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Then, as he had planned, Thomson said:
接着，汤姆森照计划说：
'I'll just check that I haven't left a book or anything in my room. No, please don't worry, I can do it myself.'
“我再去看看有没有把书或什么东西忘在房间里。不过没事，我自己去看看就行了。”
He hurried up the stairs to the locked room, turned the key quietly and opened the door. He almost laughed aloud. Leaning, or perhaps sitting, on the edge of the bed was—nothing more than an ordinary scarecrow! A scarecrow out of the garden, of course, just put away in the empty room…
他快步上楼来到那间锁着的屋门前，轻轻转动钥匙打开了门。他几乎要大声笑出来。斜靠在或者说坐在床边的——只不过是个普普通通的稻草人！一个从花园里搬出来的稻草人，只不过被放在了这间空屋子里……
Yes; but suddenly amusement stopped. Do scarecrows have bony feet? Do their heads roll from side to side on their shoulders? Have they got heavy metal chains around their necks? Can they get up and move across the floor, with rolling head and arms close at their sides… and shake with the cold?
可突然他不再觉得这事情好玩了。稻草人有瘦骨嶙峋的双脚吗？头能在肩膀上晃动吗？脖子上会有沉重的金属链子吗？能从床上起来，摇晃着头、胳膊紧贴着身体两侧在地上走动……而且冻得发抖吗？
Thomson shut the door with a bang, jumped down the stairs and fell in a faint at the door of the inn. When he became con- scious again, Mr Betts was standing over him with a glass of whisky and a serious face.
汤姆森砰地一声关上门，从楼梯上跳下来，随即昏倒在旅店门口。他醒过来时，贝茨先生正端着杯威士忌严肃地站在他身边。
'You shouldn't do it, sir,'said Betts.'You shouldn't go looking into people's secrets, especially when they've done their best to make you comfortable.'
“先生，你可不该这么做，”贝茨说，“你不应该窥探别人的秘密，尤其是尽力使你舒服的人家。”
Thomson said that he was very sorry but the innkeeper and his wife found it hard to accept his apologies.
汤姆森说他很抱歉，可旅店老板和妻子觉得难以接受他的道歉。
'Who knows what damage it will do to the good name of the inn? 'said Mr Betts, and his wife agreed.
“谁知道这件事会对我们旅店的声誉造成什么损害呢？”贝茨先生说，他妻子也在附和着。
