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CHAPTER TWO DOBBY’S WARNING
第二章 多比的警告
Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing.
哈利差点儿没叫出声来。
The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.
床上的那个小怪物长着两只蝙蝠似的大耳朵，一对突出的绿眼睛有网球那么大。
Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.
哈利马上想到，这就是早上在花园树篱外看他的那双眼睛。
As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley’s voice from the hall.
他们对视着，哈利听到达力的声音从门厅传来。
“May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?”
“我替你们拿着衣服好吗，梅森先生和夫人？”
The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet.
那怪物从床上滑下来，深深鞠了一躬，细长的鼻子都碰到了地毯上。
Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.
哈利注意到他身上穿的像一只旧枕套，在胳膊和腿的地方开了几个洞。
“Er — hello,” said Harry nervously.
“哦——你好。”哈利不自然地说。
“Harry Potter!” said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs.
“哈利波特！”那怪物尖声叫道，哈利想楼下肯定能听到。
“So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir . . . Such an honor it is. . . .”
“多比一直想见您，先生……不胜荣幸……”
“Th-thank you,” said Harry,
“谢——谢谢。”哈利贴着墙壁挪动，
edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage.
坐到他桌前的椅子上，挨着在大笼子里睡觉的海德薇。
He wanted to ask, “What are you?” but thought it would sound too rude,
他想问“你是什么”？但觉得这听起来太不礼貌，
so instead he said, “Who are you?”
就问“你是谁”？
“Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf,” said the creature.
“多比，先生。就叫多比，家养小精灵多比。”那怪物说。
“Oh — really?” said Harry. “Er — I don’t want to be rude or anything,
“哦——是吗？”哈利说，“哦——我不想失礼，
but — this isn’t a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom.”
可是——此刻在我的卧室里接待一位家养小精灵有些不太合适。”
Aunt Petunia’s high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.
客厅传来了佩妮姨妈虚伪的高声大笑。小精灵垂下了头。
“Not that I’m not pleased to meet you,” said Harry quickly,
“我不是不高兴见你，”哈利赶忙说，
“but, er, is there any particular reason you’re here?”
“可是，哦，你来这儿有什么特别的原因吗？”
“Oh, yes, sir,” said Dobby earnestly.
“哦，有的，先生，”多比热切地说，
“Dobby has come to tell you, sir . . . it is difficult, sir . . . Dobby wonders where to begin. . . .”
“多比来告诉您，先生……不好说，先生……多比不知道从哪里说起……”
“Sit down,” said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.
“坐下吧。”哈利指了指床，礼貌地说。
To his horror, the elf burst into tears — very noisy tears.
没想到小精灵突然痛哭流涕，把哈利吓了一跳，他哭的声音很大。
“S-sit down!” he wailed. “Never . . . never ever . . .”
“坐——坐下！”多比呜咽道，“从来……从来没有……”
Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter.
哈利仿佛听到楼下的声音变得有些结巴。
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything —”
“对不起，”他小声说，“我没想冒犯你。”
“Offend Dobby!” choked the elf. “Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard — like an equal —”
“冒犯多比！”小精灵哽咽地说，“从来没有一位巫师让多比坐下——像对待平等的人那样——”
Harry, trying to say “Shh!” and look comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll.
哈利竭力在说“嘘”的同时作出抚慰的表情，领多比回到床上坐下。多比坐在那儿打嗝儿，看上去像个丑陋的大娃娃。
At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.
最后他终于控制住自己，用他那双泪汪汪的大眼睛充满敬爱地凝视着哈利。
“You can’t have met many decent wizards,” said Harry, trying to cheer him up.
“你大概没遇到多少正派的巫师吧。”哈利想让他高兴一些。
Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, “Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!”
多比摇了摇头，然后冷不防跳了起来，用脑袋疯狂地撞着窗户，嘴里喊着：“坏多比！坏多比！”
“Don’t — what are you doing?” Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed — Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.
“别这样，你这是干什么？”哈利着急地小声说，跳起来把多比拉回床上。海德薇被吵醒了，发出一声格外响亮的尖叫，在笼子里疯狂地乱扑乱撞。
“Dobby had to punish himself, sir,” said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. “Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir. . . .”
“多比要惩罚自己，先生。”小精灵说，他的眼睛已经有点儿对在一起了。“多比几乎说了主人家的坏话，先生……”
“Your family?”
“主人家？”
“The wizard family Dobby serves, sir. . . . Dobby is a houseelf — bound to serve one house and one family forever. . . .”
“多比服侍的那个巫师家，先生……多比是家养小精灵——必须永远服侍一户人家……”
“Do they know you’re here?” asked Harry curiously.
“他们知道你在这儿吗？”哈利好奇地问。
Dobby shuddered.
多比哆嗦了一下。
“Oh, no, sir, no . . . Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir.
“哦，不，先生，他们不知道……多比因为来见您，要对自己进行最严厉的惩罚。
Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir —”
多比将把自己的耳朵关在烤箱门里。万一给他们知道，先生——”
“But won’t they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?”
“可如果你把耳朵关在烤箱门里，他们不会发现吗？”
“Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir.
“多比猜想不会，先生。多比总是为一些事惩罚自己，先生。
They lets Dobby get on with it, sir.
他们让多比这样做，先生。
Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments. . . .”
有时候他们提醒我更厉害地惩罚自己呢……”
“But why don’t you leave? Escape?”
“你为什么不逃走呢？”
“A house-elf must be set free, sir.
“家养小精灵必须由主人放走。
And the family will never set Dobby free . . .
可主人永远不会放走多比……
Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir. . . .”
多比将在主人家做到死，先生……”
Harry stared. “And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks,” he said.
哈利目瞪口呆，他说：“要我在这儿多待四个星期，我都觉得受不了。
“This makes the Dursleys sound almost human.
这样比起来，德思礼一家还算是有些人情味的。
Can’t anyone help you? Can’t I?”
没有人能帮你吗？我能帮你吗？”
Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn’t spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.
哈利几乎立刻就后悔他说了这句话。多比再次感动得呜呜大哭。
“Please,” Harry whispered frantically, “please be quiet.
“拜托你，”哈利紧张地说，“小点儿声。要是给德思礼一家听到，
If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you’re here —”
要是他们知道你在这儿……”
“Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby . . .
“哈利波特问他能不能帮助多比……
Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew. . . .”
多比早就听说了您的伟大，先生，可您的仁慈，多比以前还不了解……”
Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, “Whatever you’ve heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish.
哈利感到脸上发烧，忙说：“你听到的那些都是胡说，
I’m not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that’s Hermione, she —”
我在霍格沃茨连年级第一名都排不上，第一名是赫敏，她——”
But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.
但他很快住了口，一想起赫敏他就感到痛苦。
