My Financial Career我的銀行舊事

斯蒂芬·里柯克　羅麗萍/譯

When I go into a bank I get rattled1. The clerks rattle me; the wickets2 rattle me; the sight of the money rattles me; everything rattles me.

一走進銀行我就發(fā)慌。銀行職員讓我發(fā)慌；服務窗口讓我發(fā)慌；看到錢讓我發(fā)慌：所有一切都讓我發(fā)慌。

The moment I cross the threshold of a bank and attempt to transact business there， I become an irresponsible idiot.

跨入銀行大門，打算辦理業(yè)務的那一刻，我就變成了一個不靠譜的傻瓜。

I knew this beforehand， but my salary had been raised to fifty dollars a month and I felt that the bank was the only place for it.

我早知道會是這個局面，但我的工資已經(jīng)漲到每月50美元，我感覺銀行才是這筆錢的唯一去處。

So I shambled3 in and looked timidly round at the clerks. I had an idea that a person about to open an account must needs consult the manager.

于是我拖著步子走進去，怯生生地瞧了瞧四周的職員。我心里想，準備開銀行賬戶的人都得咨詢經(jīng)理。

I went up to a wicket marked “Accountant.” The accountant was a tall， cool devil. The very sight of him rattled me. My voice was sepulchral4.

我朝著標有“會計”字樣的窗口走去。會計是個高大時髦的家伙，一見著他我就心慌。我的聲音低沉，了無生氣。

“Can I see the manager？” I said， and added solemnly5， “alone.” I dont know why I said “alone.”

“我能見你們經(jīng)理嗎？”我問，又鄭重其事地加了句，“單獨見。”我不知道自己為什么要說“單獨見”。

“Certainly，” said the accountant， and fetched him.

“當然可以。”會計說，然后請來了經(jīng)理。

The manager was a grave， calm man. I held my fifty-six dollars clutched in a crumpled6 ball in my pocket.

經(jīng)理是個嚴肅冷靜的人。我攥了攥口袋里皺成一團的56美元。

“Are you the manager？” I said. God knows I didnt doubt it.

“你是經(jīng)理嗎？”我問道。上帝知道我一點都不懷疑他的身份。

“Yes，” he said.

“我就是。”他說。

“Can I see you，” I asked， “alone？” I didnt want to say “alone” again， but without it the thing seemed self-evident7.

“我能和你聊聊嗎？”我問，“單獨聊？”我本不想再說“單獨聊”，但即使我不說，這事也是明擺著的。

The manager looked at me in some alarm. He felt that I had an awful secret to reveal.

經(jīng)理看著我，似乎有些吃驚。他以為我有什么重大的秘密要透露給他。

“Come in here，” he said， and led the way to a private room. He turned the key in the lock.

“進來說吧。”他說道，然后一路把我領進貴賓室。他轉動鑰匙，將門反鎖。

“We are safe from interruption here，” he said; “sit down.”

“這兒不會有人打擾我們。”他說，“請坐。”

We both sat down and looked at each other. I found no voice to speak.

我們兩個都坐了下來，看著對方。我一時說不出話來。

“You are one of Pinkertons men8， I presume，” he said.

“我猜，您是平克頓的偵探吧。”他說。

He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. I knew what he was thinking， and it made me worse.

他從我神秘兮兮的舉動中推斷出我是個偵探。我知道他在想什么，這下我更慌神了。

“No， not from Pinkertons，” I said， seeming to imply that I came from a rival agency.

“不，我不是平克頓的。”我說，似乎在暗示我來自一家與平克頓競爭的事務所。

“To tell the truth，” I went on， as if I had been prompted to lie about it， “I am not a detective at all. I have come to open an account. I intend to keep all my money in this bank.”

“實話實說吧，”我接著說，就好像剛剛是不得已才撒謊，“我壓根兒就不是偵探。我是來開戶的。我打算把所有錢都存到你們銀行。”

The manager looked relieved but still serious; he concluded now that I was a son of Baron Rothschild or a young Gould9.

經(jīng)理看起來松了口氣，但表情依舊嚴肅，他現(xiàn)在斷定我是羅思柴爾德男爵的兒子，抑或是某位年輕的金融大亨。

“A large account， I suppose，” he said.

“想必是很大一筆錢吧。”他說。

“Fairly large，” I whispered. “I propose to deposit fifty-six dollars now and fifty dollars a month regularly.”

“相當大。”我壓低聲音說，“我計劃這次存56美元，以后每個月按時存50美元。”

The manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant.

經(jīng)理站起身，打開門，沖那個會計喊了一聲。

“Mr. Montgomery，” he said unkindly loud， “this gentleman is opening an account， he will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.”

“蒙哥馬利先生，”他聲音很大，聽上去不太友好，“這位先生想開戶，他要存56美元。再見。”

I rose.

我站起身來。

A big iron door stood open at the side of the room.

房間一側開著一扇大鐵門。

“Good morning，” I said， and stepped into the safe.

“再見。”我說，然后一腳踏進金庫。

“Come out，” said the manager coldly， and showed me the other way.

“出來。”經(jīng)理冷冷地說，指了指另一邊。

I went up to the accountants wicket and poked the ball of money at him with a quick convulsive10 movement as if I were doing a conjuring trick.

我走到會計的窗口，猛地把那團錢遞給他，動作快速突然，就像在變戲法。

My face was ghastly pale.

我的臉色慘白。

“Here，” I said， “deposit it.” The tone of the words seemed to mean， “Let us do this painful thing while the fit is on us11.”

“拿去，”我說，“存了。”這話的語氣像是在說：“趁頭腦發(fā)熱，我們趕緊把這糟心事辦了吧。”

He took the money and gave it to another clerk.

他接過錢，交給另一位職員。

He made me write the sum on a slip and sign my name in a book. I no longer knew what I was doing. The bank swam before my eyes.

他讓我在一張單據(jù)上寫下金額，并在賬簿上簽名。之后做了什么，我全然不知。銀行在我眼前晃蕩。

“Is it deposited？” I asked in a hollow， vibrating voice.

“存好了？”我用低沉又顫抖的聲音問道。

“It is，” said the accountant.

“好了。”會計說。

“Then I want to draw a cheque.”

“那我想開張支票。”

My idea was to draw out six dollars of it for present use. Someone gave me a chequebook through a wicket and someone else began telling me how to write it out. The people in the bank had the impression that I was an invalid12 millionaire. I wrote something on the cheque and thrust13 it in at the clerk. He looked at it.

我的想法是取出6美元現(xiàn)下用。有人從窗口遞了本支票簿給我，另一個人則告訴我怎么填寫。銀行里的人仿佛認為我是個身體孱弱的百萬富翁。我寫好支票，把它從窗口塞給職員。他看了看。

“What！ Are you drawing it all out again？” he asked in surprise. Then I real-ized that I had written fifty-six instead of six. I was too far gone to reason now. I had a feeling that it was impossible to explain the thing. All the clerks had stopped writing to look at me.

“什么！你又要把錢全部取出來嗎？”他驚訝地問。我這才意識到我寫的是56美元，而不是6美元。我現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)徹底迷糊了。我感覺這事沒法說清楚。所有職員都停下筆看著我。

Reckless14 with misery， I made a plunge.

痛苦之余，我索性破罐子破摔。

“Yes， the whole thing.”

“是的，全部。”

“You withdraw your money from the bank？”

“你要把錢從銀行取出來？”

“Every cent of it.”

“一分不留。”

“Are you not going to deposit any more？” said the clerk， astonished.

“你就不打算再存了嗎？”職員吃驚地問。

“Never.”

“不存了。”

An idiot hope struck me that they might think something had insulted me while I was writing the cheque and that I had changed my mind. I made a wretched attempt to look like a man with a fearfully quick temper.

我突然傻乎乎地希望他們以為在我寫支票時有什么地方冒犯了我，所以我才改變主意。我試圖讓自己看上去像個脾氣非常暴躁的人，但表現(xiàn)得很糟糕。

The clerk prepared to pay the money.

職員準備把錢給我。

“How will you have it？” he said.

“你要多大面額的？”他問。

“What？”

“什么？”

“How will you have it？”

“你要多大面額的？”

“Oh”—I caught his meaning and answered without even trying to think— “in fifties.”

“哦，”我明白了他的意思，想都不想地回答，“50美元面額。”

He gave me a fifty-dollar bill.

他給了我一張50美元的鈔票。

“And the six？” he asked dryly.

“那6美元呢？”他冷冷地問道。

“In sixes，” I said.

“6美元面額。”我說。

He gave it to me and I rushed out.

他把錢給我，我立馬沖了出去。

As the big door swung behind me I caught the echo of a roar of laughter that went up to the ceiling of the bank. Since then I bank no more. I keep my money in cash in my trousers pocket and my savings in silver dollars in a sock.

大門在我身后搖晃著關上時，我聽到里面響起陣陣大笑，笑聲直沖銀行屋頂。從那以后，我就再也沒去過銀行。我把鈔票揣進褲兜，把攢下的銀元放進襪子里。

（譯者單位：江西師范大學外國語學院）