ON the evening of Easter Sunday the actual Civil Councillor, Navagin, on his return from paying calls, picked up the sheet of paper on which visitors had inscribed their names in the hall, and went with it into his study. —-
复活节星期天的晚上，实际市议员纳瓦金从拜访中回来，拿起大厅里来访者在纸上写下的名字，拿着进了他的书房。 —-

After taking off his outer garments and drinking some seltzer water, he settled himself comfortably on a couch and began reading the signatures in the list. —-
脱掉外套，喝了些苏打水后，他舒服地躺在沙发上，开始阅读名单上的签名。 —-

When his eyes reached the middle of the long list of signatures, he started, gave an ejaculation of astonishment and snapped his fingers, while his face expressed the utmost perplexity.
当他的目光到达一长串签名的中间时，他猛地一惊，吃惊地叫了出来，然后啪地一声响指，同时脸上表达出极度困惑。

“Again!” he said, slapping his knee. “It’s extraordinary! Again! —-
“又来了！”他拍了拍膝盖。“真是太不可思议了！又是他！费季科夫！又是他！” —-

Again there is the signature of that fellow, goodness knows who he is! —-
在纸上的众多签名中，有一个叫费季科夫的签名。 —-

Fedyukov! Again!”
纳瓦金对于这个费季科夫到底是谁，一点概念都没有。

Among the numerous signatures on the paper was the signature of a certain Fedyukov. —-
他回想起他所有认识的人、亲戚和服务中的下属，回忆起他的往事，但是回忆不起任何一个和费季科夫这个名字相似的人。 —-

Who the devil this Fedyukov was, Navagin had not a notion. —-
奇怪的是，这个化名的费季科夫过去十三年里每年圣诞节和复活节都会按时签名。 —-

He went over in his memory all his acquaintances, relations and subordinates in the service, recalled his remote past but could recollect no name like Fedyukov. —-
纳瓦金，他的妻子和门卫都不知道他是谁，他从哪里来，或者他是什么样子。 —-

What was so strange was that this incognito, Fedyukov, had signed his name regularly every Christmas and Easter for the last thirteen years. —-
“太奇怪了！”纳瓦金想着，他在书房里来回踱步。 —-

Neither Navagin, his wife, nor his house porter knew who he was, where he came from or what he was like.
“这太奇怪，太费解了！就像是魔法一样！”

“It’s extraordinary!” Navagin thought in perplexity, as he paced about the study. —-
“叫门卫过来！”他大声喊道。 —-

“It’s strange and incomprehensible! It’s like sorcery!”
“这真是太诡异了！不过我会找出他是谁！”

“Call the porter here!” he shouted.
“真是魔鬼似的！但是我会查出他是谁的！”

“It’s devilish queer! But I will find out who he is!”
“请叫门卫过来！”他喊道。“这真是太奇怪了！不过我会查清他是谁！”

“I say, Grigory,” he said, addressing the porter as he entered, “that Fedyukov has signed his name again! —-
“我说，格里戈里，”他走进来后对门房说，“费杜科夫又签了他的名字！ —-

Did you see him?”
你见到他了吗？”

“No, your Excellency.”
“没有，阁下。”

“Upon my word, but he has signed his name! So he must have been in the hall. Has he been?”
“真的，但他已经签过名字了！那他一定在大厅里出现过。他来过吗？”

“No, he hasn’t, your Excellency.”
“没有，阁下。”

“How could he have signed his name without being there?”
“他怎么可能在没有出现的情况下签上名字？”

“I can’t tell.”
“我不知道。”

“Who is to tell, then? You sit gaping there in the hall. —-
“那么，谁去告诉呢？你就那样呆在大厅里。 —-

Try and remember, perhaps someone you didn’t know came in? Think a minute!”
“试试想一想，也许有个你不认识的人进来了？再考虑一下！”

“No, your Excellency, there has been no one I didn’t know. —-
“不，阁下，没有我不认识的人来过。 —-

Our clerks have been, the baroness came to see her Excellency, the priests have been with the Cross, and there has been no one else. . . .”
“我们的职员来了，男爵夫人来看她的阁下，牧师们带上十字架也来了，没有其他人……”

“Why, he was invisible when he signed his name, then, was he?”
“哦，那他签字时是看不见的，是吗？”

“I can’t say: but there has been no Fedyukov here. —-
“我不能说，但没有叫Fedyukov的人来过。 —-

That I will swear before the holy image. . . .”
“我在圣像前宣誓……”

“It’s queer! It’s incomprehensible! It’s ex-traordinary!” mused Navagin. —-
“真奇怪！真难以理解！太不可思议了！”纳瓦金沉思着。 —-

“It’s positively ludicrous. A man has been signing his name here for thirteen years and you can’t find out who he is. —-
“真是荒谬。一个人在这签名了十三年，你们却不知道他是谁。 —-

Perhaps it’s a joke? Perhaps some clerk writes that name as well as his own for fun.”
“也许这是个玩笑？也许有些职员为了好玩，不仅签自己的名字，还签了那个名字。”

And Navagin began examining Fedyukov’s signature.
“纳瓦金开始审查Fedyukov的签名。

The bold, florid signature in the old-fashioned style with twirls and flourishes was utterly unlike the handwriting of the other signatures. —-
“这个大胆而华丽的签名采用了老式的风格，有旋转和花纹，与其他签名的笔迹完全不同。 —-

It was next below the signature of Shtutchkin, the provincial secretary, a scared, timorous little man who would certainly have died of fright if he had ventured upon such an impudent joke.
“下面是省长秘书斯图钦的签名，一个胆怯而害怕的小人物，他肯定会因为这样大胆的玩笑而吓死的。

“The mysterious Fedyukov has signed his name again! —-
“神秘的Fedyukov再次签了名！”纳瓦金进去告诉他的妻子。 —-

” said Navagin, going in to see his wife. —-
—-

“Again I fail to find out who he is.”
“我再次无法找出他是谁。”

Madame Navagin was a spiritualist, and so for all phenomena in nature, comprehensible or incomprehensible, she had a very simple explanation.
纳瓦金夫人是一个灵媒，所以对于自然界的一切现象，无论可理解还是不可理解，她都有一个非常简单的解释。

“There’s nothing extraordinary about it,” she said. —-
“这没什么特别的，”她说。 —-

“You don’t believe it, of course, but I have said it already and I say it again: —-
“你当然不相信，但我已经说过了，我再说一遍： —-

there is a great deal in the world that is supernatural, which our feeble intellect can never grasp. I am convinced that this Fedyukov is a spirit who has a sympathy for you . —-
世界上有很多超自然的事物，我们脆弱的智力永远无法理解。我相信费杜科夫是一个对你有同情心的灵魂。 —-

. . If I were you, I would call him up and ask him what he wants.”
如果我是你，我会召唤他并问他想要什么。”

“Nonsense, nonsense!”
“胡说，胡说！”

Navagin was free from superstitions, but the phenomenon which interested him was so mysterious that all sorts of uncanny devilry intruded into his mind against his will. —-
纳瓦金不迷信，但是这种他感到兴趣的现象太神秘了，以至于各种可怕的邪恶思想不由自主地浮现在他的脑海中。 —-

All the evening he was imagining that the incognito Fedyukov was the spirit of some long-dead clerk, who had been discharged from the service by Navagin’s ancestors and was now revenging himself on their descendant; —-
整个晚上，他一直在想，这个化名的费杜科夫可能是某个已故职员的幽灵，曾经被纳瓦金的祖先解雇，现在正在向他们的后裔复仇； —-

or perhaps it was the kinsman of some petty official dismissed by Navagin himself, or of a girl seduced by him. . . .
或许他是纳瓦金本人解雇的一位小官员的亲戚，或者是被他勾引的女孩的亲属……。

All night Navagin dreamed of a gaunt old clerk in a shabby uniform, with a face as yellow as a lemon, hair that stood up like a brush, and pewtery eyes; —-
整夜里，纳瓦金梦见了一个身穿破旧制服的瘦高职员，脸色像柠檬一样发黄，头发像刷子一样竖立着，眼睛发亮； —-

the clerk said something in a sepulchral voice and shook a bony finger at him. —-
职员用低沉的声音说了些话，并对他摇了摇瘦骨嶙峋的手指。 —-

And Navagin almost had an attack of inflammation of the brain.
纳瓦金几乎得了脑膜炎。

For a fortnight he was silent and gloomy and kept walking up and down and thinking. —-
两个星期以来，他一直沉默而阴郁，来回踱步思索。 —-

In the end he overcame his sceptical vanity, and going into his wife’s room he said in a hollow voice:
最后，他克服了怀疑的虚荣心，走进妻子的房间，用沉闷的声音说道：

“Zina, call up Fedyukov!”
“津娜，给费杜科夫打电话！”

The spiritualistic lady was delighted; she sent for a sheet of cardboard and a saucer, made her husband sit down beside her, and began upon the magic rites.
这位灵媒女士非常高兴，她叫来一张硬纸板和一个茶托，让她的丈夫坐在她旁边，开始进行魔法仪式。

Fedyukov did not keep them waiting long. . . .
费杜科夫没有让他们等太久……

“What do you want?” asked Navagin.
“你想要什么？”纳瓦金问道。

“Repent,” answered the saucer.
“忏悔。”茶托回答道。

“What were you on earth?”
“你在地球上是什么人？”

“A sinner. . . .”
“一个罪人……”

“There, you see!” whispered his wife, “and you did not believe!”
“你看到了吧！”他的妻子低声说道，“你还不相信！”

Navagin conversed for a long time with Fedyukov, and then called up Napoleon, Hannibal, Askotchensky, his aunt Klavdya Zaharovna, and they all gave him brief but correct answers full of deep significance. —-
纳瓦金与费杜科夫长时间交谈，然后召唤了拿破仑、汉尼拔、阿斯科琴斯基、他的姑姑克拉芙陀娃·扎哈罗夫娜等人，他们都给出了简洁而正确、充满深意的答案。 —-

He was busy with the saucer for four hours, and fell asleep soothed and happy that he had become acquainted with a mysterious world that was new to him. —-
他用茶托忙了四个小时，入睡时心满意足地认为自己与一个神秘的、全新的世界结识了。 —-

After that he studied spiritualism every day, and at the office, informed the clerks that there was a great deal in nature that was supernatural and marvellous to which our men of science ought to have turned their attention long ago.
之后，他每天都学习灵媒术，还在办公室里告诉职员们，自然界中有许多超自然、奇妙的东西，我们的科学家们早该注意到它们了。

Hypnotism, mediumism, bishopism, spiritualism, the fourth dimension, and other misty notions took complete possession of him, so that for whole days at a time, to the great delight of his wife, he read books on spiritualism or devoted himself to the saucer, table-turning, and discussions of supernatural phenomena. —-
催眠术、通灵术、主教教义、灵媒术、第四维度和其他模糊概念完全占据了他，以至于整天都在读有关灵媒术的书籍，或者专门研究茶托、转桌以及超自然现象的讨论，这让他的妻子非常高兴。 —-

At his instigation all his clerks took up spiritualism, too, and with such ardour that the old managing clerk went out of his mind and one day sent a telegram: —-
在他的鼓动下，他的所有职员也开始学习灵媒术，他们如此热衷，以至于老管事疯了，有一天发了一封电报： —-

“Hell. Government House. I feel that I am turning into an evil spirit. —-
“地狱，总督大楼。我感觉我正在变成一个恶灵。 —-

What’s to be done? Reply paid. Vassily Krinolinsky.”
怎么办？回复付费。瓦西里·克里诺林斯基。”

After reading several hundreds of treatises on spiritualism Navagin had a strong desire to write something himself. —-
读了几百篇有关灵学的论文后，Navagin很想自己写点东西。 —-

For five months he sat composing, and in the end had written a huge monograph, entitled: —-
他花了五个月的时间创作，最终写了一篇名为《我的观点》的巨著。 —-

My Opinion. When he had finished this essay he determined to send it to a spiritualist journal.
完成这篇文章后，他决定把它投给一本灵学杂志。

The day on which it was intended to despatch it to the journal was a very memorable one for him. —-
打算将其送到杂志社的那一天对他来说是非常难忘的一天。 —-

Navagin remembers that on that never-to-be- forgotten day the secretary who had made a fair copy of his article and the sacristan of the parish who had been sent for on business were in his study. —-
Navagin记得，在那个难以忘怀的日子里，他的助理抄写了他的文章，还有教会的门房因公事被派来他的书房。 —-

Navagin’s face was beaming. He looked lovingly at his creation, felt between his fingers how thick it was, and with a happy smile said to the secretary:
Navagin的脸上洋溢着笑容。他充满爱意地看着自己的作品，在手指间感受它的厚度，然后带着愉快的笑容对助理说道：

“I propose, Filipp Sergeyitch, to send it registered. It will be safer. . . . —-
“我打算，菲利普·谢尔盖奇，以挂号方式寄出。这样更安全……” —-

” And raising his eyes to the sacristan, he said: “I have sent for you on business, my good man. —-
他抬起眼睛看着门房说：“我请你来是有事交代的，善良的人。 —-

I am putting my youngest son to the high school and I must have a certificate of baptism; —-
我要送我最小的儿子上高中，我必须要有一个洗礼证明。 —-

only could you let me have it quickly?”
你能尽快给我吗？”

“Very good, your Excellency!” said the sacristan, bowing. “Very good, I understand. . . .”
“非常好，阁下！”门房鞠躬道，“非常好，我明白了……”

“Can you let me have it by to-morrow?”
“你能在明天之前给我吗？”

“Very well, your Excellency, set your mind at rest! To-morrow it shall be ready! —-
“当然可以，阁下，放心吧！明天就会准备好的！ —-

Will you send someone to the church to-morrow before evening service? —-
你能派人在明天晚祷前去教堂吗？ —-

I shall be there. Bid him ask for Fedyukov. —-
我会在那里的。叫他找费杜科夫。” —-

I am always there. . . .”
“我总是在那里……”

“What!” cried the general, turning pale.
“什么！”将军大声喊道，脸色变得苍白。

“Fedyukov.”
“费杜科夫。”

“You, . . . you are Fedyukov?” asked Navagin, looking at him with wide- open eyes.
“你……你就是费杜科夫？”纳瓦金睁大眼睛看着他问道。

“Just so, Fedyukov.”
“没错，费杜科夫。”

“You. . . . you signed your name in my hall?”
“你……你在我的大厅里签上了你的名字？”

“Yes . . .” the sacristan admitted, and was overcome with confusion. —-
“是的……”教堂历任祭司承认，尴尬不已。 —-

“When we come with the Cross, your Excellency, to grand gentlemen’s houses I always sign my name. —-
“每次我们带着十字架来到大人物家里时，我总是在签上我的名字。 —-

. . . I like doing it. . . . Excuse me, but when I see the list of names in the hall I feel an impulse to sign mine. . . .”
“…我喜欢这样做……对不起，但是当我看到大厅的名字列表时，我就会有一种签上我的冲动……”

In dumb stupefaction, understanding nothing, hearing nothing, Navagin paced about his study. —-
纳瓦金茫然无措，一无所悉，听不见任何声音，在书房里踱着步。 —-

He touched the curtain over the door, three times waved his hands like a jeune premier in a ballet when he sees her, gave a whistle and a meaningless smile, and pointed with his finger into space.
他触摸了门上的帘子，像芭蕾舞男主角看到女主角时那样，挥了三下手，发出了一个毫无意义的微笑，然后用手指指向空间。

“So I will send off the article at once, your Excellency,” said the secretary.
“那么，我会马上发出这篇文章，阁下。”秘书说道。

These words roused Navagin from his stupour. —-
这些话让纳瓦金从沉思中恢复过来。 —-

He looked blankly at the secretary and the sacristan, remembered, and stamping, his foot irritably, screamed in a high, breaking tenor:
他茫然地看着秘书和教堂历任祭司，想起来，愤怒地踢了一下脚，高声尖叫道：

“Leave me in peace! Lea-eave me in peace, I tell you! —-
“给我安宁！只管给我安宁，我告诉你们！ —-

What you want of me I don’t understand.”
我不明白你想要我做什么。

The secretary and the sacristan went out of the study and reached the street while he was still stamping and shouting:
秘书和门房走出书房，当他还在跺脚喊叫的时候，他们已经走到了街上。

“Leave me in peace! What you want of me I don’t understand. Lea-eave me in peace!”
“别打扰我！我不明白你想要我做什么。别-别打扰我！”