一个关于真相和权力滥用的故事
Chapter 17
第十七章
Goodfellow Makes a Stand
古德费罗站队
Having watched the Beamishes out of sight, Spittleworth hurried off to the Guard’s Room, where he found Roach keeping watch over the rest of the Royal Guard. The walls of the room were hung with swords and a portrait of King Fred, whose eyes seemed to watch everything that was happening.
看着两人消失在视野后，沃斯急忙赶往侍卫大厅，他知道在哪里罗池还在监管着其余的卫兵。大厅的房间里挂了很多剑还有国王弗里德的肖像，肖像中的眼睛看起来像监督着发生的一切。

‘They’re growing restless, my lord,’ muttered Roach. ‘They want to go home to their families and get to bed.’
“他们逐渐骚乱起来了，爵士，他们想回到自己的家睡觉。”罗池抱怨道
‘And so they shall, once we’ve had a little chat,’ said Spittleworth, moving to face the weary and travel-stained soldiers.
“是的，他们应该可以回去，只要我们完成短小的谈话，”沃斯说着，转向面对困倦疲惫的士兵们。
‘Has anyone got any questions about what happened back in the Marshlands?’ he asked the men.
“对于麻石地发生的事还有人有问题吗？”沃斯问道
The soldiers looked at each other. Some of them stole furtive glances at Roach, who’d retreated against the wall, and was polishing a rifle. Then Captain Goodfellow raised his hand, along with two other soldiers.
士兵们相互看着彼此。有些士兵偷瞄了一下罗池，他正在面对着墙，擦拭着来复枪。随后，古德费罗队长和两个士兵举起手。
‘Why was Beamish’s body wrapped up before any of us could look at it?’ asked Captain Goodfellow.
“为什么比姆式的尸体包起来，不让我们看看？” 古德费罗队长问。
‘I want to know where that bullet went, that we heard being fired,’ said the second soldier.
“我们想知道当时听到的枪声是怎么回事，”第二个士兵问。

‘How come only four people saw this monster, if it’s so huge?’ asked the third, to general nods and muttered agreement.
“为什么只有四个人看到那怪物了，如果它很巨大？”第三个人问。看向沉默的众人。
‘All excellent questions,’ replied Spittleworth smoothly. ‘Let me explain.’
“很不错的问题，让我来解释一下。”沃斯平稳的回答。
And he repeated the story of the attack that he’d told Mrs Beamish.
他把告诉比姆式太太的又重复了一遍。
The soldiers who’d asked questions remained unsatisfied.
但提问题的士兵们并不满意。
‘I still reckon it’s funny that a huge monster was out there and none of us saw it,’ said the third.
“我还是觉得那么大的怪物我们大多数人没有看见是滑稽的，”第三个士兵说。
‘If Beamish was half-eaten, why wasn’t there more blood?’ asked the second.
“如果比姆式被吃掉了一半，为什么那没有更多的血迹？”第二个士兵问。
‘And who, in the name of all that’s Holy,’ said Captain Goodfellow, ‘is Nobby Buttons?’
“以上帝的名义，告诉我们谁叫诺比巴顿”古德费罗问。
‘How d’you know about Nobby Buttons?’ blurted Spittleworth, without thinking.
“你是怎么知道诺比巴顿的？”沃斯不假思索的说出。
‘On my way here from the stables, I bumped into one of the maids, Hetty,’ said Goodfellow.
“我从马厩来这时碰到了侍女海蒂“”古德费罗说
‘She served you your wine, my lord. According to her, you’ve just been telling Beamish’s poor wife about a member of the Royal Guard called Nobby Buttons. According to you, Nobby Buttons was sent with a message to Beamish’s wife, telling her he’d been killed.
“她刚伺候您葡萄酒了，爵士，根据她说的，您刚告诉了比姆式可怜的太太一个叫做诺比巴顿的卫兵。根据您的意思，诺比巴顿是给比姆式太太报信的人。”
‘But I don’t remember a Nobby Buttons. I’ve never met anyone called Nobby Buttons. So I ask you, my lord, how can that be? How can a man ride with us, and camp with us, and take orders from Your Lordship right in front of us, without any of us ever clapping eyes on him?’
“但是，我不认识诺比巴顿。我也没见过叫诺比巴顿的人。那么我问您是怎么回事？为什么一个和我们一起出征，一起扎营，就在我们跟前执行您的命令的人。不让我们任何人看一眼呢？”
Spittleworth’s first thought was that he’d have to do something about that eavesdropping maid. Luckily, Goodfellow had given him her name. Then he said in a dangerous voice:
沃斯第一个想法就是他必须对那个偷听的侍女做些什么。幸运的是，古德给出了她的名字。接着，沃斯用极度危险的语气说：
‘What gives you the right to speak for everybody, Captain Goodfellow? Perhaps some of these men have better memories than you do. Perhaps they remember poor Nobby Buttons clearly. Dear little Nobby, in whose memory the king will add a fat bag of gold to everybody’s pay this week.
Proud, brave Nobby, whose sacrifice – for I fear the monster has eaten him, as well as Beamish – will mean a pay rise for all his comrades-in-arms. Noble Nobby Buttons, whose closest friends are surely marked for speedy promotion.’
“谁给你的权利来代表所有人说话，古德费罗队长？可能有些人比你的记忆力好呢。可能他们清楚的记得可怜的诺比巴顿呢。谁记得可怜的小诺比本周国王就会给谁增加一袋满满的金币。勇敢的诺比，他的牺牲了-我恐怕怪物也吃了他就像吃了比姆式那样-意味着他的整个军队的战友将得到更多的军饷补贴。高尚的诺比巴顿，他的亲朋好友必然会得到快速的提拔。”
Another silence followed Spittleworth’s words, and this silence had a cold, heavy quality. Now the whole Royal Guard understood the choice facing them.
They weighed in their minds the huge influence Spittleworth was known to have over the king, and the fact that Major Roach was now caressing the barrel of his rifle in a menacing manner, and they remembered the sudden death of their former leader, Major Beamish. They also considered the promise of more gold, and speedy promotion, if they agreed to believe in the Ickabog, and in Private Nobby Buttons.

沃斯说完又一阵安静，安静的令人窒息。现在所有的士兵们明白他们面临着选择。他们在自己的脑海里衡量着——他们知道沃斯对国王有很大的影响，再有当下罗池首领恶意满满的抚摸着他的来复枪，他们记得他们前任比姆式首领突然的死亡。他们还考虑到更多金币和提拔的承诺，如果他们同意相信艾卡伯格和诺比巴顿的事。
Goodfellow stood up so suddenly that his chair clattered to the floor.
古德费罗猛然站起来，以至于椅子摩擦地板吱吱响。
‘There never was a Nobby Buttons, and I’m damned if there’s an Ickabog, and I won’t be party to a lie!’
“根本没有诺比巴顿，如果有艾卡伯格就让我不得好死，我不会与你为伍谎话连篇的！”
The other two men who’d asked questions stood up as well, but the rest of the Royal Guard remained seated, silent, and watchful.
“另外两个提问的士兵也站了起来，单其余的士兵仍然保持坐着，安静的旁观着。”
‘Very well,’ said Spittleworth. ‘You three are under arrest for the filthy crime of treason. As I’m sure your comrades remember, you ran away when the Ickabog appeared. You forgot your duty to protect the king and thought only of saving your own cowardly hides! The penalty is death by firing squad.’

“很好，”沃斯说。“你们三个因不忠之罪被逮捕了。我肯定你们的战友们都记得，你在艾卡伯格出来时逃跑了，你忘记了你保护国王的职责，只会胆小的躲起来保护自己！你们的惩罚是焚烧死罪。”
He chose eight soldiers to take the three men away, and even though the three honest soldiers struggled very hard, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed, and in no time at all they’d been dragged out of the Guard’s Room.
他选了八个士兵把着三个人带走，尽管三个诚实的士兵尽力挣扎，但寡不敌众，因此很快被拖拉出去。
‘Very good,’ said Spittleworth to the few soldiers remaining. ‘Very good indeed. There will be pay rises all round, and I shall remember your names when it comes to promotions.
Now, don’t forget to tell your families exactly what happened in the Marshlands. It might bode ill for your wives, your parents and your children if they’re heard to question the existence of the Ickabog, or of Nobby Buttons.
“很好，很好”沃斯对着剩下的士兵说，“你们将会得到加薪，提拔时我会记得你们的名字的。现在，不要忘记告诉你们的家人到底在麻石地发生了什么。如果他们听到任何质疑艾卡伯格或诺比巴顿的存在的问题，那么对你的妻子，父母和孩子将是凶兆。”
‘You may now return home.’
“现在可以回家了。