FEW young couples in the Big-City-of-Bluff began their married existence with greater promise of happiness than did Mr. and Mrs. Claude Turpin. —
大城市布拉夫的年轻夫妇中，很少有人能像克劳德·特平先生和夫人那样开始婚姻生活并带来更大的幸福。 —

They felt no especial animosity toward each other; —
他们对彼此没有特别的敌意； —

they were comfortably established in a handsome apartment house that had a name and accommodations like those of a sleepingcar; —
他们住在一栋漂亮的公寓楼里，这栋楼有一个名字，住宿条件就像一个卧铺车厢一样； —

they were living as expensively as the couple on the next floor above who had twice their income; —
他们的生活水平与楼上收入是他们两倍的夫妇一样奢华； —

and their marriage had occurred on a wager, a ferryboat and first acquaintance, thus securing a sensational newspaper notice with their names attached to pictures of the Queen of Roumania and M. Santos-Dumont.
他们的婚姻是在一个赌注、一个渡轮和第一次相识的情况下发生的，因此引起了轰动的报纸报道，上面有他们的名字和罗马尼亚女王和桑托斯-杜蒙先生的照片。

Turpin’s income was $200 per month. On pay day, after calculating the amounts due for rent, instalments on furniture and piano, gas, and bills owed to the florist, confectioner, milliner, tailor, wine merchant and cab company, the Turpins would find that they still had $200 left to spend. —
特平每月的收入是200美元。发薪日后，经过计算租金、家具和钢琴分期付款、煤气费，以及欠花店、糖果店、帽子店、裁缝店、酒商和出租车公司的账单后，特平夫妇会发现他们还有200美元可供支配。 —

How to do this is one of the secrets of metropolitan life.
如何做到这一点是都市生活的秘密之一。

The domestic life of the Turpins was a beautiful picture to see. —
特金斯家庭的家庭生活像一幅美丽的画一样。 —

But you couldn’t gaze upon it as you could at an oleograph of “Don’t Wake Grandma,” or “Brooklyn by Moonlight.”
但你不能像观看一幅“别叫醒奶奶”或“月夜下的布鲁克林”那样凝视它。

You had to blink when looked at it; and you heard a fizzing sound just like the machine with a “scope” at the end of it. —
你必须眨眼看它；你听到一声哗啦声，就像那台有一个“望远镜”末端的机器一样。 —

Yes; there wasn’t much repose about the picture of the Turpins’ domestic life. —
是的；特金斯家庭生活的画面没有太多安宁。 —

It was something like “Spearing Salmon in the Columbia River,” or “Japanese Artillery in Action.”
它有点像“在哥伦比亚河捕鲑鱼”或“日本火炮的行动”。

Every day was just like another; as the days are in New York. In the morning Turpin would take bromoseltzer, his pocket change from under the clock, his hat, no breakfast and his departure for the office. —
每一天都像另一天一样；就像在纽约的日子一样。早上特金斯会喝溶解头痛药的波尔克雪佛浆，从钟下拿出口袋里的零钱，戴上帽子，没有早餐就去办公室。 —

At noon Mrs. Turpin would get out of bed and humour, put on a kimono, airs, and the water to boil for coffee.
中午特金斯夫人会起床，穿上和风衣服，摆出一副姿态，煮咖啡水。

Turpin lunched downtown. He came home at 6 to dress for dinner. They always dined out. —
特金斯在市区吃午餐。他晚上六点回家换装晚餐。他们总是在外面吃晚餐。 —

They strayed from the chop-house to chop-sueydom, from terrace to table d’h? —
他们从一家快餐店逛到另一家快餐店，从一家酒楼到另一家法国餐厅。 —

te, from rathskeller to roadhouse, from café to casino, from Maria’s to the Martha Washington. —
从啤酒屋到路边酒吧，从咖啡馆到赌场，从玛丽亚的到玛莎·华盛顿。 —

Such is domestic life in the great city. Your vine is the mistletoe; your fig tree bears dates. —
如此是伟大城市中的家庭生活。你的藤上长满槲寄生；你的无花果树结果实。 —

Your household gods are Mercury and John Howard Payne. For the wedding march you now hear only “Come with the Gypsy Bride.” You rarely dine at the same place twice in succession. —
你的家神是墨丘利和约翰·霍华德·佩恩。对于婚礼进行曲，你现在只听到“与吉普赛新娘同来”。你很少连续两次在同一地方用餐。 —

You tire of the food; and, besides, you want to give them time for the question of that souvenir silver sugar bowl to blow over.
你对食物感到厌倦；此外，你想给他们一些时间以平息有关那个纪念银奶糖碗的问题。

The Turpins were therefore happy. They made many warm and delightful friends, some of whom they remembered the next day. —
所以，特平夫妇很幸福。他们结识了许多热情而愉快的朋友，其中一些他们在第二天还记得。 —

Their home life was an ideal one, according to the rules and regulations of the Book of Bluff.
他们的家庭生活是理想的，符合《布拉夫之书》的规定和条例。

There came a time when it dawned upon Turpin that his wife was getting away with too much money. —
有一天，特平突然意识到他的妻子拿走了太多的钱。 —

If you belong to the near-swell class in the Big City, and your income is $200 per month, and you find at the end of the month, after looking over the bills for current expenses, that you, yourself, have spent $150, you very naturally wonder what has become of the other $50. —
如果你属于大城市的小康阶层，每月收入为200美元，然后在月底查看了当前费用的帐单后发现，自己已经花了150美元，你自然会想知道剩下的50美元去了哪里。 —

So you suspect your wife. And perhaps you give her a hint that something needs explanation.
所以你怀疑你的妻子。也许你给她暗示需要解释一些事情。

“I say, Vivien,” said Turpin, one afternoon when they were enjoying in rapt silence the peace and quiet of their cozy apartment, “you’ve been creating a hiatus big enough for a dog to crawl through in this month’s honorarium. —
“我说，维维安，”一天下午，当他们在舒适的公寓里静静地享受宁静时，特尔平说道，“你这个月的酬金中间有一个足够大的差距。 —

You haven’t been paying your dressmaker anything on account, have you?”
你是不是给你的裁缝付过任何账户？

There was a moment’s silence. No sounds could be heard except the breathing of the fox terrier, and the subdued, monotonous sizzling of Vivien’s fulvous locks against the insensate curling irons. —
沉默了片刻。除了福克斯梗的呼吸声和维维安火红色发丝与无情的卷发器沉闷、单调的摩擦声外，再没有其他声音。 —

Claude Turpin, sitting upon a pillow that he had thoughtfully placed upon the convolutions of the apartment sofa, narrowly watched the riante, lovely face of his wife.
克劳德·图尔平静地坐在公寓沙发的褶皱上，把枕头放在上面，细细观察着他妻子快乐而可爱的面容。

“Claudie, dear,” said she, touching her finger to her ruby tongue and testing the unresponsive curling irons, “you do me an injustice. —
“亲爱的克劳迪，”她一边用手指触摸她的红宝石般的舌头，一边测试着不灵敏的卷发烫棒，” 你对我误会了。 —

Mme. Toinette has not seen a cent of mine since the day you paid your tailor ten dollars on account.”
自从你付给你的裁缝10美元的押金那天起，陶涅特夫人一分钱也没拿过我的钱。

Turpin’s suspicions were allayed for the time. —
图尔平的怀疑暂时消除了。 —

But one day soon there came an anonymous letter to him that read:
但是不久后，他收到了一封匿名信，信上写着：

“Watch your wife. She is blowing in your money secretly. —
“密切监视你的妻子。她偷偷花掉了你的钱。 —

I was a sufferer just as you are. The place is No. 345 Blank Street. —
我就像你一样成为了受害者。地址是空白街345号。 —

A word to the wise, etc.
智者一言以定，等等。

“A MAN WHO KNOWS”
“一个明白情况的人”

Turpin took this letter to the captain of police of the precinct that he lived in.
图尔平把这封信带给了他所居住区域的警察局长。

“My precinct is as clean as a hound’s tooth,” said the captain. —
“我所负责的地区一片清净，”警察局长说。 —

“The lid’s shut down as close there as it is over the eye of a Williamsburg girl when she’s kissed at a party. —
“那里的大门紧闭得像威廉斯堡的女孩在聚会上被吻时闭上的眼睛一样。 —

But if you think there’s anything queer at the address, I’ll go there with ye.”
但是如果你认为那个地址有什么可疑之处，我会和你一起去那里。

On the next afternoon at 3, Turpin and the captain crept softly up the stairs of No. 345 Blank Street. —
第二天下午3点，特尔平和船长悄悄爬上了345号空白街的楼梯。 —

A dozen plain-clothes men, dressed in full police uniforms, so as to allay suspicion, waited in the hall below.
一打穿着全副警服的便衣警察在楼下的大厅等候，以消除任何疑虑。

At the top of the stairs was a door, which was found to be locked. —
楼梯顶端有一扇锁着的门。 —

The captain took a key from his pocket and unlocked it. —
船长从口袋里拿出一把钥匙，打开了它。 —

The two men entered.
两个人走了进去。

They found themselves in a large room, occupied by twenty or twenty-five elegantly clothed ladies. —
他们发现自己进入了一个大房间，里面有二十到二十五个衣着优雅的女士。 —

Racing charts hung against the walls, a ticker clicked in one corner; —
赛马表挂在墙上，一个闪电传输器在一个角落里咔嗒作响; —

with a telephone receiver to his ear a man was calling out the various positions of the horses in a very exciting race. —
一个人拿着电话接收器，正在非常激动地报出马匹在一场比赛中的各个位置。 —

The occupants of the room looked up at the intruders; —
房间里的人们看着闯入者; —

but, as if reassured by the sight of the captain’s uniform, they reverted their attention to the man at the telephone.
但是，仿佛因为看到了船长的制服而感到安心，他们又把注意力转向了电话那边的男人。

“You see,” said the captain to Turpin, “the value of an anonymous letter! —
“你看，”船长对特尔平说，“匿名信的价值就在这里！” —

No high-minded and self-respecting gentleman should consider one worthy of notice. —
没有一个高尚自重的绅士会认为她值得注意。 —

Is your wife among this assembly, Mr. Turpin?”
“你的妻子在这个集会中吗，特平先生？”

“She is not,” said Turpin.
“不在,” 特平说。

“And if she was,” continued the captain, “would she be within the reach of the tongue of slander? —
“而且如果她在的话,” 船长继续说道，”她会受到谣言的中伤吗？” —

These ladies constitute a Browning Society. They meet to discuss the meaning of the great poet. —
这些女士们组成了一个布朗宁学会，他们聚在一起讨论这位伟大诗人的意义。 —

The telephone is connected with Boston, whence the parent society transmits frequently its interpretations of the poems. —
电话与波士顿相连，波士顿的母会经常传达诗歌的解释。 —

Be ashamed of yer suspicions, Mr. Turpin.”
“为你的怀疑感到羞愧，特平先生。”

“Go soak your shield,” said Turpin. “Vivien knows how to take care of herself in a pool-room. —
“滚开，去泡泡你的小湖吧，”特平说道，”维维安知道如何在游泳池照料自己。” —

She’s not dropping anything on the ponies. —
“她没有把任何东西放到赛马上。” —

There must be something queer going on here.”
在这里肯定有些古怪的事情发生。

“Nothing but Browning,” said the captain. “Hear that?”
“只有布朗宁，听到了吗？”

“Thanatopsis by a nose,” drawled the man at the telephone.
“以鼻子的距离领先，致命之思,” 电话那头的人嗓音慢悠悠地说道。

“That’s not Browning; that’s Longfellow,” said Turpin, who sometimes read books.
“那不是布朗宁，那是朗费罗，”特平说道，他有时读书。

“Back to the pasture!” exclaimed the captain. —
“回到牧场去！”船长喊道。 —

“longfellow made the pacing-to-wagon record of 7.53 ‘way back in 1868.”
“好久以前，1868年，朗费罗用7.53的时间创下了马车的速度纪录。”

“I believe there’s something queer about this joint,” repeated Turpin.
“我相信这个地方有些奇怪，”图尔平重复说道。

“I don’t see it,” said the captain.
“我看不出来，”船长说道。

“I know it looks like a pool-room, all right,” persisted Turpin, “but that’s all a blind. —
“我知道它看起来像一个赌场，没错，”图尔平坚持道，”但这只是一个幌子。 —

Vivien has been dropping a lot of coin somewhere. —
维维安在某个地方丢了很多钱。 —

I believe there’s some underhanded work going on here.”
我相信这里有些偷偷摸摸的勾当。

A number of racing sheets were tacked close together, covering a large space on one of the walls. —
一些赛马的纸张紧紧贴在一起，覆盖在墙上的一大块空间上。 —

Turpin, suspicious, tore several of them down. A door, previously hidden, was revealed. —
图尔平心生疑虑，撕下了其中几张。前面隐藏着一扇门。 —

Turpin placed an ear to the crack and listened intently. —
图尔平把耳朵贴在裂缝上，认真地听着。 —

He heard the soft hum of many voices, low and guarded laughter, and a sharp, metallic clicking and scraping as if from a multitude of tiny but busy objects.
他听到了许多声音的微弱嗡嗡声，低沉而小心翼翼的笑声，还有像许多个小而忙碌的物体发出的尖锐、金属般的咔嗒声和刮擦声。

“My God! It is as I feared!” whispered Turpin to himself. —
“天哪！正如我所担心的一样！”图尔平自言自语地低声说道。 —

“Summon your men at once!” he called to the captain. “She is in there, I know.”
“立即召集你的人！”他对船长喊道，”我知道她在里面。”

At the blowing of the captain’s whistle the uniformed plain-clothes men rushed up the stairs into the poolroom. —
当船长的哨声响起的时候，穿着制服的便衣警察们冲上了楼梯进入了游泳池房间。 —

When they saw the betting paraphernalia distributed around they halted, surprised and puzzled to know why they had been summoned.
当他们看到周围散落的赌具时，他们停下来，感到惊讶和困惑，想知道为什么他们被召唤过来。

But the captain pointed to the lock-ed door and bade them break it down. —
但船长指着锁着的门，命令他们破门而入。 —

In a few moments they demolished it with the axes they carried. —
几分钟后，他们用手上携带的斧子将门拆掉了。 —

Into the other room sprang Claude Turpin, with the captain at his heels.
克劳德·图尔潘跳进了另一个房间，船长紧随其后。

The scene was one that lingered long in Turpin’s mind. —
这一幕在图尔潘的脑海中久久地停留着。 —

Nearly a score of women – women expensively and fashionably clothed, many beautiful and of refined appearance – had been seated at little marble-topped tables. —
几乎有二十个女人——她们衣着精致时尚，很多是美丽而娴静的——坐在小型大理石桌旁。 —

When the police burst open the door they shrieked and ran here and there like gayly plumed birds that had been disturbed in a tropical grove. —
当警察强行打开门时，她们尖叫着四处逃散，像是被打扰的热带羽毛鸟。 —

Some became hysterical; one or two fainted; —
有些人变得歇斯底里；一两个人晕倒了； —

several knelt at the feet of the officers and besought them for mercy on account of their families and social position.
几个人跪在警察的脚下，乞求他们饶恕，以免连累到她们的家庭和社会地位。

A man who had been seated behind a desk had seized a roll of currency as large as the ankle of a Paradise Roof Gardens chorus girl and jumped out of the window. —
坐在办公桌后的一名男子抓住了一个像天堂屋顶花园合唱女郎的脚踝一样大的一卷货币，并跳出了窗户。 —

Half a dozen attendants huddled at one end of the room, breathless from fear.
六个服务员聚集在房间的一端，因恐惧而喘不过气来。

Upon the tables remained the damning and incontrovertible evidences of the guilt of the habituées of that sinister room – dish after dish heaped high with ice cream, and surrounded by stacks of empty ones, scraped to the last spoonful.
桌子上留下了明确而无可辩驳的证据，证明了那个可怕房间里的常客们的罪行——一个接一个的碗，堆满了冰淇淋，并周围摞着一堆空碗，都刮得干干净净。

“Ladies,” said the captain to his weeping circle of prisoner “I’ll not hold any of yez. —
“女士们，”船长对他哭泣的囚犯圈子说道，”我不会留下你们中的任何人。 —

Some of yez I recognize as having fine houses and good standing in the community, with hard-working husbands and childer at home. —
你们中有些人，我认识你们在社区中拥有漂亮的房子，有好声望，丈夫辛勤工作，家里还有孩子。 —

But I’ll read ye a bit of a lecture before ye go. —
但在你们离开之前，我要给你们上一堂课。 —

In the next room there’s a 20-to-1 shot just dropped in under the wire three lengths ahead of the field. —
在隔壁房间里有一匹20赔1的赛马，刚刚以领先全场三个马身的优势冲过终点线。 —

Is this the way ye waste your husbands’ money instead of helping earn it? —
你们是不是就这样浪费丈夫的钱，而不是帮助赚钱呢？ —

Home wid yez! The lid’s on the ice-cream freezer in this precinct.”
家里有炖肉吃！这个区里冰淇淋冷冻柜的盖子太紧了。

Claude Turpin’s wife was among the patrons of the raided room. —
克劳德·图尔潘的妻子是被突袭的房间里的顾客之一。 —

He led her to their apartment in stem silence. —
他默默地带她回到他们的公寓。 —

There she wept so remorsefully and besought his forgiveness so pleadingly that he forgot his just anger, and soon he gathered his penitent golden-haired Vivien in his arms and forgave her.
她悔过并懇求他的原谅，她的眼泪流得很痛苦，以至于他忘记了他的正当愤怒，很快他把香艳金发的薇薇安紧紧地抱在怀里，原谅了她。

“Darling,” she murmured, half sobbingly, as the moonlight drifted through the open window, glorifying her sweet, upturned face, “I know I done wrong. —
“亲爱的，”她哽咽地说着，月光透过敞开的窗户洒下来，照亮她甜美而仰视的脸庞，”我知道我做错了。 —

I will never touch ice cream again. I forgot you were not a millionaire. —
我再也不会碰冰淇淋了。我忘记你不是百万富翁。 —

I used to go there every day. But to-day I felt some strange, sad presentiment of evil, and I was not myself. —
我曾经每天都去那里。但是今天，我感到一些奇怪而悲伤的不祥之兆，我不像我自己。 —

I ate only eleven saucers.”
我只吃了十一块冰淇淋。

“Say no more,” said Claude, gently as he fondly caressed her waving curls.
“不再说了，”克劳德温柔地抚摸着她飘逸的卷发说道。

“And you are sure that you fully forgive me?” asked Vivien, gazing at him entreatingly with dewy eyes of heavenly blue.
“你确定你完全原谅我了吗？” 薇薇安凝视着他，用天蓝色的湿润双眼哀求着问道。

“Almost sure, little one,” answered Claude, stooping and lightly touching her snowy forehead with his lips. —
“我几乎可以确定，小家伙，”克洛德回答道，低下身子，用唇轻轻触摸她雪白的额头。 —

“I’ll let you know later on. I’ve got a month’s salary down on Vanilla to win the three-year-old steeplechase to-morrow; —
“我会晚点告诉你的。我把一个月的工资都拿出来，下注香草去赢得明天的三岁障碍赛； —

and if the ice-cream hunch is to the good you are It again – see?”
如果冰激凌的直觉是正确的，你又赢了——你明白吗？”