“‘You couldnt call it that，’ says Bassett.‘Robbing sounds harsh. All I had to do was to find out what street it was on. That town is so quiet that I could stand on the corner and hear the tumblerstumbler n.打滚的人， 翻筋斗者， 杂技演员， (平底)大玻璃杯， 一杯量 clicking in that safe lock—right to 45； left twice to 80； right once to 60； left to 15—as plain as the Yale captain giving orders in the football dialect. Now， boys，’ says Bassett， ‘this is an early rising town. They tell me the citizens are all up and stirring before daylight. I asked what for， and they said because breakfast was ready at that time. And what of merry Robin Hood？ It must be Yoicks！ and away with the tinkers’ chorus. Ill stake you. How much do you want？ Speak up. Capital.’
“‘你不能那么说，’巴西特说，‘抢这个字未免不大好听。我所做的事只不过是找找银行在哪条街上。那个小镇非常寂静，我站在街角上都可以听到保险箱上号码盘的转动声——往右拧到四十五；往左拧两圈到八十；往右拧一圈到六十；再往友好到十五——听得一清二楚，正如听耶鲁大学足球队长用暗语发号施令一样。老弟，’巴西特又说，‘这个镇上的人起得很早。他们说镇上的居民天没亮就都起来活动了。我问他们为什么不多睡一会儿，他们说因为那时候早饭就做好了。那么快活的罗宾汉该怎么办呢？只有叮叮当当地赶快开路。我给你们赌本。你要多少？快说，资本。’
“‘My dear young friend.’ says this ground squirrelsquirrel n.松鼠 v.贮藏 of a Ricks， standing on his hind legs and juggling nuts in his paws， ‘I have friends in Denver who would assist me. If I had a hundred dollars I——’
“‘我亲爱的年轻朋友，’里克斯说，他活像一只用后腿蹲，用前爪摆弄硬果的地松鼠，‘我在丹佛有几个朋友，他们可以帮助我。只要有一百块钱，我就可以——’
“Basset unpins a package of the currency and throws five twenties to Ricks.
“巴西特打开一包钱，取出五张二十元的钞票扔给了里克斯。
“‘Trade， how much？’ he says to me.
“‘贸易，你要多少？’他问我说。
“‘Put your money up， Labor，’ says I. ‘I never yet drew upon honest toil for its hardearned pittancepittance n.少量， 微薄的薪俸. The dollars I get are surplus ones that are burning the pockets of damfools and greenhorns. When I stand on a street corner and sell a solid gold diamond ring to a yap for 3.00， I make just 2.60. And I know hes going to give it to a girl in return for all the benefits accruing from a 125.00 ring. His profits are 122.00. Which of us is the biggest fakir？’
“‘把你的钱收起来吧，劳动力，’我说，‘我一向不从辛辛苦苦干活的人身上搞他们得来不易的小钱。我搞的都是在傻瓜笨蛋的口袋里烧得慌的多余的钱。当我站在街头，把三块钱一枚的钻石金戒指卖给乡巴佬的时候，我只不过赚了两块六。我知道他会把这只戒指送给一个姑娘，来酬答相当于一枚一百二十五元的戒指所产生的利益。他的利润是一百二十二元。我们两人中间哪一个是更大的骗子呢？’
“‘And when you sell a poor woman a pinch of sand for fifty cents to keep her lamp from exploding，’ says Bassett， ‘what do you figure her gross earnings to be， with sand at forty cents a ton？’
“‘可是当你把五毛钱一撮的沙子卖给穷苦女人，说是可以防止油灯爆炸的时候，’巴西特说，‘沙子的价钱是四毛钱一吨；那你以为她的净利是多少呢？’
“‘Listen，’ says I. ‘I instruct her to keep her lamp clean and well filled. If she does that it cant burst. And with the sand in it she knows it cant， and she dont worry. Its a kind of Industrial Christian Science. She pays fifty cents， and gets both Rockefeller and Mrs. Eddy on the job. It aint everybody that can let the golddust twins do their work.’
“‘听着。’我说，‘我叮嘱她要把油灯擦干净，把油加足。她照我的活做了，油灯就不会爆炸。她以为油灯里有了我的沙子就不会炸，也就放心了。这可以说是工业上的基督教科学疗法。她花了五毛钱，洛克菲勒和埃迪夫人都为她效了劳。不是每个人都能请这对有钱的孪生兄妹来帮忙的。’
“Alfred E. Ricks all but licks the dust off of Bill Bassetts shoes.
“艾尔弗雷德·伊·里克斯对比尔，巴西特感激涕零，差一点儿没去拍他的鞋子。
“‘My dear young friend，’ says he， ‘I will never forget your generosity. Heaven will reward you. But let me imploreimplore vt.恳求， 哀求 you to turn from your ways of violence and crime.’‘Mousie，’ says Bill， ‘the hole in the wainscoting for yours. Your dogmas and inculcations sound to me like the last words of a bicycle pump. What has your high moral， elevatorservice system of pillagepillage v.掠夺 n.掠夺 brought you to？ Penuriousness and want. Even Brother Peters， who insists upon contaminating the art of robbery with theories of commerce and trade， admitted he was on the lift. Both of you live by the gilded rule. Brother Peters，’ says Bill， ‘youd better choose a slice of this embalmed currency. Youre welcome.’
“‘我亲爱的年轻朋友，’他说，‘我永远都忘不了你的慷慨。上天会保佑你的。不过我请求你以后不要采用暴力和犯罪的手段。’‘胆小鬼，你还是躲到壁板里的耗子洞里去吧，’比尔说，‘在我听来，你的信条和教诲像是自行车打气筒最后的声音。你那种道貌岸然，高高在上的掠夺方式造成了什么结果？不过是贫困穷苦而已。就拿彼得斯老哥来说，他坚持要用商业和贸易的理论来玷污抢劫的艺术，如今也不得不承认他完蛋了。你们两个的做法是行不通的。彼得斯老哥，’比尔说，‘你最好还是在这笔经过防腐处理的钱里取一份吧。’
“I told Bill Bassett once more to put his money in his pocket. I never had the respect for burglary that some people have. I always gave something for the money I took， even if it was only some little trifle for a souvenirsouvenir n.纪念品 to remind em not to get caught again.
“我再一次吩咐比尔·巴西特把钱收起来。我不像某些人那样尊重盗窃。我拿了人家的钱总要给人家代价，即使是一些提醒人家下次不要再上当的小小的纪念品。
“And then Alfred E. Ricks grovels at Bills feet again， and bids us adieu. He says he will have a team at a farmhouse， and drive to the station below， and take the train for Denver. It salubrified the atmosphere when that lamentablelamentable adj.不快的 bollworm took his departure. He was a disgrace to every nonindustrial profession in the country. With all his big schemes and fine offices he had wound up unable even to get an honest meal except by the kindness of a strange and maybe unscrupulousunscrupulous adj.肆无忌惮的， 无道德的， 不谨慎的 burglar. I was glad to see him go， though I felt a little sorry for him， now that he was ruined forever. What could such a man do without a big capital to work with？ Why， Alfred E. Ricks， as we left him， was as helpless as turtle on its back. He couldnt have worked a scheme to beat a little girl out of a penny slatepencil.
“接着，艾尔弗雷德·伊·里克斯又卑躬屈节地谢了比尔，便同我们告别了。他说他要向农家借一辆马车，乘到车站，然后塔吉丹佛的火车。那个叫人看了伤心的虫子告辞之后，空气为之一新。他丢了全国不劳而获的行业的脸。他搞了许多庞大的计划和华丽的办公室，到头来还混不上一顿像样的饭，还得仰仗一个素昧平生、也许不够谨慎的窃贼。他离开后，我很高兴；虽然看到他就此一蹶不振，不免有点儿替他伤心。这个人没有大本钱时又能干些什么？嘿，艾尔弗雷德·伊·里克斯同我们分手的时候简直像一只四脚朝天的乌龟那样毫无办法。他甚至想不出计谋来骗小姑娘的石笔呢。
“When me and Bill Bassett was left alone I did a little sleightofmind turn in my head with a trade secret at the end of it. Thinks I， Ill show this Mr. Burglar Man the difference between business and labor. He had hurt some of my professional selfadulation by casting his Persians upon commerce and trade.
“只剩下我和比尔·巴西特两个人的时候，我开动了一下脑筋，想出一个包合生意秘密的计策。我想，我得让这位窃贼先生看看，贸易同劳力之间究竟有什么差别。他奚落了商业和贸易，伤了我的职业自豪感。
“‘I wont take any of your money as a gift， Mr. Bassett，’ says I to him， ‘but if youll pay my expenses as a travelling companion until we get out of the danger zone of the immoral deficit you have caused in this towns finances tonight， Ill be obliged.’
“‘我不愿意接受你送给我的钱，巴西特先生，’我对他说，‘你今晚用不道德的方法害得这个小镇的财政有了亏空。在我们离开这个危险地带之前，如果你能替我支付路上的花费，我就很领情了。’