了不起的盖茨比（车祸事件后续）

导读：尼克试图打电话给盖茨比，但接线员告诉他，这是底特律电话专线，虽然原文未明说，但不难猜测可能是盖茨比为黛西准备的专线，为了防止因线路被占而错过黛西的电话。尼克在从城市回来的路上，故意坐在火车车厢的一侧，这是背离威尔逊汽修厂的一侧，因为此时尼克的内心再也无法心平浪静地面对车祸现场。

     随后尼克告诉我们，前一天在汽修厂究竟发生了什么，因为他不在那里，他很可能在重述米切里斯的审讯陈述。

米切里斯一直陪伴着威尔逊，直到天亮才离开，这期间他听威尔逊谈论那辆碾过Myrtle的黄色汽车。后来又谈到了那来历不明的狗皮带，对他来说，这是她婚外情的确凿证据，也使他确信是她的情人故意杀害了她。

     威尔逊说，当时Myrtle正试图跑出去和车里的那个男人说话，而米切里斯则认为她一直试图逃离威尔逊锁着她的房子。但威尔逊并没有正面回答米切里斯的疑问，只是一味地强调：上帝可以看到她所做的一切。旋即凝视广告牌上的T.J.埃克伯格医生的眼睛。

当天亮以后，米切里斯发现威尔逊似乎很平静，所以就回家睡觉了。当他再回到汽修厂时，威尔逊已经消无声息地走了。威尔逊一路走到西卵，询问那辆黄色汽车的情况。

   很明显，威尔逊的内心被默特尔的风流韵事打击了，然后又被她的死打击了。他把广告牌上的大眼睛看作是上帝的替身。当米夏埃利斯说："那只是一个广告牌"，这消除了他一直以来对大眼睛广告牌的幻想，他的目光便离开了那广告牌，似乎内心里最后一个屏障被冲破了，他再也没有道德上的约束了，于是便打开了疯狂复仇的序幕。小说中贯穿着T.J.埃克伯格医生眼睛的主题，在这里，这个主题达到了高潮。

   I called Gatsby’s house a few minutes later, but the line was busy. I tried four times; finally an exasperated central told me the wire was being kept open for long distance from Detroit. Taking out my time-table, I drew a small circle around the three-fifty train. Then I leaned back in my chair and tried to think. It was just noon.

Exasperate：恼怒的;烦恼的;愤怒的。

   几分钟后，我打电话到盖茨比家去，但线给占了，我连着打了四次，结果一个被我惹毛的接线员告诉我这条线路是专等底特律的长途电话。我拿出火车时刻表来，在三点五十分那班车上画了个小圈。然后我靠回椅子上，想沉思片刻。这时刚到中午。

　　When I passed the ashheaps on the train that morning I had crossed deliberately to the other side of the car. I suppose there’d be a curious crowd around there all day with little boys searching for dark spots in the dust, and some garrulous man telling over and over what had happened, until it became less and less real even to him and he could tell it no longer, and Myrtle Wilson’s tragic achievement was forgotten. Now I want to go back a little and tell what happened at the garage after we left there the night before.

Garrulous：（尤指在琐事上）饶舌的，喋喋不休的，絮絮叨叨的。

   那天早上乘火车路过灰烬谷时，我特意走到车厢的另一侧。我料想那里会整天围着好奇的人群，小男孩们在尘土中寻找黑色的血斑，还会有爱絮絮叨叨的人翻来覆去地讲出事经过，一直说到连他自己也觉得越来越不真实，于是再也不提了，茉特尔·威尔逊的悲惨境遇也就被人遗忘了。

现在我要回顾一下前一晚我们离开灰烬谷之后，在汽修厂发生的事情。

   They had difficulty in locating the sister, Catherine. She must have broken her rule against drinking that night, for when she arrived she was stupid with liquor and unable to understand that the ambulance had already gone to Flushing. When they convinced her of this, she immediately fainted, as if that was the intolerable part of the affair. Some one, kind or curious, took her in his car and drove her in the wake of her sister’s body.

法拉盛，美国纽约城第四大中心商务区，覆盖皇后区整个东北岸，延伸至临近的拿骚县，各色种族都在此聚居。

    他们好不容易才找到了她的妹妹凯瑟琳。她那天晚上一定是破了她自己不喝酒的规矩，因为她到达的时候已经醉得昏天暗地，无法理解救护车已经开到法拉盛去了，等他们使她明白了这一点，她马上就晕了过去，仿佛这是整个事件中最难以忍受的部分。有个男人出于好心或好奇，开车载着她去追她姐姐的遗体了。

   Until long after midnight a changing crowd lapped up against the front of the garage, while George Wilson rocked himself back and forth on the couch inside. For a while the door of the office was open, and every one who came into the garage glanced irresistibly through it. Finally someone said it was a shame, and closed the door. Michaelis and several other men were with him; first, four or five men, later two or three men. Still later Michaelis had to ask the last stranger to wait there fifteen minutes longer, while he went back to his own place and made a pot of coffee. After that, he stayed there alone with Wilson until dawn.

Lap:（跑道等的）一圈。

    午夜已过去许久，仍有川流不息的人围在车行门前，同时乔治·威尔逊坐在长沙发上，不停地前后摇晃。起先办公室的门是开着的，每一个进到汽修厂里的人都忍不住朝门内张望。后来有人说这太不像活了，才把门关上。米夏埃利斯和其他几个男人陪着威尔逊——一开始有四五个，后来成了两三个。再到后来，米夏埃利斯不得不要求待到最后的陌生人再等十五分钟，让他回自己店里去煮一壶咖啡。在那以后，他就独自待陪着威尔逊直到天亮。

　　About three o’clock the quality of Wilson’s incoherent muttering changed—he grew quieter and began to talk about the yellow car. He announced that he had a way of finding out whom the yellow car belonged to, and then he blurted out that a couple of months ago his wife had come from the city with her face bruised and her nose swollen.

    凌晨三点左右，威尔逊不再哼哼唧唧的胡言乱--他渐渐安静了下来，开始谈到那辆黄色的汽车。他说自己有一个办法，能查出那辆黄车的主人，接着他脱口而出：几个月前，他老婆从城里回来时鼻青脸肿的。　　

    But when he heard himself say this, he flinched and began to cry “Oh, my God!” again in his groaning voice. Michaelis made a clumsy attempt to distract him. 

flinched ：(突然)退缩;畏缩。

    等他反应过来自己说了这句话，竟畏缩了一下，又开始哭哭啼啼地大喊：“噢，我的上帝！” 米夏埃利斯用笨拙的方式分散他的注意力。　　

    “How long have you been married, George? Come on there, try and sit still a minute and answer my question. How long have you been married?”

     "你结婚多久了，乔治？得啦，安安静静坐一会儿，回答我的问题。你结婚多久了？"

     “Twelve years.     

      "十二年。"

　　“Ever had any children? Come on, George, sit still—I asked you a question. Did you ever have any children?”

     "生过孩子没有？得啦，乔治，坐着别动--我问了你一个问题。你有孩子吗？"

     The hard brown beetles kept thudding against the dull light, and whenever Michaelis heard a car go tearing along the road outside it sounded to him like the car that hadn’t stopped a few hours before. He didn’t like to go into the garage, because the work bench was stained where the body had been lying, so he moved uncomfortably around the office—he knew every object in it before morning—and from time to time sat down beside Wilson trying to keep him more quiet.

    几只硬壳的棕色甲虫砰砰作响地往昏暗的电灯上乱撞。每次米夏埃利斯听见一辆汽车在外面公路上呼啸而过，他总觉得听上去像几个小时前肇事逃逸的车。他不愿意走进汽车间去，因为那张停放过尸体的工作台残留着血迹。他只好在办公室很不自在地走来走去--还没到天亮，他就已经熟悉了里面的每样东西--还要时不时地坐到威尔逊身边，试着让他再安静一点。

　　“Have you got a church you go to sometimes, George? Maybe even if you haven’t been there for a long time? Maybe I could call up the church and get a priest to come over and he could talk to you, see?”     "有没有一个你常去的教堂，乔治？也许你已经好久没去那里？要不我给那家教堂打个电话，请一位神父过来跟你聊聊，好吗？"

　　“Don’t belong to any.”

     "我不附属于任何教堂。"

　　“You ought to have a church, George, for times like this. You must have gone to church once. Didn’t you get married in a church? Listen, George, listen to me. Didn’t you get married in a church?”

     "你应当找家教堂，乔治，碰到这种时候就有用了。你从前一定做过礼拜的。难道你不是在教堂里结婚的吗？听着，乔治，你听我说，难道你不是在教堂里结婚的吗？"

　　“That was a long time ago.”

     "那是很久以前了。"

　　 The effort of answering broke the rhythm of his rocking—for a moment he was silent. Then the same half-knowing, half-bewildered look came back into his faded eyes.

回答问题的挣扎打断了他来回摇晃的节奏--他安静了一会，然后那种半是清醒半是恍惚的神色，又浮现在他黯淡的眼睛里。　　

   “Look in the drawer there,” he said, pointing at the desk.

     "打开那个抽屉看看。"他指着书桌说。

　　“Which drawer?”

     "哪一个抽屉？"

　　“That drawer—that one.”

     "那个抽屉--那一个。"

   Michaelis opened the drawer nearest his hand. There was nothing in it but a small, expensive dog-leash, made of leather and braided silver. It was apparently new.

Braided： (衣服)用穗带装饰的，编织，把（头发）编成辫子;调，搅。

   米夏埃利斯打开离他手边最近的那个抽屉。里面什么都没有，除了一条小小的贵重的狗皮带——皮质的，镶缀着白银，看上去还很新。

　　“This?” he inquired, holding it up.

     "这个？"他举起狗皮带问道。

　　 Wilson stared and nodded.

     威尔逊瞪着眼，点点头。

　　“I found it yesterday afternoon. She tried to tell me about it, but I knew it was something funny.”

     "我昨天下午发现的。她试图向我解释它的来由，但我知道这东西有名堂。"　　

    “You mean your wife bought it?”

     "你是说这是你太太买的吗？"

  “She had it wrapped in tissue paper on her bureau.”

   Bureau： (附抽屉及活动写字台的)书桌。

     "她用薄纸包着放在她的梳妆台上。"

    Michaelis didn’t see anything odd in that, and he gave Wilson a dozen reasons why his wife might have bought the dog-leash. But conceivably Wilson had heard some of these same explanations before, from Myrtle, because he began saying “Oh, my God!” again in a whisper—his comforter left several explanations in the air. Conceivably：可想到的;可想象的;可以相信的。

    米夏埃利斯看不出这有什么古怪，于是他对威尔逊说出十来个理由来解释他老婆为何会买这条狗皮带，但是不难想象，有一些理由，威尔逊已经从茉特尔那里听过，因为他又轻轻地哼起："我的上帝啊！"米夏埃利斯又想出了一些理由来安抚他，也毫无作用。

　　“Then he killed her,” said Wilson. His mouth dropped open suddenly.

    "所以他杀害了她。"威尔逊说，他的嘴巴突然张得大大的。

　　“Who did?”

     "谁杀害了她？"

　　“I have a way of finding out.”

     "我有办法打听出来。"

　　“You’re morbid, George,” said his friend. “This has been a strain to you and you don’t know what you’re saying. You’d better try and sit quiet till morning.” Morbid： 病态的;不正常的;病的;与疾病有关的。 

     "你太神经兮兮了，乔治，"他的朋友说，"你受了很大的刺激，连自己说什么都不知道了。你还是安静坐着等天亮吧。"

　　“He murdered her.”

     "他谋杀了她。"

　　“It was an accident, George.”

     "那是意外，乔治。"

   Wilson shook his head. His eyes narrowed and his mouth widened slightly with the ghost of a superior “Hm!”

 ghost： 隐约的一点点；（某物残留的）一丝，一点。

    威尔逊摇了摇头。他眯起眼睛，微微张嘴，不以为然地轻"哼"了一声。

　　“I know,” he said definitely, “I’m one of these trusting fellas and I don’t think any harm to nobody, but when I get to know a thing I know it. It was the man in that car. She ran out to speak to him and he wouldn’t stop.”    

    "我知道，"他笃定地说，"我是个容易信任别人的人，也从来不存害人的心，可有些事一旦我弄明白了，我心里就有数了。。是那辆车里的男人。她跑过去想跟他说话，但是他不肯停下来。"

　　Michaelis had seen this too, but it hadn’t occurred to him that there was any special significance in it. He believed that Mrs. Wilson had been running away from her husband, rather than trying to stop any particular car.

   米夏埃利斯也目睹了那一幕，但他还是没想通这其中有什么特殊隐情。他以为威尔逊太太是想逃离她的丈夫，而不是试图拦下某辆车。

　　“How could she of been like that?”

     "她怎么会做这种事？"

　　“She’s a deep one,” said Wilson, as if that answered the question. “Ah-h-h——” 

     "她心机很深，”威尔逊说，仿佛这就回答了问题。"啊--哟--哟--"

　　 He began to rock again, and Michaelis stood twisting the leash in his hand.

    他又摇晃起来，站在旁边的米夏埃利斯扭着手里的狗皮带。

　　“Maybe you got some friend that I could telephone for, George?”

    “乔治，你有没有什么朋友？我帮你打电话联系一下？”

   This was a forlorn hope--he was almost sure that Wilson had no friend: there was not enough of him for his wife. He was glad a little later when he noticed a change in the room, a blue quickening by the window, and realized that dawn wasn't far off. About five o'clock it was blue enough outside to snap off the light.

forlorn ：孤苦伶仃的;孤独凄凉的;凄凉的;荒芜的;不大可能成功的;难以实现的。

   这是一个难以实现的希望--他几乎可以肯定威尔逊一个朋友也没有，他连老婆都留不住。又过了一会，米夏埃利斯高兴起来，因为他发现屋里有了变化：窗外天色渐渐发蓝，他意识到天快亮了。五点左右，外面的蓝天已经足够亮，可以把灯关掉了。　　

    Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small gray clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind.

Scurried： (尤指受惊吓时)急奔，乱窜。

    威尔逊呆滞的双眼望向外面的灰堆，那上面小朵的灰云呈现出离奇古怪的形状，在微弱的晨风中四处乱飘。

　　“I spoke to her,” he muttered, after a long silence. “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window.”—with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it——” and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’”

     "我跟她谈了，"他沉默了许久，才喃喃地说，"我告诉她，她也许可以愚弄我，但她决骗不了上帝。我把她拉到窗边，"他费劲地站了起来，走到后窗户边，把脸紧贴在玻璃上，"然后我说：'上帝清楚你的所作所为，你所做的一切事。你可以愚弄我，但你骗不了上帝！"

　　Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night.

    米夏埃利斯站在他背后，吃惊地看到他正盯着T·J·埃克尔堡大夫的眼睛，那双眼睛刚刚从逐渐逝去的夜色中显露出来，暗淡而巨大。

　　“God sees everything,” repeated Wilson.

    "上帝俯视着一切。"威尔逊又说了一遍。

　　“That’s an advertisement,” Michaelis assured him. Something made him turn away from the window and look back into the room. But Wilson stood there a long time, his face close to the window pane, nodding into the twilight.

     "那只是一个广告牌。"米夏埃利斯果断地说。不知是什么使他把目光从窗外收回来，看向了屋里。而威尔逊在那里站了很久，向着曙光不住地点头。　　By six o’clock Michaelis was worn out, and grateful for the sound of a car stopping outside. It was one of the watchers of the night before who had promised to come back, so he cooked breakfast for three, which he and the other man ate together. Wilson was quieter now, and Michaelis went home to sleep; when he awoke four hours later and hurried back to the garage, Wilson was gone.

    等到六点钟，米夏埃利斯已经筋疲力尽，因此听到有一辆车子在外面停下的声音时满心感激。来者是昨天晚上帮忙守夜的一个人，他答应会再过来，于是他做了三个人的早饭，他和那个人一同吃了。此时，威尔逊倒是安静了些，米夏埃利斯便回家去睡觉；四个小时后，他醒过来，匆匆赶回汽修厂，威尔逊却不见了。