04-01-04-三十九级台阶 [22]
。他不一定希望我现在去，但是去了我会感到舒服一点。
我穿过伦敦去瓦尔特爵士的家，路上遇到一伙年轻人。其中有马默杜克·乔普利。
“杀人犯！”他喊道。“抓住他！他就是哈内，兰厄姆的凶手！”他抓住我的胳膊，其它人把我围起来。
我不想找麻烦，但心里直冒火。一个警察走过来，我没向他心平气和、入情入理地解释他们如何不对，而是扬手照着马默杜克那张蠢脸狠狠揍去。看到他仰面朝天地躺在路上，我心里痛快多了。然后就是乱打一气，直到警察把我抓住才住手。我听警察问是怎么回事，马默杜克含着一口碎牙，告诉警察我就是那个杀人凶手哈内。
我愤怒已极，一手推开警察，一手推开马默杜克一个同伙，然后撒腿就跑。人们在背后喊我，但到底给我逃掉了。我一路跑到瓦尔特爵士家，走到门口按门铃。我盼着门快点打开。
门很快开了。
“我必须见瓦尔特爵士，”我对仆人说，“有十分要紧的事。”
仆人放我进来，然后关上门。“先生，瓦尔特爵士正在开会。也许您要等一会儿。”
大厅里有一部电话，一两张椅子，于是我坐了下来。
“听着，”我小声对仆人说。“我遇到点麻烦，而我是为瓦尔特爵士干事的。如果有人来敲门找我，告诉他们我不在这儿。”
门上的铃突然响起来，他过去开门。告诉他们这是谁的家，并说不能入内，然后把门关上。
过了几分钟又响起了门铃，仆人爽快地放客人进来。人们在报纸上熟悉了他的面孔——四方脸、灰胡子、蓝眼睛炯炯有神。他就是阿罗勋爵，第一海军大臣，英国海军的首脑。
他被领进大厅一头的屋子里。我在那儿坐了二十分钟。会议肯定快完了；因为罗耶必须在十一点离开去朴次茅斯。
门又开了，第一海军大臣走出来。他走过我身边，顺便看了我一眼，同时我也盯着他的眼睛看了一下。就看了那么一下，我的心就剧跳起来。这位第一海军大臣以前根本没有见过我，但从他的眼神里我知道他已经认出了我。他从我身边走过，出了门走上大街。
我拿起电话薄，查阿罗勋爵家的电话号码。和他的仆人通话。
“阿罗勋爵在家吗？”我问道。
“在家，可是他病了，一整天躺在床上。先生，您要留口信吗？”
我放下电话，坐下来，浑身战栗。这出戏我扮演的角色还没有完。我闯进屋子，人们正在屋里开会。
看到我瓦尔特勋爵吃了一惊，样子很不高兴。“您这时候进来恐怕不大好吧，哈内先生。”
“我觉得好，”我答道。“请告诉我刚才离开屋的是谁。”
“阿罗勋爵，”瓦尔特爵士说，他脸上的怒色更重了。
“不是，”我喊道。“看着像他，但不是他。这个人认出我了，这个月他见过我。我刚才给阿罗勋爵家打了电话，他病了，一天没起床。”
“谁……”有人问。
“黑石，”我喊着，坐下来望着那五位吓得直呆呆的官员。
■ 9 The thirty-nine steps
Sir Walter got up and left the room. He came back after ten minutes. 'I've spoken to Alloa. I got him out of bed-he was very angry. He hasn't left his house all day. '
'It's impossible，' said Winstanley. ' I sat next to him for nearly half an hour. '
'That's what's so clever，' I said. 'You were too interested in other things to look at him closely. You knew that he might be well enough to come tonight and，as First Sea Lord，it was natural for him to be here. Why should you suspect that it wasn't him？'
Then the Frenchman spoke，very slowly，and in good English.
'This young man is right. He understands our enemies. People only see what they expect to see. This man came late，spoke little，and left early but he behaved exactly as we would expect Lord Alloa to behave. '
'But I don't understand，'said Winstanley. 'Our enemies don't want us to know what they have learnt about our war plans. But if one us talked to Alloa abut tonight's meeting，we would discover immediately that he hadn't been here. '
Sir Walter laughed angrily. 'That shows their cleverness again， in choosing Alloa. They took a risk， but everybody knows that Alloa is a sick man and is often too ill to go to meetings. And even when he is well，he is impatient，difficult，and a man of very few words. Which of us was likely to speak to him about tonight？'
'But the spy hasn't taken the plans，'said Winstanley. ' He saw them， but could he carry away pages of information in his head？'
'It's not difficult，'said the Frenchman. 'A good spy can remember things photographically. '
'Well，I suppose we'll have to change our plans，'said Sir Walter unhappily. 'There's another problem，'said Royer. 'I said a lot about the plans of the French army. That information will be very valuable to our enemies. That man， and his friends，must be stopped immediately. '
'They could simply send their information in a letter，'said Whittaker. 'It may already be in the post. '
'No，' said Rower. 'A spy brings home his information personally and he collects his pay personally. These men must cross the sea， so we still have a chance. You must watch the coast and search ships. It is desperately important for both France and Britain. '
Royer was right. We could do something. But none of us felt very hopeful. How， among the forty million people in Britain， could we find the three cleverest criminals in Europe？
* * *
Then，suddenly， I had an idea. 'Where is Scudder's book？'I asked Sir Walter. 'Quick， I remember something in it. '
He gave it to me.
I found the place. 'Thirty－nine steps，'I read， and again， 'Thirty－nine steps-I counted them－high tide，10. 17p. m. '
Whittaker clearly thought I had gone mad.
'Don' t you see it's a clue？' I cried. 'Scudder knew where they were going to leave England. Tomorrow was the day，and it's somewhere where high tide is at 10. 17. '
'Perhaps they've already gone tonight
我穿过伦敦去瓦尔特爵士的家，路上遇到一伙年轻人。其中有马默杜克·乔普利。
“杀人犯！”他喊道。“抓住他！他就是哈内，兰厄姆的凶手！”他抓住我的胳膊，其它人把我围起来。
我不想找麻烦，但心里直冒火。一个警察走过来，我没向他心平气和、入情入理地解释他们如何不对，而是扬手照着马默杜克那张蠢脸狠狠揍去。看到他仰面朝天地躺在路上，我心里痛快多了。然后就是乱打一气，直到警察把我抓住才住手。我听警察问是怎么回事，马默杜克含着一口碎牙，告诉警察我就是那个杀人凶手哈内。
我愤怒已极，一手推开警察，一手推开马默杜克一个同伙，然后撒腿就跑。人们在背后喊我，但到底给我逃掉了。我一路跑到瓦尔特爵士家，走到门口按门铃。我盼着门快点打开。
门很快开了。
“我必须见瓦尔特爵士，”我对仆人说，“有十分要紧的事。”
仆人放我进来，然后关上门。“先生，瓦尔特爵士正在开会。也许您要等一会儿。”
大厅里有一部电话，一两张椅子，于是我坐了下来。
“听着，”我小声对仆人说。“我遇到点麻烦，而我是为瓦尔特爵士干事的。如果有人来敲门找我，告诉他们我不在这儿。”
门上的铃突然响起来，他过去开门。告诉他们这是谁的家，并说不能入内，然后把门关上。
过了几分钟又响起了门铃，仆人爽快地放客人进来。人们在报纸上熟悉了他的面孔——四方脸、灰胡子、蓝眼睛炯炯有神。他就是阿罗勋爵，第一海军大臣，英国海军的首脑。
他被领进大厅一头的屋子里。我在那儿坐了二十分钟。会议肯定快完了；因为罗耶必须在十一点离开去朴次茅斯。
门又开了，第一海军大臣走出来。他走过我身边，顺便看了我一眼，同时我也盯着他的眼睛看了一下。就看了那么一下，我的心就剧跳起来。这位第一海军大臣以前根本没有见过我，但从他的眼神里我知道他已经认出了我。他从我身边走过，出了门走上大街。
我拿起电话薄，查阿罗勋爵家的电话号码。和他的仆人通话。
“阿罗勋爵在家吗？”我问道。
“在家，可是他病了，一整天躺在床上。先生，您要留口信吗？”
我放下电话，坐下来，浑身战栗。这出戏我扮演的角色还没有完。我闯进屋子，人们正在屋里开会。
看到我瓦尔特勋爵吃了一惊，样子很不高兴。“您这时候进来恐怕不大好吧，哈内先生。”
“我觉得好，”我答道。“请告诉我刚才离开屋的是谁。”
“阿罗勋爵，”瓦尔特爵士说，他脸上的怒色更重了。
“不是，”我喊道。“看着像他，但不是他。这个人认出我了，这个月他见过我。我刚才给阿罗勋爵家打了电话，他病了，一天没起床。”
“谁……”有人问。
“黑石，”我喊着，坐下来望着那五位吓得直呆呆的官员。
■ 9 The thirty-nine steps
Sir Walter got up and left the room. He came back after ten minutes. 'I've spoken to Alloa. I got him out of bed-he was very angry. He hasn't left his house all day. '
'It's impossible，' said Winstanley. ' I sat next to him for nearly half an hour. '
'That's what's so clever，' I said. 'You were too interested in other things to look at him closely. You knew that he might be well enough to come tonight and，as First Sea Lord，it was natural for him to be here. Why should you suspect that it wasn't him？'
Then the Frenchman spoke，very slowly，and in good English.
'This young man is right. He understands our enemies. People only see what they expect to see. This man came late，spoke little，and left early but he behaved exactly as we would expect Lord Alloa to behave. '
'But I don't understand，'said Winstanley. 'Our enemies don't want us to know what they have learnt about our war plans. But if one us talked to Alloa abut tonight's meeting，we would discover immediately that he hadn't been here. '
Sir Walter laughed angrily. 'That shows their cleverness again， in choosing Alloa. They took a risk， but everybody knows that Alloa is a sick man and is often too ill to go to meetings. And even when he is well，he is impatient，difficult，and a man of very few words. Which of us was likely to speak to him about tonight？'
'But the spy hasn't taken the plans，'said Winstanley. ' He saw them， but could he carry away pages of information in his head？'
'It's not difficult，'said the Frenchman. 'A good spy can remember things photographically. '
'Well，I suppose we'll have to change our plans，'said Sir Walter unhappily. 'There's another problem，'said Royer. 'I said a lot about the plans of the French army. That information will be very valuable to our enemies. That man， and his friends，must be stopped immediately. '
'They could simply send their information in a letter，'said Whittaker. 'It may already be in the post. '
'No，' said Rower. 'A spy brings home his information personally and he collects his pay personally. These men must cross the sea， so we still have a chance. You must watch the coast and search ships. It is desperately important for both France and Britain. '
Royer was right. We could do something. But none of us felt very hopeful. How， among the forty million people in Britain， could we find the three cleverest criminals in Europe？
* * *
Then，suddenly， I had an idea. 'Where is Scudder's book？'I asked Sir Walter. 'Quick， I remember something in it. '
He gave it to me.
I found the place. 'Thirty－nine steps，'I read， and again， 'Thirty－nine steps-I counted them－high tide，10. 17p. m. '
Whittaker clearly thought I had gone mad.
'Don' t you see it's a clue？' I cried. 'Scudder knew where they were going to leave England. Tomorrow was the day，and it's somewhere where high tide is at 10. 17. '
'Perhaps they've already gone tonight