海外頭條總編審 王 在 軍 （中國(guó)）
海外頭條副編審 Wendy溫迪（英國(guó)）
海 外 頭 條總 編 火 鳳 凰 （海外）
圖片選自百度
英文誦讀：龔如仲（美國(guó)）
中文播音：琬 喬（中國(guó)）
鼠疫
作者：阿爾貝?加繆（法國(guó)）
第21頁(yè)
他們進(jìn)了門，看到一根繩子系在吊燈上筆直地垂著，下面是一張翻到在地上的椅子，桌子已被推到了角落里，繩子孤零零地掛著。
格朗說(shuō)：“我及時(shí)把他解救了下來(lái)”。格朗在語(yǔ)言表達(dá)上有問題，哪怕是最簡(jiǎn)單的方式。他雖然用的是最普通的言語(yǔ)，但似乎老是在斟酌字句?！罢?dāng)我出去的時(shí)候，我聽到有響聲。我一見門上寫的字----怎么跟你說(shuō)呢？---我當(dāng)時(shí)以為有人在做惡作劇。但他發(fā)出一個(gè)奇怪的甚至可以說(shuō)是可怕的呻吟?！?/p>
他撓撓頭，接著說(shuō)?！罢瘴铱矗^程恐怕是痛苦的。當(dāng)然，我進(jìn)去了?！?/p>
他們推開了一扇門，站在門檻上，面前是一間明亮、但陳設(shè)簡(jiǎn)陋的房間。在一張銅床上躺著一個(gè)矮胖子。他吃力地呼吸著，一雙充血的眼睛注視著來(lái)人。醫(yī)生停步不前。在這個(gè)人呼吸的間歇間，他好像聽到了老鼠的吱吱叫聲，但是在屋角里毫無(wú)動(dòng)靜。里厄走向床邊，發(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)人不是從太高的地方掉下來(lái)的，跌得也不太突然，脊椎沒有斷。當(dāng)然，他有點(diǎn)兒窒息的痛苦。他需要用X光拍個(gè)片子。醫(yī)生給他注射了一針樟腦油，并告訴他過幾天他就沒事了。
那人帶著呼吸困難的聲音說(shuō)道：“謝謝您，醫(yī)生。”
里厄醫(yī)生問格朗是否已經(jīng)報(bào)告了警察分局，格朗顯得有點(diǎn)兒尷尬。
“沒有，”他說(shuō)道?！班牛瑳]有，我當(dāng)時(shí)想最要緊的是……”
里厄打斷了他的話：“既然是這樣，那么我去報(bào)告?！?/p>
就在此時(shí)，那人激動(dòng)起來(lái)，他一邊從床上挺起身子，一邊抗辯說(shuō)他已經(jīng)好了，沒有必要去報(bào)告。
里厄說(shuō)：“安靜些，這沒有什么了不起，這就是走個(gè)程序。請(qǐng)您相信我，我有必要去報(bào)告一下?！?/p>
那人痛苦地叫了一聲：“皒！”接著他把身子往后一仰，開始啜泣起來(lái)。格朗捏弄著他的胡子已經(jīng)好一會(huì)兒了，這時(shí)候他走過來(lái)對(duì)那人說(shuō)道：“科塔爾先生，您得想明白，別人會(huì)歸罪于醫(yī)生的。比如說(shuō)，您若企圖再干一次的話……”
科塔爾掛著眼淚說(shuō)自己不會(huì)再搞了，又說(shuō)這次不過是自己一時(shí)糊涂，他要求人家讓他安靜些就行了。
里厄醫(yī)生開了一張?zhí)幏?，并?duì)科塔爾說(shuō)道：“明白了，這個(gè)咱們就別談了，過兩三天我再來(lái)看您，但您別再干糊涂事了。”
里厄在樓梯口對(duì)格朗說(shuō)他不得不去報(bào)告，但是他講要求警察分局局長(zhǎng)過上兩三天后再來(lái)調(diào)查。
里厄又告訴格朗：“今晚要有人看著點(diǎn)兒這個(gè)人。他有親人嗎？”
“有沒有親人我不清楚，不過我會(huì)親自來(lái)照顧他的?！?/p>
格朗搖了搖頭，繼續(xù)說(shuō)：“告訴您，我連他本人也談不上認(rèn)識(shí)，不管怎么樣，互相幫助總是應(yīng)該的，是吧？”
里厄在過道里下意識(shí)地看了看陰暗的屋角，問格朗在他的這個(gè)地區(qū)老鼠是否已經(jīng)絕跡。但格朗這位公務(wù)員對(duì)此一無(wú)所知。他聽說(shuō)過有這么一回事，但他對(duì)本地區(qū)的傳聞沒有十分在意。他說(shuō)：“我腦子里有別的事情。”
在格朗說(shuō)話時(shí)里厄已經(jīng)同他握手告別，因?yàn)樗庇谙朐趯懶沤o他妻子之前去看望一下看門人。
The Plague
By Albert Camus
Page 21
They entered the room. A rope dangled from a hanging lamp above a chair lying on its side. The dining room table had been pushed into a corner. But the rope hung empty.
“I got him down just in time.” Grand seemed always to have trouble in finding his words, though he expressed himself in the simplest possible way. “I was going out and I heard a noise. When I saw that writing on the door, I thought it was a--a prank Only, then I heard a funny sort of groan; it made my blood run cold, as they say.” He scratched his head. “That must be a painful way of-of doing it, I should think. Naturally I went in.”
Grand had opened a door and they were standing on the threshold of a bright but scantily furnished bedroom. There was a brass bedstead against one of the walls, and a plump little man was lying there, breathing heavily. He gazed at them with bloodshot eyes. Rieux stopped short. In the intervals of the man's breathing he seemed to hear the littlesqueals of rats. But he couldn't see anything moving in the corners of the room. Then he went to the bedside. Evidently the man had not fallen from a sufficient height, or very suddenly, for the collar-bone had held. Naturally there was some asphyxia. An X-ray photograph would be needed. Meanwhile the doctor gave him a camphorinjection and assured him he would be all right in a few days.
“Thanks, doctor,” the man mumbled.
When Rieux asked Grand if he had notified the police, he hung his head.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I haven't. The first thing, I thought, was to-”
“Quite so,” Rieux cut in. “I'll see to it.”
But the invalid made a fretful gesture and sat up in bed. He felt much better, he explained; really it wasn't worth the trouble.
“Don't feel alarmed,” Rieux said. “It's little more than a formality. Anyhow, I have to report this to the police.”
“Oh!” The man slumped back on the bed and started sobbing weakly.
Grand, who had been twiddling his mustache while they were speaking, went up to the bed.
“Come, Monsieur Cottard,” he said. “Try to understand. People could say the doctor was to blame, if you took it into your head to have another shot at it.”
Cottard assured him tearfully that there wasn't the least risk of that; he'd had a sort of crazy fit, but it had passed and all he wanted now was to be left in peace. Rieux was writing a prescription.
“Very well,” he said. “We'll say no more about it for the present. I'll come and see you again in a day or two. But don't do anything silly.”
On the landing he told Grand that he was obliged to make a report, but would ask the police inspector to hold up the inquiry for a couple of days.
“But somebody should watch Cottard tonight,” he added. “Has he any relations?”
“Not that I know of. But I can very well stay with him. I can't say I really know him, but one's got to help a neighbor, hasn't one?”
As he walked down the stairs Rieux caught himself glancing into the darker corners, and he asked Grand if the rats had quite disappeared in his part of the town.
Grand had no idea. True, he'd heard some talk about rats, but he never paid much attention to gossip like that. “I’ve other things to think about,” he added.
Rieux, who was in a hurry to get away, was already shaking his hand. There was a letter to write to his wife and he wanted to see the concierge first.
【作者簡(jiǎn)介】龔如仲 (Ralph) , 中國(guó)對(duì)外經(jīng)濟(jì)貿(mào)易大學(xué)英語(yǔ)系畢業(yè)。曾任鐵道部援建坦贊鐵路工作組總部英語(yǔ)翻譯, 中國(guó)國(guó)際廣播電臺(tái)英語(yǔ)部播音員、記者, 外貿(mào)部中國(guó)輕工業(yè)品進(jìn)出口總公司駐美國(guó)公司總裁, 澳大利亞利富集團(tuán)駐美國(guó)公司總裁, 外貿(mào)部中國(guó)基地總公司駐美國(guó)公司總裁, 美國(guó)TA國(guó)際有限公司駐北京辦事處首席代表。
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中華詩(shī)詞學(xué)會(huì)會(huì)員、中國(guó)經(jīng)典文學(xué)網(wǎng)特約作家、臺(tái)灣采薇出版社資深顧問、奧地利英文網(wǎng)Sinopress特聘專欄作家、歐華新移民作家協(xié)會(huì)會(huì)員、加拿大高校文學(xué)社周同題作者、海外華英總顧問，北美翰苑社長(zhǎng)兼總編。
琬喬：朗誦愛好者，喜歡用聲音傳遞世間一切美好與熱愛！
