牛津书虫系列《神秘及幻想故事集》Chapter2 附中英双语文本

Although I thought that this was a very reasonable explanation，the strange shape on the wall still worried me．I thought about the cat day and night．I began to feel sorry that I had killed it．I started walking around the streets at night looking at all the cats，to see if I could find another one like Pluto．
尽管我觉得这个解释很是入情入理，但墙上那古怪的形状仍然令我心烦意乱。日日夜夜，我总想起那只猫。我有些后悔自己害死了它，并开始在深夜跑到街上转悠，注意观察所有的猫，看是否能找到一只与普路托相像的。
One night，I was drinking in my favourite bar when I suddenly noticed a large，black cat．I went up to it and touched it．It was very large-as large as Pluto had been．It also looked very like Pluto．Except for one thing．Pluto had been black all over，but this cat had a white mark on its front．
一天夜里，我正在我最喜欢的酒吧里喝酒，突然，我注意到一只大个儿的黑猫，便朝它走过去，抚摸它。它大极了——和普路托过去一样大，而且看上去也很像普路托。不相像的只有一处。普路托是通体乌黑的，但这只猫前胸有一块白斑。
I touched the cat and he immediately lay down against my leg and seemed very friendly towards me．This，I decided，was the cat that I wanted．I offered the barman some money to buy the cat from him，but he said that the cat didn't belong to him．In fact，he had no idea where it had come from．
我抚摸着那猫，它立即挨着我的腿躺倒，似乎对我非常友善的样子。我当即断定，这就是我梦寐以求的那只猫。我向酒吧老板提出付他一些钱买下这只猫，但他说这只猫并不属于他，实际上，他根本不知道它是从什么地方跑来的。
So I took the cat home．My wife liked it immediately，and it stayed with us from that day．But soon-I do not know why-the cat started to make me angry，and，as time passed，I began to hate it．I did not hurt it in any way，but I always tried to keep as far away from it as possible．
于是我把猫带回了家。我妻子一下子就喜欢上了它，打那天起，它便和我们待在一起。可是没多久——我不知是何缘故——这只猫开始惹我生气了，而且，时间一长，我便开始对它深恶痛绝。我并没怎么折磨它，不过我总是尽量避开它，巴不得离得越远越好。
I knew one reason why I hated this cat so much．Oh the morning after I had brought it home，I saw that，like Pluto，it had lost one of its eyes．My wife，who was the kind，gentle per－son that I had once been，only loved the cat more because of this．But the cat didn't like my wife．It loved me alone．
我知道有一个原因，可以解释我为何如此厌恶这只猫。就在我把它带回家的第二天早上，我看到，像普路托一样，它也丢掉了一只眼睛。我的妻子像过去的我一样是个善良、温柔的人，她因为猫的这次不幸反而更加怜爱它了。但这只猫并不喜欢我妻子，它只依恋我一个人。
Every time I sat down，it used to jump onto my knees．When I went out of a room，it used to run out in front of me and get between my feet，or climb up my legs．At these times，I wanted to kill it．But I didn't，because I was too afraid-afraid of the cat，and even more afraid of the white mark on its chest．
每次我一坐下，它就要跳到我膝盖上；我一走出房间，它就窜出来跑到我前面，走在我两脚中间，或是爬到我的腿上。每逢这种时刻，我就想杀了它。但我没有下手，因为我太害怕了——害怕这只猫，尤其害怕它胸前的那块白斑。
I have already mentioned this mark．At first，there was nothing strange about it．It was just a white mark．But slowly this mark grew and changed until it had the clear shape of a terrible，a horrible thing-I find it difficult，here in my prison，to write the word．It was the shape of the GALLOWS！Yes，those horrible wooden posts from which they hang men by a rope around the neck！
这个斑块我在前面提到过。一开始，它并没有什么奇怪之处，不过是块白斑而已。但是慢慢地，这个斑块在长大、变形，最终清晰地显露出一样可怕的、恐怖的东西的形状——在这牢房之中，我很难写下那个字眼。那是个绞刑架的形状！是的，正是他们用绞索套住脖子将人吊死在上面的那种恐怖的木头架子！
As each day passed，my fear grew and grew．I，a man，a strong man，had become afraid of a cat！Why was I so fright－ened，so worried by a stupid animal？Day and night，I could get no rest．I had the most terrible dreams，and my mind turned to dark，evil thoughts．I hated everything，everybody-and life itself．