7 A talk with the caretaker

CHAPTER SEVEN A talk with the caretaker THE THREE boys and Scamper had had an exciting time. They had gone down the lane, noting the car-tracks as they passed. They came to the old house. They saw that the gate was shut. They leaned over the top and saw tracks going up the drive. 'There's my footprints that I made yesterday morning,' said Peter, pointing to them. 'And look, you can see Scamper's paw-marks here and there too– but our tracks are all overlaid with others– bigger footmarks– and other marks too, look– rather strange.' 'A bit like prints that would be made by someone wearing great flat, roundish slippers,' said Jack, puzzled. 'Who would wear slippers

第七章与管理员的谈话三个男孩和斯坎普度过了一段激动人心的时光。 他们沿着小巷往前走，路过时注意到车辙。 他们来到老房子前。 他们看见大门关着。 他们俯下身，看到车道上有脚印。 “这是我昨天早上留下的脚印。”彼得指着它们说。 “你看，你还能看到斯坎普这儿那儿的爪印——但是我们的脚印都被别人的脚印覆盖着——更大的脚印——还有其他的脚印，看——很奇怪。“有点像穿着又平又圆的拖鞋的人会留下的印花。”杰克困惑地说。 “谁会穿拖鞋呢？

like that? Look, you can see them again and again, all over the place. Whoever wore them was prancing about a bit! Probably being dragged in.' The boys leaned over the gate and considered all the marks carefully. They traced them with their eyes as far as they could see. 'Can any of you make out if the tracks go up the front door steps?' said Colin. 'I can't from here– but it rather looks to me as if the snow is smooth up the steps– not trampled at all.' 'I can't make out from here,' said Peter. 'Let's go up the drive. After all, we've got to interview the caretaker and find out if he heard anything last night. So we've got to go in.' 'What shall we say if he asks us why we want to know?' said Colin. 'I mean– if he's in this mystery, whatever it is, he may be frightfully angry if he thinks we know anything about it.'

像这样吗?看，你可以一次又一次地看到它们，到处都是。 穿这双鞋的人简直是蹦蹦跳跳！可能是被拖进去的。”男孩们靠在大门上，仔细地考虑着所有的分数。 他们用眼睛一直追踪到他们能看到的地方。 “你们谁能辨认出脚印是不是沿着前门的台阶往上走的？”科林说。 “从这里我看不出来——不过在我看来，台阶上的雪好像很光滑——一点也没有被踩过。“我在这儿看不清，”彼得说。 “我们沿着车道走吧。毕竟，我们得采访一下管理员看看他昨晚有没有听到什么。 所以我们必须进去。”“如果他问我们为什么想知道，我们该怎么说呢？科林说。 “我的意思是——如果他卷入了这件神秘的事情，不管是什么，如果他认为我们知道的话，他可能会非常生气的。”

'Yes, he might,' said Peter. 'We'll have to be rather clever over this. Let's think.' They thought. 'I can't think of anything except to sort of lead him on a bit– ask him if he isn't afraid of burglars and things like that,' said Peter at last. 'See if we can make him talk.' 'All right,' said Colin. 'But it seems a bit feeble. Let's go in.' Scamper ran ahead down the drive. He disappeared round a corner. The boys followed the footprints carefully, noting how the slipper-like ones appeared everywhere, as if the owner had gone from side to side and hopped about like mad! 'They don't go up the front door steps,' said Colin. 'I thought they didn't! They go round the side of the house– look here– right past the side door where the caretaker came out yesterday– and down this path– and round to the kitchen door!'

“是的，他可能会。”彼得说。 “在这件事上，我们得聪明一点。 让我们想想。”他们的想法。 “我想不出别的办法，只能稍稍把他忽悠一下——问他怕不怕夜贼之类的。”彼得最后说。 “看看我们能不能让他开口。“好吧，”科林说。 “但它似乎有点无力。 我们进去吧。”斯坎普沿着车道往前跑。 他拐了个弯就不见了。 孩子们仔细地跟踪着脚印，注意到到处都是拖鞋一样的脚印，好像主人从一边走到另一边，疯了似的跳来跳去！“他们不走前门的台阶。”柯林说。 “我以为他们没有！”他们绕着房子的一边走——看这儿——正好经过看门人昨天出来的侧门——沿着这条小路走——绕到厨房门口！”

'Well– how strange!' said Peter, puzzled. 'Why did everyone go prancing round to the kitchen door when there's a front door and a side door? Yes– all three tracks are here– two sets of shoe-prints– and those funny round slipper-prints too. It beats me!' They tried the kitchen door, but it was locked. They peered in at the window. The kitchen was completely bare and empty. But they saw a gas-stove, a sink piled with plates, and a bucket nearby when they looked through the scullery window. 'I suppose the caretaker has the use of the scullery and that front room in the house,' said Jack. 'Look out– here he is!' said Peter suddenly.

“唉——真奇怪！”彼得迷惑不解地说。 “既然有正门和侧门，为什么每个人都蹦蹦跳跳地绕到厨房门口去？” 是的，三个脚印都在这里——两组鞋印——还有那些有趣的圆形拖鞋印。 这难倒我了！”他们试着打开厨房的门，但门是锁着的。 他们从窗户往里看。 厨房里空空如也。 但当他们从厨房的窗户往外看时，他们看到了一个煤气炉，一个堆满盘子的水池，旁边还有一个水桶。 “我想看门人可以用这所房子里的洗碗室和前厅吧。”杰克说。 “当心——他来了！”彼得突然说。

The old man was shuffling into the empty kitchen. He saw the three boys through the window and went to fling it open in a rage. 'If you want that dog of yours, he's round in the front garden!' he shouted. 'You clear out. I won't have kids round here. You'll be breaking windows before I know where I am!' 'No, we shan't,' shouted Jack, determined to make the deaf old man hear. 'We'll just collect our dog and go. Sorry he came in here.' 'Aren't you rather lonely here?' shouted Colin. 'Aren't you afraid of burglars?' 'No. I'm not afraid,' said the old fellow, scornfully. 'I've got my big stick– and there's nothing to steal here.' 'Somebody's been round to the back door, all the same,' shouted Peter, seeing a chance to discuss this bit of mystery with the caretaker and see if he knew anything about it. He pointed to all the tracks leading to the back door. The old man leaned out of the window

老人拖着沉重的步子走进空荡荡的厨房。 他透过窗户看到了那三个男孩，于是一怒之下把窗户打开。 “如果你想要那条狗，它就在前面的花园里！”他喊道。 “你离开。我不会在这里生孩子。 在我知道自己在哪之前，你就会打破窗户了！“不，我们不能，”杰克喊道，决心让聋子老人听到。 “我们只要带上我们的狗就走。 抱歉他进来了。“你在这儿不觉得很孤单吗？”科林喊道。 “你不怕窃贼吗？”“没有。 “我不怕，”老家伙轻蔑地说。 “我有我的大棒——这里没有什么可偷的。“反正有人到后门去了。”彼得喊着，找了个机会跟看门人谈谈这件事，看他知不知道。 他指着所有通向后门的痕迹。 老人把头探出窗外

and looked at them. 'They're no more than the tracks you've made yourself, tramping about where you've no business to be!' he said angrily. 'They're not. I bet it was burglars or something last night,' said Peter, and all three boys looked closely at the caretaker to see if his face changed in any way. 'Pah!' he said. 'Trying to frighten me, are you, with your silly boys' nonsense!' 'No. I'm not,' said Peter. 'Didn't you hear anything at all last night? If burglars were trying to get in, wouldn't you hear them?' 'I'm deaf,' said the old man. 'I wouldn't hear nothing at all– but wait now– yes, I did think I heard something last night. I'd forgotten it. Ah– that's odd, that is.' The boys almost forgot to breathe in their excitement. 'What did you hear?' said Jack, forgetting to shout. The old man took no notice. He frowned, and his wrinkled face

看着他们。“那只不过是你自己留下的足迹，你在不该去的地方到处乱走！”他生气地说。 “他们不是。“我敢打赌昨晚一定是窃贼什么的。”彼得说，三个男孩都仔细地看着管理员，看他的脸有没有什么变化。 “多环芳烃!他说。“你是想吓唬我，是不是，用你那傻孩子们的胡言乱语！”“没有。 “我不是。”彼得说。“昨晚你什么也没听到吗？” 如果有贼想闯进来，你能听到吗？“我是聋子，”老人说。 “我什么也不想听到——不过等等——是的，我昨晚确实觉得听到了什么。 我忘了。啊——这可真奇怪。”男孩们兴奋得几乎忘了呼吸。 “你听到了什么？”杰克说，忘了喊。 老人没有理会。 他皱着眉头，皱着脸