“我在那里的时候非常想家。” 伊迪莎?文宁出人意料地说，一口气喝光了苏格兰威士忌。毫无征兆地，眼泪开始从她脸上流下来，在她苍白的粉脸上留下一道道泪痕。每个人都尽量装作什么异常的事情都没发生，不一会儿，她用卢埃拉?怀特递给她的一块大手帕擦干了脸。

“I was terribly homesick there,” Editha Venning said unexpectedly, downing the Scotch. Without any warning tears began to stream down her face, leaving great streaks in her pale powder. Everyone tried to look as if nothing unusual were going on, and in a moment she dried her face on a huge handkerchief handed to her by Louella White.

“你呢，卢埃拉？” 文宁试图轻松地说，“你觉得芝加哥的气候怎么样？”

“How about you, Louella?” Venning said, with an attempt at lightness.

“我不介意。” 这个高大的女人说。马龙盯着她。她变得相当健谈了。他注意到她又拿出了她的编织活，有条不紊、有节奏地织着那件难看的灰色衣服。不知为什么，这让他微微感到有些恐惧。

“I don’t mind it,” the large woman said. Malone stared at her. She was being downright talkative. He noticed that she had taken out her knitting again, methodically and rhythmically working on the ugly gray garment. For some reason it gave him a slight touch of the horrors.

莫娜觉得是时候把话题从天气上转移开了。“看到你和杰克又在一起了，我真高兴。” 她对海伦说。

Mona decided it was time to get the conversation off the weather. “I’m so glad to see you and Jake together again,” she said to Helene.

“哦，但是我们没有在一起。” 海伦欢快地说，“仅仅因为我们在同一个房间里而不会互相攻击并不意味着什么，你知道的。”

“Oh, but we aren’t,” Helene said brightly. “Just because we can be in the same room without tearing at each other’s throats doesn’t mean a thing, you know.”

“但是海伦……” 杰克刚开口。他感觉到海伦的鞋跟踩在他的脚背上，便不再说话了。

“But Helene—” Jake began. He felt Helene’s heel on his instep and was silent.

“除非我们的律师在场，否则我们从不碰面。” 海伦补充道。

“We never meet unless our lawyer’s present,” Helene added.

杰克感觉有人在他的椅子后面爬来爬去。原来是彭德利?泰德韦尔。

Jake felt someone crawling around back of his chair It turned out to be Pendley Tidewell.

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“你介意我给你和你的前妻坐在一起拍张照片吗？” 他满怀希望地问道，“我以前从没拍到过……” 他停顿了一下，脸红了。

“Would you mind if I took a picture of you sitting beside your ex-wife?” he asked hopefully. “I never got a picture before of—” He paused, and blushed.

“拍吧。” 杰克和蔼地说，“当海伦和我最终上法庭的时候，你可能会把这张照片卖给报纸赚很多钱。”

“Go right ahead,” Jake said amiably. “When Helene and I finally get into court, you can probably sell it to the newspapers for a lot of money.”

莫娜?麦克莱恩设法让大家又聊了五分钟巴黎咖啡馆的歌舞表演。然后杰克、海伦和马龙和大家一一告别离开了。

Mona McClane managed to keep everyone talking about the floor show at the Chez Paree for five more minutes. Then Jake, Helene, and Malone said good-bys all around and left.

“再待五分钟我的头发就不只是变白了，而是会掉光。” 海伦靠在出租车的坐垫上说。

“Another five minutes and my hair wouldn’t have just turned white, it would have fallen out,” Helene said, leaning back against the cushions in the taxi.

“当地狱在他们中间爆发时，你不能责怪那些有教养、备受呵护的人感到紧张不安。” 马龙说。

“You can’t blame well-bred, sheltered people for feeling edgy when hell breaks loose in their midst,” said Malone.

“还有一件事。” 杰克气愤地说，“你告诉莫娜?麦克莱恩…… 是什么意思？”

“And another thing,” Jake said indignantly. “What was the idea of telling Mona McClane—”

“动动脑子。我住在莫娜?麦克莱恩家是因为我离开了我的丈夫。这是我们了解麦克莱恩家发生的事情的唯一内部渠道。我必须待在那里。”

“Use your head. I’m staying at Mona McClane’s because I’ve left my husband. It’s the only inside wire we have to what goes on in the McClane household. I’ve got to stay there.”

“你的意思是你不跟我回家了？”

“You mean you’re not ing home with me?”

“在我们赢得那个赌注之前不会。” 她坚定地说，“我必须有个留在莫娜家做客的借口，而这是我唯一的借口。”

“Not until we win that bet,” she said firmly. “I’ve got to have some excuse for staying on as Mona’s guest, and this is the only one I have.”

“但是该死，海伦。” 杰克抱怨道，“你不能……”

“But damn it, Helene,” Jake plained. “You can’t—”

“等赌注有了结果再说。” 她说。

“After the bet is settled,” she said.

“就为了两分钱，” 杰克咆哮道，“我都想揍你一拳。”

“For two cents,” Jake growled, “I’d punch you in the nose.”

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“特价日。” 海伦说，“或者说是贾斯特一家家庭生活的第二集。”

“Bargain day,” Helene said. “Or the second episode in the family life of the Justuses.”

马龙觉得是时候讲讲洛特斯?艾伦，原名安杰洛的故事了。他讲完后，海伦深蓝色的眼睛睁得大大的，几乎有些湿润。

Malone decided it was a good time to tell the story of Lotus Allen, nee Angelo. When he had finished it, Helene’s deep blue eyes were wide and almost misty.

“马龙，你一定要把她从这件事里解救出来。这个可怜的孩子 —— 她不可能超过二十一、二岁。而他也才二十二岁。两个孩子。”

“Malone, you’ve got to get her out of this. The poor kid—she can’t be more than twenty-one or twenty-two. And he’s just twenty-two. A couple of babies.”

“迷失在树林里的孩子。” 杰克严肃地说，“马龙，你能把她从监狱里弄出来吗？”

“Lost babies in the woodsies,” Jake said gravely. “Malone, are you going to get her out of jail?”

“她是我的当事人，不是吗？” 这个小律师愤慨地问道。

“She’s my client, isn’t she?” the little lawyer demanded indignantly.

海伦说：“现在我们单独在一起了，那两个杰拉尔德?图伊兹的事怎么办？”

Helene said, “Now that we’re alone, what about this business of the two Gerald Tuesdays?”

“是啊。” 杰克说，“你对这两个人有什么看法？”

“Yes,” Jake said. “What do you think about these two guys?”

“我觉得他们都死了。” 马龙不悦地说。

“I think they’re dead,” Malone said sourly.

“他们两个死得一样。” 海伦若有所思地说，“他们两个在死前都想给你传递一个信息。关于一把钥匙和数字 114 的信息。”

“Both of them died the same way,” Helene said thoughtfully. “Both of them tried to get a message to you before they died. Some message concerned with a key, and the number 114.”

“要是我们知道那把钥匙发生了什么事就好了。” 杰克说。

“If we only knew what had happened to that key,” Jake said.