2 Catching a convict 
　  
　　All that morning I was frightened that my sister would discover that I had stolen from her，but luckily she was so busy cleaning the house，and roasting the chickens for our Christmas lunch that she did not notice that I had been out，or that any food was missing．At half-past one our two guests arrived．Mr Wopsle had a large nose and a shining，bald forehead，and was the church clerk．Mr Pumblechook， who had a shop in the nearest town，was a fat，middle-aged man witn a mouth like a fish，and staring eyes．He was really Joe's uncle but it was Mrs Joe who called him uncle．Every Christmas Day he arrived with two bottles of wine，handing them proudly to my sister． 
　　‘Oh Uncle Pumblechook！This is kind！'she always replied． 
　　‘It's no more than you deserve，’was the answer every time． 
　　Sitting at table with these guests I would have felt uncomfortable even if I hadn't robbed my sister．Not only was Pumblechook's elbow in my eye，but I wasn't allowed to speak，and they gave me the worst pieces of meat．Even the chickens must have been ashamed of those parts of their bodies when they were alive．And worse than that，the adults never left me in peace． 
　　‘Before we eat，let us thank God for the food in front of us，'said Mr Wopsle，in the deep voice he used in church． 
　　‘Do you hear that？’whispered my sister to me．‘Be grateful！’ 
　　‘Especially，'said Mr Pumblechook firmly，‘be grateful，boy，to those who brought you up by hand．’ 
　　‘Why are the young never grateful？’wondered Mr Wopsle sadly． 
　　‘Their characters are naturally bad，’answered Mr Pumblechook，and all three looked unpleasantly at me． 
　　When there were guests，Joe's position was even lower than usual（if that was possible），but he always tried to help me if he could．Sometimes he comforted me by giving me extra gravy．He did that now． 
　　‘Just imagine，boy，'said Mr Pumblechook，‘if your sister hadn't brought you up—’ 
　　‘You listen to this，'said my sister to me crossly． 
　　‘If，as I say，she hadn't spent her life looking after you，where would you be now？’ 
　　Joe offered me more gravy． 
　　‘He was a lot of trouble to you，madam，’Mr Wopsle said sympathetically to my sister． 
　　‘Trouble？'she cried．‘Trouble？’And then she started on a list of all my illnesses，accidents and crimes，while everybody except Joe looked at me with disgust．Joe added more gravy to the meat swimming on my plate，and I wanted to pull Mr Wopsle's nose． 
　　In the end Mrs Joe stopped for breath，and said to Mr Pumblechook，‘Have a little brandy，uncle．There is a bottle al-ready open．’ 
　　It had happened at last！Now she would discover I had stolen some brandy，and put water in the bottle．Mr Pumblechook held his glass up to the light，smiled importantly at it and drank it．When，immediately afterwards，he jumped up and began to rush round the room in a strange wild dance，we all stared at him in great surprise．Was he mad？I wondered if I had murdered him，but if so，how？At last he threw himself gasping into a chair，crying ‘Medicine！’Then I understood．Instead of filling up the brandy bottle with water，I had put Mrs Joe's strongest and most unpleasant medicine in by mistake．That was what the big brown bottle contained． 
　　‘But how could my medicine get into a brandy bottle？’asked my sister．Fortunately she had no time to find the answer，as Mr Pumblechook was calling for a hot rum to remove the taste of the medicine．‘And now，'she said，when the fat man was calmer，‘you must all try Uncle Pumblechook's pre-sent to us！A really delicious meat pie！’ 
　　‘That's right，Mrs Joe！'said Mr Pumblechook，looking more cheerful now．‘ Bring in the pie！’ 
　　‘You shall have some，Pip，'said Joe kindly． 
　　I knew what would happen next．I could not sit there any longer．I jumped down from the table，and ran out of the room． 
　　But at the front door I ran straight into a group of soldiers．Mrs Joe was saying as she came out of the kitchen，‘The pie-has-gone！’but stopped when she saw the soldiers． 
　　‘Excuse me，ladies and gentlemen，'said the officer in charge．‘I'm here in the King's name，and I want the black-smith．’ 
　　‘And why do you want him？'said my sister crossly． 
　　‘Madam，’replied the officer Politely，‘speaking for myself，I'd like the pleasure of meeting his fine wife．Speaking for the King，I'd like him to repair these handcuffs．’ 
　　‘Ah，very good，very good！’ said Mr Pumblechook，clap-ping． 
　　The soldiers waited in the kitchen while Joe lit the forge fire and started work．I began to feel better now that everyone had forgotten the missing pie． 
　　‘How far are we from the marshes？’asked the officer． 
　　‘About a mile，’replied Mrs Joe． 
　　‘ That's good．We'll catch them before it's dark．’ 
　　‘ Convicts，officer？’asked Mr Wopsle． 
　　‘Yes，two escaped convicts out on the marshes．Has anyone here seen them？’ 
　　The others all shook their heads．Nobody asked me．When the handcuffs were ready，Joe suggested we should go with the soldiers，and as Mrs Joe was curious to know what happened，she agreed．So Joe，Mr wopsle and I walked behind the men through the village and out on to the marshes． 
　　‘ I hope we don't find those poor men，Joe，’I whispered． 
　　‘ I hope not either，Pip，’he whispered back．It was cold，with an east wind blowing from the sea，and it was getting dark． 
　　Suddenly we all stopped．We heard shouts in the distance． 
　　‘This way！Run！’the officer ordered，and we all rushed in that direction．The shouts became clearer．‘ Murder！’‘Escaped convict！’‘Help！’At last we discovered two men fighting each other．One was my convict，and the other was the man who had run away when I had seen him near the shelter．Somehow the soldiers held the men apart and put the hand-cuffs on them． 
　　‘Here he is，I'm holding him for you！'shouted my convict． 
　　‘Officer，he tried to murder me！’cried the other man．His face was bleeding and he was clearly very frightened． 
　　‘ Murder him！No，'said the first，‘ that would be too easy．I want him to suffer more，back on the prison-ship．He's lying，as he did at our trial！You can't trust Compeyson！’ 
　　Just then he noticed me for the first time．I shook my head at him，to show that I had not wanted the soldiers to find him．He stared at me，but I did not know if he understood or not． 
　　The prisoners were taken to the riverside，where a boat was waiting to take them on to the prison-ship．Just as he was about to leave，my convict said，‘Officer，after my escape，I stole some food，from the blacksmith's house．Bread，cheese，brandy and a meat pie．I'm sorry I ate your pie，blacksmith．’ 
　　‘I'm glad you did，’replied Joe kindly．‘ We don't know why you're a convict，but we wouldn't want you to die of hunger．’ 
　　The man rubbed his eyes with the back of his dirty hand．We watched the small boat carry him out to the middle of the river，where the great black prison-ship stood high out of the water，held by its rusty chains．He disappeared into the ship，and I thought that was the last I had seen of him． 
　  
2 抓住一名罪犯 
　  
　　一上午，我一直害怕姐姐会发现我偷了她的东西，但是，幸运的是她只顾忙于打扫房间，为我们的圣诞节午饭准备烤鸡，并没有注意我出过门，也没发现少了任何吃的东西。1点半钟，我们的两位客人到了。伍甫赛先生的鼻子很大，秃顶的额头闪闪发光，他是教堂里的办事员。潘波趣先生，他在最近的镇上有一个商店，是一个长得体胖腰圆的中年人，有一副像鱼的嘴脸，贼溜溜的眼睛，他是乔的亲舅舅，可是乔夫人却喊他舅舅。每年圣诞节，他都带两瓶葡萄酒来送给我姐姐，以显示他的阔气。 
　　“噢，潘波趣舅舅您真是个好心人！”她总是这样说。 
　　“这是一点小意思，”每一次都是这种回答。 
　　和这些客人们围桌而坐，即使我没偷姐姐的东西，我的心情也不好受，不但潘波趣和我近在咫尺，而且不允许我说话，他们给我的是最不好的一块肉，甚至给的鸡块也是它们活着的时候身体最害臊的那部分。比这更坏的是大人们总是打搅我。 
　　“我们进餐之前，让我们感谢上帝赐给我们面前的食物”，伍甫赛先生以他在教堂常用的低沉语调说。 
　　“你听见了吗？”姐姐耳语对我说，“感谢！” 
　　“特别是，”潘波趣先生坚定地说，“孩子，要感谢那些把你亲手带大的人。” 
　　“为什么这个小家伙从来没有感激之情呀？”惊奇的伍甫赛先生不解地问。 
　　“他们的品行就是天生的坏，”潘波趣先生回答说，三个人不愉快地看着我。 
　　当有客人的时候，乔的地位甚至比平时还要低，但是，他总是尽最大努力设法帮助我。有时，他用给我额外添的点肉汁来安慰我。现在，他就是这样做的。 
　　“正走神呢，孩子，”潘波趣先生说，“如果不是你姐姐亲手把你带大……”。 
　　“你听着，”我姐姐不高兴地对我说。 
　　“如果像我说的，不是她花费很大的精力照顾你，你现在还不知在哪儿呢？” 
　　乔又给我加了一些肉汤。 
　　“他给你添了不少麻烦，夫人，”伍甫赛先生对我姐姐同情地说。 
　　“麻烦？”她喊了起来，“麻烦？”接着她开始罗列了一堆我的生病、意外及干的坏事，除了乔，其他人都用反感的目光瞅着我。乔又添了些肉汤，使那块肉在我盘子里漂浮着，我真想揪伍甫赛先生的鼻子。 
　　最后，乔夫人停住了，喘了口气，接着对潘波趣先生说，“舅舅，喝点白兰地吧，有一瓶已经打开了。” 
　　祸事降临了！现在，她会发现我偷了一些白兰地，而把水倒进瓶子里。潘波趣先生举起杯子在光线中端详，并露出了笑脸，仰起脑袋一饮而尽。接着，他突然感到很难受，蹿了起来，着魔似地开始围着屋子乱舞乱撞，我们大家很惊奇地盯着他。他疯了吗？我纳闷是我杀了他。果真如此，怎么办？最后，他气喘吁吁地一屁股靠倒在椅子上。接着喊，“药！”这时，我明白了，是我搞错了，把乔夫人配制的，味道极苦的药当成水倒进了白兰地酒瓶里。那是盛在褐色大瓶子里的。 
　　“可是，我的药怎么能进到白兰地酒瓶里呢？”我姐姐问。幸好她顾不上去找答案。因为潘波趣先生叫喊着要些热松子酒，以除掉药的味道。“喂喂，”她说。这时，这个肥胖的家伙惊魂渐定，“你们大家必须尝尝潘波趣舅舅给我们送的礼物！味道鲜美的肉饼！” 
　　“很好，乔夫人，”潘波趣先生说，看样子现在稍高兴了点，“拿肉饼！” 
　　“你也会有一份肉饼，匹普，”乔和蔼地说。 
　　我料到下一步会发生什么事情，我不能在这儿继续坐下去了，我从椅子上跳下来，拔腿跑出了屋外。 
　　但是，在前门口，我直奔入一队士兵里。当乔夫人从厨房里出来时，嘴里正在叨咕，“肉饼——不翼而飞！”可是，当她看到士兵们时，闭上了嘴。 
　　“对不起，女士们、先生们，”那个负责的军官说，“我在这里以国王的名义，要找铁匠。” 
　　“你们找他干吗？”我姐姐不高兴地问。 
　　“夫人，”军官客气地说，“就我自己而言，我乐意见到他美丽的妻子，要是就国王而言，我乐意他修理加固这些手铐。” 
　　“噢，很好，很好！”潘波趣先生拍着手说。 
　　士兵们在厨房等候，而乔生上炉火，开始干活。我渐渐地不害怕了，大家都把丢肉饼的事抛到脑后去了。 
　　“我们从这里到沼泽地有多远？”军官问。 
　　“大约1英里，”乔夫人回答。 
　　“那不太远，我们将在天黑前抓到他们。” 
　　“逃犯，军官？”伍甫赛先生问。 
　　“是的，有两个逃犯还躲在沼泽地里，有谁见过他们的踪迹吗？” 
　　其他的人都摇摇头，幸亏没有人问我。当手铐准备就绪，乔提议我们跟着这些官兵一起去，乔夫人好奇地想知道发生了什么事情，所以她同意了。因此，乔、伍甫赛先生和我走在队伍的后面，穿过村庄向沼泽地开进。 
　　“我希望我们找不到那些可怜的人，乔，”我小声说道。 
　　“我也希望那样，匹普，”他小声回敬了我一句。从大海刮来东风，天气很冷，夜幕降临了。 
　　突然，我们大家停止了前进，我们听到远方的嚎叫声。 
　　“这个方向！追！”军官命令道。我们迅速向喊声方向奔去。嚎叫声越来越近，“谋杀！”“逃犯！”“救命呀！”最后我们发现了两个人在互相厮打着。一个是我帮助的那个囚犯，另一个是我在遮蔽体见过的那个逃窜的小伙子。不晓得什么缘故，士兵们把两人分开，并一一戴上手铐。 
　　“他在这儿，是我为你们抓住的！”我的那个囚犯喊着。 
　　“军官，他企图杀害我！”另一个囚犯哭喊着，他的脸上流着血，很明显，他非常惊恐。 
　　“想杀害他！不，”第一个逃犯说，“杀他太容易了，我要让他多受受折磨，送回船上监狱。他在说谎，因为他在试探我们！你们不要相信康培生！” 
　　这时，他第一次发现了我，我向他摇了摇头，表示并不是我让士兵们找到了他的。他盯着我，我不知道他是否明白我的意思。 
　　逃犯们被带到河边，那儿有一只小船正等着把他们送到船上监狱。正在他离开的时候，我的那个囚犯说：“军官，我逃跑后，我从铁匠家里偷了些吃的，面包、黄油、白兰地和一块肉饼，我很抱歉，我吃了你的肉饼，铁匠。” 
　　“你这样做我很高兴，”乔很客气地说，“我们并不知道为什么你是一名罪犯，可我们总不能让你饿死。” 
　　这个罪犯用他的脏手背揉擦着眼睛，我们望着那只小船，把他带进河中央。在那里，依靠着生锈的铁锚链固定在突出水面的那艘大黑牢船上。他被押进船里，消失得无影无踪。我心想，这是我见他最后一面了。 
　　　    


 