Later that day, as the sun was going down, the same coach stopped in a village near the Marquis's castle. Several villagers, in poor thin clothes, with thin hungry faces, were standing in the village square. The Marquis looked at their faces and then pointed to one of them.
那天的晚些时候，太阳落山时，那同一辆马车停在了侯爵的城堡附近的一个村子里。几个衣衫褴褛、面黄饥瘦的村民正站在村里的场地上。侯爵看着他们的脸庞然后指着其中的一个人。
"Bring that man to me, " he said to his driver.
“把那个男人带过来。”他对他的车夫说道。
The man came up to the coach, hat in hand, and the other villagers moved closer to listen.
那个人朝马车走过来，手里拿着帽子，其余的村民都走近前来聆听。
"I passed you on the road just outside the village, " said the Marquis."You were looking at my coach in a very strange way. Why was that?"
“我在村外的那条路上从你旁边经过，”侯爵说。“你当时正用一种奇特的眼光看着我的马车。为什么要这样?”
"Monsieur, I was looking at the man, " came the reply.
“先生，我那时正看着那个男人。”回答说。
"What man?" asked the Marquis angrily.
“什么男人?”侯爵生气地问。
"The man who was holding on under your coach, " said the poor man, trembling with fear.
“就是那个扒在您马车底下的男人。”这个可怜人说道，身子因为害怕而发抖。
"What was he like?"
“他长得什么样?”
"Oh, Monsieur, he was white from head to foot. All covered with dust. Just like a ghost."
“哦，先生，他从头到脚穿一身白。全省都是土。像鬼魂一样。”
"Where is he now? What happened to him?"
“他现在在哪儿?他怎么啦?”
"Oh, he ran away down the hill outside the village."
“哦，他朝村外的山脚下跑去了。”
双城故事：
18年后，梅尼特医生获释。这位精神失常的白发老人被巴黎圣安东尼区的一名酒贩、他旧日的仆人德法奇(Defarge)收留。这时，女儿露茜已经成长，专程接他去英国居住。旅途上，他们邂逅法国青年查尔斯·达雷(Charles Darnay)，受到他的细心照料。 原来达雷就是侯爵的儿子。他憎恨自己家族的罪恶，毅然放弃财产的继承权和贵族的姓氏，移居伦敦，当了一名法语教师。在与梅尼特父女的交往中，他对露茜产生了真诚的爱情。梅尼特为了女儿的幸福，决定埋葬过去，欣然同意他们的婚事。 在法国，达雷父母相继去世，叔父厄弗里蒙得侯爵继续为所欲为。当他狂载马车若无其事地轧死一个农民的孩子后，终于被孩子父亲用刀杀死。一场革命的风暴正在酝酿之中，德法奇的酒店就是革命活动的联络点，他的妻子不停地把贵族的暴行编织成不同的花纹，记录在围巾上，渴望复仇。
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发表于 2023-10-30 15:34:41