中英双翻原文
Midnight Visitor
Robert Arthur 罗伯特 • 阿瑟
1 Ausable did not fit the description of any secret agent Fowler had ever read about. Following him down the corridor of the gloomy French hotel where Ausable had a room, Fowler felt disappointed. It was a small room on the sixth floor, and hardly a setting for a romantic figure.
1 奥斯柏一点儿都不符合他所读过的书中描绘的间谍形象。富勒跟着奥斯柏走在那家法国旅馆阴暗的走廊上，心里觉得十分失望。他租的是六层楼上的一间小房间，压根儿就不像一个传奇人物的住所。
2 Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then there was his accent. Though he spoke French passably, he had never altogether lost the New England accent he had brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago.
2 首先一点，奥斯柏很胖，而且胖得出奇。还有就是他的口音，尽管他的法语说得还马马虎虎，但他永远也没法改掉他二十年前从波士顿远道带到巴黎的新英格兰口音。
3 "You are disappointed," Ausable said wheezily over his shoulder. "You were told that I was a secret agent, a spy, dealing in espionage and danger. You wished to meet me because you are a writer, young and romantic. You thought you would have mysterious figures in the night, the crack of pistols, drugs in the wine."
3 “你感到失望了吧。”奥斯柏呼哧呼哧地喘着气，回过头说，“他们告诉你我是特务，是间谍，是专门搞情报，整天与危险打交道的人。你因此就很想见见我，因为你是又年青又浪漫的作家。你原以为会在晚上遇到一些神秘人物，听到啪啪的枪击声，见到往酒里放毒药。”
4 "Instead, you spent a dull evening in a French music hall with a sloppy fat man who, instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties, gets only an ordinary telephone call making an appointment in his room. You have been bored!" The fat man chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door of his room and stood aside to let his frustrated guest enter.
4 “然而，你却和我这个邋遢的胖老头在一家法国的音乐厅里度过了一个乏味的夜晚，没见什么黑眼美人往他手里塞纸条，而只是用普通电话定了一个在自己房间里的约会。你这晚上肯定感到无聊透了！”胖间谍轻声笑了，他打开房门，站在一边让他那沮丧的客人进屋。
5 "You are disillusioned," Ausable told him. "But take cheer, my young friend. Before long you will see a paper, a quite important paper for which several men and women have risked their lives, come to me in the next-to-last step of its journey into official hands. Someday soon that paper may well affect the course of history. There is drama in that thought, don't you think?" As he spoke, Ausable closed the door behind him. Then he switched on the light.
5 “你肯定感到大失所望了，”奥斯柏对他说，“但是，我年轻的朋友，振作起来吧！很快你就会看到有一份文件送到我手上，这可是一份事关重大的文件，有好几位先生和女士都差点为它丧命。不过，它就要结束它的危险之旅了，因为它就要从我的手里交给官方。不久的哪一天它很可能就会改变历史的进程。你要这么想想就会感到非常刺激的，对吗？”奥斯柏说着话，关上门，然后把灯打开。
6 And as the light came on, Fowler had his first real thrill of the day. For halfway across the room, a small automatic pistol in his hand, stood a man.
6 就在灯光闪亮的一霎那，富勒第一次感到了这一天中真正刺激的震颤，因为房子中央站着一个男人，手里握着一把小自动手枪。
7 Ausable blinked a few times.
7 奥斯柏眼睛眨巴了几下。
8 "Max," he wheezed, "you gave me quite a start. I thought you were in Berlin. What are you doing in my room?"
8 “麦克斯，”他气喘吁吁地说，“你吓了我一大跳。我还以为你在柏林呢。你在我房间里有何贵干？”
9 Max was slender, not tall, and with a face that suggested the look of a fox. Except for the gun, he did not look very dangerous.
9 麦克斯个儿不高，长得精瘦，脸上闪着狐狸般的狡黠。除了手中的那把枪，他看上去不像个危险人物。
10 "The report," he murmured. "The report that is being brought to you tonight concerning some new missiles. I thought I would take it from you. It will be safer in my hands than in yours."
10 “那份报告，”他咕哝着说，“今晚带给你的有关新导弹的报告，我想我得从你这儿拿走。它在我手里比在你那儿更安全。”
11 Ausable moved to an armchair and sat down heavily. "I'm going to raise the devil with the management this time; I am angry," he said grimly. "This is the second time in a month that somebody has gotten into my room off that confounded balcony!" Fowler's eyes went to the single window of the room. It was an ordinary window, against which now the night was pressing blackly.
11 奥斯柏踱到一把扶手椅前，重重地坐了下来。“这次我真得找旅馆经理好好说他们一顿了； 我很生气，”他阴沉着脸说，“这是一个月来第二次有人从那个该死的阳台溜进我屋里了！”富勒的眼睛转向房间仅有的一扇窗户。那是一扇再寻常不过的窗户。 窗外暮色渐深，漆黑一团。
12 "Balcony?" Max asked curiously. "No, I had a passkey. I did not know about the balcony. It might have saved me some trouble had I known about it."
12 “阳台？” 麦克斯好奇地问。“不，我有万能钥匙，我不知道有阳台，不然的话，倒会省去一些麻烦呢。”
13 "It's not my balcony," explained Ausable angrily. "It belongs to the next apartment." He glanced explanatorily at Fowler. "You see," he said. "This room used to be part of a large unit, and the next room through that door there used to be the living room. It had the balcony, which extends under my window now. You can get onto it from the empty room next door, and somebody did, last month. The management promised to block it off. But they haven't."
13 “不是我的阳台，”奥斯柏忿忿然解释道，“是隔壁公寓的。”他对富勒投去解释的目光。“你瞧，” 他接着说，“这间房以前属于一个大套间，穿过那扇门隔壁的那间房子以前是起居室，还带有一个阳台，正好延伸到我窗户下。你轻而易举就能从隔壁的那间空屋子进到我的房间。上个月真还有人这么干过。那管事的曾经答应封闭阳台的，没想到他们还没这么做！”
14 Max glanced at Fowler, who was standing stiffly a few feet from Ausable, and waved the gun with a commanding gesture. "Please sit down," he said. "We have a wait of half an hour, I think."
14 麦克斯瞅了一眼富勒，只见他僵硬地站着，离奥斯柏几英尺远。麦克斯用命令的手势朝他挥了挥枪，“请坐下，”他说，“我想我们还得等半个小时吧。”
15 "Thirty-one minutes," Ausable said moodily. "The appointment was for twelve-thirty. I wish I knew how you learned about the report, Max."
15 “还得等三十一分钟，” 奥斯柏闷闷不乐地说，“约好的时间是十二点半。麦克斯，我还真弄不懂你是如何知道这份报告的。”
16 The little spy smiled evilly. "And we wish we knew how your people got the report. But, no harm has been done. I will get it back tonight. What is that? Who is at the door?"
16 这个小个儿间谍脸上露出邪恶的笑容，“我们倒想知道你们的人是怎么把它抢到手的呢。不过还好，还没出什么大漏子。我今晚就能把它弄回来。怎么回事？门外是谁？”
17 Fowler jumped at the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable just smiled. "That will be the police," he said. "I thought that such an important paper should have a little extra protection. I told them to check out on me to make sure everything was all right."
17 突然传来的敲门声让富勒也吓了一跳。奥斯柏却笑了。“肯定是那些警察，”他不慌不忙地说，“我想如此重要的文件总得受到点儿额外的保护吧，所以我就事先关照他们过来看看，以保证我这儿一切都平安无事。”
18 Max bit his lip nervously. The knocking was repeated.
18 麦克斯紧张地咬了咬嘴唇。外面的敲门声又响起来了。
19 "What will you do now, Max?" Ausable asked. "If I do not answer the door, they will enter anyway. The door is unlocked. And they will not hesitate to shoot."
19 “麦克斯，你说怎么办？” 奥斯柏问道，“如果我不开门的话，他们还是会进来的，因为门没上锁。而且，他们要是见了你，肯定会毫不犹豫地开枪。”
20 Max's face was black with anger as he backed swiftly toward the window; with his hand behind him, he opened the window and put his leg out into the night. "Send them away!" he warned. "I will wait on the balcony. Send them away or I'll shoot and take my chances!"
20 麦克斯气得脸色发青。他一面迅速退到窗户边，一面伸手在身后打开窗户，然后将左腿伸进了夜色中。“快把他们打发走！”他警告说，“我在阳台上等着。叫他们离开，否则我就开枪，豁出去了！”
21 The knocking at the door became louder and a voice was raised. "Mr. Ausable! Mr. Ausable!"
21 这时敲门声越来越大，有个人高声喊道：“奥斯柏先生！奥斯柏先生！”
22 Keeping his body twisted so that his gun still covered the fat man and his guest, the man at the window swung his other leg up and over the window sill.
22 麦克斯的身体保持扭曲的姿势，以便仍能把枪对着奥斯柏和他的客人，然后他飞快抡起右腿，跃过窗台。
23 The doorknob turned. Swiftly Max pushed with his left hand to free himself and drop to the balcony. And then as he dropped he screamed once, shrilly.
23 门把转动了。麦克斯迅速用左手撑了撑窗台，落到阳台上。接着，只听到他尖叫了一声，声音凄厉刺耳。
24 The door opened and a waiter stood there with a tray, a bottle and two glasses.
24 门开了，只见一位侍者站在门口，手里端着一个托盘，上面放着一瓶酒和两只酒杯。
25 "Here is the drink you ordered, sir." He set the tray on the table, uncorked the bottle and left the room.
25 “先生，这是您要的饮料。”他把托盘放在桌子上，打开酒瓶，然后离开了房间。
26 White-faced and shaking, Fowler stared after him. "But … but … what about … the police?" he stammered.
26 富勒瞪着眼睛望着他离去，脸色惨白，浑身还在发抖。“可是······可是······那些警察呢？”他结结巴巴地说。
27 "There never were any police," Ausable sighed. "Only Henry, whom I was expecting."
27 “根本就没什么警察。”奥斯柏吁了一口气，“只有亨利。我一直在等的人就是他。”
28 "But what about the man on the balcony?" Fowler began.
28 “那阳台上的那个家伙呢？”富勒又问道。
29 "No," said Ausable, "he won't return."
29 “他不会回来了。” 奥斯柏答道。