在丹佛，一群乘客正涌入向东驶去的B.＆M.公司的快车车厢。其中一节车厢里坐着一位年轻漂亮的女士。她穿着很有品味，身边摆满了有经验的旅行者才会携带的豪华物品。新上车的旅客中走来了两个人。一位年轻英俊，神态举止显得果敢而又坦率；另一位则面色阴沉，体格健壮，穿着随意。

The two were handcuffed together. As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only vacant seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves. The young woman’s glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her countenance and a tender pink tingeing her rounded cheeks, she held out a little grey-gloved hand.

这两人被手铐铐在一起。他们沿着客车的过道找到了车上唯一的空座，刚好正对着那位年轻迷人的女士。他们坐了下来。年轻女士冷冷地扫了他们一眼，她的脸上突然露出了可爱的笑容，这笑容让她那圆润的面颊显得更加粉嫩。她伸出一只纤细的小手，手上戴着灰色手套。

When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard. “Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don’t you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?” The younger man roused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand.

她说出的话语是那么的周到、悦耳、深思熟虑，让人觉得她很擅长诉说与聆听。“好吧，伊斯顿先生，如果您非得让我先发言，我想我必须这样做。难道您来到西部就认不出老朋友了？”较年轻的那位男子听到她的声音后，开始努力唤醒自己的记忆，似乎在与内心中小小的尴尬的短暂斗争后，立刻甩掉了这个念头，然后用左手紧紧握住她的手。

“It’s Miss Fairchild,” he said, with a smile. “I’ll ask you to excuse the other hand; it’s otherwise engaged just at present.” He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining “bracelet” to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl’s eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague, relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him. The glum-faced man had been watching the girl’s countenance with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes.

“您是费尔查尔德女士，”他微笑着说道，“请您原谅我只能用一只手跟您握手，另一只手正忙着别的事情。”他稍稍举起右手，展示了一下他右腕上与他同伴左手相连的闪闪发光的“手链”。 看到这个场景，姑娘高兴的表情慢慢变得充满困惑与恐惧。她面颊上的光芒渐渐消失了。她的嘴微微张开，发出含糊不清的声音，似乎正在缓解内心的悲痛。伊斯顿露出一点点笑容，好像是被逗笑的。当他正要接话时，却被他的同伴打断了。这位面色铁青的男子一直在用他那双敏锐、精明的眼睛偷偷观察着这位姑娘的表情。

“You’ll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you’re acquainted with the marshal here. If you’ll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen he’ll do it, and it’ll make things easier for me there. He’s taking me to Leavenworth prison. It’s seven years for counterfeiting.”

“原谅我打断您，女士，我知道您认识这位警官。如果您能够让他在我入狱时帮我说句好话，我到那里之后的日子应该会好过些。他正带我去莱文沃思监狱。我因伪造罪将在那里服刑7年。”

“Oh!” said the girl, with a deep breath and returning colour. “So that is what you are doing out here? A marshal!” “My dear Miss Fairchild,” said Easton, calmly, “I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings unto itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening in the West, and — well, a marshalship isn’t quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but — ”

“哦！”姑娘深吸了一口气，面色恢复了正常，然后继续说道，“原来您是做这行的啊？一名警官！”“亲爱的费尔查尔德女士，”伊斯顿平静地说，“我不得不找个差事做。钱这东西，它是不会自己长翅膀飞来的。而且，您知道，在华盛顿生活也得有钱才能跟得上其他人的生活方式。我只不过在西部找到了这份工作——而且，警官的地位可比不上大使，但是……”

“The ambassador,” said the girl, warmly, “doesn’t call any more. He needn’t ever have done so. You ought to know that. And so now you are one of these dashing Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into all kinds of dangers. That’s different from the Washington life. You have been missed from the old crowd.”

“大使……”姑娘亲切地说，“您可别再这么称呼了。我的工作跟大使可没什么关系。您应该知道的。那么，您现在可是位潇洒的西部英雄啦！每天骑马、打枪、出生入死。这与华盛顿的生活大不相同啊！您已经跟老朋友不在一个战壕了。”

The girl’s eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little, to rest upon the glittering handcuffs. “Don’t you worry about them, miss,” said the other man. “All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business.” “Will we see you again soon in Washington?” asked the girl.

姑娘现在已经心驰神往了，两只眼睛一眨一眨地，最后又落在了闪闪发光的手铐上。“您不必担心这东西，女士，”另一个男士说。 “警官都会把自己与犯人拷在一起，以免他们逃脱。伊斯顿先生很精通自己的业务。”“我们很快会在华盛顿再次见到您吗？”女士问道。

Not soon, I think,” said Easton. “My butterfly days are over, I fear.” “I love the West,” said the girl irrelevantly. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She began to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner: “Mamma and I spent the summer in Denver. She went home a week ago because father was slightly ill. I could live and be happy in the West. I think the air here agrees with me. Money isn’t everything. But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid — ”

“我想不会很快，”伊斯顿说，“恐怕我轻松自在的日子已经结束了。”“我爱西部，”姑娘唐突地说，眼睛里闪烁着柔光。她转头看向车窗外，开始敞开心扉，说起简单朴实的话语：“这个夏天我和妈妈是在丹佛过的。一周前她先回家了，因为父亲身体有点小恙。我可以生活在西部，而且在那里我很快乐。我觉得那里的空气很适合我。金钱不是万能的。但人们总是在犯傻，总是不知道什么才是最珍贵的……”

“Say, Mr. Marshal,” growled the glum-faced man. “This isn’t quite fair. I’m needing a drink, and haven’t had a smoke all day. Haven’t you talked long enough? Take me in the smoker now, won’t you? I’m half dead for a pipe.”

“好啦，警官先生，”铁青脸的男子大声嚷道，“这不太公平。我需要喝点儿什么，而且整天都没有吸烟了。你们谈的时间还不够长吗？现在是不是应该带我去吸烟室吸根香烟了？我的烟瘾已经快控制不住了。”

The bound travellers rose to their feet, Easton with the same slow smile on his face. “I can’t deny a petition for tobacco,” he said, lightly. “It’s the one friend of the unfortunate. Good-bye, Miss Fairchild. Duty calls, you know.” He held out his hand for a farewell.

这两位拷在一起的旅客站起身来，伊斯顿的脸上依旧挂着迟钝的微笑。“去吸根烟这样的请求，我可拒绝不了，”他轻描淡写地说道， “香烟可是不幸的人最好的朋友。再见，费尔柴尔德女士。您知道，职责所在。”然后，他伸手做了个告别动作。

“It’s too bad you are not going East,” she said, re-clothing herself with manner and style. “But you must go on to Leavenworth, I suppose?” “Yes,” said Easton, “I must go on to Leavenworth.” The two men sidled down the aisle into the smoker. The two passengers in a seat nearby had heard most of the conversation. One of them said: “That marshal’s a good sort of chap. Some of these Western fellows are all right.” “Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn’t he?” asked the other. “Young!” exclaimed the first speaker, “why — Oh! Didn’t you catch on? Say — did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?”

“您不是去东部，这真是太糟糕了，”她说，语气又重新回到了之前的气质，“但，我猜，您必须继续前往莱文沃思是吗？”“是的，”伊斯顿说道，“我必须继续前往莱文沃思。”然后，这两个男子侧身沿着过道走进了吸烟室。旁边座位上的两名乘客听到了他们大部分的谈话。其中一人说：“那个警官是个好人。这些西部人中有些还是不赖的。”“你是在说，他这么年轻就能执行这样重要的任务，是吧？”另一个人问道。“年轻！？”第一人喊了起来，“什么年轻啊……哦！你没看明白吗？你见过警官把自己的右手跟犯人铐在一起吗？”