《曾达的囚徒》第16期:回到曾达(2)

'Forget that now，' I answered．'You can help me．Bring our dinner，but tell no one that the King is here．'

“现在忘了那些。”我回答，“你能帮我的忙。给我们把晚餐拿来，不过别告诉任何人国王在这儿。”

She came back in a few minutes，looking very serious．

几分钟后她回来了，看上去非常严肃。

'How's your friend Johann？' I began．

“你的朋友约翰他好吗？”我问。

She looked surprised．'Oh，we don't see him very often now，'she answered．'He's very busy at the castle¹．

她看上去有点吃惊：“噢，我近来不常见到他。”她说，“他在城堡里很忙。”

''But you could get Johann to meet you tomorrow night，couldn't you？At ten o'clock，perhaps，on the road out of Zen-da．'

“可你能叫约翰明天晚上跟你见面，对吗？大概晚上十点，在曾达城外的路上。”

'Yes，sir…Yon're not going to hurt him？'

“是的，先生，你们不会伤害他吧？”

'Not if he does what I say．Go now，and say nothing about this．'

“如果他照我说的做就不会。现在去吧。对这事一个字也别说出去。”

After dinner，we left to go back to Tarlenheim House．We had almost reached it when we saw Sapt running to meet us．'Have you seen them？'he cried．

吃完晚饭，我们回到塔伦汉姆庄园。我们快到的时候，看见萨普特跑出来迎接我们。“你们看见他们了吗？”他问。

'Who？'I asked．

“谁？”

'Duke² Michael's men．Don't go out unless you have six men or more with you！'he said．'You know Bernenstein， one of your men？'

“迈克尔公爵的人。如果你身边没有六个人或更多的人，就别到外边去！”他说：“你知道伯南斯坦吧？他也是你的人。”

'Of course，'I answered．'A good，strong man，about as tall as me．'

“当然啦。”我回答，“他人好，又强壮，差不多跟我一样高。”

'Well，they tried to kill him．He's upstairs now with a bullet³ in his arm．He was walking in the woods and he saw three men．Suddenly，they started shooting⁴ at him，so he began to run．

“嗯，他们想杀了他。他现在在楼上，胳膊上中了一枪。他在树林散步的时候看见三个人，突然他们向他开枪，他就跑。

He was lucky．They were afraid to come too near the house，so he escaped⁵．But it was you they wanted to kill！'

他很幸运。他们不敢太靠近这所房子，所以他侥幸逃脱了。可是他们想杀的是你！”

'Sapt，'I said，'I promise I'll do one thing for Ruritania be fore⁶ I leave it．'

“萨普特，”我说，“我保证在我离开卢里塔尼亚之前要做一件事。”

'What's that？'asked Sapt．

“什么？”萨普特问。

'I'll kill every one of the Six．Ruritania will be a better place without them！'

“我要干掉那六个人中的每一个。没有了他们，卢里塔尼亚会更好！”

1 castle   

n.城堡，象棋中的车；vt.置于城堡中，筑城堡防御

参考例句：

• We had to give up the castle.我们不得不放弃这座城堡了。
• He took a photograph of the castle.他拍了一张这个城堡的照片。

2 duke   

n.公爵

参考例句：

• His grandfather was a royal duke.他的祖父是王室公爵。
• The duke was the king's most trusted adviser.公爵是国王最信赖的顾问。

3 bullet   

n.枪弹，子弹

参考例句：

• The bullet wound in his shoulder was opened up for treatment.切开他肩上的枪伤进行治疗。
• The bullet missed me by a hair's s breadth.那颗子弹差一点就打中了我。

4 shooting   

n.射击，发射；猎场，狩猎场

参考例句：

• The soldiers began shooting away at the enemy positions.战士们开始朝敌人的阵地不断地射击。
• I was in the act of shooting him when I suddenly recognized him.我正要向他开枪时，突然认出了他。

5 escaped   

adj.溜走v.逃脱( escape的过去式和过去分词 )；（气体，液体等）漏出；（未受伤或只受了一点伤害而）逃脱；声音（不自觉地）由…发出

参考例句：

• He escaped with only a broken arm. 他得以逃生，只是断了一只胳膊。
• Nothing escaped our teacher's eagle eye. 任何事情都逃不过我们老师那锐利的目光。

6 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。