警察与赞美诗
On his bench in Madison Square Soapy moved uneasily. When wild geese honk high of nights， and when women without sealskinsealskinn.海豹皮 coats grow kind to their husbands， and when Soapy moves uneasily on his bench in the park， you may know that winter is near at hand.
索比急躁不安地躺在麦迪逊广场的长凳上，辗转反侧。每当雁群在夜空中引颈高歌，缺少海豹皮衣的女人对丈夫加倍的温存亲热，索比在街心公园的长凳上焦躁不安、翻来覆去的时候，人们就明白，冬天已近在咫尺了。
A dead leaf fell in Soapys lap. That was Jack Frosts card. Jack is kind to the regular denizens of Madison Square， and gives fair warning of his annual call. At the corners of four streets he hands his pasteboardpasteboard n.纸板， <俚>纸牌 adj.纸板做的， 不坚实的 to the North Wind， footman of the mansionmansionn.大厦， 官邸， 公寓（用复数，用于专有名词中） of All Outdoors， so that the inhabitants thereof may make ready.
一片枯叶落在索比的大腿上，那是杰克·弗洛斯特的卡片。杰克对麦迪逊广场的常住居民非常客气，每年来临之先，总要打一声招呼。在十字街头，他把名片交给“户外大厦”的信使“北风”，好让住户们有个准备。
Soapys mind became cognisant of the fact that the time had come for him to resolve himself into a singularsingularn.单数adj.单一的， 非凡的， 异常的， 持异议的 committee of Ways and Means to provide against the coming rigour. And therefore he moved uneasily on his bench.
索比意识到，该是自己下决心的时候了，马上组织单人财务委员会，以便抵御即将临近的严寒，因此，他急躁不安地在长凳上辗转反侧。
The hibernatorial ambitions of Soapy were not of the highest. In them there were no considerations of Mediterranean cruises， of soporificsoporific adj.催眠的， 想睡的 n.催眠剂， 安眠药，使人昏昏沉沉的东西 Southern skies drifting in the Vesuvian Bay. Three months on the Island was what his soul craved. Three months of assured board and bed and congenial company， safe from Boreas and bluecoatsbluecoat n.穿蓝色衣服或制服的人、警察、士兵， seemed to Soapy the essence of things desirable.
索比越冬的抱负并不算最高，他不想在地中海巡游，也不想到南方去晒令人昏睡的太阳，更没想过到维苏威海湾漂泊。他梦寐以求的只要在岛上待三个月就足够了。整整三个月，有饭吃，有床睡，还有志趣相投的伙伴，而且不受“北风”和警察的侵扰。对索比而言，这就是日思夜想的最大愿望。
For years the hospitable Blackwells had been his winter quarters. Just as his more fortunate fellow New Yorkers had bought their tickets to Palm Beach and the Riviera each winter， so Soapy had made his humble arrangementsarrangementn.排列， 安排 for his annual hegira to the Island. And now the time was come. On the previous night three Sabbath newspapers， distributed beneath his coat， about his anklesankle n.[解］踝 and over his lap， had failed to repulse the cold as he slept on his bench near the spurting fountain in the ancient square. So the Island loomed big and timely in Soapys mind. He scorned the provisionsprovision n.供应， （一批）供应品， 预备， 防备， 规定 made in the name of charity for the citys dependents. In Soapys opinion the Law was more benign than Philanthropy. There was an endless round of institutions， municipalmunicipaladj.市政的， 市立的， 地方性的， 地方自治的 and eleemosynaryeleemosynaryadj.施舍的， 接受接济的， 慈善的， on which he might set out and receive lodging and food accordant with the simple life. But to one of Soapys proud spirit the gifts of charity are encumbered. If not in coin you must pay in humiliation of spirit for every benefit received at the hands of philanthropy. As Caesar had his Brutus， every bed of charity must have its toll of a bath， every loaf of bread its compensationcompensationn.补偿， 赔偿 of a private and personal inquisitioninquisitionn.调查， 探究， 审理， （中世纪天主教审判异教徒）宗教裁判所。 Wherefore it is better to be a guest of the law， which though conducted by rules， does not meddle unduly with a gentlemans private affairs.
多年来，好客的布莱克韦尔岛的监狱一直是索比冬天的寓所。正像福气比他好的纽约人每年冬天买票去棕榈滩和里维埃拉一样，索比也要为一年一度逃奔岛上作些必要的安排。现在又到时候了。昨天晚上，他睡在古老广场上喷水池旁的长凳上，用三张星期日的报纸分别垫在上衣里、包着脚踝、盖住大腿，也没能抵挡住严寒的袭击。因此，在他的脑袋里，岛子的影象又即时而鲜明地浮现出来。他诅咒那些以慈善名义对城镇穷苦人所设的布施。在索比眼里，法律比救济更为宽厚。他可以去的地方不少，有市政办的、救济机关办的各式各样的组织，他都可以去混吃、混住，勉强度日，但接受施舍，对索比这样一位灵魂高傲的人来讲，是一种不可忍受的折磨。从慈善机构的手里接受任何一点好处，钱固然不必付，但你必须遭受精神上的屈辱来作为回报。正如恺撒对待布鲁图一样，凡事有利必有弊，要睡上慈善机构的床，先得让人押去洗个澡；要吃施舍的一片面包，得先交代清楚个人的来历和隐私。因此，倒不如当个法律的座上宾还好得多。虽然法律铁面无私、照章办事，但至少不会过分地干涉正人君子的私事。
Soapy， having decided to go to the Island， at once set about accomplishing his desire. There were many easy ways of doing this. The pleasantest was to dine luxuriously at some expensive restaurant； and then， after declaring insolvencyinsolvency n.无力偿还， 破产， be handed over quietly and without uproar to a policeman. An accommodating magistratemagistrate n.文职官员， 地方官员 would do the rest.
一旦决定了去岛上，索比便立即着手将它变为现实。要兑现自己的意愿，有许多简捷的途径，其中最舒服的莫过于去某家豪华餐厅大吃一桌，然后呢，承认自己身无分文，无力支付，这样便安安静静、毫不声张地被交给警察。其余的一切就该由勾通商量的治安推事来应付了。
Soapy left his bench and strolled out of the square and across the level sea of asphaltasphalt n.沥青， where Broadway and Fifth Avenue flow together. Up Broadway he turned， and halted at a glittering cafe， where are gathered together nightly the choicest products of the grape， the silkwormsilkworm n.蚕， 桑蚕， 家蚕 and the protoplasmprotoplasmn.[生］原生质。
索比离开长凳，踱出广场，跨过百老汇大街和第五大街的交汇处那片沥青铺就的平坦路面。他转向百老汇大街，在一家灯火辉煌的咖啡馆前停下脚步，在这里，每天晚上聚积着葡萄、蚕丝和原生质的最佳制品。
Soapy had confidence in himself from the lowest button of his vest upward. He was shaven， and his coat was decent and his neat black， readytied fourinhand had been presented to him by a lady missionary on Thanksgiving Day. If he could reach a table in the restaurant unsuspected success would be his. The portion of him that would show above the table would raise no doubt in the waiters mind. A roasted mallard duck， thought Soapy， would be about the thing—with a bottle of Chablis， and then Camembert， a demitasse and a cigar. One dollar for the cigar would be enough. The total would not be so high as to call forth any supreme manifestationmanifestation n.显示， 表现， 示威运动 of revenge from the cafe management； and yet the meat would leave him filled and happy for the journey to his winter refugerefuge n.庇护， 避难， 避难所。
索比对自己的马甲从最下一颗纽扣之上还颇有信心，他修过面，上衣也还够气派，他那整洁的黑领结是感恩节时一位教会的女士送给他的。只要他到餐桌之前不被人猜疑，成功就属于他了。他露在桌面的上半身绝不会让侍者生疑。索比想到，一只烤野鸭很对劲——再来一瓶夏布利酒，然后是卡门贝干酪，一小杯清咖啡和一支雪茄烟。一美元一支的雪茄就足够了。全部加起来的价钱不宜太高，以免遭到咖啡馆太过厉害的报复；然而，吃下这一餐会使他走向冬季避难所的行程中心满意足、无忧无虑了。