I made myself neat and clean. When I lookedin the glass，I saw the face of David Balfour again.
I was glad.
我梳洗了一下，换上整洁的衣服，朝着镜子一照，又看到大卫· 巴尔福的面孔，我感到高兴。
When I had finished. Mr Rankeillor took meback into his office.
梳洗过后，兰基勒先生又把我带到他的办公室。
“Sit down，Mr Da vid ，”he said,“Now I ca n e xplain a bo ut your inh e rita nce . P e rha ps you a re wondering a bout your fa the r a nd your uncle ，It is as tra nge s tory，The truth is - it wa s the re su lt of a lovea ffa ir.”
“请坐，大卫先生，现在我可以把有关你的遗产的事讲清楚了。也许你对你父亲和叔叔的事不了解。
说来也怪，实际上，那是由于一次恋爱事件引起的！”
“Inde e d ，”I said,“I ca nnot ima gine my unclewith a love a ffa ir ！”
“说实在的，我没有想到我叔叔还会有风流事。”
“But your uncle . Mr Da vid，wa s not a lwa ys old，the lawye r re plie d .“He wa s not a lwa ys ugly e ithe r.
He ha d a fine ，noble look whe n he wa s young . P e opleus e d to s ta nd in the ir doors to wa tc h him whe n herode by. I mys e lf a dmire d him. I wa s ra the r je a lou s ，be c a us e I wa s a n ordina ry la d mys e lf.”
律师回答说：“不过，大卫，你叔叔也有过年轻漂亮的日子。他年轻时风度翩翩，一表人材。那时他骑马过街时，人们常常站在门口看他。
我本人过去就很羡慕他，对他相当妒忌，因为我自己才不出众，貌不惊人。”
“I s till ca n ’t be lie ve it，”I said.
“我仍然信不下去。”我说。
“We ll,”the lawyer said.“it is th e diffe re nce be -twe e n youth a nd a ge ，Tha t wa s n ot a ll，Ebe ne ze rs howe d a bra ve sp irit，too . In 1715，he ra n awa y fromhome to join th e re be ls a ga ins t the king . Your fa the rfollowe d him a nd broug ht him ba c k. The n the two la dsfe ll in love with the s a me la dy. Mr. Ebe n e ze r wa s theyounge r s on. His family ha d ma de him s e lfish . The ya dmire d a n d love d a nd spoilt him. The y g a ve hime ve rything . He thou ght he mus t win the la dy，too . Buthe wa s not luc ky in his love a ffa ir. S he cho s e your fa -the r ，a nd Ebe a e z e r c ould n ot be a r it. Firs t he wa s illa nd la y in be d. His family s a t round him a nd c rie d.
The n he rode from one inn to a n othe r. He told histrouble s to e ve ryo ne . Your fa the r，Mr . Da vid，wa s akind ge n tlema n ，but his na ture wa s we a k，ve ry we a k.
He c ould s e e tha t his brothe r wa s unha ppy. He ga veup the la dy to him. But s he wa s not a fool. I think youge t your good s e ns e from he r . S he re fus e d themboth . It ma de e ve rybod y la ugh.”
律师说：“是啊，青年人和老年人的差别就在这里。而且还不仅在这方面。埃比尼泽当时也很勇敢。
他在1715 年逃出家门，去参加反对国王的叛变者，你父亲把他追了回来。后来，两个小伙子爱上了同一个姑娘。埃比尼泽是弟弟，家里人夸他、溺爱他，把他宠坏了，使他变得很自私，他想要什么，家里人就给什么。他也满以为自己会取得那位姑娘的欢心。可是，他在爱情上并不走运。那位姑娘选中了你的父亲，这下埃比尼泽可受不了啦。开头他病倒了，躺在床上，全家人都坐在他旁边哭泣。后来，他骑马从一家酒馆串到另一家酒馆，逢人就诉说他的伤心事。你父亲，大卫先生，是一位心地善良的绅士，可他生性软弱，太软弱了。他看到弟弟伤心，就把那位姑娘让给他。可人家姑娘并不傻。我想你那敏锐的判断力就是她遗传下来的。她把他们弟兄两个都拒绝了。这件事成为大家的笑料。”
“But it wa s ra the r s a d ，s ir，too，”Isaid. “不过，这也是一件惨事，先生。”我说。
“No，”the lawyer replied，Your uncle behavedlike a selfish child. He thought only of himself.
律师回答说；“不，你叔叔办事就象一个自私的小孩子一样，他只
Your father argued and argued with him. In theend，they agreed to a strange thing. The one brothertook the lady，the other，the house and land ofShaws. They did not ask the advice of a lawyer.
This act of your father’s was neither wise nor fairto anybody. The result was - your father and motherwere always poor. You have always been poor，too.
And the tenants on the land of the Shaws have hada bad time. Ebenezer has not been good to them.”
考虑自己。你父亲跟他争辩了不知多少次。最后，他们达成协议，干了一件人们意想不到的事：他们一个娶了那位姑娘，另一个继承了肖府的房子和土地。他们没有向律师请教。你父亲这样做不明智，而且对大家都不利。结果是，你父母穷了一辈子，你一生下来就一无所有。
而租种肖府土地的佃户们也吃了苦头。埃比尼泽一直待他们不好。”
“It is s tra nge ，”I said.“My uncle cha nge d ve rymuch whe n he wa s o lde r.”
“我叔叔上了年纪后，变化竟然这么大，真叫人费解。”我说。
“I ca n und e rs ta nd tha t，”Mr Rankeillor answered.“He knew he ha d not be ha ve d we ll. S omepe op le he a rd the true s tory a nd ne ve r s poke to him.
Othe rs s aw tha t one bro the r ha d gone a nd the othe rha d the Shaws . The y s a id he ha d murde re d his brother. S o e ve rybody a void e d him，a nd he live d a lone . Heha d mone y，a nd nothing e ls e . Mone y wa s more a ndmore importa nt to him. He wa s s e lfis h a nd gre e dywhe n he wa s young. It wa s his n a ture . He is mores e lfis lt a nd gre e dy now. You yo urs e lf ha ve ha d theproof of tha t.”
兰基勒先生说：“这我倒可以理解。他知道自己办的事不光彩。有些人了解了事情的底细，就再也不理他了。其他人看见哥哥失踪了，而弟弟独吞了肖府的家产，就说他谋害了哥哥。因此，大家都不跟他来往，他也就孤零零地过着日子。
除了金钱以外，他一无所有。他越来越贪财。他年轻时就自私、贪婪，那是他的本性，而现在就更变本加厉了，这点你自己已经领教过了。”
“We ll，s ir，”I said,“wha t is my pos ition？Ha sthis love a ffa ir a nd its re sult cha nge d my right to theS haws ？”
我 说,“那么，先生，我的身份呢？那件爱情纠葛和后果是不是改变了我对肖府财产的继承权?”
“Th e hous e of S haws a nd its la nd b e long toyou，”the lawyer said.“It doe s no t ma tte r if you r
律师说：“肖府的房子和土地应该归你所有。即就是你父亲在某个
fa the r s igne d some pa pe r to give the m to your unc le .
You a re the he ir by law. But your un cle will fight. Ala w ca s e will co s t mone y，a nd a family law ca s e a lways give s the pe rsons a ba d name . Be s ide s tha t，the re a re yo ur a dve nture s with Mr Thoms on. If a nyonehe a rs of them，the re ma y be trouble . We ca nnotprove you we re kidna pp e d. You ha ve no witne s s e s .
And your uncle is a n old ma n . My a dvice to you is this- le t him s ta y a t the S haws ，but ma ke him s ha re thein come from the la nd .”
文件上签过字，把家产给了你叔叔都无关紧要。你是合法继承人。不过，你叔叔会跟你争的。打官司得花钱，一家人之间打官司是件丢人现眼的事。另外，还有你跟托马森先生的这一段经历。要是有人知道了，也许会引起麻烦。我证明不了你被拐走这件事，因为你提不出证人。而且，你叔叔已经上了年纪。
我建议你让他住在肖府，但是要叫他和你分享地租。”
I told him I agreed. Meanwhile I was thinkingof a plan.
我对律师说我同意他的方案。
同时，我也在想办法。我说：
“We mus t tra p him in s ome wa y，”I said,“or hewill ne ve r s ha re the income with me . He mus t s a ytha t he is guilty. He mus t do this in fro nt of witne s s e s .
He mus t s a y tha t he pa id Ca pta in Hos e a s on to kidnap me .”
“咱们得给他设个圈套。要不，他是绝对不会同意和我分享地租的。得让他在证人面前亲口说出他有罪，一定得要他说出是他买通了霍西森船长，叫他把我拐骗走了。”
“Ye s . tha t is ne ce s s a ry，”Mr Rankeillor agreed.
“But we mus t do it quie tly. We ca n pe rh a ps finds ome s e ame n from the Cove na nt to te ll the truth ，in ala w ca s e . But the y ma y spe a k of Mr Thoms on you rfrie nd . We mus t find some othe r wa y.”
兰基勒先生同意了我的方案。
他说：“是的，有这个必要。不过，咱们必须暗中进行。咱们或许可以找到几个‘ 契约号’上的水手，让他们在法庭上作证。可是他们可能要提到你的朋友托马森先生。咱们得另想办法。”
“We ll，s ir，”I said.“h e re is my wa y.”
我说：“先生，我有个办法。”
And I told him my plan.
我把我的方案告诉了他。
