表演。
“Your point is well taken. however, in a little while they’ll remember that ex-Senator peveley was nothing to us. we just happened to be in the building when somebody bumped him off. As soon as that sheriff gets here, we can tell him what we saw, and then go.” It was a magnificent performance of whistling in the dark.
她叹了口气，沉默了。
She sighed and was silent.
杰克站起来，走到窗前，向外看去。有一大片明亮的绿色草坪，在草坪的那边，他猜是监狱。那是一座丑陋的黄色砖砌成的有棱角的建筑，窗户有栏杆且是凹进去的。附近，一门小型内战大炮立在一个愤怒且看起来不友好的铸铁士兵前面。杰克想知道它是不是放在那里以吓跑那些靠近监狱的人。
Jake rose, walked to the window, and looked out. there was a broad expanse of bright-green lawn and, beyond it, what he guessed to be the jail. It was an ugly angular building of yellow brick, with barred and recessed windows. Near by a small civil war cannon stood in front of an indignant and unpleasant-looking cast-iron soldier. Jake wondered if it had been put there to scare people away from the jail.
“雨下得像倾盆而下的干草叉和锤子柄。” 他评论道。就在他说话的时候，一根大树枝从一棵巨大的老榆树上折断，从窗前吹过。
“It’s raining pitchforks and hammer handles,” he mented. Just as he spoke, a great branch broke away from one of the immense old elm trees and blew past the window.
“我希望那只是风。” 海伦虚弱地说。
“I hope that was only the wind,” helene said faintly.
杰克看到草坪对面监狱大楼的门打开了，一个矮壮、红脸的男人走了出来。他在那里站了一会儿，看着雨，然后开始沿着通向法院的小路奔跑。跑到一半，他的帽子被吹掉了，他短暂地停下来捡起帽子，然后继续跑。
Across the lawn Jake saw the door to the jail building open, and a stocky, red-faced man e out. he stood there for a moment, looking at the rain, then began running the length of the path that led to the courthouse. halfway there his hat blew off, he stopped briefly to retrieve it, and went on running.
“治安官来了。” 杰克说。“假装你好得足以回到那里去。” 他又说，“感谢上帝，现在有人在这里，他知道该怎么做 —— 我希望如此！”
“here es the sheriff,” Jake said. “pretend you’re well enough to go back out there.” he added, “thank God somebody’s here now who knows what to do-I hope!”
他用一只胳膊搂着海伦，好像在扶着她，然后带她回到走廊。前参议员佩维利的尸体仍然躺在它倒下的地方。旁观者们站在周围，敬畏地小声议论着，分成几个小群体。每个人都好奇地转过头看着海伦。
he put an arm around helene as though supporting her, and led her back into the corridor. the body of ex-Senator peveley still lay where it had fallen. the spectators were standing around, whispering, in awed little groups. Everyone turned to look curiously at helene.
就在杰克和海伦到达大厅的时候，大厅东端的大门突然打开，一阵狂风和雨水以及那个矮壮、红脸的男人走了进来。小个子清洁工巴顿急忙上前帮忙关门，遗憾地看着瓷砖地板上的一滩泥水。
Just as Jake and helene reached the hall, the great door at its east end opened suddenly, letting in a gust of wind and rain and the stocky, red-faced man. the little janitor, buttonholes, rushed forward to help close the door and looked regretfully at the pool of muddy water on the tile floor.
治安官的到来迎来了一阵新的紧张期待。他们以在这种情况下对权威应有的尊重看着他。
A new wave of tense expectancy greeted the sheriff’s arrival. they watched him with the respect due authority in the situation.
治安官踮着脚尖沿着走廊走过去，手里拿着帽子。没有人跟他说话。他在尸体旁弯下腰片刻，看着白色亚麻外套上的污渍。当他再次直起身时，脸色变得苍白。
the sheriff walked the length of the corridor on tiptoe, his hat in his hand. No one spoke to him. he bent down for a moment next to the body, looking at the stain on the white linen coat. when he straightened up again, the color was draining from his face.
“他被谋杀了！” 治安官惊讶地说。他沉默了一会儿。“没错，他被谋杀了。我们得叫警察！”
“he’s been murdered!” the sheriff said in a startled voice. he was silent a moment. “that’s right, he’s been murdered. we’ve gotta call the police!”