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Aunt Alexandra got up and reached for the mantelpiece. Mr. Tate rose, but shedeclined assistance. For once in his life, Atticus's instinctive courtesy failed him: he satwhere he was.
亚历山德拉姑姑站起身来，伸手去扶壁炉架。泰特先生连忙起身，不过亚历山德拉姑姑没让他搀扶。阿迪克斯平生第一次没有表现出他与生俱来的谦恭一一他坐着没动。
Somehow, I could think of nothing but Mr. Bob Ewell saying he'd get Atticus if it tookhim the rest of his life. Mr. Ewell almost got him, and it was the last thing he did.
不知怎么回事儿，我满脑子想的都是鲍勃·尤厄尔先生说过的那句话一一他扬言说，就算搭上下半辈子也不会放过阿迪克斯。尤厄尔先生这次差点儿如愿以偿，这也是他此生做的最后一件事。
“Are you sure?” Atticus said bleakly.
“你确定吗？”阿迪克斯的声音十分沉郁。
“He's dead all right,” said Mr. Tate. “He's good and dead. He won't hurt these childrenagain.”
“他确实死了。”泰特先生说，“一点儿不假。他再也伤害不了孩子们了。”
“I didn't mean that.” Atticus seemed to be talking in his sleep. His age was beginningto show, his one sign of inner turmoil, the strong line of his jaw melted a little, onebecame aware of telltale creases forming under his ears, one noticed not his jet-blackhair but the gray patches growing at his temples.
“我指的不是这个。”阿迪克斯像梦呓一般喃喃地说。他突然显出了几分苍老，这说明他此时此刻脑子里就像塞进了一团乱麻：他原本线条硬朗的下巴变得松弛了；耳朵下面的皱褶再也掩藏不住，一眼望去清晰可见；他那一头乌发也不怎么显眼了，倒是渐渐变得灰白的鬓发更为引人注目。
“Hadn't we better go to the livingroom?” Aunt Alexandra said at last.
“咱们是不是最好到客厅去谈？”亚历山德拉姑姑终于吐出一句话。
“If you don't mind,” said Mr. Tate, “I'd rather us stay in here if it won't hurt Jem any. Iwant to have a look at his injuries while Scout… tells us about it.”
“要是你们不介意的话，”泰特先生说，“我看咱们还是在这儿谈吧，只要不妨碍杰姆休息就好。我想看看他的伤势，也听听斯库特……给我们说说事情的经过。”
“Is it all right if I leave?” she asked. “I'm just one person too many in here. I'll be in myroom if you want me, Atticus.” Aunt Alexandra went to the door, but she stopped andturned. “Atticus, I had a feeling about this tonight—I—this is my fault,” she began. “Ishould have—”
“我要是走开的话没关系吧？”她问，“我在这儿只是个多余的人。阿迪克斯，需要我干什么就叫我一声，我就待在自己的房间里。”亚历山德拉姑姑朝门口走去，却又停下来转过身。“阿迪克斯，对今天晚上发生的事儿，我早就有预感……我……这都是我的错，”她忍不住说，“我本该……”
Mr. Tate held up his hand. “You go ahead, Miss Alexandra, I know it's been a shock toyou. And don't you fret yourself about anything—why, if we followed our feelings all thetime we'd be like cats chasin‘ their tails. Miss Scout, see if you can tell us whathappened, while it's still fresh in your mind. You think you can? Did you see himfollowing you?”
泰特先生伸出手来，示意她不要再往下说了。“你先过去吧，亚历山德拉小姐。我知道，这件事儿对你刺激很大。千万别胡思乱想，跟自己过不去一一怎么说呢，如果我们一直被感觉牵着鼻子走，就会像猫一样追着自己的尾巴转圏子。斯库特小姐，你能不能趁现在记忆还算请晰，告诉我们当时发生了什么？你觉得行吗？你看见他一直在跟踪你们了吗？”
I went to Atticus and felt his arms go around me. I buried my head in his lap. “Westarted home. I said Jem, I've forgot m'shoes. Soon's we started back for ‘em the lightswent out. Jem said I could get 'em tomorrow…”
我走到阿迪克斯身边，感觉他用双臂搂住了我。我把头埋在了他的腿上。“我们俩开始往家走。我对杰姆说，我忘了穿鞋，于是我们就回去找。可学校里的灯都媳灭了，杰姆说我可以明天再去拿……”
“Scout, raise up so Mr. Tate can hear you,” Atticus said. I crawled into his lap.
“斯库特，抬起头来，让泰特先生听清楚点儿。”阿迪克斯对我说。我于是爬上了他的腿，坐在他怀里。
“Then Jem said hush a minute. I thought he was thinkin‘—he always wants you tohush so he can think—then he said he heard somethin'. We thought it was Cecil.”
“走着走着，杰姆让我别出声。我还以为他在想什么一一他要思考问题的时候总让我别说话。过了一会儿，他说，他听见了什么声音。我们以为是塞西尔在搞鬼。”
“Cecil?”
“塞西尔？”
“Cecil Jacobs. He scared us once tonight, an‘ we thought it was him again. He had ona sheet. They gave a quarter for the best costume, I don't know who won it—”
“就是塞西尔·雅各布斯。今天晚上他己经吓唬过我们一次了，我们还以为他又来了呢。那时候他身上披了条床单。最佳服装奖的奖金是两角五分钱，我都不知道是谁拿到了……”
“Where were you when you thought it was Cecil?”
“你们以为是塞西尔的时候，走到了什么位置？”
“Just a little piece from the schoolhouse. I yelled somethin‘ at him—”
“从学校出来没多远。我还朝他大喊了一声……”
“You yelled, what?”
“你喊的是什么？”
“Cecil Jacobs is a big fat hen, I think. We didn't hear nothin‘—then Jem yelled hello orsomethin' loud enough to wake the dead—”
“我记得是‘塞西尔是只大肥母鸡’。我们没听见有人回应……过了一会儿，杰姆喊了一声‘哈罗’什么的，声音大得简直能把死人吵醒……”
“Just a minute, Scout,” said Mr. Tate. “Mr. Finch, did you hear them?”
“等一下，斯库特。”泰特先生说，“芬奇先生，你听见他们的喊声了吗？”
Atticus said he didn't. He had the radio on. Aunt Alexandra had hers going in herbedroom. He remembered because she told him to turn his down a bit so she couldhear hers. Atticus smiled. “I always play a radio too loud.”
阿迪克斯说他没听见。当时他正开着收音机。亚历山德拉姑姑也在自己的卧室里听收音机。他记得很清楚，因为亚历山德拉姑姑让他把音量关小点儿，要不她自己就没法听了。阿迪克斯微微笑了一下。“我老是把收音机的音量开得特别大。”
“I wonder if the neighbors heard anything…” said Mr. Tate.
“也不知道周围的邻居听见什么动静没有……”泰特先生说。
“I doubt it, Heck. Most of them listen to their radios or go to bed with the chickens.Maudie Atkinson may have been up, but I doubt it.”
“我看不大可能，赫克。他们大多数人要么在听收音机，要么早早就上床睡觉了。莫迪小姐可能还没睡，不过我看也不大可能听见。”
“Go ahead, Scout,” Mr. Tate said.
“接着说吧，斯库特。”泰特先生又对我说。
“Well, after Jem yelled we walked on. Mr. Tate, I was shut up in my costume but Icould hear it myself, then. Footsteps, I mean. They walked when we walked andstopped when we stopped. Jem said he could see me because Mrs. Crenshaw putsome kind of shiny paint on my costume. I was a ham.”
“噢，杰姆喊了一嗓子之后，我们俩又往前走。泰特先生，当时我整个人罩在演出服里，不过紧接着我也听见了那个声音，我是说脚步声。我们走，那脚步声也跟着走，我们停，那脚步声也跟着停。杰姆说他能看见我，因为克伦肖太太往我的演出服上涂了一些发光的颜料。我扮演的是火腿。”
“How's that?” asked Mr. Tate, startled.
“这是怎么一回事儿？”泰特先生吃惊地问。
Atticus described my role to Mr. Tate, plus the construction of my garment. “Youshould have seen her when she came in,” he said, “it was crushed to a pulp.”
阿迪克斯向泰特先生说明了我扮演的角色，还介绍了我的演出服是什么样的构造。“你真该看看她回来时候的模样，”他说，“演出服都被挤压得不成样子了。”
Mr. Tate rubbed his chin. “I wondered why he had those marks on him, His sleeveswere perforated with little holes. There were one or two little puncture marks on his armsto match the holes. Let me see that thing if you will, sir.”
泰特先生摩挲着下巴。“我还纳闷尤厄尔身上怎么会有那些痕迹呢。他的袖子上被刺了好多小窟窿，胳膊上也有一两处被刺破的伤口，和那些小窟窿相吻合。方便的话，能让我看看你说的那件东西吗？”
Atticus fetched the remains of my costume. Mr. Tate turned it over and bent it aroundto get an idea of its former shape. “This thing probably saved her life,” he said. “Look.”
阿迪克斯去拿来了我那件破烂不堪的演出服。泰特先生拿在手里翻过来掉过去，想搞明白原来是个什么形状。“很可能是这玩意儿救了她一命。”他说，“你瞧。”
He pointed with a long forefinger. A shiny clean line stood out on the dull wire. “BobEwell meant business,” Mr. Tate muttered.
他伸出长长的食指，指给阿迪克斯看一一灰暗的铁丝网上有一道齐刷刷的亮痕赫然在目。“鲍勃·尤厄尔看来是下狠手了。”泰特先生喃喃自语道。
“He was out of his mind,” said Atticus.
“他是昏了头。”阿迪克斯说。
“Don't like to contradict you, Mr. Finch—wasn't crazy, mean as hell. Low-down skunkwith enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children. He'd never havemet you face to face.”
“我不想反驳你，芬奇先生，可他不是发了疯，而是心狠手辣。这个卑鄙下流的混蛋，借酒壮胆，竟敢对孩子下毒手。他从来不敢跟人正面交锋。”
Atticus shook his head. “I can't conceive of a man who'd—”
阿迪克斯摇了摇头。“我无法想象会有人一一”
“Mr. Finch, there's just some kind of men you have to shoot before you can say hidy to‘em. Even then, they ain't worth the bullet it takes to shoot 'em. Ewell ‘as one of 'em.”
“芬奇先生，世界上就是有那么一种人，你跟他们打招呼之前得先开一枪。即便如此，他们的命连那颗子弹都不值。尤厄尔就是其中一个。”
Atticus said, “I thought he got it all out of him the day he threatened me. Even if hehadn't, I thought he'd come after me.”
阿迪克斯说：“我本以为他那次威胁过我之后，己经把怨恨都发泄出来了。即使他还不解气，我以为他也会冲着我来。”
“He had guts enough to pester a poor colored woman, he had guts enough to pesterJudge Taylor when he thought the house was empty, so do you think he'da met you toyour face in daylight?” Mr. Tate sighed. “We'd better get on. Scout, you heard himbehind you—”
“他有胆量去骚扰一个可怜的黑人妇女，他也有胆量在泰勒法官家里没人的时候上门去找麻烦一一你想，这种人怎么敢在光天化日之下和你正面交锋呢？”泰特先生叹了口气，“咱们还是接着往下说吧。斯库特，你听见他跟在你们身后一一”
“Yes sir. When we got under the tree—”
“是的，先生。当我们走到树底下的时候一一”
“How'd you know you were under the tree, you couldn't see thunder out there.”
“你怎么知道是在树底下？你罩在里面什么也看不见啊。”
“I was barefooted, and Jem says the ground's always cooler under a tree.”
“当时我光着脚。杰姆说，树底下的地面比别处要凉一些。”
“We'll have to make him a deputy, go ahead.”
“看来我们得请他当副手了。接着说。”
“Then all of a sudden somethin‘ grabbed me an' mashed my costume… think I duckedon the ground… heard a tusslin‘ under the tree sort of… they were bammin' against thetrunk, sounded like. Jem found me and started pullin‘ me toward the road. Some—Mr.Ewell yanked him down, I reckon. They tussled some more and then there was thisfunny noise—Jem hollered…” I stopped. That was Jem's arm.
“后来，突然有人抓住了我，还拼命撞击我的演出服……我记得我肌在了地上……听见树底下传来一阵扭打声……那声音像是他们不断撞在树干上。杰姆找到了我，拉着我就往路上跑。有人一一是尤厄尔先生，猛地一下把他拽倒了，我猜是这样。他们又扭打起来，我听到了一个奇怪的声音------接着杰姆发出一声惨叫”我停住了------------杰姆的胳膊就是在那个时候骨折的。
“Anyway, Jem hollered and I didn't hear him any more an‘ the next thing—Mr. Ewellwas tryin' to squeeze me to death, I reckon… then somebody yanked Mr. Ewell down.Jem must have got up, I guess. That's all I know…”
“反正，杰姆惨叫了一声，我就再也没听到他的声音了。然后，尤厄尔先生又死命勒我，我觉得……突然有人把他拽倒了。我猜是杰姆爬起来了。我就记得这些……”
“And then?” Mr. Tate was looking at me sharply.
“后来呢？”泰特先生用锐利的目光紧盯着我。
“Somebody was staggerin‘ around and pantin' and—coughing fit to die. I thought itwas Jem at first, but it didn't sound like him, so I went lookin‘ for Jem on the ground. Ithought Atticus had come to help us and had got wore out—”
“有人喘着粗气，踉踉跄跄地来回走一一还咳嗽得要死要活的。一开始我还以为是杰姆，可是声音听起来不像是他，于是我就在地上来回摸索着找他。我还以为是阿迪克斯来帮我们了，我可累坏了……”
“Who was it?”
“那个人是谁？”
“Why there he is, Mr. Tate, he can tell you his name.”
“泰特先生，他就在那儿，他可以告诉你他叫什么名字。”
As I said it, I half pointed to the man in the corner, but brought my arm down quicklylest Atticus reprimand me for pointing. It was impolite to point.
我一边说着，一边半抬起手，指着角落里的那个人。不过我略微一指就赶紧把手放下了，免得阿迪克斯训斥我。因为用手指人是不礼貌的。
He was still leaning against the wall. He had been leaning against the wall when Icame into the room, his arms folded across his chest. As I pointed he brought his armsdown and pressed the palms of his hands against the wall. They were white hands,sickly white hands that had never seen the sun, so white they stood out garishly againstthe dull cream wall in the dim light of Jem's room.
他仍旧靠在墙上。我进来的时候，他就靠墙而立，双臂抱在胸前，一直就这么站着。我把手指向他的时候，他放下了胳膊，两个手掌紧贴在墙壁上。那是一双苍白的手，那是一双从来没有沐浴过阳光的病态的手，在杰姆房间暗淡的灯光里，这双手在奶油色墙壁的衬托之下，白得那么刺人眼目。
I looked from his hands to his sand-stained khaki pants; my eyes traveled up his thinframe to his torn denim shirt. His face was as white as his hands, but for a shadow onhis jutting chin. His cheeks were thin to hollowness; his mouth was wide; there wereshallow, almost delicate indentations at his temples, and his gray eyes were so colorlessI thought he was blind. His hair was dead and thin, almost feathery on top of his head.
我从他的手一直看到他那沾满沙土的卡其布裤子，目光又顺着他瘦削的身躯往上移，看到了他身上那件被撕破的粗斜纹布衬衫。他的脸跟他的手一样苍白，唯有突出的下巴上有一抹阴影。他两频深陷，中间生着一张宽宽的嘴巴；太阳穴也微微有点儿凹陷，几乎难以察觉；一双灰色的眼睛黯淡无光，毫无生气，让我误以为他是个盲人。他的头发薄薄的，看上去死气沉沉，简直像羽毛一样覆盖在头顶上。
When I pointed to him his palms slipped slightly, leaving greasy sweat streaks on thewall, and he hooked his thumbs in his belt. A strange small spasm shook him, as if heheard fingernails scrape slate, but as I gazed at him in wonder the tension slowlydrained from his face. His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor's imageblurred with my sudden tears.
我指着他的时候，他的手掌贴着墙壁轻轻滑动，留下了两道油腻的汗渍，接着又把两根大拇指插进皮带里。他身上倏地掠过一阵莫名的轻微痉挛，就像是听见了指甲刮石板的声音。不过，在我好奇的目光注视下，他脸上的紧张神情慢慢消散了。他嘴唇微启，露出了一个羞怯的微笑。我的眼睛里突然噙满了泪水，这位邻居的面容瞬间变得一团模糊。
“Hey, Boo,” I said.
“你好，怪人。”我说。