第四章-伯金校长

1.
The next morning they were watching us like hawks.

1.

第二天早上他们像鹰一样看着我们.

Dr. Fell sat at the head of the table, looking more severe and supercilious than usual. Mrs. Wren, for once, seemed not to have a hangover, and her hair was tied more neatly into her bun than was her wont. She was in a good humor, commenting happily on the flavor of the marmalade, the cool crispness of the air, the beauty of the weather. I found her cheer disquieting.

费尔医生坐在桌子前端,看上去比平时更加严肃和傲慢.瑞文女士第一次看上去没有塑醉,她的头发也比平常更加整齐地扎在发髻里.她心情很好,一直在快乐地评价橘子酱的口味, 凉爽的气候和好天气.我感到她的愉快让我不安.

It seemed even the smallest exercise of arbitrary authority could go to one’s head like wine. I told myself to remember this when I was older.

看上去甚至最小独裁权利的练习都会像酒精一样冲上人的头里.我告诉自己长大后要记得这个.

Even Miss Daw, the music teacher, was there, wearing her dress of blue chiffon set with ribbons of white and pale pink.

甚至道恩小姐,那个音乐老师,也在那里,穿着她系着白色和粉红相间缎带的蓝绸子衣服.

Miss Daw, as I have said, is graceful and delicate, a creature of impeccable manners, with a voice as soft as the coo of a dove.

道恩小姐,就像我说过那样,漂亮而优雅,彬彬有礼,声音像鸽子一样柔和.

She sat at the chair which was reserved for her, but which she almost never used, between Victor and Colin, and both the boys had subdued manners in her presence. She was eating a cold French soup, using a silver spoon so small it might have come from the place setting for a doll. She wore gloves at breakfast.

她坐在专门为她准备的椅子上,但是她几乎从没坐过那里,她的座位在维克托和科林中间,两个男孩都因为她的出席而拘束了很多.她用一把银勺喝着一碗法国冷汤,那把勺很小,也许是从洋娃娃餐具上拿来的.在早餐的时候她也戴着手套.

We were not allowed to speak, except when spoken to, or to ask someone to pass us something. I was burning to ask the boys what had happened last night.

我们被禁止说话,除了要求别人递给我们什么东西的时候.我十分急切地想问问男孩们昨天晚上发生了什么.

From Quentin’s subdued posture, and Colin’s expression, which was a mix of sleepy annoyance and an I-told-you-so smirk, I assumed failure surrounded last night’s expedition. But whether they had made it to the Barrows, or been caught along the way, was not something I could ask them with our simple pass-the-whathaveyou code.

从昆廷那拘束的姿势和科林的表情来看,混合了一种没睡够和"我告诉过你"的傻笑,我推测昨天晚上的探险充满了失败.但是他们到了坟墓没?或是在途中被抓到了?这些问题我没有办法通过我们简单的"传递你有的东西"代码来问.

Also, the cream was not on the table, so I could not ask for the cream, which was our code to ask if we were facing a punishment. If all were well, you poured the cream for the person who asked; if not, you spilled a little bit.

还有,奶油不在桌子上,所以我不能要奶油,那是我们询问是否面临惩罚的代码.如果万事大吉,你就把奶油倒给问你的人,如果不是,你就抖一点点。

I was waiting for breakfast to end, thinking there would be a moment of confusion while we queued up for our first lessons, and I could exchange a whisper or two with Victor and discover what happened. But even that hope was frustrated. Before breakfast ended, there came commotion at the door, and the Headmaster appeared.

我在等着早餐结束,想着在我们排队去上第一节课的时候会有一会儿的混乱,那时候我就能和维克托悄悄说上一两句知道发生了什么.但是甚至那个希望也落空了.在早餐结束后,门口一阵骚乱,然后校长出现了.

2.
The Headmaster was dressed, as he nearly always was, in his full academic regalia. Above his suit of charcoal gray, he wore his flowing academic robes of black, trimmed with white ermine and dark blue velvet. Around his neck he wore a chain of office, from which depended a jeweled starburst. Down his back draped that silly scarf academicians wear, which they call a hood. His mortarboard was trimmed with ermine.

2.

校长和几乎往常一样,穿着一整套的学院盛装.不同于他那套碳灰色的衣服,他穿着黑色的学院长袍,还装饰着白色的貂皮和蓝黑色天鹅绒.他的脖子上戴着条教会的项链,项链上挂着星形的宝石.在他的背后垂着那个愚蠢的学院头巾,他们把它叫做兜帽.他的学位帽上装饰着白色貂皮.

I do not know how many schools in England still have their professors dress in robes. Headmaster Boggin, in addition to whatever duties he had as Headmaster (heading things, I suppose),taught Astronomy, Philosophy, and Theology. For Astronomy, we were allowed to dress as normal. For the other two classes, we had to don black robes of our own before lecture, no doubt to impress us with the gravity of the subject.

我不知道英格兰还有多有学校还有教授穿长袍.伯金校长除了有他作为校长的所有职责外(负责事情,我猜),还教天文学,哲学和神学.在天文学课上,我们都被允许平常的穿着.在其他两门课上,我们就不得不在讲课前穿上自己的黑色长袍,这无疑让我们对课程的重要性有了深刻的印象.

Headmaster Boggin was broad at the shoulder and thick through the chest, like a wrestler or a blacksmith might be. His face was dark and weathered and craggy. His overhanging brow gave him a frown of stern command; yet the lines around his eyes and hook nose showed grave good humor.

伯金校长肩很宽,胸也很厚,像一个摔交选手或者铁匠.他的皮肤黝黑,脸上布满了沧桑的皱纹.他突出的眉毛让他皱眉的时候呈现一副严厉的表情;但是他眼旁的皱纹和鹰勾鼻展现了十足的幽默感.

His hair was red and, unlike every other man I had ever seen, he wore it long, though tied with a black ribbon in a ponytail flowing down his back, like a pirate or a Chinese mandarin. He was clean-shaven, and the tiny reddish stubble from his imperfectly shaven jaw seemed to give a rough blush to his cheeks, as if he were in high spirits, or red-faced from some passionate exertion.

他的头发是红色的,并且不像我之前见过的任何人,他把头发留得很长,可是用一个黑色带子把它扎成马尾垂在脑后.他的胡子刮得很干净,但是在他不太完美的下巴上残留着很小的红色胡渣,看上去让他的双脸颊呈一种粗旷的红色,就像他处于高度兴奋中,或者是一些充满热情的红色脸.

His jaw was large and strong. The ghost of a little smile seemed always to be fading in and out of existence on his lips. With him were his secretary, a thin and gray hollow-cheeked man named Mr. Sprat, and his rough-looking sidekick, Daffyd ap Cymru, who dressed in brown leather. We had to call him by his last name; the grown-ups called him Taffy. He was supposed to be some sort of groundskeeper or gamekeeper or something for the estate. None of us could ever remember seeing him do a lick of work.

他的下巴很大.他的嘴角总是看上去呈现出若有若无的小小的微笑.和他在一起的是他的秘书,一个叫做斯普瑞特,瘦小阴沉,双颊凹陷的男人,还有他那看上去粗野的伴当,Daffyd ap Cymru,他穿着褐色的皮衣.我们只能叫他的姓;大人们叫他塔菲.他应该是类似这里的场地管理员或者猎场管理员或者其他什么.我们一个也不记得见过他作过一丁点的工作.

When the Headmaster stepped suddenly through the door, with his two flunkies in tow, Dr. Fell rose to his feet and offered him his chair.

当校长和他的两个仆人一起走进门时,费尔医生站了起来把他的椅子让了出来.

“No need to stand on ceremony, Ananias,” said the Headmaster solemnly, while Mr. Sprat scuttled around to hold out the chair at the foot of the table for the Headmaster, and Mr. ap Cymru sauntered after, looking over the gathering as if trying to assess who might or might not be armed. When the Headmaster gathered his robes and sat, by some sleight of hand it seemed, he was now at the head of the table, and Dr. Fell was at the foot. Ap Cymru and Sprat took positions to either side of the Headmaster’s chair, like supporters on a coat of arms.

"不用客气,亚拿尼亚,"当斯普瑞特先生急忙跑过去把校长在桌子底下的椅子拉出来的时候,校长严肃地说道,同时,ap Cymru先生检查着我们,好象试图估计谁可能拿了武器.当校长熟练地拢起长袍坐下,就成了他坐在桌子首席,而费尔医生在末席.Ap Cymru和斯普瑞特分别占了校长椅子两边的位置,像盾形纹章上的拥戴者一样.

“Please don’t allow me to disturb your normal routine,” the Headmaster intoned in a genial voice. His voice was a deep basso profundo, like a thunderhead talking. “I am sure whatever your normal breakfast table conversation might be, is suitable for me. Think of me as your guest.”

"请别因为我打乱了你们的照常安排,"校长用一种抑扬而亲切的声音说道.他的声音低沉,就像是在厚云块中说话."我肯定你们通常早餐上的任何交谈都适合我.把我当作你们的客人吧."

No order was ever disobeyed so blatantly. Dr. Fell stared at the Headmaster without expression, like a machine on standby, awaiting further input. Mrs. Wren’s good humor had evaporated. She looked like a wild-eyed rabbit, petrified, and nibbled her toast with tiny bites. Even the cool Miss Daw seemed subdued, although, with Miss Daw, such a thing was hard to tell.

我们从来没有这么明显地违反过命令.费尔医生面无表情地盯着校长,像一台就绪的机器一样,等待其他指示.瑞文女士良好的幽默消失了.她看上去像一只狂暴的兔子,机械地小口啃着面包.甚至酷酷的道恩小姐也看上去很压抑,尽管,道恩小姐的表情很难用语言描述.

A few minutes crawled by in frozen silence. The Headmaster asked for nothing more than a cup of coffee with cream: but it required three members of the Cook’s staff to come scurrying out of the kitchen to make sure all was in order. The Headmaster sipped the coffee and thanked the Cook, who backed out of the room, bowing and smiling.

在冰冷的沉默中熬过几分钟后.校长只要了一杯加奶油的咖啡:但是需要三个厨师急忙跑出去到厨房里确保命令被执行.校长吸允着咖啡并谢了正在退出房间,弯着腰微笑的厨师.

Well, I saw a chance. I cleared my throat and said, “Please pass the cream?” For the Cook’s man had brought a silver creamer in on its own plate, surrounded by chips of ice, for the Headmaster.

好的,我看到了机会.我清了清嗓子说到,"请把奶油递给我?",厨师拿来了盘子托着的银制奶油壶给校长, 奶油壶周围还有小冰块.

Victor said, “Permit me . . .” and stood to reach for it. The Headmaster, however, picked up the creamer and, using his right hand to hold back the drapes of his left sleeve, leaned across the table toward me. He seemed to loom like an approaching thunderhead in my vision. I thought the distance too far, since there were two empty seats between us, but he leaned farther than I could guess, or the distance was less than I thought.

维克托说,"请允许我..."然后站起来够它.可是校长仍然拿起了奶油壶,用右手拖住左手的袖子,倾身过桌子靠近我.在我的视野里他看上去就像一团迫近的雨云.我认为距离太远了,因为我们之间有两个空座位,但是他比我能猜想的倾斜得更远,或者是距离没我想象得那么多.

“Ah, no; please permit me,” he said in a voice like a genial earthquake. “But, Miss Windrose, you seem to be drinking only orange juice this morning. This seems odd. For what particular purpose did you require the cream, Miss Windrose?”

"啊,不,请允许我,"他说话的声音像一次温和的地震."但是,温德罗斯小姐,你这个早上似乎只喝橙汁.这看上去很奇怪.你要奶油有什么特殊目的吗,温德罗斯小姐?"

Every eye was now riveted on me. Time seemed to slow, get slower, and finally freeze, as everyone around the table—Mr. ap Cymru, Mr. Sprat, and the assistant Cook—all waited for me to say something.

现在每个人都在盯着我.时间感觉过得越来越慢,然后停止了,就像围着桌子的人一样--ap Cymru先生,斯普瑞特先生,还有厨师助手--都在等着我说些什么.

Across the table from me, a slow sneer of impatience was forming on Colin’s features. Evidently, he did not think it should be so terribly difficult to think of something clever to say. Impatience? Disgust, rather. He thought I was letting the group down.

在我桌子的对面,科林的脸上慢慢呈现出一个不耐烦的嘲笑.显然,他不认为想到一个机智的回答有那么困难.不耐烦?更正确的是应该是厌恶才对.他认为我拖累了团队.

Whatever it was that was so obvious, I couldn’t think of it. Headmaster said, “Why did you want the cream again, Miss Windrose? Surely I am not to pour it over your kippers?”

无论如何,很明显,我想不到说辞.校长说,"再问一次,为什么你要奶油,温特罗斯小姐?确定不要我倒在你的熏鱼上吗?"

I sat in miserable silence.

我在痛苦的安静中坐着.

The Headmaster merely smiled, and said, “Here, well, why don’t you keep it near till your memory returns, then?” He set it down so abruptly on the tablecloth that a little cream slopped out onto the linen.

校长只不过笑了笑,说道,"这样,好吧,你什么不把它放在手边,直到你想起来,恩?"他把奶油罐突然放在桌布上,一点奶油都溅到了亚麻桌布上.

“Oh dear,” he said, smiling, settling back into his chair like a mountain sinking into the sea. “It seems that did not go as planned. Well, fortunate for me that, as Headmaster, there is no one to punish me for my little slips, is there? Rank hath its privilege, as they say, what?” He looked around, as if expecting a polite laugh.

"噢,亲爱的,"他笑着说到,像一座沉入大海的山一样靠在他的椅子上."看上去不是故意的.好吧,对我来说是幸运的,作为校长,这里没有人会因为我小小的打翻了奶油而惩罚我,有吗?'阶级特权',就像他们说的那什么?"他环顾四周,像是期待别人附和地笑笑.

No one laughed.

但是没有人笑.

“Very good,” he said, not one whit disturbed by this reception. He sipped his coffee, one sip, put it down in his saucer,and straightened up a little in his chair as if he were about to make an announcement.

"很好,"他说,没有人有一丁点的反应.他喝了一口咖啡,又放到了茶碟上,在椅子上稍稍坐直了些,就好像他准备发表声明一样.

“Since we are all sharing breakfast together so comfortably,let me just say to all of you, staff and students alike, that this institution
has a deep interest—I am tempted to say a crucial interest—in the upcoming meeting of the Board of Visitors and Governors. Fundamental changes are in the offing. Fundamental changes. There should be no real cause for alarm. We can go about our daily business as we always have done—one big, happy family, dedicated to learning and improvement.

"既然我们都感到一起共进早餐这么舒适,就让我对你们说两句吧,所有的职工和学生,这个学校里的人都有很深的兴趣--我想说的是非常大的兴趣--关于将要举行的监视会和地方官员的会议.大变革将会发生.大变革.没有真正的原因值得惊慌.我们仍然像往常一样进行我们的日常工作--我们快乐的大家庭,献身于学习和进步.

“However, I would like to emphasize that we must put our best foot forward. Our institution here, is, I dare say, unique, and some of what goes on here may be subject to misinterpretation by certain less generous souls. But is there a way to lessen, may I say, mute, this threat?

"可是,我想要强调,我们必须全力以赴.我们这里的制度,是..我敢说,是唯一的,这里进行的有些事可能会遭到世俗灵魂的误解.但是有办法减轻,或这我可以说,消除,这种威胁吗?

“Well, ladies, gentlemen, children, we have all been on this Earth for some years now, and I trust that we all know how to act.We all have high spirits; some of us have very interesting hobbies.But let us all dedicate ourselves, yes, dedicate, in keeping those high spirits and those unusual habits in their proper orbit.

"女士们,先生们,孩子们,我们都来到这个世上有些年头了,我也相信我们所有人都知道怎么去表演.我们都有高尚的灵魂;我们中的有些人有非常有趣的爱好.但是都让我们自我奉献,是的,奉献,克制那些高尚的灵魂和不寻常的爱好在适当的范围内.

“I am speaking as much to the staff here as to the student body, for how our charges behave, is, ultimately, a reflection on the care with which we have carried out our duty.

"我是在对这里的所有教师说,也是对学生说,我们怎样控制行为,从根本上来说反映了我们我们对于履行的职责的关注程度.

“Oh, I realize what some of you must be thinking . . .”Mrs. Wren turned pale as a sheet of paper when he said this . . .

"噢, 我想你们中的一些人必须想想...."在他说这些话的时候,瑞文女士的脸变得和纸一样苍白.

“. . . and I know what is in your hearts. You think that the students have grown now to an age where we can be a little more relaxed in the discharge of our duties, that we can encourage the young birds to fly, so to speak.

"...我也知道你们心里在想什么.你们认为学生们现在都长大了,我们可以对于我们责任可以稍微放松一些,我们可以鼓励小鸟去飞翔,之类的.

“And you youngsters are no doubt thinking that you are as old and wise as can be, and have no more need of our guidance and instruction.
“Well, such thoughts must be held in check. This institution does not look favorably upon any act of insubordination or impertinence, no matter who the originator might be. Especially now, at this crucial time, when the situation here—in which we have all been so comfortable for so long—may be in danger of upset.

"还有你们年轻人无疑在想你们已经足够大和聪明了,不再需要我们的指导和教育.

"是的,这些想法必须被控制.

“Dedication is the key. As long as we are all, as a group, I dare say, as a family, dedicated to preserving a proper appearance before each other, before society, and before the rather important guests we are about to receive, then all will be well. I assume I can count upon all of you. Remember that whichever link in the chain proves to be weakest is the one that shall be broken first. Broken. This is the significant word here.”

He stood, told us to return to our breakfast, and sailed out, Mr. ap Cymru and Mr. Sprat trailing in his wake.

Victor and Quentin were staring with grave disquiet at the little puddle of cream the Headmaster had made upon the tablecloth. It did not seem as if all would be well after all.

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