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For a brief moment Ned considered telling him all of it, but there was something in Littlefinger's japes that irked him. The man was too clever by half, a mocking smile never far from his lips. "Jon Arryn was studying this volume when he was taken sick," Ned said in a careful tone, to see how he might respond.
有那么一瞬間，奈德猶豫要不要把實情告訴他，但小指頭的玩笑令他生厭。這家伙老是自以為機靈，那抹促狹的微笑從來不離唇邊。“瓊恩·艾林生病時讀的就是這本書。”奈德謹慎地說，打算試探對方的反應。
And he responded as he always did: with a quip. "In that case," he said, "death must have come as a blessed relief." Lord Petyr Baelish bowed and took his leave.
他果然一如既往地耍了個嘴皮子。“若是這樣，”他說，“那死還真算得上解脫。”語畢培提爾·貝里席伯爵鞠躬離去。
Eddard Stark allowed himself a curse. Aside from his own retainers, there was scarcely a man in this city he trusted. Littlefinger had concealed Catelyn and helped Ned in his inquiries, yet his haste to save his own skinwhen Jaime and his swords had come out of the rain still rankled. Varys was worse. For all his protestations of loyalty, the eunuch knew too much and did too little. Grand Maester Pycelle seemed more Cersei's creature with every passing day, and Sir Barristan was an old man, and rigid. He would tell Ned to do his duty.
艾德·史塔克容許自己咒罵了一句。除了自己的手下，城里無人可以信任。小指頭雖曾幫忙藏匿凱特琳，也協助奈德明查暗訪，然而當詹姆和他手下出現時，他那幅急于自保的嘴臉，至今依舊歷歷如繪。瓦里斯更糟。他成天強調自己忠心耿耿，事實上他知道的太多，真正去做的卻太少。派席爾國師越看越像瑟曦的走狗，巴利斯坦爵士則年事已高，又食古不化，多半會告訴奈德管好份內之事即可。
Time was perilously short. The king would return from his hunt soon, and honor would require Ned to go to him with all he had learned. Vayon Poole had arranged for Sansa and Arya to sail on the Wind Witch out of Braavos,three days hence. They would be back at Winterfell before the harvest.
時間異常緊迫，待國王游獵歸來，出于榮譽，奈德非得向他吐露實情不可。維揚·普爾已經安排好珊莎和艾莉亞三天后搭乘布拉佛斯的風之巫女號離開，她們將在收獲之前抵達臨冬城。
