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Chapter Two Digory And His Uncle[qh]
第二章 迪格雷与他的舅舅[qh]
It was so sudden, and so horribly unlike anything that had ever happened to Digory even in a nightmare, that he let out a scream. Instantly Uncle Andrew's hand was over his mouth.[qh]
即使在梦中．迪格雷也从未见过如此突然、如此恐怖的事情，他尖叫了一声。安德鲁舅舅赶紧用手捂住他的嘴。[qh]
"None of that!" he hissed in Digory's ear. "If you start making a noise your mather'll hear it. And you know what a fright might do to her."[qh]
“别叫！”他在迪格雷的耳边悄悄说，“你知道，要是你母亲听到了，她可能会受惊的。”[qh]
As Digory said afterwards, the horrible meanness of getting at a chap in that way, almost made him sick. But of course he didn't scream again.[qh]
正如迪格雷后来说的，这种引人上钩的卑鄙手段实在使他感到厌恶。当然，他也没有再叫。[qh]
"That's better," said Uncle Andrew. "Perhaps you couldn't help it. It is a shock when you first see someone vanish. Why, it gave even me a turn when the guinea-pig did it the other night."[qh]
“好吧，”安德鲁舅舅说，“也许你是控制不住才叫的。第一次看见一个人消失是会吃惊的。昨天夜里，那只豚鼠消失甚至把我也吓了一跳。”[qh]
"Was that when you yelled?" asked Digory. "Oh, you heard that, did you? I hope you haven't been spying on me?" "No, I haven't," said Digory indignantly. "But what's happened to Polly?"[qh]
“就在那时，你叫了一声吗？”迪格雷说。“噢，你听见了。我希望你没有跟踪我吧？”“没有，”迪格雷愤愤地说，“但波莉到底出了什么事？”[qh]
"Congratulate me, my dear boy," said Uncle Andrew, rubbing his hands. "My experiment has succeeded. The little girl's gone-vanished-right out of the world." "What have you done to her?"[qh]
“祝贺我吧，亲爱的孩子，”安德鲁搓着手说，“我的试验成功了。那小女孩已经走了，从这个世界消失了。”“你把她怎么了？”[qh]
"Sent her to-well-to another place." "What do you mean?" asked Digory. Uncle Andrew sat down and said, "Well, I'll tell you all about it. Have you ever heard of old Mrs. Lefay?"[qh]
“送她到另一个地方去了。”“你这是什么意思？”迪格雷问。安德鲁舅舅坐下说，“好，我把一切都告诉你吧。你听说过老莱菲夫人吗？”[qh]
"Wasn't she a great-aunt or something?" said Digory. "Not exactly," said Uncle Andrew. "She was my godmother. That's her, there, on the wall."[qh]
“她不是姨婆或其他什么亲戚吗？”迪格雷说。“不完全是，”安德鲁舅舅说，“她是我的教母。那边墙上就是她。”[qh]
Digory looked and saw a faded photograph: it showed the face of an old woman in a bonnet.[qh]
迪格雷望过去，看见一张褪色的照片：一位头戴无边有带女式帽的老太太。[qh]
And he could now remember that he had once seen a photo of the same face in an old drawer, at home, in the country.[qh]
他想起，在乡下家中的一个旧抽屉里也见过她的一张照片。[qh]
He had asked his Mother who it was and Mother had not seemed to want to talk about the subject much.[qh]
他曾经问过妈妈她是谁，但妈妈好像不大愿意谈这个话题。[qh]
It was not at all a nice face, Digory thought, though of course with those early photographs one could never really tell.[qh]
迪格雷想，虽然不能单凭那些旧照片来分辨美丑，但那张脸的确一点儿也不好看。[qh]
"Was there-wasn't there-something wrong about her, Uncle Andrew?" he said.[qh]
“她没什么错吧，安德鲁舅舅？”他问。[qh]
"Well," said Uncle Andrew with a chuckle, "it depends what you call wrong. People are so narrow-minded. She certainly got very queer in later life. Did very unwise things. That was why they shut her up." "In an asylum, do you mean?"[qh]
“哦，”安德鲁舅舅抿嘴一笑，说道，“这要看你把什么当作错。人们都太心胸狭隘了。她到了晚年的确非常古怪，做事也很不谨镇。所以，他们把她关了起来。”“你是说，关在疯人院？”[qh]
"Oh no, no, no," said Uncle Andrew in a shocked voice. "Nothing of that sort. Only in prison." "I say!" said Digory. "What had she done?"[qh]
“啊不，不是，不是。”安德鲁舅舅吃惊地说，“根本不是那种地方，只是监禁起来。”“天哪！”迪格雷说，“她干了什么？"[qh]
"Ah, poor woman," said Uncle Andrew. "She had been very unwise. There were a good many different things. We needn't go into all that. She was always very kind to me."[qh]
“唉，可怜的女人，”安德鲁舅舅说，“她太不谨慎，做了许多不一般的事。不必细说了。她一直待我很好。”[qh]
"But look here, what has all this got to do with Polly? I do wish you'd-"[qh]
“可是，这些事跟波莉有什么关系呢？我真希望你……”[qh]
"All in good time, my boy," said Uncle Andrew. "They let old Mrs. Lefay out before she died and I was one of the very few people whom she would allow to see her in her last illness.[qh]
“别着急，我的孩子，还没到时候。”安德鲁舅舅说，“临死之前，莱菲夫人被放了出来。弥留之际，她只想让极少的几个人去看她，我是其中之一。[qh]
She had got to dislike ordinary, ignorant people, you understand. I do myself. But she and I were interested in the same sort of things.[qh]
你知道，她不喜欢无知的、普通的人。我也不喜欢。而且，她和我兴趣相同。[qh]
It was only a few days before her death that she told me to go to an old bureau in her house and open a secret drawer and bring her a little box that I would find there.[qh]
就在她去世的前几天，她让我去她家中，找到一张旧书桌上的一个秘密抽屉，将里面一个小盒子取出来交给她。[qh]
The moment I picked up that box I could tell by the pricking in my fingers that I held some great secret in my hands.[qh]
刚拿起盒子，我的手指就感到刺痛，我明白，我正握着一个很大的秘密。[qh]
She gave it me and made me promise that as soon as she was dead I would burn it, unopened, with certain ceremonies. That promise I did not keep."[qh]
她把盒子交给我，并要我发誓，她一死，我就以某些仪式将盒子原封不动地烧掉。结果我没有听她的话。”[qh]
"Well, then, it was jolly rotten of you," said Digory. "Rotten?" said Uncle Andrew with a puzzled look.[qh]
“唉呀，你这人真糟糕。”迪格雷说。“糟糕？”安德鲁舅舅的脸上露出迷惑不解的神色。[qh]
"Oh, I see. You mean that little boys ought to keep their promises. Very true: most right and proper, I'm sure, and I'm very glad you have been taught to do it.[qh]
“哦，我知道了，你是说，小男孩应该遵守诺言。确实如此，我相信，这是最正确、最高尚的道理，我很高兴你学会了这样做。[qh]
But of course you must understand that rules of that sort, however excellent they may be for little boys-and servants-and women-and even people in general, can't possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers and sages.[qh]
然而你必须懂得，这些规矩无论多好，都可能不适合于渊博的学者、伟大的思想家和圣人。[qh]
