Jake glared back, opened his mouth to speak, shut it again, finally drew a long breath, and said ” ‘Beware the fury of a patient man.’ Dryden. Hell, I don’t even know what the charge is. This son of a bitch didn’t tell me.”
“好了，好了，好了。” 马龙安慰道。他不确定德莱顿是谁，但他对治安法官的一切都了如指掌。
“Now, now, now,” Malone said, placatingly. He wasn’t sure who Dryden was, but he knew all there was to know about justices of the peace.
“这家伙把我打倒了，菲尔。” 胖副警长说。
“The guy knocked me down, Phil,” the fat deputy said.
“他踢了我。” 杰克宣称。“并且你想想有一分钟 ——”
“He kicked me,” Jake declared. “And if you think for one minute -”
“保持冷静。” 菲尔?史密斯和蔼地对杰克说。他责备地看着胖副警长，说道：“我没问你任何事。” 然后他低头看了看桌上的一张纸。“我不想费事去取证。一个诚实的人会求助于理解，或者谦逊地相信自己良心的内在证据。尤尼乌斯说的。” 他清了清嗓子。“根据这些指控，贾斯特先生，在试图从法院的西门出去时，被副警长哈里?富特拦住，因此骂了他一句难听的话。”
小主，
“Keep your temper,” Phil Smith said amiably to Jake. He looked reproachfully at the fat deputy and said, “I didn’t ask you anything.” Then he looked down at a paper on his desk. “I don’t want to bother with taking evidence. An honest man appeals to the understanding, or modestly confides in the internal evidence of his conscience. Junius.” He cleared his throat. “According to these charges, Mr. Justus, attempting to exit through the west door of the courthouse, was intercepted by Deputy Sheriff Harry Foote, and thereby called him an objectionable name.”
“我也告诉你那是什么。” 副警长哈里?富特宣布道。“他说 ——”
“And I’ll tell you what it was, too,” Deputy Harry Foote announced. “He said -”
菲尔?史密斯严肃地看了他一眼，让他闭嘴。“在这一点上，副警长为了履行职责，打了贾斯特先生的身体 ——”
Phil Smith silenced him with a grave look. “At this point the deputy, in the defense of his duty, struck Mr. Justus about his person -”
“打在肚子上。” 杰克纠正道。
“In the belly,” Jake corrected.
“—— 于是贾斯特先生全力击打副警长的下巴，造成了严重伤害 ——” 他停顿了一下，抬头看着副警长，说道，“你看起来没那么糟，哈里。” 还没等有人回答，他又低头看起了文件。“指控是扰乱治安以及在警察执行公务时进行反抗。”
“-whereupon Mr. Justus struck the deputy full on the point of the jaw, causing great damage -” He paused, looked up at the deputy sheriff, and said, “You don’t look so bad, Harry.” Before anyone could answer he’d looked back at the paper. “The charge is disturbing the peace and resisting an officer in the attempt to do his duty.”
“尽你的职责，其余的交给上天。” 海伦轻声说道。
“Do your duty and leave the rest to heaven,” Helene murmured.
菲尔?史密斯微笑着看着她。“高乃依说的。” 他赞许地说道。
Phil Smith smiled at her. “Corneille,” he said approvingly.
马龙打断了这场友好的交流。他大步走到菲尔?史密斯的办公桌前。“我的当事人认罪。” 他说。“罚款是多少？”
Malone interrupted the love feast. He strode up to Phil Smith’s desk. “My client pleads guilty,” he said. “How much is the fine?”
这位英俊的白发治安法官考虑了一分钟。“两美元以及诉讼费。” 他决定道。“总共是三美元五十美分。”
The handsome, white-haired justice of the peace thought it over for a minute. “Two dollars and costs,” he decided. “That es to three dollars and a half.”
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“很划算。” 杰克说着，伸手去拿钱包。“我能再花三美元五十美分打他一次吗？”
“A bargain,” Jake said, reaching for his wallet. “Can I hit him again for three dollars and a half?”
菲尔?史密斯接过四张一美元的钞票。“不轻易发怒的人胜过勇士。” 他轻声说道。他递回两个二十五美分的硬币作为找零。“犯罪之人的道路是艰难的。《箴言》第十六章和第十三章。下次罚款就是二十五美元以及诉讼费。” 他站起来，公平地对他们所有人微笑着，说道，“希望你们在威斯康星州的杰克逊过得愉快。” 然后走出了门。
Phil Smith took the four one-dollar bills. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty,” he said softly. He handed back two quarters in change. “And the way of the transgressor is hard. Proverbs Sixteen, and Proverbs Thirteen. The next time, the fine will be twenty-five dollars and costs.” He rose, beamed impartially at all of them, said, “I hope you have a pleasant stay in Jackson, Wisconsin,” and went out the door.
马龙擦了擦额头。“我向上帝祈祷针对你的其他指控都不严重。如果我要在这里为你打一场谋杀官司，我就得好好温习一下《巴特利特常用引语集》。” 他停顿了一下，看到杰克和海伦正在交换他们对这个案子的看法，然后转向受伤的副警长。“我确定没有造成什么严重的伤害。” 他和蔼地说。他伸手去拿钱包。“我请你喝几杯。”
Malone mopped his brow. “I hope to heaven the rest of the charges against you are nothing serious. If I had to see you through a murder trial up here, I’d have to bone up on Bartlett’s Quotations.” He paused, saw that Jake and Helene were exchanging their own ments on the case, and turned to the injured deputy. “I’m sure there wasn’t any serious damage,” he said amiably. He reached for his wallet. “Have a couple of drinks on me.”
片刻之后，杰克和海伦在他身边，他在法院的台阶上停了下来，嗅了嗅户外的空气。“我只知道一句引语。” 他说。“金钱是万恶之源。我甚至不在乎它出自哪里，但是副警长和城市警察没什么两样，你欠我十美元。” 他擦了擦额头。
A moment later, Jake and Helene beside him, he paused on the courthouse steps and sniffed the outdoor air. “I only know one quotation,” he said. “Money is the root of all evil. I don’t even care where it’s from, but deputy sheriffs are no different from city cops, and you owe me ten dollars.” He mopped his brow.
“那总共是十三美元五十美分。” 杰克说，“但还是很值。现在哪里有个安静的地方，我们可以谈话而不用担心之后在法庭上被引用我们的话？”
小主，
“That makes a total of thirteen dollars and a half,” Jake said, “but it was still worth it. Now where’s a quiet place we can talk without being quoted in court later?”
“我们去我的办公室。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。“《杰克逊县企业报》是镇上唯一一个没有挤满新闻记者的地方。”
“We’re going to my office,” Tom Burrows said. “The Jackson County Enterprise is the only place in town that isn’t full of newspapermen.”
他在前面带路沿着街道走。《杰克逊县企业报》的办公室是一座有假前脸的小木屋，在第二街和第三街之间的街区中间。它的窗户上还隐约能看到 “赫德伯格饲料种子商店” 的标志没有被完全擦掉的痕迹。前面的房间里有三张巨大的卷盖办公桌，只有一张是打开的，还有一张长长的、杂乱的桌子。棕发的阿琳?高奇耐心地坐在电话旁。
He led the way down the street. The office of the Jackson County Enterprise was a small frame building with a false front, halfway down the block between Second and Third. Its windows still faintly showed where a sign HEDBERG’S FEED AND SEED STORE had been inadequately erased. Inside the front room were three immense roll-top desks, only one of them open, and a long, disordered table. The brown-haired Arlene Goudge sat patiently by the telephone.
“杰克逊历史上从来没有这么多新闻记者来过。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。“而且他们还在不断地赶来，有开车来的，有坐公共汽车来的，甚至还有坐飞机来的。摄影师、记者，还有一个广播新闻播音员。”
“There hasn’t been so many newspapermen in Jackson in its history,” Tom Burrows said. “And they’re still arriving, by car, by bus, and even by plane. Photographers, reporters, and one radio newscaster.”
马龙摘下领带，解开衣领的扣子。“商会一定很忙。”
Malone took off his tie and unbuttoned his collar. “The Chamber of Commerce must have been busy.”
“我们这里发生了一起谋杀案。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说，“还是你没听说？而且佩维利参议员是个名人。” 他从桌子上拿起一份报纸。“这是《论坛报》，和你坐同一辆公共汽车刚到。”
“We’ve had a murder,” Tom Burrows said, “or hadn’t you heard? And Senator Peveley was a famous man.” He picked up a newspaper from the table. “There’s the Tribune, just came in on the same bus with you.”
马龙快速浏览了一下报道。看起来，佩维利参议员做了一个中西部参议员能做的一切来让自己成为新闻人物，最后以被谋杀达到了高潮。
Malone glanced through the story. Senator Peveley had, it appeared, done everything a Midwestern Senator could do to make himself newsworthy, climaxing it by being murdered.
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“记者们现在在哪里？” 他问。
“Where’s the press now?” he asked.
“大多数在酒店的酒吧里。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。
“Most of them,” Tom Burrows said, “are in the hotel bar.”
这个小律师露出渴望的神情。“我坐了很长时间的车，非常累。” 他开始说道。
The little lawyer looked wistful. “I’ve had a long ride, and I’m very tired,” he began.
“现在不行。” 海伦坚决地说。
“Not now,” Helene said firmly.
汤姆?伯罗斯看了看表。“他们十一点要在主街上进行新闻广播。” 他说。“我想去看看。那我们还有一个小时左右的时间谈话。” 他从桌子上拿起一个大纸袋。“跟我来。”
Tom Burrows looked at his watch. “They’re going to do a news broadcast from Main Street at eleven,” he said. “I’d like to watch. That still gives us an hour or so to talk.” He picked up a large paper bag from the table. “Follow me.”
他带路穿过排版室，走下一段楼梯。
He led the way out through the posing room and down a flight of stairs.
杰克逊县的主街与一条河平行，街道西边的所有建筑物都建在河岸上。《杰克逊县企业报》排版室下面是一个面向河流的储藏室。它的两扇门现在大开着，正好在水面上方。
The Main Street of Jackson County ran parallel to a river, and all the buildings on the west side of the street were built on its bank. Below the posing room of the Jackson County Enterprise was a storage room which faced the river. Its double doors, now wide open, were directly over the water.
马龙承认这是镇上最凉快的地方。他找到一个翻过来的空箱子，坐下来，给自己扇风。这里就像一个小洞穴，黑暗而神秘，边上有一条小溪流过。
Malone agreed that it was the coolest place in town. He located an upturned empty box, sat down, and fanned himself. It was like being in a little cave, dark and mysterious, with a stream flowing at its edge.
纸袋里装着奶酪和冰啤酒。汤姆?伯罗斯拿出一把巨大的折叠刀，先用它打开瓶子，然后开始把奶酪切成大块。“现在说说这起谋杀案。” 他开始说道。“谁在乎呢？” 马龙梦幻般地说。“谁在乎一个前参议员被谋杀呢？” 他把啤酒瓶举到嘴边，又拿开，唱了一句《凯瑟琳?莫文尼》。