《魔法师的外甥》第8期:开错的门(4)
"Silence, sir!" said Uncle Andrew, bringing his hand down on the table. "I will not be talked to like that by a little, dirty, schoolboy. You don't understand. I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment. Of course I need subjects to do it on. Bless my soul, you'll be telling me next that I ought to have asked the guinea-pigs' permission before I used them! No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice. But the idea of my going myself is ridiculous. It's like asking a general to fight as a common soldier. Supposing I got killed, what would become of my life's work?"
"Oh, do stop jawing," said Digory. "Are you going to bring Polly back?"
"I was going to tell you, when you so rudely interrupted me," said Uncle Andrew, "that I did at last find out a way of doing the return journey. The green rings draw you back."
"But Polly hasn't got a green ring."
"No " said Uncle Andrew with a cruel smile.
"Then she can't get back," shouted Digory. "And it's exactly the same as if you'd murdered her.
"She can get back," said Uncle Andrew, "if someone else will go after her, wearing a yellow ring himself and taking two green rings, one to bring himself back and one to bring her back."
And now of course Digory saw the trap in which he was caught: and he stared at Uncle Andrew, saying nothing, with his mouth wide open. His cheeks had gone very pale.
"I hope," said Uncle Andrew presently in a very high and mighty voice, just as if he were a perfect Uncle who had given one a handsome tip and some good advice, "I hope, Digory, you are not given to showing the white feather. I should be very sorry to think that anyone of our family had not enough honour and chivalry to go to the aid of - er - a lady in distress."
"Oh shut up!" said Digory. "If you had any honour and all that, you'd be going yourself. But I know you won't. Alright. I see I've got to go. But you are a beast. I suppose you planned the whole thing, so that she'd go without knowing it and then I'd have to go after her."
"Of course," said Uncle Andrew with his hateful smile.
"Very well. I'll go. But there's one thing I jolly well mean to say first. I didn't believe in Magic till today. I see now it's real. Well if it is, I suppose all the old fairy tales are more or less true. And you're simply a wicked, cruel magician like the ones in the stories. Well, I've never read a story in which people of that sort weren't paid out in the end, and I bet you will be. And serve you right."
Of all the things Digory had said this was the first that really went home. Uncle Andrew started and there came over his face a look of such horror that, beast though he was, you could almost feel sorry for him. But a second later he smoothed it all away and said with a rather forced laugh, "Well, well, I suppose that is a natural thing for a child to think - brought up among women, as you have been. Old wives' tales, eh? I don't think you need worry about my danger, Digory. Wouldn't it be better to worry about the danger of your little friend? She's been gone some time. If there are any dangers Over There - well, it would be a pity to arrive a moment too late."
“好了，别哆里哆嗦地训人了，”迪格雷说，“你准备让波莉回来吗？”
“刚才你粗鲁地打断我时，我就要告诉你，”安德鲁舅舅说，“我最后终于找到了回来的办法。绿戒指能带你回来。”
“但波莉没有绿戒指。”
“没有。”安德香舅舅残忍地一笑。
“这么说，她不能回来了，”迪格雷高声喊着，“这跟谋害没什么两样。”
“她可以回来，”安德鲁舅舅说，”如果有人肯去找她，戴上一枚黄戒指，再带上两枚绿戒指，一枚给自己，一枚给她。”
这时，迪格雷明白自己上了当，他大张着嘴，无声地旬若安德鲁舅舅。他的脸变得苍白。
“我希望，”安德鲁舅舅用劲大声说遂，好像他是个大方而正派的舅舅，给过谁一笔可观的赏钱或者善意的忠告似的，“我希望，迪格雷，你不盲欢示弱。想到我们家没有人有足够的责任心和侠义精神去解救苦难中的女士，我就感到十分遗憾。”
“住嘴吧！”迪格雷说，“要是你有点儿责任心和侠义精神，你自己就会去，但我知道你是不会去的。好，我明白，我必须去，但你的确是个狼心狗肺的家伙。我想，这全是你一手策划的，计她糊里糊涂地消失了，然后，我就不得不跟若去。”
“当然。”安德鲁舅舅奸笑着说。
“好，我去。但有件事，我一定要说在前头。我过去不相信魔法，直到今天，我才知道是真的。那么，我想，那些古老的神话故事多多少少都是真的。你就是故事里写的那种那恶、残忍的魔法师。我还从来没有读过这样的人能逃脱惩罚的故事。我敢打赌，你也会有这一天的。那是报应。”
迪格雷说了那么多，这番话才最切中要害。安德鲁舅舅吃了一惊。虽然他缺乏人性，但他脸上露出的恐惧神态几乎让人感到怜悯。可是，这种神色很快消失了，接着是响亮的笑声。他说“唉唉，对一个像你这样在女人堆里长大的孩子来说，这么想是很自然的。老太太们讲的故事，对吗？我认为你不必为我担忧，迪格雷。为你的小朋友担忱不是更好吗？她走了好一阵了，要是那边有什么危险——迟去一秒钟都会遗憾的。”
