Now to return to Tom and Becky’s share in the picnic. —
现在回到汤姆和贝基在野餐中的那部分。 —

They tripped along the murky aisles with the rest of the company, visiting the familiar wonders of the cave—wonders dubbed with rather over-descriptive names, such as “The Drawing-Room,” “The Cathedral, ” “Aladdin’s Palace,” and so on. —
他们与队伍中的其他人一起走过昏暗的过道，参观了洞穴中的熟悉奇观——这些奇观都被赋予了过于描述性的名称，比如“客厅”，“大教堂”，“阿拉丁宫殿”等等。 —

Presently the hide-and-seek frolicking began, and Tom and Becky engaged in it with zeal until the exertion began to grow a trifle wearisome; —
很快，躲猫猫游戏开始了，汤姆和贝基积极参与其中，直到稍显疲劳。 —

then they wandered down a sinuous avenue holding their candles aloft and reading the tangled webwork of names, dates, postoffice addresses, and mottoes with which the rocky walls had been frescoed (in candle-smoke). —
然后，他们沿着一条蜿蜒的小路走去，高举着蜡烛，阅读着石墙上被蜡烟涂饰的纷乱文字，包括名字、日期、邮政地址和座右铭。 —

Still drifting along and talking, they scarcely noticed that they were now in a part of the cave whose walls were not frescoed. —
继续漂流和交谈，他们几乎没有注意到他们现在所处的洞穴部分的墙壁上没有涂饰。 —

They smoked their own names under an overhanging shelf and moved on. —
他们在一块突出的搁板下留下了自己的名字，然后继续前行。 —

Presently they came to a place where a little stream of water, trickling over a ledge and carrying a limestone sediment with it, had, in the slow-dragging ages, formed a laced and ruffled Niagara in gleaming and imperishable stone. —
现在他们来到了一个地方，这里有一小股水流，从岩石上滴下，带着石灰沉积物，经过漫长的岁月，形成了一条镶嵌着褶皱的、永恒不变的石头尼亚加拉瀑布。 —

Tom squeezed his small body behind it in order to illuminate it for Becky’s gratification. —
汤姆挤过这个小空间，为了展示给贝基看。 —

He found that it curtained a sort of steep natural stairway which was enclosed between narrow walls, and at once the ambition to be a discoverer seized him.
他发现这是一个被狭窄的墙壁所包围、像楼梯一样的陡峭天然岩层，立刻被探险的渴望所抓住。

Becky responded to his call, and they made a smoke-mark for future guidance, and started upon their quest. —
贝基回应了他的呼唤，他们为了以后的指引做了一个烟囱标记，然后开始了他们的冒险。 —

They wound this way and that, far down into the secret depths of the cave, made another mark, and branched off in search of novelties to tell the upper world about. —
他们蜿蜒前行，深入这个洞穴的秘密深处，做了另一个标记，然后分开寻找可以告诉外界的新奇事物。 —

In one place they found a spacious cavern, from whose ceiling depended a multitude of shining stalactites of the length and circumference of a man’s leg; —
在一个地方，他们发现了一个宽敞的洞穴，从天花板上悬挂着一大群闪闪发光的钟乳石，长度和周围与一个人的腿差不多。 —

they walked all about it, wondering and admiring, and presently left it by one of the numerous passages that opened into it. —
他们四处走动，惊叹不已，欣赏不已，最后通过众多通道中的一个离开了那个地方。 —

This shortly brought them to a bewitching spring, whose basin was incrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals; —
这很快把他们带到了一个迷人的泉水边，水池上镶嵌着一层由闪烁的水晶构成的冰结。 —

it was in the midst of a cavern whose walls were supported by many fantastic pillars which had been formed by the joining of great stalactites and stalagmites together, the result of the ceaseless water-drip of centuries. —
它位于一个洞穴的中心，洞穴的墙壁由许多奇特的柱子支撑，这些柱子是由巨大的钟乳石和石笋连接而成的，是几个世纪以来不停滴水的结果。 —

Under the roof vast knots of bats had packed themselves together, thousands in a bunch; —
在洞顶上，大批的蝙蝠结成了丛，密密麻麻的。 —

the lights disturbed the creatures and they came flocking down by hundreds, squeaking and darting furiously at the candles. —
灯光惊扰了这些生物，它们成群结队地飞下来，发出尖叫声，疯狂地向蜡烛扑去。 —

Tom knew their ways and the danger of this sort of conduct. —
汤姆知道它们的习性以及这种行为的危险。 —

He seized Becky’s hand and hurried her into the first corridor that offered; —
他抓住贝基的手，迅速将她带进了第一个可以走的走廊里。 —

and none too soon, for a bat struck Becky’s light out with its wing while she was passing out of the cavern. —
来不及了，因为一只蝙蝠在贝基走出洞穴时用翅膀把她的灯吹灭了。 —

The bats chased the children a good distance; —
蝙蝠追赶着孩子们一段很长的距离。 —

but the fugitives plunged into every new passage that offered, and at last got rid of the perilous things. —
但逃亡者们毫不犹豫地跳进每一个新的通道，最终摆脱了危险的东西。 —

Tom found a subterranean lake, shortly, which stretched its dim length away until its shape was lost in the shadows. —
不久，汤姆发现了一个地下湖，它朦胧地延伸着，直到它的形状在阴影中消失。 —

He wanted to explore its borders, but concluded that it would be best to sit down and rest awhile, first. —
他想要探索它的边界，但是得先坐下来休息一会儿才是最好的。 —

Now, for the first time, the deep stillness of the place laid a clammy hand upon the spirits of the children. Becky said:
现在，这个地方深深的寂静使孩子们感到不安。贝基说：

“Why, I didn’t notice, but it seems ever so long since I heard any of the others.”
“嗯，我没注意，但好像很久没听到其他人的声音了。”

“Come to think, Becky, we are away down below them—and I don’t know how far away north, or south, or east, or whichever it is. —
“仔细想想，贝基，我们走到他们的下面了，我不知道是往哪个方向，是往北、还是往南、还是往东，或者是往哪个方向。” —

We couldn’t hear them here.”
“我们听不到他们的声音。”

Becky grew apprehensive.
贝基变得担心起来。

“I wonder how long we’ve been down here, Tom? We better start back.”
“汤姆，我们在这里已经多久了？我们最好回去。”

“Yes, I reckon we better. P’raps we better.”
“是的，我想我们最好回去。也许我们最好回去。”

“Can you find the way, Tom? It’s all a mixed-up crookedness to me.”
“汤姆，你能找到回去的路吗？对我来说这里都是错综复杂的。”

“I reckon I could find it—but then the bats. —
“我想我能找到，但是这里有蝙蝠。” —

If they put our candles out it will be an awful fix. —
如果他们把我们的蜡烛灭了，那将是一个糟糕的局面。 —

Let’s try some other way, so as not to go through there.”
我们试试其他的方法，不要从那里通过。

“Well. But I hope we won’t get lost. It would be so awful! —
“嗯，但我希望我们不会迷路。那将是很可怕的！” —

” and the girl shuddered at the thought of the dreadful possibilities.
女孩想到了可怕的可能性，感到胆寒。

They started through a corridor, and traversed it in silence a long way, glancing at each new opening, to see if there was anything familiar about the look of it; —
他们穿过一个走廊，沉默地走了很长时间，每次看到新的入口时，都会寻找熟悉的迹象； —

but they were all strange. Every time Tom made an examination, Becky would watch his face for an encouraging sign, and he would say cheerily:
但它们都很陌生。每次汤姆检查时，贝基都会留意他的脸，希望看到鼓舞人心的迹象，他会欢快地说：

“Oh, it’s all right. This ain’t the one, but we’ll come to it right away!”
“哦，没关系。这不是那个，但我们很快就会到达！”

But he felt less and less hopeful with each failure, and presently began to turn off into diverging avenues at sheer random, in desperate hope of finding the one that was wanted. —
但随着每次失败，他感到越来越没有希望，不久他开始随机地转入不同的小道，绝望地希望找到需要的那一条。 —

He still said it was “all right,” but there was such a leaden dread at his heart that the words had lost their ring and sounded just as if he had said, “All is lost! —
他依然说“没关系”，但他的内心充满了沉重的恐惧，这些话已经丧失了它们的力量，听起来就像他说的是“一切都完了！” —

” Becky clung to his side in an anguish of fear, and tried hard to keep back the tears, but they would come. At last she said:
贝琪惶恐地紧紧依偎在他身边，竭力忍住眼泪，但它们还是流了出来。最后她说：

“Oh, Tom, never mind the bats, let’s go back that way! —
“哦，汤姆，别管蝙蝠了，让我们原路返回吧！” —

We seem to get worse and worse off all the time.”
我们看起来越来越糟糕。

“Listen!” said he.
“听！”他说。

Profound silence; silence so deep that even their breathings were conspicuous in the hush. —
深沉的寂静，沉默无声，连他们的呼吸在这安静中也显得很明显。 —

Tom shouted. The call went echoing down the empty aisles and died out in the distance in a faint sound that resembled a ripple of mocking laughter.
汤姆大声喊叫。呼喊声在空荡的走廊中回荡，并最终以微弱的声音在远处消失，仿佛是一阵嘲笑的涟漪。

“Oh, don’t do it again, Tom, it is too horrid,” said Becky.
“哦，汤姆，别再喊了，太可怕了。”贝琪说道。

“It is horrid, but I better, Becky; they might hear us, you know,” and he shouted again.
“这很可怕，但我得这么做，贝琪；他们也许会听见我们呢，你知道的。”他又喊了一次。

The “might” was even a chillier horror than the ghostly laughter, it so confessed a perishing hope. —
“也许”比那幽灵般的笑声更令人寒心，因为它昭示着一线即将消逝的希望。 —

The children stood still and listened; but there was no result. —
孩子们站在原地静静地听了，但没有任何结果。 —

Tom turned upon the back track at once, and hurried his steps. —
汤姆立刻转回原路，并加快了脚步。 —

It was but a little while before a certain indecision in his manner revealed another fearful fact to Becky—he could not find his way back!
没过多久，汤姆的举止中出现了某种犹豫不决，这使贝基察觉到另一个可怕的事实——他找不到回去的路了！

“Oh, Tom, you didn’t make any marks!”
“哦，汤姆，你没有做任何标记！”

“Becky, I was such a fool! Such a fool! —
“贝基，我真是个傻瓜！个大傻瓜！ —

I never thought we might want to come back! —
我从来没想过我们可能会想回去！ —

No—I can’t find the way. It’s all mixed up.”
不行——我找不到路了。都弄混了。”

“Tom, Tom, we’re lost! we’re lost! We never can get out of this awful place! —
“汤姆，汤姆，我们迷路了！我们迷路了！我们永远也出不去这个可怕的地方！ —

Oh, why did we ever leave the others!”
噢，我们为什么离开其他人！”

She sank to the ground and burst into such a frenzy of crying that Tom was appalled with the idea that she might die, or lose her reason. —
她跌坐到地上，陷入了如此的痛苦哭泣之中，以至于汤姆对她可能死去或失去理智的想法感到震惊。 —

He sat down by her and put his arms around her; —
他坐在她旁边，抱住她； —

she buried her face in his bosom, she clung to him, she poured out her terrors, her unavailing regrets, and the far echoes turned them all to jeering laughter. —
她把脸埋在他的怀里，紧紧地抓住他，她倾诉着自己的恐惧，毫无效果的懊悔，而远处的回声把它们变成了嘲笑声。 —

Tom begged her to pluck up hope again, and she said she could not. —
汤姆恳求她重新振作起来，但她说她做不到。 —

He fell to blaming and abusing himself for getting her into this miserable situation; —
他开始责怪并折磨自己，因为是他把她置于这个悲惨的境地中。 —

this had a better effect. She said she would try to hope again, she would get up and follow wherever he might lead if only he would not talk like that any more. —
这种做法起到了一定的效果。她说她会尝试重新寄予希望，只要他不再那样说话，她愿意起来跟随他的脚步。 —

For he was no more to blame than she, she said.
她说他不该比她更应受责备。

So they moved on again—aimlessly—simply at random—all they could do was to move, keep moving. —
于是他们又开始无目的地继续前行，完全是胡乱地移动，他们能做的只是移动。 —

For a little while, hope made a show of reviving—not with any reason to back it, but only because it is its nature to revive when the spring has not been taken out of it by age and familiarity with failure.
暂时，希望表现出了复苏的样子，虽然没有任何理由支持它的复苏，只是因为当有破旧和衰败的熟悉时，它的本性是复苏。

By-and-by Tom took Becky’s candle and blew it out. This economy meant so much! —
不久后，汤姆吹灭了贝基的蜡烛。这种节约意味着很多！ —

Words were not needed. Becky understood, and her hope died again. —
语言是不需要的。贝基明白了，并且她的希望再次消失了。 —

She knew that Tom had a whole candle and three or four pieces in his pockets—yet he must economize.
她知道汤姆的口袋里有一整支蜡烛和三四块碎蜡烛，然而他还是要节约使用。

By-and-by, fatigue began to assert its claims; —
不久，疲劳开始表现出它的权利要求。 —

the children tried to pay attention, for it was dreadful to think of sitting down when time was grown to be so precious, moving, in some direction, in any direction, was at least progress and might bear fruit; —
孩子们努力保持注意力，想着坐下来是可怕的，因为时间变得如此宝贵，往某个方向移动，任何一个方向都是进步，并且可能有所收获； —

but to sit down was to invite death and shorten its pursuit.
但是坐下来就是邀请死神，缩短他的追逐。

At last Becky’s frail limbs refused to carry her farther. She sat down. —
最后贝基那纤弱的肢体无法再继续前行。她坐了下来。 —

Tom rested with her, and they talked of home, and the friends there, and the comfortable beds and, above all, the light! —
汤姆和她一起休息，他们谈论着家人和朋友们，舒适的床和，尤其是光明！ —

Becky cried, and Tom tried to think of some way of comforting her, but all his encouragements were grown thread-bare with use, and sounded like sarcasms. —
贝基哭了，汤姆试图想出办法安慰她，但是所有的鼓励都已经滥用了，听起来像是讽刺。 —

Fatigue bore so heavily upon Becky that she drowsed off to sleep. Tom was grateful. —
疲劳让贝基感到沉重，她进入了梦乡。汤姆心怀感激。 —

He sat looking into her drawn face and saw it grow smooth and natural under the influence of pleasant dreams; —
他坐着看着她紧张的脸庞，在愉快的梦境的影响下，她的面部变得平滑和自然； —

and by-and-by a smile dawned and rested there. —
然后一丝微笑浮现并停留在那里。 —

The peaceful face reflected somewhat of peace and healing into his own spirit, and his thoughts wandered away to bygone times and dreamy memories. —
宁静的面容在他身上反射出一些宁静和康复的力量，他的思绪飘散到过去的时光和梦幻般的回忆中。 —

While he was deep in his musings, Becky woke up with a breezy little laugh—but it was stricken dead upon her lips, and a groan followed it.
当他深陷沉思时，贝基带着轻快的笑声醒来，但笑声戛然而止，接着是一声呻吟。

“Oh, how could I sleep! I wish I never, never had waked! No! —
“哦，我怎么会睡着了！真希望我从来没有、从来没有醒过来！不！ —

No, I don’t, Tom! Don’t look so! I won’t say it again.”
不，我不这么想，汤姆！不要这样看着我！我不会再说了。”

“I’m glad you’ve slept, Becky; you’ll feel rested, now, and we’ll find the way out.”
“贝基，你睡醒了，会感觉精力充沛，我们会找到出路的。”

“We can try, Tom; but I’ve seen such a beautiful country in my dream. —
“我们可以尝试一下，汤姆；但我在梦中看到了一个美丽的国家。 —

I reckon we are going there.”
我猜我们会去那里。”

“Maybe not, maybe not. Cheer up, Becky, and let’s go on trying.”
“也许不会，也许不会。振作起来，贝基，让我们继续努力。”

They rose up and wandered along, hand in hand and hopeless. —
他们站起来手牵着手继续游荡，毫无希望。 —

They tried to estimate how long they had been in the cave, but all they knew was that it seemed days and weeks, and yet it was plain that this could not be, for their candles were not gone yet. —
他们试图估计他们在洞穴里呆了多长时间，但他们所知道的只是仿佛过了几天几周，可很明显这不可能，因为他们的蜡烛还没有烧完。 —

A long time after this—they could not tell how long—Tom said they must go softly and listen for dripping water—they must find a spring. —
在此之后很久很久——他们无法确定多久——汤姆说他们必须小心前行，听水滴的声音——他们必须找到一个泉水。 —

They found one presently, and Tom said it was time to rest again. —
他们很快就找到了一个泉水，汤姆说是时候再次休息了。 —

Both were cruelly tired, yet Becky said she thought she could go a little farther. —
两个人都累得够呛，但贝基说她觉得自己可以再走一小段路。 —

She was surprised to hear Tom dissent. She could not understand it. —
她对汤姆的反对感到惊讶，她无法理解。 —

They sat down, and Tom fastened his candle to the wall in front of them with some clay. —
他们坐下来，汤姆用黏土将蜡烛固定在了他们面前的墙上。 —

Thought was soon busy; nothing was said for some time. Then Becky broke the silence:
思绪很快就活跃起来，有一段时间没有说话。然后贝基打破了沉默:

“Tom, I am so hungry!”
“汤姆，我好饿！”

Tom took something out of his pocket.
汤姆从口袋里拿出了东西。

“Do you remember this?” said he.
“你还记得这个吗？”他说。

Becky almost smiled.
贝基几乎笑了起来。

“It’s our wedding-cake, Tom.”
“这是我们的婚礼蛋糕，汤姆。”

“Yes—I wish it was as big as a barrel, for it’s all we’ve got.”
“是的——要是它像好大一桶那么大就好了，因为这是我们唯一的食物。”

“I saved it from the picnic for us to dream on, Tom, the way grownup people do with wedding-cake—but it’ll be our—”
“我从野餐上留下来的，为了我们梦想，像大人一样梦想婚礼蛋糕——但这将是我们的——”

She dropped the sentence where it was. Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety. —
她把那句话放在原来的位置。汤姆分了蛋糕，贝姬津津有味地吃着，而汤姆则细嚼慢咽。 —

There was abundance of cold water to finish the feast with. —
还有充裕的冷水可以用来结束宴席。 —

By-and-by Becky suggested that they move on again. —
不久之后，贝姬建议他们继续前进。 —

Tom was silent a moment. Then he said:
汤姆沉默了一会儿。然后他说：

“Becky, can you bear it if I tell you something?”
“贝姬，我能告诉你一件事吗？”

Becky’s face paled, but she thought she could.
贝姬的脸变得苍白，但她觉得自己能承受得住。

“Well, then, Becky, we must stay here, where there’s water to drink. —
“好吧，贝姬，我们必须留在这里，这里有水喝。” —

That little piece is our last candle!”
那个小块是我们最后的蜡烛！”

Becky gave loose to tears and wailings. Tom did what he could to comfort her, but with little effect. —
贝姬放声大哭。汤姆尽力安慰她，但效果不大。 —

At length Becky said:
最后，贝姬说：

“Tom!”
“汤姆！”

“Well, Becky?”
“什么事，贝姬？”

“They’ll miss us and hunt for us!”
“他们会想念我们，会搜寻我们！”

“Yes, they will! Certainly they will!”
“是的，他们会！肯定会！”

“Maybe they’re hunting for us now, Tom.”
“也许他们现在正在搜寻我们，汤姆。”

“Why, I reckon maybe they are. I hope they are.”
“嗯，我猜也许他们是的。我希望他们是的。”

“When would they miss us, Tom?”
“汤姆，他们什么时候会发现我们不见了？”

“When they get back to the boat, I reckon.”
“当他们回到船上时，我猜。”

“Tom, it might be dark then—would they notice we hadn’t come?”
“汤姆，那时可能已经天黑了，他们会注意到我们没来吗？”

“I don’t know. But anyway, your mother would miss you as soon as they got home.”
“我不知道。但是无论如何，你妈妈会在他们回家后马上发现你不在哈珀夫人家。”

A frightened look in Becky’s face brought Tom to his senses and he saw that he had made a blunder. —
贝基脸上的恐惧表情让汤姆清醒过来，他意识到自己犯了个错误。 —

Becky was not to have gone home that night! The children became silent and thoughtful. —
贝基今晚本来不该回家的！孩子们变得沉默思考起来。 —

In a moment a new burst of grief from Becky showed Tom that the thing in his mind had struck hers also—that the Sabbath morning might be half spent before Mrs. Thatcher discovered that Becky was not at Mrs. Harper’s.
贝基的哭声突然大了起来，表明汤姆的想法也触动到了她——即使直到撒切尔夫人发现贝基不在哈珀夫人家时，也可能是半个安息日的时间已过去了。

The children fastened their eyes upon their bit of candle and watched it melt slowly and pitilessly away; —
孩子们盯着他们的一截蜡烛，悲伤地看着它慢慢地无情融化； —

saw the half inch of wick stand alone at last; —
看着最后只剩下半英寸长的蜡烛芯独自燃烧。 —

saw the feeble flame rise and fall, climb the thin column of smoke, linger at its top a moment, and then—the horror of utter darkness reigned!
看着微弱的火焰升起又落下，攀升着细细的烟柱，在顶端停留片刻，然后——充斥着无尽黑暗的可怕降临了！

How long afterward it was that Becky came to a slow consciousness that she was crying in Tom’s arms, neither could tell. —
过了很久，贝基才慢慢意识到她正哭在汤姆的怀里，他们俩都说不清是多久之后的事情。 —

All that they knew was, that after what seemed a mighty stretch of time, both awoke out of a dead stupor of sleep and resumed their miseries once more. —
他们所知道的只是，在经历了一段漫长的时间后，他们从沉重的昏睡中醒来，重新感受到了痛苦。 —

Tom said it might be Sunday, now—maybe Monday. —
汤姆说现在可能是星期天，也许是星期一。 —

He tried to get Becky to talk, but her sorrows were too oppressive, all her hopes were gone. —
他试图让贝基说话，但她的痛苦压得她喘不过气来，她所有的希望都消失了。 —

Tom said that they must have been missed long ago, and no doubt the search was going on. —
汤姆说他们很久之前就应该被注意到了，毫无疑问搜寻正在进行中。 —

He would shout and maybe some one would come. He tried it; —
他会大声呼喊，也许会有人过来。他试了一次； —

but in the darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it no more.
但在黑暗中，遥远的回声听起来太可怕了，他不再试了。

The hours wasted away, and hunger came to torment the captives again. —
时间一点点流逝，饥饿再次折磨住了俘虏们。 —

A portion of Tom’s half of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. —
汤姆的一半蛋糕还剩下一部分，他们分着吃了。 —

But they seemed hungrier than before. The poor morsel of food only whetted desire.
但他们似乎比以前更饥饿。微不足道的一点食物只激起了更多的渴望。

By-and-by Tom said:
过了一会儿，汤姆说：

“SH! Did you hear that?”
“嘘！你听到了吗？”

Both held their breath and listened. There was a sound like the faintest, far-off shout. —
两人屏住呼吸倾听。有一个微弱的、遥远的喊声。 —

Instantly Tom answered it, and leading Becky by the hand, started groping down the corridor in its direction. —
汤姆立刻回应，并拉着贝基的手，朝着喊声的方向摸索而去。 —

Presently he listened again; again the sound was heard, and apparently a little nearer.
他再次倾听；声音听起来更近了一点。

“It’s them!” said Tom; “they’re coming! Come along, Becky—we’re all right now!”
“是他们！”汤姆说，“他们来了！快点，贝基，我们没事了！”

The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. —
囚徒们的欣喜几乎无法抑制。 —

Their speed was slow, however, because pitfalls were somewhat common, and had to be guarded against. They shortly came to one and had to stop. —
然而，他们的行进速度很慢，因为陷阱相对常见，必须小心防范。他们很快遇到一个陷阱，不得不停下来。 —

It might be three feet deep, it might be a hundred—there was no passing it at any rate. —
这个陷阱可能有三英尺深，也可能有一百英尺——无论如何，无法通过。 —

Tom got down on his breast and reached as far down as he could. No bottom. —
汤姆趴在地上，尽可能地伸手向下。没有底。 —

They must stay there and wait until the searchers came. They listened; —
他们必须在那里等待搜寻者到来。他们倾听着； —

evidently the distant shoutings were growing more distant! —
显然，远处的喊声越来越远！ —

a moment or two more and they had gone altogether. The heart-sinking misery of it! —
再过一会儿，那些喊声就彻底消失了。真是让人心如死灰！ —

Tom whooped until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. He talked hopefully to Becky; —
汤姆一直呼喊着，直到嗓子都喊哑了，但毫无用处。他对贝基充满希望地说话； —

but an age of anxious waiting passed and no sounds came again.
然而，漫长而焦虑的等待过去了，又没有听到任何声音。

The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time dragged on; —
孩子们摸索着回到了泉水旁。这漫长的时间过得真慢； —

they slept again, and awoke famished and woe-stricken. —
他们再次睡着了，醒来时又又又饿又苦不堪言。 —

Tom believed it must be Tuesday by this time.
汤姆认为这个时候应该是星期二了。

Now an idea struck him. There were some side passages near at hand. —
突然，他想到了一个主意。附近有一些侧廊。 —

It would be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of the heavy time in idleness. —
与其闲坐着沉重地度过时间，还不如探索一些侧廊。 —

He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and Becky started, Tom in the lead, unwinding the line as he groped along. —
他从口袋里拿出一个风筝线，将其绑在一处凸起的物体上，汤姆带着贝基走在前面，他边摸索着边放出线。 —

At the end of twenty steps the corridor ended in a “jumping-off place. —
走了二十步，走廊尽头是一个“终止点”。 —

” Tom got down on his knees and felt below, and then as far around the corner as he could reach with his hands conveniently; —
汤姆跪下，用手方便地触摸了下面，并尽一切可能地继续伸手到右边的拐角处； —

he made an effort to stretch yet a little farther to the right, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand, holding a candle, appeared from behind a rock! —
他极力往右边伸得再远一点，就在这时，不到二十码远的地方，一个人的手从一块岩石后面出现了，手上拿着一支蜡烛！ —

Tom lifted up a glorious shout, and instantly that hand was followed by the body it belonged to—Injun Joe’s! —
汤姆高兴地大声喊叫起来，而紧跟那只手的是属于印第安乔的身体！ —

Tom was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified the next moment, to see the “Spaniard” take to his heels and get himself out of sight. —
汤姆被吓得动弹不得。他对接下来“西班牙人”急忙逃之夭夭感到极为满意。 —

Tom wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice and come over and killed him for testifying in court. —
汤姆奇怪为什么乔没有辨认出他的声音并走过来杀了他作为法庭上的证人。 —

But the echoes must have disguised the voice. Without doubt, that was it, he reasoned. —
但回想起来，这声音一定被回声掩饰了。毫无疑问，原因就在那里，他自己推理出来。 —

Tom’s fright weakened every muscle in his body. —
汤姆被吓得浑身的力量都消失了。 —

He said to himself that if he had strength enough to get back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again. —
他告诉自己，如果他有足够的力量回到泉水那里，他将待在那里，什么都不能诱使他再冒险遇到印第安乔。 —

He was careful to keep from Becky what it was he had seen. —
他小心翼翼地不让贝基知道他看到了什么。 —

He told her he had only shouted “for luck.”
他告诉她他只是为了好运而喊叫。

But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run. —
但饥饿和悲惨最终战胜了恐惧。 —

Another tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep brought changes. —
泉水旁又是漫长的等待，又是一次长时间的睡眠，带来了一些变化。 —

The children awoke tortured with a raging hunger. —
孩子们醒来时痛苦地被饥饿折磨着。 —

Tom believed that it must be Wednesday or Thursday or even Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search had been given over. —
汤姆相信现在一定是周三、周四或者甚至周五、周六了，搜索已经被放弃了。 —

He proposed to explore another passage. He felt willing to risk Injun Joe and all other terrors. —
他打算探索另一条通道。他愿意冒险去面对印第安人乔和其他的恐怖。 —

But Becky was very weak. She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would not be roused. —
但贝基非常虚弱。她沉入了一种郁闷的麻木状态，无法被唤醒。 —

She said she would wait, now, where she was, and die—it would not be long. —
她说她现在会等待，在她所在的地方等待死亡 - 这不会很久。 —

She told Tom to go with the kite-line and explore if he chose; —
她告诉汤姆可以带着风筝线去探索; —

but she implored him to come back every little while and speak to her; —
但她恳求他每隔一会儿回来和她说话; —

and she made him promise that when the awful time came, he would stay by her and hold her hand until all was over.
她要求他保证在可怕的时刻，他会陪在她身边，握着她的手直到一切都结束。

Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a show of being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from the cave; —
汤姆在喉咙里感到一阵窒息的感觉，亲吻了她，并表现出对找到搜寻者或逃离洞穴的自信； —

then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of the passages on his hands and knees, distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of coming doom.
然后，他拿着风筝线，匍匐前行在通道中，饥饿不堪，心中忧虑即将来临的厄运。