“There’s where Editha Venning stood,” Jake said, “right over there.” He pointed the flashlight in the direction of the trees.

马龙迅速看过去，半期待着看到某个模糊的、影子般的身影在等他们。看到只有树，他稍微松了口气，但也没完全放心。

Malone looked quickly, half expecting to see some dim, shadowy figure waiting for them. He was a little reassured to see only trees, but not very much.

“只有天知道这里会有什么样的接待委员会在等我们。”他抱怨道，“我一点也不担心被枪击，但枪声总是让我耳朵疼。”

“Heaven only knows what kind of reception mittee may be waiting for us out here,” he plained. “I’m not at all nervous about being shot at, but the sound of gunfire always gives me an earache.”

“在耳朵里塞点棉花。”海伦冷酷地说。

“Put cotton in your ears,” Helene said grimly.

他们小心翼翼地穿过雪地，来到小路进入树林的地方。现在这条小路看起来比白天窄了，一条白色的雪带蜿蜒伸进树林。入口就像一个黑白洞穴的门，古老的深色树木，这儿那儿被树枝上的积雪压弯了，茂密的、阴暗的灌木丛上覆盖着白色的羽毛，只有偶尔的星星透过树梢在头顶闪烁。

They picked their way gingerly across the snow to the point where the path entered the woods. The path seemed narrower now than it had by day, a white ribbon of snow winding on into the grove. The entrance was like the door to a cave of black and white, dark old trees, bent here and there by the weight of snow on their branches, thick, shadowy bushes feathered with whiteness, and only an occasional star showing overhead through the treetops.

杰克把手电筒照在小路上，说：“小心脚下。”然后继续往前走。海伦和马龙跟在后面，后者嘟囔着鞋子里进了雪。

Jake turned the flashlight on the path, said, “Watch your step,” and went on ahead. Helene and Malone followed, the latter muttering about the snow in his shoes.

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在脚印与小路交汇的地方，杰克停下来跪下寻找脚印。只有未被破坏的雪，在表面来回飘动。

At the point where the footprints had joined the path, Jake paused and knelt to look for them. There was only the unbroken snow, drifted back and forth over the surface.

“我就知道雪会把它们掩盖掉。”杰克痛苦地说，“我想我能找到回到我和它们分开的地方的路，但也仅此而已，而且不管怎样也不会告诉我们什么。”

“I knew that snow would have wiped them out,” Jake said bitterly. “I think I could find my way back to where I parted pany with them, but that’s about all, and it wouldn’t tell us anything, anyway.”

他站起来，掸掉膝盖上的雪，带路朝那座敞开的坟墓走去。手电筒给这场景增添了一种怪异的感觉，在雪地上投下意想不到的阴影，照亮了树林中奇特的、像洞穴一样的小块空地，还在覆着霜雪的小树枝和小树干上反射出一种怪异的光芒。他们来到由一丛灌木形成的挡住小路的障碍物前，有那么一会儿，马龙站在那里跺着脚，低声愤怒地咒骂着，而杰克和海伦则在寻找入口。

He rose, brushing the snow off his knees, and led the way in the direction of the open grave. The flashlight added an eerie touch to the scene, casting unexpected shadows over the snow, lighting up curious cavernlike little clearings in the trees, and reflecting a weird glow on small, snow-frosted twigs and branches. They came to the obstruction across the path formed by the cluster of bushes, and for a moment Malone stood stamping his feet and muttering indignant profanities under his breath, while Jake and Helene hunted for the opening.

杰克突然找到了入口，挤了过去，树枝和矮树丛发出很大的断裂声，海伦紧跟在他后面。马龙深吸一口气，也跟了进去，胡乱地打着那些刮到他脸的树枝。

Jake found it suddenly and pushed his way through with a loud crackling of twigs and underbrush, Helene at his heels. Malone drew a long breath and followed, striking aimlessly at branches that scratched his face.

树林中的这块小空地在手电筒的光芒下显得奇异而不真实，就像来自一个半被遗忘的梦境。在空地中央，一堆堆被雪覆盖的泥土表明了敞开的坟墓的位置。

The little clearing in the grove was fantastic and unreal in the glow from the flashlight, like something from a half-forgotten dream. In the center of it, piles of snow-covered earth indicated the location of the open grave.

“就是这儿。”杰克平静地说，小心翼翼地在结冰的地面上走着。

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“This is it,” Jake said calmly, picking his way carefully over the frozen ground.

马龙走到他身边，绊了一两下，在坟墓边缘停了下来。杰克把手电筒照进坟墓里。

Malone came up beside him, stumbling once or twice and paused at the edge. Jake turned his flashlight down into it.

“那确实是个坟墓。”马龙轻声说，“但现在里面不是空的了。”

“That’s a grave all right,” Malone said quietly. “But it isn’t empty now.”

他只站在那里朝坟墓里看了一会儿，看着吹进坟墓并给粗糙的四壁覆上霜的雪，看着形成奇特形状和图案的小堆积雪，以及起初看起来像是底部的一个黑影的东西。然后，他小心翼翼、吃力地爬进坟墓，摘下自己的围巾，用它当扫帚扫去飘落的雪，快速检查了一下，是罗斯·麦克劳林的尸体。

For only a moment he stood looking into it, at the snow that had blown in and frosted the rough sides, at the little drifts that had formed in curious shapes and designs, and at what had first appeared to be a dark shadow at the bottom. Then, carefully and laboriously, he let himself down into it, took off his muffler and used it as a broom to sweep away the drifted snow, and made a quick examination of the body of Ross McLaurin.

在他上方，杰克用一只胳膊搂住海伦，海伦把脸埋在他的肩膀上。

Above him, Jake put an arm around Helene, who buried her face in his shoulder.

律师从坑里爬了出来。“像其他人一样被刺死在后背。”他报告说，“直接刺穿了大衣、西装上衣、马甲和衬衫。某人的胳膊相当有力。”手电筒的光瞬间照在他的脸上，杰克看到他的脸色灰白，非常疲惫。

The lawyer climbed up out of the pit. “Stabbed in the back, just like the others,” he reported. “Stabbed right through an overcoat, suit coat, vest, and shirt. Somebody has a fairly powerful arm.” The flashlight caught his face for a moment, and Jake saw that it was gray white and very tired.

“我不该让这种事发生。”马龙缓缓地说，“我应该想到的。喝到一定程度的酒，他就会出去找个人听他讲故事，不管是朋友还是陌生人，就像前几天晚上他开始和海伦聊天那样。这次他只是碰巧和错误的人聊上了，然后就成了这样。我绝不应该让他离开我的视线。”他深深地吸了一口气，“是我的错。这个人的死怪我。”

“I shouldn’t have let this happen,” Malone said slowly. “I should have known. The right number of drinks and he would go out looking for someone to listen to his story, friend or stranger, just as he started talking to Helene the other night. This time he just happened to start talking to the wrong guy, and here he is. I never should have let him out of my sight.” He drew a long breath. “I’m to blame. This one is on me.”