9 The Incident of the Letter

CHAPTER 9 The Incident of the Letter Later that afternoon, Mr. Utterson went to find Dr. Jekyll. Poole let him in and led the lawyer to the laboratory across the courtyard. "Dr. Jekyll is not feeling very well today," Poole said. "He prefers the quiet of the lab." "Are you sure he's up for visitors?" Utterson asked. Jekyll was so rarely available these days. The lawyer was surprised that he

第九章那封信的事那天下午晚些时候，厄特森先生去找伯恩医生。 变身怪医。普尔让他进去，把律师领到院子对面的实验室。 “杰基尔博士今天不太舒服，”普尔说。 “他更喜欢实验室的安静。” “你确定他可以接待客人吗？”Utterson问道。 现在杰基尔很少露面了。 律师很惊讶他竟然

would see him when sick. "The doctor said that if you stopped by, I should let you in straight away," Poole said. "Everyone else should be turned away." Dr. Jekyll did not rise to meet his visitor. He remained by the fire, looking deathly sick. "You have heard the news," Utterson said as soon as Poole had left them. The doctor shuddered. "I heard it first thing this morning. They are talking about it all over London." Jekyll closed his eyes for a moment. "The police were here this morning asking what I knew about Hyde." "I am asking you this question as your lawyer and your friend," Utterson said. "You have not been mad enough to hide this man, have you?" "Utterson, I swear to God," he cried. "I swear to God that I will never set eyes on Hyde again. It is all at an end. And to be honest, he doesn't want my help. You do not

生病的时候会去看他。普尔说：“医生说，如果你来拜访，我应该马上让你进来。” “其他人都应该被拒之门外。” 杰基尔博士没有起身迎接来访者。 他留在火堆旁，一副病重的样子。 “你们已经听到消息了。”普尔一走，厄特森就说。 医生打了个寒颤。“今天早上我第一时间就听说了。 整个伦敦都在谈论这件事。” 杰基尔闭了一会儿眼睛。 “今天早上警察来过，问我知道海德的什么情况。” “我是以你的律师和朋友的身份问你这个问题的，”厄特森说。 “你没有疯到把这个人藏起来吧？”“厄特森，我对上帝发誓，”他叫道。 “我向上帝发誓，我再也不会见到海德了。 一切都结束了。说实话，他不需要我的帮助。 你不需要

know him as I do, Utterson. Mark my words. He will never be heard from again." "You seem quite sure," the lawyer said. "I hope you are right. I should warn you that if there is a trial, your name may be mentioned." Dr. Jekyll lowered his head. There were tears in his eyes. "I am quite sure that he is gone. I have received a letter. I don't know if I should take it to the police. I'd rather leave it with you and let you decide what to do. I trust you completely." "Are you worried that the letter may reveal Hyde's whereabouts?" Utterson asked. He did not know why Jekyll was thinking about hiding the evidence. Was he still protecting Hyde? "No. I have no concern about Hyde's fate, now," Jekyll said. "I am quite through with him." His friend's behavior disturbed Utterson.

厄特森，你跟我一样了解他。 记住我的话。再也听不到他的消息了。” “你看起来很确定，”律师说。 “我希望你是对的。我要警告你，如果有审判，你的名字可能会被提起。” 杰基尔博士低下了头。 他眼里含着泪水。 “我敢肯定他已经走了。 我收到一封信。我不知道该不该把它交给警察。 我宁愿把它留给你，让你决定怎么做。 我完全相信你。”“你担心这封信会泄露海德的下落吗？”Utterson问道。 他不知道杰基尔为什么想把证据藏起来。 他还在保护海德吗？ “没有。“我现在不关心海德的命运了。”杰基尔说。 “我和他完全断绝关系了。” 他朋友的行为使厄特森感到不安。

He seemed quite upset. Jekyll was taking Sir Danvers' murder very badly. He must feel guilty for bringing Hyde into the neighborhood. "Perhaps you should let me see the letter," Utterson said. It was written in odd, upright letters. It was stiff and awkward handwriting. It stated simply and clearly that Dr. Jekyll, his kind benefactor, should not worry, as he had means of escape. He was gone from the city and would not return. This message pleased Utterson very much. It was a great relief to know that Hyde was gone. "May I see the envelope?" Utterson said. "I burned it," Jekyll said. "I wasn't thinking clearly. It doesn't matter, though. There was no postmark. The police wouldn't be able to trace it. The note was hand- delivered this morning." "Shall I keep this letter and think about what to do?" Utterson asked.

他似乎很不安。杰基尔对丹弗斯爵士被杀这件事非常痛心。 他一定为把海德带进这个社区而感到内疚。 “也许你应该让我看看那封信，”厄特森说。 它是用奇怪的、笔直的字母写的。 字迹生硬笨拙。 它简单明了地说明了。 杰基尔，他好心的恩人，不必担心，因为他有办法逃跑。 他离开了这个城市，再也不回来了。 这个消息使厄特森非常高兴。 知道海德走了，真是一大解脱。 “我可以看看信封吗？”Utterson说。 “我把它烧了。”杰基尔说。 “我当时没想清楚。 不过，这并不重要。 没有邮戳。警察是无法追踪到的。 这封信是今天早晨送来的。” “我要不要留着这封信，想想该怎么办？”Utterson问道。

"I leave it entirely in your hands. I have lost faith in my own judgment." Dr. Jekyll held his head in his hands. "Tell me something, Jekyll," Utterson said. "The odd terms in your will, making Hyde your heir in case of death or disappearance, were all his idea, weren't they?" Jekyll nodded his head slowly. "I knew it!" Utterson exclaimed. "He meant to murder you." Once again, Jekyll shook his head. "It was nothing like that, Utterson. I could never explain it to you. It was something between Hyde and me that no one else could share. And no one else will ever learn. But I have learned a lesson! Oh, what a lesson I have learned." He put his head back in his hands and wept. "One more thing, Jekyll." Utterson spoke in a soft voice. He did not want to upset his

“我把它完全交给你了。 我对自己的判断失去了信心。” 杰基尔博士双手捧着他的头。 “告诉我，杰基尔。”厄特森说。 “你遗嘱里那些奇怪的条款，比如在你去世或失踪时让海德继承你的继承人，都是他的主意，对吗？”杰基尔慢慢地点了点头。 “我就知道！”Utterson喊道。 “他想杀了你。”杰基尔又摇了摇头。 “根本不是那样的，厄特森。 我永远无法向你解释。 这是海德和我之间的事，没有人能分享。 没人会知道的。 但我已经吸取了教训！哦，我学到了什么教训啊。” 他把头抱在手里，哭了起来。 “还有一件事，杰基尔。”厄特森轻声说。 他不想打乱他的

friend more. "Do you have any idea why Hyde did it? Was it a robbery or did he have other reasons?" Jekyll did not lift his head from his hands. "No," he said. His voice was muffled. "I have no idea." On his way out, the lawyer stopped to speak to Poole. "There was a letter delivered today," Utterson said. "What did the messenger look like? I would like to find the person who sent it." "I'm sorry, sir," Poole said. "We've had no mail today." This news surprised Utterson. The letter must have come by the laboratory door, the one Hyde used to use. It seemed strange that Jekyll would answer a door himself considering his state of mind. The doctor said that he received the letter after the visit from the police. Perhaps the note had been written in the study. If so, that meant that Hyde was

朋友更多。“你知道海德为什么这么做吗？” 是抢劫还是他有其他原因？”杰基尔没有从手中抬起头来。 “不，”他说。他的声音低沉。 “我不知道。”在走出去的路上，律师停下来和普尔说话。 “今天有一封信送来了，”厄特森说。 “信使长什么样？” 我想找到寄这封信的人。” “对不起，先生，”普尔说。 “我们今天没有收到邮件。” 这消息使厄特森大吃一惊。 信一定是从实验室的门寄来的，就是海德过去常用的那扇门。 考虑到杰基尔的精神状态，他居然自己去开门，这似乎有点奇怪。 医生说他是在警察来访后收到这封信的。 也许纸条是在书房里写的。 如果是这样，那就意味着海德是