Let us leave the banker driving his horses at their fullest speed, and follow Madame Danglars in her morning excursion. —
让我们将银行家留在他最快的马车上，跟随当格拉夫人的早晨外出。 —

We have said that at half-past twelve o’clock Madame Danglars had ordered her horses, and had left home in the carriage. —
我们已经说过，当格拉夫人在十二点半的时候点过马，离开了家。 —

She directed her course towards the Faubourg Saint Germain, went down the Rue Mazarine, and stopped at the Passage du Pont-Neuf. She descended, and went through the passage. —
她朝着圣日尔曼区驶去，经过马扎林街，停在Pont-Neuf过道。她下车，并穿过过道。 —

She was very plainly dressed, as would be the case with a woman of taste walking in the morning. —
她穿着非常朴素，像一个早晨散步的有品味的女人应该穿的那样。 —

At the Rue Guénégaud she called a cab, and directed the driver to go to the Rue de Harlay. —
在Guénégaud街上，她叫了一辆出租车，告诉司机去Harlay街。 —

As soon as she was seated in the vehicle, she drew from her pocket a very thick black veil, which she tied on to her straw bonnet. —
当她坐在车里的时候，她从口袋里掏出一块非常厚的黑色面纱，系在草编帽上。 —

She then replaced the bonnet, and saw with pleasure, in a little pocket-mirror, that her white complexion and brilliant eyes were alone visible. —
然后她戴上帽子，在一个小小的口袋镜子里高兴地看到只有她白皙的脸庞和明亮的眼睛可见。 —

The cab crossed the Pont-Neuf and entered the Rue de Harlay by the Place Dauphine; —
出租车穿过新桥，通过Dauphine广场进入Harlay街。 —

the driver was paid as the door opened, and stepping lightly up the stairs Madame Danglars soon reached the Salle des Pas-Perdus.
司机在门开了后就得到了报酬，当达尔玛夫人轻轻地上了楼梯，很快就到了《迷失之脚步大厅》。

There was a great deal going on that morning, and many business-like persons at the Palais; —
那天早上，有许多事务繁忙的人在宫殿里。 —

business-like persons pay very little attention to women, and Madame Danglars crossed the hall without exciting any more attention than any other woman calling upon her lawyer.
事务繁忙的人很少注意女性，达尔玛夫人穿过大厅，没有引起比其他拜访律师的女人更多的注意。

There was a great press of people in M. de Villefort’s antechamber, but Madame Danglars had no occasion even to pronounce her name. —
维尔福先生的门房里拥挤着很多人，但达尔玛夫人甚至不需要报上自己的名字。 —

The instant she appeared the door-keeper rose, came to her, and asked her whether she was not the person with whom the procureur had made an appointment; —
她一出现，门房就站起身来，过来问她是否是与检察官有约的人。 —

and on her affirmative answer being given, he conducted her by a private passage to M. de Villefort’s office.
在她答应后，他通过一条私人通道将她带到维尔福先生的办公室。

The magistrate was seated in an armchair, writing, with his back towards the door; —
法官坐在一个扶手椅上，背对着门，正在写字。 —

he did not move as he heard it open, and the door-keeper pronounce the words, “Walk in, madame,” and then reclose it; —
当他听到门打开的声音和门卫宣布“请进，夫人”并关闭门时，他没有移动。 —

but no sooner had the man’s footsteps ceased, than he started up, drew the bolts, closed the curtains, and examined every corner of the room. —
但在那个男人的脚步声停下来之后，他立刻起身，拉上了揭帘，检查了房间的每一个角落。 —

Then, when he had assured himself that he could neither be seen nor heard, and was consequently relieved of doubts, he said:
然后，在确保自己既看不见也听不见的情况下，通过这一点，他说道：

“Thanks, madame,—thanks for your punctuality; —
“谢谢，夫人，谢谢您的准时赴约。 —

” and he offered a chair to Madame Danglars, which she accepted, for her heart beat so violently that she felt nearly suffocated.
”他给达格拉夫夫人递了一把椅子，她接受了，因为她的心跳得如此剧烈，几乎不能呼吸。

“It is a long time, madame,” said the procureur, describing a half-circle with his chair, so as to place himself exactly opposite to Madame Danglars, —“it is a long time since I had the pleasure of speaking alone with you, and I regret that we have only now met to enter upon a painful conversation.”
“夫人，很久没能与您单独交谈了，我感到非常遗憾我们现在只能进行一次痛苦的对话。”

“Nevertheless, sir, you see I have answered your first appeal, although certainly the conversation must be much more painful for me than for you. —
“先生，尽管对我来说，这次对话肯定比对你更痛苦，但你看，我已经回答了你的第一个请求。” —

” Villefort smiled bitterly.
维尔福苦笑了一下。

“It is true, then,” he said, rather uttering his thoughts aloud than addressing his companion, —“it is true, then, that all our actions leave their traces—some sad, others bright—on our paths; —
“没错，”他说道，似乎是在自言自语，而不是在对他的伴侣说话，“我们所有的行为都会在我们的道路上留下痕迹，有些是悲伤的，有些是光明的； —

it is true that every step in our lives is like the course of an insect on the sands; —
我们生活中的每一步都像沙滩上昆虫的足迹； —

—it leaves its track! Alas, to many the path is traced by tears.”
它留下了痕迹！唉，对许多人来说，这条道路都是由眼泪划过的。”

“Sir,” said Madame Danglars, “you can feel for my emotion, can you not? —
“先生，”邓格拉夫人说道，“你能体会我的激动吗？ —

Spare me, then, I beseech you. When I look at this room, —whence so many guilty creatures have departed, trembling and ashamed, when I look at that chair before which I now sit trembling and ashamed,—oh, it requires all my reason to convince me that I am not a very guilty woman and you a menacing judge.”
求你饶了我吧。当我看着这个房间——从这里有多少罪犯颤抖着、羞愧地离开，当我看着我现在坐在面前的这把椅子——喔，我需要动用所有的理智才能说服自己，我不是一个极度有罪的女人，而你不是一个威胁性的法官。”

Villefort dropped his head and sighed.
维尔福低下了头，叹了口气。

“And I,” he said, “I feel that my place is not in the judge’s seat, but on the prisoner’s bench.”
“而我，”他说，“我感觉我的位置不在法官的席位上，而在被告席上。”

“You?” said Madame Danglars.
“你？” Madame Danglars说道。

“Yes, I.”
“是的，我。”

“I think, sir, you exaggerate your situation,” said Madame Danglars, whose beautiful eyes sparkled for a moment. —
“我觉得，先生，你夸大了自己的处境，”美丽的眼睛闪闪发光的 Madame Danglars说。 —

“The paths of which you were just speaking have been traced by all young men of ardent imaginations. —
“你刚才所说的道路已经被所有热情洋溢的年轻人开辟出来。 —

Besides the pleasure, there is always remorse from the indulgence of our passions, and, after all, what have you men to fear from all this? —
除了快乐之外，我们的激情还会导致后悔，毕竟，你们男人还有什么可害怕的呢？ —

the world excuses, and notoriety ennobles you.”
世人原谅你们，广而告之让你们升华。”

“Madame,” replied Villefort, “you know that I am no hypocrite, or, at least, that I never deceive without a reason. —
“夫人，”维尔福回答道，“你知道我不是伪君子，或者至少说我从不无故欺骗。 —

If my brow be severe, it is because many misfortunes have clouded it; —
如果我的脸色严肃，那是因为许多不幸阴云笼罩着我； —

if my heart be petrified, it is that it might sustain the blows it has received. —
如果我的心变得冷酷，那是因为它要承受受到的打击。 —

I was not so in my youth, I was not so on the night of the betrothal, when we were all seated around a table in the Rue du Cours at Marseilles. —
年轻时我并非如此，婚约的那个晚上我们大家坐在马赛的库尔街的一张桌子旁边的时候，我也不是如此。 —

But since then everything has changed in and about me; —
但从那时起，我周围的一切都发生了变化； —

I am accustomed to brave difficulties, and, in the conflict to crush those who, by their own free will, or by chance, voluntarily or involuntarily, interfere with me in my career. —
我习惯于勇敢地面对困难，在冲突中粉碎那些自愿或不情愿地，出于自由意志或偶然干扰我的人。 —

It is generally the case that what we most ardently desire is as ardently withheld from us by those who wish to obtain it, or from whom we attempt to snatch it. —
一般情况下，我们最渴望的东西往往被那些希望得到它的人，或者我们试图夺取它的人所急切地拒绝给予我们。 —

Thus, the greater number of a man’s errors come before him disguised under the specious form of necessity; —
因此，一个人犯的错误中，大部分都以迫切的需要的表面形式出现在他面前。 —

then, after error has been committed in a moment of excitement, of delirium, or of fear, we see that we might have avoided and escaped it. —
然后，在一瞬间的兴奋、狂乱或恐惧之后，我们看到我们本可以避免和逃脱这个错误。 —

The means we might have used, which we in our blindness could not see, then seem simple and easy, and we say, ‘Why did I not do this, instead of that? —
我们曾经可以使用的方法，在我们的盲目中看不见，如今似乎很简单，很容易，我们会说，“我为什么不做这个，而选择了那个呢？ —

’ Women, on the contrary, are rarely tormented with remorse; —
相反，妇女很少被良心折磨； —

for the decision does not come from you,—your misfortunes are generally imposed upon you, and your faults the results of others’ crimes.”
因为决定并不是由你做出的——你的不幸通常是被强加给你的，而你的过错是他人罪行的结果。”

“In any case, sir, you will allow,” replied Madame Danglars, “that, even if the fault were alone mine, I last night received a severe punishment for it.”
“无论如何，先生，您可以承认，即使过错只有我一个人的话，昨晚我也受到了严厉的惩罚。”

“Poor thing,” said Villefort, pressing her hand, “it was too severe for your strength, for you were twice overwhelmed, and yet——”
“可怜的人，”维尔福特压低声音说，“你的力量无法承受得起这样的严厉，你被压得喘不过气来，然而——”

“Well?”
“嗯？”

“Well, I must tell you. Collect all your courage, for you have not yet heard all.”
“嗯，我必须告诉你。要集中所有的勇气，因为你还没有听到全部。”

“Ah,” exclaimed Madame Danglars, alarmed, “what is there more to hear?”
“啊，”鄧拉斯夫人惊慌地说，“还有更多要听的吗？”

“You only look back to the past, and it is, indeed, bad enough. —
“你只回顾过去，而实际上，那是足够糟糕的。 —

Well, picture to yourself a future more gloomy still—certainly frightful, perhaps sanguinary!”
想象一下更加阴暗的未来 - 肯定是可怕的，也许是血腥的！”

The baroness knew how calm Villefort naturally was, and his present excitement frightened her so much that she opened her mouth to scream, but the sound died in her throat.
巴伦夫人知道维尔福特平静的天性，他现在的激动使她非常害怕，以至于她张开口要尖叫，但声音却戛然而止。

“How has this terrible past been recalled?” cried Villefort; —
“这可怕的过去是如何被唤起的？”维尔福特喊道； —

“how is it that it has escaped from the depths of the tomb and the recesses of our hearts, where it was buried, to visit us now, like a phantom, whitening our cheeks and flushing our brows with shame?”
“它是如何从坟墓的深处和我们心底的角落中逃脱出来，像一个幽灵一样，让我们的脸颊变得苍白，或者羞愧地红了起来？”

“Alas,” said Hermine, “doubtless it is chance.”
“唉”，赫敏说，“无疑是偶然。”

“Chance?” replied Villefort; “No, no, madame, there is no such thing as chance.”
“偶然？”维尔福特回答道：“不，夫人，没有偶然这种东西。”

“Oh, yes; has not a fatal chance revealed all this? —
“哦，是的，不正是因为命运的偶然才揭示了这一切吗？ —

Was it not by chance the Count of Monte Cristo bought that house? —
正是因为偶然才导致蒙德克里斯托伯爵买下了那栋房子？ —

Was it not by chance he caused the earth to be dug up? —
正是因为偶然才导致他挖掘了地下？” —

Is it not by chance that the unfortunate child was disinterred under the trees? —
是否不是偶然，使得那个不幸的孩子被挖掘出来，就在树下呢？ —

—that poor innocent offspring of mine, which I never even kissed, but for whom I wept many, many tears. —
——那个可怜的无辜的孩子，他从未被我亲吻过，但我为他流了很多、很多泪水。 —

Ah, my heart clung to the count when he mentioned the dear spoil found beneath the flowers.”
啊，当伯爵提到在花下找到的那个可爱的战利品时，我的心都快要离体了。

“Well, no, madame,—this is the terrible news I have to tell you, ” said Villefort in a hollow voice—“no, nothing was found beneath the flowers; —
“嗯，不，夫人，这是我要告诉您的可怕消息，”维尔福特用一种低沉的声音说道，“不，花下没有找到任何东西； —

there was no child disinterred—no. You must not weep, no, you must not groan, you must tremble!”
在那里没有发现孩子的尸骨，没有发现箱子。您不要哭泣，不，您不要呻吟，您应该颤抖！”

“What can you mean?” asked Madame Danglars, shuddering.
“您是什么意思？”问道淡阁主，颤抖不已。

“I mean that M. de Monte Cristo, digging underneath these trees, found neither skeleton nor chest, because neither of them was there!”
“我的意思是，蒙泰克里斯托先生挖掘这些树下时，既没有发现骨骼，也没有发现箱子，因为它们都不在那里！”

“Neither of them there?” repeated Madame Danglars, her staring, wide-open eyes expressing her alarm. —
“都不在那里？”淡阁主重复道，她惊恐的眼神表达出她的惊讶。 —

“Neither of them there!” she again said, as though striving to impress herself with the meaning of the words which escaped her.
“都不在那里！”她再次说道，好像是在努力理解逃离她的那些词语的含义。

“No,” said Villefort, burying his face in his hands, “no, a hundred times no!”
“不，”维尔福特埋着脸双手说，“不，不可能，再多拒绝一百次也不行！”

“Then you did not bury the poor child there, sir? —
“那么你没把可怜孩子埋在那里，先生？” —

Why did you deceive me? Where did you place it? —
“你为什么欺骗我？你把它放在哪里了？” —

tell me—where?”
“告诉我——在哪里？”

“There! But listen to me—listen—and you will pity me who has for twenty years alone borne the heavy burden of grief I am about to reveal, without casting the least portion upon you.”
“就在那里！但请听我说—请听，你会对我感到同情的，我一个人承担了二十年沉重的痛苦负担，我现在要透露出来，却没有把一丁点儿转嫁给你。”

“Oh, you frighten me! But speak; I will listen.”
“哦，你吓到我了！但请说，我会听的。”

“You recollect that sad night, when you were half-expiring on that bed in the red damask room, while I, scarcely less agitated than you, awaited your delivery. —
“你还记得那个悲惨的夜晚吗？当时你半垂死在红锦房里的那张床上，而我，比你稍微不安宁一点，正等着你生下孩子。” —

The child was born, was given to me—motionless, breathless, voiceless; —
这个孩子出生了，送到我手中——没有动静，没有呼吸，没有声音； —

we thought it dead.”
我们以为它已经死了。”

Madame Danglars moved rapidly, as though she would spring from her chair, but Villefort stopped, and clasped his hands as if to implore her attention.
当达朗格夫人迅速地动作起来，仿佛要从椅子上跳起来时，维尔福停住了，合起双手，仿佛乞求她的注意。

“We thought it dead,” he repeated; “I placed it in the chest, which was to take the place of a coffin; —
“我们以为它已经死了，”他重复道，“我把它放进了取代棺材的箱子里； —

I descended to the garden, I dug a hole, and then flung it down in haste. —
我下到花园，挖了个坑，然后匆忙地把它扔下去。 —

Scarcely had I covered it with earth, when the arm of the Corsican was stretched towards me; —
当我刚刚用土掩埋它的时候，科西嘉人的手向我伸过来； —

I saw a shadow rise, and, at the same time, a flash of light. I felt pain; —
我看到一个身影升起，同时闪出一道光。我感到疼痛； —

I wished to cry out, but an icy shiver ran through my veins and stifled my voice; —
我想喊出来，但一股寒意穿过我的血脉，把声音抑制住了； —

I fell lifeless, and fancied myself killed. —
我倒在地上，没有了生命迹象，以为自己已经被杀死。 —

Never shall I forget your sublime courage, when, having returned to consciousness, I dragged myself to the foot of the stairs, and you, almost dying yourself, came to meet me. —
我永远不会忘记你的崇高勇气，当我重新恢复意识，艰难地爬到楼梯底部时，你也差点丧命地来迎接我。 —

We were obliged to keep silent upon the dreadful catastrophe. —
对于这场可怕的灾难，我们不得不保持沉默。 —

You had the fortitude to regain the house, assisted by your nurse. —
你在护士的帮助下重新夺回了房子，你有坚定的意志。 —

A duel was the pretext for my wound. Though we scarcely expected it, our secret remained in our own keeping alone. —
我受了伤，决斗只是借口。虽然我们几乎没有预料到，但我们的秘密只有我们自己知道。 —

I was taken to Versailles; for three months I struggled with death; —
我被带到凡尔赛；三个月来，我与死亡搏斗； —

at last, as I seemed to cling to life, I was ordered to the South. Four men carried me from Paris to Châlons, walking six leagues a day; —
最后，就在我似乎还在挣扎生存时，我被派往南方。四个人每天步行六个里程把我从巴黎带到了沙隆； —

Madame de Villefort followed the litter in her carriage. —
维勒福夫人跟着轿车跟在后面。 —

At Châlons I was put upon the Saône, thence I passed on to the Rhône, whence I descended, merely with the current, to Arles; —
我在沙隆上了索恩河的船，然后沿着罗纳河下行，仅仅顺流而下到了阿尔勒； —

at Arles I was again placed on my litter, and continued my journey to Marseilles. —
在阿尔勒，我又被放在轿子上，继续我的旅程到了马赛。 —

My recovery lasted six months. I never heard you mentioned, and I did not dare inquire for you. —
我的康复持续了六个月。我从来没有听到你的消息，我也不敢询问你的情况。 —

When I returned to Paris, I learned that you, the widow of M. de Nargonne, had married M. Danglars.
当我回到巴黎时，得知你，纳冈先生的寡妇，嫁给了当格拉先生。

“What was the subject of my thoughts from the time consciousness returned to me? —
“当我恢复意识后，我都在想些什么呢？ —

Always the same—always the child’s corpse, coming every night in my dreams, rising from the earth, and hovering over the grave with menacing look and gesture. —
每个晚上在我的梦中都会出现同样的情景——那个孩子的尸体从地里升起，悬停在坟墓上，露出威胁的表情和手势。 —

I inquired immediately on my return to Paris; —
我回到巴黎后立即打听了起来。 —

the house had not been inhabited since we left it, but it had just been let for nine years. —
这间房子自从我们离开后一直没有人居住，但是刚刚租给了九年。 —

I found the tenant. I pretended that I disliked the idea that a house belonging to my wife’s father and mother should pass into the hands of strangers. —
我找到了租户。我假装不喜欢这个想法，认为我妻子的父母的房子会落入陌生人手中。 —

I offered to pay them for cancelling the lease; they demanded 6,000 francs. —
我提出支付他们取消租约的费用；他们要求6000法郎。 —

I would have given 10,000—I would have given 20,000. I had the money with me; —
我本来可以付10000——甚至20000。我带着钱来了； —

I made the tenant sign the deed of resilition, and when I had obtained what I so much wanted, I galloped to Auteuil. —
我让租户签署了解约协议，当我得到我非常想要的东西后，我飞驰到奥特伊。 —

No one had entered the house since I had left it.
自从我离开后没有人进入这所房子。

“It was five o’clock in the afternoon; I ascended into the red room, and waited for night. —
“当时是下午五点钟；我爬到红色的房间里，等待天黑。 —

There all the thoughts which had disturbed me during my year of constant agony came back with double force. —
所有在我年复一年的痛苦中困扰着我的思绪，此刻又以双倍的力量回到了我的心头。 —

The Corsican, who had declared the vendetta against me, who had followed me from Nîmes to Paris, who had hid himself in the garden, who had struck me, had seen me dig the grave, had seen me inter the child,—he might become acquainted with your person, —nay, he might even then have known it. —
这个科西嘉人，曾向我宣布了对我的复仇，他从尼姆跟踪我到巴黎，他躲藏在花园里，他打过我，他看见我挖坟，他看见我埋葬那个孩子，他可能认识你，甚至那时就已经认识了你。 —

Would he not one day make you pay for keeping this terrible secret? —
他难道不会有一天让你为保守这个可怕的秘密付出代价吗？ —

Would it not be a sweet revenge for him when he found that I had not died from the blow of his dagger? —
当他发现我并没有死于他的匕首之击，那难道不是一种甜美的复仇吗？ —

It was therefore necessary, before everything else, and at all risks, that I should cause all traces of the past to disappear—that I should destroy every material vestige; —
因此，首先无论如何，不惜一切代价，我必须将过去的一切痕迹消失，销毁所有的物质痕迹； —

too much reality would always remain in my recollection. —
因为我的记忆中仍残留着太多的现实。 —

It was for this I had annulled the lease—it was for this I had come—it was for this I was waiting.
我废除租约就是为了这个，我来了就是为了这个，我在等待就是为了这个。

“Night arrived; I allowed it to become quite dark. I was without a light in that room; —
“夜幕降临；我让房间变得异常黑暗。在那个房间里，我没有一盏灯； —

when the wind shook all the doors, behind which I continually expected to see some spy concealed, I trembled. —
当风摇晃着所有的门时，我期待着看到藏在其中的一些间谍，我不禁颤抖起来。 —

I seemed everywhere to hear your moans behind me in the bed, and I dared not turn around. —
我仿佛到处都听到你在床后面的呻吟声，而我不敢转过身去。 —

My heart beat so violently that I feared my wound would open. —
我的心跳得如此剧烈，以至于我担心我的伤口会再次裂开。 —

At length, one by one, all the noises in the neighborhood ceased. —
终于，附近所有的声音逐渐停止下来。 —

I understood that I had nothing to fear, that I should neither be seen nor heard, so I decided upon descending to the garden.
我明白我没有什么可担心的，我既不会被看到也不会被听到，于是我决定下到花园去。

“Listen, Hermine; I consider myself as brave as most men, but when I drew from my breast the little key of the staircase, which I had found in my coat—that little key we both used to cherish so much, which you wished to have fastened to a golden ring—when I opened the door, and saw the pale moon shedding a long stream of white light on the spiral staircase like a spectre, I leaned against the wall, and nearly shrieked. —
“听着，Hermine；我认为自己和大多数男人一样勇敢，但当我从胸口掏出那把楼梯的小钥匙，那把我们曾经如此珍视的小钥匙，你希望将其固定在金戒指上时，当我打开门，看到苍白的月光在螺旋楼梯上投下一道长长的白色光线，就像一个幽灵一样，我靠在墙上，差点尖叫出来。” —

I seemed to be going mad. At last I mastered my agitation. —
我似乎快要疯了。最终我控制住了自己的焦虑。 —

I descended the staircase step by step; —
我一步一步下楼梯。 —

the only thing I could not conquer was a strange trembling in my knees. I grasped the railings; —
唯一我无法克服的是我的膝盖颤抖。我抓住栏杆。 —

if I had relaxed my hold for a moment, I should have fallen. I reached the lower door. —
如果我稍微松开一下，我就会摔倒。我到达了下面的门口。 —

Outside this door a spade was placed against the wall; —
在这扇门外面，一把铲子靠在墙边。 —

I took it, and advanced towards the thicket. —
我拿起它，向灌木丛走去。 —

I had provided myself with a dark lantern. —
我带了一个黑暗的手电筒。 —

In the middle of the lawn I stopped to light it, then I continued my path.
我在草坪中央停下来点亮它，然后继续我的路径。

“It was the end of November, all the verdure of the garden had disappeared, the trees were nothing more than skeletons with their long bony arms, and the dead leaves sounded on the gravel under my feet. —
“这是十一月底，花园里所有的绿色都消失了，树木变成了光秃秃的骨架，枯叶在我的脚下的砾石上发出声响。 —

My terror overcame me to such a degree as I approached the thicket, that I took a pistol from my pocket and armed myself. —
当我接近灌木丛时，恐惧充斥着我，我从口袋里拿出一把手枪武装自己。 —

I fancied continually that I saw the figure of the Corsican between the branches. —
我不断地幻想在树枝间看到那个科西嘉人的身影。 —

I examined the thicket with my dark lantern; it was empty. I looked carefully around; —
我用我的黑灯笼检查了那密集的灌木丛，但是里面空无一物。我仔细地四处查看； —

I was indeed alone,—no noise disturbed the silence but the owl, whose piercing cry seemed to be calling up the phantoms of the night. —
果然，我是孤身一人——没有任何噪音打破了寂静，只有猫头鹰的尖锐叫声似乎唤起了夜晚的幽灵。 —

I tied my lantern to a forked branch I had noticed a year before at the precise spot where I stopped to dig the hole.
我把灯笼绑在了一根我在一年前注意到的分叉树枝上，就在我停下来挖洞的地方准确的位置上。

“The grass had grown very thickly there during the summer, and when autumn arrived no one had been there to mow it. —
“夏天的时候，那里的草长得很茂密，秋天到来时却没有人来割草。 —

Still one place where the grass was thin attracted my attention; —
还有一个地方草很稀疏，吸引了我的注意； —

it evidently was there I had turned up the ground. I went to work. —
显然那就是我翻过地的地方。我开始动手。 —

The hour, then, for which I had been waiting during the last year had at length arrived. —
我已经等待了一整年的时刻终于到来了。 —

How I worked, how I hoped, how I struck every piece of turf, thinking to find some resistance to my spade! —
我努力工作着，充满希望，每一块草坪都敲打，希望能感觉到一些对我的铲子的阻力！ —

But no, I found nothing, though I had made a hole twice as large as the first. —
但是没有，虽然我挖的洞比第一次大了一倍，但是我没有找到任何东西。 —

I thought I had been deceived—had mistaken the spot. —
我觉得我被欺骗了，可能是我搞错了地点。 —

I turned around, I looked at the trees, I tried to recall the details which had struck me at the time. —
我转过身，看着树木，试图回忆起当时给我留下深刻印象的细节。 —

A cold, sharp wind whistled through the leafless branches, and yet the drops fell from my forehead. —
一阵冷风呼啸着穿过没有叶子的树枝，我的前额上却滴落着汗水。 —

I recollected that I was stabbed just as I was trampling the ground to fill up the hole; —
我回想起当时正踩踏地面填洞时，被刺中了。 —

while doing so I had leaned against a laburnum; —
当时我正靠在一棵黄藤树上。 —

behind me was an artificial rockery, intended to serve as a resting-place for persons walking in the garden; —
我的身后是一个人工的岩石园，供在花园里散步的人休息使用。 —

in falling, my hand, relaxing its hold of the laburnum, felt the coldness of the stone. —
跌倒时，我松开对黄藤树的抓握，感受到了那块石头的冰冷。 —

On my right I saw the tree, behind me the rock. —
在我的右边是那棵树，我身后是那块岩石。 —

I stood in the same attitude, and threw myself down. —
我保持着相同的姿势，扑倒在地。 —

I rose, and again began digging and enlarging the hole; —
我站起身，又开始挖掘和扩大那个洞； —

still I found nothing, nothing—the chest was no longer there!”
但我仍然一无所获，什么都没有——箱子不在了！”

“The chest no longer there?” murmured Madame Danglars, choking with fear.
“箱子不在了？”达尔格拉夫人喃喃地说道，吓得几乎喘不过气来。

“Think not I contented myself with this one effort,” continued Villefort. “No; —
“别以为我满足于只做了这一次努力，”维尔福尔继续说道，“不，我不满足； —

I searched the whole thicket. I thought the assassin, having discovered the chest, and supposing it to be a treasure, had intended carrying it off, but, perceiving his error, had dug another hole, and deposited it there; —
我搜索了整个丛林。我以为刺客已经发现了箱子，以为它是个宝藏，打算把它带走，但是他意识到错误后，又挖了一个洞，把它放在里面; —

but I could find nothing. Then the idea struck me that he had not taken these precautions, and had simply thrown it in a corner. —
但是，我什么也没找到。然后我想到他可能没有采取这些预防措施，只是把它扔在一个角落里。 —

In the last case I must wait for daylight to renew my search. —
如果情况是这样的话，我就得等到天亮再重新搜索。 —

I remained in the room and waited.”
我留在房间里等待。

“Oh, Heaven!”
“哦，天哪！”

When daylight dawned I went down again. My first visit was to the thicket. —
当天亮的时候，我又下楼了。我第一次去的是丛林。 —

I hoped to find some traces which had escaped me in the darkness. —
我希望能找到一些在黑暗中我没有注意到的痕迹。 —

I had turned up the earth over a surface of more than twenty feet square, and a depth of two feet. —
我翻开了一个面积超过二十平方英尺，深度达到两英尺的土地。 —

A laborer would not have done in a day what occupied me an hour. —
一个工人一天也不可能做到我一个小时的工作。 —

But I could find nothing—absolutely nothing. Then I renewed the search. —
但是我什么也没找到 —— 确实什么也没找到。然后我又重新搜寻。 —

Supposing it had been thrown aside, it would probably be on the path which led to the little gate; —
如果它被扔了，它可能在通往小门的路上。 —

but this examination was as useless as the first, and with a bursting heart I returned to the thicket, which now contained no hope for me.”
但这次考试和第一次一样毫无用处，我满怀失望地回到了密林，对我来说再也没有希望。

“Oh,” cried Madame Danglars, “it was enough to drive you mad!”
“哦，”达格拉夫人叫道，“这简直要让你发疯！”

“I hoped for a moment that it might,” said Villefort; “but that happiness was denied me. —
“我曾经希望它能让我发疯一会儿，”维尔福回答说，”但是这种幸福被我拒之门外。 —

However, recovering my strength and my ideas, ‘Why,’ said I, ‘should that man have carried away the corpse?’”
然而，恢复了体力和思维后，我心想，‘为什么那个人把尸体带走了呢？’

“But you said,” replied Madame Danglars, “he would require it as a proof.”
“但是你说过，”达格拉夫人回答说，“他会需要尸体作为证据。”

“Ah, no, madame, that could not be. Dead bodies are not kept a year; —
“啊，不，夫人，不可能。尸体不会保存一年的。 —

they are shown to a magistrate, and the evidence is taken. —
他们会展示给法官，并且会进行取证。 —

Now, nothing of the kind has happened.”
现在，没有发生任何这样的事情。”

“What then?” asked Hermine, trembling violently.
“那么呢？”赫尔曼颤抖着问道。

“Something more terrible, more fatal, more alarming for us—the child was, perhaps, alive, and the assassin may have saved it!”
“更可怕、更致命、更让我们惊恐的是——孩子也许还活着，凶手可能把它救走了！”

Madame Danglars uttered a piercing cry, and, seizing Villefort’s hands, exclaimed, “My child was alive? —
达格拉夫人发出一声尖叫，抓住了维尔福的手，喊道：“我的孩子还活着？” —

” said she; “you buried my child alive? —
“是你，”她说道，“你把我的孩子活埋了吗？ —

You were not certain my child was dead, and you buried it? Ah——”
你不确定我的孩子是否已经死了，就把它埋了？啊——”

Madame Danglars had risen, and stood before the procureur, whose hands she wrung in her feeble grasp.
芙拉姆夫人站起来，挤压着法官的手。

“I know not; I merely suppose so, as I might suppose anything else, ” replied Villefort with a look so fixed, it indicated that his powerful mind was on the verge of despair and madness.
“我不知道，我只是猜测，就像我可以猜测其他事情一样，”维勒福回答道，他的目光如此坚定，表明他那强大的思维已经接近绝望和疯狂的边缘。

“Ah, my child, my poor child!” cried the baroness, falling on her chair, and stifling her sobs in her handkerchief. —
“啊，我的孩子，可怜的孩子！”男爵夫人哭嚎着坐在椅子上，用手帕抑制住了她的啜泣声。 —

Villefort, becoming somewhat reassured, perceived that to avert the maternal storm gathering over his head, he must inspire Madame Danglars with the terror he felt.
维勒福稍微放心下来，意识到为了避免母亲的怒火向自己袭来，他必须激发达尔格拉夫人与他一样的恐惧。

“You understand, then, that if it were so,” said he, rising in his turn, and approaching the baroness, to speak to her in a lower tone, “we are lost. —
“那你明白，如果真的是这样的话，”他转身起身，接近男爵夫人，以低声对她说道，“我们完蛋了。” —

This child lives, and someone knows it lives—someone is in possession of our secret; —
这个孩子活着，有人知道他活着——有人知道我们的秘密； —

and since Monte Cristo speaks before us of a child disinterred, when that child could not be found, it is he who is in possession of our secret.”
而既然敢于在我们面前提到一个已经被发掘的孩子，而这个孩子却找不到，那么就说明是他掌握了我们的秘密。”

“Just God, avenging God!” murmured Madame Danglars.
“公正的上帝，复仇的上帝！”达尔文夫人低声说道。

Villefort’s only answer was a stifled groan.
维尔福的回答只是一个压抑的呻吟声。

“But the child—the child, sir?” repeated the agitated mother.
“但是孩子——孩子，先生？”焦急的母亲重复着问。

“How I have searched for him,” replied Villefort, wringing his hands; —
“我是如何寻找他的，”维尔福答道，握着他的手， —

“how I have called him in my long sleepless nights; —
“我是如何在漫长的不眠之夜里呼唤他的声音； —

how I have longed for royal wealth to purchase a million of secrets from a million of men, and to find mine among them! —
“我是如何渴望皇家的财富，以购买来自无数人口中的一百万个秘密，希望在其中找到我的秘密！” —

At last, one day, when for the hundredth time I took up my spade, I asked myself again and again what the Corsican could have done with the child. —
“最后，就在某一天，当我第一百次拿起铲子时，我一遍又一遍地问自己，那个科西嘉人会对那个孩子做了什么。 —

A child encumbers a fugitive; perhaps, on perceiving it was still alive, he had thrown it into the river.”
，一个孩子会给逃亡者带来麻烦；也许，在他发现这个孩子还活着时，他把它扔进了河里。”

“Impossible!” cried Madame Danglars: “a man may murder another out of revenge, but he would not deliberately drown a child.”
“不可能！”当达格拉夫人喊道：“一个人可能因为复仇而谋杀另一个人，但他不会故意淹死一个孩子。”

“Perhaps,” continued Villefort, “he had put it in the foundling hospital.”
“也许，”维尔福继续说道，“他将孩子送进了弃儿院。”

“Oh, yes, yes,” cried the baroness; “my child is there!”
“哦，是的，是的。”巴伦夫人喊道，“我的孩子就在那里！”

“I ran to the hospital, and learned that the same night—the night of the 20th of September—a child had been brought there, wrapped in part of a fine linen napkin, purposely torn in half. —
“我赶到了医院，得知在同一天晚上——也就是9月20日那天晚上——有一个孩子被送到了那里，用一块细亚麻布肮脏地包裹着。这块布的一角上标着半个男爵的王冠，以及字母H。” —

This portion of the napkin was marked with half a baron’s crown, and the letter H.”
“确实，确实，”达格拉夫人说道，“我所有的亚麻布都有这样的标记。纳尔戈讷先生是一位男爵，而我的名字是埃尔明。”

“Truly, truly,” said Madame Danglars, “all my linen is marked thus; —
“谢天谢地，我的孩子当时还没死！” —

Monsieur de Nargonne was a baron, and my name is Hermine. —
“不，它当时没有死。” —

Thank God, my child was not then dead!”
“而你可以告诉我这个而不担心让我因为喜悦而死吗？孩子在哪里？”

“No, it was not dead.”
维尔福耸了耸肩膀。

“And you can tell me so without fearing to make me die of joy? Where is the child?”
“请将孩子都还给我！我会爱护他，不会让他受到任何伤害！”

Villefort shrugged his shoulders.
维尔福默然无语。

“Do I know?” said he; “and do you believe that if I knew I would relate to you all its trials and all its adventures as would a dramatist or a novel writer? —
“我知道吗？”他说，“你相信如果我知道的话，我会像一个剧作家或小说作家一样向你讲述它的一切考验和冒险吗？ —

Alas, no, I know not. A woman, about six months after, came to claim it with the other half of the napkin. —
哎呀，不，我不知道。大约六个月后，一个女人来认领它和另一半餐巾纸。 —

This woman gave all the requisite particulars, and it was intrusted to her.”
这个女人提供了所有必要的细节，然后交给了她。”

“But you should have inquired for the woman; you should have traced her.”
“但你应该找到那个女人，你应该追踪她。”

“And what do you think I did? I feigned a criminal process, and employed all the most acute bloodhounds and skilful agents in search of her. —
“你觉得我做了什么？我装出一个犯罪过程，雇佣了所有最聪明的猎犬和熟练的特工来搜索她。 —

They traced her to Châlons, and there they lost her.”
他们追踪到她在沙洛恩失踪了。”

“They lost her?”
“他们失踪了？”

“Yes, forever.”
“是的，永远地。”

Madame Danglars had listened to this recital with a sigh, a tear, or a shriek for every detail. —
丹格拉夫夫人听着这个叙述，每一个细节都带着叹息、眼泪或尖叫。 —

“And this is all?” said she; “and you stopped there?”
“这就是全部了？”她说，“你就到这里了？”

“Oh, no,” said Villefort; “I never ceased to search and to inquire. —
“哦，不，”维尔福说，“我从未停止搜索和询问。 —

However, the last two or three years I had allowed myself some respite. —
然而，过去的两三年里，我给自己一些喘息的时间。 —

But now I will begin with more perseverance and fury than ever, since fear urges me, not my conscience.”
但现在我会比以前更加坚定和愤怒地开始，因为恐惧在驱使我，而不是我的良心。”

“But,” replied Madame Danglars, “the Count of Monte Cristo can know nothing, or he would not seek our society as he does.”
“但是,” 丹格拉夫人回答道，“蒙特克里斯托伯爵不可能知道什么，否则他不会像现在这样寻求我们的交往。”

“Oh, the wickedness of man is very great,” said Villefort, “since it surpasses the goodness of God. Did you observe that man’s eyes while he was speaking to us?”
“哦，人的邪恶是非常大的，”维尔福说，“因为它超越了上帝的善良。你有没有注意到那个人在和我们说话时的眼神？”

“No.”
“没有。”

“But have you ever watched him carefully?”
“但你曾经仔细观察过他吗？”

“Doubtless he is capricious, but that is all; —
“他无疑是多变的，但仅此而已； —

one thing alone struck me,—of all the exquisite things he placed before us, he touched nothing. —
我只有一点印象——在他给我们摆放的所有精致食物中，他什么都没有动过。 —

I might have suspected he was poisoning us.”
我可能会怀疑他是在给我们下毒。”

“And you see you would have been deceived.”
“但你看，你会被他欺骗。”

“Yes, doubtless.”
“是的，无疑。”

“But believe me, that man has other projects. —
“但是相信我，那个人有其他计划。 —

For that reason I wished to see you, to speak to you, to warn you against everyone, but especially against him. —
所以我希望见到你，和你交谈，警告你对每个人保持警惕，尤其是对他。” —

Tell me,” cried Villefort, fixing his eyes more steadfastly on her than he had ever done before, “did you ever reveal to anyone our connection?”
“告诉我，”维尔福大声说道，目光比以往任何时候都更加坚定地投向她，“你曾向任何人透露过我们之间的连接吗？”

“Never, to anyone.”
“从来没有，向任何人都没有。”

“You understand me,” replied Villefort, affectionately; —
“你明白我说的是什么，”维尔福温柔地回答说; —

“when I say anyone,—pardon my urgency,—to anyone living I mean?”
“当我说任何人时，——请原谅我的迫切——我指的是任何还活着的人吗？”

“Yes, yes, I understand very well,” ejaculated the baroness; “never, I swear to you.”
“是的，是的，我很明白，”巴伦夫人呻吟道，“向你发誓，我从来没有。”

“Were you ever in the habit of writing in the evening what had transpired in the morning? —
“你有没有习惯于晚上写下早上发生的事情？ —

Do you keep a journal?”
你有写日记吗？

“No, my life has been passed in frivolity; I wish to forget it myself.”
“没有，我的生活一直充满了轻浮，我希望我自己能够忘记痛苦。”

“Do you talk in your sleep?”
“你会说梦话吗？”

“I sleep soundly, like a child; do you not remember?”
“我睡得像个孩子一样沉稳，你不记得吗？”

The color mounted to the baroness’s face, and Villefort turned awfully pale.
巴伦夫人的脸红了起来，维尔福苍白得吓人。

“It is true,” said he, in so low a tone that he could hardly be heard.
“是真的，”他低声说道，几乎听不见。

“Well?” said the baroness.
“那么？”巴伦夫人问道。

“Well, I understand what I now have to do,” replied Villefort. —
“那么，我明白我现在该做什么了，”维尔福回答道。 —

“In less than one week from this time I will ascertain who this M. de Monte Cristo is, whence he comes, where he goes, and why he speaks in our presence of children that have been disinterred in a garden.”
在不到一周的时间里，我将弄清楚这个蒙蒂克里斯托先生是谁，他来自哪里，他去哪里，以及他为什么在我们面前谈论被挖掘出来的花园里的孩子。

Villefort pronounced these words with an accent which would have made the count shudder had he heard him. —
维尔福特说这些话的语气会让蒙蒂克里斯托先生听了会颤抖。 —

Then he pressed the hand the baroness reluctantly gave him, and led her respectfully back to the door. —
然后他握住了巴伦女士不情愿地给出的手，恭敬地把她领回了门口。 —

Madame Danglars returned in another cab to the passage, on the other side of which she found her carriage, and her coachman sleeping peacefully on his box while waiting for her.
当达格拉夫人坐上另一辆出租车返回通道时，她发现她的马车和车夫安详地在等待她的地方睡着了。