月亮和六便士 第二十四章(3)

 Stroeve accompanied me unwillingly¹. 施特略夫心有不甘地跟在我后面。

His own plan was to run up and down the streets that led out of the Avenue de Clichy and ask at every house if Strickland lived there. 他本来打算在同克利舍路相通的几条街上前后跑一通，只要碰到一家寄宿公寓就进去打听。

My commonplace scheme was, after all, effective, for in the second shop we asked at the woman behind the counter acknowledged that she knew him. 结果证明，还是我的平凡的计划奏效了。就在我们走进的第二家面包店，柜台后面的一个女人说她认识他。

She was not certain where he lived, but it was in one of the three houses opposite. 她不太知道他到底住在哪儿，但是肯定是对面三座楼房中的一座。

Luck favoured us, and in the first we tried the concierge² told us that we should find him on the top floor. 我们的运气不坏，头一幢楼的门房就告诉我们可以在最顶上的一层找到他。

It appears that he's ill, said Stroeve. “他可能害病了，”施特略夫说。

It may be, answered the concierge indifferently. "En effet, I have not seen him for several days." “可能是吧，”门房冷冷地说，“事实上，我有几天没看见他了。”

Stroeve ran up the stairs ahead of me, 施特略夫在我前面抢先跑上楼梯，

and when I reached the top floor I found him talking to a workman in his shirt-sleeves who had opened a door at which Stroeve had knocked. 当我走到最高的一层时，他已经敲开一个房间的门正在同一个穿着衬衫的工人讲话。

He pointed³ to another door. 这个人指了指另外一扇门。

He believed that the person who lived there was a painter. 他相信住在那里的人是个画家。

He had not seen him for a week. 他已经有一个星期没有看见他了。

Stroeve made as though he were about to knock, and then turned to me with a gesture of helplessness. 施特略夫刚准备去敲门，但是马上又转过身来对我做了个手势，表示他不知道该怎么办。

I saw that he was panic-stricken. 我发现他害怕得要命。

Supposing he's dead? Not he, I said. “要是他已经死了怎么办？”“他死不了。”我说。

I knocked. There was no answer. 我敲了敲门。没有人应声。

I tried the handle, and found the door unlocked. 我扭了一下门柄，门并没有锁着。

I walked in, and Stroeve followed me. 我走了进去，施特略夫跟在我后面。

The room was in darkness. I could only see that it was an attic⁴, with a sloping roof; 屋子很黑，我只能看出来这是一间阁楼，天花板是倾斜的。

and a faint glimmer⁵, no more than a less profound obscurity, came from a skylight. 从天窗上射进一道朦胧的光线，并不比室内的昏暗亮多少。

Strickland, I called. “思特里克兰德。”我叫了一声。

There was no answer. 没有回答。

It was really rather mysterious, and it seemed to me that Stroeve, standing⁶ just behind, was trembling in his shoes. 一切都实在令人感到神秘，施特略夫紧靠着我后面站着，我好象觉得他正在索索发抖。

For a moment I hesitated to strike a light. 我犹豫了一会，是不是要划一根火柴。

I dimly perceived a bed in the corner, and I wondered whether the light would disclose lying on it a dead body. 朦胧中我看到墙角有一张床，我不知道亮光会不会使我看到床上躺着一具尸体。

1 unwillingly   

adv.不情愿地

参考例句：

• He submitted unwillingly to his mother. 他不情愿地屈服于他母亲。
• Even when I call, he receives unwillingly. 即使我登门拜访，他也是很不情愿地接待我。

2 concierge   

n.管理员；门房

参考例句：

• This time the concierge was surprised to the point of bewilderment.这时候看门人惊奇到了困惑不解的地步。
• As I went into the dining-room the concierge brought me a police bulletin to fill out.我走进餐厅的时候，看门人拿来一张警察局发的表格要我填。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

5 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。