牛津書蟲系列 神秘及幻想故事集 02 The Black Cat

The Black Cat

黑 貓

I know you will not believe this story.Only a madman could hope that you would believe it-and I am not mad.But as I am going to die tomorrow，I would like to tell my story to the world today.Perhaps some day，somebody more calm and less excitale than me，will be able to explain it.

我知道你們是不會(huì)相信這個(gè)故事的。只有瘋子才會(huì)指望讓你們相信——而我并沒有發(fā)瘋?？墒强紤]到明天我就要死了，我還是想在今天把我的故事講給這個(gè)世界。也許有一天，有一個(gè)比我更鎮(zhèn)靜、更不易激動(dòng)的人，將能夠解釋這一切。

I have always loved animals.I loved them deeply，from the very first days of my life.When I was young，we always had many animals in our house，and so I used to spend most of my days playing with them and taking care of them.As the years passed，I grew into a quiet，gentle man，and my love for animals grew too.I found that they were more friendly，more honest than most men Animals were always my best friends.

我這人一向喜愛動(dòng)物，從我生命最初的歲月起、便深深地眷戀它們。我小的時(shí)候，我們家里總是養(yǎng)著一大堆動(dòng)物，于是我常常把大部分時(shí)間都花在陪它們玩、照料它們上面。隨著光陰流逝，我成長為一個(gè)安靜、文雅的男人，同時(shí)，我對(duì)動(dòng)物的喜愛也有增無減。我發(fā)現(xiàn)它們比大多數(shù)人更友好，更誠實(shí)。動(dòng)物們一直是我最好的朋友。

I got married when I was quite young.Luckily，my wife loved animals too，and she used to buy me many animals as presents.In fact，our house was always full of animals-we had birds，fish，a dog，chickens，and a cat.

我在相當(dāng)年輕的時(shí)候就結(jié)了婚。還好，我妻子也熱愛動(dòng)物，她常常買回好些個(gè)寵物送給我作禮物。事實(shí)上，我們家里總是充滿了動(dòng)物——我們養(yǎng)了好多鳥，好多魚，一只狗，幾只雞，還有一只貓。

This cat，whom we called Pluto，was a large black cat.He was a beautiful animal，and he was also very clever.I loved Pluto more than I loved all my other animals.I wanted to do everything for him myself，so I never let my wife take care of him.I used to play with him and give him his food，and he followed me everywhere I went.

這只貓被我們稱作普路托，它是只大個(gè)兒的黑貓，長得非常漂亮，而且十分聰明。比起我的其他寵物來，我對(duì)普路托更是寵愛有加。我情愿親自為它做一切事情，所以從不讓我妻子照料它。我經(jīng)常陪它玩，喂它食吃;我走到哪兒，它也跟到哪兒。

For several years Pluto and I were the best of friends，but during this time my life slowly changed.I became a heavy drinker，and my need for alcohol soon grew into a terrible disease.I was often angry and violent.I began to shout at my wife，and I even started to hit her.My animals，too，felt the change in me.I stopped taking care of them and sometimes I was even cruel to them.But I was never cruel to Pluto.As time passed，my disease grew worse，and soon even Pluto was not safe from my violence.

普路托和我就這樣做了好幾年最親密的朋友，可是在此期間，我的生活慢慢地發(fā)生了一些變化。我成了一個(gè)嚴(yán)重酗酒的家伙，我的嗜酒如命很快發(fā)展成可怕的頑癥。我經(jīng)常發(fā)脾氣，態(tài)度很粗暴。我開始對(duì)我妻子大喊大叫，甚至開始動(dòng)手打她。我的動(dòng)物們也感覺到了我的變化。我不再精心照料它們，有時(shí)候甚至虐待它們。但我從不對(duì)普路托施暴。天長日久，我的病情逐漸加重了，很快地，就連普路托也難以幸免于我的暴虐兇殘了。

One night I arrived home late.I was very，very drunk.When Pluto saw me，he tried to run away from me，and this made me angry.I caught him by his neck and shook him.He，in his fright，bit me on the hand.At once，a wild，terrible anger filled me，and I could feel nothing except burning hate.Slowly I took a knife from my pocket，opened it，and then carefully cut out one of Pluto's eyes from its socket.I shake today as I write these words down.Every time I remember that day，I still feel sadness and pain.

一天夜里，我很晚才回到家中，我已經(jīng)喝得酩酊大醉了。普路托一看見我，就想尋路逃開，這可讓我心頭火起。我一把抓住它的脖子，搖晃它。它嚇壞了，就在我手上咬了一口。頓時(shí)，一股瘋狂、駭人的怒火充盈了我的胸膛，除了燃燒著的仇恨我什么也感覺不到了。我慢慢地從口袋里掏出一把刀子，打開它，然后很仔細(xì)地把普路托的一只眼睛從眼眶里剜了出來。今天，當(dāng)我寫下這些詞句時(shí)，我不禁渾身瑟瑟發(fā)抖。我每一次記起那一天，都依然感到悲傷和痛苦。

When I woke up the next morning，I felt ashamed of what I had done.But this feeling was not strong enough to make me change my life.I continued to drink because it was too difficult for me to stop.Soon，I had forgotten what I had done.

第二天早晨醒來時(shí)，我為我前夜的所作所為感到羞恥。但這種感情還不夠強(qiáng)烈，不足以讓我改過自新。我繼續(xù)濫飲起來，因?yàn)橄胱屛彝Ｏ聛碚媸翘щy了。不久，我就將我做下的事情忘了個(gè)精光。

As the months passed，Pluto got better.His empty eye socket still looked terrible，but at least he wasn't in pain any more.Not surprisingly，he used to run away from me when he saw me，frightened that I would hurt him again.At first I was sad to see him run away-an animal which had once so loved me.Then I began to feel a little angry.There is something strange about the human heart.We humans seem to like hurt-ing ourselves.Haven't we all，a hundred times，done something stupid or evil just because we know that we should not do it?It was because of this，this need to hurt myself，that I did this next evil thing…

幾個(gè)月過去了，普路托的傷勢(shì)有所好轉(zhuǎn)。它那空蕩蕩的眼窩看上去仍舊很可怕，但它起碼不再覺得疼了。不出所料，它一見到我便趕緊跑開，惟恐我會(huì)再次傷害它。開始的時(shí)候，我看見它跑開還覺得很難過——這只動(dòng)物從前是多么喜歡我呀。然后，我開始覺得有一點(diǎn)生氣了。人類的心腸可真有點(diǎn)古怪，我們好像很喜歡傷害自己。難道我們不都曾明知故犯，昧著良心無數(shù)次干下這樣那樣的蠢事或者惡事嗎?正是由于這個(gè)，由于這種自我傷害的需求，我緊接著又做下了這樁喪盡天良的事……

One morning I woke，found a rope and calmly tied it round Pluto's neck.Then I hung the poor animal from a tree and left it there to die.I cried as I did this terrible thing.My face was wet with tears and my heart was black and heavy.But I killed it.I killed it because I knew it had loved me，because it hadn't hurt me，even because I knew that I was doing something terrible and wrong.

一天早晨，我醒來后找到了一根繩子，平靜地把它套在了普路托的脖子上。然后我將那可憐的畜生吊在一棵樹上，任憑它那樣死去。我一邊做這件可怕的事情一邊哭泣，眼淚打濕了我的臉頰，我的心又陰郁又沉痛。但是我吊死了它。我吊死它是因?yàn)槲抑浪?jīng)愛過我，是因?yàn)樗辉鴤^我，甚至是因?yàn)槲抑牢以谧鲋患膳碌腻e(cuò)事。

That same night we had a fire in our house.I was woken from my sleep by loud shouts of ‘Fire!’When I opened my eyes，I found that the fire had already reached the bedroom.My wife and I ran out of the house as fast as we could.Luckily we escaped death，but the house and almost everything in it was destroyed.

當(dāng)天夜里我們家的房子失火了。我從睡夢(mèng)中驚醒，聽見有人高喊：“著火了!”我睜開眼，發(fā)現(xiàn)大火早已燒到了臥室，便和我妻子一起飛也似地逃出了房子。我們僥幸死里逃生，可是房子以及房子里的幾乎全部家當(dāng)都燒了個(gè)精光。

The next day I went back into the house and saw several people standing in a group，looking at a wall.It was the only wall of the house that was still standing after the fire.It was one of my bedroom walls，the one where the head of my bed had rested.As I came nearer to the wall I heard someone say，‘How strange!’and another person，‘That's impossible!’And then I saw it-a huge cat.Not a real cat，but the shape of a cat outlined in the white bedroom wall.It was as clear as a picture.I could even see a rope around the animal's neck.

第二天，我回到房子里去，見幾個(gè)人聚成一堆，正盯著一堵墻看。這是大火過后整棟房子惟一一堵仍舊立著的墻壁，是我臥室的四壁中的一面，平時(shí)我的床頭就靠在上面。我向那面墻走近些，聽見有人說：“真不可思議!”又聽見另一個(gè)人說：“那是不可能的!”然后我也看見了——一只大貓。不是真貓，而是一只貓的形狀，印在臥室雪白的墻上，像幅畫一樣清晰。我甚至可以看到那畜生脖子上拴著的繩子。

I stood there in horror，too frightened to move.Then，slowly，I thought back to the night before.I had left the cat hanging from a tree，in the garden at the back of my house.When a neighbour had first noticed the fire，many people had run into the garden.One of them had probably cut the cat from the tree and thrown it through my open window，in order to wake me up.The cat's body had hit my bedroom wall and left its shape there，because the plaster on that wall was new and still soft.

我魂飛魄散地站在那兒，嚇得一動(dòng)不敢動(dòng)。然后，慢慢地，我回想起前一天夜里發(fā)生的事。我把貓吊在樹上，是在我家后面的園子里。有一個(gè)鄰居首先發(fā)現(xiàn)起火，很多人便跑進(jìn)了那個(gè)園子。很可能是他們中間的某個(gè)人割斷繩子，從樹上解下那只貓，并將它順著敞開的窗戶扔進(jìn)來，希望以此叫醒我。貓的尸體撞到我臥室的墻上，在上面印下了自己的輪廓，因?yàn)槟敲鎵ι系幕夷嗍切履ǖ?，還軟和著呢。

Although I thought that this was a very reasonable explanation，the strange shape on the wall still worried me.I thought about the cat day and night.I began to feel sorry that I had killed it.I started walking around the streets at night looking at all the cats，to see if I could find another one like Pluto.

盡管我覺得這個(gè)解釋很是入情入理，但墻上那古怪的形狀仍然令我心煩意亂。日日夜夜，我總想起那只貓。我有些后悔自己害死了它，并開始在深夜跑到街上轉(zhuǎn)悠，注意觀察所有的貓，看是否能找到一只與普路托相像的。

One night，I was drinking in my favourite bar when I suddenly noticed a large，black cat.I went up to it and touched it.It was very large-as large as Pluto had been.It also looked very like Pluto.Except for one thing.Pluto had been black all over，but this cat had a white mark on its front.

一天夜里，我正在我最喜歡的酒吧里喝酒，突然，我注意到一只大個(gè)兒的黑貓，便朝它走過去，撫摸它。它大極了——和普路托過去一樣大，而且看上去也很像普路托。不相像的只有一處。普路托是通體烏黑的，但這只貓前胸有一塊白斑。

I touched the cat and he immediately lay down against my leg and seemed very friendly towards me.This，I decided，was the cat that I wanted.I offered the barman some money to buy the cat from him，but he said that the cat didn't belong to him.In fact，he had no idea where it had come from.

我撫摸著那貓，它立即挨著我的腿躺倒，似乎對(duì)我非常友善的樣子。我當(dāng)即斷定，這就是我夢(mèng)寐以求的那只貓。我向酒吧老板提出付他一些錢買下這只貓，但他說這只貓并不屬于他，實(shí)際上，他根本不知道它是從什么地方跑來的。

So I took the cat home.My wife liked it immediately，and it stayed with us from that day.But soon-I do not know why-the cat started to make me angry，and，as time passed，I began to hate it.I did not hurt it in any way，but I always tried to keep as far away from it as possible.

于是我把貓帶回了家。我妻子一下子就喜歡上了它，打那天起，它便和我們待在一起。可是沒多久——我不知是何緣故——這只貓開始惹我生氣了，而且，時(shí)間一長，我便開始對(duì)它深惡痛絕。我并沒怎么折磨它，不過我總是盡量避開它，巴不得離得越遠(yuǎn)越好。

I knew one reason why I hated this cat so much.Oh the morning after I had brought it home，I saw that，like Pluto，it had lost one of its eyes.My wife，who was the kind，gentle per-son that I had once been，only loved the cat more because of this.But the cat didn't like my wife.It loved me alone.

我知道有一個(gè)原因，可以解釋我為何如此厭惡這只貓。就在我把它帶回家的第二天早上，我看到，像普路托一樣，它也丟掉了一只眼睛。我的妻子像過去的我一樣是個(gè)善良、溫柔的人，她因?yàn)樨埖倪@次不幸反而更加憐愛它了。但這只貓并不喜歡我妻子，它只依戀我一個(gè)人。

Every time I sat down，it used to jump onto my knees.When I went out of a room，it used to run out in front of me and get between my feet，or climb up my legs.At these times，I wanted to kill it.But I didn't，because I was too afraid-afraid of the cat，and even more afraid of the white mark on its chest.

每次我一坐下，它就要跳到我膝蓋上;我一走出房間，它就竄出來跑到我前面，走在我兩腳中間，或是爬到我的腿上。每逢這種時(shí)刻，我就想殺了它。但我沒有下手，因?yàn)槲姨ε铝?mdash;—害怕這只貓，尤其害怕它胸前的那塊白斑。

I have already mentioned this mark.At first，there was nothing strange about it.It was just a white mark.But slowly this mark grew and changed until it had the clear shape of a terrible，a horrible thing-I find it difficult，here in my prison，to write the word.It was the shape of the GALLOWS!Yes，those horrible wooden posts from which they hang men by a rope around the neck!

這個(gè)斑塊我在前面提到過。一開始，它并沒有什么奇怪之處，不過是塊白斑而已。但是慢慢地，這個(gè)斑塊在長大、變形，最終清晰地顯露出一樣可怕的、恐怖的東西的形狀——在這牢房之中，我很難寫下那個(gè)字眼。那是個(gè)絞刑架的形狀!是的，正是他們用絞索套住脖子將人吊死在上面的那種恐怖的木頭架子!

As each day passed，my fear grew and grew.I，a man，a strong man，had become afraid of a cat!Why was I so fright-ened，so worried by a stupid animal?Day and night，I could get no rest.I had the most terrible dreams，and my mind turned to dark，evil thoughts.I hated everything，everybody-and life itself.

隨著每一個(gè)日子過去，我的恐懼感一增再增。我，一個(gè)男人，一個(gè)強(qiáng)健的男子漢，竟然到了害怕一只貓的地步!我為什么要這樣心驚膽寒，這樣被一只愚蠢的畜生搞得六神無主?白天黑夜，我都不得安寧。我總做些最可怕的噩夢(mèng)，腦子里盡是些陰暗、邪惡的念頭。我憎恨一切事，憎恨所有人——也憎恨生活本身。

One day my wife and I needed to get something from the cellar underneath the house.The cat followed us down the steps and threw itself in front of me.I almost fell on my face and，mad with anger，I took hold of an axe and tried to kill the animal.But my wife caught my arm to stop me，and then anger exploded in my mind.I turned and drove the axe deep into her head.She fell dead on the floor，without a sound.

有一天，我和我妻子需要到房子下面的地窖里去取點(diǎn)東西，那只貓也跟著我們下了臺(tái)階，并且一個(gè)箭步躥到了我前頭，害得我差點(diǎn)兒摔了個(gè)嘴啃泥。我氣得發(fā)瘋，抄起一柄斧頭就想劈死這畜生，可是，我妻子拽住我的胳膊，要阻止我。這時(shí)，怒火在我心中爆發(fā)，我轉(zhuǎn)過身，將斧頭深深劈進(jìn)了她的腦袋。她一聲沒哼，登時(shí)倒在地上斷了氣。

After this horrible murder，I calmly made plans to hide the body.I knew I couldn't take it out of the house，either by day or night，because the neighbours would see me.So I had to think of other ways… I could cut the body up into very small pieces and then burn them in a fire.I could hide the body under the floor.Or I could put the body in a box and then ask someone to carry the box away… Finally，I thought of a better idea.I decided to hide the body behind the walls of the cellar.

干完了這樁恐怖的殺人勾當(dāng)，我鎮(zhèn)定自若地謀劃起匿尸滅跡的事來。我知道，無論白天還是黑夜，我都不能把尸首運(yùn)出這房子，因?yàn)槟菢幼鰰?huì)讓鄰居瞧見。所以我只好想些別的法子……我可以把尸體切成極小的碎塊，扔到火里燒掉。我可以把尸體藏在地板下面。我還可以把尸體裝到箱子里，再請(qǐng)人將箱子搬走……最后，我想出了一個(gè)更好的主意。我決定將尸體藏在地窖墻壁的背后。

I knew immediately which wall to choose.There was a wall in the cellar round the bottom of an old chimney，which was no longer used.This wall had bricks in the front and back but was empty in the middle.I started work at once. I took out some of the bricks from the front wall and carefully put the body against the back wall.Then I put back the bricks and covered them with plaster.I made sure that the plaster did not look new，and soon the wall looked just the same as all the other walls.When I had finished my work，I looked at the plaster.‘I've never done a better piece of work!’I said to myself happily.

我馬上就知道應(yīng)該選擇哪一面墻了。地窖里有一面墻是圍著一個(gè)廢棄不用的舊煙囪底座砌起來的，它的正面和背面都?jí)局u頭，但中間部分卻是空的。我馬上動(dòng)手開干。我從正面墻上拆下一些磚塊，小心翼翼地將尸體貼著后面的墻放好，然后把磚塊砌回去，再用灰泥將磚墻抹平。我把灰泥抹得使它看上去不像是新的，過不多久這面墻就和其他幾面看著一模一樣了。我忙活完，望著墻上的灰泥，高興地自言自語道：“我還從沒干過這么漂亮的活計(jì)呢!”

I then looked around for the cat，to kill it.It had brought too much unhappiness into my life，and so it，too，must now die.I looked for it everywhere，but it had disappeared.I was free at last!That night I had a deep，peaceful sleep-I，who had just killed my wife，slept well!

然后我四下里找那只貓，要?dú)⒘怂?。它給我的生活帶來了太多的不幸，所以，現(xiàn)在它也必須去見閻王爺。我找遍了每一個(gè)角落，但是它已無影無蹤了。我終于自由了!當(dāng)天夜里，我太太平平地酣睡了一場——我，一個(gè)剛剛殺害了自己愛妻的家伙，居然睡了個(gè)好覺!

Three days passed and still the cat did not appear.I was now a happy man，happier than I had been for a long time.I wasn't worried by what I had done.People had asked a few questions and the police had visited my house，but they had found nothing.

三天過去了，那只貓仍然沒有出現(xiàn)。我現(xiàn)在快樂極了，是很久以來最快樂的時(shí)候。我對(duì)自己犯下的罪行并不擔(dān)心。人們來問了幾個(gè)問題，警察也到我家來過了，但他們什么也沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)。

On the fourth day the police visited again and began to search the house.They looked into all the rooms and then went down into the cellar.I went with them，feeling calm and safe.I watched them as they looked everywhere.They seemed quite happy that there was nothing there and they got ready to leave.I was very happy.I was sure that I was safe，but I wanted to say something，just a word or two，to show how unworried I was.

第四天，警察又來了，并且開始進(jìn)行搜查。他們查看了每一個(gè)房間，然后下臺(tái)階來到地窖里面。我陪著他們，心里感到非常平靜和安全，一直冷眼旁觀他們檢查每一個(gè)角落。他們沒有找到任何東西，似乎相當(dāng)高興，并且準(zhǔn)備離開了。我滿心歡喜。我確信自己是安全的，但又想說點(diǎn)什么，哪怕是一兩句話，就為了表示一下我是多么滿不在乎、清白無辜。

‘Gentlemen，’I said，‘I'm pleased that you've found nothing here，and that you are now leaving this house…But let me show you something，gentlemen.Do you see how well built this house is?These walls，you will notice，are very strong.’As I said these words，I knocked on the wall with a stick-the wall where i had hidden my wife!

“先生們，”我開口道，“你們?cè)谶@里沒有找到任何東西，現(xiàn)在又要離開這幢房子了，我很高興……不過我要給你們看樣?xùn)|西，先生們。你們看見沒有，這房子建得有多么好?你們會(huì)注意到，這幾堵墻結(jié)實(shí)極了。”我一面說著這話，一面用根棍子敲打著墻壁——正是我藏匿妻子尸體的那面墻!

At that moment we heard a sound.It was a strange sound，unlike anything I had ever heard before.The sound was soft at first，almost like a baby crying.Then it grew louder and louder and turned into one long，endless scream.It was like a cry rising from Hell.

就在那一刻，我們聽見了一個(gè)聲音。這聲音很古怪，同我以前聽到過的聲音都大不一樣。它開始時(shí)很輕，幾乎像是一個(gè)嬰兒的哭聲;然后就升得越來越高，轉(zhuǎn)而成為一聲沒完沒了的長嘯，仿佛從地獄中響起的哀號(hào)。

The policemen looked at me，then at one another.They ran to the wall and started pulling out the bricks as fast as they could.In minutes the wall was down and there，for all to see，was the body of my dead wife.On top of her head，with a red，open mouth and one burning eye，sat the black cat-the animal which had made me a murderer，and which would now send me to my death.

警察們一齊望著我，又彼此看了看。他們奔到墻邊，開始拼命將磚塊飛快地向外扒。幾分鐘不到，磚墻扒倒了;那里赫然便是我那亡妻的尸首。在她的頭頂上蹲著那只黑貓，張開血盆大口，一只獨(dú)眼里燃燒著鬼火——這畜生誘使我犯下了殺人罪，現(xiàn)在又要送我去見閻王了。

I had put the horrible thing into the wall，alive，with my wife!

我把這可怕的東西，同我妻子一起，活活砌到墻里去了!

The Black Cat

I know you will not believe this story.Only a madman could hope that you would believe it-and I am not mad.But as I am going to die tomorrow，I would like to tell my story to the world today.Perhaps some day，somebody more calm and less excitale than me，will be able to explain it.

I have always loved animals.I loved them deeply，from the very first days of my life.When I was young，we always had many animals in our house，and so I used to spend most of my days playing with them and taking care of them.As the years passed，I grew into a quiet，gentle man，and my love for animals grew too.I found that they were more friendly，more honest than most men Animals were always my best friends.

I got married when I was quite young.Luckily，my wife loved animals too，and she used to buy me many animals as presents.In fact，our house was always full of animals-we had birds，fish，a dog，chickens，and a cat.

This cat，whom we called Pluto，was a large black cat.He was a beautiful animal，and he was also very clever.I loved Pluto more than I loved all my other animals.I wanted to do everything for him myself，so I never let my wife take care of him.I used to play with him and give him his food，and he followed me everywhere I went.

For several years Pluto and I were the best of friends，but during this time my life slowly changed.I became a heavy drinker，and my need for alcohol soon grew into a terrible disease.I was often angry and violent.I began to shout at my wife，and I even started to hit her.My animals，too，felt the change in me.I stopped taking care of them and sometimes I was even cruel to them.But I was never cruel to Pluto.As time passed，my disease grew worse，and soon even Pluto was not safe from my violence.

One night I arrived home late.I was very，very drunk.When Pluto saw me，he tried to run away from me，and this made me angry.I caught him by his neck and shook him.He，in his fright，bit me on the hand.At once，a wild，terrible anger filled me，and I could feel nothing except burning hate.Slowly I took a knife from my pocket，opened it，and then carefully cut out one of Pluto's eyes from its socket.I shake today as I write these words down.Every time I remember that day，I still feel sadness and pain.

When I woke up the next morning，I felt ashamed of what I had done.But this feeling was not strong enough to make me change my life.I continued to drink because it was too difficult for me to stop.Soon，I had forgotten what I had done.

As the months passed，Pluto got better.His empty eye socket still looked terrible，but at least he wasn't in pain any more.Not surprisingly，he used to run away from me when he saw me，frightened that I would hurt him again.At first I was sad to see him run away-an animal which had once so loved me.Then I began to feel a little angry.There is something strange about the human heart.We humans seem to like hurt-ing ourselves.Haven't we all，a hundred times，done something stupid or evil just because we know that we should not do it?It was because of this，this need to hurt myself，that I did this next evil thing…

One morning I woke，found a rope and calmly tied it round Pluto's neck.Then I hung the poor animal from a tree and left it there to die.I cried as I did this terrible thing.My face was wet with tears and my heart was black and heavy.But I killed it.I killed it because I knew it had loved me，because it hadn't hurt me，even because I knew that I was doing something terrible and wrong.

That same night we had a fire in our house.I was woken from my sleep by loud shouts of ‘Fire!’When I opened my eyes，I found that the fire had already reached the bedroom.My wife and I ran out of the house as fast as we could.Luckily we escaped death，but the house and almost everything in it was destroyed.

The next day I went back into the house and saw several people standing in a group，looking at a wall.It was the only wall of the house that was still standing after the fire.It was one of my bedroom walls，the one where the head of my bed had rested.As I came nearer to the wall I heard someone say，‘How strange!’and another person，‘That's impossible!’And then I saw it-a huge cat.Not a real cat，but the shape of a cat outlined in the white bedroom wall.It was as clear as a picture.I could even see a rope around the animal's neck.

I stood there in horror，too frightened to move.Then，slowly，I thought back to the night before.I had left the cat hanging from a tree，in the garden at the back of my house.When a neighbour had first noticed the fire，many people had run into the garden.One of them had probably cut the cat from the tree and thrown it through my open window，in order to wake me up.The cat's body had hit my bedroom wall and left its shape there，because the plaster on that wall was new and still soft.

Although I thought that this was a very reasonable explanation，the strange shape on the wall still worried me.I thought about the cat day and night.I began to feel sorry that I had killed it.I started walking around the streets at night looking at all the cats，to see if I could find another one like Pluto.

One night，I was drinking in my favourite bar when I suddenly noticed a large，black cat.I went up to it and touched it.It was very large-as large as Pluto had been.It also looked very like Pluto.Except for one thing.Pluto had been black all over，but this cat had a white mark on its front.

I touched the cat and he immediately lay down against my leg and seemed very friendly towards me.This，I decided，was the cat that I wanted.I offered the barman some money to buy the cat from him，but he said that the cat didn't belong to him.In fact，he had no idea where it had come from.

So I took the cat home.My wife liked it immediately，and it stayed with us from that day.But soon-I do not know why-the cat started to make me angry，and，as time passed，I began to hate it.I did not hurt it in any way，but I always tried to keep as far away from it as possible.

I knew one reason why I hated this cat so much.Oh the morning after I had brought it home，I saw that，like Pluto，it had lost one of its eyes.My wife，who was the kind，gentle per-son that I had once been，only loved the cat more because of this.But the cat didn't like my wife.It loved me alone.

Every time I sat down，it used to jump onto my knees.When I went out of a room，it used to run out in front of me and get between my feet，or climb up my legs.At these times，I wanted to kill it.But I didn't，because I was too afraid-afraid of the cat，and even more afraid of the white mark on its chest.

I have already mentioned this mark.At first，there was nothing strange about it.It was just a white mark.But slowly this mark grew and changed until it had the clear shape of a terrible，a horrible thing-I find it difficult，here in my prison，to write the word.It was the shape of the GALLOWS!Yes，those horrible wooden posts from which they hang men by a rope around the neck!

As each day passed，my fear grew and grew.I，a man，a strong man，had become afraid of a cat!Why was I so fright-ened，so worried by a stupid animal?Day and night，I could get no rest.I had the most terrible dreams，and my mind turned to dark，evil thoughts.I hated everything，everybody-and life itself.

One day my wife and I needed to get something from the cellar underneath the house.The cat followed us down the steps and threw itself in front of me.I almost fell on my face and，mad with anger，I took hold of an axe and tried to kill the animal.But my wife caught my arm to stop me，and then anger exploded in my mind.I turned and drove the axe deep into her head.She fell dead on the floor，without a sound.

After this horrible murder，I calmly made plans to hide the body.I knew I couldn't take it out of the house，either by day or night，because the neighbours would see me.So I had to think of other ways… I could cut the body up into very small pieces and then burn them in a fire.I could hide the body under the floor.Or I could put the body in a box and then ask someone to carry the box away… Finally，I thought of a better idea.I decided to hide the body behind the walls of the cellar.

I knew immediately which wall to choose.There was a wall in the cellar round the bottom of an old chimney，which was no longer used.This wall had bricks in the front and back but was empty in the middle.I started work at once. I took out some of the bricks from the front wall and carefully put the body against the back wall.Then I put back the bricks and covered them with plaster.I made sure that the plaster did not look new，and soon the wall looked just the same as all the other walls.When I had finished my work，I looked at the plaster.‘I've never done a better piece of work!’I said to myself happily.

I then looked around for the cat，to kill it.It had brought too much unhappiness into my life，and so it，too，must now die.I looked for it everywhere，but it had disappeared.I was free at last!That night I had a deep，peaceful sleep-I，who had just killed my wife，slept well!

Three days passed and still the cat did not appear.I was now a happy man，happier than I had been for a long time.I wasn't worried by what I had done.People had asked a few questions and the police had visited my house，but they had found nothing.

On the fourth day the police visited again and began to search the house.They looked into all the rooms and then went down into the cellar.I went with them，feeling calm and safe.I watched them as they looked everywhere.They seemed quite happy that there was nothing there and they got ready to leave.I was very happy.I was sure that I was safe，but I wanted to say something，just a word or two，to show how unworried I was.

‘Gentlemen，’I said，‘I'm pleased that you've found nothing here，and that you are now leaving this house…But let me show you something，gentlemen.Do you see how well built this house is?These walls，you will notice，are very strong.’As I said these words，I knocked on the wall with a stick-the wall where i had hidden my wife!

At that moment we heard a sound.It was a strange sound，unlike anything I had ever heard before.The sound was soft at first，almost like a baby crying.Then it grew louder and louder and turned into one long，endless scream.It was like a cry rising from Hell.

The policemen looked at me，then at one another.They ran to the wall and started pulling out the bricks as fast as they could.In minutes the wall was down and there，for all to see，was the body of my dead wife.On top of her head，with a red，open mouth and one burning eye，sat the black cat-the animal which had made me a murderer，and which would now send me to my death.

I had put the horrible thing into the wall，alive，with my wife!

黑 貓

我知道你們是不會(huì)相信這個(gè)故事的。只有瘋子才會(huì)指望讓你們相信——而我并沒有發(fā)瘋。可是考慮到明天我就要死了，我還是想在今天把我的故事講給這個(gè)世界。也許有一天，有一個(gè)比我更鎮(zhèn)靜、更不易激動(dòng)的人，將能夠解釋這一切。

我這人一向喜愛動(dòng)物，從我生命最初的歲月起、便深深地眷戀它們。我小的時(shí)候，我們家里總是養(yǎng)著一大堆動(dòng)物，于是我常常把大部分時(shí)間都花在陪它們玩、照料它們上面。隨著光陰流逝，我成長為一個(gè)安靜、文雅的男人，同時(shí)，我對(duì)動(dòng)物的喜愛也有增無減。我發(fā)現(xiàn)它們比大多數(shù)人更友好，更誠實(shí)。動(dòng)物們一直是我最好的朋友。

我在相當(dāng)年輕的時(shí)候就結(jié)了婚。還好，我妻子也熱愛動(dòng)物，她常常買回好些個(gè)寵物送給我作禮物。事實(shí)上，我們家里總是充滿了動(dòng)物——我們養(yǎng)了好多鳥，好多魚，一只狗，幾只雞，還有一只貓。

這只貓被我們稱作普路托，它是只大個(gè)兒的黑貓，長得非常漂亮，而且十分聰明。比起我的其他寵物來，我對(duì)普路托更是寵愛有加。我情愿親自為它做一切事情，所以從不讓我妻子照料它。我經(jīng)常陪它玩，喂它食吃;我走到哪兒，它也跟到哪兒。

普路托和我就這樣做了好幾年最親密的朋友，可是在此期間，我的生活慢慢地發(fā)生了一些變化。我成了一個(gè)嚴(yán)重酗酒的家伙，我的嗜酒如命很快發(fā)展成可怕的頑癥。我經(jīng)常發(fā)脾氣，態(tài)度很粗暴。我開始對(duì)我妻子大喊大叫，甚至開始動(dòng)手打她。我的動(dòng)物們也感覺到了我的變化。我不再精心照料它們，有時(shí)候甚至虐待它們。但我從不對(duì)普路托施暴。天長日久，我的病情逐漸加重了，很快地，就連普路托也難以幸免于我的暴虐兇殘了。

一天夜里，我很晚才回到家中，我已經(jīng)喝得酩酊大醉了。普路托一看見我，就想尋路逃開，這可讓我心頭火起。我一把抓住它的脖子，搖晃它。它嚇壞了，就在我手上咬了一口。頓時(shí)，一股瘋狂、駭人的怒火充盈了我的胸膛，除了燃燒著的仇恨我什么也感覺不到了。我慢慢地從口袋里掏出一把刀子，打開它，然后很仔細(xì)地把普路托的一只眼睛從眼眶里剜了出來。今天，當(dāng)我寫下這些詞句時(shí)，我不禁渾身瑟瑟發(fā)抖。我每一次記起那一天，都依然感到悲傷和痛苦。

第二天早晨醒來時(shí)，我為我前夜的所作所為感到羞恥。但這種感情還不夠強(qiáng)烈，不足以讓我改過自新。我繼續(xù)濫飲起來，因?yàn)橄胱屛彝Ｏ聛碚媸翘щy了。不久，我就將我做下的事情忘了個(gè)精光。

幾個(gè)月過去了，普路托的傷勢(shì)有所好轉(zhuǎn)。它那空蕩蕩的眼窩看上去仍舊很可怕，但它起碼不再覺得疼了。不出所料，它一見到我便趕緊跑開，惟恐我會(huì)再次傷害它。開始的時(shí)候，我看見它跑開還覺得很難過——這只動(dòng)物從前是多么喜歡我呀。然后，我開始覺得有一點(diǎn)生氣了。人類的心腸可真有點(diǎn)古怪，我們好像很喜歡傷害自己。難道我們不都曾明知故犯，昧著良心無數(shù)次干下這樣那樣的蠢事或者惡事嗎?正是由于這個(gè)，由于這種自我傷害的需求，我緊接著又做下了這樁喪盡天良的事……

一天早晨，我醒來后找到了一根繩子，平靜地把它套在了普路托的脖子上。然后我將那可憐的畜生吊在一棵樹上，任憑它那樣死去。我一邊做這件可怕的事情一邊哭泣，眼淚打濕了我的臉頰，我的心又陰郁又沉痛。但是我吊死了它。我吊死它是因?yàn)槲抑浪?jīng)愛過我，是因?yàn)樗辉鴤^我，甚至是因?yàn)槲抑牢以谧鲋患膳碌腻e(cuò)事。

當(dāng)天夜里我們家的房子失火了。我從睡夢(mèng)中驚醒，聽見有人高喊：“著火了!”我睜開眼，發(fā)現(xiàn)大火早已燒到了臥室，便和我妻子一起飛也似地逃出了房子。我們僥幸死里逃生，可是房子以及房子里的幾乎全部家當(dāng)都燒了個(gè)精光。

第二天，我回到房子里去，見幾個(gè)人聚成一堆，正盯著一堵墻看。這是大火過后整棟房子惟一一堵仍舊立著的墻壁，是我臥室的四壁中的一面，平時(shí)我的床頭就靠在上面。我向那面墻走近些，聽見有人說：“真不可思議!”又聽見另一個(gè)人說：“那是不可能的!”然后我也看見了——一只大貓。不是真貓，而是一只貓的形狀，印在臥室雪白的墻上，像幅畫一樣清晰。我甚至可以看到那畜生脖子上拴著的繩子。

我魂飛魄散地站在那兒，嚇得一動(dòng)不敢動(dòng)。然后，慢慢地，我回想起前一天夜里發(fā)生的事。我把貓吊在樹上，是在我家后面的園子里。有一個(gè)鄰居首先發(fā)現(xiàn)起火，很多人便跑進(jìn)了那個(gè)園子。很可能是他們中間的某個(gè)人割斷繩子，從樹上解下那只貓，并將它順著敞開的窗戶扔進(jìn)來，希望以此叫醒我。貓的尸體撞到我臥室的墻上，在上面印下了自己的輪廓，因?yàn)槟敲鎵ι系幕夷嗍切履ǖ?，還軟和著呢。

盡管我覺得這個(gè)解釋很是入情入理，但墻上那古怪的形狀仍然令我心煩意亂。日日夜夜，我總想起那只貓。我有些后悔自己害死了它，并開始在深夜跑到街上轉(zhuǎn)悠，注意觀察所有的貓，看是否能找到一只與普路托相像的。

一天夜里，我正在我最喜歡的酒吧里喝酒，突然，我注意到一只大個(gè)兒的黑貓，便朝它走過去，撫摸它。它大極了——和普路托過去一樣大，而且看上去也很像普路托。不相像的只有一處。普路托是通體烏黑的，但這只貓前胸有一塊白斑。

我撫摸著那貓，它立即挨著我的腿躺倒，似乎對(duì)我非常友善的樣子。我當(dāng)即斷定，這就是我夢(mèng)寐以求的那只貓。我向酒吧老板提出付他一些錢買下這只貓，但他說這只貓并不屬于他，實(shí)際上，他根本不知道它是從什么地方跑來的。

于是我把貓帶回了家。我妻子一下子就喜歡上了它，打那天起，它便和我們待在一起?？墒菦]多久——我不知是何緣故——這只貓開始惹我生氣了，而且，時(shí)間一長，我便開始對(duì)它深惡痛絕。我并沒怎么折磨它，不過我總是盡量避開它，巴不得離得越遠(yuǎn)越好。

我知道有一個(gè)原因，可以解釋我為何如此厭惡這只貓。就在我把它帶回家的第二天早上，我看到，像普路托一樣，它也丟掉了一只眼睛。我的妻子像過去的我一樣是個(gè)善良、溫柔的人，她因?yàn)樨埖倪@次不幸反而更加憐愛它了。但這只貓并不喜歡我妻子，它只依戀我一個(gè)人。

每次我一坐下，它就要跳到我膝蓋上;我一走出房間，它就竄出來跑到我前面，走在我兩腳中間，或是爬到我的腿上。每逢這種時(shí)刻，我就想殺了它。但我沒有下手，因?yàn)槲姨ε铝?mdash;—害怕這只貓，尤其害怕它胸前的那塊白斑。

這個(gè)斑塊我在前面提到過。一開始，它并沒有什么奇怪之處，不過是塊白斑而已。但是慢慢地，這個(gè)斑塊在長大、變形，最終清晰地顯露出一樣可怕的、恐怖的東西的形狀——在這牢房之中，我很難寫下那個(gè)字眼。那是個(gè)絞刑架的形狀!是的，正是他們用絞索套住脖子將人吊死在上面的那種恐怖的木頭架子!

隨著每一個(gè)日子過去，我的恐懼感一增再增。我，一個(gè)男人，一個(gè)強(qiáng)健的男子漢，竟然到了害怕一只貓的地步!我為什么要這樣心驚膽寒，這樣被一只愚蠢的畜生搞得六神無主?白天黑夜，我都不得安寧。我總做些最可怕的噩夢(mèng)，腦子里盡是些陰暗、邪惡的念頭。我憎恨一切事，憎恨所有人——也憎恨生活本身。

有一天，我和我妻子需要到房子下面的地窖里去取點(diǎn)東西，那只貓也跟著我們下了臺(tái)階，并且一個(gè)箭步躥到了我前頭，害得我差點(diǎn)兒摔了個(gè)嘴啃泥。我氣得發(fā)瘋，抄起一柄斧頭就想劈死這畜生，可是，我妻子拽住我的胳膊，要阻止我。這時(shí)，怒火在我心中爆發(fā)，我轉(zhuǎn)過身，將斧頭深深劈進(jìn)了她的腦袋。她一聲沒哼，登時(shí)倒在地上斷了氣。

干完了這樁恐怖的殺人勾當(dāng)，我鎮(zhèn)定自若地謀劃起匿尸滅跡的事來。我知道，無論白天還是黑夜，我都不能把尸首運(yùn)出這房子，因?yàn)槟菢幼鰰?huì)讓鄰居瞧見。所以我只好想些別的法子……我可以把尸體切成極小的碎塊，扔到火里燒掉。我可以把尸體藏在地板下面。我還可以把尸體裝到箱子里，再請(qǐng)人將箱子搬走……最后，我想出了一個(gè)更好的主意。我決定將尸體藏在地窖墻壁的背后。

我馬上就知道應(yīng)該選擇哪一面墻了。地窖里有一面墻是圍著一個(gè)廢棄不用的舊煙囪底座砌起來的，它的正面和背面都?jí)局u頭，但中間部分卻是空的。我馬上動(dòng)手開干。我從正面墻上拆下一些磚塊，小心翼翼地將尸體貼著后面的墻放好，然后把磚塊砌回去，再用灰泥將磚墻抹平。我把灰泥抹得使它看上去不像是新的，過不多久這面墻就和其他幾面看著一模一樣了。我忙活完，望著墻上的灰泥，高興地自言自語道：“我還從沒干過這么漂亮的活計(jì)呢!”

然后我四下里找那只貓，要?dú)⒘怂?。它給我的生活帶來了太多的不幸，所以，現(xiàn)在它也必須去見閻王爺。我找遍了每一個(gè)角落，但是它已無影無蹤了。我終于自由了!當(dāng)天夜里，我太太平平地酣睡了一場——我，一個(gè)剛剛殺害了自己愛妻的家伙，居然睡了個(gè)好覺!

三天過去了，那只貓仍然沒有出現(xiàn)。我現(xiàn)在快樂極了，是很久以來最快樂的時(shí)候。我對(duì)自己犯下的罪行并不擔(dān)心。人們來問了幾個(gè)問題，警察也到我家來過了，但他們什么也沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)。

第四天，警察又來了，并且開始進(jìn)行搜查。他們查看了每一個(gè)房間，然后下臺(tái)階來到地窖里面。我陪著他們，心里感到非常平靜和安全，一直冷眼旁觀他們檢查每一個(gè)角落。他們沒有找到任何東西，似乎相當(dāng)高興，并且準(zhǔn)備離開了。我滿心歡喜。我確信自己是安全的，但又想說點(diǎn)什么，哪怕是一兩句話，就為了表示一下我是多么滿不在乎、清白無辜。

“先生們，”我開口道，“你們?cè)谶@里沒有找到任何東西，現(xiàn)在又要離開這幢房子了，我很高興……不過我要給你們看樣?xùn)|西，先生們。你們看見沒有，這房子建得有多么好?你們會(huì)注意到，這幾堵墻結(jié)實(shí)極了。”我一面說著這話，一面用根棍子敲打著墻壁——正是我藏匿妻子尸體的那面墻!

就在那一刻，我們聽見了一個(gè)聲音。這聲音很古怪，同我以前聽到過的聲音都大不一樣。它開始時(shí)很輕，幾乎像是一個(gè)嬰兒的哭聲;然后就升得越來越高，轉(zhuǎn)而成為一聲沒完沒了的長嘯，仿佛從地獄中響起的哀號(hào)。

警察們一齊望著我，又彼此看了看。他們奔到墻邊，開始拼命將磚塊飛快地向外扒。幾分鐘不到，磚墻扒倒了;那里赫然便是我那亡妻的尸首。在她的頭頂上蹲著那只黑貓，張開血盆大口，一只獨(dú)眼里燃燒著鬼火——這畜生誘使我犯下了殺人罪，現(xiàn)在又要送我去見閻王了。

我把這可怕的東西，同我妻子一起，活活砌到墻里去了!