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Well, very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums of money.
不久，我就發(fā)現(xiàn)我已積起大筆錢財。
I do not mean that any beggar in the streets of London could earn 700 pounds a year -- which is less than my average takings
我不是說：任何乞丐在倫敦的街頭，一年都能掙到七百英鎊（這還夠不上我的平均收入），
but I had exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also in a facility of repartee,
但我有巧于化裝和善于應(yīng)付的特殊才能，而這兩方面又越練越精，
which improved by practice and made me quite a recognized character in the City.
這就使我成為城里為人所賞識的人物。
All day a stream of pennies, varied by silver, poured in upon me, and it was a very bad day in which I failed to take 2 pounds.
整天都有各種各樣的銀幣流水般地進(jìn)入我的囊中，如果哪天收入不到兩英鎊，那就算是運氣不濟(jì)的了。
As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country,
我越發(fā)財，野心越大。我在郊區(qū)買了所房子，
and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.
后來結(jié)婚成家。沒有任何人懷疑我的真正職業(yè)。
My dear wife knew that I had business in the City. She little knew what.
我的愛妻只知道我在城里做生意，她卻不知道我究竟干的是些什么。
Last Monday I had finished for the day and was dressing in my room above the opium den when I looked out of my window and saw,
上一個星期一，我剛結(jié)束了一天的營生，正在煙館樓上的房間里換衣服，不料向窗外一望，
to my horror and astonishment, that my wife was standing in the street, with her eyes fixed full upon me.
忽見我妻子站在街心，眼睛正對著我瞧，這使我惶恐萬狀。
I gave a cry of surprise, threw up my arms to cover my face,
我驚叫一聲，連忙用手臂遮住臉，
and, rushing to my confidant, the lascar, entreated him to prevent anyone from coming up to me.
接著立即跑去找我的知交，那個印度阿三，求他阻止任何人上樓來找我。
I heard her voice downstairs, but I knew that she could not ascend.
我聽見她在樓下的聲音，但知道她一時還上不來。
Swiftly I threw off my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar, and put on my pigments and wig.
我飛快地脫下衣服，穿上乞丐的那一身裝束，涂上顏色，戴上假發(fā)。
Even a wife's eyes could not pierce so complete a disguise.
這樣，甚至于一個妻子的眼睛也不能識破這偽裝。
But then it occurred to me that there might be a search in the room, and that the clothes might betray me.
不過馬上我又想到也許在這屋子里要進(jìn)行搜查，那些衣服可能會泄露我的秘密。
I threw open the window, reopening by my violence a small cut which I had inflicted upon myself in the bedroom that morning.
我忙把窗戶打開，由于用力過猛，竟又碰破我清晨在臥室里割破的創(chuàng)口。
Then I seized my coat, which was weighted by the coppers which I had just transferred to it from the leather bag in which I carried my takings.
我抓起因裝滿銅板而沉甸甸的這件衣服，平常我要來的錢都放在一個皮袋里，我剛把其中的銅板掏出來塞在上衣兜里。
I hurled it out of the window, and it disappeared into the Thames.
扔出窗外，它掉在泰晤士河里不見了。
The other clothes would have followed, but at that moment there was a rush of constables up the stair,
其它的衣服本來也要扔下去，但是就在此轉(zhuǎn)瞬之間，有些警察正沖上樓，
and a few minutes after I found, rather, I confess, to my relief,
我承認(rèn)，使我感到欣慰的是，一會兒，
that instead of being identified as Mr. Neville St. Clair, I was arrested as his murderer.
我就發(fā)現(xiàn)我未被認(rèn)出是內(nèi)維爾·圣克萊爾先生，而是把我當(dāng)作謀殺內(nèi)維爾·圣克萊爾的嫌疑犯被逮捕起來了。
