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A deadly letter


希区柯克

Alfred Hitchcock

为了稳妥起见,哈德森提前赶到那儿。

In order to be safe, Hodson arrived there beforehand.

天色昏暗,下着毛毛雨。当他从紧急楼梯爬到三楼时,有点儿喘气,他在楼梯上蹲下来。

The sky was dark, and it was drizzling. When he climbed up the emergency staircase to the third floor, he was a little gasping. He squatted down the stairs.

过了一会儿,他爬到窗户边,窗户没有锁。

After a while, he climbed to the window and the window was unlocked.

既然窗户没有锁,他就不必费心去撬开它了。哈德森觉得芭比太大意了,屋里有些值钱的东西,这一带治安又不好,她至少应该把卧室的窗户锁起来。

Since the window is not locked, he needn’t bother to pry it open. Hodson thought Bobbi was too careless. There were some valuable things in the house. In this area, the law and order was not good. She should at least lock up the bedroom windows.

可是,芭比没有锁。

But Bobbi didn’t lock it.

哈德森撩起窗帘,屋里黑乎乎的,有一股香水味飘出来。他不想进去,他发现也没有必要进去。公寓前门右边有一盏灯,昏暗的光线照了过来,这表明卧室的门是开的,通向客厅的门也是开的。

Hodson lifted up the curtains, and there was a smell of perfume coming out of the room. He did not want to go in, and he found there was no need to go in. There is a lamp on the right side of the front door of the apartment, and the dim light comes over. This indicates that the door of the bedroom is open, and the door leading to the living room is open.

哈德森跪在湿漉漉的防火楼梯,从外套口袋里取出一支左轮手枪,那是前两天买的;然后,从另一边口袋取出消音器,这是在一家当铺买的。他把消音器套在枪口上,然后,左手臂放在窗台上,手枪架在左手臂上。

Hodson knelt on a wet fire staircase and took a revolver from his coat pocket, which was bought two days ago; then, the muffler was taken out of the other pocket, which was bought at a pawnshop. He put the muffler on the muzzle, then left arm on the windowsill, and the pistol was on the left arm.

十五分钟后,公寓的门会打开,然后,芭比会出现在那里,借着走道的灯光,很容易击中她。

Fifteen minutes later, the door of the apartment will open. Then Bobbi will appear there, and easily hit her by the light of the aisle.

哈德森静静地等着。雨从黑漆漆的天上飘落下来,风吹着下面的垃圾桶盖咚咚直响。芭比那浓烈的香水味从窗户飘出来,这香水曾经很能激起他的性欲,现在却让他感到厌恶。

Hodson waited in silence. The rain fell from the dark sky, and the wind blew down the trash lid. Bobbi’s strong perfume came out of the window. This perfume once aroused his sexual desire, but now he is disgusted with it.

他等待着,心里想起家中的妻子伊丽莎白。

He waited, remembering his wife, Elizabeth.

他到这里来,全是为了伊丽莎白,亲爱的伊丽莎白。他怎么会这么笨呢?伊丽莎白是他生命中唯一的爱,可是他却去跟芭比鬼混。芭比的年龄只有他的一半,是个大眼睛、高胸脯的金发女郎,她靠傍大款为生。哈德森知道,他决不是第一个养芭比的男人。

He came here for Elizabeth, dear Elizabeth. How can he be so stupid? Elizabeth was the only love in his life, but he went to fool with Bobbi. Bobbi is only half as old as he is. He is a blonde with big eyes and high chest. She lives on a big fortune. Hodson knew that he was by no means the first man to raise Bobbi.

但是,他将是最后一个养她的男人。

But he will be the last man to keep her.

她胆子真是大。前几天,当他表示要结束这种同居关系时,她居然敢威胁他。

Her courage is really big. The other day, when he said he wanted to end the cohabitation, she dared to threaten him.

哈德森从来没有想到,她会这么大胆。就在此时,一想这事,他的心就怦怦乱跳,带手套的手也愤怒地发抖。

Hodson never imagined that she would be so bold. Just then, when he thought about it, his heart pounded, and the gloved hands shook with anger.

他记得她噘起血红的嘴唇,唇边有一抹幼稚的微笑,眼睫毛一眨一眨的,冷冷地说:“不!亲爱的,我要你留在我身边,否则的话,我要去见你老婆,她叫什么名字?我想那样做,不过……”

He remembered her pursed blood red lips, a childish smile on her lips, and her eyelashes blinking, coldly, “no!” Dear, I want you to stay with me. Otherwise, I will go to see your wife. What is her name? I want to do that, but… “

不过她会做的,这一点哈德森很肯定。

But she will do it. Hodson is pretty sure.

就在第二天,哈德森回到家中,发现太太躺在卧室的床上,两眼哭得红中。她接到一个匿名电话,那电话很下流,那些脏话是一个年轻女人说的。

On the second day, Hodson returned home and found his wife lying on the bed in the bedroom. She received an anonymous phone call. The phone was very dirty. Those dirty words were spoken by a young woman.

在此之前,哈德森就不安地感觉到,他太太好像在怀疑他有不忠的行为,但是怀疑是一回事,接到电话又是另一回事。

Before that, Hodson felt uneasy that his wife seemed to be suspicious of his infidelity, but suspicion was one thing, and receiving a phone call was another.

哈德森不能允许这种事情发生。

Hodson can’t allow this to happen.

他只有采取行动。他从来没有想到要干掉她,但现在不得不那么做了。

He has to take action. He never thought of killing her, but now he had to do that.

起初,他想到下毒,他甚至想办法弄到了一粒毒药,但是下毒并不容易。芭比会防备,他想到其他方法,可是都不满意。

At first, he thought of poison. He even tried to get a poison, but it was not easy to poison. Bobbi would take precautions. He thought of other methods, but he was not satisfied.

最后,他看到一条新闻报道,这给了他灵感。最近,城东的某一地区,发生了一连串妇女被枪击的案子,这位枪手总在夜里向没有拉下窗帘的女人射击。很巧的事,那一地区离芭比的住处不远。

Finally, he saw a news report, which gave him inspiration. Recently, a series of women’s shooting cases took place in a certain area in the east of the city. The gunman always shoots at the women who did not pull down the curtains at night. It’s a coincidence that the area is not far from Bobbi’s residence.

他扔下报纸,过了一会儿,又拿起报纸,看看上面的天气预报,天气预报说,以后的几天里有雨。

He threw down the newspaper. After a while, he picked up the newspaper and looked at the weather forecast above. The weather forecast said that there would be rain in the next few days.

今天下雨了,又刮了风,天色已经暗下来,街道上空无一人,这真是一个作案的好机会。

It’s raining and windy today. The sky is dark and there is no one in the street. It’s a good chance to commit a crime.

他等候着,虽然很不舒服,但是一想到这事一了百了,他就感到很高兴。

He waited, though very uncomfortable, he felt very happy at the thought of it.

他轻声低语道:“伊丽莎白,我已经接受教训了,从今以后,我的生活中只有你一个。”

He whispered, “Elizabeth, I have learned my lesson. From now on, I will have only one of you in my life.”

也许过几天,他可以带伊丽莎白出去旅行,算是第二次度蜜月。对,就这么办。

Maybe in a few days, he can take Elizabeth out for a trip, the second honeymoon. Yes, that’s the way it is.

忽然,黑暗中闪过一道黄光,把他的思绪拉了回来。公寓的前门开了。他没有料到芭比会这么早回来。他知道她通常在市中心的餐厅吃饭,总是在八点钟左右回家,今天她回来早了一些。

Suddenly, a yellow light flashed across the darkness and brought his thoughts back. The front door of the apartment is open. He didn’t expect Bobbi to come back so early. He knows that she usually eats in a restaurant in the downtown area and always goes home around eight o’clock. Today, she came back a little earlier.

这样反倒更好。

That’s better than that.

他眯起一只眼睛,另一只眼睛瞄准手枪的准星。由门口照过来的灯依稀可见。她在那儿,穿着雨衣的侧影,她在门槛那儿有些犹豫,然后,她举起一只手在摸索公寓里面的电灯开头。哈德森射出一发子弹,那女人向后晃了一下,双臂向上举,他又向那黑黑的人影连开了几枪,那人影慢慢地向前倒下,一动也不动了。

He squinted one eye, and the other eye aimed at the pistol sight. The lights coming from the door are visible. She was there, wearing the side view of her raincoat. She hesitated at the threshold. Then she held up a hand and fumbled for the electric light in the apartment. Hodson shot a bullet, the woman swayed back, his arms raised up, and he opened a few shots to the black figure, and the figure slowly fell forward and moved.

哈德森再仔细地瞄准,向尸体又开了两枪。实际上,那两枪并不需要,因为他是个优秀的射击手,他自信第一枪就已经完成了任务。当他开车回到郊区的别墅时,时间是八点三十分,雨势已经减弱。他意外地发现,太太的车没有停在车库里。

Hodson aimed again, and fired two more shots into the body. In fact, those two shots were not needed because he was an excellent shooter. He was confident that the first shot had already completed the task. When he drove back to the villa in the suburbs, the time was eight thirty and the rain had weakened. He accidentally discovered that his wife’s car was not parked in the garage.

或许她开车到购物中心买东西去了。

Maybe she drove to the shopping mall and went shopping.

哈德森在汽车里坐了一会儿,把他的行动重新回忆一遍:他在回家的路上,把手枪拆成零件,扔进河里了。

Hodson sat in the car for a moment, remembering his actions again: on his way home, he split the pistol into a part and threw it into the river.

芭比之死,没有什么线索会牵连到他,没有任何东西可以证明他曾认识那个女人。他们的交往非常秘密,甚至每次偷偷去看她时,他总是悄悄地擦拭他摸过的每一样物品,深怕留下指纹。当然,他之所以那样做,为的只是普通的谨慎,而不是有朝一日他要杀她。现在,哈德森和芭比之间,没有任何关系了。

There is no clue to Bobbi’s death, and nothing can prove that he once knew that woman. Their communication is very secret. Even when secretly visiting her, he always quietly polished everything he touched and was afraid of leaving fingerprints. Of course, the reason he did that was just general caution rather than killing him one day. Now, there is no relationship between Hodson and Bobbi.

他愉快地轻轻哼着歌曲,离开汽车,走向屋子。一进屋里,他第一眼看见的,是放在客厅小茶几上的便条。

He hummed the song happily, leaving the car and heading for the house. As soon as he entered the room, the first note he saw was a note on the coffee table in the living room.

字条是伊丽莎白写的,当他拿起字条时,嘴里仍然在哼歌。

The note was written by Elizabeth. When he picked up the note, he was still singing in his mouth.

句子从潦草的字迹中跳到眼前:“对不起……可是,忍受了我早知道芭比这个人……跟踪你……我必须面对她……和她谈清楚……我发现钥匙……”

The sentence jumped from the scribbled handwriting to the front: “I’m sorry…” But I had to endure that I knew Bobbi. Follow you… I have to face her… Talk to her… I found the key… “

哈德森发出一声低沉的,似哭非哭的呻吟,心里想起那天早上,他把芭比公寓的钥匙从钥匙环里取下来,塞在五斗柜里的一堆裤子下面。

Hodson sent out a low, crying moan, thinking that that morning, he took the key of Bobbi’s apartment down from the key ring, and put it under a pile of trousers in the cabinet.

“……钥匙,现在,我就要去找她。假如她不在的话,我要到公寓里等她,……必须了断……我太爱你……哈德森……我不能把你拱手让给别人,而不加……”

“… The key, now, I’m going to find her. If she is not here, I will wait for her in the apartment. It must be settled… I love you too much… Hodson… I can’t give you up to others, not to… “

字条突然从哈德森麻木的手中滑落,缓缓地落到地毯上。

The note suddenly slipped from Hodson’s numb hand and slowly landed on the carpet.

“不,”他低吟一声,然后大叫,“不!不可能!那不可能!”

“No,” he whispered and shouted, “no! Impossible! That’s impossible! “

站在房门口的那个女人的身影,是不是比芭比高一点,瘦一点?他开枪时,心里还隐约有点不对劲的模糊印象。现在,那种印象被重新拾回来,而且在他焦躁不安的想象中,越变越大,压得他几乎喘不过气来。

Is the figure of the woman standing at the door higher and thinner than Bobbi? When he opened fire, there was still something vague in his mind. Now, that impression has been recovered, and in his restless imagination, the greater the pressure, the more he can hardly breathe.

他一定错杀人了,他一定是错杀了自己的太太,伊丽莎白!

He must have killed someone wrongly. He must have killed his wife by mistake, Elizabeth!

事情就那么简单!那么要命!

Things are so simple! So life!

他昏昏沉沉地走到卧室,从一个隐秘的地方拿出那粒毒药,然后又回到客厅,含泪读了一遍伊丽莎白留给他的信。

He went to the bedroom in a daze and took the poison from a secret place. Then he went back to the drawing room and read Elizabeth’s letter to him in tears.

他吞下那粒毒药,几分钟内,就开始起作用了。

He swallowed the poison and began to work in a few minutes.

他大口大口地喘着气,静静地等着。

He gasped and waited in silence.

有钥匙开门的声音。伊丽莎白走进屋里,她的头发被雨淋得全是水,外套也被淋湿了。

The sound of a key to open the door. Elizabeth went into the house. Her hair was all wet and her coat was wet.

她看到他,突然停了下来。

She saw him and suddenly stopped.

“哦,我希望在你回家之前赶回来,撕掉那封信,”她叹了口气。“哈德森,我没有去,我在最后一刻失去了勇气,然后……亲爱的,你怎么啦?出什么事了?你是不是病了?”他是出事了,因为胃里的毒药发作了。

“Oh, I hope to get back before you go home and tear up the letter,” she sighed. “Hodson, I didn’t go. I lost courage at the last minute, and then… My dear, what’s the matter with you? What’s the matter? Are you sick? ” He had an accident, because the poison in his stomach had taken place.