Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 LATER THAT NIGHT AROUND 8:30 P.M. "Come on," Frederick said to Janie. "We're going to the observation car." "No, thank you," Janie said politely. "You don't need to worry about me."

第五章那天晚上八点半左右 “走吧，"弗雷德里克对珍妮说。 “我们要去观景车。” “不，谢谢，”简妮礼貌地说。 “你不用担心我。”

What she needed to do was lie low, try to disappear until the train arrived in Seattle. But Frederick and Mr. McBride weren't going to let her out of their sight. "You're with us, my dear!" Mr. McBride said. Janie's heart sank—what choice did she have? She was supposed to be a girl with good manners. Mr. McBride had paid for her to ride first class. It would be rude to refuse the invitation. The observation car was just behind their sleeper car. There were big chairs along the windows and tables where some men were playing cards. They found some seats and Mr. McBride quickly made friends with two other passengers. One was Mr. Riggins, a bald-headed man with a booming voice and a walrus mustache. The other was the young lady with the notebook that Janie had seen when she first got onto the train. Her name was Libby Wade. She was from Minneapolis, and it turned out she was a writer.

她需要做的就是躲起来，尽量消失，直到火车到达西雅图。 但是弗雷德里克和麦克布莱德先生不打算让她离开他们的视线。 “你和我们在一起，亲爱的！”麦克布莱德说。 珍妮的心一沉，她还有什么选择呢？ 她应该是个有礼貌的女孩。 麦克布莱德先生付了钱让她坐头等舱。 拒绝邀请是不礼貌的。 观景车就在卧铺车厢后面。 窗户边有几把大椅子，桌子上有几个人在打牌。 他们找到了一些座位，麦克布莱德先生很快就和另外两名乘客成为了朋友。 一个是里金斯先生，一个秃顶的男人，声音洪亮，留着海象胡子。 另一个是珍妮刚上火车时看到的那个拿着笔记本的年轻女士。 她的名字叫利比·韦德。她来自明尼阿波利斯，原来她是个作家。

"If I may ask," Mr. McBride said. "What are you writing about?" "This train trip," answered Miss Wade. "A journey west on the Great Northern Railway." She explained that she'd already traveled more than a thousand miles, through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. This stretch—three hundred and fifty miles across Washington State—was the last part of the trip.

“请允许我问一下，”麦克布莱德先生说。 “你在写什么？”“这次火车旅行，"韦德小姐回答。 “乘大北方铁路向西旅行” 她解释说，她已经旅行了一千多英里，穿越了明尼苏达州、北达科他州、蒙大拿州和爱达荷州。 这段横跨华盛顿州350英里的路程是这次旅行的最后一段。

"Wonderful," Mr. McBride said, with the same proud look he'd had when he admired the big locomotive. "Of all the railroads, the Great Northern is my favorite. Everything is tip-top." "Always on time, and the cars are spotless," Mr. Riggins agreed. "Never any surprises." Miss Wade nodded, but her smile wavered. "That's the problem. Nothing exciting has happened on this trip." If only she knew, Janie thought. "I'm afraid this article is shaping up to be a dud," Miss Wade added. "But what about meeting us?" Frederick asked with a big, joking grin. Everyone chuckled, and Janie fake-smiled along. "Well, of course," Miss Wade said. "That's the best part of being on a train—meeting interesting people." "I met my dear wife on a train," Mr. McBride said.

“太好了，”麦克布莱德先生说，脸上带着他欣赏大火车头时那种骄傲的神情。 “在所有的铁路中，大北方铁路是我的最爱。 一切都是一流的。”“总是准时，车也一尘不染，”里金斯表示赞同。 “从来没有任何惊喜。”韦德小姐点点头，但她的笑容动摇了。 “这就是问题所在。这次旅行没有发生什么激动人心的事情。” 要是她知道就好了，简妮想。 “我担心这篇文章会成为一篇无用的文章，"韦德小姐补充说。 “那和我们见面怎么样？”弗雷德里克笑着问道。 每个人都咯咯地笑了起来，珍妮也跟着假笑。 “唔，当然，"韦德小姐说。 “这就是在火车上遇见有趣的人的最好的部分。” “我在火车上遇到了我亲爱的妻子，”麦克布莱德说。

Janie pictured Frederick's mother—some rich lady dripping in jewels and silk, Janie was sure. She'd overheard Mr. McBride telling the others that he was a banker and that the family lived in Seattle. Probably in a huge palace. "But, Miss Wade, this trip isn't over yet!" Frederick said. "The young man is correct." Mr. Riggins nodded. "In fact, for us it's just beginning. Maybe something exciting is yet to come." Miss Wade sighed. "I'm afraid not," she said. "We'll go to sleep soon. And when we wake up, we'll practically be in Seattle." Thank goodness for that, Janie thought. "But wait!" Frederick exclaimed. "I know what you can write about." He leaned forward. "That jewel thief!" The blood drained from Janie's face. "What jewel thief?" Miss Wade asked. "A man was arrested in the train station, just before the train left," Mr. McBride explained.

珍妮想象着弗雷德里克的母亲——一个身披珠宝和丝绸的富婆，珍妮敢肯定。 她无意中听到麦克布莱德先生告诉其他人，他是一名银行家，他们家住在西雅图。 可能在一个巨大的宫殿里。 “可是，韦德小姐，这次旅行还没有结束呢！"弗雷德里克说。 “这个年轻人说得对。” 里金斯点点头。“事实上，对我们来说，这才刚刚开始。 也许还会有令人兴奋的事情发生。” 韦德小姐叹了口气。“恐怕不行，”她说。 “我们很快就要睡觉了。当我们醒来时，我们实际上已经在西雅图了。” 谢天谢地，珍妮心想。 “但是等等!”弗雷德里克喊道。 “我知道你能写些什么。” 他身体前倾。“那个珠宝大盗！”詹妮脸上的血都流干了。 “什么珠宝贼？”韦德小姐问。 “一名男子在火车站被捕，就在火车离开之前，”麦克布莱德解释说。

"You must have already been on the train platform." "He robbed a jewelry store in Spokane!" Frederick went on. "He must have been trying to escape on the train. But the police caught him. They surrounded the guy, put handcuffs on him, and dragged him out." "It was something," Mr. Riggins said. "The fellow looked like a real lowlife." Janie's stomach twisted into such a tight knot she was afraid she'd puke. "How terrible," Miss Wade said. "It all happened so quickly," Mr. McBride added. "I've been thinking about that guy," Frederick said, his eyes narrowing. "I knew there was something suspicious about him even before the police showed up." "Why is that?" Miss Wade asked. Frederick shrugged.

“你一定已经在站台上了。” “他抢了斯波坎的一家珠宝店！”弗雷德里克接着说。 “他一定是想在火车上逃跑。 但是警察抓住了他。 他们包围了那个人，给他戴上手铐，把他拖了出去。” “这很重要，”里金斯说。 “那家伙看上去真像个下等人。” 珍妮的胃绞得很紧，她担心自己会吐出来。 “太可怕了，"韦德小姐说。 “这一切发生得太快了，”麦克布莱德补充说。 “我一直在想那个家伙，”弗雷德里克说，眼睛眯了起来。 “在警察出现之前，我就知道他有可疑之处。” “为什么？”韦德小姐问。 弗雷德里克耸耸肩。