CHAPTER I

THERE IS NO ONE LEFT

第一章 唯一的幸存者

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable—looking child ever seen. It was true，too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body，thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow，and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. Her father had held a position under the English Government and had always been busy and ill himself，and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people. She had not wanted a little girl at all，and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah，who was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible. So when she was a sickly，fretful，ugly little baby she was kept out of the way，and when she became a sickly，fretful，toddling thing she was kept out of the way also. She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark faces of her Ayah and the other native servants，and as they always obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything，because the Mem Sahib would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying，by the time she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived. The young English governess who came to teach her to read and write disliked her so much that she gave up her place in three months，and when other governesses came to try to fill it they always went away in a shorter time than the first one. So if Mary had not chosen to really want to know how to read books she would never have learned her letters at all.

玛丽·伦诺克斯被送到米瑟斯韦特庄园和她姑父一起生活。那里的每个人都说，从没见过如此别扭的小孩儿。不过，也确实如此。她小脸消瘦、身板单薄、头发稀疏，总是一脸不高兴的样子。她头发是黄色的，再加上出生在印度，且常常不是得这病就是生那病，脸色也是蜡黄的。她的爸爸曾在英国政府部门任职。他总是很忙碌，且自己身体也不大好；她妈妈以前可是个大美女，满脑子只想着参加各种宴会，于觥筹交错之间寻欢作乐。她本来一点儿也不打算要这个女孩儿。所以玛丽一出生，便把她交给印度奶妈照看。奶妈明白，要想讨女主人欢心，便得把这孩子带得越远越好。因此，当她还是个孱弱、暴躁、难看的小婴儿时，便被带离妈妈的视线；当她依旧体弱多病、暴躁易怒、开始蹒跚学步时，依旧生活在不妨碍大人的地方。印度奶妈和当地仆人的黑脸是她印象中唯一熟悉的事物。他们总是顺着她，对她有求必应。因为如果她的哭声吵到女主人的话，女主人会发火的。因此，她长到六岁的时候，已经变成了全世界最专横、最自私的孩子。曾有一个年轻的英国家庭女教师来教她读写。那老师很讨厌她，不到三个月就辞职不干了。后来有其他老师来应聘，但往往坚持得比第一个更短。因此，若不是玛丽自己着实喜爱读书，她恐怕到现在还一字不识呢。

One frightfully hot morning，when she was about nine years old，she awakened feeling very cross，and she became crosser still when she saw that the servant who stood by her bedside was not her Ayah.

大约在她九岁那年。一天早晨，天气奇热无比，她醒来便觉得有些烦躁。而当她看到站在自己床边的仆人不是印度奶妈时，心里就更加窝火了。

"Why did you come？" she said to the strange woman. "I will not let you stay. Send my Ayah to me. "

“怎么是你？” 她冲着这个陌生女人大嚷， “我这里不要你。去把奶妈叫来。”

The woman looked frightened，but she only stammered that the Ayah could not come and when Mary threw herself into a passion and beat and kicked her，she looked only more frightened and repeated that it was not possible for the Ayah to come to Missie Sahib.

这个女人看起来吓坏了，她只会结结巴巴地说奶妈不能过来。玛丽火气更大了，对她又踢又打。她看起来更加惊恐了，嘴里不断重复着说奶妈不能过来小姐这里。

There was something mysterious in the air that morning. Nothing was done in its regular order and several of the native servants seemed missing，while those whom Mary saw slunk or hurried about with ashy and scared faces. But no one would tell her anything and her Ayah did not come. She was actually left alone as the morning went on，and at last she wandered out into the garden and began to play by herself under a tree near the veranda. She pretended that she was making a flower—bed，and she stuck big scarlet hibiscus blossoms into little heaps of earth，all the time growing more and more angry and muttering to herself the things she would say and the names she would call Saidie when she returned.

那天早上气氛有些诡异。一切都有些异常。有几个土著仆人好像不见了，而那些玛丽看见的仆人们，也一个个面如死灰，神色惊恐地匆匆跑掉。没有人告诉她任何事情，她的奶妈也没有出现。那天早晨，后来就剩她独自一人了，最后她索性漫步到花园里，在游廊旁边的一棵树下自己玩了起来。她把一朵朵深红的木槿花插进小土堆，假装在修建花坛。她越堆越生气，嘴里不停地嘟囔着。她想，等印度奶妈回来后就用这些话骂她。

"Pig! Pig! Daughter of Pigs! " she said，because to call a native a pig is the worst insult of all.

“猪！大笨猪！猪养的！” 她骂着。对印度土著来说，这是最大的侮辱了。

She was grinding her teeth and saying this over and over again when she heard her mother come out on the veranda with some one. She was with a fair young man and they stood talking together in low strange voices. Mary knew the fair young man who looked like a boy. She had heard that he was a very young officer who had just come from England. The child stared at him，but she stared most at her mother. She always did this when she had a chance to see her，because the Mem Sahib—Mary used to call her that oftener than anything else—was such a tall，slim，pretty person and wore such lovely clothes. Her hair was like curly silk and she had a delicate little nose which seemed to be disdaining things，and she had large laughing eyes. All her clothes were thin and floating，and Mary said they were "full of lace. " They looked fuller of lace than ever this morning，but her eyes were not laughing at all. They were large and scared and lifted imploringly to the fair boy officer's face.

她咬牙切齿地不停诅咒，忽然听到游廊那头妈妈和一个人走了出来。妈妈和一个长相俊俏的小伙子站在一起，他们用很低很奇怪的声音在说着什么。玛丽认识这个小伙子，他看起来像个小男孩儿。她听说他是个刚从英国来的年轻军官。玛丽瞪着他，同时更专注地盯着自己的母亲。她每次有机会见到自己的母亲都这么盯着她看。因为女主人——玛丽对自己妈妈最常用的称呼——总是美丽、苗条、高挑，衣着亮丽。她有着卷曲如丝缎般的头发、小巧精致的鼻子，仿佛看不起任何事情，还有一双大大的笑眼。她所有的衣服都轻薄飘逸，用玛丽的话说就是 “满是蕾丝” 。那天早上衣服上的蕾丝比以往更加丰满，只不过她的眼睛不再有笑意。她的大眼睛中充满恐慌，恳切的目光投在年轻军官漂亮的脸上。

"Is it so very bad？Oh，is it？" Mary heard her say.

“情况有这么糟吗？这是真的吗？” 玛丽听到她说。

"Awfully，" the young man answered in a trembling voice. "Awfully，Mrs. Lennox. You ought to have gone to the hills two weeks ago. "

“糟透了，” 年轻军官用颤抖的声音回答， “糟透了，伦诺克斯太太。你两周前就应该搬到山上去。”

The Mem Sahib wrung her hands.

女主人紧紧绞着双手。

"Oh，I know I ought! " she cried. "I only stayed to go to that silly dinner party. What a fool I was! "

“哦，我是应该这样！” 她叫喊着， “我留下来就是要参加那个该死的晚宴。我真是傻透了！”

At that very moment such a loud sound of wailing broke out from the servants' quarters that she clutched the young man's arm，and Mary stood shivering from head to foot. The wailing grew wilder and wilder. "What is it？What is it？" Mrs. Lennox gasped.

就在这时，一阵响亮的嚎哭声从仆人宿舍传来。女主人一把抓住了年轻军官的手臂，而玛丽站在那里浑身发抖。嚎哭声越来越肆意。 “那是什么声音？什么声音？” 伦诺克斯太太倒抽了一口气。

"Some one has died，" answered the boy officer. "You did not say it had broken out among your servants. "

“有人死了。” 年轻军官回答道， “你没有告诉我已经在仆人中爆发了。”

"I did not know! " the Mem Sahib cried. "Come with me! Come with me! " and she turned and ran into the house.

“我不知道！” 女主人哭喊道， “跟我来！跟我来！” 她转身跑进了屋子。

After that，appalling things happened，and the mysteriousness of the morning was explained to Mary. The cholera had broken out in its most fatal form and people were dying like flies. The Ayah had been taken ill in the night，and it was because she had just died that the servants had wailed in the huts. Before the next day three other servants were dead and others had run away in terror. There was panic on every side，and dying people in all the bungalows.

之后，可怕的事情发生了。玛丽终于明白了这个早晨异样的原因。一种最致命的霍乱爆发了，人们如蚊蝇一般死去。印度奶妈昨晚发病刚刚就死掉了。所以茅草屋中才传来那样的嚎哭声。不到一天，又死了三个仆人。剩下的人则惊慌失措地逃跑了。每个角落都充满恐惧，小平房里都是垂死之人。

During the confusion and bewilderment of the second day Mary hid herself in the nursery and was forgotten by everyone. Nobody thought of her，nobody wanted her，and strange things happened of which she knew nothing. Mary alternately cried and slept through the hours. She only knew that people were ill and that she heard mysterious and frightening sounds. Once she crept into the dining—room and found it empty，though a partly finished meal was on the table and chairs and plates looked as if they had been hastily pushed back when the diners rose suddenly for some reason. The child ate some fruit and biscuits，and being thirsty she drank a glass of wine which stood nearly filled. It was sweet，and she did not know how strong it was. Very soon it made her intensely drowsy，and she went back to her nursery and shut herself in again，frightened by cries she heard in the huts and by the hurrying sound of feet. The wine made her so sleepy that she could scarcely keep her eyes open and she lay down on her bed and knew nothing more for a long time.

到处一片混乱狼籍。第二天，玛丽躲进了自己的幼儿室，被人们遗忘了。没人想起她，没人找她，怪事发生了，她还浑然不觉。玛丽时哭时睡。她只知道有人生病了，还能听到神秘的，吓人的声音。她爬进餐厅，里面空无一人。桌子上的饭还没吃完，椅子和盘子被匆忙推开，仿佛正在用餐的人由于什么原因而突然起身离开了。玛丽吃了些水果和饼干，觉得口渴，便喝了杯中的酒。那杯子几乎是斟满的。酒甜甜的，她没意识到酒劲有多大。没多一会儿她便觉得困乏不堪。于是她回到幼儿室，又把自己关在里面。棚屋里传出的哭嚎声和急匆匆的脚步声令她感到害怕。酒劲很大，她困意涌来，甚至睁不开眼睛。她躺到床上，不一会儿便人事不知了。

Many things happened during the hours in which she slept so heavily，but she was not disturbed by the wails and the sound of things being carried in and out of the bungalow.

外面发生了很多事情。但无论是痛哭声，还是东西被抬进抬出的动静，都丝毫无法惊动沉睡中的玛丽。

When she awakened she lay and stared at the wall. The house was perfectly still. She had never known it to be so silent before. She heard neither voices nor footsteps，and wondered if everybody had got well of the cholera and all the trouble was over. She wondered also who would take care of her now her Ayah was dead. There would be a new Ayah，and perhaps she would know some new stories. Mary had been rather tired of the old ones. She did not cry because her nurse had died. She was not an affectionate child and had never cared much for any one. The noise and hurrying about and wailing over the cholera had frightened her，and she had been angry because no one seemed to remember that she was alive. Everyone was too panic—stricken to think of a little girl no one was fond of. When people had the cholera it seemed that they remembered nothing but themselves. But if everyone had got well again，surely some one would remember and come to look for her.

她醒来后便躺在床上，盯着墙出神。屋子里一片沉寂。她以前从未听到这房间如此安静过。听不到说话声，也没有脚步声。她想，人们是不是已经从霍乱中恢复，一切烦扰都已经过去了吧。她甚至开始考虑，她的印度奶妈死了，那以后谁来照料她呢。也许会有一个新奶妈吧，也会说些新的故事。她对那些旧故事已经着实厌倦了。她才不会因为自己的保姆死掉而哭泣。她从来就不是一个感情丰富的孩子，也从未真正关心过谁。她被霍乱带来的嘈杂、忙乱和嚎哭声吓坏了。她非常生气，因为好像大家都忘记了她还活着。恐慌之下的人们，自然无暇顾及一个不招待见的小女孩儿。霍乱来临之时，人们自然就只顾得上自己了。不过，如果一切都好起来了，自然会有人想起她，来找她的。

But no one came，and as she lay waiting the house seemed to grow more and more silent. She heard something rustling on the matting and when she looked down she saw a little snake gliding along and watching her with eyes like jewels. She was not frightened，because he was a harmless little thing who would not hurt her and he seemed in a hurry to get out of the room. He slipped under the door as she watched him.

但是没有人来。她躺在那里等，屋子好像越来越安静了。她听到地毯上悉率作响的声音，低头一看，是条小蛇爬过，它正用宝石般的眼睛看着自己。她并没有被吓到，因为那是一个无害的小东西，而且它好像也正急于离开这里。玛丽看着它从门缝下溜走。

"How queer and quiet it is，" she said. "It sounds as if there were no one in the bungalow but me and the snake. "

“这里多么古怪，多么安静啊。” 她说道， “好像屋子里只有我和这条小蛇。”

Almost the next minute she heard footsteps in the compound，and then on the veranda. They were men's footsteps，and the men entered the bungalow and talked in low voices. No one went to meet or speak to them and they seemed to open doors and look into rooms. "What desolation! " she heard one voice say. "That pretty，pretty woman! I suppose the child，too. I heard there was a child，though no one ever saw her. "

话音刚落，她便听到院子里响起了脚步声，接着到了游廊。这是男人们的脚步声。他们进了小屋，压低声音讲话。没有人起身迎接，也没人跟他们讲话。他们好像打开了一个个房间的门，朝里张望。 “真是一片废墟！” 她听到有个人说道， “那么个美人！我猜那个孩子也……我听说还有个女孩儿的，虽然没人见过。”

Mary was standing in the middle of the nursery when they opened the door a few minutes later. She looked an ugly，cross little thing and was frowning because she was beginning to be hungry and feel disgracefully neglected. The first man who came in was a large officer she had once seen talking to her father. He looked tired and troubled，but when he saw her he was so startled that he almost jumped back.

几分钟后，他们打开了幼儿室的门。玛丽就站在屋子中央。她看起来就是个丑丑的小东西。被忽视的屈辱感和咕咕作响的肚子更让她看起来火气很大，眉头都抽在了一起。第一个走进来的男人是一个高级军官，玛丽曾经看到他和爸爸谈话。他看上去疲惫不堪，看到玛丽时，惊讶得几乎后跳。

"Barney! " he cried out. "There is a child here! A child alone! In a place like this! Mercy on us，who is she! "

“巴尼！” 他惊叫起来， “这儿有一个小孩儿。就她自己！在这破地方！上帝保佑，你是谁？”

"I am Mary Lennox，" the little girl said，drawing herself up stiffly. She thought the man was very rude to call her father's bungalow "A place like this! " "I fell asleep when everyone had the cholera and I have only just wakened up. Why does nobody come？"

“我是玛丽·伦诺克斯。” 玛丽硬邦邦地站直身子。她觉得这个人很粗鲁，竟然把爸爸的小屋说成是 “这破地方” 。 “大家感染霍乱的时候我睡着了，才刚刚醒来。怎么没有人来呢？”

"It is the child no one ever saw! " exclaimed the man，turning to his companions. "She has actually been forgotten! "

这个男人对伙伴们惊呼道： “这就是那个没人见到过的孩子。她竟然被遗忘了。”

"Why was I forgotten？" Mary said，stamping her foot. "Why does nobody come？"

“为什么把我忘记了？” 玛丽跺着脚问， “为什么没有人来？”

The young man whose name was Barney looked at her very sadly. Mary even thought she saw him wink his eyes as if to wink tears away.

那个叫巴尼的年轻人用悲伤的眼神望着她。玛丽甚至觉得自己看到他为了忍住眼泪而拼命眨眼睛。

"Poor little kid! " he said. "There is nobody left to come. "

“可怜的小家伙！” 他说， “没人会来了，都死了。”

It was in that strange and sudden way that Mary found out that she had neither father nor mother left；that they had died and been carried away in the night，and that the few native servants who had not died also had left the house as quickly as they could get out of it，none of them even remembering that there was a Missie Sahib. That was why the place was so quiet. It was true that there was no one in the bungalow but herself and the little rustling snake.

玛丽就是在这样一种莫名其妙和措手不及的状况下得知自己已经失去了父母；他们已经死去，在夜里被抬走了，而那些为数不多的几个幸存的印度仆人，也都用最快的速度逃离了这所房子，还有谁会想起还有个玛丽小姐呢。难怪这里如此安静。因为这所房子就真的只有她自己和那条悉率作响的小蛇了。