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01-06-猴爪 [6]

By 雅各布斯 W.W. Jacobs 1077 0
, afraid.'How much?' Mr White asked, very quietly. He did not want to hear the answer.
  'Thirty thousand pounds,' the stranger said.


■ 5
  慢慢地,年迈的怀特太太又回到了屋里。她的丈夫打量着她,瞧见她脸上有一种奇怪的表情。
  “怎么啦?”他问。
  “没事儿,”妻子说着就坐下来继续吃她的早餐。她又开始想汤姆·莫里斯的事。突然,她对丈夫说,“昨天晚上你的朋友喝了太多的威士忌!讲了神奇的猴爪!可怕的故事!”
  怀特先生没有回答她,因为这时候邮差到了,邮差为他们带来了两封信,但里面并没有钱。早餐后,两位老人已忘记了钱和猴爪的事。
  这一天晚些时候,大约1点左右,怀特夫妇坐下来吃东西;又开始了有关钱的谈论,他们没有富足的钱,所以他们常常需要谈论钱。
  “我们需要 30 000英磅。”怀特太太说。
  “可今天上午一分钱也没得到,”他丈夫说,“还是让我们忘掉它吧!”
  接着,他说,“但那东西确实移动了。猴爪在我的手里动了!汤姆的故事是真的!”
  “你昨晚喝多了。也许猴爪并未移动。”怀特太太回答道。
  “它移动了!”怀特先生恼怒地叫了起来。
  开始,他妻子没有理他,好一会儿才说:“赫伯特也嘲笑过这件事。”
  突然,她止住话音,站起来向窗户走去。
  “怎么啦?”她丈夫问。
  “我们的房子前面有一个人,是一个高个子穿着讲究的陌生人,他朝我们这边看,呵,不,好了,他已经走了……”怀特太太告诉他丈夫。
  “坐下来,吃完你的饭!”怀特先生说。
  老妇人并没有听丈夫的话。“他没走,”她继续说,“他又回来了,我不认识他,他是陌生人。不错,他穿得很讲究……”突然,怀特太太不说话了,她很兴奋,“他正朝我们的门口走来……也许他给我们带来了钱!”
  她跑出房间,打开了前门。
  穿着讲究的高个子陌生人站在那儿。他什么也没说。好一会儿,他才开始说话。“下午好,我正要找怀特夫妇。”
  “哦,我就是怀特太太,”老妇人答道,“我能为你做些什么吗?”
  陌生人顿了顿才说,“怀特太太,我从莫和麦金森来,我能进去跟您谈谈吗?”
  莫和麦金森有一个大工厂,赫伯特·怀特在那儿作机器操作工。
  “当然可以,请进吧。”怀特太太答道。
  穿着讲究的陌生人进了小客厅,怀特先生站了起来。
  “你是怀特先生吗?”陌生人问。他又继续介绍,“我从莫和麦金森来”。
  怀特太太看着陌生人,想道,“也许,他很有钱……但为什么来自莫和麦金森?从他的脸色看他并不高兴……为什么?”突然,老妇人很害怕。
  “请坐。”怀特先生说,但她妻子已经等得不耐烦了。
  “出了什么事?”她叫了起来,“是不是赫伯特……”她几乎不能把话问完。
  陌生人并不瞧他们的脸,怀特先生也开始害怕了。
  “请告诉我们!”他说。
  从莫和麦金森来的人停了好一会儿才开始说,“对不起,非常对不起,今天早晨,工厂发生了一起事故……。”
  “到底出了什么事,赫伯特还好吗?”怀特太太又叫了起来。
  “是这样……”陌生人慢慢地说。
  “他住院了吗?”老妇人问,现在她非常害怕。
  “但是……”陌生人看了一眼怀特太太的脸又停了下来。
  “他死了吗?赫伯特死啦?”怀特先生平静地问。
  “死啦,”怀特太太哭叫着。“不,请不要这样说……,不,赫伯特不会死,我们的儿子不会死!”
  突然,老妇人不喊了,因为她看见了陌生人的表情。两个老人明白,他们的儿子已经死了!老怀特太太呜咽着,怀特先生伤心地搂着她。
  过了一会儿,从莫和麦金森来的男人说,“那是一起机器事故,听到赫伯特喊救命,工友们跑过去,可一点办法也没有。只能眼睁睁地看着赫伯特在机器里。对不起,非常对不起。”他结束一了讲话。
  刹那间,屋子里非常安静。最后,怀特太太说,“我们的儿子,死了,我们再也不能见到他了,没有他,我们以后的日子怎么过?”
  他丈夫说,“他是我们的儿子,我们爱他。”
  接着,怀特太太问陌生人,“我们能看看他吗?我们能不能看看我们的儿子?请带我去,我想去看看我的儿子。”
  但陌生人很快答道,“不行,最好不要去看他,他们不能快速把机器停下来,赫伯特在里面呆了很长时间,并且开始的时候弄不出来,他……”陌生人停了下来,接着他说,“还是别去看他吧!”
  陌生人走到窗户边,因为他不想看到两位老人的痛苦的表情,他什么也没说,站在那儿等了好长时间。
  然而,他又回过身来开始和两位老人谈话。“但是,你们的儿子是一个好工人,他为莫和麦金森工作了6年。现在,莫和麦金森要在这个不幸的时候帮助你们。”陌生人又停了下来,过了一会儿又说,“莫和麦金森想给你们一些钱。”说完,他把一些东西交到怀特先生手上。
  老怀特先生没有看手里的钱,他慢慢地站起来,害怕地看着陌生人,“多少钱?”怀特先生非常平静地问。其实他并不想听到答案。
  “30 000英镑。”陌生人说。


■ Chapter 6
  Three days later,in the big,new cemetery two miles from their house,the two old people said goodbye to their dead son.Then they went back to their dark,old house. They did not want to live without Herbert, but they waited for something good to happen, something to help them.The days went by very slowly. Sometimes they did not talk because there was nothing to say without Herbert. And so the days felt very long.
  Then,one night,about a week later,Mrs White got out of bed because she could not sleep. She sat by the window and she watched and waited for her son. He did not come and she began to cry quietly.
  In the dark her husband heard her and he called,'Come back to bed. It's cold out there.'
  'It's colder for my son,'his wife answered.'He's out there in the cold cemetery.'
  Mrs White did not go back to bed, but Mr White was old and tired and the bed was warm. So, in the end, he went to sleep again. Suddenly he heard a cry from his wife.
  'The paw!' she cried.'The monkey's paw!' She came back to the bed and stood there.
  'What is it ? What's the matter?'Mr White cried.He sat up in bed.'What's the matter? 'he thought.'Why is she ex cited? What's she talking about?' He looked at his wife.
  Her face was very white in the dark.'I want it,'she said quietly, 'and you've got it! Give it to me! Please!'
  'What?' Mr White asked.
  'The monkey's paw, Mrs White said.'Where is it?'
  'It's downstairs, Mr White answered.'Why?'
  Mrs White began to laugh and cry.'We can have two more wishes! 'she cried. 'We had one—but there are two more!'
  'Oh,no!Not again! Think, woman!' Mr White cried. But Mrs White did not listen.
  'Quickly,' she said .'Go and get the paw. We're going to wish for our boy to come back to us!'
  'No!' Mr White cried.'You're mad!'
  'Get it! Get it quickly!' Mrs White cried again.
  Mr White said again,'Think, woman! Think! Our boy was in the machinery for a long time. They didn't want to show him to us
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