MWRP讀物推介|三十九級台階The Thirty-Nine Steps

《三十九級台階》（The Thirty-Nine Steps）是「百萬英語閱讀計劃」MWRP叢書——英漢對照中級英語系列讀物第I輯之12，適合已掌握1500基本英語辭彙量（相當於初中畢業）的英語學習者閱讀。

百萬英語閱讀計劃是為專門為中國學生設計的英語閱讀提高計劃，讀者對象為已具有初中英語水平的讀者，通過２年、每天約15分鐘的閱讀能達到中級英語水平，掌握3000多單詞和大量的短語，熟練掌握英語的各種句子結構，並能閱讀一般英語原著。詳見：《百萬英語閱讀計劃讀者手冊》。

內容簡介

從非洲回到倫敦的採礦工程師理查德?翰內，對都市生活心生厭倦。一天晚上，他的公寓中來了一位不速之客。這位名叫斯卡德的美國人發現德國間諜組織正準備刺殺友國領袖，一旦事成，世界將危在旦夕。斯卡德被對方發現後，身處殺人滅口的險境。翰內讓斯卡德暫時在他的寓所躲避。一天夜裡，翰內返回寓所時發現斯卡德死在地板上。從此，翰內便受到本國警察和國外間諜的雙重追蹤……

小說作者約翰?巴肯（John Buchan 1875-1940）是英國著名作家，小說發表於1915年，是英國首批著名的驚悚間諜小說之一，多次被改編為電影和話劇。

文本信息

說明:

1. 關於可讀性：這是根據美國Rudolf Flesch博士的統計方法計算出的Flesch Reading Ease（弗萊士易讀度），計算根據是句子的字數和100個字內音節個數等，數值在0和100之間，數目越大，文章越容易讀。

2. 1500基本辭彙外的單詞不包括由這些詞構成的合成詞 （如：schoolboy<=school +boy）和派生詞 （如：proudly <= proud + ly）。

3. 專有名詞（人名地名）或由專有名詞派生的辭彙以及感嘆詞不計入生詞。

4. 1500詞外詞數（生詞數）包含重複詞數。比如一個單詞以不同形式出現3次，則按3次統計。

5. 在1500詞外詞條數中，重複的單詞或者一個單詞的不同形式統計為1次。

6. 正文每一千字處都有字數標誌，便於讀者掌握閱讀進度。

7. 1500基本辭彙外的詞在原文部分用粗體顯示，譯文部分用深色粗體，由於翻譯的緣故，兩部分的詞性和意義並不完全對應，僅供參考。

8. 本系列讀物的前三本生詞全部標註，以後只標註兩次，出現兩次以後生詞就不再標註。

第一章試讀

The Thirty-Nine Steps

三十九級台階

Chapter 1. The Man Who Died

第一章 死掉的人

I returned from the City about three o』clock on that May afternoon. I was very unhappy with life. I had been in Britain three months, and was fed up with it. If anyone had told me a year ago that I would have been feeling like that, I should have laughed at him; but there was the fact. The weather was terrible, the talk of the ordinary Englishman made me sick, I couldn』t get enough exercise, and the amusements of London seemed boring. 「Richard Hannay,」 I kept telling myself, 「you have done wrong, my friend, and you had better do something about it.」

５月的那天下午大約３點鐘，我從倫敦城回來。我的生活非常不如意，來英國已經３個月了，厭倦了這個城市。如果一年前有人告訴我自己會有那種感覺，我會嘲笑他的，可這卻是事實。天氣糟透了，普通英國人的談吐讓我厭煩。我得不到足夠的鍛煉，倫敦的娛樂活動也顯得令人厭煩。「理查德?翰內，」我不停地對自己說，「你做錯了，朋友。你最好採取點行動才是。」

It annoyed me to think of the plans I had been making those last years in Africa. Although I had not made much money, it was enough for me; and I had thought of all kinds of ways of enjoying myself. My father had brought me out from Scotland at the age of six, and I had never been home since. I had dreamed of spending the rest of my days there.

想到過去幾年我在非洲制定的計劃就讓我心煩。儘管我掙的錢不多，但足夠我花了，我想過種種方式來享受人生。我６歲時，爸爸就把我從英格蘭帶了出來，就再也沒回家。我夢想著在那兒度過餘生。

But from the first, I was disappointed with it. In less than a month I had become tired of this place. I had no real friend to go about with. Plenty of people invited me to their houses, but they didn』t seem much interested in me. Here I was, thirty-seven years old, healthy and strong, with enough money to have a good time, yet, bored to death.

可從一開始，我就對它失望了。不到一個月，我就厭倦了這個地方。我沒有真正的朋友陪我到處走走。有許多人邀請我去他們家做客，但是，他們似乎對我並沒有多少興趣。我現在的情況是，年齡３７歲，體格健壯，有足夠的錢可以享受，卻煩得要死。

That evening, I went into my club. I had a long drink, and read the evening papers. They were full of the troubles in the Near East, and there was an article about Karolides, the Greek Premier. I rather liked the fellow. He seemed to be honest, but some people in Europe hated him. One paper said that we were going to support him, for he was the only person who could prevent Europe from going to war.

那天晚上，我去了我的那傢俱樂部，喝了好長時間的酒，然後讀了晚報。裡面滿是關於近東地區衝突的消息，其中有一篇是關於希臘總理卡洛里德斯的文章。我非常喜歡那個人，他似乎很誠實，可歐洲有些人卻對他恨之入骨。有一張報紙說我們準備支持他，因為他是唯一可以避免將英國拖入戰爭的人。

The night was fine and clear as I walked back to my flat near Portland Place. I made up my mind to stay one more day in Britain. If nothing interesting happened, I would take the next ship for Africa.

我步行回我在波特蘭大廈附近的公寓時，夜空晴朗而清新。我打定主意在英國再待一天。如果沒有什麼有趣的事情發生，就乘下一班輪船去非洲。

My flat was the first floor in a new building behind Langham Place. Each flat was quite shut off from the others. I had a fellow to look after me who came in by the day. He arrived before eight o』clock every morning and used to leave at seven, for I never ate at home.

我的公寓在蘭哈姆大廈後面一座新樓的二樓，公寓之間都是相互隔開的。我雇了一個夥計白天來照顧我。他每天早晨８點之前來，一般晚上７點前離開，因為我從不在家吃飯。

I was just fitting my key into the door when I suddenly noticed a man next to me. He was a slim man, with a short brown beard and small blue eyes. I recognized him as the man who lived in a flat on the top floor.

我正在把鑰匙插進門的鎖孔，突然注意到一個人靠著我。這是個瘦小的男人，留著棕色短須，長著一雙藍色的小眼睛。我認出他是住在頂層公寓的一個人。

「Can I speak to you?」 he said. 「May I come in for a minute?」 His voice was trembling.

「我能跟你說句話嗎？」他說。「我可以進去一會兒嗎？」他的聲音顫抖著。

I got my door open and we went in.

我打開門，我們進去了。

「Is the door locked?」 he asked, and he locked it with his own hand.

「門鎖好了嗎？」他問，一邊伸手把門鎖好。

「I』m very sorry,」 he said. 「But I』m in trouble, and you looked like the kind of man who would understand. If I explain, will you help me?」

「非常對不起，」他說，「我遇上麻煩了，你看上去是能夠理解的人。如果我解釋一下，你能幫我嗎？」

「I』ll listen to you,」 I said. 「That』s all I』ll promise.」 I was getting worried by the strange behaviour of this nervous little fellow.

「我要聽你解釋，」我說，「我只能答應你這些。」因為這個神經兮兮的小個子奇怪的行為，我開始擔心起來。

There were drinks on a table beside him. He took a whisky and drank it quickly, and broke the glass as he put it down.

在他身邊的桌子上有酒。他端起一杯威士忌馬上喝了下去，放下杯子時把它打碎了。

「Pardon,」 he said, 「I』m a bit nervous tonight. You see, I』m dead at this moment.」

「對不起，」他說，「我今晚有點緊張。你看，就現在，我已經死了！」

I sat down and lit my pipe.

我坐下，點著煙斗。

「What does it feel like?」 I asked. I was certain that I had to deal with a madman.

「那是一種什麼感覺呢？」我問道，內心肯定自己要對付一個瘋子。

A smile came over his face. 「I』m not mad--yet. I think you』re an honest man, and you seem brave, too. I need help badly, and I want to know if you can help me.」

他的臉上露出一絲笑意。「我沒瘋--還沒有。我想您是個誠實的人，而且您也很勇敢。我急需您的幫助，我想知道您是否可以幫我的忙。」

「Tell me your story,」 I said, 「and I』ll tell you.」

「把你的事告訴我，」我說，「然後我就告訴你。」

Then he began his story. I didn』t understand it all at first, and I had to stop and ask him questions. But here is what he told me:

然後他開始講述。一開始，我沒全聽明白，只好止住他，問了幾個問題。但下面是他給我講的：

He was an American, from Kentucky. After college, he had started out to see the world. He wrote a bit, and acted as war reporter for a Chicago paper, and spent a year or two in South-Eastern Europe. He spoke of many names that I remembered to have seen in the newspapers.

他是美國肯塔基人。大學畢業後，便開始去週遊世界。他寫了一些文章，為一家芝加哥報紙做過戰地記者，並在歐洲東南部待過一兩年。他說出了許多名字，我記得在報紙上見到過。

He had played about with politics, he told me, at first for the interest of them, and then because he couldn』t help himself. He had discovered, by accident, that a secret movement was going on. It had been started by very dangerous people. These people were trying to push Europe towards a war. Some hoped to see a new world appear. Some would make money from the war. They planned to get Russia and Germany at war with each other.

他告訴我，他報道過政治事件，開始是因為感興趣，後來因為他已經身不由己。他無意中發現有一個秘密活動正在進行。這是由一些非常危險的人物發起的，他們在試圖把歐洲推向戰亂。有些人希望建立新世界，而有些人卻想發戰爭財。他們策劃使俄國和德國互相交戰。

「I want to stop them,」 he said, 「and if I can keep alive for a month, I think I can.」

「我想阻止他們，」他說，「如果我能再活一個月，我想我能做到。」

「But I thought you were dead,」 I put in.

「可我以為你已經死了呢，」我插嘴說。

「I』ll explain it to you in a minute,」 he said, 「but first, I guess you know the name of Constantine Karolides?」

「一會兒我再給你解釋，」 他說，「不過首先，我猜想你知道康斯坦丁?卡洛里德斯這個名字吧？」

I had been reading about him that very afternoon.

就在那天下午我還在讀關於他的消息呢。

「He is the man who can prevent the war. He is not only intelligent, but also honest. He knows what is happening. That is why the enemies plan to kill him. I found that out-- anyone could. But I found out the way they were going to kill him. That was very dangerous for me. That』s why I have had to die.」

「他是可以阻止這場戰爭的人。他不僅有智慧，而且為人誠實。他了解正在發生的一切，所以敵人計劃殺害他。我發現了這件事--誰都會的。但是我發現了他們殺害他的辦法，這對我非常危險，這就是我不得不死掉的原因。」

He had another drink, and I was getting interested in him.

他又喝了一杯酒，我開始對他產生了興趣。

「They can』t kill him in his own land. But on the 15th day of June he is coming to this city to attend a big meeting. Now Karolides is the most important guest, and the enemies plan to kill him here.」

「他們沒法在他自己的國家殺害他，但是在６月１５日他要到這個城市來參加一個大型聚會。卡洛里德斯是最重要的客人，敵人計劃在這兒殺害他。」

「That』s simple enough, anyhow,」 I said. 「You can warn him and keep him at home.」

「不過，這事夠簡單了，」我說。「你可以警告他，讓他待在國內啊。」

「If he does not come, they win,」 he said, 「for he』s the only man who understands the whole problem and can prevent the war from happening.」

「如果他不來的話，那他們就贏了，因為他是唯一了解全部問題，而且能夠防止戰爭爆發的人啊。」

「What about the British Government?」 I said. 「They』re not going to let their guests be murdered. Warn them, and they』ll be on guard.」

「那英國政府呢？」我問，「他們是不會讓自己的客人被暗害的。向他們提出警告，他們就會戒備的。」

「No good. They might fill your city with detectives and double the police and Constantine would still be murdered. The murderer will be caught, but he will put the blame on the governments in Vienna and Berlin. It will be a lie, but everybody will be ready to believe it. I happen to know every detail of the plan. But it』s not going to happen if a certain man who knows the whole business is alive right here in London on the 15th day of June. And that man is going to be your servant, Franklin P. Scudder.」

「沒用。他們可能把全城派滿偵探，把警力增加一倍，而卡洛里德斯仍然會被暗殺。兇手會被抓獲，但是他會歸罪於維也納和柏林政府。這是個謊言，但大家都會相信的。我碰巧知道這個陰謀的每個細節。但是，如果某個知道整個事件的人在６月１５日能活著出現在倫敦的話，這次謀殺就不會實施。而這個人，福蘭克林?P?斯卡德，打算做您的傭人。」

I was beginning to like the little fellow.

我開始喜歡這個小個子了。

「Where did you find out this story?」 I asked.

「你是從哪兒發現這些事兒的？」我問。

「I can』t tell you the details now. When I was quite sure of it, I thought I should disappear, and I reached this city by a very strange route. I left Paris dressed like a young French-American, and I sailed from Hamburg dressed like a Jew diamond merchant. In Norway I was an English student, but when I left Norway, I was a cinema-man. When I got to London from Scotland, I thought I was safe. But yesterday…」

「現在我不能告訴你細節了。這事等我確定後，覺得我應該失蹤，便通過奇怪的路線來到了倫敦。我裝扮成一個年輕美籍法國人離開了巴黎，又裝成一個猶太鑽石商從漢堡乘船出發。在挪威，我又變成了一個英國學者，而我離開挪威的時候，又成了製片人。等我從蘇格蘭來到倫敦，我本以為安全了，但是昨天……」

He had another drink.

他又喝了一杯酒。

「I saw a man standing in the street outside this building. I used to stay in my room all day, and only slip out after dark for an hour or two. I watched him for a bit from my window, and I thought I recognized him… He came in and spoke to the porter… When I came back from my walk last night I found a card in my letter-box. It had the name of the man I never want to meet on earth.」

「我看見一個人站在這座樓外面。我平常總是呆在房間內，只是在天黑後才溜出去一兩個小時。我從窗口觀察了他一陣子，覺得我認出他來了……他進來和守門人說話……昨天晚上我散步回來時，在我的信箱里發現了一張名片，上面是我在這個世界上永遠都不想見到的名字。」

From his look, I could see he was honest. I asked him what he did next.

從他的神色，我能看得出他說的是實話。我問他下一步是怎麼做的。

「I realized that there was only one way out. I had to die. If they knew I was dead they would stop looking for me.」

「我意識到只有一條出路：我必須死掉。如果他們知道我死了，他們就不會再找我了。」

「How did you manage it?」

「那你怎麼辦的呢？」

「I told the man that serves me that I was feeling very bad, and I pretended to look like death. That wasn』t difficult for me. Then I got a dead body--you can always get a body in London if you know where to go for it. I fetched it back in a trunk on the top of a car, and I had to be helped upstairs to my room. I went to bed and got my man to get me some sleeping pills, and then told him to go. When I was left alone I began to dress up that body. He was my size, and I judged he had died from drinking too much, so I put some whisky bottles about the place. His jaw did not look like mine, so I blew it away with a gun. There are no neighbours on my floor, and I guessed I could risk it. So I left the body in bed dressed up in my clothes, with a gun lying on the bed-clothes. Then I got into a suit of clothes I had kept for emergencies. It wasn』t any use my trying to get into the streets. I watched from my window till I saw you come home, and then slipped down the stair to meet you.」

「我告訴我的僕人說我病得厲害，裝出一副要死的樣子。這對我來說並不難。然後我弄到了一具屍體--在倫敦只要知道到哪裡弄，總會能弄到。我把它放在車頂上的大箱子里拉了回來，找人幫忙抬到了樓上我的房間。我躺到床上，叫我的僕人給我弄了些安眠劑，然後打發走了。剩下我一個人的時候，我便開始偽裝那具屍體。這個死人身材和我一樣，我判斷他是酗酒過度死的，所以我在那個地方到處放上威士忌酒瓶。他的下巴跟我的不像，於是我用手槍把他的下巴打掉。我這一層樓沒有鄰居，所以我想可以冒這次險。我給屍體穿上我的衣服，手槍放在床單上，然後我穿上一套我保存的應急衣服。試圖到街上去是沒有用的，我便從窗戶里瞅著，一直到看見你回家，才溜下樓來見你的。」

It was the strangest sort of story, but I had heard many strange stories that had turned out to be true.

這是那種最離奇的故事，但是我聽到過很多離奇的故事結果都是真的。

I thought for a moment. 「Right. I』ll trust you for the night. I』ll lock you into this room and keep the key. Just one word, Mr Scudder. I believe you』re honest, but if you are not I should warn you that I know how to use a gun.」

我想了一會兒。「好吧，今晚我就信你一回。我要把你鎖在這個房間里，拿著鑰匙。還有一句話，斯卡德先生，我相信你是誠實的，但如果你不老實的話，我警告你，我是會用槍的。」

「Sure,」 he said, jumping up. 「I don』t know your name, Sir, but let me tell you that you』re a kind man. I』ll thank you to lend me a razor.」

「當然可以！」他跳起來，答道。「我還不知道您的名字呢，先生，不過，我可以說你是一個善良的人。我想借用您的刮臉刀，謝謝你。」

I took him into my bedroom. When he came out in half an hour』s time, I could hardly recognize him. Only his hungry eyes were the same. He was shaved clean, his hair was parted in the middle, and he had cut his eyebrows. He looked like a British officer who had spent some time in India. And he no longer spoke like an American.

我把他帶到我的卧室。半小時以後他出來的時候，我幾乎認不出他了。只有他那雙渴望的眼睛還一樣。他的臉颳得乾乾淨淨，頭髮中分，眉毛也修了，活像在印度呆過一段時間的英國軍官，說起話來再也不像美國人了。

「Oh! Mr Scudder--」 I cried.

「啊！斯卡德先生--」我叫了起來。

「Not Mr Scudder,」 he corrected. 「Captain Theophilus Digby of the British Army. Please remember that, Sir.」

「不是斯卡德先生，」他糾正說，「是英軍西奧菲勒斯?迪格比上尉，請記住這些，先生。」

I made him a bed in my smoking-room. Then I went to bed myself, more cheerful than I had been for the past month. Exciting things did happen sometimes, even in this city.

我在我的吸煙室里給他支了一張床，然後自己就去睡覺了，心情比過去幾個月都好。即使在這個城市，刺激的事情有時還是會發生的。

I woke next morning to hear my man, Paddock, making a lot of noise at the smoking-room door.

第二天早晨我醒來的時候，聽見我的僕人帕多克在很響地敲吸煙室的門。

「Stop that noise, Paddock,」 I said. 「There』s a friend of mine, Captain--Captain」 (I couldn』t remember the name) 「sleeping down in there. Get breakfast for two and then come and speak to me.」

「別敲了，帕多克。」我說。「裡面睡的是我的一個朋友，叫……」（我想不起那個名字了）「弄兩份早餐來，然後再來和我說話吧。」

I told Paddock that my friend was a great man in the army. He had been working too hard and needed complete rest and stillness. When Scudder came to breakfast, he looked just like a British officer.

我告訴帕多克說我的朋友是軍隊中的一個大人物。他最近疲勞過度，需要徹底休息，保持安靜。斯卡德來吃早餐時，他活像一個英國軍官。

I left him with the newspaper and a box of cigars, and went down to the City till lunch time. When I got back, Paddock had a serious face.

我給他留下報紙和一盒雪茄，然後到城裡去，午飯時才回來。我回來的時候，帕多克表情嚴肅。

「The gentleman in No. 15 shot himself this morning, Sir,」 he said. 「They』ve just taken him away. The police are up there now.」

「１５號房間的那位先生今天早上自殺了，先生，」他說。「他們剛把他抬走了，警察現在在樓上呢。」

I went up to No. 15, and found a couple of policemen busy making an examination. I asked a few foolish questions, and they soon kicked me out. I told Scudder what I had seen. The police believed that the dead man was Scudder, and that he had killed himself. This interested him greatly.

我上樓進了１５號房間，發現幾個警察正忙著做調查。我問了幾個愚蠢的問題，他們很快就把我趕了出來。我在自己見到的情況告訴了斯卡德。警察相信死者就是斯卡德，是自殺。這讓他非常感興趣。

The first two days he stayed with me, he was very peaceful. He read and smoked a bit, and made notes in a note-book. But on the third day I could see he was beginning to get restless. It was not his own safety that worried him, but the success of his plan.

和我在一起的頭兩天，他很平靜。他讀讀報，抽點煙，在筆記本上記些東西。可到了第三天，我看得出他又開始坐立不安了。他擔心的不是自己的安全，而是自己計劃是否成功。

「Say, Hannay,」 he said one night, 「I judge I should tell you more about this business. I should hate to be killed without leaving somebody else to carry on with my plan.」

「哎，翰內，」一天夜裡，他說，「我斷定，我應該把這件事多告訴你一些。我不願意沒有留下任何人來繼續我的計劃就被人殺掉。」

I did not pay close attention to what he told me. I was more interested in his own adventures than in his politics. I remember that he was very clear that the danger to Karolides would not begin till he had got to London. He mentioned the name of a dangerous woman--Julia Czechenyi. He talked, too, about a Black Stone and a man that lisped in his speech. And he described an old man, perhaps the most dangerous, with a young voice who could hood his eyes like a hawk.

我並沒有認真地聽他講，因為，比起他的政治問題來，我更關心他自己的冒險經歷。我記得他非常明確，卡洛里德斯只有來到倫敦之後危險才會開始。他提到一個危險的女人的名字--朱莉婭?塞切尼，還說到一個「黑石頭」和說話口齒不清的男人，他還描述了一個老人，也許是最危險的，有年輕人的嗓音，能像老鷹一樣垂下眼瞼蓋住眼珠。

Next day he was much more cheerful. I went out to dinner with a mining engineer I had got to see on business. When I came back, I pushed open the smoking-room door. The lights were not lit. I wondered if Scudder had gone to bed already.

第二天他心情好多了。我出去和一個採礦工程師吃晚飯，因為業務方面的問題我必須見見他。我回來的時候，推開吸煙室的門。沒開燈，我心裡納悶，是不是斯卡德已經睡了呢？

I turned on the light, but there was nobody there. Then I saw something in the far corner which made me drop my cigar and fall into a cold sweat.

我打開電燈，裡面沒有人。接著，我看見遠處牆角里有個東西，嚇得我雪茄掉落到了地上，出了一身冷汗。

My guest was lying on his back. There was a long knife through his heart.

只見我的客人仰面躺在那裡，一把長刀穿透了他的心臟。