福爾摩斯探案集·血字的研究 第57期:和先知的會談(1)

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Chapter 3

第三章

JOHN FERRIER TALKS WITH THE PROPHET

約翰·費瑞厄和先知的會談

THREE weeks had passed since Jefferson Hope and his comrades had departed from Salt Lake City.

杰弗遜·侯波和他的伙伴們離開鹽湖城已經(jīng)有三個禮拜了。

John Ferrier's heart was sore within him when he thought of the young man's return, and of the impending loss of his adopted child.

約翰·費瑞厄每當想到這個年輕人回來的時候，他就要失去他的義女，心中便感到非常痛苦。

Yet her bright and happy face reconciled him to the arrangement more than any argument could have done.

但是，女兒的那張明朗而又幸福的臉，比任何爭論都更能說服他順從這個安排。

He had always determined, deep down in his resolute heart, that nothing would ever induce him to allow his daughter to wed a Mormon.

他心中早已暗暗決定，無論如何，他決不讓他的女兒嫁給一個摩門教徒。

Such marriage he regarded as no marriage at all, but as a shame and a disgrace.

他認為，這種婚姻根本不能算是婚姻，簡直就是一種恥辱。

Whatever he might think of the Mormon doctrines, upon that one point he was inflexible.

不管他對于摩門教教義的看法究竟如何，但是在這一個問題上面，他卻是堅定不移的。

He had to seal his mouth on the subject, however, for to express an unorthodox opinion was a dangerous matter in those days in the Land of the Saints.

然而，他對于這個問題，卻不能不守口如瓶，因為在摩門教的天下，發(fā)表違反教義的言論是十分危險的。

Yes, a dangerous matter–so dangerous that even the most saintly dared only whisper their religious opinions with bated breath,

的確，這是十分危險的，而且危險到這種程度，就連教會中那些德高望重的圣者們，也只敢在暗地里偷偷地談?wù)撍麄儗τ诮虝囊庖姡?/p>

lest something which fell from their lips might be misconstrued, and bring down a swift retribution upon them.

唯恐一句話露出去就會馬上招致橫禍。

The victims of persecution had now turned persecutors on their own account, and persecutors of the most terrible description.

過去被迫害的人，為了報復，現(xiàn)在一變而為迫害者，并且是變本加厲，極端殘酷。

Not the Inquisition of Seville, nor the German Vehmgericht, nor the secret societies of Italy, were ever able to put a more formidable machinery in motion than that which cast a cloud over the state of Utah.

塞維爾的宗教法庭、日爾曼人的叛教律以及意大利秘密黨所擁有的那些龐大的行動組織等等，比之于摩門教徒在猶他州所布下的天羅地網(wǎng)，都是望塵莫及的。

Its invisibility, and the mystery which was attached to it, made this organization doubly terrible.

這個無形的組織出沒無常，再加上與它相關(guān)聯(lián)的那些神秘活動，使得這個組織倍加可怖。

It appeared to be omniscient and omnipotent, and yet was neither seen nor heard.

這個組織似乎是無所不知、無所不能；但是，它的所作所為人們既看不見，也聽不到。

The man who held out against the Church vanished away, and none knew whither he had gone or what had befallen him.

誰要是敢于反對教會，誰就會突然失蹤。既沒有人知道他的下落，也沒有人知道他的遭遇。

His wife and his children awaited him at home, but no father ever returned to tell them how he had fared at the hands of his secret judges.

家中妻子兒女倚門而望，可是父親卻一去不返，再也不會回來向他們訴說他落在他的秘密審判者手中的遭遇。

A rash word or a hasty act was followed by annihilation, and yet none knew what the nature might be of this terrible power which was suspended over them.

說話稍一不慎，行動偶失檢點，立刻就會招來殺身之禍；而且誰也不知道籠罩在他們頭上的這種可怕的勢力究竟是什么。

No wonder that men went about in fear and trembling, and that even in the heart of the wilderness they dared not whisper the doubts which oppressed them.

因此，人們個個驚慌，人人恐懼；即使是在曠野無人之處，也不敢對壓其他們的這種勢力暗地里表示疑義，這也就不足為奇了。