心与手

心与手

Hearts and Hands

在丹佛，许多乘客涌进了开往东部的B. & M.快车车厢。在其中一节车厢里，坐着一位非常漂亮的年轻女子。她衣着高雅，身边摆满了老练旅行者才会带的各种舒适奢华的用品。

At Denver there was an influx of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B. & M. express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler.

新上车的人当中有两个年轻男子。其中一个相貌英俊，神情举止大胆坦率；另一个则头发凌乱、脸色阴沉，身材魁梧，衣着粗陋。两人用手铐拷在一起。

Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed together.

当他们走过车厢过道时，仅剩的一个空位是正好面对那位漂亮年轻女子的反向座椅。于是，这对连在一起的人便坐了下来。

As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only vacant seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves.

年轻女子的目光从他们身上扫过，带着一种冷漠而短暂的漫不经心。接着，一抹可爱的微笑照亮了她的面庞，圆润的双颊泛起温柔的微红，她伸出了一只戴着灰色手套的小手。

The young woman’s glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her countenance and a tender pink tingeing her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray-gloved hand.

当她开口说话时，声音饱满、甜美而从容，表明说话的人早已习惯了发号施令并受到倾听。

When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard.

“哎呀，伊斯顿先生，如果您一定要让我先开口，那我也只好说了。您在西部碰见老朋友，就认不出来了吗？”

“Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don’t you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?”

听到她的声音，那个较年轻的男人猛地抬起头来。他似乎有些微微的窘迫，但立刻掩饰了过去，随后用左手握住了她的手指。

The younger man roused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand.

“是费尔柴尔德小姐，”他微笑着说，“请您原谅我不能用另一只手，它现在正好有别的事。”

“It’s Miss Fairchild,” he said, with a smile. “I’ll ask you to excuse the other hand; it’s otherwise engaged just at present.”

他微微举起右手，手腕上闪亮的手铐正与同伴的左手连在一起。姑娘眼中高兴的神色慢慢变成了困惑与恐惧。她双颊上的红晕退去了。

He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining “bracelet” to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl’s eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks.

她的嘴唇微微张开，露出一种茫然而无力的痛苦。伊斯顿轻轻笑了一声，仿佛觉得很有趣，刚想再开口，另一个人却抢先说了话。

Her lips parted in a vague, relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him.

那个脸色阴沉的人一直用机敏精明的眼睛，暗暗打量着这位姑娘的神色。

The glum-faced man had been watching the girl’s countenance with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes.

“小姐，请原谅我插嘴，不过我看得出您跟这位警长认识。要是我们到了监狱，您能请他替我说句好话，他会帮的，这样我在那儿的日子也能好过些。他正要把我押到莱文沃思监狱去。

“You’ll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you’re acquainted with the marshall here. If you’ll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen he’ll do it, and it’ll make things easier for me there. He’s taking me to Leavenworth prison.

因为造假钞，得判七年呢。”

It’s seven years for counterfeiting.”