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But we were all of a sweat and a tremble, so I won't deceive you.
可是我们全都累得浑身大汗, 直打哆嗦, 我不骗你,
But, believe me or believe me not, I do assure you that we couldn't find any thing in the way of a spell for taking off the ugliness.
信不信由你, 我们确实找不到可以消除丑相的魔法。
And what with time getting on and being afraid that the old gentleman might wake up any minute--I was all of a muck sweat, so I won't deceive you-- well, to cut a long story short, whether we did right or whether we did wrong, in the end we see a spell for making people invisible.
时间过得很快, 我们怕这位老头儿随时都会醒来----绝不骗人, 那时我浑身臭极了----好吧, 就这样吧, 不管我们做对了也好, 做错了也罢!最后我们看到一种隐形魔法。
And we thought we'd rather be invisible than go on being as ugly as all that.
心想, 与其这么丑下去还不如隐形的好。
And why? Because we'd like it better.
为什么呢?因为我们更喜欢这样。
So my little girl, who's just about your little girl's age, and a sweet child she was before she was uglified, though now--but least said soonest mended--I say, my little girl she says the spell, for it's got to be a little girl or else the magician himself, if you see my meaning, for otherwise it won't work.
于是我家的小姑娘, 她跟这位小姑娘的年龄差不多, 她没变丑之前非常可爱, 可如今……啊, 不能再说了。啊呀, 我家的小姑娘念了这个咒语, 所以必须是个小姑娘, 或由魔法师本人再来念。你们明白吗, 否则就不灵了。
And why not ?Because nothing happens.
为什么会不灵呢?因为什么都变不了。
So my Clipsie says the spell, for I ought to have told you she reads beautifully, and there we all were as invisible as you could wish to see.
我家的小姑娘克莉普西念了咒语, 我应当告诉你们, 她做得很好, 咒语念完, 我们就都遂了心愿, 变成隐形人了。
And I do assure you it was a relief not to see one another's faces.
是的, 大家彼此看不见真的轻松了很多。
At first, anyway. But the long and the short of it is we're mortal tired of being invisible.
不管怎样, 一开始是轻松的。后来, 我们都对隐形感到无比厌烦。
And there's another thing. We never reckoned on this magician(the one I was telling you about before)going invisible too.
还有一件令人意想不到的事。我们绝没料到这个魔法师, 居然也成了隐形人。
But we haven't ever seen him since.
我们从此就没看见过他。
So we don't know if he's dead, or gone. away, or whether he's just sitting upstairs being invisible, and perhaps coming down and being invisible there.
所以我们不知道他是死了还是走掉了, 或者就坐在楼上却看不见他, 也许下楼来了, 只是看不见他。
And, believe me, it's no manner of use listening because he always did go about with his bare feet on, making no more noise than a great big cat.
真的, 听动静一点也听不出来, 因为他老是光着脚走来走去, 像只猫一样无声无息。
And I'll tell all you gentlemen straight, it's getting more than what our nerves can stand. "
我对你们直说了吧, 这一切让我们的神经更加崩溃。
Such was the Chief Voice's story, but very much shortened, because I have left out what the Other Voices said.
以上就是为首的那个隐形人说的故事, 被我简单地概括了, 我把他手下的那些声音都略去了。
Actually he never got out more than six or seven words without being interrupted by their agreements and encouragements, which drove the Narnians nearly out of their minds with impatience.
实际上他说的话每六七句不到, 他们就会插嘴, 要么表示同意, 或者怂恿他说下去。纳尼亚人听得很不耐烦, 简直听不下去。
When it was over there was a very long silence.
好不容易等他说完了, 大家却沉默了。
"But, "said Lucy at last, "what's all this got to do with us ? I don't understand. "
"不过, "露茜说, "这些跟我们有什么关系呢?我想不通。"
"Why, bless me, if I haven't gone and left out the whole point, "said the Chief Voice.
"哎呀, 老天保佑, 我该不会糊里糊涂地把这件事的关键给说漏了吧?"那个为首的隐形人说。
"That you have, that you have, "roared the Other Voices with great enthusiasm.
"是漏了, 漏掉了, "其他声音一起附和着,
"No one couldn't have left it out cleaner and better. Keep it up, Chief, keep it up. "
"大家都会说漏, 不过说得越清楚越明白就越好。老大, 你接着说吧。"
"Well, I needn't go over the whole story again, "began the Chief Voice.
"好吧, 我用不着把整个事情再说一遍。"那个为首的隐形人继续说。
"No. Certainly not, "said Caspian and Edmund.
"是的, 当然用不着。"凯斯宾和爱德蒙说。
"Well, then, to put it in a nutshell, "said the Chief Voice, "we've been waiting for ever so long for a nice little girl from foreign parts, like it might be you, Missie-that would go upstairs and go to the magic book and find the spell that takes off the invisibleness, and say it.
"好吧, 一句话概括, "他说, "我们一直在等外边来个漂亮的小姑娘。等了好久好久, 才等到像这位小姐这样的漂亮姑娘替我们上楼去找到那本魔法书中破解隐形法的咒语, 并念上一遍。
And we all swore that the first strangers as landed on this island(having a nice little girl with them, I mean, for if they hadn't it'd be another matter)we wouldn't let them go away alive unless they'd done the needful for us.
我们发誓, 碰到踏上本岛的第一批人, 决不放他们生还, 除非他们替我们办好这件大事。我是说, 如果他们有漂亮的小姑娘的话。如果没有, 那就是另一回事了。
And that's why, gentlemen, if your little girl doesn't come up to scratch, it will be our painful duty to cut all your throats.
各位, 正因为如此, 如果你们的小姑娘做不到, 我们就要忍痛把你们杀了。
Merely in the way of business, as you might say, and no offence, I hope. "
不妨直说, 这只是作为交易而已, 希望你们谅解。"
