T
AT last the sleepy atmosphere was stirred—and vigorously: the murder trial came on in the court.
终于，那昏昏欲睡的气氛被搅动了——而且是剧烈地搅动：法庭上开始审理谋杀案。
Every reference to the murder sent a shudder to his heart, for his troubled conscience and fears almost persuaded him that these remarks were put forth in his hearing as "feelers"; he did not see how he could be suspected of knowing anything about the murder, but still he could not be comfortable in the midst of this gossip.
每提到这起谋杀案，他的心就会颤抖，因为他那不安的良心和恐惧几乎使他相信，这些话是在他耳边说的“试探”；他不明白怎么会有人怀疑他知道谋杀案的任何事情，但在这些流言蜚语中，他仍然感到不舒服。
It would be some relief to unseal his tongue for a little while; to divide his burden of distress with another sufferer.
暂时解开他的舌头会有些宽慰；与另一个受难者分担他痛苦的负担。
"Why, Tom Sawyer, we wouldn't be alive two days if that got found out. YOU know that."
“为什么，汤姆·索亚，如果那件事被发现了，我们连两天都活不了。你知道的。”
"Get me to tell? Why, if I wanted that half–breed devil to drownd me they could get me to tell. They ain't no different way."
“让我说出真相？哼，如果我想让那个杂种恶魔淹死我，他们就能让我说出真相。他们没别的办法。”
"Well, that's all right, then. I reckon we're safe as long as we keep mum. But let's swear again, anyway. It's more surer."
“好吧，那就没事了。我想只要我们保持沉默，我们就安全了。但不管怎样，我们再发誓一次吧。这样更保险。”
"Talk? Well, it's just Muff Potter, Muff Potter, Muff Potter all the time. It keeps me in a sweat, constant, so's I want to hide som'ers."
“说什么？嗯，就是穆夫·波特，穆夫·波特，穆夫·波特，一直都是。这让我一直出汗，所以我想躲起来。”
"That's just the same way they go on round me. I reckon he's a goner. Don't you feel sorry for him, sometimes?"
“他们也是这样围着我说的。我想他完蛋了。你有时不觉得为他难过吗？”
Just fishes a little, to get money to get drunk on—and loafs around considerable; but lord, we all do that—leastways most of us—preachers and such like.
“只是钓点鱼，赚点钱买醉——然后闲逛不少；但是天啊，我们都这样——至少我们大多数人——传教士之类的。”
But he's kind of good—he give me half a fish, once, when there warn't enough for two; and lots of times he's kind of stood by me when I was out of luck."
“但他有点好——有一次他给了我半条鱼，当时不够两个人吃；还有很多次，当我运气不好的时候，他有点支持我。”
"Well, he's mended kites for me, Huck, and knitted hooks on to my line. I wish we could get him out of there."
“嗯，他给我修过风筝，哈克，还在我的钓线上织过钩子。我希望我们能把他从那里救出来。”
"My! we couldn't get him out, Tom. And besides, 'twouldn't do any good; they'd ketch him again."
“哎呀，我们救不了他，汤姆。而且，那样做也没什么好处；他们还会再抓住他的。”
"Yes—so they would. But I hate to hear 'em abuse him so like the dickens when he never done—that."
“是的——他们会的。但我讨厌听到他们那样骂他，好像他是个十恶不赦的坏蛋，而他从来没做过——那件事。”
"I do too, Tom. Lord, I hear 'em say he's the bloodiest looking villain in this country, and they wonder he wasn't ever hung before."
“我也是，汤姆。天哪，我听到他们说他是这个国家最凶恶的恶棍，他们还奇怪他以前怎么没被绞死。”
"Yes, they talk like that, all the time. I've heard 'em say that if he was to get free they'd lynch him."
“是的，他们一直都这么说。我还听到他们说，如果他能逃脱，他们就会私刑处死他。”
As the twilight drew on, they found themselves hanging about the neighborhood of the little isolated jail, perhaps with an undefined hope that something would happen that might clear away their difficulties.
暮色渐浓，他们发现自己在那个孤零零的小监狱附近徘徊，也许带着一种模糊的希望，希望会发生什么事情，能消除他们的困难。
But nothing happened; there seemed to be no angels or fairies interested in this luckless captive.
但是什么也没发生；似乎没有天使或仙女对这个倒霉的俘虏感兴趣。
The boys did as they had often done before—went to the cell grating and gave Potter some tobacco and matches. He was on the ground floor and there were no guards.
孩子们像往常一样做了——去牢房栅栏那里，给波特一些烟草和火柴。他在一楼，没有警卫。
His gratitude for their gifts had always smote their consciences before—it cut deeper than ever, this time. They felt cowardly and treacherous to the last degree when Potter said:
他对他们礼物的感激之情以前总是刺痛他们的良心——这次比以往任何时候都更深刻。当波特说：“你们真是太好了，孩子们。我一直很感激你们，但是我现在比以往任何时候都更感激你们。”他们感到极度怯懦和背叛。
"You've been mighty good to me, boys—better'n anybody else in this town.
“你们对我一直非常好，孩子们——比这镇上的任何人都好。”
Often I says to myself, says I, 'I used to mend all the boys' kites and things, and show 'em where the good fishin' places was, and befriend 'em what I could, and now they've all forgot old Muff when he's in trouble; but Tom don't, and Huck don't—THEY don't forget him, says I, 'and I don't forget them.'
我经常对自己说，我说，‘我过去常常修理所有男孩的风筝和东西，告诉他们哪里有好的钓鱼地方，尽我所能帮助他们，现在他们都忘记了老穆夫当他遇到麻烦的时候；但是汤姆没有，哈克也没有——他们没有忘记他，我说，‘我也没有忘记他们。’
Well, boys, I done an awful thing—drunk and crazy at the time—that's the only way I account for it—and now I got to swing for it, and it's right.
好吧，孩子们，我做了一件可怕的事情——当时喝醉了，疯了——这是我唯一能解释的方式——现在我必须为此付出代价，这是正确的。
But what I want to say, is, don't YOU ever get drunk—then you won't ever get here.
“但我想说的是，你永远不要喝醉——那样你就不会到这里来了。”
Stand a litter furder west—so—that's it; it's a prime comfort to see faces that's friendly when a body's in such a muck of trouble, and there don't none come here but yourn.
“再往西站一点——就是这样；当一个人陷入如此困境时，看到友好的面孔是一种极大的安慰，除了你，没有人会来这里。”
Little hands, and weak—but they've helped Muff Potter a power, and they'd help him more if they could."
小手，而且软弱——但它们已经帮了莫夫·波特很大的忙，如果能的话，它们还会帮他更多。"
The next day and the day after, he hung about the court–room, drawn by an almost irresistible impulse to go in, but forcing himself to stay out.
第二天和第三天，他在法庭周围徘徊，几乎被一种不可抗拒的冲动所吸引，想进去，但又强迫自己留在外面。
Each wandered away, from time to time, but the same dismal fascination always brought them back presently.
他们时不时地各自走开，但同样的阴郁魅力总是很快就把他们带回来。"
Tom kept his ears open when idlers sauntered out of the court–room, but invariably heard distressing news—the toils were closing more and more relentlessly around poor Potter.
每当有闲人从法庭漫步出来时，汤姆就竖起耳朵，但总是听到令人沮丧的消息——可怜的波特周围的罗网越来越无情地收紧了。
At the end of the second day the village talk was to the effect that Injun Joe's evidence stood firm and unshaken, and that there was not the slightest question as to what the jury's verdict would be.
第二天结束时，村里的传言是印第安·乔的证据坚定不移，毫无疑问陪审团的裁决会是什么。
All the village flocked to the court–house the next morning, for this was to be the great day.
第二天早上，全村的人都涌向法院，因为这将是一个重要的日子。
After a long wait the jury filed in and took their places; shortly afterward, Potter, pale and haggard, timid and hopeless, was brought in, with chains upon him, and seated where all the curious eyes could stare at him; no less conspicuous was Injun Joe, stolid as ever.
经过长时间的等待，陪审团鱼贯而入，坐了下来；不久之后，脸色苍白、憔悴、胆怯、绝望的波特被带了进来，身上带着锁链，坐在所有好奇的目光都能盯着他的地方；印第安·乔也同样引人注目，他像往常一样沉着。
There was another pause, and then the judge arrived and the sheriff proclaimed the opening of the court.
又停顿了一下，然后法官来了，警长宣布开庭。
The usual whisperings among the lawyers and gathering together of papers followed.
律师们之间通常的低语和文件的收集随之而来。
These details and accompanying delays worked up an atmosphere of preparation that was as impressive as it was fascinating.
这些细节和随之而来的延迟营造了一种准备的氛围，既令人印象深刻又令人着迷。
Now a witness was called who testified that he found Muff Potter washing in the brook, at an early hour of the morning that the murder was discovered, and that he immediately sneaked away. After some further questioning, counsel for the prosecution said:
现在传唤了一位证人，他作证说，在发现谋杀的那天早上很早的时候，他发现穆夫·波特在小溪里洗衣服，然后他立即偷偷溜走了。经过进一步的询问，控方律师说：
The prisoner raised his eyes for a moment, but dropped them again when his own counsel said:
囚犯抬起眼睛看了一会儿，但当他自己的律师说时，又垂下了眼睛：
The next witness proved the finding of the knife near the corpse. Counsel for the prosecution said:
下一个证人证明在尸体附近找到了那把刀。控方律师说：
Counsel for Potter declined to question him. The faces of the audience began to betray annoyance. Did this attorney mean to throw away his client's life without an effort?
波特的律师拒绝盘问他。听众的脸上开始露出不满的神情。这位律师是不是打算不做任何努力就放弃他当事人的生命？
Several witnesses deposed concerning Potter's guilty behavior when brought to the scene of the murder. They were allowed to leave the stand without being cross–questioned.
几个证人作证说，波特被带到谋杀现场时，他的行为很可疑。他们被允许离开证人席，而没有受到交叉盘问。
Every detail of the damaging circumstances that occurred in the graveyard upon that morning which all present remembered so well was brought out by credible witnesses, but none of them were cross–examined by Potter's lawyer.
那天早上在墓地发生的所有在场的人都记得很清楚的所有损害情况的细节，都被可信的证人提了出来，但没有一个受到波特律师的交叉盘问。
The perplexity and dissatisfaction of the house expressed itself in murmurs and provoked a reproof from the bench.
房子里的困惑和不满在低语中表达出来，并引起了法官的斥责。
"By the oaths of citizens whose simple word is above suspicion, we have fastened this awful crime, beyond all possibility of question, upon the unhappy prisoner at the bar. We rest our case here."
“以那些其简单话语无可置疑的公民的誓言为证，我们已经毫无疑问地将这可怕的罪行归咎于坐在被告席上的不幸囚犯。我们的案件到此为止。”
A groan escaped from poor Potter, and he put his face in his hands and rocked his body softly to and fro, while a painful silence reigned in the court–room. Many men were moved, and many women's compassion testified itself in tears. Counsel for the defence rose and said:
可怜的波特发出一声呻吟，双手捂住脸，身体轻轻地前后摇晃着，法庭里一片痛苦的沉默。许多人被感动了，许多女人的同情心则以泪水的形式表现出来。被告律师站起身来，说道：
"Your honor, in our remarks at the opening of this trial, we foreshadowed our purpose to prove that our client did this fearful deed while under the influence of a blind and irresponsible delirium produced by drink.
“法官大人，在我们开庭陈词时，我们就曾预示我们的目的是证明我们的当事人是在饮酒产生的盲目而不负责任的谵妄影响下，做出了这可怕的行为。”
A puzzled amazement awoke in every face in the house, not even excepting Potter's. Every eye fastened itself with wondering interest upon Tom as he rose and took his place upon the stand. The boy looked wild enough, for he was badly scared. The oath was administered.
房子里每张脸上都露出了困惑的惊讶，甚至连波特的脸上也不例外。当汤姆站起来站在证人席上时，每一双眼睛都带着好奇的兴趣注视着他。这孩子看起来够野的，因为他被吓得够呛。宣誓完毕。
"Thomas Sawyer, where were you on the seventeenth of June, about the hour of midnight?"
“托马斯·索耶，6 月 17 日午夜左右，你在哪里？”
Tom glanced at Injun Joe's iron face and his tongue failed him. The audience listened breathless, but the words refused to come. After a few moments, however, the boy got a little of his strength back, and managed to put enough of it into his voice to make part of the house hear:
汤姆瞥了一眼印第安·乔的铁脸，舌头不听使唤了。听众屏住呼吸倾听，但他说不出话来。然而，过了一会儿，男孩恢复了一点力气，设法把足够的力气放进他的声音里，让房子的一部分人听到：
"Wait—wait a moment. Never mind mentioning your companion's name. We will produce him at the proper time. Did you carry anything there with you."
“等等——等一会儿。先别说出你同伴的名字。我们会在适当的时候把他带出来。你有没有带什么东西去那里。”
"Speak out, my boy—don't be diffident. The truth is always respectable. What did you take there?"
“说出来，孩子——别害羞。真相总是受人尊敬的。你带了什么去那里？”
"We will produce the skeleton of that cat. Now, my boy, tell us everything that occurred—tell it in your own way—don't skip anything, and don't be afraid."
“我们会把那只猫的骨架展示出来。现在，孩子，把发生的一切都告诉我们——用你自己的方式讲——不要跳过任何事情，也不要害怕。”
Tom began—hesitatingly at first, but as he warmed to his subject his words flowed more and more easily; in a little while every sound ceased but his own voice; every eye fixed itself upon him; with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung upon his words, taking no note of time, rapt in the ghastly fascinations of the tale.
汤姆开始讲了——起初有些犹豫，但随着他对话题的投入，他的话语越来越流畅；不一会儿，除了他自己的声音，其他声音都停止了；每一双眼睛都注视着他；观众们张着嘴，屏住呼吸，全神贯注地听着他的话，完全忘记了时间，沉浸在这个可怕故事的迷人魅力中。
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