04-01-04-三十九级台阶 [9]
天早晨大约八点，我看到三个警察来了。他们把车隐蔽起来就进了旅店。二十分钟之后，又一辆车奔旅店开来，但停在离旅店大约二百米的树林中。车里的两个人向旅店走来。
本来我打算躲在卧室不出来，看看动向。现在我有个更好的主意。我给年轻人写了张条子，对他的帮助表示感谢，然后打开窗户，跳了出去。我一边向树林里的汽车走去，一边小心翼翼地观察旅店的情形，然后跳进车，疾驰而去。
■ 4 The political candidate
I drove that car across the moor as fast as I could，looking nervously over my shoulder. I was also thinking desperately about Scudder's notes.
Scudder had told me nothing but lies. All his stories about south-east Europe and people wanting to start wars were rubbish. But although he had told me lies，there was truth underneath.
The 15th of June was going to be an important day，but because of something more important than the murder of a Prime Minister. The story in his book was not complete，and there were some things I didn't understand-for example，the words 'thirty-nine steps'，which appeared five or six times. The last time the words were used，Scudder had written'Thirty-nine steps，I counted them-high tide at 10∶17 p. m. '
The first thing I learned was that war was certain. Everything was planned. Karolides was going to be murdered and nothing could prevent it.
The second thing I learned was that Britain was not prepared for war. Karolides would be murdered and war would seem certain. Germany would pretend to be against war，but while we and they discussed peace，their submarines would silently fill the seas around us.
There was something else. Although the newspapers didn't know it，the British and French governments were close allies，and had agreed to prepare for war together. The most important officers in the armies and navies met regularly，and in June one of the top people was coming from Paris for a meeting. He would be told the exact details of the British Navy's preparations for war.
But on the 15th of June other people were going to be in London. Scudder didn't give names，but called them just the 'Black Stone'. They had a plan to get hold of this information，which was meant only for the French Government. And the information would be used by our enemies just a week or two later，with a most terrible effect.
My first idea was to write a letter to the British Prime Minister. But nobody would believe my story. I had to find proof that Scudder's story was true；and this would not be easy with the police and the Black Stone following me.
I drove to the east through a country at peace；but I knew that in a month's time，unless I was very lucky，men would be lying dead in this quiet countryside. I came into a village and I saw a policeman standing outside the Post Office and reading something carefully. He looked up at the car，stepped into the road，and held up a hand to stop me.
I almost did stop. But then I realized that the policeman had been reading about me. I supposed the police at the hotel had worked quickly and contacted all the local villages. I drove faster，the policeman jumped out of my way，and I was soon out of the village.
I left the main road as soon as possible and tried a smaller one. It was not easy without a map，and I realized that I had been stupid to steal the car. It would help the police and the Black Stone to find me in any corner of Scotland. If I left it，and went off on foot，they would find me in an hour or two.
I took a road that went along a narrow valley，and then up onto the moor again. I was very hungry；I had eaten nothing since morning. And now，as I drove，I heard a noise in the sky，and there was the plane.
On the moor it would see me in a minute. I drove as fast as I could down into another valley and towards a wood. Suddenly，a car appeared in front of me from a side road. There was no time to stop. I did the only thing possible and drove off the road into a hedge，hoping to hit something soft beyond. But I was out of luck. The car went through the hedge like a knife through butter，and immediately began to fall. I jumped out and was caught by the branch of a tree，while the car disappeared into a river fifteen metres below.
* * *
A hand helped me out of the tree，and a frightened voice asked me if I was badly hurt. The speaker was a young man who was very alarmed and very sorry. I was more pleased than angry
本来我打算躲在卧室不出来，看看动向。现在我有个更好的主意。我给年轻人写了张条子，对他的帮助表示感谢，然后打开窗户，跳了出去。我一边向树林里的汽车走去，一边小心翼翼地观察旅店的情形，然后跳进车，疾驰而去。
■ 4 The political candidate
I drove that car across the moor as fast as I could，looking nervously over my shoulder. I was also thinking desperately about Scudder's notes.
Scudder had told me nothing but lies. All his stories about south-east Europe and people wanting to start wars were rubbish. But although he had told me lies，there was truth underneath.
The 15th of June was going to be an important day，but because of something more important than the murder of a Prime Minister. The story in his book was not complete，and there were some things I didn't understand-for example，the words 'thirty-nine steps'，which appeared five or six times. The last time the words were used，Scudder had written'Thirty-nine steps，I counted them-high tide at 10∶17 p. m. '
The first thing I learned was that war was certain. Everything was planned. Karolides was going to be murdered and nothing could prevent it.
The second thing I learned was that Britain was not prepared for war. Karolides would be murdered and war would seem certain. Germany would pretend to be against war，but while we and they discussed peace，their submarines would silently fill the seas around us.
There was something else. Although the newspapers didn't know it，the British and French governments were close allies，and had agreed to prepare for war together. The most important officers in the armies and navies met regularly，and in June one of the top people was coming from Paris for a meeting. He would be told the exact details of the British Navy's preparations for war.
But on the 15th of June other people were going to be in London. Scudder didn't give names，but called them just the 'Black Stone'. They had a plan to get hold of this information，which was meant only for the French Government. And the information would be used by our enemies just a week or two later，with a most terrible effect.
My first idea was to write a letter to the British Prime Minister. But nobody would believe my story. I had to find proof that Scudder's story was true；and this would not be easy with the police and the Black Stone following me.
I drove to the east through a country at peace；but I knew that in a month's time，unless I was very lucky，men would be lying dead in this quiet countryside. I came into a village and I saw a policeman standing outside the Post Office and reading something carefully. He looked up at the car，stepped into the road，and held up a hand to stop me.
I almost did stop. But then I realized that the policeman had been reading about me. I supposed the police at the hotel had worked quickly and contacted all the local villages. I drove faster，the policeman jumped out of my way，and I was soon out of the village.
I left the main road as soon as possible and tried a smaller one. It was not easy without a map，and I realized that I had been stupid to steal the car. It would help the police and the Black Stone to find me in any corner of Scotland. If I left it，and went off on foot，they would find me in an hour or two.
I took a road that went along a narrow valley，and then up onto the moor again. I was very hungry；I had eaten nothing since morning. And now，as I drove，I heard a noise in the sky，and there was the plane.
On the moor it would see me in a minute. I drove as fast as I could down into another valley and towards a wood. Suddenly，a car appeared in front of me from a side road. There was no time to stop. I did the only thing possible and drove off the road into a hedge，hoping to hit something soft beyond. But I was out of luck. The car went through the hedge like a knife through butter，and immediately began to fall. I jumped out and was caught by the branch of a tree，while the car disappeared into a river fifteen metres below.
* * *
A hand helped me out of the tree，and a frightened voice asked me if I was badly hurt. The speaker was a young man who was very alarmed and very sorry. I was more pleased than angry