Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 10:15 P.M. HEADING TOWARD THE SOUTH SIDE Oscar dodged a speeding horse wagon and leaped over a steaming pile of manure. He hopped up onto the wooden sidewalk and wove his way through the crowd, his eyes glued to the yellow cap bobbing in front of him. The girl didn't look like much of a criminal, with her stick legs and flapping braids. But wasn't that innocent look part of her act? Papa always said that Earless was a charmer. "He'll dazzle you with his smile then shoot you dead," Papa would say. Plus, Papa explained, Earless treated the guys in his gang like brothers. "He made sure they ate and drank like kings."

第五章晚上10:15朝南边走去，奥斯卡躲开了一辆疾驰的马车，跳过了一堆冒着热气的粪肥。 他跳上木人行道，穿过人群，眼睛紧盯着前面那顶飘动着的黄帽子。 这个女孩长着细长的腿，梳着飘动的辫子，看起来不太像个罪犯。 但那天真的表情不是她表演的一部分吗? 爸爸总是说Earless很有魅力。 “他会用他的微笑让你神魂颠倒，然后开枪打死你，”爸爸会说。 另外，爸爸解释说，Earless对待他帮派里的人就像兄弟一样。 “他确保他们像国王一样吃喝。”

Oscar figured the girl was heading for the gang's hideout. His best bet was to secretly follow her there. Oscar stayed hidden as he followed her through the busy streets. They crossed behind a tavern and then cut through a snaking alley. They finally came out onto a dark street of small houses and shacks. The girl beelined for a sagging little house set back from the street. Oscar ducked behind a barrel and waited as she used a key to open the front door. "Bruno," she called out as she went inside. "I'm back!" Bruno. Must be one of the thugs, Oscar thought. He saw a piece of jagged wood lying on the ground. He grabbed it. It would make a decent weapon, just in case. He crept up to the house, crouching low so none of the criminals would spot him out the window. He wondered what he should do. Barge in? Demand his suitcases? Suddenly his knees started to shake. Sweat oozed down his neck.

奥斯卡猜那女孩是去帮派的藏身处了。 他最好的办法是暗中跟踪她到那里。 奥斯卡一直躲着，跟着她穿过繁忙的街道。 他们从一家酒馆后面穿过，然后穿过一条蜿蜒的小巷。 他们终于来到了一条黑暗的街道上，街道上尽是小房子和棚屋。 那女孩向远离街道的一所摇摇欲坠的小房子走去。 奥斯卡躲在一个木桶后面，等着用钥匙打开前门。 “布鲁诺，”她进去时喊道。 “我回来了!”布鲁诺。一定是其中一个暴徒，奥斯卡想。 他看见地上有一块参差不齐的木头。 他抓住了它。这是个不错的武器，以防万一。 他蹑手蹑脚地向房子走去，蹲得很低，这样罪犯就不会从窗户里发现他。 他不知道该怎么办。 驳船在吗?要他的手提箱? 突然，他的膝盖开始颤抖。 汗水顺着他的脖子往下流。

What was he doing? He needed to get out of here! But then he thought of Papa facing the gun barrel of Earless Max Kildair. No, Oscar thought, he wasn't going to run scared from a bunch of street thugs. He was going to get Papa's badge back. He curled his fingers around his weapon as he rose up, ready for a fight. Oscar peered through the window. He spotted the little thief. And his mouth dropped open in shock. No, he thought. It can't be. He had imagined her sitting there with Otis Webber and the other boys, rummaging through piles of loot. He'd gotten it wrong. There were no thugs, and no sign of his suitcases. The girl sat in a little wooden chair. On her lap was not a pile of stolen money and jewels but a smiling little boy with a mop of dark curls. Oscar guessed he was maybe three years old. Their voices floated through the open window.

他在做什么?他必须离开这里!但他又想到爸爸面对着无耳的马克斯·基尔代尔的枪管。 不，奥斯卡想，他不会被一群街头暴徒吓得跑掉。 他要拿回爸爸的徽章。 他站起来，用手指握着武器，准备战斗。 奥斯卡透过窗户往外看。 他发现了那个小小偷。 他吓得张大了嘴。 不，他想。这不可能。 他想象着她和奥蒂斯·韦伯以及其他男孩坐在那里，翻找成堆的赃物。 他弄错了。没有暴徒，也没有他的手提箱。 女孩坐在一把小木椅上。 她膝上放的不是一堆偷来的钱和珠宝，而是一个面带微笑的小男孩，一头乌黑的卷发。 奥斯卡猜他大概三岁。 他们的说话声从敞开的窗户飘了进来。

"Sorry I had to leave you alone again," she said. "I very brave, Jennie," the boy said, puffing out his chest. His little croaking voice made Oscar think of the baby frogs he used to catch behind his house. "Next time I help." "No," the girl said. "It's no fun, what I do. And you need to stay here and guard our house!" The boy puffed out his chest proudly. "I guard." "And guess what. I have enough money to get us some nice, fresh milk tomorrow." "And a cookie?" the boy asked hopefully. "We'll see," she said, taking off her yellow cap. She suddenly looked older than Oscar had first thought, maybe nine or ten. The boy reached up and tenderly smoothed one of the girl's crooked braids. "I love cookies, Jennie," the boy whispered. "I know you do, Brunie," Jennie said. She smiled. But it was a weary kind of smile, tinged with sadness. It reminded Oscar of Mama's smile, how she looked in the months before Mr. Morrow appeared. Oscar swallowed hard as he stepped away from the window. Those kids were on their own. Oscar

“对不起，我又不得不让你一个人呆着，”她说。 “我很勇敢，珍妮，”男孩挺起胸膛说。 他那嘶哑的声音让奥斯卡想起了他以前在房子后面捉的小青蛙。 “下次我来帮忙。”“不，”女孩说。 “我做的事一点也不好玩。你必须留在这里，保护我们的房子!”那男孩骄傲地挺起胸膛。 “我。”你猜怎么着? 我有足够的钱明天给我们买些新鲜的牛奶。” “那饼干呢?”男孩满怀希望地问。 “等着瞧吧，”她说着摘下了黄色的帽子。 她突然看起来比奥斯卡最初想象的要老，也许九岁或十岁。 男孩伸出手，温柔地抚平了女孩一根弯曲的辫子。 “我爱吃饼干，珍妮，”男孩低声说。 “我知道你喜欢，布朗尼，”珍妮说。 她笑了。但那是一种疲惫的微笑，带着一丝悲伤。 这使奥斯卡想起了妈妈的微笑，想起了她在莫罗先生出现前几个月的样子。 奥斯卡使劲咽了一口唾沫，离开了窗口。 那些孩子只能靠自己。 奥斯卡

felt it in his bones. He remembered what the policeman said: Otis Webber preyed on the most helpless orphans. Oscar dropped his stupid weapon and headed slowly toward the road. What a dope he was, pretending he was like Papa, chasing a killer outlaw through Chicago. Instead he'd found two sad little kids. And now all he could think of was Mama. How could he have left her like that? She must be going crazy with worry. His mind was so jumbled up that he barely noticed when something landed on top of his head. It felt like a leaf, or a big moth. He absentmindedly brushed it away, then was startled when a shower of sparks spilled down in front of his face. A few hit his skin, burning his flesh like red-hot needles. Oscar looked up and saw a sight so strange he was sure his eyes were playing tricks. It looked as if glowing red snowflakes were falling from the sky. They danced in the gusting wind, hundreds of hot, burning embers of different sizes and shapes. Before he knew what was happening, they were

从骨子里就能感觉到。他记得警察说过的话:奥蒂斯·韦伯捕食最无助的孤儿。 奥斯卡放下他那愚蠢的武器，慢慢地朝大路走去。 他真是个笨蛋，假装自己像爸爸一样，在芝加哥追捕一个杀人犯。 相反，他发现了两个悲伤的小孩。 现在他满脑子想的都是妈妈。 他怎么能就那样离开她呢? 她一定是担心得发疯了。 他的脑子乱成一团，几乎没有注意到什么东西落在了他的头上。 它摸起来像一片叶子，或者一只大蛾子。 他心不在焉地把它刷掉，然后，一阵火花洒在他面前，他吓了一跳。 有几颗击中了他的皮肤，像烧红的针一样灼烧着他的肉。 奥斯卡抬起头，看到了一个如此奇怪的景象，他确信自己的眼睛在开玩笑。 它看起来就像发光的红色的雪花从天上落下来。 他们在狂风中跳舞，数百个大小形状各异的灼热的余烬。 在他知道发生了什么之前，他们已经

all around him, attacking like a swarm of fiery bees. They seared his scalp, burned through the wool of his clothes, scorched his lips. Pain lashed him, and the sickening smell of his burning hair made him gag. And suddenly, Whoosh! Flames leaped up in front of Oscar's face. The sparks had ignited his clothes. Oscar was on fire!

在他周围，像一群火蜂一样攻击他。 它们烧焦了他的头皮，烧穿了他的羊毛衣服，烧焦了他的嘴唇。 疼痛折磨着他，头发烧焦的恶心气味使他作呕。 突然，嗖!火焰在奥斯卡的面前蹿起。 火花点燃了他的衣服。 奥斯卡着火了!