I found Armand in bed.

我去的时候发现阿尔芒躺在床上。

When he saw me, he held out his hand. It was hot.

他看见了我，向我伸出了手。他的手是烫的。

'You have a temperature,' I said.

“您在发烧，”我对他说。

'It won't come to anything—the fatigue of a hurried journey, nothing more.'

“没什么，只是因为赶路太急而疲劳了。”

'Have you come from Marguerite's sister's?'

“您是从玛格丽特的姐姐那儿回来的吗？”

'Yes, who told you?'

“是的，谁告诉您的？”

'I just know. And did you get what you wanted?'

“我只是知道罢了。那么您得到您想要的结果了吗？”

'Yes, again. But who told you about my journey and my reasons for making it?'

“是的，但是是谁告诉您我出门了，还有我出门的原因呢？”

'The gardener at the cemetery.'

“公墓的园丁。”

'You saw the grave?'

“您看到那座坟墓了？”

I scarcely dared answer, for the tone of these words convinced me that the person who had said them was still in the grip of the same distress I had already witnessed, and that every time his thoughts or something that someone said brought him back to his painful subject, then for a long time to come, his emotions would go on getting the better of his will.

我简直不敢回答，因为他说这些话的口气让我相信他的心情仍然沉浸在悲痛中，就像我上次看到的那样，每次他自己的思想或者别人提到的什么东西让他回想起使他伤心的话题时，他的理智就会有很长一段时间被激动的心情所抑制。

I settled therefore for answering with a nod.

因此我决定只以点头来回答这个问题。

'Has he taken good care of it?' continued Armand.

“那个园丁有没有好好地照看坟墓？”阿尔芒接着问。

Two large tears rolled down the sick man's cheeks, and he turned his head away to hide them from me. I pretended not to notice and tried to change the subject.

两滴大大的泪珠从这个病怏怏的男人的脸颊上滚落下来，接着他转过头避开了我。我假装没有注意到，并且试着换一个话题。

'You've been away three weeks,' I said.

“您出门已经有三个星期了吧。”我说。

Armand passed his hand over his eyes and answered:

阿尔芒用手擦了擦眼睛，回答道：

'Three weeks exactly.'

“正好三个星期。”

'It was a long journey, then.'

“那真是一次很长的旅行啊。”

'Oh! I wasn't travelling all the time. I was ill for a fortnight. Otherwise I would have been back long ago; but I'd only just arrived when a bout of fever got me and I was forced to keep to my room.'

“哦，我也不是一直在赶路。我病了两个星期。否则我早就回来了；我到了那里就开始发烧，所以我只能呆在自己的房间里面了。”

'And you set off again without being fully fit.'

“您病还没完全好就又启程了。”

'If I'd stayed another week in that place, I would have died there.'

“如果我再在那儿呆上一个星期，我就可能死在那儿了。”

'But now you're back you must look after yourself. Your friends will call to see you. And I shall be the first among them, if you'll allow me.'

“不过您现在已经回来了，那就应该好好保重身体。您的朋友们会来看望您的。如果您同意的话，我就算是第一个来看您的朋友吧。”

'In two hours I shall get up.'

“再过两个小时我就起来了。”

'This is most unwise!'

“这实在太不明智了！”

I must.'

“我必须得起来。”

'What have you to do that's so urgent?'

“您有什么事那么着急？”

'I have a call to pay on the superintendent of police.'

“我必须去拜访警察局长一次。”

'Why not let someone else see to a matter that may well make you more ill than you are now?'

“为什么不让别人去拜访他呢？这件事很可能会加重病情的。”

'It's the only thing that can make me well. I must see her. Ever since I've known she was dead, and especially since seeing her grave, I haven't been able to sleep. I cannot conceive that the woman I left so young and beautiful can really be dead. I must check for myself. I have to see what God has done with a being I loved so very much, and then perhaps the loathesomeness of the sight will chase away the despair of my memories; you will come with me, won't you ? Unless you'd find it too tiresome?'

“这是唯一一件能让我好起来的事。我必须见她一面。自从我知道她去世了之后，特别是看到她的坟墓之后，我就一直睡不着了。我不能想象，我离开时她是还那么年轻美丽，现在却已经不在人世了。我必须自己去看看。我一定要去看看上帝对我深爱的人做了什么，也许那个恐怖的景象会驱走我记忆中的绝望，您会和我一起去，对吧？如果您不觉得这太令人厌烦的话？”

'What did her sister tell you?'

“她的姐姐对您说了什么？”

'Nothing. She seemed very surprised that a stranger should wish to buy a burial plot and have a headstone put up to Marguerite, and she signed the authorization I asked her for at once.'

“什么也没有说。她看起来非常吃惊，一个陌生人想为玛格丽特买一块墓地然后为她立一块墓碑，我一问她，她就马上在授权书上签了名。

'Take my advice: wait until you are properly fit before having the body transferred.'

“考虑一下我的建议吧：等到您身体完全康复之后再迁葬。”

'Oh! Don't worry: I shall be strong. Anyway I should go mad if I didn't get what I've decided over and done with as quickly as possible: the need to see it through has become part of my grief. I swear to you that I shall not rest easy until I've seen Marguerite. It may be a craving of the fever which burns in me, a dream born of sleepless nights, an effect of my ravings; but even if I have to become a Trappist monk first to manage it, then like Monsieur de Ranc , once I have seen, I shall see.'

“哦，不用担心，我会好起来的。”“不论怎样，如果我不尽快把决定要做的事做完，我可能会发疯的：确保这件事做完的那种需要已经成为我痛苦的一部分了。我向您发誓，只有在看一眼玛格丽特以后，我才会平静下来。这可能是我发高烧时的渴望，不眠之夜产生的怪梦，或者是我胡说八道时候的反应；至于我是不是会像朗塞先生那样成为一个苦修士，要等我看到她了后再说了。”

'I can understand that,' I told Armand, 'and you have my complete support. Did you see Julie Duprat?'

“这我懂得，”我对阿尔芒说，“我完全支持你。您有没有看到朱莉·迪普拉？”

'Yes. Oh, I saw her the day I got back, the first time I returned.'

“看到了。啊，我回来的那天看到了她，我第一次回来的时候。”

'Did she hand over the papers which Marguerite had left for you?'

“她把玛格丽特留给您的日记交给您了吗？”

'They're here.'

“这些就是。”

Armand pulled a roll of papers from beneath his pillow, then put it back immediately.

阿尔芒从枕头下面取出一卷纸，但立刻又把它放了回去。

I know what these papers contain by heart,' he said, 'These last three weeks, I have re-read them ten times each day. You shall read them too, but later, when I'm calmer and can make you understand how much feeling and love this confession reveals. For the moment, I have a favour to ask you.'

“这些纸上写的东西我都记在心里了，”他对我说，“最近的三个星期，我每天都会把它们重读上十遍。您也可以看看它们，但是还要等几天，等到我稍微平静一些的时候，等我能够让您明白玛格丽特的这些表白中流露出多少的情感和爱的时候。现在，我想请您帮个忙。”

'What is it?'

“什么？”

'You have a carriage downstairs?'

“您在楼下有一辆马车是吧？”

'Yes.'

“是的。”

'Well, would you be so good as to take my passport, call at the bureau and ask if they are holding any letters for me poste restante? My father and my sister must have written to me here in Paris, and I left in such a hurry that I didn't take time to see before I set off. When you get back, we'll go together to inform the police superintendent of tomorrow's ceremony.'

“那么，您能不能拿着我的护照去趟邮局，问他们是不是有寄给我的等待领取的信件？我的父亲和妹妹一定往巴黎给我写信了，我上次走得太匆忙，甚至都没有抽时间在离开之前去看看。您回来之后，我们就一起去通知警长明天迁葬仪式的事情。”

Armand handed me his passport and I went round to the rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau.

阿尔芒把他的护照交给我，我就到让－雅克－鲁索大街去了。

There were two letters in the name of Duval. I picked them up and returned.

那里有两封写着迪瓦尔先生名字的信，我拿了它们就回来了。

When I reappeared, Armand was fully dressed and ready to go out.

我重新出现在阿尔芒家里的时候，他已经穿戴整齐，准备出门了。

Thank you,' he said, taking the letters. Yes,' he added, after glancing at the addresses, 'yes, they are from my father and my sister. They must have been totally mystified by my silence.'

“谢谢您，”他接过信的时候说。“是的，”他看了看信封上的地址，接着说，“是的，它们是父亲和妹妹寄来的。他们一定不知道我为什么没有回信。”

He opened the letters and guessed at, rather than read their contents, for each was four pages long, and after a moment he folded them up again.

他打开了信，与其说他读了信的内容，倒不如说是用猜的，因为每封信都有四页长，而他一会儿就把信又折了起来。

'Let's be off,' he said, 'I'll reply tomorrow.'

“我们走吧，”他对我说，“我明天再给他们回信。”

We went to see the superintendent of police, and Armand handed over Marguerite's sister's letter of attorney.

我们去见了警长，阿尔芒把玛格丽特姐姐的委托书交给了他。

In return, the superintendent gave him an advice note for the cemetery keeper; it was agreed that the transfer of the remains should take place the following day at ten in the morning, that I should come and collect him an hour beforehand and that we would drive to the cemetery together.

作为交换，警长给了他一张给公墓看守人的通知书；遗体迁葬被允许在第二天上午十点钟进行，所以我应该在这之前一个小时去接阿尔芒，然后我们一起驾车去公墓。

I too was curious to be present at the spectacle, and I confess I did not sleep that night.

我对参加这样一次迁葬也很感兴趣，老实说，我一夜都没睡好。

Judging by the thoughts which assailed me, it must have been a long night for Armand.

连我的脑子都被各种想法搞得乱糟糟的，可想而知，对阿尔芒来说这一定是个漫长的夜晚。

When I entered his apartment at nine the following morning, he was horribly pale, but appeared calm.

第二天早上九点钟，当我走进他家的时候，他的脸色苍白得吓人，但是看起来很平静。

He smiled at me and held out his hand.

他对我笑了笑，伸出了他的手。

His candles had burned right down and, before leaving, Armand picked up a very thick letter, addressed to his father, which had doubtless been the confidant of the night's reflections.

他家里的蜡烛都点完了，在离开之前，阿尔芒拿起了一封写给他父亲的厚厚的信，这里面无疑是一夜反省之后的感想。

Half an hour later, we were at Montmartre.

半个小时之后，我们到了蒙马特尔公墓。

The superintendent was already waiting for us.

警长已经在等着我们了。

We made our way slowly in the direction of Marguerite' s grave. The superintendent led the way, Armand and I following a few paces behind.

我们慢慢地向玛格丽特的坟墓走去。警长在前面带路，阿尔芒和我在后面几步远的地方跟着他。

From time to time, I felt my companion's arm tremble convulsively, as though a series of shudders had suddenly coursed through him. When this happened, I would look at him; he understood my look and smiled at me, but from the time we left his apartment we had not exchanged a single word.

我不时感觉到我同伴的胳膊在痉挛般地颤抖，就像一阵寒流突然穿过他的全身。当他颤抖的时候，我会看他一眼，他明白我目光的含义，并会对我微笑一下，但是从他家里出来之后，我们就一句话都没有说过。

Armand stopped just short of the grave to wipe his face which was streaming with large drops of perspiration.

就快要走到玛格丽特墓前时，阿尔芒停了下来，擦了擦脸上流下来的豆大的汗珠。

I took advantage of the halt to catch my breath, for I myself felt as though my heart was being squeezed in a vice.

我也利用这个机会喘了口气，因为我自己的心也好像被老虎钳紧紧地夹住了似的。

Why is it that we should find a mixture of pain and pleasure in sights of this kind? By the time we reached the grave, the gardener had taken the pots of flowers away, the iron railings had been removed and two men were digging with picks.

我们为什么需要在这样的场合寻找痛苦和欢乐的结合呢？我们来到坟墓前的时候，园丁已经把所有的花盆移开了，铁栅栏也搬开了，有两个人正在挖土。

Armand leaned against a tree and watched.

阿尔芒靠在一棵树上看着。

The whole of his life seemed to be concentrated in those eyes of his.

仿佛他全部的生命都集中在他那两只眼睛里了。

Suddenly, one of the picks grated on a stone.

突然，一把锄头砸到了一块石头上。

At the sound, Armand recoiled as though from an electric shock, and he grasped my hand with such strength that he hurt me.

一听到这个声音，阿尔芒像遭到电击似地往后一缩，他使劲抓住我的手，握得我手都痛了。

One grave-digger took a wide shovel and little by little emptied the grave; when there remained only the stones which are always used to cover the coffin, he threw them out one by one.

一个掘墓人拿着一把宽大的铁铲，一点儿一点儿地清除墓穴里的积土；当墓穴里只剩下盖在棺材上面的石块时，他就把它们一块一块地往外扔。

I kept an eye on Armand, for I was afraid that his sensations, which he was visibly repressing, might get the better of him at any moment; but he went on watching, his eyes fixed and staring like a madman's, and a slight twitching of the cheeks and lips was the only indication of a violent nervous crisis.

我一直密切注视着阿尔芒，因为我害怕他那明显被压抑着的情绪随时都会把他压垮；但是他继续看着，眼睛像疯子般紧紧盯着墓穴，只有从他微微颤抖的脸颊和双唇上才看得出他的神经正处在极度紧张的状态之中。

For my own part, I can say only one thing: that I regretted having come.

至于我自己，我只能说一件事，那就是我后悔到这里来。

When the coffin was completely exposed, the superintendent said to the grave-diggers: Open it up.'

棺材全部露出来以后，警长对掘墓的工人们说：“打开！”

The men obeyed, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

那些人就照办了，仿佛这是世界上最普通的一件事。

The coffin was made of oak, and they set about unscrewing the upper panel which served as a lid. The dampness of the earth had rusted the screws, and it was not without considerable effort that the coffin was opened. A foul odour emerged, despite the aromatic herbs with which it had been strewn.

棺材是橡木制的，他们卸下充当棺材盖的上层板条上的螺钉。地下的湿气锈住了这些螺钉，他们好不容易才把棺材打了开来。一股恶臭迎面扑来，尽管棺材四周都是芳香扑鼻的花草。

'Dear God! Dear God!' Armand murmured, and he grew paler than ever.

“天哪！天哪！”阿尔芒自言自语地说，他的脸变得比以前更苍白了。

The grave-diggers themselves stepped back a pace.

连掘墓人也向后退了一步。

A large white winding-sheet covered the corpse and partly outlined its misshapen contours. This shroud had been completely eaten away at one end, and allowed one of the dead woman's feet to protrude.

一块巨大的白色裹尸布裹着尸体，并部分显现出尸体变形了的轮廓。裹尸布的一端已经全部被腐蚀掉了，露出了这个死去女人的一只脚。

I was very near to feeling sick, and even now as I write these lines, the memory of this scene comes back to me in all its solemn reality.

我差不多要恶心地吐出来了，就在我现在写到这几行的时候，这一幕景象又真实地出现在我眼前。

'Let's get on with it,' said the superintendent.

“我们继续。”警长说。

At this, one of the men reached out his hand, began unstitching the shroud and, seizing it by one end, suddenly uncovered Marguerite's face.

听到警长这样说，其中的一个工人伸出手去，开始拆开裹尸布，他用一只手抓住一端掀开，一下子露出了玛格丽特的脸。

It was terrible to behold and it is horrible to relate.

她的模样看起来太可怕了，说起来也使人不寒而栗。

The eyes were simply two holes, the lips had gone, and the white teeth were clenched. The long, dry, black hair was stuck over the temples and partly veiled the green hollows of the cheeks, and yet in this face I recognized the pink and white, vivacious face which I had seen so often.

一对眼睛只剩下两个窟窿，嘴唇烂掉了，洁白的牙齿咬得紧紧的。已经干枯的黑色长发贴在太阳穴上，掩盖着部分深陷下去的发青的脸颊，但是，我还是可以从这张脸上看到我以前经常看见的那张白里透红、洋溢着青春活力的脸。

Armand, helpless to avert his eyes from her countenance, had put his handkerchief to his mouth and was biting on it.

阿尔芒完全不能把他的目光从玛格丽特的脸上移开，他把手帕塞进嘴里，使劲地咬着它。

As for me, I felt as though my head was being constricted by an iron band: a mist settled over my eyes, my ears were filled with buzzing noises, and it was as much as I could manage to open a small bottle I had brought with me just in case, and take deep breaths of the salts which it contained.

至于我，我觉得仿佛有一只铁环紧紧地套在头上，眼前一片模糊，耳朵里嗡嗡作响，我能做到的就是把我带在身边以防万一的小瓶子打开，使劲地闻里面装的盐。

At the height of my dizziness, I heard the superintendent say to Monsieur Duval: 'Do you identify the body?' Do you identify the body?'

正在我感到最头晕的时候，我听到警长对迪瓦尔先生说：“您认识这具尸体吗？”

'Yes,' the young man answered dully.

“是的，”年轻人迟钝地回答道。

'All right, close it up and take it away,' the superintendent said.

“好了，把棺材盖起来然后搬走。”警长说。

The grave-diggers pulled the shroud back over the dead woman's face, closed up the coffin, took one end each and headed for the spot which had been pointed out to them.

掘墓工人把裹尸布重新盖在女死者的脸上，盖上棺材，一人抬起一头，朝着给他们指定了的方向走去。

Armand did not move. His eyes were riveted on the empty grave: he was as pale as the corpse which we had just seen... He might have been turned to stone.

但是阿尔芒没有动。他的双眼凝视着那个空了的墓穴，他的脸色就像我们刚刚看见的尸体一样惨白。他好像变成了一块石头。

I saw what would happen when, away from this scene, his grief subsided and would consequently be no longer able to sustain him.

我知道在这个场面过去，他的痛苦缓解并再也不能支撑他以后，将会发生些什么事情。

I went up to the superintendent.

我走到警长旁边。

'Is the presence of this gentleman,' I said, gesturing towards Armand, 'required for anything else?'

“这位先生，”我指着阿尔芒对他说：“还需要留在这里吗？”

'No,' he said, 'and I would strongly advise you to take him away, for he seems to be unwell.'

“不用了，”警长回答说，“而且我强烈建议您把他带走，因为他看起来不太好。”

'Come,' I said to Armand, taking him by the arm.

“来吧，我们走。”我挽着阿尔芒的手臂对他说。

'What?' he said, looking at me as though he did not recognize me.

“什么？”他看着我说，好像不认识我一样。

'It's over,' I added, 'you must come away, my friend. You look pale, you're cold, you'll kill yourself with such emotions.'

“事情结束了，”我接着说，“您现在必须离开了，我的朋友。您看起来很苍白，浑身发冷，您这样激动是会送命的。”

'You're right, let's go,' he replied mechanically, but without moving one step.

“您说的对，我们走吧。”他机械地回答着，但是一步也没动。

So I took him by the arm and dragged him away.

于是，我只好抓住他的胳膊拖着他离开。

He allowed himself to be led off like a little child, merely muttering from time to time: Did you see the eyes?'

他让自己像一个小孩子一样被拖着走，时不时地嘟囔着：“您看见那双眼睛了吗？”

And he turned round as though the sight of them had called him back.

他回过头去，好像那双眼睛的目光在召唤他回去。

But his stride became jerky; he no longer seemed capable of walking without staggering; his teeth chattered, his hands were cold, violent nervous convulsions took possession of his entire body.

但他的脚步变得踉踉跄跄，看起来不能再平稳地走路了，他的牙齿咯咯作响，双手冰凉，全身的神经都在剧烈地颤动着。

I spoke to him; he did not reply.

我跟他讲话，但是他没有回答。

It was as much as he could do to allow himself to be led.

他唯一能做的，就是让我带着走。

At the gate, we found a cab. And none too soon.

我们在门口找到了马车。来得真是时候。

He had scarcely sat down inside, when the trembling grew stronger, and he had a sever nervous seizure. Through it, his fears of alarming me made him murmur as he pressed my hand:

他刚一坐下就颤抖得更厉害了，一次剧烈的全身痉挛。过了一会儿，他害怕我被吓着了，就紧紧压住我的手，喃喃地说：

It's nothing, nothing, I simply want to weep.'

“这没什么，没什么，我只是想哭罢了。”

And I heard him take deep breaths, and the blood rushed to his eyes, but the tears would not come.

然后我听到他喘着粗气，眼睛充血，眼泪却流不出来。

I made him inhale from the smelling bottle which had helped me and, by the time we reached his apartment, only the trembling was still in evidence.

我让他闻了闻刚才帮助了我的嗅盐瓶，我们到达他家里时，他仅仅只是在哆嗦而已了。

I put him to bed with the help of his servant, ordered a large fire to be lit in his bedroom, and hurried off to fetch my own doctor to whom I explained what had just happened.

我在他仆人的帮助下把他扶上了床，并吩咐仆人把他房间里的炉火烧得旺旺的，又急忙去找我的私人医生，并且把刚刚发生的事情告诉了他。

He came at once.

他立刻就过来了。

Armand was blue in the face. He was raving and stammering disconnected words through which only the name of Marguerite could be distinctly heard.

阿尔芒脸色发紫。他正在胡言乱语，结结巴巴地说着前言不搭后语的话，其中只有玛格丽特的名字能被清楚地听到。

'How is he?' I asked the doctor when he had examined the patient.

“他怎么样了？”医生检查过病人之后，我问他。

'Well now, he has brain fever, no more and no less, and it's as well for him. For I do believe that otherwise, God forgive me, he would have gone mad. Fortunately, his physical sickness will drive out his mental sickness, and most likely in a month he will be out of danger from both of them.'

“是这样的，他得了脑膜炎，不是什么其他的病，算他运气好了。”上帝请饶恕我吧，因为我确实相信他本可能会疯掉了呢。幸运的是，他肉体上的疾病会赶走他精神上的疾病，很可能一个月以后，他的两种病就都治好了。” IT0wPhLtjIkP4napqEgrIuT3UR576jqbhkl19Easiu27ui3r9QL1uC15IWQZWvr8