Is it a Plot?
这是一个阴谋吗？

Ah! How cruel is the interval between the conception of a greatproject and its execution! —
啊！一个伟大计划的构思与执行之间的间隔是多么残酷！ —

What vain terrors! What irresolutions!
多么徒劳的恐惧！多么犹豫不决啊！

　　Life is at stake. Far more than life—honour!
生命岌岌可危，远不止生命——还有荣誉！

　　SCHILLER’This is becoming serious,’ thought Julien … ‘and a little too obvious,’
席勒：“这变得很严肃，”朱利安想到，“而且有点太明显了，”他在稍作思考后补充道，“为什么呢！

he added, after a moment’s reflection. ‘Why! —
这位漂亮的年轻美女可以在图书馆自由地与我交谈，谢天谢地，这里没有受限制； —

This pretty young beautycan speak to me in the library with a freedom which, thank heaven, isunrestricted; —
因为怕我用课程烦扰他，侯爵从不来这里。为什么呢！ —

the Marquis, for fear of my bothering him with accounts,never comes there. Why! —
拉穆勒先生和诺贝尔伯爵，唯一常在此地露面的人，几乎整天都不在家； —

M. de La Mole and Comte Norbert, the onlypeople who ever show their faces here, are absent almost all day; —
很容易等待他们回到家里的时刻，而这位崇高的玛蒂尔德，即使有一位君主亦觉得不太高尚，竟希望我做一件极其愚蠢的事！ —

it iseasy to watch for the moment of their return to the house, and the sublime Mathilde, for whose hand a Sovereign Prince would not be toonoble, wishes me to commit an act of abominable imprudence!
这很明显，他们希望毁掉我，或者至少愚弄我。首先，他们试图通过我的信件毁掉我；这些信件表现得很谨慎；很好，现在他们需要一件明亮如白昼的行动。

‘It is clear, they wish to ruin me, or to make a fool of me, at least. —
这些漂亮的小绅士认为我太单纯或太自负。该死！ —

Firstof all, they sought to ruin me by my letters; these proved cautious; —
用你曾见过最明亮的月光，爬上梯子到离地面二十五英尺高的一楼！ —

verywell, now they require an action that shall be as clear as daylight. —
这简直是荒谬之举！MeasureSpec.Battle Layout算法和Profiler的应用 —

Thesepretty little gentlemen think me too simple or too conceited. The devil!
他们想要毁掉我，或者至少让我成为笑柄。

With the brightest moon you ever saw, to climb up by a ladder to a firstfloor, five and twenty feet from the ground! —
难道！用你曾见过最明亮的月光，爬上梯子到离地面二十五英尺高的一楼！ —

They will have plenty oftime to see me, even from the neighbouring houses. —
他们将有足够的时间来看我，甚至可以从邻居的房子里看到我。 —

I shall be a fine sighton my ladder!’ Julien went up to his room and began to pack his trunk,whistling as he did so. —
我爬在梯子上时一定是个漂亮的风景！朱利安走到自己的房间开始整理行装，一边吹着口哨。 —

He had made up his mind to go, and not even toanswer the letter.
他已经决定要走了，即使不回复那封信也无所谓。

　　But this sage resolution gave him no peace of heart. ‘If, by any chance,’
但这个明智的决定并没有给他带来心灵的安宁。“如果，不期然间，”他自言自语，行装整理好后合上箱子，“玛蒂尔德是真诚的！

he said to himself, suddenly, his trunk packed and shut, ‘Mathilde weresincere! —
然后在她眼里我将成为一个完美的懦夫。 —

Then I shall be cutting in her eyes the most perfect figure of acoward. —
我没有血统，因此我需要拥有一种伟大的品质，能够随时准备好，没有谄媚的设想，由雄辩的行为证明的品质… ” —

I have no birth, so I require great qualities, ready on demand,with no flattering suppositions, qualities proved by eloquent deeds … ‘
我需要通过雄辩的行为来证明这些品质……”

He spent a quarter of an hour pacing the floor of his room. ‘What usein denying it?’ —
他花了一个刻钟在房间里走来走去。“否认有何用？” —

he asked himself, at length; ‘I shall be a coward in hereyes. —
他终于自问道，“在她眼中，我将会是个懦夫。” —

I lose not only the most brilliant young person in high society, aseveryone was saying at M. le Duc de Retz’s ball, but, furthermore, theheavenly pleasure of seeing her throw over for me the Marquis de Croisenois, the son of a Duke, and a future Duke himself. —
我不仅失去了名噪一时的高社交界中最杰出的年轻人，就像每个人都在马里昂公爵的舞会上说的那样，而且，我还失去了看到她为我放弃克罗瓦诺伯爵这位未来会成为公爵的公爵之子而感到的天上般的快乐。 —

A charming youngman who has all the qualities that I lack: —
一个迷人的年轻人，他拥有我所缺乏的一切品质：机智，出身，财富……” —

a ready wit, birth, fortune …’This remorse will pursue me all my life, not for her, there are heaps ofmistresses, “but only one honour”, as old Don Diego says, and here I amclearly and plainly recoiling from the first peril that comes my way; —
这种懊悔会伴随我一生，不为了她，情妇何其多，“但只得一份荣誉”，如同老唐迭戈所说，而我清楚地、明确地退避对我发起的第一个险境； —

forthat duel with M. de Beauvoisis was a mere joke. This is quite different. —
因为和博比瓦的决斗只不过是个玩笑。这次完全不同。 —

Imay be shot point-blank by a servant, but that is the least danger; —
我可能会被佣人近距离枪杀，但那是最小的危险； —

I mayforfeit my honour.
我可能丧失我的荣誉。

‘This is becoming serious, my boy,’ he went on, with a Gascon gaietyand accent. —
“这变得严肃了，我的孩子，” 他带着加斯科尼的愉悦和腔调继续说着。 —

‘Honur is at stake. A poor devil kept down by fate in mylowly station will never find such an opportunity again; —
“荣誉岌岌可危。被命运压抑在我卑微的地位的可怜家伙再也找不到这样的机会； —

I shall have adventures, but tawdry ones … ‘
我会有冒险，但那会是些俗艳的冒险……”

He reflected at length, he paced the room with a hurried step, stoppingshort now and again. —
他冥思着，院倏地快步走着，偶尔停下来。 —

There stood in his room a magnificent bust inmarble of Cardinal Richelieu, which persistently caught his eye. —
房间里有一尊大理石雕像，描绘的是大枢机主教理海留，它一直吸引着他的目光。 —

Thisbust appeared to be gazing at him sternly, as though reproaching him forthe want of that audacity which ought to be so natural to the Frenchcharacter. —
这尊雕像似乎在严厉地凝视着他，仿佛在指责他缺乏那种理应对于法国人来说是如此自然的大胆。 —

‘In thy time, great man, should I have hesitated?
“在你的时代，伟大的人，我会犹豫吗？”

　　’At the worst,’ Julien told himself finally, ‘let us suppose that all this isa plot, it is a very dark one, and highly compromising for a young girl.
最差的情况下，尤利安最终告诉自己，“让我们假设这一切都是一个阴谋，这是一个非常黑暗的阴谋，对一个年轻女孩来说非常不利。

They know that I am not the man to keep silent. They will therefore haveto kill me. —
他们知道我不是会保持沉默的人。因此他们将不得不杀了我。 —

That was all very well in 1574, in the days of Boniface de LaMole, but the La Mole of today would never dare. —
那在1574年还可以，那是邦尼法斯·德拉莫勒的时代，但是现在的拉莫勒从不敢。 —

These people are notthe same now. Mademoiselle de La Mole is so envied! —
这些人如今已经不同了。德拉莫勒小姐是如此令人羡慕！ —

Four hundreddrawing-rooms would echo with her disgrace next day, and with whatrejoicing!
四百个客厅第二天将会充满她的耻辱，大家将多么高兴啊！

‘The servants chatter among themselves of the marked preference thatis shown me; —
“仆人们彼此之间议论着对我的格外偏爱； —

I know it, I have heard them …’On the other hand, her letters! —
我知道，我已经听到了…” 另一方面，她的信！ —

… They may suppose that I have themon me. They surprise me in her room, and take them from me. —
… 他们可能认为我把信带在身上。他们在她的房间发现我，然后把信拿走。 —

I shallhave two, three, four, any number of men to deal with. —
我将不得不应付两个，三个，四个，任意数量的男人。 —

But these men,where will they collect them? Where is one to find discreet agents in Paris? —
但是这些人，他们将在哪里聚集？在巴黎哪里能找到谨慎的代理人？ —

They are afraid of the law … Gad! It will be the Caylus and Croisenois and de Luz themselves. —
他们害怕法律… 天啊！将是卡伊勒、克罗瓦诺亚和德卢兹他们自己来做这件事。 —

The thought of that moment, and the foolish figure I shall cut there among them will be what has temptedthem. —
想到那一刻，还有我在他们中间所扮演的愚蠢角色，将是他们诱惑的原因。 —

Beware the fate of Abelard, Master Secretary!
小心那阿贝拉尔德的命运，大秘书！

　　’Begad, then, gentlemen, you shall bear the mark of my fists, I shallstrike at your faces, like Caesar’s soldiers at Pharsalia … As for the letters, I can put them in a safe place.’
“天啊，先生们，你们将留下我拳头的印记，我将击打你们的脸，就像凯撒的士兵在法萨里战役中一样… 至于这些信件，我可以将它们放在一个安全的地方。”

　　Julien made copies of the two last, concealed them in a volume of thefine Voltaire from the library, and went himself with the originals to thepost.
尤利安将最后两封信复制一份，把原件藏在图书馆的一本精美的伏尔泰作品中，然后亲自带着原件去寄信。

When he returned: ‘Into what madness am I rushing!’ —
当他回来时:‘我正在冲向何等的疯狂！’ —

he said to himself with surprise and terror. —
他惊讶地对自己说道，又感到恐惧。 —

He had been a quarter of an hour withoutconsidering his action of the coming night in all its aspects.
他已经有15分钟没有考虑过今晚的行动在所有方面的意义。

‘But, if I refuse, I must despise myself ever afterwards. —
‘但是，如果我拒绝，以后我将永远鄙视自己。 —

All my lifelong, that action will be a matter for doubt to me, and such a doubt is themost bitter agony. —
终身，那个行动将一直让我疑虑，这种疑虑是最痛苦的折磨。 —

Have I not felt it over Amanda’s lover? I believe that Ishould find it easier to forgive myself what was clearly a crime; —
难道我对阿曼达的情人没有同样的感受吗？我相信我会更容易原谅自己明显是罪行的事情； —

once Ihad confessed it, I should cease to think about it.
一但我承认了，我就不会再想它。

‘What! I shall have been the rival of a man bearing one of the bestnames in France, and I myself, with a light heart, am to declare myselfhis inferior! —
‘什么！我将成为一个在法国拥有最高爵位之一的男人的情敌，而我自己，轻松愉快地宣称自己比他低贱！ —

Indeed, there is a strain of cowardice in not going. —
事实上，不去的行为有点懦弱。 —

Thatword settles everything,’ cried Julien, springing to his feet… ‘besides, sheis a real beauty!
‘那个词解决了一切，’尤利安叫起来，腾然而起… ‘还有，她真是个美人！

‘If this is not treachery, how foolishly she is behaving for me! —
‘如果这不是背叛，她为我表现得多么愚蠢！ —

… If it isa mystification, begad, gentlemen, it rests with me to turn the jest toearnest, and so I shall.
… 如果这是个恶作剧，天啊，先生们，转变为真诚就由我来了。

‘But if they pinion my arms, the moment I enter the room; —
‘但如果他们一进入房间就捆住我的手臂； —

they mayhave set some diabolical machine there ready for me!
他们可能会在那里放置一些魔鬼机关等着我！

‘It is like a duel,’ he told himself with a laugh, ‘there is a parry forevery thrust, my fencing master says, but the Almighty, who likes thingsto end, makes one of the fighters forget to parry. —
‘这就像决斗，’他对自己笑道，’我的击剑教练说，每一击都有一次招架，但是全能者，喜欢让事情结束，让其中一个斗士忘记招架。 —

Anyhow, here is whatwill answer them’; he drew his pocket pistols; —
然而，这就是他们的答案；他掏出口袋里的手枪； —

and, albeit they were fullycharged, renewed the primings.
尽管它们已经充分装填好，他还是重新打火；

There were still many hours to wait; in order to have something to do,Julien wrote to Fouque: —
还有很多时间需要等待；为了有事可做，Julien写信给Fouque： —

‘My friend, open the enclosed letter only in caseof accident, if you hear it said that something strange has befallen me.
‘我的朋友，只有在发生意外的情况下，如果你听说我遭遇了奇怪的事情，才打开附在信封里的信；

Then, erase the proper names from the manuscript that I am sendingyou, and make eight copies of it which you will send to the newspapersof Marseilles, Bordeaux, Lyons, Brussels, etc. —
然后，从我寄给你的手稿中删除适当的名字，把它复制成八份，寄给马赛、波尔多、里昂、布鲁塞尔等各地的报社； —

; ten days later, have themanuscript printed, send the first copy to M. le Marquis de La Mole, and a fortnight after that, scatter the other copies by night about the streets ofVerrieres.’
十天后，把手稿印刷出来，把第一份寄给La Mole侯爵，并在两周后，在夜间散布其他副本于Verrieres的街道。

　　This brief exonerating memoir, arranged in the form of a tale, whichFouque was to open only in case of accident, Julien made as little compromising as possible to Mademoiselle de La Mole, but, nevertheless, itdescribed his position very accurately.
这个简短的申辩备忘录，以故事的形式安排，Fouque只有在发生意外的情况下才打开，尽管Julien尽量让这篇文章对La Mole小姐的形象没有太大影响，但是，它却很准确地描述了他的境地。

He had just sealed his packet when the dinner-bell rang; it made hisheart beat violently. —
当晚餐铃声响起时，他刚刚封好信封；这让他的心跳剧烈加快。 —

His imagination, preoccupied with the narrativewhich he had just composed, was a prey to all sorts of tragic presentiment. —
他的想象力被他刚刚创作的故事所困扰，充满了各种悲剧性的预感。 —

He had seen himself seized by servants, garrotted, carried down toa cellar with a gag in his mouth. —
他看到自己被仆人们抓住，勒死，带到地下室，在嘴里塞着口球。, —

There, one of them kept a close watchover him, and if the honour of the noble family required that the adventure should have a tragic ending, it was easy to end everything with oneof those poisons which leave no trace; —
在那里，他们中的一个人会严密监视他，如果贵族家庭的荣誉需要这个冒险有一个悲剧性的结局，用一种不留痕迹的毒药来结束一切就容易了； —

then, they would say that he haddied a natural death, and would take his dead body back to his room.
然后，他们会说他死于自然之死，并将他的尸体带回房间。

Carried away by his own story like a dramatic author, Julien wasreally afraid when he entered the dining-room. —
Julien被自己的故事所带动，就像一个戏剧作家，当他走进餐厅时，他真的感到害怕。 —

He looked at all the servants in full livery. He studied their expressions. —
他看着所有穿着静待的仆人。他研究他们的表情。 —

‘Which of them havebeen chosen for tonight’s expedition?’ he asked himself. —
“今晚的行动中选择了他们中的哪一个？”他自问。 —

‘In this family,the memories of the Court of Henri in are so present, so often recalled,that, when they think themselves outraged, they will show more decision than other people of their rank.’ —
在这个家庭中,安格纳尼庭院的记忆如此栩栩如生，如此经常被提起，以至于当他们觉得受到冒犯时，他们会表现出比其他同等社会地位的人更果断的态度。 —

He looked at Mademoiselle de LaMole in order to read in her eyes what were the plans of her family; —
他看着拉莫勒小姐，想要从她的眼睛中读出她家族的计划； —

shewas pale, and had quite a mediaeval appearance. —
她苍白，看起来非常中世纪的样子。 —

Never had he foundsuch an air of grandeur in her, she was truly beautiful and imposing. —
他从未发现她身上有这样的庄严气质，她真是美丽而威严。 —

Healmost fell in love with her. ‘Pallida morte futura,’ he told himself, ‘her pallor betokens that something serious is afoot.’
他几乎爱上了她。“未来的苍白之死，”他对自己说，“她的苍白表明有严重的事情发生。”

In vain, after dinner, did he prolong his stroll in the garden, Mademoiselle de La Mole did not come out. —
徒劳地晚饭过后在花园里逗留，拉莫勒小姐没有出来。 —

Conversation with her would,at that moment, have relieved his heart of a great burden.
此刻与她交谈会让他的心减轻许多负担。

Why not confess it? He was afraid. As he was determined to act, heabandoned himself to this sentiment without shame. —
为什么不承认呢？他害怕。由于他决心采取行动，他毫不羞怯地沉浸在这种情绪中。 —

‘Provided that atthe moment of action, I find the courage that I require,’ he said to himself, ‘what does it matter how I may be feeling now?’ —
“只要在采取行动时，我找到所需的勇气，”他对自己说，“现在的感觉又有什么关系呢？” —

He went to reconnoitre the position and to try the weight of the ladder.
他去侦察地形，试试梯子的重量。

‘It is an instrument,’ he said to himself, with a laugh, ‘which it is written in my destiny that I am to use! —
“这是一个工具，”他笑着对自己说，“这是我的命运使然的！” —

Here as at Verrieres. What a difference! —
这里和维里埃尔一样。有多大的不同！ —

Then,’ he continued with a sigh, ‘I was not obliged to be suspicious of the person for whose sake I was exposing myself. —
“那时候，”他又叹了口气，“我不得不对那个为了谁我冒险的人心存猜忌。 —

What a difference,too, in the danger!
危险也有多大的不同！

‘I might have been killed in M. de Renal’s gardens without any harmto my reputation. —
“在列奥诺的花园里我可能被杀害而不会损害我的名誉。” —

It would have been easy to make my death unaccountable. —
要让我的死变得无法解释将会很容易。 —

Here, what abominable tales will they not bandy about in thedrawing-rooms of the Hotel de Chaulnes, the Hotel de Caylus, the Hotelde Retz, and in short everywhere? —
在肖尔尼酒店、凯卢斯酒店、雷茨酒店等地的客厅里，他们会传播什么可怕的传闻呢？ —

I shall be handed down to posterity asa monster.
我将被传为怪物。

‘For two or three years,’ he added, laughing at himself. —
“再过两三年吧，”他笑着补充道。 —

But the thoughtof this overwhelmed him. ‘And I, who is going to justify me? —
但这个想法让他感到不堪重负。“谁将为我辩护呢？ —

Supposingthat Fouque prints my posthumous pamphlet, it will be only an infamythe more. What! —
假如福克出版我的遗作小册子，那将仅仅是一个更多的耻辱。什么！ —

I am received in a house, and in payment for the hospitality I receive there, the kindness that is showered upon me, I print apamphlet reporting all that goes on in the house! —
我被接待在一家住所，收到的款待和关爱，我却出版了一本报告这家庭一切事务的小册子！ —

I attack the honour ofits women! Ah, a thousand times rather, let us be trapped!’
我攻击了它的女性的尊严！啊，千百倍，让我们陷入困境吧！”

　　It was a terrible evening.
那是一个可怕的晚上。