通译双语文库:五镇故事夜盗|The Burglary

正文目录文库目录文库收藏中文百科 Wiki百科

五镇故事| STORIES FROM THE FIVE TOWNS

夜盗|The Burglary

属类：双语小说【分类】双语小说阅读：[2939] 登录会员即可添加到文库收藏夹，方便以后查看

伯斯利、汉桥、克尼普、朗肖、特恩希尔——这就是本书所说的五镇。这些故事发生在20世纪初的英格兰中部地区。如今的五镇已经成为斯托克城，不过这个地方仍然因为陶瓷和阿诺德·贝内特故事中的人物而闻名。
Bursley, Hanbridge, Knype, Longshaw, Turnhill — these are the Five Towns of Arnold Bennett's stories, set in the English Midlands in the early 1900s. Today the Five Towns are the city of Stoke-on-Trent, but the place is still famous for its pottery... and for the people in Arnold Bennett's stories.
这些人既不是名人，也不是什么大人物。他们在商店和工厂工作;他们恋爱又失恋;他们会拌嘴，会争吵。他们有时头脑聪明而且事业成功，他们有时的所作所为又极其愚蠢。菲利普有个重要消息要告诉母亲，不过他自己也将得到一个大大的惊喜……杰先生讨厌自己的画像，但又能怎么办呢?这可是五镇人送给他的礼物……在克尼普站，托比·霍尔突然决定乘火车去特恩希尔，不过这是为什么呢?然后出场的是约翰和罗伯特。他们是亲兄弟，住在同一屋檐下，在同一张桌子上吃饭——但十年来他们没和对方说过一个字……
They are not famous or important people. They work in shops and factories; they fall in, and out of, love; they argue and they quarrel. Sometimes they are clever and successful, and sometimes they do very stupid things. Philip has some important news to tell his mother, but he is also going to get a big surprise... Sir Jee hates his portrait, but what can he do about it? It was a present from the people of the Five Towns... At Knype station, Toby Hall suddenly decides to take the train to Turnhill, but why? Then there are John and Robert. They are brothers, they live in the same house, they eat meals together — and neither has said a single word to the other for ten years...

《字+字- 行+行- 页+页-

字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》

上页 1 2 3 4 下页

序号英文/音标中文解释更多操作

	magistrate ['mædʒɪstreɪt]	n.地方法官;行政官
	traveled ['trævld]	adj.有旅行经验的;旅客多的,
	burglar ['bɜːɡlə(r)]	n.窃贼
	untidy [ʌn'taɪdi]	adj.不整齐的;懒散的
	suitcase ['suːtkeɪs]	n.手提箱
	Goodbye [gʊdˈbaɪ]	再见
	downstairs [ˌdaʊn'steəz]	adj.楼下的

图片译典（一词多图)

我的生词(单词助记)

道德经

论语

孙子兵法

禮記

孟子

尚書

詩經

周易

简典

夜盗|The Burglary

戴恩夫人说：“杰，如果那画像继续挂在那儿，我会发疯的。它在那儿，我就再也吃不下去了。”她抬起头看了一眼餐桌对面墙上的大幅画像。

杰霍沙法特先生没说话。

戴恩夫人不喜欢这幅画像。五镇上没人喜欢。但这是克雷塞奇的画，他是英格兰最好的肖像画家。一幅克雷塞奇的肖像画至少值1000英镑。

画里的人一副奸诈嘴脸，许多五镇的人看到画的时候都笑了出来。然而杰霍沙法特先生必须接受这个礼物，还不得不表示感谢。现在这幅画挂在他的家——斯尼德城堡的墙上，16个月以后，戴恩夫人实在是看够了这幅画。

“别傻了，夫人，”杰先生说，“我不会把这幅画取下来或者卖掉的——给我一万英镑我也不卖。我想留着它。”

但事实并非如此。杰先生比他的妻子更讨厌这幅画。他在策划一个秘密计划来摆脱它。

“今早你要去镇上吗？”他的妻子问道。

“是的，”他回答，“我今天要上庭。”

他是镇上的地方法官之一。在去镇上的途中，他思索着关于肖像的计划。这个计划疯狂而危险，不过他认为行得通。

“史密斯，”杰先生边说边认真地打量着他，“今早你很走运，知道吗？”

史密斯又矮又瘦，头发凌乱，衣着邋遢。

“是，我很走运，”他答道，“你想让我做什么？”

“我希望能帮助你。”杰先生说。

“我不知道我是否需要帮助，不过我对钱从不拒绝。”

“坐下吧。”杰先生说。

威廉·史密斯在杰先生的桌子旁坐下来。“什么事？”他问道。

“我想让你从我家偷点儿东西，但这不会成为一项罪行。”

“什么？”史密斯很是惊讶。

“在我的家里，就是斯尼德城堡里，有一幅我的画像。我想让人把它偷走。”

“把它偷走？”

“没错。”

“你打算付我多少钱？”

“付钱？”杰先生说，“那是克雷塞奇的画！在美国能卖2000英镑。”

杰先生告诉史密斯那幅肖像的事以及为什么想摆脱它。史密斯想了想，然后说：

“好吧，我会去，为了帮你。”

“你什么时候动手？今晚？”

“不行，”史密斯说，“我今晚很忙。”

“那就明晚。”

“我明天也忙。”

“你还真是个忙人啊。”杰先生说。

“哦，生意就是生意，你知道。”史密斯说，“我后天来。”

“可那天是圣诞前夜。”

“哦，要么是那天，要么就是圣诞节那天。我之后又要忙了。”

“不是在五镇忙吧，我希望。”杰先生说。

“不是，五镇没剩什么可偷的了。”

于是他们商定在圣诞前夜动手。

“现在，”杰先生说，“我来告诉你斯尼德城堡的房间布局。这样你就知道哪里——”

威廉·史密斯看着他大笑起来。“告诉我房间布局？你觉得我是傻子吗？我是个生意人——我比你更了解斯尼德城堡。”

12月24日下午，杰霍沙法特先生回到斯尼德城堡的时候，他的妻子正在收拾行李。戴恩夫妇要去他们儿子的家里过圣诞节。他们的儿子约翰刚刚结婚生子，所以想在新家和家人共度圣诞。

杰先生没有马上对妻子说什么。他看了妻子一会儿，到了喝茶的时候，他突然说：“我下午不能去约翰家了。”

“哦，杰！”她喊道，“你真让人扫兴。为什么不早点儿告诉我？”

他没回答这个问题。“我明天早上过去——或许赶得上去教堂。”

“家里没吃的了，佣人们也都放假了，家里没人给你做饭。如果你愿意，我留下来陪你吧。”

“不必了，我能行。”

戴恩夫人去了儿子家，给杰先生留了些冷的饭菜。

“再见！”他对自己的画像说。他为威廉·史密斯打开一扇窗户，然后就去睡了。

杰先生躺回床上。他又睡了几个小时，然后下了楼。

画像放在地板上，上面写着几个白色大字：“这个对我没用。”而那个大大的金画框不见了。

丢的还不只这个，盘子、刀叉、勺子、杯子——所有的银器都不见了，城堡里连一把银勺子也没剩下。

Lady Dain said: ’Jee, if that portrait stays there much longer, I shall go mad. I can’t eat any more with it up there!’ She looked up at the big portrait on the wall opposite the breakfast table.

Sir Jehoshaphat said nothing.

Lady Dain did not like the portrait. Nobody in the Five Towns liked the portrait. But the portrait was by Cressage, the finest portrait painter in England, and a portrait by Cressage cost a thousand pounds or more.

It was not a kind portrait and many of the people of the Five Towns laughed when they saw it. But Sir Jehoshaphat had to take his present, and to say thank you for it. Now it was on his wall in his home, Sneyd Castle, and after sixteen months Lady Dain was tired of looking at it.

Don’t be stupid, wife,’ said Sir Jee. ’I’m not taking that portrait down, or selling it — not even for ten thousand pounds. I want to keep it.’

But that wasn’t true. Sir Jee hated the portrait more than his wife did. And he was thinking of a secret plan to get rid of it.

Are you going into town this morning?’ asked his wife.

Yes,’ he answered. ’I’m in court today.’

He was one of the town magistrates. While he travelled into town, he thought about his plan for the portrait. It was a wild and dangerous plan, but he thought it was just possible.

* * *

* * *

Smith,’ said Sir Jee, looking at him carefully, ’you were a lucky man this morning, you know.’

Smith was a small, thin man, with untidy hair and dirty clothes.

Yes, I was lucky,’ he answered. ’And what do you want from me?’

I hope I can help you,’ said Sir Jee.

I don’t know if I want help, but I never say no to money.’

Sit down,’ said Sir Jee.

William Smith sat down at Sir Jee’s desk. ’Well?’ he asked.

I want you to steal something from my house. But it won’t be a crime.’

What?’ Smith was very surprised.

In my house, Sneyd Castle, there is a portrait of myself. I want someone to steal it.’

Steal it?’

Yes.’

How much will you pay me for doing it?’

Pay you?’ said Sir Jee. ’It’s a Cressage! You’ll get two thousand pounds for it in America.’

And Sir Jee told Smith the story of the portrait and why he wanted to get rid of it. Smith thought for a minute and then said:

All right, I’ll do it, just to help you.’

When can you do it? Tonight?’

No,’ said Smith. ’I’m busy tonight.’

Well, tomorrow night.’