? ? ?I had been staying for nearly three weeks in the hospitable house of?the de Bie family, where there were lots of young people and a jolly?atmosphere reigned, when my host informed me that the escape?organisation could not help me. They were only prepared to accept?people who were of immediate use to the Allied war effort such as?RAF pilots, Dutch army and naval officers or people with special?skills. I did not fall into any of these categories. What should I do now? I felt that though I had not gone very far yet and was still in?Holland, I had started on my journey and there was no question of going?back. I would somehow manage to get across the Dutch-Belgian border and then I would see from there.

【我在熱情好客的德比家待了將近三個星期，那里有許多年輕人，氣氛非常愉快。這里的主人告訴我，對于逃跑組織幫不了我的忙。他們只準備接受對盟軍戰(zhàn)爭有直接用處的人，如皇家空軍飛行員、荷蘭陸軍和海軍軍官或有特殊技能的人。我不屬于任何一類人。我現(xiàn)在該怎么辦?雖然我還沒有走多遠，還在荷蘭，但我已經(jīng)在路上，回去是不可能的了。我會設(shè)法越過荷蘭-比利時邊境，然后我就可以從那里找到機會?！?/span>

? ? ?My host's two younger sisters, with whom I had become very?friendly, immediately suggested that they should take me across?the frontier themselves as they knew many of the footpaths used?by smugglers. Once across, they would take me to their aunt in?Antwerp who, they were sure, would be prepared to put me up for a few?days.

【我和主人的兩個妹妹相處得很好，她們立即建議讓她們自己帶我穿越邊境，因為她們知道許多走私者使用的小路。一過河，她們就帶我去安特衛(wèi)普見她們的姨媽，她們確信姨媽會讓我住上幾天?！?/span>

? ? ?We set out on a beautiful Sunday morning and were about a hundred?yards from the border, which ran along the edge of a?pinewood just ahead of us, when, suddenly, from behind a haystack,?a German soldier stepped out and barred our route with his rifle.?He was going to shout something at us when his face lit up as he?recognised the two girls. 'What on earth are you doing here?' he said,?half in Dutch, half in German. 'This is a forbidden zone!' The eldest?girl hastily explained that we were cousins and wanted to visit an aunt?who was in a nunnery just across the frontier in Belgium. The soldier?smiled and nodded. 'All right, I'll let you through and pretend I have?not seen you. If you return this way this evening between nine and?twelve, I shall be on duty again and let you back in. Good luck.'?He gave us a friendly wave as we walked on.

【我們在一個美麗的星期天早晨出發(fā)了，在距離邊境大約100碼處，國境線沿著我們前面的一片松林邊緣延伸。突然，一個德國士兵從一個干草堆后面走出來，用他的步槍擋住了我們的去路。當他認出那兩個女孩時，他的臉亮了起來?！澳愕降自谶@兒干什么?”他說，一半是荷蘭語，一半是德語，“這里是禁區(qū)!”較大的女孩急忙解釋說，我們是表兄弟，想去看一位阿姨，她住在邊境另一邊比利時的一座修道院里。士兵微笑著點點頭?！昂冒桑易屇氵^去，假裝沒看見你。如果你今天晚上九點到十二點從這條路回來，我還會值班，讓你回來。祝你好運?！蔽覀兝^續(xù)走著，他友好地向我們揮手?！?/span>

? ? ?I had watched this scene at first with intense apprehension and then?with growing bewilderment. The explanation was simple. The girls,?like most people in the southern provinces, were Roman Catholics and?members of the local Catholic youth organisation. The soldier was an?Austrian and also a devout Roman Catholic, the only member of the?German garrison who regularly attended mass in the church and the?activities of the Catholic youth organisation in Zundert. It was there?that the girls had got to know him as a quiet, friendly man, homesick?for his Austrian mountains. Cheered by the almost miraculous?coincidence that this man should have been on duty at that point at?that time, we continued our journey without further incidents. In the?afternoon we reached Antwerp where the girls' aunt received us kindly?and agreed to put me up.

【我看到這一幕時，起初非常害怕，后來越來越感到困惑。其實解釋起來很簡單。這些女孩和大多數(shù)南方省份的人一樣，都是羅馬天主教徒，也是當?shù)靥熘鹘糖嗄杲M織的成員。這名士兵是奧地利人，同時也是一位虔誠的羅馬天主教徒，是德國駐軍中唯一一個定期參加教堂彌撒和津德爾特天主教青年組織活動的成員。正是在那里，姑娘們認識了他，認為他是個安靜、友好的人，他的內(nèi)心放著奧地利的群山。這個人當時應(yīng)該在值班，這不可思議的巧合使我們感到慶幸，于是我們繼續(xù)我們的旅程，沒有再發(fā)生別的事情。下午，我們到達安特衛(wèi)普，女孩們的姨媽親切地接待了我們，并同意讓我住在那里?！?/span>

? ? ?Once more I had to say goodbye that day and for the first time I?experienced a feeling which was often to recur in later life - a feeling of?the inadequacy of words to express gratitude and admiration to people?who, by assuming very considerable risks, had ensured my safety and?freedom.

【那天我不得不再次說再見，我第一次經(jīng)歷了一種在以后的生活中經(jīng)常會體會到的感覺 -- 一種無法用語言表達的感覺?！?/span>

? ? ?The next day my new hostess gave me a letter of introduction to a?Dominican monk at the University of Louvain, whom she thought?might be able to help. When I went to see him he told me that there?wasn't anything he could do himself, but that he would give me an?introduction to a very good friend of his in Paris, also a Dominican,?who might be able to put me in touch with people who could help.

【第二天，這位女主人給我寫了一封介紹信，介紹給魯汶大學的一位多米尼加教士，她認為他也許能幫上忙。我去看這位教士時,他告訴我,他并不能幫我什么，但是他會給我介紹他的一個在巴黎的很好的朋友，這個朋友可以讓我接觸到那些可以幫助我的人?！?/span>

? ? ?There was a regular train service between Antwerp and Paris. At?the frontier, so I was told, because Belgium and occupied France?formed one German military district, there was only a luggage check?by French and Belgian customs officers. I left for Paris the next day.?The train was so crowded that I had to stand in the corridor. As we?approached Mons, the last Belgian town before the French frontier,?I saw at the end of the corridor two German Feld Gendarmes?(a particularly awesome brand of German soldiery, who wore steel?breastplates on a heavy chain and a fierce-looking German eagle on?their helmets) advancing slowly but surely towards me, checking?identity papers. All I had was my British passport, concealed in a loaf of?bread. As they were approaching, the train began to slow down as it?entered Mons station. I jumped out, ran down the platform and?reached the exit before it had come fully to a halt. Outside the station,?I disappeared into the narrow streets behind it. I entered an old?church and sat down to recover from the emotion and think out what to?do next. I decided to try and cross the frontier, which I knew could?not be very far, on foot. I left the church and began to walk in a?southerly direction. I must have gone the right way for presently I?came upon a signpost pointing to Lille. A small steam tram passed?along the road and I decided to board it. Eventually the tram stopped in?a village square and everyone got out. It was the terminus. I?continued walking in a southerly direction. After a while I found?myself in a small hamlet, a few houses grouped along a quiet country?road which was closed by a striped barrier. Two Belgian customs?officers stood chatting near a sentry box at the side of the road. This?was the frontier post. A German airman with a bicycle was leaning?against the barrier smoking. He threw away his cigarette, got on his?bicycle and muttered something that sounded like a salutation. The?two Belgian officials appeared not to have heard this for they did not?reply. When he had gone one of them made a remark which, though I?could not hear it, must have been something disparaging to judge by?the expression on his face. The other gave a contemptuous chuckle. I?had lived long enough in occupied territory to know instinctively from?the reaction I had just witnessed that these two men did not like the?Germans. I decided to risk it.

【安特衛(wèi)普和巴黎之間有定期列車。我被通知，在邊境，因為比利時和被占領(lǐng)的法國組成了德國的一個軍區(qū)，法國和比利時的海關(guān)官員只會進行行李檢查。我第二天動身去巴黎了?；疖嚿咸珨D了，我只好站在過道里。當我們接近隆起,之前的最后一個比利時小鎮(zhèn)法國邊境,我看到走廊盡頭的兩名德國菲爾德憲兵(一個特別可怕的德國軍隊,穿鋼鐵甲和頭盔上有只德國鷹)緩慢而平穩(wěn)地走向我,準備檢查身份證。我只有藏在一條面包里的英國護照。當他們走近時，火車進了蒙斯站后開始減速。我從車里跳了出來，跑下站臺，在車完全停穩(wěn)之前跑到了出口。出了車站，我消失在車站后面狹窄的街道上。我走進一座古老的教堂，坐下來讓自己從激動的情緒中恢復過來，思考下一步該怎么辦。我決定試著穿越邊境，我知道那里不會太遠，步行就可以了。我離開教堂，開始向南走去。我準是走對了，因為不久我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個指向里爾的路標。一輛小型蒸汽電車沿路駛過，我決定登上它。電車終于停在了一個村莊廣場上，大家都下了車。這是終點站。我繼續(xù)往南走。過了一會兒，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己來到了一個小村莊，幾所房子沿著一條安靜的鄉(xiāng)間小路排列著，小路被一道條紋柵欄隔開。兩個比利時海關(guān)官員站在路邊的哨所旁聊天。這是邊防哨所。一名騎自行車的德國飛行員斜靠在護欄上抽煙。他扔掉香煙，騎上自行車，咕噥了幾句聽起來像是致敬的話。這兩名比利時官員似乎沒有聽到，因為他們沒有回答。他走后，其中一個說了一句話，雖然我聽不見，但從他臉上的表情判斷，這句話一定是貶損他的話。另一個人輕蔑地笑了笑。我在占領(lǐng)區(qū)住了很長時間，從我剛才看到的反應(yīng)，我本能地知道這兩個男人不喜歡德國人。我決定冒一下險。】

? ? ?I walked up to the barrier as if I expected to be let through. One of?them wanted to see what I had in my briefcase. That was all right.?Could he see my identity card? 'I haven't got one,' I said. 'I am an?Englishman on my way to France.' The reaction was remarkable.?They both looked at me and smiled. 'Why didn't you say so at once.?Come with us into the office and we'll see what we can do.' They took?me into a small office on the side of the road and offered me a chair.?I took the loaf of bread out of my briefcase, removed the passport?and handed it to them. They studied it carefully. It was quite an?impressive passport as it happened. In the five years I had had it,?I had travelled a great deal and it was full of visas and stamps.?It satisfied them completely. They discussed what should be done. It?was decided that one of them would take me home for a meal while the?other would try to find me accommodation for the night. To this day I?remember the homely scene round the table with the customs officer's?two little girls and his plump friendly wife. At the end of the meal my?host produced a bottle of brandy which he kept for a special occasion.?We drank to Allied victory. I spent the night on a nearby farm and?early the next morning one of the customs officers came to fetch me to take?me himself into France. After about an hour's walk, we arrived in?the small town of Maubeuge. There we went straight to the house of?the local chief of customs. He had evidently been warned and was?waiting for us with breakfast. An hour later, I walked with the French?customs chief, now in full uniform, to the market square where the?bus for Lille was waiting.

【我向那道屏障走去，好像我料到會被放行似的。其中一個想看看我的公文包里有什么。他說，能看一下我的身份證嗎?“我沒有，”我說，“我是一個去法國的英國人。”他們都看著我笑了?！澳銥槭裁床获R上說呢?跟我們到辦公室去，我們看看能做些什么。”他們把我?guī)У铰愤叺囊婚g小辦公室里，讓我坐了下來。我從公文包里拿出面包，取下護照遞給他們。他們仔細研究了它。這是一本令人印象深刻的護照。在我用它的五年里，我去過很多地方，里面塞滿了簽證和郵票。這使他們完全滿意。他們討論應(yīng)該做什么。他們決定一個人帶我回家吃飯，另一個人幫我找個住處過夜。直到今天，我還記得海關(guān)官員的兩個小女孩和他胖胖的、友好的妻子圍坐在桌子旁的情景。宴會結(jié)束時，海關(guān)官員拿來一瓶白蘭地，那是他為一個特殊場合留的。我們?yōu)槊塑姷膭倮杀?。我在附近的一個農(nóng)場過了一夜，第二天一早，一位海關(guān)官員來接我，要親自帶我去法國。走了大約一個小時的路，我們到達了莫布日小鎮(zhèn)。在那里，我們直接去了當?shù)睾ｊP(guān)長的家。他顯然已經(jīng)被告知過了，正拿著早餐等著我們。一個小時后，我和身著制服的法國海關(guān)官員一起來到市場廣場，去里爾的公共汽車正在那里等著我。】

? ? ?At six o'clock that evening, I stood outside the Gare du Nord,?thrilled to be in Paris for the first time in my life. In those days of?petrol shortage, there were no taxis in Paris and some enterprising?people had started a taxiped service - a small carriage with seating for?two, drawn by a man on a bicycle. I took one of these and gave the?driver the address on the letter the Dominican monk in Louvain had?given me.

【那天晚上6點，我站在北站外，為有生以來第一次來到巴黎而激動不已。在汽油短缺的日子里，巴黎沒有出租車，一些有遠見的人開始提供出租車服務(wù)——一輛雙人座的小馬車，由一個騎自行車的人拉著。我把多米尼加教士給我的信上的地址告訴了司機?！?/span>

? ? ?I was deposited in front of a typical Parisian apartment house.?It turned out that the monk to whom I had an introduction was a member?of a small religious community engaged in social studies and?housed in two adjoining flats. An elderly housekeeper showed me into?a book-lined study. A tall, slender monk of about thirty-five rose from?behind a desk. His face was pale and finely chiselled and had?something very engaging. In his intelligent, grey eyes I noticed that?slightly mocking expression one frequently encounters in well-educated Frenchmen. I showed him my letter and told him who I?was. Could he help me in any way? A worried look crossed his face as?I told him my story. He explained that he was in a difficult position.?Not long ago, the Abbot of the Dominicans in Paris had issued strict?instructions that no shelter should be given by his monks to anyone?hiding from the Germans as this might seriously endanger the work of?the whole Order in France. He was, of course, bound to obey his?Abbot's orders. I said that I fully understood the situation and would?go away immediately. He begged me, however, to stay while he looked?for a solution. He had to give a lecture that evening, but would be?back in two hours. He hoped to have hit on something by then.?Meanwhile I was not to leave the room.

【我被放置在一座典型的巴黎公寓前。原來，我介紹認識的那個教士是一個從事社會研究的小型宗教團體的成員，住在兩套毗鄰的公寓里。一位上了年紀的管家把我領(lǐng)進一間擺滿書的書房。一位三十五歲左右的修士從桌子后面站了起來。他臉色蒼白，輪廓分明，有一種迷人的氣質(zhì)。在他那雙聰明的灰色眼睛里，我注意到一種受過良好教育的法國人常有的略帶嘲弄的表情。我把信給他看，并告訴他我是誰。他能幫我什么忙嗎?當我告訴他我的經(jīng)歷時，他臉上露出憂慮的神色。他解釋說他的處境很困難。不久前，巴黎的道明會修道院長發(fā)出了嚴格的命令，他的修道會修士不得向任何躲避德國人的人提供庇護，因為這可能嚴重危及整個修道會在法國的工作。當然，他必須服從艾博特的命令。我說我完全理解目前的情況，我將立即離開。然而，他讓我留下來，他去尋找解決辦法。他那天晚上有個演講，但兩個小時后就會回來。他希望那時能找到點什么。在此期間，我不能離開房間。】

? ? ?When he had gone, I looked at the books on the shelves and then?saw a monk's white habit hanging on a hook on the door. Knowing?that I would not be disturbed I could not withstand the temptation to?try it on. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought it suited me?rather well. It might be a good disguise for my journey through?France.

【他走后，我看了看書架上的書，看見門上的鉤子上掛著一件教士的白衣服。我知道自己不會被打擾，所以禁不住想試穿一下。我看著鏡子里的自己，覺得它很適合我。這也許是我去法國行程的好偽裝?！?/span>

? ? ?When the monk returned, he was not alone. With him was a middle-aged couple whom he introduced as very good friends. They had?attended his lecture and afterwards he had told them about his?predicament. They had at once offered to put me up until I could?continue my journey.

【當教士回來的時候，他并不是孤身一人。和他在一起的是一對中年夫婦，他介紹他們是非常要好的朋友。這對夫婦聽了他的演講，之后他把自己的窘境告訴了他們。他們立刻提出在我繼續(xù)行程之前給我提供住宿。】