最后的催款信

丹尼尔跳下了公共汽车，安娜跑着跟在他后面。夜晚很冷，也很安静。他们在面包店后面的河边小路上停了下来。

Daniel jumped down from the bus, and Ana ran after him. The night was cold and very quiet. They stopped on the river path, behind the bakery.

那里一个人也没有。小路往左通向运河，往右通向桥，两边都很黑，空空的。只有那个纸袋在台阶上，里面放着面包。

There was nobody there. The path went left to the canal and right to the bridge, and both ways were dark and empty. Only the paper bag was there, on the step, with the bread inside.

“他去哪儿了？”丹尼尔说。他向左看看，向右看看。“他刚才就在这儿。十秒钟前。我看见他了。”

“Where did he go?” Daniel said. He looked left and right. “He was here. Ten seconds ago. I saw him.”

“丹尼尔。你在灯光下看见了谁？你刚才说了：那是……”

“Daniel. Who did you see? In the lights. You said: that’s…”

丹尼尔安静了很久。然后他摇了摇头。“没有人。我不知道。有一秒钟，我以为……是那顶帽子，还有他走路的样子。但是已经十五年了，安娜。而且天很黑。”

Daniel was quiet for a long time. Then he shook his head. “Nobody. I don’t know. For one second, I thought… It was the hat, and the way he walked. But it’s fifteen years, Ana. And it was dark.”

安娜心里藏不住了。“他的名字叫米克，”她说。“他住在运河的一条船上。他每天晚上拿走面包。他说他来自曼彻斯特。他说他不认识什么迈克尔·贝尔。但是他折纸袋的样子和迈克尔一样。而且他会做面包。”

Ana couldn’t keep it inside any more. “His name is Mick,” she said. “He lives on a boat on the canal. He takes the bread every night. He says he’s from Manchester. He says he doesn’t know any Michael Bell. But he folds the bags, like Michael. And he knows how to make bread.”

丹尼尔看了她很久。在他们身后，公共汽车开着门在等。那位护士正看着窗外，不太高兴。

Daniel looked at her for a long time. Behind them, the bus was waiting with its doors open. The nurse was looking out of the window, not happy.

“听我说，安娜，”他轻轻地说。“如果那是迈克尔，沃尔特绝不能从你这里听说。不是从你，也不是从我。你懂吗？那是迈克尔的事。只有迈克尔能走进那扇门。”

“Listen to me, Ana,” he said quietly. “If it is Michael, Walter mustn’t hear it from you. Not from you, not from me. Do you understand? That’s Michael’s job. Only Michael can walk through that door.”

“如果他不来呢？”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“那他就不来。这不是我们的事。”他走回公共汽车。“我要迟到了。快进去吧。外面很冷。”

“Then he doesn’t. It’s not our story.” He walked back to the bus. “I’m going to be late. Go inside. It’s cold.”

公共汽车开走了。安娜一个人站在小路上。然后她打开后门，走进了温暖的厨房。

The bus drove away. Ana stood alone on the path. Then she opened the back door and went into the warm kitchen.

沃尔特在烤箱旁边。他手里拿着一个放满大面包的大托盘。他听到开门声，回过头来。“安娜？今天是你的休息日。你在——”

Walter was at the oven. He had a big tray of loaves in his hands. He turned round when he heard the door. “Ana? It’s your night off. What are you—”

然后他的手抖得很厉害。热托盘掉了下去。地板上到处都是面包。沃尔特伸出手去接托盘，他的手碰到了发热的金属。

Then his hands shook, very badly. The hot tray fell. The loaves went everywhere on the floor. Walter put out his hand to catch the tray, and his hand touched the hot metal.

他叫了一声。Crumb叫了起来。安娜跑过去抓住他的胳膊。“凉水！快！”她把他的手放在水槽的凉水龙头下面。沃尔特的脸变得发白。

He shouted. Crumb barked. Ana ran to him and took his arm. “Cold water! Now!” She held his hand under the cold tap in the sink. Walter’s face was grey.