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It was a dark night, and there were no lights in the windows. My uncle was probably in bed. Mr Rankeillor, Torrance and I hid below the steps, near enough to hear any conversation, while Alan went straight up to the door and knocked loudly. After some time my uncle opened his bedroom window, and called down, in a frightened voice, 'What do ye want at this time of night? Who are ye?'
那天晚上很黑，窗戶也沒透出亮光。我叔叔可能上床睡覺了。我、蘭基勒先生還有托倫斯藏在臺階下邊，離房子近得都可以聽清任何談話，而艾倫徑直走向房門并大聲敲了起來。過了一會兒之后我叔叔打開了他臥室的窗戶，用驚恐的聲音對下面叫道：“晚上這個時候你想干什么？你是誰？”
'I do not want to give ye my own name,' replied Alan, 'but I've come to talk to ye about someone called—David.'
“我不想告訴你我自己的名字，”艾倫回答說，“但我來是想和你談一下一個人——一個叫戴維的人的事情?！?/div>
'What!' cried my uncle. And after a moment, he said unhappily, 'Will ye come inside, to discuss—the matter?'
“什么？！”我叔叔大叫起來。過了一會兒他不快地說：“你能進來以便談一下——這事嗎？”
'I will not,' said Alan sharply. 'It's here on this doorstep that we must talk. Come down and speak to me.'
“我不行，”艾倫機警地說，“我們得在門階這兒說。下來對我說?！?/div>
有聲讀物《誘拐》第16期:在石南叢中逃生(4) 2012-03-31
有聲讀物《誘拐》第17期:在石南叢中逃生(5) 2012-04-01
有聲讀物《誘拐》第18期:戴維回了家(1) 2012-04-05
有聲讀物《誘拐》第19期:戴維回了家(2) 2012-04-06
有聲讀物《誘拐》第21期:戴維回了家(4) 2012-04-10
After Ebenezer had thought about it, he decided to do what Alan wanted. It took him a long time to come downstairs, and a longer time to unlock the heavy door, but at last we saw him in the doorway, holding his gun in his shaking hands.
埃比尼澤考慮了之后，決定做艾倫想要他做的事。他花了很長時間才到樓下，花了更長的時間才打開沉重的大門，但我們終于看到他站在門口，用他發抖的手握著槍。
'Now,' said Alan, 'ye're intelligent enough to see that I'm a Highlander. I have friends who live near the island of Mull. Well, it seems that a ship went down near there, and soon afterwards my friends found a lad, half-dead, on the beach. Your nephew, Mr Balfour. Since then they've been taking care of him. And now they'd like to know, Mr Balfour, if ye want him back. Ye'll have to pay, if ye do. My friends are very poor.
“現在，”艾倫說道，“你肯定已經看出來了我是一個高地人。我有幾個朋友住在馬爾島附近。唔，似乎是有一條船在那兒附近沉沒了，之后不久我的朋友們在沙灘上發現了一個奄奄一息的小伙子。是你的侄子，鮑爾弗先生。自那之后，他們一直在照顧他。現在他們想知道，鮑爾弗先生，你是否想讓他回來。如果你同意，你必須付錢。我的朋友們很窮?！?/div>
?
'I don't want him back,' said my uncle. 'He wasn't a good lad. I won't pay a shilling for him!'
“我不想讓他回來?！蔽沂迨逭f，“他那時就不是一個好小伙子。我不會為他付一個先令！”
'Blood's thicker than water, sir,' said Alan. 'He's your brother's son! But if ye don't want him back, will ye pay us to keep him? And ye'll have to hurry. I'm not waiting here all night!'
“血濃于水，先生?！卑瑐愓f，“他是你兄弟的兒子！但是如果你不讓他回來，你愿意付我們錢以撫養他嗎？而且你必須快一點兒。我不可能在這兒等你一晚上！”
'Give me a minute to think, will ye?' cried my uncle.
“給我一分鐘讓我想一想，行不行？”我叔叔叫著。
'In two words, sir, do ye want us to kill or keep the lad?'
“兩個字，先生，你是讓我們殺他還是留他？”
'Oh, sir!' cried Ebenezer. 'Don't talk of killing!'
“噢，先生！”埃比尼澤叫道，“不要談殺！”
'Well, killing's easier, and quicker, and cheaper.'
“唔，相比之下，殺是較簡單、快捷又省錢的辦法?！?/div>
'I'm an honest man,' said my uncle, 'and no murderer.'
“我是一個誠實的人，”我叔叔說，“而且不是一個殺人犯?！?/div>
'Well, well,' replied Alan, 'and now how much will ye pay for us to keep him? First I need to know how much ye paid Hoseason to kidnap the lad. How much was it?'
“好了，好了，”艾倫說，“你現在愿意付多少錢給我們去撫養他？首先我想知道你付了多少錢給霍齊亞森讓他去誘拐這個小伙子。是多少？”
'Hoseason? Kidnap? What are ye talking about, man?' screamed my uncle, jumping up and down on the doorstep.
“霍齊亞森？誘拐？你在說什么，伙計？”我叔叔尖叫著，氣得在門階那兒上下亂跳。
'Hoseason himself has told me about it,' said Alan calmly, 'so ye needn't pretend. Just answer the question, or ye'll find my sword in your stomach!'
“霍齊亞森本人已告訴我這件事，”艾倫鎮靜地說著，“所以你不用裝了。只回答問題，不然你會發現我的劍將刺入你的肚子！”
'Don't get angry!' cried my uncle. 'I gave him twenty pounds, that's all. But to be honest with ye—he was going to sell the lad as a slave, and keep that money, ye see.'
“別生氣，”我叔叔喊著，“我給他20鎊，就那么多。但老實和你說——他想把這小伙子當奴隸賣掉，并且獨吞那筆錢，你知道?！?/div>
'Thank you, Mr Thomson, that's excellent,' said the lawyer, stepping forward. 'Good evening, Mr Balfour,' he said politely to the old man.
“謝謝你，湯姆森先生，那太好了。”律師走上前說?！巴砩虾?，鮑爾弗先生，”他禮貌地對這個老人說。
And, 'Good evening, uncle Ebenezer,' said I.
還有，“晚上好，埃比尼澤叔叔，”我說。
And, 'It's a grand evening, Mr Balfour,' added Torrance.
還有，“這真是一個重要的夜晚，鮑爾弗先生，”托倫斯補充道。
My uncle said nothing, but stood there on the doorstep with his mouth open. We took him into the kitchen, and sat down to discuss matters. After an hour, it was all decided. My uncle accepted that Shaws belonged to me, but he would stay there during his lifetime. He agreed to pay me money every year, and Mr Rankeillor would check that he did.
我叔叔什么也沒說，但張嘴站在臺階上。我們帶他進了廚房，坐下來商量事情。一個小時后，一切都定下來了。我叔叔同意肖家大院歸我所有，但他要待在那兒度過余生。他同意每年付給我錢，而且蘭基勒先生將監督他的行為。
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| sword | [sɔ:d] |
想一想再看 n. 劍，刀 |
||
| conversation | [.kɔnvə'seiʃən] |
想一想再看 n. 會話，談話 |
聯想記憶 | |
| pretend | [pri'tend] |
想一想再看 v. 假裝，裝作 |
聯想記憶 | |
| kidnap | ['kidnæp] |
想一想再看 v. 綁架，誘拐 |
聯想記憶 | |
| frightened | ['fraitnd] |
想一想再看 adj. 受驚的，受恐嚇的 |
||
| intelligent | [in'telidʒənt] |
想一想再看 adj. 聰明的，智能的 |
||
| check | [tʃek] |
想一想再看 n. 檢查，支票，賬單，制止，阻止物，檢驗標準，方格圖案 |
聯想記憶 | |
| kitchen | ['kitʃin] |
想一想再看 n. 廚房，(全套)炊具，灶間 |
||
| doorway | ['dɔ:wei] |
想一想再看 n. 門口 |
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