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1 The dancers
1．舞蹈演員們
'Quick！Quick！Close the door！It's him！'Annie Sorelli ran into the dressing－room， her face white．
“快！快！關門！是他！”安妮·索雷麗跑進化妝室，臉色蒼白。
One of the girls ran and closed the door， and then they all turned to Annie Sorelli．
一個姑娘跑過去把門關上，然后她們都轉向安妮·索雷麗。
'Who？Where？What's the matter？' they cried．
“誰？在哪里？發生了什么事？”她們叫道。
'It's the ghost！'Annie said．'In the passage．I saw him．He came through the wall in front of me! And…and I saw his face！'
“有鬼！”安妮說，“在走廊上，我看到了他。他穿過墻壁來到我的面前。我還……還看到了他的臉！”
Most of the girls were afraid， but one of them， a tall girl with black hair，laughed．
絕大多數姑娘都很害怕，但她們中的一個高個子的黑發姑娘卻大笑起來。
'Pooh!'she said．'Everybody says they see the Opera ghost， but there isn't really a ghost．
“呸！”她說，“每個人都說他們看到了這個歌劇院的幽靈，但是這里其實并沒有鬼。
You saw a shadow on the wall．'But she did not open the door，or look into the passage.
你看見的只是墻上的影子。”但是她沒有去把門打開，也沒有到走廊上去看個究竟。
'Lots of people see him，' a second girl said．'Joseph Buquet saw him two days ago. Don't you remember？'
“許多人都看到過他，”又一個姑娘說，“約瑟夫·比凱兩天前也看到過他，你們難道不記得了？”
Then all the girls began to talk at once．
隨后所有的姑娘們立即開始談論此事。
'Joseph says the ghost is tall and he wears a black evening coat．'
“約瑟夫說這幽靈是個高個子，他穿著黑色晚禮服。”
'He has the head of a dead man， with a yellow face and no nose…'
“他有一個死人般的頭顱，黃色面孔，沒有鼻子……”
'…And no eyes-only black holes！'
“……而且沒有眼睛——只是黑洞！”
Then little Meg Giry spoke for the first time．'Don't talk about him．He doesn't like it．My mother told me．'
接著嬌小的梅格·吉麗第一次開口說話了：“不要談論他。他不喜歡。我媽媽告訴我的。”
'Your mother？' the girl with black hair said．'What does your mother know about the ghost？'
“你媽媽？”黑頭發姑娘問，“關于這幽靈的事兒，你媽媽都知道些什么？”
'She says that Joseph Buquet is a fool． The ghost doesn't like people talking about him，and one day Joseph Buquet is go ing to be sorry， very sorry．'
“她說約瑟夫·比凱是個傻瓜。這幽靈不喜歡人們談論他，總有一天約瑟夫·比凱會后悔的，會非常后悔的。”
'But what does your mother know？ Tell us，tell us！' all the girls cried．
“但是你媽媽都知道些什么？告訴我們，告訴我們！”所有的姑娘都叫道。
'Oh dear！'said Meg．'But please don't say a word to any one．
“哦，親愛的！”梅格說，“但是請不要跟任何人說一個字。
You know my mother is the doorkeeper for some of the boxes in the Opera House．
你們知道我媽媽是歌劇院一些包廂的看門人。
Well，Box 5 is the ghost's box！He watches the operas from that box，and sometimes he leaves flowers for my mother！
瞧！5號包廂就是這幽靈專用的！他用那個包廂看歌劇，并且有時候會留下一些鮮花給我媽媽！”
'The ghost has a box！ And leaves flowers in it！'
“這幽靈還有包廂！而且在包廂里留下鮮花！”
'Oh， Meg，your mother's telling you stories！How can the ghost have a box？'
“哦，梅格，你媽媽在給你講故事吧！幽靈怎么會有包廂呢？”
'It's true， it's true，I tell you！'Meg said．'Nobody buys tickets for Box 5， but the ghost always comes to it on opera nights．'
“這是真的，這是真的，我告訴你們！”梅格說，“沒有人買5號包廂的票，但是這個幽靈卻經常在演晚場歌劇時到包廂里來。”
'So somebody does come there？'
“一些人也會來那里吧？”
'Why，no！… The ghost comes， but there is nobody there．'
“為什么，不！……只有幽靈來，但是那里一個人也沒有。”
The dancers looked at Meg．'But how does your mother know？' one of them asked．
舞蹈演員們看著梅格。“但是你媽媽是怎么知道的？”其中一個問道。
'There's no man in a black evening coat， with a yellow face．That's all wrong．
“這里根本沒有穿黑色晚禮服、黃色面孔的男人。那都是瞎扯。
My mother never sees the ghost in Box 5，but she hears him！
我媽媽從來沒有在5號包廂里看到過這個幽靈，但是她聽到過！
He talks to her，but there is nobody there！And he doesn't like people talking about him！'
他跟她說話，然而里面卻沒有人！而且他不喜歡人們談論他！”
But that evening the dancers could not stop talking about the Opera ghost．
但是那個晚上舞蹈演員們卻不能停止談論關于歌劇院的幽靈的話題。
They talked before the opera， all through the opera, and after the opera．
她們在歌劇開演前談論著，在歌劇整個演出過程中談論著，在歌劇演出結束后還談論著。
But they talked very quietly， and they looked behind them before they spoke．
但是她們談話的聲音很小，而且她們在說話前總要先看看她們的身后的動靜。
When the opera finished，the girls went back to their dress ing-room．
當歌劇演出結束的時候，姑娘們回到了她們的化妝室。
Suddenly，they heard somebody in the passage，and Madame Giry，
突然，她們聽到走廊上有人，原來是吉麗夫人，
Meg's mother， ran into the room． She was a fat，motherly woman，with a red，happy face．But tonight her face was white．
梅格的母親，跑進了房間。她是一個肥胖的、慈母般的婦人，有一張微紅膚色的、快樂的臉。但是今晚她的臉色卻是蒼白的。
'Oh girls，'she cried'．'Joseph Buquet is dead！ You know he walks a long way down，on the fourth floor under the stage．
“哦，姑娘們，”她叫道，“約瑟夫·比凱死了！要知道他是從高處掉下來，掉在舞臺底下的第4層。
The other stage workers found his dead body there an hour ago -with a rope around his neck！'
其他的舞臺雜工一個小時以前在那里發現了他的尸體——有一根繩子繞在他的脖子上！”
'It's the ghost!'cried Meg Giry．'The ghost killed him！'
“是幽靈！”梅格·古麗叫道，“是那個幽靈殺死了他！”
