Chapter 4
第四章
It was not until the following afternoon that the desk sergeant would permit Tracy to use the telephone. Harriet answered. "Mr. Stanhope's office."
直到第二天下午,值班警官才允许特蕾西打电话。是哈里特接的:“斯坦厄普先生办公室。”
"Harriet, this is Tracy Whitney. I'd like to speak to Mr. Stanhope."
“哈里特,我是特蕾西-惠特里。我想和斯坦厄普先生通话。”
"Just a moment, Miss Whitney." She heard the hesitation in the secretary's voice. "I'll--- I'll see if Mr. Stanhope is in."
“请稍等,惠特里小姐。”她听得出这位秘书的声调很踌躇。“我——我去看看斯坦厄普先生是否在。”
After a long, harrowing wait, Tracy finally heard Charles's voice. She could have wept with relief. "Charles---"
经过一段长时间的,令人心碎的等待之后,特蕾西终于听到了查尔斯的声音。她感到一阵轻松,差点哭出声来:“查尔斯——”
"Tracy? Is that you, Tracy?"
“特蕾西吗?是你吗,特蕾西?”
"Yes, darling. Oh, Charles, I've been trying to reach---"
“是的,亲爱的。噢,查尔斯,我一直在设法找——”
"I've been going crazy, Tracy! The newspapers here are full of wild stories about you. I can't believe what they're saying."
“我都急疯了,特蕾西!这儿的报纸上都是关于你的胡言乱语。我没法相信他们的话。”
"None of it is true, darling. None of it. I---"
“没有一点是真的,亲爱的,一丝一毫也没有。我——”
"Why didn't you call me?"
“你为什么不打电话给我?”
"I tried. I couldn't reach you. I---"
“我打过,但找不到你。我——”
"Where are you now?"
“你现在在哪儿?”
"I'm--- I'm in a jail in New Orleans. Charles, they're going to send me to prison for something I didn't do." To her horror, she was weeping.
“我在——我在新奥尔良的监狱里。查尔斯,他们要把我送进监狱,可我完全是无辜的。”她害怕得哭了起来。
"Hold on. Listen to me. The papers say that you shot a man. That's not true, is it?"
“别哭。听我说。报上说你开枪杀人,这不是真的,对吧?”
"I did shoot him, but---"
“我是开了枪,但——”
"Then it is true."
“那么说是真的了?”
"It's not the way it sounds, darling. It's not like that at all. I can explain everything to you. I---"
“可不是象报上说的那样,亲爱的。完全不是那样。我可以把一切告诉你。我——”
"Tracy, did you plead guilty to attempted murder and stealing a painting?"
“特蕾西,你承认蓄意杀人和盗窃一幅画儿的罪行里吗?”
"Yes, Charles, but only because---"
“是的,查尔斯,但那只是因为——”
"My God, if you needed money that badly, you should have discussed it with me.... And trying to kill someone.... I can't believe this. Neither can my parents. You're the headline in this morning's Philadelphia Daily News. This is the first time a breath of scandal has ever touched the Stanhope family."
“我的上帝,如果你那么需要钱,总该和我商量一下……而你却企图杀人……我简直无法相信。我父母也无法相信。你已经成里今天上午费城《没日新闻》的头条新闻。这可是斯坦厄普家第一次遭到别人的闲言碎语。”