03-01-01-弗兰肯斯坦 [12]
前怪物是不会“造访”我们的。我不会轻易地死去，而且要在他杀死我之前设法杀死他。
第二天早上我收到了亨利的一封信。他告诉我说他在等着我回去。我决定清理一下实验室并在第二天离开海岛。于是我返回实验室，女怪物的那具身体还躺在地上。我把它们和一些重的石头一起装进一个大袋子。然后我把袋子扛到船上并驶向大海。我把袋子投入深水中，看着它消失了。
我现在比好几个月以来感觉要好些了。我知道自己做对了一件事，现在不会有第二个怪物步那第一个的后尘了。
我非常疲劳，在船上睡着了。我不清楚睡了多长时间，只知道我醒来时正处在一场暴风雨之中。风把我吹向离海岸更远的地方，我的船还开始进水了。我明白自己正处于极大的危险之中。几个小时后暴风雨过去了，我看见往南有陆地。很快我就看见了海滩……一群人正站在那儿看着我。他们的表情既冷酷又不友好。
在我登陆时，四个男人走向我并抓住了我的胳膊。
“我们要把你带到法官克文先生那儿去。他要审问你这儿昨晚发生的一桩谋杀案的事，”其中的一个人告诉我。
听了那桩谋杀案我很伤心，但我没有为此担心。我那时正在远处，根本不知道什么谋杀的事。将会容易地解释清这一点。这样我便随那些人去了克文法官住的大屋子。
■ 12
The judge was an old， kind man， but his face was very serious as he looked at me． He asked a number of men to tell me what they had seen and found the night before．
The first man told his story．He and his son were coming home from a long day's fishing．It was a dark night，and on the beach they had fallen over the dead body of a man．They had carried the body to the nearest house，and found that it was a good-looking young man about twenty－five years old．There were the marks of fingers round his neck．When they spoke of the marks of fingers，I remembered the murder of my brother and I felt a terrible fear．
The son then told his story．He had seen a boat with a man in it， not far from the beach． He thought it was my boat．A woman had also seen a man in a boat sailing away from the beach．She thought I was the man．
Then I was taken to the room where the dead body lay．How can I tell you what I felt when I saw the body？I put my arms round it and cried：‘What have I done？ My friend！My dear friend！’The body was Henry Clerval's，and so now I had destroyed another person．
This third death was too much for me．I fell down in a kind of madness，and they had to carry me from the room． For two months I was very ill and wished only to die．But slowly my madness left me，and my health began to return．At last I was able to speak to Judge Kerwin，and I asked for news of my family．
‘There is someone here who can answer your question better than I can，’he said．‘Your father arrived a few minutes ago，and is waiting to see you．’
For the first time since Henry's death I felt some happiness．I held out my hands to my father as he came into the room， and he took me in his arms． He gave me the good news that Elizabeth and Ernest were safe and well．
I was really too ill to travel，but I asked my father to take me home immediately．The police had found somebody who had seen me on my island at the time of the murder，and so the judge let me go free．
My father looked after me on the long journey home，and sat with me for every minute．Night after night while I was asleep，I shouted that I was the murderer of William，Justine，and Henry．My father asked me why I said these awful things．I wanted to answer his question，but I could not tell him my terrible secret．He thought that I was still a little mad．
We stayed for a few days in Paris on the way home， and Elizabeth wrote to me at our hotel．This is what her letter said：
My dearest Victor，
I am so happy to know that you will soon be home．But I am afraid that Henry's death is not the only reason for your sadness．Do you still want to marry me， or do you love an-other woman？ You must tell me．
I love you，Victor，and I dream of the day when I shall be your wife．But I do not want you to marry me just because your parents wanted it．I can only be happy if you are happy．
Do not answer this letter．Wait until you arrive before you give me your answer．But if you are well，and if I can make you smile，I need nothing more to make me happy．
With all my love，
Elizabeth
I replied immediately．I told her that I loved her very much and wanted to marry her．
I remembered the monster's promise to be with me on the night of my wedding．Let him come．We would fight to the death on that night． And after that fight，I would either be dead and at peace，or alive and free… free to be happy with Elizabeth．
We arrived in Geneva soon after my letter had reached Elizabeth．It was wonderful to see her again．She ran into my arms and I held her close．She cried when she saw how thin and old I looked
第二天早上我收到了亨利的一封信。他告诉我说他在等着我回去。我决定清理一下实验室并在第二天离开海岛。于是我返回实验室，女怪物的那具身体还躺在地上。我把它们和一些重的石头一起装进一个大袋子。然后我把袋子扛到船上并驶向大海。我把袋子投入深水中，看着它消失了。
我现在比好几个月以来感觉要好些了。我知道自己做对了一件事，现在不会有第二个怪物步那第一个的后尘了。
我非常疲劳，在船上睡着了。我不清楚睡了多长时间，只知道我醒来时正处在一场暴风雨之中。风把我吹向离海岸更远的地方，我的船还开始进水了。我明白自己正处于极大的危险之中。几个小时后暴风雨过去了，我看见往南有陆地。很快我就看见了海滩……一群人正站在那儿看着我。他们的表情既冷酷又不友好。
在我登陆时，四个男人走向我并抓住了我的胳膊。
“我们要把你带到法官克文先生那儿去。他要审问你这儿昨晚发生的一桩谋杀案的事，”其中的一个人告诉我。
听了那桩谋杀案我很伤心，但我没有为此担心。我那时正在远处，根本不知道什么谋杀的事。将会容易地解释清这一点。这样我便随那些人去了克文法官住的大屋子。
■ 12
The judge was an old， kind man， but his face was very serious as he looked at me． He asked a number of men to tell me what they had seen and found the night before．
The first man told his story．He and his son were coming home from a long day's fishing．It was a dark night，and on the beach they had fallen over the dead body of a man．They had carried the body to the nearest house，and found that it was a good-looking young man about twenty－five years old．There were the marks of fingers round his neck．When they spoke of the marks of fingers，I remembered the murder of my brother and I felt a terrible fear．
The son then told his story．He had seen a boat with a man in it， not far from the beach． He thought it was my boat．A woman had also seen a man in a boat sailing away from the beach．She thought I was the man．
Then I was taken to the room where the dead body lay．How can I tell you what I felt when I saw the body？I put my arms round it and cried：‘What have I done？ My friend！My dear friend！’The body was Henry Clerval's，and so now I had destroyed another person．
This third death was too much for me．I fell down in a kind of madness，and they had to carry me from the room． For two months I was very ill and wished only to die．But slowly my madness left me，and my health began to return．At last I was able to speak to Judge Kerwin，and I asked for news of my family．
‘There is someone here who can answer your question better than I can，’he said．‘Your father arrived a few minutes ago，and is waiting to see you．’
For the first time since Henry's death I felt some happiness．I held out my hands to my father as he came into the room， and he took me in his arms． He gave me the good news that Elizabeth and Ernest were safe and well．
I was really too ill to travel，but I asked my father to take me home immediately．The police had found somebody who had seen me on my island at the time of the murder，and so the judge let me go free．
My father looked after me on the long journey home，and sat with me for every minute．Night after night while I was asleep，I shouted that I was the murderer of William，Justine，and Henry．My father asked me why I said these awful things．I wanted to answer his question，but I could not tell him my terrible secret．He thought that I was still a little mad．
We stayed for a few days in Paris on the way home， and Elizabeth wrote to me at our hotel．This is what her letter said：
My dearest Victor，
I am so happy to know that you will soon be home．But I am afraid that Henry's death is not the only reason for your sadness．Do you still want to marry me， or do you love an-other woman？ You must tell me．
I love you，Victor，and I dream of the day when I shall be your wife．But I do not want you to marry me just because your parents wanted it．I can only be happy if you are happy．
Do not answer this letter．Wait until you arrive before you give me your answer．But if you are well，and if I can make you smile，I need nothing more to make me happy．
With all my love，
Elizabeth
I replied immediately．I told her that I loved her very much and wanted to marry her．
I remembered the monster's promise to be with me on the night of my wedding．Let him come．We would fight to the death on that night． And after that fight，I would either be dead and at peace，or alive and free… free to be happy with Elizabeth．
We arrived in Geneva soon after my letter had reached Elizabeth．It was wonderful to see her again．She ran into my arms and I held her close．She cried when she saw how thin and old I looked