Let us leave Villefort going hell for leather down the road to Paris, having paid for extra horses at every stage, and precede him through the two or three rooms into the little cabinet at the Tuileries, with its arched window, famous for having been the favourite study of Napoleon and King Louis XVIII, and today for being that of King Louis-Philippe.
我们暂且不提维尔福如何星夜兼程赶往巴黎，越过两三座宫殿，进入土伊勒里宫的小书房；且说土伊勒里宫这间有拱形的窗门的小书房，是非常闻名的，因为拿破仑和路易十八都喜欢在这儿办公，——而今天的路易·菲力浦也是如此。
"You were saying, Monsieur?" the king asked.
“您说，先生——”国王说。
"That I feel deeply disquieted, Sire."
“我非常不安，陛下。”
Here, seated in front of a walnut table that he had brought back from Hartwell (to which, by one of those foibles usual among great men, he was especially partial), King Louis XVIII was listening without particular attention to a man of between fifty and fifty-two years, grey-haired, with aristocratic features and meticulously turned out, while at the same time making marginal notes in a volume of Horace, the Gryphius edition (much admired, but often inaccurate) which used to contribute more than a little to His Majesty's learned observations on philology.
在这间书房里，国王路易十八正坐在一张胡桃木的桌子前面，这张桌子还是他从赫德威尔带来的，他特别喜欢它，这原不算稀奇，因为大人物大多都有些癖好，而这就是他的癖好之一。他现在正在漫不经心地听一个年约五十一二岁，头发灰白，仪表贵族，风度极其高雅的人讲话，而他自己则在一卷格里夫斯版的贺拉斯①诗集上做注解，皇上那种聪慧博学的见解大多是从这本书上得来的。【注：①贺拉斯（公元前65－8），古罗马诗人。】
"Really? Have you by any chance dreamt of seven fat and seven lean cows?"
“真的吗？难道您做了一个梦，梦见七只肥牛和七只瘦牛了吗？”
"And I, my dear Duke," replied Louis XVIII, "think you are very ill-informed, because I know for a fact that, on the contrary, the weather down there is excellent."
“唉，亲爱的公爵，”路易十八回答，“我想您错听了消息了，我所知道的正好相反，我确实知道那个方向的天气非常的好。”
"So what other scourge might afflict us, my dear Blacas?"
“那末您还怕什么别的灾祸呢，我亲爱的勃拉卡斯？”
"I have every reason to believe, Sire, that there is a storm brewing from the direction of the South."
“陛下，我有种种理由相信南方正在酝酿着一次大风暴。”
"No, Sire, for that would presage only seven years of fertility and seven of famine, and, with a king as far-sighted as Your Majesty, we need have no fear of famine."
“不，陛下，因为那个梦只是预示我们将有七年丰收和七年饥荒，而有象陛下这样一位明察万里的国王的治理，荒年倒并不是一件可怕的事情。”
Despite being a man of some wit, Louis XVIII liked to indulge a facile sense of humour.
象路易十八这样个人物他可也喜欢开一个愉快的玩笑。
"Canimus surdis," the king replied, carrying on with the annotation of his Horace.
“Comings surdis②，”国王回答，依旧在他的贺拉斯诗集上作注解。
"Sire," M. de Blacas continued, "if only to reassure his faithful servant, might Your Majesty not send some trusty men to Languedoc, to Provence and to the Dauphiné, to give him a report on the feeling of these three provinces?"
“陛下，”勃拉卡斯公爵又说，“就算只是为了使一个忠心的臣仆安心，陛下可否派几个可靠的大员去视察郎格多克，普罗旺斯和陀菲内，把这三省的民情给您带回一个可靠的报告来？”
The courtier laughed, to give the impression that he understood the phrase from the poet of Venusia: "Your Majesty may well be perfectly correct to trust in the loyalty of the French, but I think I may not be altogether wrong to anticipate some desperate adventure."
“陛下，”朝臣回答，并笑了几声，表示他似乎也懂得所引证的话，“陛下完全可以信赖法兰西人民的忠心，但我所担心的某种亡命企图也不见得会错。”【注：②拉丁文：我们低声唱歌。】
"By Bonaparte or, at least, those of his faction."
“波拿巴或至少是他的党。”
"My dear Blacas," said the king, "you are interrupting my work with your horrid tales."
“我亲爱的勃拉卡斯，”国王说，“您这样惊惶使我不能工作啦。”
"One moment, my good friend, wait one moment; I have here a most perspicacious note on the line Pastor quum trahiret. Let me finish it and you can tell me afterwards."
“等一等，我亲爱的先生，且等一会儿，——因为我在Pastor queue traheret①这一首上得了一条非常有趣的注解，——再等一会儿，我写好了以后就听您讲。”【注：①拉丁文：当牧童跟着走的时候。】
"And you, Sire, are keeping me from my sleep with fears for your safety."
“而您，陛下，您这样泰然无事叫我不能安眠。”
"By whom?"
“谁有亡命的企图？”
There was a brief silence while Louis XVIII, in handwriting that he made as tiny as possible, wrote a new note in the margin of his Horace; then, when the note was written, he looked up with the satisfied air of a man who thinks he has made a discovery when he has commented on someone else's idea, and said: "Carry on, my dear Duke, carry on. I am listening."
谈话暂时中断了一会儿，这时，路易十八用细楷在他的贺拉斯诗集书边的空白上写下一个注解，然后他带着一种自满的神色望着公爵，好象说他已有了一个独创的见解，而对方只能复述他人的见解似的，他说：“说吧，我亲爱的公爵，说下去吧，我听着。”
"Sire," said Blacas, who had briefly hoped to use Villefort to his own advantage, "I have to tell you that this news that troubles me is not some vague whisper, these are no mere unfounded rumours. A right-thinking man who has my entire confidence and was required by me to keep a watch on the South…" (the duke hesitated as he said this) "… has just arrived post-haste to tell me that there is a great danger threatening the king. And so, Sire, I came at once."
“陛下，”勃拉卡斯说，他很想把维尔福的功劳占为己有，“我不得不告诉您，使我如此不安的并不仅仅只是谣言。我手下有一个很有机谋的人，极得我的信任，是我派他去监视南方的动静的。”公爵在说这些话的时候态度有些迟疑，“他刚才急急忙忙地赶来告诉我一个威胁到陛下安全的大危机，所以我才急忙来见陛下的。”
"Mala ducis avi domum," Louis XVIII continued, making another note.
“Maa ducis avi domum②，”路易十八依旧在写他的注解。【注：②拉丁文：最大的危机是半愚半智。】
"Is Your Majesty ordering me to say no more on this topic?"
“陛下是不想叫我把这件事说下去吗？”
"Which one?"
“找什么？”
"Whichever you prefer, over there, on the left."
“随便你找，在左边。”
"Here, Sire?"
“这儿吗，陛下？”
"Yes, Sire, Monsieur le Baron Dandré," the usher repeated.
“是的，陛下，男爵先生，”侍从官重复道。
"No, my dear Duke, but stretch out your hand."
“没有这个意思，亲爱的公爵，但您且伸手找一找。”
M. Dandré leant elegantly against the back of a chair, resting both hands upon it, and said: "Was Your Majesty good enough to consult my report of yesterday's date?"
邓德黎把双手交背在身后，非常庄重地靠在一张椅子的背上，说：“陛下有没有检阅昨天的报告？”
"I tell you the left and you look on the right. I mean my left. There, you have it. You should find a report from the Minister of Police with yesterday's date… But here is Monsieur Dandré himself… You did say Monsieur Dandré, didn't you?" Louis XVIII remarked, turning to the usher who had indeed just announced the Minister of Police.
“我告诉你左边，你看右边。我是说我的左边。好了，你拿到了。你应该找一份警察部长的报告，上面写着昨天的日期…但这是丹德先生本人…你说的是丹德先生，不是吗？”路易十八说，转向侍从官刚刚宣称的那个警察部长。
"That's it, Baron," Louis XVIII continued, with a faint smile. "Come in, Baron, and tell the duke your most recent news about Monsieur de Bonaparte. Conceal nothing from us, however serious the situation may be. Let's see: is not the island of Elba a volcano, and shall we see war burst from it, bristling and blazing: bella, horrida bella?"
“进来，”路易十八微微一笑说，——“进来，男爵，把你所知道的一切都告诉公爵，——关于波拿巴阁下最近的消息。什么都不必隐讳，不论它有多严重。爱尔巴岛是不是一个火山，那儿会不会爆发出火焰和可怕的战争来，——bella！horrida bella！①”注：【①拉丁文：战争！恐怖的战争！】
M. Dandré turned to Louis XVIII, who was busy writing a note and did not even look up. "Bonaparte," the baron continued, "is bored to death. He spends whole days watching his miners at work in Porto-Longone."
邓德黎说到这里，望望路易十八。后者正在写一条笔记，甚至连头都没有抬起来，——“波拿巴，”男爵继续说，“快要闷死了，整天在隆江港看着矿夫们工作。”
"Yes, of course, but tell the duke what was in this report, because he is unable to find it. Let him know everything that the usurper is doing on his island."
“看过了，看过了，你把内容讲给公爵听吧，他找不到那份报告呢。尤其是关于逆贼在他小岛上所作所为的一切，要讲得详细一点。”
"Monsieur," the baron said to the duke, "all His Majesty's servants should applaud the latest news that we have received from Elba. Bonaparte…"
“阁下，”男爵对公爵说，“陛下所有的臣仆在听到我们从爱尔巴岛得来的最近消息都应该感到欣慰。波拿巴，”
"He scratches himself?" the duke said. "What does Your Majesty mean?"
“搔痒？”公爵问，“陛下这句话是什么意思？”
"And he scratches himself, as a distraction," said the king.
“而且以搔痒取乐。”国王加上一句。
"There is more, Monsieur le Duc," said the Minister of Police. "We are almost certain that the usurper will shortly be mad."
“而且，公爵阁下，”警务部长又说，“我们几乎可以确定地说，在一个极短的时间之内，逆贼就要发疯了。”
"Mad?"
“发疯？”
"Utterly: his head is softening; sometimes he weeps bitterly, at others he laughs hysterically. On some occasions, he spends hours sitting on the shore playing at ducks and drakes, and when a pebble makes five or six leaps, he seems as satisfied as though he had won another battle of Marengo or Austerlitz. You must agree that these are signs of folly."
“某种程度的发疯，他的头脑已很衰弱了。有时他痛哭，有时他狂笑，有时他接连几小时地在海滩边上拿石片来砍水，当那石片在水面上连跳五六下的时候，他就高兴得好象又打了一次马伦戈①或奥斯特利茨②之役一样。您必须承认，这些无可争辩的事实都是脑力衰弱的象征。”
"Yes indeed, my dear Duke. Have you forgotten that this great man, this hero, this demi-god is driven to distraction by a skin ailment, prurigo?"
“一点不错，我亲爱的公爵。您忘记了这位伟人，这位英雄，这位半仙得了一种使他痒得要死的皮肤病顽癣吗？”
"The usurper's conversion!" muttered the duke, looking from the king to Dandré, who were speaking their parts alternately like two Virgilian shepherds. "Has the usurper been converted?"
“逆贼的转变？”公爵喃喃地说，眼睛只是望着那象维吉尔诗里的牧童那样一唱一答的国王和邓德黎。“逆贼转变了？”
"Or of wisdom, Monsieur le Baron, or of wisdom," said Louis XVIII, with a laugh. "The great captains of Antiquity used to replenish their spirits by playing at ducks and drakes; see Plutarch's Life of Scipio Africanus."
“或是智慧的象征，男爵阁下，——或许是智慧的象征，”路易十八笑着说。“古代最伟大的舰长们也都是在大海上砍石片取乐的，不信可看普罗塔克③著的《施底奥·阿菲力加弩传》。”【注：①在意大利，一八〇〇年，拿破仑在此打败奥军。②在捷克，一八〇五年，拿破仑在此打败奥俄联军。③普鲁塔克（公元46－126），古希腊历史家。】
M. de Blacas was left speechless between these two forms of unconcern. Villefort, who had not wished to tell him everything, in order to prevent anyone else from taking away all the advantage that he might gain from his secret, had none the less told him enough to make him very anxious.
勃拉卡斯公爵对国王和部长这种盲目的泰然态度深深地考虑了一番。可恨维尔福不肯泄露全部秘密，深恐他抢去他的全部功劳，但所吐露的一点口风，却又使他极大的不安。
"How is the converted?"
“转变得怎样？”
"Go on, Dandré, go on," said Louis XVIII. "Blacas is not yet convinced. Tell him about the usurper's conversion."
“喂，邓德黎，”路易十八说，“勃拉卡斯还不相信，再讲一点逆贼的转变给他听听。”
"Here's the truth of the matter, Duke," the minister said, with the greatest gravity in the world. "Napoleon recently reviewed his men and when two or three of his old grognards, as he calls them, expressed a wish to return to France, he gave them leave and urged them to serve their good king: those were his own words, Monsieur le Duc, I am assured of it."
“哦，是这样的，公爵阁下，”部长带着世界上最庄重的神气说，“拿破仑最近作了一次考查，他的两三个旧臣表示想重回法国，他斥退了他们，并训诫他们要‘服从他们的好国王’。这些都是他亲口所说的话，公爵阁下，那倒是我可以确定的。”
The Minister of Police bowed.
警务部长鞠了一躬。
"Absolutely, my dear Duke."
“一点不错，我亲爱的公爵。”
"To the right principles. Explain it, Baron."
“变得循规蹈矩了。男爵，你说给他听听。”
"Certainly, Duke, at your insistence I shall receive whomever you wish, but I should like to do so fully armed. Minister, do you yet have a more recent report than this one: this is dated February the twentieth, and it is now already March the third!"
“我非常愿意，公爵，只要您赞成，您高兴要我接见谁，我就接见谁，只要他手里不拿枪。部长阁下，你有没有比这更近的报告？这是二月二十日的，而我们现在已到三月三日了。”
"Go to the Prefecture and if there is not one there," Louis XVIII continued, laughing, "make one. Isn't that the procedure?"
“那末去走一次吧，假如那儿没有，——哦，哦，”路易十八又说，“造一个好了，经常不是那样做的吗？”国王笑着说。
"So, now, Blacas, what do you think?" the king asked triumphantly, turning his attention for a moment from the scholarly tome that lay open beside him.
“喂，勃拉卡斯，你觉得这件事如何？”国王得意地问，停顿了一会儿他的注解工作。
"I say, Sire, that either the Minister of Police is mistaken or I am. But since it is impossible for it to be the Minister of Police, who is responsible for preserving Your Majesty's safety and honour, then I am probably the one who is wrong. However, Sire, in Your Majesty's place I should wish to question the person about whom I spoke. I would even insist that Your Majesty do him this honour."
“我说，陛下，如果不是警务部长阁下受骗，就是我受骗，但警务部长是不可能受骗的，因为他是陛下安全和荣誉的保障，所以大概错的是我。可是，陛下，假如我可以进一谏言的话，陛下不妨问一问我跟您提起的那个人，而且我要求陛下赐给他这种光荣。”
"No, Sire, but I have been expecting one at any minute. I have been out since early this morning and it may have arrived in my absence."
“没有，陛下，但我时时刻刻在等待着，说不定今天早晨我离开办公室的这一段时间内，新的报告又到了。”
"I shall not tarry, Sire. I shall return in ten minutes."
“我只要来去的时间就够了，陛下。我在十分钟内就回来。”
"Very well, then go, Monsieur," Louis XVIII said, "and remember that I shall be awaiting your return."
“好吧，先生，去吧，”路易十八说，“别忘了我在等着你。”
"Oh, Sire," the minister exclaimed, "thank heaven, on that score there is no need to invent anything. Each day brings the most circumstantial denunciations pouring into our offices, the work of a host of miserable wretches who are hoping for a little gratitude for services that they do not render -- much as they would like to. They wager on chance, in the hope that one day an unexpected event will give some sort of reality to their predictions."
“噢，陛下，”部长回答，“我们用不着来捏造报告。每天，我们的办公桌上都堆满了最详细确实的告密书，这些都是被革职的人员送来的，他们现在虽尚未蒙复职，但却很乐于回来给陛下效劳。他们信任命运，希望某种意外的大事能使他们的期望变成现实。”
"Wait, wait," Louis XVIII said. "Blacas, I really must change your coat of arms: I shall give you an eagle with wings extended, grasping in its claws a prey that is trying in vain to escape; with this device: Tenax."
“等一下，先生，等一下，”路易十八说。“真的，勃拉卡斯，我必须把您这种雄赳赳气昂昂的样子改变一下。我给你猜一个谜，有一只展开双翅的老鹰，它的脚爪抓住一只牺牲品，这只牺牲品想逃，但是逃不了，它的名字就叫做——Tenax①。”【注：①拉丁文：固执。】
"I am listening, Sire," said M. de Blacas, wringing his hands in impatience.
“陛下，我知道了。”勃拉卡斯公爵说，不耐烦地咬着他的指甲。
"I should like to consult you about this text: Molli fugiens anhelitu. You know: it concerns the stag fleeing the wolf. You are a great huntsman, I believe, and an expert on wolves. In both those capacities, what do you think of this molli anhelitu?"
“我想和您商讨商讨这句话，‘Molli fugiens anhelitu②；’您知道，这是指一只逃避狼的牡鹿。您不是一个狩猎行家和猎狼官吗？好，那末，您觉得那只Molli anhelitu如何？”【注：②拉丁文：气喘吁吁地逃跑的怯家伙。】
"And I, Sire, shall go to fetch my messenger," said Blacas.
“而我，陛下，”勃拉卡斯公爵说，“我去找一找我的报信人。”
"He writes to me from there."
“是从那儿写信给我的。”
"Sire! This is meagre reward for a poor young man who has come so far and with such ardour to give Your Majesty some important news. If only for the sake of Monsieur de Salvieux, who has recommended him to me, I beg you to receive him well."
“呀，陛下，您对这个可怜的青年真是赐恩太少了，他从那么远的地方跑来，抱着那么大的热忱，来给陛下提供有用的情报。他是萨尔维欧先生介绍给我的，就只看萨尔维欧的面上，我也得请求陛下赐恩接见他。”
"Does he too speak to you of this conspiracy?"
“是他告诉您这个造反消息的吗？”
"But he is in Marseille."
“他在马赛？”
"And he is the one who has come from Marseille?"
“他从马赛赶来的吗？”
"No, but he recommends Monsieur de Villefort to me and instructs me to bring him into Your Majesty's presence."
“不，但他很卖力的介绍了维尔福先生，要求我带他来见陛下的。”
"Monsieur de Salvieux, my brother's chamberlain?"
“萨尔维欧先生？是我弟弟的侍从长吗？”
"He has expended a lot of energy and a lot of trouble, my dear Duke, when we have the telegraph that only takes three or four hours, and does so without making one in the slightest bit out of breath."
“那一定是极疲倦而且极焦急的罗，我亲爱的公爵，而现在我们已经有了快报，要不了三四个钟头就可以送到了，连气都不必喘一喘。”
"The same."
“是，陛下。”
"Yes, Sire."
“是，陛下。”
"Monsieur de Villefort?" cried the king. "Is this messenger called Monsieur de Villefort?"
“维尔福先生！”国王喊道，“那个报信人的名字是叫维尔福吗？”
"Admirable, Sire; but my messenger is like the stag that you mention, for he has just covered two hundred leagues by road, in barely three days."
“妙极了，陛下，但我那个报信人可也象您所说的那只牡鹿一样，因为他只花三天多一点的时间，就跑了六百六十哩呢。”
"This very moment, Duke. Where is he?"
“马上带他来，公爵！他在哪儿？”
"Immediately."
“遵命。”
"Sire, I thought that Your Majesty would not know the name."
“陛下，我以为陛下是不会知道他的名字的。”
"He must be waiting for me below in my carriage."
“等在下面，在我的马车里。”
"And Your Majesty has given employment to the son of such a man?"
“而陛下却用了这样一个人的儿子？”
"Yes, Noirtier."
“是的，是诺梯埃。”
"Noirtier, the Girondin? Noirtier the Senator?"
“是那个吉伦特党徒诺梯埃吗？那个做上议员的诺梯埃吗？”
"Why did you not tell me his name at once?" the king asked, a faint shadow of anxiety appearing on his face.
“您为什么不早提起他的名字呢？”国王回答，现出有点不安的神色。
"So, should I let him enter, Sire?"
“那末，陛下，我可以带他来吗？”
"Blacas, my friend, you understand nothing. I told you that Villefort was ambitious: to make his way, Villefort will sacrifice everything, even his father."
“勃拉卡斯，我的朋友，您知道得太有限了。我告诉过您维尔福是很有野心的，只要自己能够成功，他什么都可以牺牲，甚至牺牲他的父亲。”
"Precisely."
“就是他。”
"Go and fetch him."
“立刻去叫他。”
The duke left with the vivacity of a young man, the warmth of his sincere royalism taking twenty years off his age. Left alone, Louis XVIII turned back to his half-open Horace and murmured: "Justum et tenacem propositi virum."
公爵以一个青年人的速度离开国王，他那尽忠王室的赤忱使他又年轻了。房间里只剩下了路易十八，他把眼睛转到那半开着的贺拉斯诗集上，口里喃喃地念道，“Justum ettenacem propositi virum①。”【注：①拉丁文：一个正直而坚定的人。】
"His father?"
“他的父亲？”
"In person."
“亲自来的。”
"Not so, Blacas, not so. He is a serious young man, well-bred and above all ambitious. And, heavens -- you do know his father's name?"
“不，不，勃拉卡斯，这个人见识很高强，而且很有野心，呀，真的！您知道他父亲叫什么名字吗？”
The king was sitting exactly where the duke had left him. On opening the door, Villefort found himself directly opposite him, and the young lawyer's first impulse was to stop dead.
国王还是坐在公爵离开他时的那个老地方。门一开，维尔福发觉他正面对着国王，那青年法官的第一个动作便是止步。
"Monsieur de Villefort," the king went on, "the Duc de Blacas claims that you have something important to tell us."
“维尔福先生，”路易十八说，“勃拉卡斯公爵告诉我说，你有很重要的消息要报告。”
M. de Blacas came back up the stairs as fast as he had gone down them, but in the antechamber he was obliged to appeal to the king's authority. Villefort's dusty coat and his general appearance, bearing no relation to the dress of the court, had offended the sensibilities of M. de Brézé, who was astonished that any young man should have the audacity to appear in such clothing before the king. But the duke brushed aside his objections with a single phrase: His Majesty's orders; and, though the master of ceremonies continued to mutter his objections, for form's sake, Villefort was ushered into the royal presence.
勃拉卡斯公爵以他下楼时的同样速度回来，但一到候见厅里，他不得不停下来等待通报。维尔福穿的不是朝服，再加上那种风尘仆仆的外貌，很引起司仪大臣勃黎齐的怀疑，他对于这个青年竟敢穿着这样的服装来晋谒国王不禁大表惊奇。但公爵终于用“奉圣命”三个字消除了一切困难，所以不管这位司仪大臣的意见如何，不管他如何尊重他的戒律，维尔福还是被通报了。
"Come in, Monsieur de Villefort," the king said. "Come in." Villefort bowed and took a few steps forward, waiting for the king to question him.
“进来，维尔福先生，”国王说，“进来。”维尔福鞠了一躬，向前走了几步，等候国王问他。
"Sire, I believe that it is urgent, but I hope that, thanks to my efforts, it will not be irreparable."
“陛下，这件事的确紧急，但是我希望，由于我来得迅速，事情还不至于无法挽救。”
"Take as long as you wish, Monsieur," said the king, who was starting to succumb to the feelings that he had seen on M. de Blacas' face and which he heard in the strained tones of Villefort's voice. "Speak and, above all, begin at the beginning. I like order in all things."
“你尽量说吧，先生，”国王说，他开始被勃拉卡斯脸上的神色和维尔福激动的语气所打动了。“说吧，先生，请从头讲起，我喜欢一切都有条理。”
"Sire, the duke is right and I hope that Your Majesty will acknowledge the same."
“陛下，公爵说得不错，我相信陛下一定会认识它的重要性。”
"Sire," said Villefort, "I shall give Your Majesty a faithful account, but I beg you to excuse me if, in my eagerness, I am unable to give as clear an account as I should wish."
“陛下，”维尔福说，“我向陛下供献一个可靠的报告，但假如由于我的焦急以致有些地方语无伦次，还求陛下恕罪。”
"Sire, I have driven post-haste to Paris to inform Your Majesty that, in the course of my duties, I have discovered not one of those commonplace and inconsequential plots, the like of which are hatched daily in the lower ranks of the people and of the army, but a veritable conspiracy, a whirlwind that threatens the very throne on which Your Majesty sits. The usurper is fitting out three ships. He is contemplating some adventure that may perhaps be senseless, but none the less fearsome for all that. At this very moment, he has surely left Elba -- to go where? I do not know, but certainly with the intention of landing either at Naples, or on the coast of Tuscany, or even in France. Your Majesty must know that the ruler of the island of Elba has kept in contact both with Italy and with France."
“陛下，我尽可能的赶到巴黎来，是向陛下报告一件我在执行任务时所发现的事情，这不是象每天在下层阶级或军队里所发生的那种无足轻重的，平凡的暴乱，而确实可算是一次造反，——是一次甚至要威胁到陛下宝座的暴动。陛下，逆贼武装了三条船，他定下了某种计划，那种计划既狂妄，也可怕。在现在这个时候，他已经离开爱尔巴了，到——到哪儿了呢？我不知道，但一定是想在一个地方登陆，不是在那不勒斯，便是在托斯卡纳沿岸，或竟在法国海岸也说不定。陛下大概很明白，爱尔巴岛之主与意大利和法国是保持着关系的吧？”
A rapid glance at the king after this ingratiating preface reassured Villefort of the benevolence of his august listener and he continued:
讲完了这一段谨慎而微妙的引言以后，维尔福向国王一瞥，看到他那尊严的听者脸上的确露着慈祥之色，就继续说：
"Firstly, before anything else, Monsieur, is the problem as serious, in your opinion, as I have been led to believe?"
“在没有报告以前，你首先告诉我，先生，据你看，这件事有没有象他们所希望我相信的那样严重？”
"Sire, it is the result of an interrogation that I carried out on a man from Marseille whom I have had under surveillance for some time and arrested on the day of my departure. This man, a rebellious sailor whose Bonapartist sympathies I suspected, went secretly to the island of Elba. There, he met the Grand Marshal, who entrusted him with a verbal message for a Bonapartist in Paris, whose name I was not able to make him divulge. However, the message was that the Bonapartist was ordered to prepare his supporters for a return -- you understand, these are the words of the interrogation, Sire -- for a return that cannot fail to take place shortly."
“陛下，这是我从一个马赛人身上审问出来的，这个人我已经注意了相当时候，是在我离开那一天把他抓起来的。这个人，是一个天性喜欢兴风作浪的水手，我一向就怀疑他是一个拿破仑党。他最近秘密到爱尔巴岛去了一次，在那儿见到大元帅，大元帅叫他带一个口头命令给巴黎的一个拿破仑党，至于巴黎这个拿破仑党叫什么名字，我盘问不出来，但命令的内容我倒探听到了是要鼓动人心，准备复位（陛下，是那个人这样说的）——说不久就要卷土重来了。”
"And where is the man?" Louis XVIII asked.
“这个人在哪儿？”路易十八问。
"So much so, Sire, that although this event interrupted a family celebration, on the very day of my betrothal, I left everything, my fiancée and my friends, putting all aside to hasten to see Your Majesty, both to inform you of my fears and to assure you of my loyal devotion."
“严重极了，陛下，这件事发生的时候正巧我家里在请客，正巧是我订婚的那一天，我大吃一惊，就离开了我的未婚妻和朋友，把一切都搁下，以便赶快来投到陛下的脚下，来诉说我的恐惧，并略表我的忠心。”
"Yes, Monsieur, I do know," said the king, deeply troubled. "Quite recently, we have been informed that meetings of Bonapartists have taken place in the Rue Saint-Jacques. But pray continue: how did you obtain this information?"
“我知道，阁下，”国王说，他比以前激动得多了，“最近我们还接到情报，知道拿破仑党分子在圣·杰克司街开会企图死灰复燃。但请你说下去吧。你怎么获得这些详细消息的呢？”
"In prison, Sire."
“在监牢里。”
"You believe the matter to be serious?"
“你似乎觉得这件事很严重！”
"That's right," said Louis XVIII. "There was some plan that you should marry Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran, wasn't there?"
“对了，”路易十八说，“你是和圣·米兰小姐订婚的吗？”
"Yes, yes, but let us return to the plot, Monsieur de Villefort."
“对的，对的，但让我们来谈这次作乱吧，维尔福先生。”
"The daughter of one of Your Majesty's most faithful servants."
“是陛下一个最忠心的臣仆的女儿。”
"Sire, I fear that this is no longer merely a plot; I fear we are dealing with a conspiracy."
“陛下，我恐怕这不仅是一次作乱，我怕这是一次造反呢。”
The king smiled. "A conspiracy nowadays is an easy matter to contemplate, but harder to put into practice, precisely because, having been recently restored to the throne of our ancestors, we have our eyes fixed on the past, the present and the future. In the past ten months, my ministers have been doubly vigilant, to ensure that the Mediterranean coast is well protected. If Bonaparte were to land at Naples, the entire Coalition would be mobilized against him even before he reached Piombino. If he were to land in Tuscany, he would step on to an enemy shore. If he were to land in France, it would be with a handful of men and we should easily overcome him, hated as he is by the people. So have no fear, Monsieur; but be assured, none the less, of our royal gratitude."
“在这个时代造反，”路易十八微笑着说，“想想倒非常容易，但想成功却要难得多。因为，我们祖先的王位恢复得还不久，我们对于过去，现在和未来都看得清清楚楚。过去十个月来，我的各部大臣对地中海沿岸已加倍予以警戒，虽然那儿本来已经防守得很严密。假如波拿巴在那不勒斯登陆，那么在他到达皮昂比诺之前，全体联军都可以动员了，假如他在托斯卡纳登陆，他就到了一块对他不友好的领土，假如他在法国登陆，他只能带一点点人马，象他这样被人民所深恶痛绝的人，其结果是很容易预言的。勇敢一点，先生，但同时，也请相信我们王室的感谢。”
"Ah, here is Monsieur Dandré!" the Duc de Blacas exclaimed.
“呀，邓德黎阁下来了！”勃拉卡斯喊道。
At that moment, as he spoke, the Minister of Police appeared at the door, pale, trembling and staring vacantly, as if dazed by a blinding flash of light.
这时，警务部长已在门口出现，他脸色苍白，全身颤抖，好象就要昏过去似的。
Villefort made to retire from the room, but M. de Blacas clasped his hand to restrain him.
维尔福准备引退，但勃拉卡斯公爵握住他的手，留住了他。