6 The Christmas Present

Chapter 6 The Christmas Present "I will tell you exactly what happened, sir," said James Ryder. "When Horner was arrested, I thought it best to get away with the stone at once, before the police got it into their heads to search me and my room. So I went to my sister Maggie. She's married to a Mr. Oakshott and lives on Brixton Road. She keeps poultry in her backyard, which she fattens for market.

第六章圣诞礼物“我将把事情的原原本本告诉你，先生，”詹姆斯·赖德说。 “当霍纳被捕时，我想最好是在警察突然想到搜查我和我的房间之前，立刻带着石头逃走。 所以我去找我姐姐麦琪。 她嫁给了奥克肖特先生，住在布里克斯顿路。 她在后院养家禽，把它们养肥后卖出去。

"All the way there, it felt like the stone was burning a hole in my pocket and I worried the police were on my tail. By the time I got to her house, the sweat was pouring down my face. Maggie asked me what was wrong and I told her I was upset because of the jewel robbery at the hotel. "Then I went and sat in her backyard and thought about what I should do. I had this friend called Maudsley who had served time for robbery in Pentonville Prison. I was sure he'd know how to turn my stone into money. I also reckoned he wouldn't double cross me because I knew one or two things about him that would be of interest to the police. "The trouble was, Maudsley lived in Kilburn and I didn't know how to get there safely. The journey from the hotel had been terrifying, and I couldn't face another ordeal like that.

“在去那里的路上，感觉就像石头在我的口袋里烧了一个洞，我担心警察在跟踪我。 当我到达她家时，汗水从我脸上流下来。 麦琪问我怎么了，我告诉她我因为酒店的珠宝抢劫案而心烦意乱。 “然后我走到她家后院坐下，想着我该怎么办。 我有个朋友叫莫兹利，他曾因抢劫在本顿维尔监狱服刑。 我确信他知道如何把我的石头变成钱。 我还认为他不会出卖我，因为我知道他的一两件事会引起警察的兴趣。 “问题是，莫兹利住在基尔本，我不知道怎样才能安全到达那里。 从酒店出来的旅程很可怕，我不能再面对这样的磨难了。

"I was leaning against the wall thinking about all this and looking at the geese waddling around the yard when an idea came into my head. A few weeks before, Maggie had promised me I could have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present. I decided I would take my goose now and carry my stone to Kilburn inside it. So I chased after a fine, big goose—a white one with a black tail. Once I'd caught it, I pried open its bill and shoved the stone down its throat as far as my finger could reach. The goose flapped and squawked and made such a noise that my sister came running out to see what was the matter. 'What on earth were you doing with that bird, Jem?' she asked.

“我正靠在墙上想着这一切，看着那些鹅在院子里摇摇摆摆地走着，突然一个想法出现在我的脑海里。 几个星期前，玛吉答应我，我可以挑选她的鹅作为圣诞礼物。 我决定现在就带上我的鹅，把我的石头装在鹅里带到基尔本去。 于是我去追一只漂亮的大鹅——一只长着黑尾巴的白鹅。 一旦我抓住了它，我撬开它的嘴，把石头塞进它的喉咙，直到我的手指够得到的地方。 那只鹅拍打着翅膀，吱吱嘎嘎地叫着，弄得我妹妹跑出来看是怎么回事。 “你和那只鸟到底在干什么，杰姆？”她问。

"'Well,' I said, 'you promised me a goose for Christmas and I was feeling which was the fattest.' "'Oh, we've set yours aside already,' she said. 'Jem's bird, we call it. It's the big white one over there, see?' "'Thank you, Maggie,' I said, 'but if it's all the same to you I'd rather have that one I was handling just now.' "'But the other one's three pounds heavier,' she said, 'and we fattened it especially for you.' "'Never mind,' I told her. 'I'll have the other one, and I'll take it now.' "'As you please,' she said, a little huffily. 'Which one was it you wanted then?' "'The white one with the black tail, right in the middle of the flock.'

“‘好吧，’我说，‘你答应给我一只鹅做圣诞礼物，我在想哪一只最肥。‘ ’哦，我们已经把你的放在一边了，'她说。 “我们管它叫杰姆的鸟。就是那边那个白色的大家伙，看到了吗？“‘谢谢你，麦琪，’我说，‘但如果对你来说都一样的话，我宁愿要我刚才处理的那个。’”她说：‘不过那只比你重三磅，我们是专门为你养肥的。‘没关系，’我对她说。 “我要另一个，我现在就要。’”‘随你便，’她有点生气地说。 “那你想要的是哪一个？”’”‘就是那只黑尾巴、白的，就在羊群中间。

"So she killed the bird for me, and I carried it all the way to Kilburn. I told my friend Maudsley what I'd done and he laughed until he nearly choked. Then we got a knife and opened the goose. My heart turned to water, for there was no sign of the stone and I knew that some terrible mistake had occurred. I rushed back to my sister's and went into the backyard. There wasn't a bird to be seen there. 'Where are they all, Maggie?' I cried. "'They're all sold, Jem,' she said. "'Sold to who?' "'Breckinridge of Covent Garden.'

“于是她为我杀了那只鸟，我一路把它带到基尔本。 我把我做的事告诉了我的朋友莫兹利，他笑得差点窒息。 然后我们拿了把刀，把鹅切开。 我的心如临大敌，因为没有石头的痕迹，我知道一定发生了什么可怕的错误。 我冲回姐姐家，走进后院。 那里连一只鸟也看不见。 “他们都到哪儿去了，麦琪？”我哭了。 “‘全卖了，杰姆，’她说。 “卖给谁？”‘ "’考文特花园的布雷肯里奇。'

"'But was there another one with a black tail?' I asked. "'Oh yes, there were two black-tailed ones. I could never tell them apart.' "So now I understood what must have happened. I raced as fast as I could to Covent Garden, only to find that Breckinridge had already sold the geese. He refused to tell me where they'd gone no matter how many times I asked him. You heard yourself how rude he was. My sister thinks I'm going mad. Sometimes I think she's right. And now— now I'm to be branded a thief, though I've not earned one penny for my sins. I've brought disgrace upon myself and my family. Heaven help me!" Ryder buried his face in his hands and burst into tears. At length, he quieted and the room fell silent except for the slow tapping of Holmes's fingernail on the table. Finally, my friend arose and threw open the door. "Get out!" he said.

“‘可是有没有另一只长着黑尾巴的？’我问。 “哦，是的，有两只黑尾巴的。 我永远分不清他们。’”所以现在我明白了发生了什么事。 我以最快的速度跑到考文特花园，却发现布雷肯里奇已经把鹅卖了。 不管我问他多少次，他都不肯告诉我他们去哪儿了。 你也听到他有多粗鲁了。 我姐姐认为我要疯了。 有时候我觉得她是对的。 而现在——现在我要被贴上小偷的标签了，尽管我一分钱也没挣到。 我给自己和家人带来了耻辱。 上帝保佑我吧！”赖德双手捂着脸，哭了起来。 最后，他安静了下来，房间里一片寂静，只有福尔摩斯的指甲在桌子上缓缓地敲着的声音。 最后，我的朋友站了起来，打开了门。 “出去！”他说。