湯姆.索亞歷險記

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

   第三十四章

   CHAPTER XXXIV

   哈克說:“湯姆,要是弄到繩子,我們就可以滑下去,窗戶離地面沒有多高。”

   HUCK said: "Tom, we can slope, if we can find a rope. The window ain't high from the ground."

   “胡說,幹嗎要溜走呢?”

   "Shucks! what do you want to slope for?"

   “是這樣的,跟一大群人在一起怪不習慣的,受不了。湯姆,反正我不下去。”

   "Well, I ain't used to that kind of a crowd. I can't stand it. I ain't going down there, Tom."

   “真是的,討厭!其實下去沒什麼大不了的事,我根本不在乎,我會照應你的。”

   "Oh, bother! It ain't anything. I don't mind it a bit. I'll take care of you."

   希德來了。

   Sid appeared.

   “湯姆,”他說,“波莉姨媽一下午都在等你吶。瑪麗為你準備好了禮服。大家都為你擔心。喂,這不是蠟燭油和粘土嗎?在你衣服上。”

   "Tom," said he, "auntie has been waiting for you all the afternoon. Mary got your Sunday clothes ready, and everybody's been fretting about you. Say--ain't this grease and clay, on your clothes?"

   “得了,希德先生,你少管閒事。他們今天為什麼在這裡大吃大喝呢?”

   "Now, Mr. Siddy, you jist 'tend to your own business. What's all this blowout about, anyway?"

   “這是寡婦家的宴會,她經常請客。這次是為了威爾斯曼和他兒子舉行的,感謝他們的救命之恩。喂,還想知道得更多嗎?我可以告訴你。”

   "It's one of the widow's parties that she's always having. This time it's for the Welshman and his sons, on account of that scrape they helped her out of the other night. And say--I can tell you something, if you want to know."

   “嗯,是什麼事?”

   "Well, what?"

   “什麼事?老瓊斯先生今晚有驚人的消息要告訴這裡的人們。他在和姨媽談這事時,被我聽到了這個秘密,不過我想,現在這已算不上什麼秘密了,人人都知道,寡婦也知道,但她卻儘力掩飾。瓊斯先生一定要哈克出席。你瞧,哈克不在場,他怎麼能說出那個大秘密呢!”

   "Why, old Mr. Jones is going to try to spring something on the people here tonight, but I overheard him tell auntie today about it, as a secret, but I reckon it's not much of a secret now. Everybody knows--the widow, too, for all she tries to let on she don't. Mr. Jones was bound Huck should be here--couldn't get along with his grand secret without Huck, you know!"

   “希德,是哪方面的秘密?”

   "Secret about what, Sid?"

   “就是哈克跟蹤強盜到寡婦家的那件事情。我想瓊斯想利用此事來個一鳴驚人的舉動,不過我敢打賭,他不會成功。”

   "About Huck tracking the robbers to the widow's. I reckon Mr. Jones was going to make a grand time over his surprise, but I bet you it will drop pretty flat."

   希德笑了,心滿意足地笑了。

   Sid chuckled in a very contented and satisfied way.

   “希德,是你把秘密泄露出去的吧!”

   "Sid, was it you that told?"

   “得了,別管是誰幹的,反正有人已說出了那個秘密,這就夠了。”

   "Oh, never mind who it was. Somebody told--that's enough."

   “希德,全鎮只有一個下流傢伙會這麼幹,那就是你。你要是處在哈克的位置,你早就溜之大吉,根本不會向人報告強盜的消息。你只會幹些卑鄙齷齪的事情,見不得幹好事的人受表揚。好,賞你這個——‘不用道謝’,照寡婦的說法。” 湯姆一邊說,一邊打他耳光,連踢帶推把他攆出門外。“好,趕快去向姨媽告狀吧,只要你敢,明天就有你好受的。”

   "Sid, there's only one person in this town mean enough to do that, and that's you. If you had been in Huck's place you'd 'a' sneaked down the hill and never told anybody on the robbers. You can't do any but mean things, and you can't bear to see anybody praised for doing good ones. There--no thanks, as the widow says"--and Tom cuffed Sid's ears and helped him to the door with several kicks. "Now go and tell auntie if you dare--and tomorrow you'll catch it!"

   幾分鐘過後,寡婦家的客人都坐在了晚餐桌旁,十幾個小孩也被安排在同一間房裡的小餐桌旁規規矩矩地坐著,那時的習俗就是這樣。過了一會後,瓊斯先生作了簡短的發言,他感謝寡婦為他和兒子舉辦此次宴請,但他又說還有個很謙虛的人——

   Some minutes later the widow's guests were at the supper-table, and a dozen children were propped up at little side-tables in the same room, after the fashion of that country and that day. At the proper time Mr. Jones made his little speech, in which he thanked the widow for the honor she was doing himself and his sons, but said that there was another person whose modesty--

   他說了很多後,突然戲劇性地宣佈這次歷險中哈克也在場。人們顯得很驚訝的樣子,實際上是故作的。要是在平常遇上這樣歡快的場面,人們聽到秘密後會顯得更加熱閙的。 可是只有寡婦一人卻表現出相當吃驚的樣子。她一個勁地讚揚和感激哈克的所作所為,結果哈克几乎忘卻了眾目睽睽下穿新衣不自在的感覺。

   And so forth and so on. He sprung his secret about Huck's share in the adventure in the finest dramatic manner he was master of, but the surprise it occasioned was largely counterfeit and not as clamorous and effusive as it might have been under happier circumstances. However, the widow made a pretty fair show of astonishment, and heaped so many compliments and so much gratitude upon Huck that he almost forgot the nearly intolerable discomfort of his new clothes in the entirely intolerable discomfort of being set up as a target for everybody's gaze and everybody's laudations.

   寡婦說她打算收養哈克,讓他上學受教育,一旦有錢就讓他做點小買賣。湯姆終於有機會搭上了腔,他說:

   The widow said she meant to give Huck a home under her roof and have him educated; and that when she could spare the money she would start him in business in a modest way. Tom's chance was come. He said:

   “哈克不需要那個,他富了。”

   "Huck don't need it. Huck's rich."

   聽了這句可笑的話,在座的來賓為了面子都忍着沒有笑出來,但場面卻讓人尷尬。湯姆打破了沉默。

   Nothing but a heavy strain upon the good manners of the company kept back the due and proper complimentary laugh at this pleasant joke. But the silence was a little awkward. Tom broke it:

   “哈克有錢了,你們或許不相信,不過他真有了很多的錢。喂,你們別笑,我會讓你們看到的,請稍等片刻吧。”

   "Huck's got money. Maybe you don't believe it, but he's got lots of it. Oh, you needn't smile--I reckon I can show you. You just wait a minute."

   湯姆跑到門外,那些人彼此迷惑不解,好奇地看著,再問哈克,他此時卻張口結舌。

   Tom ran out of doors. The company looked at each other with a perplexed interest--and inquiringly at Huck, who was tongue-tied.

   “希德,湯姆得了什麼病?”波莉姨媽問道,“他呀——真是的,從來猜不透他,我從來沒有——”

   "Sid, what ails Tom?" said Aunt Polly. "He--well, there ain't ever any making of that boy out. I never--"

   她還沒說完,只見湯姆吃力地背着口袋走進來。他把黃色金幣倒在桌上說:

   Tom entered, struggling with the weight of his sacks, and Aunt Polly did not finish her sentence. Tom poured the mass of yellow coin upon the table and said:

   “你們看呀!我剛纔怎麼說的?一半是哈克的,一半是我的!”

   "There--what did I tell you? Half of it's Huck's and half of it's mine!"

   這一下使在座的人全都大吃一驚。大家只是瞪眼盯着桌上,一時沒有人說話。接着大家一致要求湯姆說出原委。湯姆滿口答應,於是就把事情的來龍去脈說了一遍,雖然話很長,但大家卻聽得津津有味,沒有一個人插話打斷他的敘述。 湯姆講完後,瓊斯先生說:

   The spectacle took the general breath away. All gazed, nobody spoke for a moment. Then there was a unanimous call for an explanation. Tom said he could furnish it, and he did. The tale was long, but brimful of interest. There was scarcely an interruption from any one to break the charm of its flow. When he had finished, Mr. Jones said:

   “我原以為今天我會讓大家大吃一驚,可是聽了湯姆的敘述,我承認我的根本不算什麼了。”

   "I thought I had fixed up a little surprise for this occasion, but it don't amount to anything now. This one makes it sing mighty small, I'm willing to allow."

   錢被過了數,總共有一萬二千塊美元。儘管在座的人當中,有的家產不止這個數,可是一次見過這麼多錢卻還是頭一回。

   The money was counted. The sum amounted to a little over twelve thousand dollars. It was more than any one present had ever seen at one time before, though several persons were there who were worth considerably more than that in property.