“Were you looking for us?” Malone asked politely.
“我跟她说过她不该来这儿。” 小个子男人焦急地说。“我跟她说她这样到处乱逛不好看，尤其是她还穿成这样。” 他的脸不开心地皱了起来。
“I told her she shouldn’t e here,” the little man said anxiously. “I told her it didn’t look well for her to go wandering all over, especially dressed the way she is.” His face wrinkled unhappily.
“你们似乎识我们。” 杰克说。“来点反馈怎么样？”
“You seem to know us,” Jake said. “How about a little reciprocity?”
“我是弗洛伦斯?佩维利。” 女孩说，“这是亨利叔叔。”
“I’m Florence Peveley,” the girl said, “and this is Uncle Henry.”
“你瞧？” 亨利叔叔说。“她父亲从今天下午一点十五分才去世，她就穿着这样满镇跑。” 他求助地看着马龙。“人们会怎么想？”
“You see?” Uncle Henry said. “Here her father’s only been dead since one-fifteen this afternoon, and she’s going all over town, dressed like that.” He looked appealingly at Malone. “What will people think?”
“我才不在乎人们怎么想。” 弗洛伦斯?佩维利不耐烦地说。“从来不在乎，现在也不想开始在乎。听着，你 ——” 她在对马龙说话 ——“我了解你的一切。有个记者差不多把你的生平都告诉我了。谢天谢地你在这儿。你得为此做点什么。”
“I don’t give a good red damn what people think,” Florence Peveley said impatiently. “Never have, and I don’t intend to start in now. Look here, you” - she was addressing Malone - “I know all about you. One of those reporters told me your life history, practically. Thank God you’re here. You’ve got to do something about this.”
马龙眨了眨眼。“关于什么？”
Malone blinked. “About what?”
她怒视着他。“那个疯治安官把杰瑞以谋杀罪关起来。这太荒谬了。杰瑞是我这辈子见过的最大的傻瓜，但他不会杀人，尤其是不会杀爸爸。”
She scowled at him. “That insane sheriff locking Jerry up for murder. It’s absurd. Jerry’s the damnedest fool I ever knew in my life, but he wouldn’t murder anybody, especially Pa.”
“你这样谈论你订婚的男人可不好。” 亨利叔叔不赞成地说。
“That’s a fine way to talk about the man you’re engaged to,” Uncle Henry said disapprovingly.
“去他的那些。” 红发女孩说。“你到底要不要做点什么？”
“The hell with all that,” the red-haired girl said. “Are you going to do something, or aren’t you?”
“你想让他做什么？” 海伦热心地问。
“What do you want him to do?” Helene asked helpfully.
“找出到底是谁 —— 对不起，是谁杀了爸爸，然后把杰瑞从监狱里弄出来。我不能让我的未婚夫在监狱里，这看起来太糟糕了。” 她对海伦微笑着。“我喜欢你，你看起来很有头脑。”
“Find out who the hell - pardon me, who killed Pa, and get Jerry out of jail. I can’t have my fiance in jail, it looks like the devil.” She smiled at Helene. “I like you, you look as if you had sense.”
“谢谢。” 海伦说，“我有头脑。我也喜欢你。我一直希望我有一头红发。”
“Thanks,” Helene said, “I have. I like you, too. I always wished I had red hair.”
“是吗？在这样的天气里这可真是个大麻烦，头发太多了。” 她又转向马龙。“你几乎可以开价，我有很多钱。至少我希望我有。” 她看着忧心忡忡的亨利叔叔。“爸爸从来没改过遗嘱，是吗？”
“Do you? It’s a terrible nuisance in weather like this, there’s so much of it.” She turned back to Malone. “You can practically name your fee, I have plenty of money. At least I hope I have.” She looked at the worried Uncle Henry. “Pa never did change his will, did he?”
白发男人无言地摇了摇头。“谢天谢地。如果我以为他是认真的，我自己都会开枪打死他。你觉得这会花我多少钱，马龙先生？”
The white-haired man shook his head speechlessly. “Thank God. If I’d thought he really meant it, I’d have shot him myself. How much do you think it ought to set me back, Mr. Malone?”
“我打算明天早上回芝加哥。” 小律师生硬地开始说道。
“I am planning to go back to Chicago tomorrow morning,” the little lawyer began stiffly.
她打断他，说了两个令人吃惊的音节，然后又说：“一千，两千，不管这对你来说值多少钱。开个价吧。”
She interrupted him with two startling syllables, and added, “A thousand, two thousand, whatever it’s worth to you. Name it.”
“一万。” 马龙不顾一切地说。“这价格可不低。五千怎么样？”
“Ten thousand,” Malone said recklessly. “That’s pretty steep. How about five?”
“我折中一下。” 他本能地说。“好。七千五。但现在就开始，动作快点。走吧，亨利叔叔。” 她转身朝门口走去。
“I’ll split the difference,” he said instinctively. “O. K. Seventy-five hundred. But start now, and make it snappy. Come on, Uncle Henry.” She turned toward the door.
“等一下。” 马龙说。“我还没说我要做什么呢。”
“Wait a minute,” Malone said. “I haven"t said I"d do anything yet.”
“胡说，没人会拒绝七千五百块。明天一早先来找我，我会把爸爸的所有情况都告诉你。” 海伦说：“等一下，佩维利小姐。这还没定下来呢。”
“Nonsense, nobody ever turned down seventy-five hundred bucks. Come and see me first thing in the morning, and I"ll give you all the dope on Pa.” Helene said, “Wait, Miss Peveley. It isn"t settled yet.”
“当然定下来了。” 女孩对她说。“我得赶紧回家，不然那些该死的摄影师可能会追上我。我可不想穿着这条裤子在《论坛报》的末版上出现我的照片。” 她打开门，说：“明天早上见，马龙先生。” 然后就走了，亨利叔叔跟在后面。
“Of course it’s settled,” the girl told her. “And I’ve got to beat it home, or one of those God-damned photographers is liable to catch up with me. I don’t want my picture on the back page of the Tribune in these pants.” She opened the door, said, “See you in the morning, Mr. Malone,” and was gone, followed by Uncle Henry.
杰克等了六十秒，然后说：“哇！”
Jake waited sixty seconds, and said, “Whew!”
“去她的。” 马龙说，“还有她那七千五百块。不过，” 过了一会儿他又说，“那可以买很多猪排呢。”
“The hell with her,” Malone said, “and the hell with her seventy-five hundred bucks. Still,” he added after a moment, “that would buy a lot of pork chops.”
“你怎么做是你的事。” 杰克坚定地说。“但我们不会留在杰克逊县。”
“What you do is your own business,” Jake said firmly. “But we are not staying in Jackson County.”
“听着。” 马龙吼道。“是你把我叫到这儿来，让我卷入这件事的。”
“Now look here,” Malone roared. “You got me up here and got me into this.”
“我会给你合理的费用，作为法律咨询和你的车费。” 杰克说，“看在上帝的份上，回芝加哥去吧，别管小镇上的谋杀案了。”
“I’ll give you a reasonable fee for legal advice and your busfare,” Jake said, “and for the love of Mike, go back to Chicago and don’t mess with small-town murders.”
“我想我知道自己在做什么。” 马龙生气地说，“还有那七千五百块 ——”
“I guess I know my own business,” Malone said angrily, “and seventy-five hundred bucks -”
“是一大笔钱。” 汤姆?伯罗斯边说边走了进来。“有了这笔钱，你可以买下《杰克逊县企业报》。或者用一半的钱。”
“Is a lot of money,” Tom Burrows said, ing in the door. “For that, you can buy the Jackson County Enterprise. Or for half that.”
“我不想要。” 马龙说。他点燃一支雪茄。“那个女孩怎么样了？”
“I don’t want it,” Malone said. He lighted a cigar. “How’s the girl?”
“我想她没事了。我在她家附近的拐角处离开她的时候，她已经相当平静了。她父亲不赞成男朋友送她回家。我是说，他就是不赞成男朋友。” 年轻人用上周的《企业报》扇着风。“听着，我不太清楚你的想法。我是说，关于 ——” 他停下来，似乎在想接下来该说什么。
“All right, I guess. She was pretty well calmed down when I left her at the corner near her house. Her old man doesn’t approve of boy friends bringing her home. I mean, he just doesn’t approve of boy friends.” The young man fanned himself with a copy of last week’s Enterprise. “Look here, I don’t quite know what you think. I mean, about -” He stopped and seemed to wonder what to say next.
“那么，你是吗？” 海伦礼貌地问。他皱起眉头。“我想不是。我很确定我不是。不过，我也不确定 ——”
“Well, are you?” Helene asked politely. He frowned. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m not. I don’t know, though -”
“拿定主意。” 海伦告诉他。
“Make up your mind,” Helene told him.
汤姆?伯罗斯皱起眉头。“这是个很长很复杂的故事。”
Tom Burrows frowned. “It’s a kind of long and plicated story.”
他没机会讲这个故事了。门又开了，衣着讲究、头发灰白的麦高恩小姐走了进来，旁边跟着一个瘦高、有点驼背、晒得黝黑的男人。马龙猜这就是那个农民兄弟。近距离看，埃伦?麦高恩显得比以往任何时候都更能干。
He didn’t have a chance to tell it. The door opened again and the well-tailored, gray-haired Miss MacGowan walked in, acpanied by a gangling, stoop-shouldered deeply sunburned man. Malone guessed this was the farmer brother. Seen at close range Ellen MacGowan appeared more marvelously efficient than ever.
“你是马龙先生，对吧？” 她干脆地说。“我一直听说你的事。”
“You’re Mr. Malone, aren’t you?” she said crisply. “I’ve been hearing about you.”
小律师鞠了一躬。“我是马龙先生。” 他说，“你听到的关于我的事可能都是真的。但如果你是来让我把杰瑞?勒克斯通从监狱里弄出来，那你就浪费了一个美好的夜晚。因为我要搭下一班能搭上的车回芝加哥。”
The little lawyer bowed. “I’m Mr. Malone,” he said, “and what you’ve been hearing about me is probably correct. But if you’re here to ask me to get Jerry Luckstone out of jail, you’re wasting a lovely evening. Because I’m going back to Chicago on the next bus I can get.”
她皱起眉头。“我当然希望你不是认真的。” 她说。“如果你是认真的，我希望你能改变主意。这个县里没人有脑子，杰瑞必须从监狱里被放出来。” 她坚定地抿紧嘴唇。“为什么？” 马龙礼貌地问道。“因为，” 她说，“他没有谋杀佩维利参议员。而且，我知道他没有。”
She frowned. “I certainly hope you don’t mean that,” she said. “And if you do, I hope you’ll change your mind. Nobody in this county has the sense of a chicken, and Jerry’s got to be gotten out of that jail.” She set her lips in a firm line. “Why?” Malone asked politely. “Because,” she said, “he didn’t murder Senator Peveley. And what’s more, I know it.”
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