IN THE DARK 黑夜

原作契訶夫 Translated by Constance Garnett 1886

A FLY of medium size made its way into the nose of the assistant procurator, Gagin. It may have been impelled by curiosity, or have got there through frivolity or accident in the dark; anyway, the nose resented the presence of a foreign body and gave the signal for a sneeze. Gagin sneezed, sneezed impressively and so shrilly and loudly that the bed shook and the springs creaked. Gagin’s wife, Marya Mihalovna, a full, plump, fair woman, started, too, and woke up. She gazed into the darkness, sighed, and turned over on the other side. Five minutes afterwards she turned over again and shut her eyes more firmly but she could not get to sleep again. After sighing and tossing from side to side for a time, she got up, crept over her husband, and putting on her slippers, went to the window.

一只中等個頭的蒼蠅飛進了高律師鼻子?；蛟S是好奇使然，或許是天太黑看不清路，反正無論如何，鼻子顯然對這位來客不太滿意，運動真氣要把它轟出去。只見高律師虎軀一震，一個噴嚏打得床板都晃，彈簧也嘎吱作響。高律師的太太也被嚇醒了。高太太長得漂亮，身材那叫一個豐滿。她睜開眼望了望屋里的一團黑，嘆了口氣，翻身躺下了。五分鐘過后，她又翻了個身，眼睛閉得更緊了，可就是睡不著。高太太嘆著氣在床上來回翻悠了一會兒，終于起了床，爬過睡得正香的丈夫，穿上拖鞋走到了窗邊。

It was dark outside. She could see nothing but the outlines of the trees and the roof of the stables. There was a faint pallor in the east, but this pallor was beginning to be clouded over. There was perfect stillness in the air wrapped in slumber and darkness. Even the watchman, paid to disturb the stillness of night, was silent; even the corncrake — the only wild creature of the feathered tribe that does not shun the proximity of summer visitors — was silent.

外面一片漆黑，只能夠看見樹木的輪廓和馬廄的屋頂。東方有一星微弱的白色，卻也漸漸被烏云遮蔽。四下鴉雀無聲，萬物都沉睡在寂靜的黑暗里。連打更的也不出聲了，甚至連田里的野雞——鳥類家族里唯一從獵槍下幸存的孤苗——也一聲不鳴。

The stillness was broken by Marya Mihalovna herself. Standing at the window and gazing into the yard, she suddenly uttered a cry. She fancied that from the flower garden with the gaunt, clipped poplar, a dark figure was creeping towards the house. For the first minute she thought it was a cow or a horse, then, rubbing her eyes, she distinguished clearly the outlines of a man.

這份寂靜還是被高太太打破了。正望著窗外的院子，她突然發(fā)出一聲尖叫。由花壇旁的白楊樹后恍惚冒出一個黑影往房子這兒湊。剛開始她以為是頭牲口，可揉揉眼睛仔細一瞧，那明明白白是個人。

Then she fancied the dark figure approached the window of the kitchen and, standing still a moment, apparently undecided, put one foot on the window ledge and disappeared into the darkness of the window.

那個黑影似乎來到了廚房窗前，先原地猶豫了一會兒，然后把一條腿邁進窗臺，消失在陰影之中。

“A burglar!” flashed into her mind and a deathly pallor overspread her face.

“有賊！”高太太猛然驚覺，臉唰一下白了。

And in one instant her imagination had drawn the picture so dreaded by lady visitors in country places — a burglar creeps into the kitchen, from the kitchen into the dining-room . . . the silver in the cupboard . . . next into the bedroom . . . an axe . . . the face of a brigand . . . jewelry. . . . Her knees gave way under her and a shiver ran down her back.

高太太腦中立刻想象出一幅畫面——賊人從廚房進屋，由廚房進到餐廳…拿走碗柜的銀器…再進到臥室…拿起一把斧子…賊人的臉…家里的珠寶……她嚇得跪在地上，后背連冷汗都嚇出來了。

“Vassya!” she said, shaking her husband, “Basile! Vassily Prokovitch! Ah! mercy on us, he might be dead! Wake up, Basile, I beseech you!”

“當(dāng)家的！”她拽著高先生猛晃，“醒醒！姓高的！起來！別嚇我，你說句話呀！起來，快起來，出事了！”

“W-well?” grunted the assistant procurator, with a deep inward breath and a munching sound.

“??？咋了？”高律師咕噥著深吸了一口氣，嘴里還吧唧著。

“For God’s sake, wake up! A burglar has got into the kitchen! I was standing at the window looking out and someone got in at the window. He will get into the dining-room next . . . the spoons are in the cupboard! Basile! They broke into Mavra Yegorovna’s last year.”

“快起來！廚房進賊了！我剛才看見有人爬窗戶進來了。人這會兒都偷到餐廳了……碗柜里還存著銀勺子呢！別睡了！去年鄰居家就這么進的賊?！?/p>

“Wha — what’s the matter?”

“出，呵——欠，出什么事了？”

“Heavens! he does not understand. Do listen, you stupid! I tell you I’ve just seen a man getting in at the kitchen window! Pelagea will be frightened and . . . and the silver is in the cupboard!”

“睡睡睡！就知道睡。你給我醒醒！我親眼看見他從廚房爬進來的。要是把潘嬸嚇著可怎么辦……咱家的銀器還在碗柜里放著呢！”

“Stuff and nonsense!”

“胡說八道！”

“Basile, this is unbearable! I tell you of a real danger and you sleep and grunt! What would you have? Would you have us robbed and murdered?”

“姓高的，我跟你說話呢！賊都進家了你還有心思睡覺！你什么意思？非得等他把咱家偷光了，再把咱們?nèi)覛⒘四悴鸥吲d是吧？”

The assistant procurator slowly got up and sat on the bed, filling the air with loud yawns.

高律師慢悠悠爬起了床，坐在床上呵欠連天。

“Goodness knows what creatures women are! he muttered. “Can’t leave one in peace even at night! To wake a man for such nonsense!”

“嚷嚷，就知道嚷嚷。有??！”他咕噥道，“覺都不讓人睡！你看見什么了嚇成這樣？”

“But, Basile, I swear I saw a man getting in at the window!”

“姓高的，我親眼看見有人爬窗戶進來了！”

“Well, what of it? Let him get in. . . . That’s pretty sure to be Pelagea’s sweetheart, the fireman.”

“爬就爬唄，怕什么？讓他進來有什么的……八成是潘嬸的相好，那個消防隊的。”

“What! what did you say?”

“誰？你說是誰？”

“I say it’s Pelagea’s fireman come to see her.”

“我說是潘嬸的相好找她來了?！?/p>

“Worse than ever!” shrieked Marya Mihalovna. “That’s worse than a burglar! I won’t put up with cynicism in my house!”

“不像話！”高太太尖聲道，“這還不如進賊呢！我不許咱們家有這種傷風(fēng)敗俗的事！”

“Hoity-toity! We are virtuous! . . . Won’t put up with cynicism? As though it were cynicism! What’s the use of firing off those foreign words? My dear girl, it’s a thing that has happened ever since the world began, sanctified by tradition. What’s a fireman for if not to make love to the cook?”

“嚯！裝什么大圣人！傷風(fēng)敗俗？哪兒傷風(fēng)敗俗了？不就是男女那點事嗎？天經(jīng)地義的，人家愛怎么樣你管得了嗎？”

“No, Basile! It seems you don’t know me! I cannot face the idea of such a . . . such a . . . in my house. You must go this minute into the kitchen and tell him to go away! This very minute! And to-morrow I’ll tell Pelagea that she must not dare to demean herself by such proceedings! When I am dead you may allow immorality in your house, but you shan’t do it now! . . . Please go!”

“姓高的！我不許咱們家有人干…干…干這種事。你現(xiàn)在就給我下去叫他滾！快去！明天看我不把潘嬸好好教訓(xùn)一頓！真有她的，把男人往咱家里帶……等我死了你們愛怎么著怎么著，我活一天就不許有這種事！你快去??！”

“Damn it,” grumbled Gagin, annoyed. “Consider with your microscopic female brain, what am I to go for?”

“你腦子有病吧?！备呗蓭熒鷼饬?，悶聲道，“我下去干什么？”

“Basile, I shall faint! . . .”

“你去不去，你再不去我去！”

Gagin cursed, put on his slippers, cursed again, and set off to the kitchen. It was as dark as the inside of a barrel, and the assistant procurator had to feel his way. He groped his way to the door of the nursery and waked the nurse.

高律師罵了句街，穿上拖鞋，又罵了一句，這才往廚房走。屋里伸手不見五指，只能摸著黑走路。他摸索到嬰兒房門口，叫醒了保姆。

“Vassilissa,” he said, “you took my dressing-gown to brush last night — where is it?”

“李嬸，”他說道，“我那件睡袍你昨晚拿去洗了是不——你放哪兒了？”

“I gave it to Pelagea to brush, sir.”

“我拿給潘嬸洗去了?！?/p>

“What carelessness! You take it away and don’t put it back — now I’ve to go without a dressing-gown!”

“你呀你！你拿走就不知道再拿回來嗎？得，我就這么光著去吧！”

On reaching the kitchen, he made his way to the corner in which on a box under a shelf of saucepans the cook slept.

來到廚房，高律師摸索到一個擺著架子的墻角，架子上放滿了鍋，架子底下擺著個盒子，廚子潘嬸就睡在這兒。

“Pelagea,” he said, feeling her shoulder and giving it a shake, “Pelagea! Why are you pretending? You are not asleep! Who was it got in at your window just now?”

“潘嬸?！彼瘟嘶闻藡鸺绨?，“喂，潘嬸！別裝了！裝睡想騙誰呢！剛才誰從外面爬進來了？”

“Mm . . . m . . . good morning! Got in at the window? Who could get in?”

“呼…嗯…嗯？幾點了？窗戶？誰進窗戶了？”

“Oh come, it’s no use your trying to keep it up! You’d better tell your scamp to clear out while he can! Do you hear? He’s no business to be here!”

“少來這套，裝什么糊涂！叫你那相好趕緊穿衣服走人吧！聽見沒有？我們家不進外人！”

“Are you out of your senses, sir, bless you? Do you think I’d be such a fool? Here one’s running about all day long, never a minute to sit down and then spoken to like this at night! Four roubles a month . . . and to find my own tea and sugar and this is all the credit I get for it! I used to live in a tradesman’s house, and never met with such insult there!”

“您糊涂了吧？您把我當(dāng)什么人了？我一天到晚累死累活，深更半夜的還得挨這通罵！我一個月才掙四十塊……連盒茶葉都買不起！我以前在別人家干從來沒受過這份氣！”

“Come, come — no need to go over your grievances! This very minute your grenadier must turn out! Do you understand?”

“行行行，甭跟我廢話！讓你那相好趕緊走！聽明白沒有？”

“You ought to be ashamed, sir,” said Pelagea, and he could hear the tears in her voice. “Gentlefolks . . . educated, and yet not a notion that with our hard lot . . . in our life of toil” — she burst into tears. “It’s easy to insult us. There’s no one to stand up for us.”

“哪有您這么說話的?！备呗蓭熉犚娕藡鹪诳?，“您冤枉人…拿我們伺候人的開心……”她哇地一聲哭鬧起來，“我們一天到晚累死累活的，到頭來還是沒出息，凈讓人說笑解悶?！?/p>

“Come, come . . . I don’t mind! Your mistress sent me. You may let a devil in at the window for all I care!”

“你看你，別這樣…哭什么！我太太叫我來的。我不就是擔(dān)心你把外人放進來了嗎！”

There was nothing left for the assistant procurator but to acknowledge himself in the wrong and go back to his spouse.

疑問解除，高律師知道自己錯怪人家了，一心只想回屋。

“I say, Pelagea,” he said, “you had my dressing-gown to brush. Where is it?”

“那什么，潘嬸?！彼f道，“我睡袍在你這兒吧。你放哪兒了？”

“Oh, I am so sorry, sir; I forgot to put it on your chair. It’s hanging on a peg near the stove.”

“喲，對不起，我洗完忘給送給您了。就在爐子那兒掛著?！?/p>

Gagin felt for the dressing-gown by the stove, put it on, and went quietly back to his room.

高律師摸到睡袍，披在身上，悄悄回了屋。

When her husband went out Marya Mihalovna got into bed and waited. For the first three minutes her mind was at rest, but after that she began to feel uneasy.

高律師走后，高太太躺在床上等著。頭三分鐘還不慌不忙，時間一長心里就打起鼓了。

“What a long time he’s gone,” she thought. “It’s all right if he is there . . . that immoral man . . . but if it’s a burglar?”

“怎么還不回來?！彼氲?，“要是個來…來傷風(fēng)敗俗的倒也罷了…萬一真是個賊怎么辦？”

And again her imagination drew a picture of her husband going into the dark kitchen . . . a blow with an axe . . . dying without uttering a single sound . . . a pool of blood! . . .

她想象著自己先生走進漆黑的廚房…一道斧光閃過…一聲沒出就倒在地上…躺在血泊之中……

Five minutes passed . . . five and a half . . . at last six. . . . A cold sweat came out on her forehead.

五分鐘過去了…五分半…六分……高太太腦門滲起了冷汗。

“Basile!” she shrieked, “Basile!”

“當(dāng)家的！”她尖叫道，“當(dāng)家的！”

“What are you shouting for? I am here.” She heard her husband’s voice and steps. “Are you being murdered?”

“來了來了。喊什么？”屋里響起了高先生的聲音和腳步聲，“誰要殺你是怎么的？”

The assistant procurator went up to the bedstead and sat down on the edge of it.

高律師坐到床邊。

“There’s nobody there at all,” he said. “It was your fancy, you queer creature. . . . You can sleep easy, your fool of a Pelagea is as virtuous as her mistress. What a coward you are! What a . . . .”

“壓根就沒人進來?！彼f道，“都是你胡琢磨，一天到晚都想些什么……快睡吧，潘嬸比你還圣人。瞧把你嚇得那樣！真是……”

And the deputy procurator began teasing his wife. He was wide awake now and did not want to go to sleep again.

高律師這會兒也不困了，肆意嘲笑起自己太太。

“You are a coward!” he laughed. “You’d better go to the doctor to-morrow and tell him about your hallucinations. You are a neurotic!”

“看你那小膽！”他笑道，“就你這樣的趁早看大夫去吧?？蓜e嚇出病來！”

“What a smell of tar,” said his wife— “tar or something . . . onion . . . cabbage soup!”

“哪兒來的焦油味，”高太太說道，“不是焦油…像洋蔥…有點像白菜湯！”

“Y-yes! There is a smell . . . I am not sleepy. I say, I’ll light the candle. . . . Where are the matches? And, by the way, I’ll show you the photograph of the procurator of the Palace of Justice. He gave us all a photograph when he said good-bye to us yesterday, with his autograph.”

“還真是！哪兒來的味……也不是做夢啊。等我點個蠟燭……火柴放哪兒了？對，昨天檢察官來我們單位參觀，臨走還一人送了張簽名照，我拿給你看看?！?/p>

Gagin struck a match against the wall and lighted a candle. But before he had moved a step from the bed to fetch the photographs he heard behind him a piercing, heartrending shriek. Looking round, he saw his wife’s large eyes fastened upon him, full of amazement, horror, and wrath. . . .

高律師拿火柴在墻上一劃，點亮了蠟燭。還沒等他直起腰去拿照片，只聽得自己背后響起一聲刺耳的慘叫?；仡^一看，高太太睜大了眼緊盯著他，又驚訝，又害怕，又憤怒……

“You took your dressing-gown off in the kitchen?” she said, turning pale.

“你在廚房把睡袍脫了？”她臉色越來越白。

“Why?”

“沒啊，這不穿著嗎？”

“Look at yourself!”

“你看你身上！”

The deputy procurator looked down at himself, and gasped.

高律師低頭瞅了一眼，倒抽一口涼氣。

Flung over his shoulders was not his dressing-gown, but the fireman’s overcoat. How had it come on his shoulders? While he was settling that question, his wife’s imagination was drawing another picture, awful and impossible: darkness, stillness, whispering, and so on, and so on.

披在他身上的不是睡袍，而是一件消防服。這衣服打哪兒來的？高律師琢磨著這個謎團，與此同時，高太太腦中已經(jīng)想象出另一幅畫面，可謂是不堪入目、傷風(fēng)敗俗：黑暗，靜謐，耳語，以及等等，等等。