评论
打印
"I should like these dates a little clearer," said MacDonald.
麦克唐纳说道："我希望再把年代弄清楚些。
"It is quite six years since Douglas left California. You followed him next year, did you not?"
道格拉斯离开加利福尼亚州整六年了。你不是在第二年就随之而来了吗？"
"That is so."
"是的。"
"And he had been married five years. You must have returned about the time of his marriage."
"他再婚已经有五年了。你一定是在他结婚前后那年回来的吧。"
"About a month before. I was his best man."
"大约在他结婚前一个月。我还是他的男傧相呢。"
"Did you know Mrs. Douglas before her marriage?"
"道格拉斯夫人结婚以前，你认识她吗？"
"No, I did not. I had been away from England for ten years."
"不，我不认识她。我离开英国已经有十年了。"
"But you have seen a good deal of her since."
"可是从那以后，你常常和她见面吧？"
Barker looked sternly at the detective. "I have seen a good deal of himsince," he answered.
巴克严肃地望着那个侦探。"从那时期，我常常和她见面，"巴克回答道。
"If I have seen her, it is because you cannot visit a man without knowing his wife. If you imagine there is any connection..."
"至于我和她见面，那是因为你不可能去拜访一个朋友，而不认识他的妻子。假使你想象其中有什么牵连..."
"I imagine nothing, Mr. Barker. I am bound to make every inquiry which can bear upon the case. But I mean no offense."
"巴克先生，我什么也没有想象。凡是与这案件有关的每一件事，我都有责任查问。不过，我不打算冒犯你。"
"Some inquiries are offensive," Barker answered angrily.
"有些责问就是无礼的，"巴克怒气冲冲地答道。
"It's only the facts that we want. It is in your interest and everyone's interest that they should be cleared up.
"这只不过是我们需要了解一些事实，弄清这些事实对你和大家都有好处。
Did Mr. Douglas entirely approve your friendship with his wife?"
你和道格拉斯夫人的友情，道格拉斯先生完全赞成吗？"
Barker grew paler, and his great, strong hands were clasped convulsively together.
巴克脸色更加苍白，两只有力的大手痉挛似地紧握在一起。
"You have no right to ask such questions!" he cried. "What has this to do with the matter you are investigating?"
"你没有权力问这样的问题！"他大声喊道，"这和你所调查的事情有什么关系呢？"
"I must repeat the question."
"我一定要提这个问题。""
"Well, I refuse to answer."
那么，我拒绝回答。"
"You can refuse to answer; but you must be aware that your refusal is in itself an answer, for you would not refuse if you had not something to conceal."
"你可以拒绝回答，不过你要知道，你拒绝回答本身就是回答，因为你如果没有需要隐瞒的事，你就不会拒绝回答了。"
Barker stood for a moment with his face set grimly and his strong black eyebrows drawn low in intense thought. Then he looked up with a smile.
巴克绷着脸站了一会儿，那双浓重的黑眉皱起来，苦思不已。然后他又微笑着抬起头来。
"Well, I guess you gentlemen are only doing your clear duty after all, and I have no right to stand in the way of it.
"嗯，不管怎么说，我想诸位先生们毕竟是在执行公事。我没有权力从中阻梗。
I'd only ask you not to worry Mrs. Douglas over this matter; for she has enough upon her just now.
我只想请求你们不要让这件事再去烦扰道格拉斯夫人了，因为她现在已经够受的了。
I may tell you that poor Douglas had just one fault in the world, and that was his jealousy.
我可以告诉你们，可怜的道格拉斯就是有一个缺点，就是他的嫉妒心。
He was fond of me -- no man could be fonder of a friend. And he was devoted to his wife. He loved me to come here, and was forever sending for me.
他对我非常友爱--没有人对朋友比他对我更友爱了。他对妻子的爱情也非常专一。他愿意叫我到这里来，并且经常派人去找我来。
And yet if his wife and I talked together or there seemed any sympathy between us,
可是如果他的妻子和我一起谈话或是我和他妻子之间好像有些互相同情的时候，
a kind of wave of jealousy would pass over him, and he would be off the handle and saying the wildest things in a moment.
他就会大发醋劲，勃然大怒，马上说出最粗野的话来。
More than once I've sworn off coming for that reason, and then he would write me such penitent, imploring letters that I just had to.
我曾不止一次为此发誓不再到这里来，可是事后他又给我写信，向我表示忏悔，哀求我，我也只好不计较这些了。
But you can take it from me, gentlemen, if it was my last word, that no man ever had a more loving, faithful wife -- and I can say also no friend could be more loyal than I!"
不过，先生们，你们可以听我说一句结论性的话，那就是，天下再也没有像道格拉斯夫人这样爱丈夫、忠诚于丈夫的妻子；我还敢说，天下也没有比我更忠诚的朋友了。"
