WITH my head full of George Barnwell, I was at first disposed to believe that I must have had some hand in the attack upon my sister, or at all events that as her near relation, popularly known to be under obligations to her, I was a more legitimate object of suspicion than any one else. —
以胡子巴恩威尔的故事充斥着我的脑海，起初我倾向于相信我一定与袭击我妹妹有关，或者至少作为她的近亲，众所周知，我对她有所恩惠，我比其他人更合理地值得怀疑。 —

But when, in the clearer light of next morning, I began to reconsider the matter and to hear it discussed around me on all sides, I took another view of the case, which was more reasonable.
但是在第二天清晨更清晰的光线中，我开始重新考虑这件事，并听到周围各方面都在讨论，我采取了另一种更合理的观点。

Joe had been at the Three Jolly Bargemen, smoking his pipe, from a quarter after eight o’clock to a quarter before ten. —
乔从八点一刻开始在“三个欢快的酒酒店”吸着烟斗，一直到十点前一刻。 —

While he was there, my sister had been seen standing at the kitchen door, and had exchanged Good Night with a farm-labourer going home. —
当他在那里时，有人看到我妹妹站在厨房门口，与一个农民互道晚安，农民正在回家。 —

The man could not be more particular as to the time at which he saw her (he got into dense confusion when he tried to be), than that it must have been before nine. —
这个男人在他看到她的时间方面不能更明确（他试图被具体时变得混乱），只不过确定她最晚在九点之前被看到。 —

When Joe went home at five minutes before ten, he found her struck down on the floor, and promptly called in assistance. —
当乔在十点前五分钟回家时，他发现她昏倒在地板上，并立即寻求帮助。 —

The fire had not then burnt unusually low, nor was the snuff of the candle very long; —
那时火并没有异常地燃烧，烛花也不是很长； —

the candle, however, had been blown out.
然而，蜡烛已经被吹灭了。

Nothing had been taken away from any part of the house. —
没有任何物品被拿走。 —

Neither, beyond the blowing out of the candle - which stood on a table between the door and my sister, and was behind her when she stood facing the fire and was struck - was there any disarrangement of the kitchen, excepting such as she herself had made, in falling and bleeding. —
除了烛台上放着的蜡烛被吹灭之外，厨房没有被打乱，除了她自己倒下流血时制造的混乱。 —

But, there was one remarkable piece of evidence on the spot. —
但是，在现场有一个引人注目的证据。 —

She had been struck with something blunt and heavy, on the head and spine; —
她的头部和脊椎被用沉重的钝物体击中； —

after the blows were dealt, something heavy had been thrown down at her with considerable violence, as she lay on her face. —
在这些打击之后，有一些沉重的东西被猛烈地朝着她扔下，因为她趴在脸朝下的地面上。 —

And on the ground beside her, when Joe picked her up, was a convict’s leg-iron which had been filed asunder.
当乔把她从地上扶起时，她身旁有一个被破开的逃犯脚镣。

Now, Joe, examining this iron with a smith’s eye, declared it to have been filed asunder some time ago. —
现在，乔用铁匠的眼光检查这个铁器，宣称这个铁器已经在一段时间前被锯断。 —

The hue and cry going off to the Hulks, and people coming thence to examine the iron, Joe’s opinion was corroborated. —
号角声响起，人们开始前往沉船看铁器，乔的观点得到了证实。 —

They did not undertake to say when it had left the prison-ships to which it undoubtedly had once belonged; —
他们没有说明这件铁器何时离开了无疑曾经属于的囚船； —

but they claimed to know for certain that that particular manacle had not been worn by either of two convicts who had escaped last night. —
但他们声称可以肯定，这个手铐绝对不是昨晚逃跑的两名囚犯之一所戴过的。 —

Further, one of those two was already re-taken, and had not freed himself of his iron.
此外，那两名中的一个已经被再次捉住，手上还带着铁器。

Knowing what I knew, I set up an inference of my own here. —
知道了我所知道的，我在这里提出了自己的推断。 —

I believed the iron to be my convict’s iron - the iron I had seen and heard him filing at, on the marshes - but my mind did not accuse him of having put it to its latest use. —
我相信这件铁器是我的罪犯的铁器——我曾在湿地上见过他用锉刀修理的铁器——但我不认为他最近使用过它。 —

For, I believed one of two other persons to have become possessed of it, and to have turned it to this cruel account. —
因为我相信另外两个人之一已经占有它，并把它用于这种残忍的目的。 —

Either Orlick, or the strange man who had shown me the file.
要么是奥利克，要么是曾经给我看过锉刀的陌生人。

Now, as to Orlick; he had gone to town exactly as he told us when we picked him up at the turnpike, he had been seen about town all the evening, he had been in divers companies in several public-houses, and he had come back with myself and Mr Wopsle. —
至于奥利克；他正如我们在收费站捡他时所说的一样去了镇上，整个晚上都有人看见他在镇上活动，他在几家酒吧里和各种人群在一起，他和我还有沃普斯先生一起回来。 —

There was nothing against him, save the quarrel; —
对他没有任何指控，只是闹了些口角； —

and my sister had quarrelled with him, and with everybody else about her, ten thousand times. —
我妹妹与他吵过无数次，也和周围所有人都吵过。 —

As to the strange man; if he had come back for his two bank-notes there could have been no dispute about them, because my sister was fully prepared to restore them. —
至于那位陌生人；如果他为了那两张银行票回来，不会有任何争议，因为我妹妹准备好归还它们。 —

Besides, there had been no altercation; the assailant had come in so silently and suddenly, that she had been felled before she could look round.
此外，没有发生争执；攻击者进来时如此悄无声息，出乎意料，她未能回过神就被打倒。

It was horrible to think that I had provided the weapon, however undesignedly, but I could hardly think otherwise. —
想到我无意中提供了武器，这真是令人恐惧，但我几乎无法想象其他可能。 —

I suffered unspeakable trouble while I considered and reconsidered whether I should at last dissolve that spell of my childhood, and tell Joe all the story. —
在考虑再考虑之际，我遭受了难以言表的困扰，是否最终打破我童年的魔咒，将全部事情告诉乔。 —

For months afterwards, I every day settled the question finally in the negative, and reopened and reargued it next morning. —
在此之后的几个月，我每天都最终否定了这个问题，并在第二天重新开启并重新争论。 —

The contention came, after all, to this; —
归根结底，争执归结为这一点； —

• the secret was such an old one now, had so grown into me and become a part of myself, that I could not tear it away. —
  - 这个秘密现在已经是如此古老，已经深深融入我的内心，并成为我自己的一部分，以至于我无法将其摆脱。 —
  

In addition to the dread that, having led up to so much mischief, it would be now more likely than ever to alienate Joe from me if he believed it, I had a further restraining dread that he would not believe it, but would assort it with the fabulous dogs and veal-cutlets as a monstrous invention. —
除了担心导致了这么多麻烦，现在更有可能使乔远离我，如果他相信这个秘密的话，我还有一个更大的担忧，那就是他可能不相信，而会把它归为虚构的狗和牛排一样是一个荒诞的发明。 —

However, I temporized with myself, of course - for, was I not wavering between right and wrong, when the thing is always done? —
然而，我当然在自己内心中犹豫不决-因为当问题总是出现时，我是否不是在犹豫是非之间摇摆？ —

• and resolved to make a full disclosure if I should see any such new occasion as a new chance of helping in the discovery of the assailant.
  - 并且做出了决心，如果我看到任何这样新的机会，作为帮助发现袭击者的新机会的话，我就会进行充分的披露。
  

The Constables, and the Bow Street men from London - for, this happened in the days of the extinct red-waistcoated police - were about the house for a week or two, and did pretty much what I have heard and read of like authorities doing in other such cases. —
那些警官，以及从伦敦来的波斯特里特警察们-因为这发生在已消失的红背心警察的时代-在房子里呆了一两个星期，基本上做了我所听说和阅读到的这类情况下这类管理者所做的事情。 —

They took up several obviously wrong people, and they ran their heads very hard against wrong ideas, and persisted in trying to fit the circumstances to the ideas, instead of trying to extract ideas from the circumstances. —
他们抓了几个明显错误的人，他们的想法与实情格格不入，他们坚持试图让情况符合想法，而不是试图从情况中得出想法。 —

Also, they stood about the door of the Jolly Bargemen, with knowing and reserved looks that filled the whole neighbourhood with admiration; —
他们站在“欢乐客栈”门口，满脸自信和保守的表情让整个社区都感到钦佩； —

and they had a mysterious manner of taking their drink, that was almost as good as taking the culprit. —
他们喝酒时装出一副神秘的神态，几乎和抓住罪犯一样好。 —

But not quite, for they never did it.
但并不完全是这样，因为他们从未做到。

Long after these constitutional powers had dispersed, my sister lay very ill in bed. —
即使这些宪法权力散去之后，我的姐姐依然卧病在床。 —

Her sight was disturbed, so that she saw objects multiplied, and grasped at visionary teacups and wine-glasses instead of the realities; —
她的视力受到干扰，看到的东西成倍增加，试图抓住虚幻的茶杯和酒杯，而不是实物； —

her hearing was greatly impaired; her memory also; and her speech was unintelligible. —
她的听力受到严重影响；她的记忆也受损；她的言语难以理解。 —

When, at last, she came round so far as to be helped down-stairs, it was still necessary to keep my slate always by her, that she might indicate in writing what she could not indicate in speech. —
最后，当她终于恢复到能下楼的程度时，仍然需要随身带着我的板子，这样她可以通过书面表达来传达她说不出口的想法。 —

As she was (very bad handwriting apart) a more than indifferent speller, and as Joe was a more than indifferent reader, extraordinary complications arose between them, which I was always called in to solve. —
由于她的拼写能力很一般（除了非常糟糕的笔迹），而乔是一位非常一般的读者，他们之间经常出现了非常复杂的问题，而我总是被叫来解决。 —

The administration of mutton instead of medicine, the substitution of Tea for Joe, and the baker for bacon, were among the mildest of my own mistakes.
把羊肉代替药物，用茶叶代替乔，烘培师代替熏肉等等都是我的轻微错误之一。

However, her temper was greatly improved, and she was patient. —
然而，她的脾气大大改善，变得更加耐心。 —

A tremulous uncertainty of the action of all her limbs soon became a part of her regular state, and afterwards, at intervals of two or three months, she would often put her hands to her head, and would then remain for about a week at a time in some gloomy aberration of mind. —
她四肢动作的不稳定性很快成为她正常状态的一部分，然后，每两三个月，她经常会用手捂住头，然后会陷入大约一周时间的某种忧郁的错乱状态。 —

We were at a loss to find a suitable attendant for her, until a circumstance happened conveniently to relieve us. —
我们为找到一个合适的照顾人员为她而苦恼，直到方便地发生了一件事来解救我们。 —

Mr Wopsle’s great-aunt conquered a confirmed habit of living into which she had fallen, and Biddy became a part of our establishment.
沃普尔先生的姑姑克服了她陷入的一种固有生活习惯，比迪成为了我们家中的一员。

It may have been about a month after my sister’s reappearance in the kitchen, when Biddy came to us with a small speckled box containing the whole of her worldly effects, and became a blessing to the household. —
大约一个月后，当我的妹妹重新出现在厨房时，比迪带着一个小斑驳盒子，里面装着她的全部财产，成为了家庭的一大福祉。 —

Above all, she was a blessing to Joe, for the dear old fellow was sadly cut up by the constant contemplation of the wreck of his wife, and had been accustomed, while attending on her of an evening, to turn to me every now and then and say, with his blue eyes moistened, `Such a fine figure of a woman as she once were, Pip!’ —
最重要的是，她对乔来说是一种福祉，因为可怜的老家伙对妻子不断衰落的样子感到十分悲伤，每到晚上照顾她时，他经常会转向我，眼睛含泪地说：“皮普啊！她曾经是多么标致的女人！” —

Biddy instantly taking the cleverest charge of her as though she had studied her from infancy, Joe became able in some sort to appreciate the greater quiet of his life, and to get down to the Jolly Bargemen now and then for a change that did him good. —
比迪立即承担起对她的聪明照顾，仿佛从小就了解她，让乔在某种程度上能够欣赏生活的更大安宁，偶尔到“欢乐水手”去换换环境也对他有好处。 —

It was characteristic of the police people that they had all more or less suspected poor Joe (though he never knew it), and that they had to a man concurred in regarding him as one of the deepest spirits they had ever encountered.
这些警察人员的特点是，他们或多或少都怀疑乔（尽管他从未知道），一致认为他是他们所遇到的最狡猾的人物之一。

Biddy’s first triumph in her new office, was to solve a difficulty that had completely vanquished me. —
比迪在新岗位上的第一次胜利，是解决了一个我完全无法解决的难题。 —

I had tried hard at it, but had made nothing of it. Thus it was:
我努力尝试了，但一无所获。情况如下：

Again and again and again, my sister had traced upon the slate, a character that looked like a curious T, and then with the utmost eagerness had called our attention to it as something she particularly wanted. —
我妹妹在小黑板上反复画出一个看起来像是奇怪的T的形状，然后迫不及待地引起我们的注意，表示这是她特别想要的东西。 —

I had in vain tried everything producible that began with a T, from tar to toast and tub. —
我百般尝试着拿出所有以T开头的东西，从焦油到烤面包和浴缸都试过了。 —

At length it had come into my head that the sign looked like a hammer, and on my lustily calling that word in my sister’s ear, she had begun to hammer on the table and had expressed a qualified assent. —
最后我想到，这个符号看起来像一个锤子，当我大声朝我妹妹的耳朵里说这个词时，她开始在桌子上敲击，并表示认可。 —

Thereupon, I had brought in all our hammers, one after another, but without avail. —
于是，我一个接着一个把所有的锤子都拿了进来，但都没有起到作用。 —

Then I bethought me of a crutch, the shape being much the same, and I borrowed one in the village, and displayed it to my sister with considerable confidence. —
我忽然想到一根拐杖，形状很相似，便在村子借了一根，并带着相当的信心向我妹展示。 —

But she shook her head to that extent when she was shown it, that we were terrified lest in her weak and shattered state she should dislocate her neck.
但她看到后摇头摇得如此厉害，我们担心她瘦弱不堪的身体会脱臼。

When my sister found that Biddy was very quick to understand her, this mysterious sign reappeared on the slate. —
当我妹发现Biddy很快能理解她时，这种神秘的标记又出现在了黑板上。 —

Biddy looked thoughtfully at it, heard my explanation, looked thoughtfully at my sister, looked thoughtfully at Joe (who was always represented on the slate by his initial letter), and ran into the forge, followed by Joe and me.
Biddy若有所思地看着标记，听完我的解释，又若有所思地看了看我妹，看了看常常用他首字母代表的乔（乔总是以他的首字母代表在黑板上），然后跑进了铁匠铺，乔和我也跟在后面。

Why, of course!' cried Biddy, with an exultant face.Don’t you see? It’s him!’
啊，当然啦！' Biddy兴高采烈地说道。你看明白了吗？就是他！’

Orlick, without a doubt! She had lost his name, and could only signify him by his hammer. —
毫无疑问，是Orlick！她忘记了他的名字，只能通过他的锤子来表示。 —

We told him why we wanted him to come into the kitchen, and he slowly laid down his hammer, wiped his brow with his arm, took another wipe at it with his apron, and came slouching out, with a curious loose vagabond bend in the knees that strongly distinguished him.
我们告诉他为什么要他进厨房，他慢慢放下锤子，用手臂擦了下额头，用围裙又擦了一下，然后走出来，膝盖上有一种奇怪的松散流浪者的弯曲。

I confess that I expected to see my sister denounce him, and that I was disappointed by the different result. —
我承认我以为会见到我妹痛斥他，但却对结果有所失望。 —

She manifested the greatest anxiety to be on good terms with him, was evidently much pleased by his being at length produced, and motioned that she would have him given something to drink. —
她表现出了与他和好对待的极大渴望，显然被他终于出现而感到高兴，并示意让给他点喝的东西。 —

She watched his countenance as if she were particularly wishful to be assured that he took kindly to his reception, she showed every possible desire to conciliate him, and there was an air of humble propitiation in all she did, such as I have seen pervade the bearing of a child towards a hard master. —
她注视着他的表情，仿佛特别希望确认他对待接待的态度友好，她展示出了与他融洽关系的强烈渴望，并在所做的一切中都展现出一种对待严苛主宰的孩子的谦卑态度。 —

After that day, a day rarely passed without her drawing the hammer on her slate, and without Orlick’s slouching in and standing doggedly before her, as if he knew no more than I did what to make of it.
从那天起，她几乎每天都在黑板上画锤子，Orlick就会懒散地走进来，站在她面前，一副犹豫不决的神情，好像他和我一样对这有什么头绪。