福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第8章Part2
"Yes, for strangers to travel," the other answered.
"That's good enough. I'm Brother Scanlan, Lodge 341, Vermissa Valley. Glad to see you.in these parts."
"Thank you. I'm Brother John McMurdo, Lodge 29, Chicago. Bodymaster J.H. Scott. But I am in luck to meet a brother so early."
"Well, there are plenty of us about. You won't find the order more flourishing anywhere in the States than right here in Vermissa Valley. But we could do with some lads like you. I can't understand a spry man of the union finding no work to do in Chicago."
"I found plenty of work to do," said McMurdo.
"Then why did you leave?"
McMurdo nodded towards the policemen and smiled. "I guess those chaps would be glad to know," he said.
Scanlan groaned sympathetically. "In trouble?" he asked in a whisper.
"Deep."
"A penitentiary job?"
"And the rest."
"Not a killing!"
"It's early days to talk of such things," said McMurdo with the air of a man who had been surprised into saying more than he intended. "I've my own good reasons for leaving Chicago, and let that be enough for you. Who are you that you should take it on yourself to ask such things?" His gray eyes gleamed with sudden and dangerous anger from behind his glasses.
"All right, mate, no offense meant. The boys will think none the worse of you, whatever you may have done. Where are you bound for now?"
"Vermissa."
"That's the third halt down the line. Where are you staying?"
McMurdo took out an envelope and held it close to the murky oil lamp. "Here is the address--Jacob Shafter, Sheridan Street. It's a boarding house that was recommended by a man I knew in Chicago."
“對旅行的異鄉人，黑夜是不愉快的，"另一個人回答說。
“太好了。我是維爾米薩山谷三四一分會的斯坎倫兄弟。很高興在此地見到你。”
“謝謝你。我是芝加哥二十九分會的約翰·麥克默多兄弟。身主J．H．斯科特。不過我很幸運，這麼快就遇到了一個弟兄。”
“好，附近我們有很多人。你會看到，在維爾米薩山谷，本會勢力雄厚，這是美國任何地方也比不上的。可是我們要有許多象你這樣的小夥子才成。我真不明白象你這樣生氣勃勃的工會會員，爲什麼在芝加哥找不到工作。”
“我找到過很多工作呢，"麥克默多說道。
“那你爲什麼離開呢？”
麥克默多向警察那麪點頭示意並且笑了笑，說道：“我想這些傢伙知道了是會很高興的。”
斯坎倫同情地哼了一聲。"有什麼麻煩事嗎？"他低聲問道。
“很麻煩。”
“是犯罪行爲嗎？”
“還有其他方面的。”
“不是殺人吧？”
“談這樣的事還太早，"麥克默多說道，現出因說過了頭而吃驚的樣子，“我離開芝加哥有我自己的充分理由，你就不要多管了。你是什麼人？怎麼可以對這種事問個不休呢？”麥克默多灰色的雙眸透過眼鏡突然露出氣憤的兇光。
“好了，老兄。請不要見怪。人們不會以爲你做過什麼壞事的。你現在要到哪兒去？”
“到維爾米薩。”
“第三站就到了。你準備住在哪裏？”
麥克默多掏出一個信封來，把它湊近昏暗的油燈旁。“這就是地址——謝里登街，雅各布·謝夫特。這是我在芝加哥認識的一個人介紹給我的一家公寓。”
