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They broke up early and left their leaders to their council.
党徒们很早就走开了。只有他们的头领们留下议事。
"Now, McMurdo!" said McGinty when they were alone. The seven men sat frozen in their seats.
"麦克默多，现在你说吧，"他们孤零零的七个人呆呆地坐在那里，麦金蒂说道。
"I said just now that I knew Birdy Edwards," McMurdo explained. "I need not tell you that he is not here under that name.
"我刚才说过我认识伯尔弟·爱德华，"麦克默多解释说，"我用不着告诉你们，你们就可想到，他在这里用的不是这个名字。
He's a brave man, but not a crazy one. He passes under the name of Steve Wilson, and he is lodging at Hobson's Patch."
他是一个勇敢的人，不是一个蠢材。他诡称名叫史蒂夫·威尔逊，住在霍布森领地。"
"How do you know this?"
"你怎么知道的呢？"
"Because I fell into talk with him.
"因为我和他讲过话。
I thought little of it at the time, nor would have given it a second thought but for this letter; but now I'm sure it's the man.
那时我没有想到这些，要不是收到这封信，我连想也不会再想这件事了，可是现在我深信这就是那个人了。
I met him on the cars when I went down the line on Wednesday -- a hard case if ever there was one. He said he was a reporter.
星期三我有事到霍布森领地去，在车上遇到他。他说他是一个记者。
I believed it for the moment. Wanted to know all he could about theScowrers and what he called 'the outrages' for a New York paper.
那时我相信了他的话。他说他要为纽约一家报纸写稿，想知道有关死酷党人的一切情况，还要了解他所谓的'暴行'。
Asked me every kind of question so as to get something. You bet I was giving nothing away.
他向我问了各种各样问题，打算弄到一些情况。你们可以相信，我什么也没有泄露。
'I'd pay for it and pay well,' said he, 'if I could get some stuff that would suit my editor.'
他说，'如果我能得到对我编辑工作有用的材料，我愿出重金酬谢。'
I said what I thought would please him best, and he handed me a twenty-dollar bill for my information.
我拣我认为他最爱听的话说了一遍，他便付给我一张二十元纸币作酬金。
'There's ten times that for you,' said he, 'if you can find me all that I want.'"
他又说，'如果你能把我所需要的一切告诉给我，那我就再加十倍酬金。'"
"What did you tell him, then?"
"那么，你告诉他些什么？"
"Any stuff I could make up."
"我可以虚构出任何材料。"
"How do you know he wasn't a newspaper man?"
"你怎么知道他不是一个报馆的人呢？"
"I'll tell you. He got out at Hobson's Patch, and so did I. I chanced into the telegraph bureau, and he was leaving it.
"我可以告诉你们，他在霍布森领地下了车，我也随着下了车。我走进了电报局，他刚从那里离开。
'See here,' said the operator after he'd gone out, 'I guess we should charge double rates for this.'
'喂，'在他走出去以后，报务员说道，'这种电文，我想我们应当加倍收费才对。'
'I guess you should,' said I. He had filled the form with stuff that might have been Chinese, for all we could make of it.
我说，'我想你们是应当加倍收的。'我们都觉得他填写的电报单像中文那么难懂。
'He fires a sheet of this off every day,' said the clerk.
这个职员又说：'他每天都来发一份电报。'
'Yes,' said I; 'it's special news for his paper, and he's scared that the others should tap it.'
我说，'对，这是他报纸的特别新闻，他怕别人知道。'
That was what the operator thought and what I thought at the time; but I think differently now."
这就是那时候那个报务员和我所想到的，可是现在我想的却截然不同了。"
"By Gar! I believe you are right," said McGinty. "But what do you allow that we should do about it?"
"天哪！我相信你的话是真的，"麦金蒂说道，"可是你认为我们应该怎样对付这件事呢？"
"Why not go right down now and fix him?" someone suggested.
"为什么不立刻去收拾他呢？"有一个党徒提议说。
"Ay, the sooner the better."
"哎，不错，越早越好。"
"I'd start this next minute if I knew where we could find him," said McMurdo.
"如果我知道他住在哪里，我就立刻这样去做了，"麦克默多说道。
"He's in Hobson's Patch; but I don't know the house. I've got a plan, though, if you'll only take my advice."
"我只知道他在霍布森领地，可不知道他的寓所。不过，只要你们接受我的建议，我倒有一个计划。"
"Well, what is it?"
"好，什么计划？"
"I'll go to the Patch to-morrow morning. I'll find him through the operator. He can locate him, I guess.
"明天早晨我就到霍布森领地去，我通过报务员去找他。我想，他能打听出这个人的住处。
Well, then I'll tell him that I'm a Freeman myself. I'll offer him all the secrets of the lodge for a price. You bet he'll tumble to it.
好，那么，我可以告诉他我自己就是一个自由人会会员。我告诉他，只要他肯出高价，我就把分会的秘密告诉他。他一定会同意。
I'll tell him the papers are at my house, and that it's as much as my life would be worth to let him come while folk were about.
那时我就告诉他，材料在我家里。因为到处都有人，不便让他白天到我家去。
He'll see that that's horse sense. Let him come at ten o'clock at night, and he shall see everything. That will fetch him sure."
他自然知道这是一种起码的常识。我让他夜晚十点钟来我家看那些材料，那时我们一定可以抓住他了。"
"Well?"
"这样好吗？"
"You can plan the rest for yourselves. Widow MacNamara's is a lonely house.
"其余的事，你们可以自己去筹划。寡妇麦克娜玛拉家是一座孤零零的住宅。
She's as true as steel and as deaf as a post. There's only Scanlan and me in the house.
她绝对可靠而且聋得像一根木桩。只有斯坎伦和我住在她寓所。
If I get his promise -- and I'll let you know if I do -- I'd have the whole seven of you come to me by nine o'clock.
假如他答应来的话，我就告诉你们，我会让你们七个人九点钟到我这里来。
We'll get him in. If ever he gets out alive -- well, he can talk of Birdy Edwards' luck for the rest of his days!"
我们就把他搞进屋。假如他还能活着出去，嗯，那他后半辈子就可以大吹伯尔弟·爱德华的运气了。"
"There's going to be a vacancy at Pinkerton's or I'm mistaken. Leave it at that, McMurdo.
"这么说，平克顿侦探公司该有一个空缺了。要不，就是我弄错了。就谈到这里吧，麦克默多。
At nine to-morrow we'll be with you. You once get the door shut behind him, and you can leave the rest with us."
明天九点钟我们到你那儿去。他走进来以后，你只要把门关上，其它的事就由我们处理好了。"
