马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 二十七
卡西诺赌场是一家大型场所，占据了一整座经过彻底改造的大厦。除了一层白色的油漆、一个简洁的霓虹灯招牌以及入口两侧放置的两棵人造树之外，外观几乎没有什么变化。然而，在内部，原来的主人的鬼魂可能会迷失方向。在三楼的赌博室里，古老的大理石壁炉还在，原来的楼梯仍然从一楼向上延伸，但仅此而已。
The Casino was a large establishment, occupying all of a pletely remodeled mansion. The exterior, save for a coat of white paint, a chaste neon sign, and two artificial trees placed on either side of the entrance, had suffered the least change. Inside, however, the ghost of the original owner would have wandered around lost. On the third floor, in the gambling rooms, the old marble fireplaces remained, and the original staircase still led up from the ground floor, but that was all.
当杰克和马龙到达时，卢·西尔弗的乐队正在一楼的主厅里演奏。这是一个宽敞、灯光柔和的地方，设计师在这里营造出了一种正式的乔治王朝时期客厅的效果，并非完全不成功。墙壁上没有通常的夜总会装饰，而是覆盖着简单、几乎是严肃的镶板。靠墙长椅上的装饰是鸽灰色的。
Lou Silver’s orchestra was holding forth in the main room of the first floor when Jake and Malone arrived. It was a spacious, softly lighted place, in which the decorator had worked, not altogether unsuccessfully, for the effect of a formal Georgian drawing room. Instead of the usual night-club decorations, the walls were covered with a simple, almost severe paneling. The upholstery on the benches along the walls was dove gray.
莫娜·麦克莱恩和她的一行人还没到。舞池里有相当多的人。杰克和马龙进来的时候，卢·西尔弗认出了他们，向他们挥了挥手，然后继续带领他的乐队演奏他改编的《无人宝贝》。最后，一个服务员端着两杯双份黑麦威士忌走了过来。
Mona McClane and her party had not yet arrived. A fair-sized crowd was on the dance floor. Lou Silver recognized Jake and Malone as they came in, waved at them, and went on leading his band through his own version of Nobody’s Baby. Eventually a waiter arrived with two double ryes.
马龙环顾四周。在他们左边的桌子旁坐着芝加哥一位更帅气的年轻社会名流和一笔可观财富的继承人，他穿着一套非常需要熨烫的灰色西装。和他在一起的是一个红发女孩，马龙认出她是邓普斯特街一家路边小酒馆的前寄存处女孩。他曾经为她处理过一起小小的毁约诉讼。
At the table to their left was one of Chicago’s handsomer young socialites and heir to a notable fortune, in a gray business suit that badly needed pressing. With him was a red-haired girl whom Malone recognized as an ex-hat-check girl from a Dempster Street roadhouse. He had once handled a small breach-of-promise suit for her.
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在他们右边，他看到了这个城市赌博集团的一位高层人物，穿着无可挑剔的晚礼服。马龙认为他可能是这个地方唯一一个和自己妻子一起来的人。
To their right he saw one of the higher-ups of the city’s gambling syndicate, in impeccable evening clothes. Malone thought he was probably the only man in the place who was there with his own wife.
卢·西尔弗走过来喝了一杯，问杰克乐队听起来是不是很棒。杰克说是的，这是一个很棒的乐队。卢·西尔弗说很高兴杰克这么认为，又买了一杯酒，然后又走了。
Lou Silver came over for a drink and asked Jake if the band didn’t sound swell. Jake said yes, it was a swell band. Lou Silver said it was swell Jake thought so, bought another drink, and went away again.
卖香烟的女孩，一个微胖的黑发女孩，认出了马龙，以一美元的价格卖给他两包十五美分的香烟，并试探性地和他约周四的约会。
The cigarette girl, a plumpish brunette, recognized Malone, sold him two packages of fifteen-cent cigarettes for a dollar, and made a tentative date with him for Thursday.
然后莫娜·麦克莱恩的一行人到了。有一阵短暂的混乱，人们搬动椅子，等混乱结束后，杰克发现海伦坐在离他最远的桌子尽头。不过，他还是能看到她。她穿着那件闪亮的黑色连衣裙，戴着那顶有弯弯羽毛的小黑帽子，即使不是世界上最漂亮的女孩，也是这个地方最漂亮的。
Then Mona McClane’s party arrived. There was a brief confusion of chairs being moved, and when it was over Jake found that Helene was at the end of the table farthest from him. Still, he could look at her. She was easily the best-looking girl in the place if not in the world, in that shiny black dress and the tiny black hat with its curving feather.
罗斯·麦克劳林不在。“他又不见了。”莫娜回答马龙的问题时说，“从今天早上开始。别担心，他会出现的。”
Ross McLaurin was not present. “He’s vanished again,” Mona said, in answer to Malone’s question. “Since this morning. Don’t worry, he’ll turn up.”
因为是周日晚上，开场的歌舞表演比较低调，但一位国际知名的方言喜剧演员的出现让表演增色不少。马龙自认为是个不错的歌舞女郎评判者，他对卡西诺赌场的表演阵容非常赞赏。
The early floor show, toned down for Sunday night, was brightened considerably by the presence of an internationally famous dialect edian. Malone, who considered himself a fair judge of chorus girls, approved highly of the Casino line-up.
表演结束后，更多的情侣涌上舞池。周日晚上穿着鲍威尔服装店衣服的年轻姑娘们，和看起来像大学生的年轻人跳舞，和老板的朋友一起出来的职业女孩们，两位着名的电影女演员，她们吸引的注意力还不如一个相貌平平的棕发女孩多，据说这个女孩是一个有势力的工会头目的女朋友。
小主，
More couples swarmed onto the floor after the show Subdebs, in Sunday-night dresses from Powell’s, dancing with collegiate-looking young men, business girls out with friends of the boss, two well-known movie actresses who attracted far less attention than a plain, brown-haired girl who was rumored to be the girl friend of a powerful union head.
马龙看着坐在他旁边的卢埃拉·怀特，心里琢磨着她。
Malone looked at Louella White, sitting next him, and wondered about her.
“你原本是芝加哥人吗？”
“Are you from Chicago originally?”
“不是。从东部来。”
“No. From the East.”
马龙断定，几杯酒下肚让她变得非常健谈。也许他可以利用这一点。
A few drinks, Malone decided, had made her downright talkative. Maybe he could take advantage of it.
“东部的什么地方？”
“What part of the East?”
“泽西城。”
“Jersey City.”
他换了个方式问。“你觉得芝加哥怎么样？”
He tried another approach. “How do you like Chicago?”
“还行。”
“All right.”
“我想这里和东方很不一样。”
“I suppose it’s very different from the Orient.”
“是的。”
“Yes.”
突然他说：“我打赌你这辈子从没去过东方。”
Suddenly he said, “I bet you never were in the Orient in your life.”
她冷冷地看着他，“那又怎样？”
She looked at him coldly, “So what?”
该死，他想，你甚至都不能让这个女人震惊一下。“你是文宁夫人的亲戚吗？”
Damn it, he thought, you couldn’t even jolt the woman. “Are you a relative of Mrs. Venning?”
“不是。”
“No.”
“是文宁先生的亲戚吗？”
“Of Mr. Venning?”
“不是。”
“No.”