"Don't imagine that I intended to kill him in cold blood.
"你们不要以为我会冷不防一刀，把他结果就算了事。
It would only have been rigid justice if I had done so,
如果这样做，只不过是死板板地执行严正的审判而已。
but I could not bring myself to do it.
但是，我不会那样干的。
I had long determined that he should have a show for his life if he chose to take advantage of it.
我早已决定给他一个机会，如果他能把握住这个机会的话，他还可以有一线生机。
Among the many billets which I have filled in America during my wandering life,
当我在美洲流浪的那些日子里，我干过各种各样的差事。
I was once janitor and sweeper-out of the laboratory at York College.
我曾经一度做过' 约克学院' 实验室的看门人和扫地工友。
One day the professor was lecturing on poisons,
有一天，教授正在讲解毒药问题时，
and he showed his students some alkaloid, as he called it,
他把一种叫做生物硷的东西给学生们看。
which he had extracted from some South American arrow poison,
这是他从一种南美洲土人制造毒箭的毒药中提炼出来的。
and which was so powerful that the least grain meant instant death.
这种毒药毒性非常猛烈，只要沾着一点儿，立刻就能致人死命。
I spotted the bottle in which this preparation was kept,
我记住了那个放毒药品子的所在，
and when they were all gone, I helped myself to a little of it.
在他们走了以后，我就倒了一点出来。
I was a fairly good dispenser,
我是一个相当高明的配药能手，
so I worked this alkaloid into small, soluble pills,
于是，我就把这些毒药做成了一些易于溶解的小丸。
and each pill I put in a box with a similar pill made without the poison.
我在每个盒子里装进一粒，同时再放进一粒样子相同但是无毒的。
I determined at the time that when I had my chance my gentlemen should each have a draw out of one of these boxes,
我当时决定，只要一旦我能得手，这两位先生就要每人分得一盒，让他们每个人先吞服一粒，
while I ate the pill that remained.
剩下的一粒就由我来吞服。
It would be quite as deadly and a good deal less noisy than firing across a handkerchief.
这样做，和枪口蒙上手帕射击一样，可以置人于死地，而且还没有响声。
From that day I had always my pill boxes about with me,
从那一天起，我就一直把这些装着药丸的盒子带在身边；
and the time had now come when I was to use them.
现在到了我使用它们的时候了。
"It was nearer one than twelve, and a wild, bleak night, blowing hard and raining in torrents.
"当时已经是午夜过后，快一点钟的光景。这是一个凄风苦雨的深夜。风刮得很厉害，大雨倾盆而下。
Dismal as it was outside, I was glad within–so glad that I could have shouted out from pure exultation.
外面虽然是一惨淡的景象，可是我的心里却是乐不可言，我高兴得几乎要大声欢叫起来。
If any of you gentlemen have ever pined for a thing,
诸位先生，如果你们之中哪一位曾经为着一件事朝思暮想，
and longed for it during twenty long years,
一直盼望了二十多年，
and then suddenly found it within your reach, you would understand my feelings.
一旦伸手可得，那么，你们就会理解到我当时的心情了。
I lit a cigar, and puffed at it to steady my nerves,
我点燃了一支雪茄，喷着烟雾，借此安定我的紧张情绪。
but my hands were trembling and my temples throbbing with excitement.
可是由于过分激动，我的手不住地在战抖，太阳穴也突突地乱跳。
As I drove, I could see old John Ferrier and sweet Lucy looking at me out of the darkness and smiling at me,
当我赶着马车前进时，我看见老约翰·费瑞厄和可爱的露茜在黑暗中瞧着我微笑。我看得清清楚楚，
just as plain as I see you all in this room.
就象我现在在这间屋子里看见你们诸位一样。
All the way they were ahead of me,
一路之上，他们总是在我的前面，
one on each side of the horse until I pulled up at the house in the Brixton Road.
一边一个地走在马的两旁，一直跟我来到布瑞克斯顿路的那所空宅。
It would only have been rigid justice if I had done so,
如果这样做，只不过是死板板地执行严正的审判而已。
but I could not bring myself to do it.
但是，我不会那样干的。
I had long determined that he should have a show for his life if he chose to take advantage of it.
我早已决定给他一个机会，如果他能把握住这个机会的话，他还可以有一线生机。
Among the many billets which I have filled in America during my wandering life,
当我在美洲流浪的那些日子里，我干过各种各样的差事。
I was once janitor and sweeper-out of the laboratory at York College.
我曾经一度做过' 约克学院' 实验室的看门人和扫地工友。
One day the professor was lecturing on poisons,
有一天，教授正在讲解毒药问题时，
and he showed his students some alkaloid, as he called it,
他把一种叫做生物硷的东西给学生们看。
which he had extracted from some South American arrow poison,
这是他从一种南美洲土人制造毒箭的毒药中提炼出来的。
and which was so powerful that the least grain meant instant death.
这种毒药毒性非常猛烈，只要沾着一点儿，立刻就能致人死命。
I spotted the bottle in which this preparation was kept,
我记住了那个放毒药品子的所在，
and when they were all gone, I helped myself to a little of it.
在他们走了以后，我就倒了一点出来。
I was a fairly good dispenser,
我是一个相当高明的配药能手，
so I worked this alkaloid into small, soluble pills,
于是，我就把这些毒药做成了一些易于溶解的小丸。
and each pill I put in a box with a similar pill made without the poison.
我在每个盒子里装进一粒，同时再放进一粒样子相同但是无毒的。
I determined at the time that when I had my chance my gentlemen should each have a draw out of one of these boxes,
我当时决定，只要一旦我能得手，这两位先生就要每人分得一盒，让他们每个人先吞服一粒，
while I ate the pill that remained.
剩下的一粒就由我来吞服。
It would be quite as deadly and a good deal less noisy than firing across a handkerchief.
这样做，和枪口蒙上手帕射击一样，可以置人于死地，而且还没有响声。
From that day I had always my pill boxes about with me,
从那一天起，我就一直把这些装着药丸的盒子带在身边；
and the time had now come when I was to use them.
现在到了我使用它们的时候了。
"It was nearer one than twelve, and a wild, bleak night, blowing hard and raining in torrents.
"当时已经是午夜过后，快一点钟的光景。这是一个凄风苦雨的深夜。风刮得很厉害，大雨倾盆而下。
Dismal as it was outside, I was glad within–so glad that I could have shouted out from pure exultation.
外面虽然是一惨淡的景象，可是我的心里却是乐不可言，我高兴得几乎要大声欢叫起来。
If any of you gentlemen have ever pined for a thing,
诸位先生，如果你们之中哪一位曾经为着一件事朝思暮想，
and longed for it during twenty long years,
一直盼望了二十多年，
and then suddenly found it within your reach, you would understand my feelings.
一旦伸手可得，那么，你们就会理解到我当时的心情了。
I lit a cigar, and puffed at it to steady my nerves,
我点燃了一支雪茄，喷着烟雾，借此安定我的紧张情绪。
but my hands were trembling and my temples throbbing with excitement.
可是由于过分激动，我的手不住地在战抖，太阳穴也突突地乱跳。
As I drove, I could see old John Ferrier and sweet Lucy looking at me out of the darkness and smiling at me,
当我赶着马车前进时，我看见老约翰·费瑞厄和可爱的露茜在黑暗中瞧着我微笑。我看得清清楚楚，
just as plain as I see you all in this room.
就象我现在在这间屋子里看见你们诸位一样。
All the way they were ahead of me,
一路之上，他们总是在我的前面，
one on each side of the horse until I pulled up at the house in the Brixton Road.
一边一个地走在马的两旁，一直跟我来到布瑞克斯顿路的那所空宅。
