《远大前程》第13章 规划马格韦契的未来和听他讲述自己的身世(4)

Next morning after breakfast we asked Magwitch to tell us more about his past life，so that we could protect him better．

第二天上午，早饭后，我们让马格韦契多给我们讲点他过去的经历，以便我们能够更好地保护他。

You promise to keep it a secret，Pip's friend？he said to Herbert．Well I'll put it in a few words．

你许诺为此事保密，匹普的朋友。他对赫伯特说，我将用几句话就能讲清楚，

In prison and out of prison．That's been my life，more or less．Don't remember my parents．

进过监狱和出过监狱，那或多或少就是我的生活。不记得我的父母，

No idea where I was born．I slept in fields，I stole food，sometimes I worked．

不记得自己在哪儿出生。我在田间睡过，我偷过吃的，有时我也干活，

And I grew to be a man．It was about twenty years ago I met Compeyson．I'd kill him now，at once，if I met him！

我就是这样长大成人的。20多年前，我遇见了康培生，如果我现在遇见他，我会立刻杀了他！

He's the man I was fighting when the soldiers found me on the marshes，Pip．

他就是士兵在沼泽地里发现我和他正在厮打的那个家伙。匹普，

He was handsome and educated，so people thought he was a gentleman and trusted him．

他清秀漂亮有教养，因此，人们认为他是一名绅士并相信他。

I was a partner in his business，and a dirty business it was，too．

我是他生意上的合伙人，也是一个不干净的生意。

We persuaded rich people to invest¹ their money with us，we used stolen banknotes，we wrote false cheques．

我们说服有钱的人向我们投资。我们经常偷钞票，伪造支票，康培生很精明。

Compeyson was clever，but what a wicked，cold hear the had！He always got the profits but never the blame．

但是，他有一个很毒辣、冷酷的心！他总是得到好处却从来没有受到谴责。

His former partner，Arthur，lived in Compeyson's house and was very ill．

他以前的合伙人，阿瑟，住在康培生家里，病得很重。

In fact he was dying²．He and Compeyson had got a lot of money out of a rich lady some years before，and Arthur kept dreaming of this lady．

事实上已是垂死挣扎。几年以前，他和康培生从一位富贵小姐那里得到一大笔钱，阿瑟梦想得到这位小姐。

1 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

2 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。