牛津書蟲系列 化身博士 8 Doctor Lanyon's letter

8 Doctor Lanyon's letter

8 蘭寧醫(yī)生的信

Dear Utterson，

親愛的厄特森：

Four days ago，on the 9th of January，I received a letterby the evening post it was in the handwriting of my oldfriend Henry Jekyll.I was rather surprised，as we were not inthe habit of writing to each other， and I had had dinner withhim the night before. When I came to read the letter， I waseven more surprised. The letter said：

四天前，也就是1月 9日，晚班郵差送來一封信，是老朋友亨利·杰基爾的筆跡。我很奇怪，因為我們沒有互相寫信的習慣，況且頭一天晚上我還和他一起吃過飯，而信的內容更讓我奇怪了。信是這么寫的：

Dear Lanyon，

親愛的蘭寧：

You are one of my oldest friends. Although we havesometimes disagreed on scientific matters，I have alwaysremained your friend. I would do anything for you， Lanyon-please will you do something for me now?

你是我最老的朋友之一，盡管在一些科學問題上我們有分歧，我一直把你當朋友看。我愿意為你赴湯蹈火，蘭寧，你也愿意幫我做點事嗎?

Please， old friend，come to my house at once wth thisletter in your hand Poole，my servant， has his orders. Hewill be here with a locksmith.Break the lock of my studydoor， and then you must go in there alone.Open the glassfronted cupboard on the left-hand side and look on the fourthshelf from the top.On it you will find some pacKets of chemical powders， a small bottle and a book.Please take everything back to your house.

我請求你，老朋友，立刻拿著這封信到我家里來。我已經吩咐過我的仆人普爾，讓他找一個鎖匠在這兒等著。你們撬開書房的門，但你必須一個人進去，打開左手的玻璃柜，從上面數第四格里，有一些藥品包在紙包里，有一個小瓶子，還有一個本子。把這些東西全都拿到你家里去。

If you leave as soon as you receve this letter， you shouldbe back home before midnight.At that time you will recevea visit from a man.Please give him the bottle， the powdersand the book， and I shall aways be grateful to you.

如果你收到信盡快趕來，那你午夜前應該已經回到家了。會有一個人去找你，請你把瓶子、藥品和書給他，我將感激不盡!

Do not fail me， Lanyon. Believe me， my life and mypeace of mind depend on you.I am in fearful danger and only you can save me.

別讓我失望，蘭寧。相信我，我的性命和內心的平靜全靠你了。我處境危急，只有你能救我了。

Your friend，

你的朋友

Henry Jekyll

亨利·杰基爾

After reading this letter， I was sure that Doctor Jekyll wasmad. But a friend is a friend， and so I went at once to hishouse.Jekyll's servant had received by the same post a letter similar to mine， and he was waiting for me with the locksmith.Together we went through the old laboratory andclimbed the stairs to the doctor's private study.The doorwas very strong， with an excellent lock， but the locksmithknew his job.Soon the door stood open and I entered thestudy.I opened the cupboard and found the shelf.Sureenough，the powders，the bottle and the book were there，and I took them home with me.

讀完這封信，我完全相信杰基爾博士已經神智不清了?？膳笥呀K歸是朋友，所以我立刻去了他家。杰基爾的仆人也收到了郵差送來的信，和我的差不多，鎖匠已經在那兒等著了。我們一起穿過實驗室，上樓來到了博士的私人書房。門很結實，鎖也很牢，但鎖匠知道怎么辦。不一會兒、門開了，我走進去，打開柜子，找到了那一格。沒錯，藥粉、瓶子，還有本子都在那兒，我拿著就回家了。

At home I lcoked at everything more carefully.There wereseveral packets of white powder and a bottle of red，strong-smelling liquid.The book contained nothing except alist of dates， going back several years.The last date wasnearly a year ago.Here and there the doctor had added afew words.The word'donble'appeared very early in thelist， followed by the word'Failed!!'.'Double'appeared inthe list several more times…What was Jekyll doing?Thebook looked like a list of unsuccessful experiments.Howcould I，by taking these things to my house，save my friend's life and peace of mind?And what was the reason for thismidnight visitor? I put my old gun in my pocket， then I putevery thing in a box for my midnight visitor to collect.

回到家里，我又仔細查看了一遍。有幾包白色的藥粉和一瓶紅色的液體，氣味刺鼻。本子里除了一串日期什么都沒有，都是幾年前的，最近的一個日子也幾乎是一年以前的了。有些日期旁，博士加了很短的批語：“雙份”，而且在本子上出現得很早，跟著是“失敗!”在這串日期上，“雙份”又出現了好幾次……杰基爾究竟在干什么?本子上列的單子像一連串失敗的實驗記錄。把這些東西拿回來，怎么就能挽救朋友的性命，還給他帶來內心的平靜呢?午夜來客又是什么原因?我把常用的一把手槍放到口袋里，把那些東西放到盒子里，等著半夜上門的人來齲

At midnight exactly there was a knock on my door. A shortman was standing in the shadows.

正好午夜時分，有人敲響了我的門，一個小個子站在陰影里。

'Are you from Doctor Jekyll?'I asked.He bent his head.

“是從杰基爾博士那兒來的嗎?”我問。他低著頭。

Although I could not see his face，there was something unpleasing about him and I was glad I had a weapon.I invitedhim into the house and there， in the bright light， I took a closer look at him.

雖然看不清他的模樣，可我還是感到他哪兒有點讓人不舒服。真慶幸我拿了槍。我請他進了屋，在明亮的光線下，我仔細看了看他。

His appearance was extremely strange. His clothes werewell made and expensive， but they were far too large forhim. He looked like a child wearing his father's clothes， butthere was nothing childlike about this man. He was short， asI have said， but very strong At the same time there was alook of sickness and horror about him，and his face was amask of pain， violence and hate.As a doctor I could pernapsfeel sorry for him;as a mau I felt only fear and dislike.

他的外表十分怪異。衣服都是上等料子，做工精良，但穿在他身上太顯大了，好比孩子穿了爸爸的衣服。但是這人沒有一點像孩子。他個子不高，正如我說的，但卻十分強壯，還有，他看上去很難受，很害怕，臉被痛苦、不安和仇恨籠罩著。作為醫(yī)生，我也許為他難過，但作為一個普通人，我只有恐懼和厭惡。

'you got it?'said the stranger impatiently，reachingout his hand and touching my arm. His touch made my bloodrun cold.I shook off his hand.'Come， sir，' I said calmly.'Sit down and introduce yourself.'

“東西都找到了嗎?”陌生人很不耐煩地說著，伸出手就搖我的胳膊。這一碰讓我的血都快凍住了。我甩開他的手。“嗨，先生，”我不動聲色地說，“請坐，我還沒有幸認識您呢!”

'I apologize， Doctor Lanyon，'the stranger said more politely.'Doctor Henry Jekyll sent me here on an importantmatter.I have to collect something from you.'

“請您原諒，蘭寧醫(yī)生，”陌生人一下子謙恭起來，“杰基爾博士讓我來辦一件很重要的事，我必須從您這兒拿點東西。”

I gave him the box.He took it with trembling hands.' Atlast!'he cried.He turned to me.His face was deathly pale.'Have you a medicine glass?'he asked.

我把盒子遞給他，他兩只手顫抖著接過去。“終于拿到了!”他叫了一聲，又轉向我，臉色像死人一樣蒼白。“有量杯嗎?”他問。

I gave it to him.He put a little of the red liquid in the glassand added a packet of powder.A small cloud of smoke rosefrom the glass and the colour of the liquid changed from redto purple， and from purple to a watery green.The strangerput the glass down on the table and looked sharply at me.

我拿給他。他在杯子里倒出少量藥水，又放入一點兒白色藥粉，一小股煙冒了出來，液體的顏色也由紅變紫，由紫變成水綠。陌生人把杯子放在桌上，突然狠狠瞪了我一眼。

'And now，'he said，'choose carefully.You can leave theroom now .Or you can stay and experience something new，something unknown to science. You can be rich，famous andsuccessful，if only you will believe'

“好吧，”他說，“仔細選擇一下吧。您可以馬上離開這間屋子，也可以呆在這里，看看一種新奇的東西，一種科學上未知的東西。您可以變得富有、成功、有名望，只要相信就行。”

'Sir，'I said，trying to remain calm，'I don't understandwhat you're trying to say，and I think you are probably madBut I will stay.'

“先生，”我說，盡量做出一副冷冰冰的樣子，“我不明白您想說些什么，而且我相信您可能神智不清，不過我還是決定留下來。”

'Very well，'said the stranger.'Now remember yourpromise. You've been an unbeliever all your life.Youlaughed at Doctor Jekyll's ideas and called them unscientificrubbish-now see for yourself!'

“好的，”陌生人說，“記住你的承諾。你一生都不肯相信，還嘲笑杰基爾博士的觀點，稱它們是不科學的垃圾，現在，你請看吧!”

He put the glass to his lips and drank the liquid.His wholebody shook and jumped and he almost fell.He held onto theedge of the table， breathing fast through his open mouth. AsI watched，his whole body seemed to change.He seemed tobecome taller， fatter-his face turned black and its shapebegan to change…The next moment I jumped back againstthe wall，trembling with fear and horror.There before myeyes， pale and shaken and sick， stood Henry Jekyll!

說著，他把杯子擱在嘴邊，一口氣喝了下去，接著他的整個身體顫抖起來，踉踉蹌蹌，凡乎都要摔倒了。他抓著桌子邊，嘴張得大大的，使勁喘著氣。我注視著這一切，他的身體好像變了，變得高了，胖了，臉突然發(fā)黑，五官也開始變形……我“噌”地往后退了一步，抵著墻，全身抖成一團，又擔心，又害怕，因為站在我面前、臉色蒼白、渾身戰(zhàn)栗、難受不止的，正是亨利·杰基爾!

I cannot make myself write down the things that Jekyll，with tears in his eyes， confessed to me that night

那天晚上，杰基爾流著眼淚向我懺悔了一切，可是我實在沒法打起精神來，把這些都寫下來。

Now fear and horror are my only companions.Sleep has left me and I feel that I have not long to live. As I write， Iwonder. Did I imagine it all?As a scientist I cannot believeit-but I saw it happen with my own eyes.

現在，恐懼是我唯一的伙伴，睡夢也離我而去。我覺得我的日子沒多久了。一邊寫，我一邊納悶，難道一切都是幻覺嗎?作為科學家，我無法相信，但這確確實實是我親眼看到的。

I will say just one thing more，Utterson.The evil thing thatcame into my house that night-as Jekyll told me-wasknown by the name of Hyde， and was wanted by the policefor the murder of Sir Danvers Carew.

厄特森，我再告訴你一件事，那晚來我家的那個邪惡的家伙，杰基爾告訴我，就是那個殺害了卡魯爵士的通緝犯，名字叫海德!

Hastie Lanyon

黑斯蒂·蘭寧

With fear in his heart，Mr Utterson put away Doctor Lanyon's letter， and then opened the confession of Doctor Henry Jekyll.

厄特森先生滿懷恐懼地放下了蘭寧醫(yī)生的信，然后打開了亨利·杰基爾博士的懺悔書。