Mysteries follow one another so closely in a great city that the reading public and the friends of Johnny Bellchambers have ceased to marvel at his sudden and unexplained disappearance nearly a year ago. —
在一个大城市中，谜团紧紧相随，读者和约翰尼·贝尔钱伯斯的朋友们早已对他一年前突然消失的事情不再感到惊奇。 —

This particular mystery has now been cleared up, but the solution is so strange and incredible to the mind of the average man that only a select few who were in close touch with Bellchambers will give it full credence.
这个特殊的谜团现在已经被解开，但对于普通人来说，解决方案如此奇怪和难以置信，只有少数与贝尔钱伯斯密切接触的人会完全相信。

Johnny Bellchambers, as is well known, belonged to the intrinsically inner circle of the elite. —
众所周知，约翰尼·贝尔钱伯斯属于精英内圈。 —

Without any of the ostentation of the fashionable ones who endeavor to attract notice by eccentric display of wealth and show he still was au fait in everything that gave deserved lustre to his high position in the ranks of society.
他没有奢华十足地尝试通过炫耀财富和华丽展示来吸引注意，但在一切能使他在社会地位中有所光彩的事务中，他仍然非常熟悉。

Especially did he shine in the matter of dress. —
特别是在打扮方面，他独具一格。 —

In this he was the despair of imitators. —
在这方面，他令人模仿无能。 —

Always correct, exquisitely groomed, and possessed of an unlimited wardrobe, he was conceded to be the best-dressed man in New York, and, therefore, in America. —
他总是穿着得体，打扮精致，拥有无限的衣橱，被公认为纽约最穿着得体的男人，因此也是全美最穿着得体的人。 —

There was not a tailor in Gotham who would not have deemed it a precious boon to have been granted the privilege of making Bellchambers’ clothes without a cent of pay. —
在哥谭市没有一位裁缝不会认为有幸能够毫无报酬地为贝尔丘车姆斯先生做衣服。 —

As he wore them, they would have been a priceless advertisement. —
而他穿着这些衣服时，它们就成了无价的广告。 —

Trousers were his special passion. —
裤子是他的特别爱好， —

Here nothing but perfection would he notice. —
在这方面他只会注意完美。 —

He would have worn a patch as quickly as he would have overlooked a wrinkle. —
他宁愿穿着有修补的衣服，也不会忽视一条皱褶。 —

He kept a man in his apartments always busy pressing his ample supply. —
他请了一个人在公寓里一直忙着熨平他丰富的衣物库存。 —

His friends said that three hours was the limit of time that he would wear these garments without exchanging.
他的朋友说，他只会在这些衣服上穿三个小时，然后就会换。

Bellchambers disappeared very suddenly. —
贝尔丘车姆斯先生突然消失了。 —

For three days his absence brought no alarm to his friends, and then they began to operate the usual methods of inquiry. —
三天过去了，他的朋友们并没有因此感到担忧，然后他们开始采取通常的调查方法。 —

All of them failed. He had left absolutely no trace behind. —
所有的尝试都失败了。他没有留下任何痕迹。 —

Then the search for a motive was instituted, but none was found. —
然后开始了对动机的搜寻，但没有找到任何线索。 —

He had no enemies, he had no debts, there was no woman. —
他没有敌人，没有债务，也没有女人。 —

There were several thousand dollars in his bank to his credit. —
他的银行账户上有几千美元的余额。 —

He had never showed any tendency toward mental eccentricity; —
他从未表现出任何离奇的精神倾向； —

in fact, he was of a particularly calm and well-balanced temperament. —
事实上，他的性情特别平静和稳定。 —

Every means of tracing the vanished man was made use of, but without avail. —
用尽一切可能追踪这个消失的人，但都毫无结果。 —

It was one of those cases - more numerous in late years - where men seem to have gone out like the flame of a candle, leaving not even a trail of smoke as a witness.
这是一个类似的案例 - 近年来越来越多 - 在这些案例中，人们似乎像烛光一样消失了，甚至连一丝烟雾的痕迹都没有留下。

In May, Tom Eyres and Lancelot Gilliam, two of Bellchambers’ old friends, went for a little run on the other side. —
五月份，汤姆·埃尔斯和兰塞洛特·吉利安，贝尔钦伯斯的两个老朋友，去了对面的地方开了一趟小车。 —

While pottering around in Italy and Switzerland, they happened, one day, to hear of a monastery in the Swiss Alps that promised something outside of the ordinary tourist-beguiling attractions. —
在意大利和瑞士四处漫游时，有一天，他们偶然听说了瑞士阿尔卑斯山上的一个修道院，那里承诺了一些非同寻常的旅游吸引力。 —

The monastery was almost inaccessible to the average sightseer, being on an extremely rugged and precipitous spur of the mountains. —
这座修道院坐落在一座极其崎岖陡峭的山脉山脊上，对普通游客而言几乎无法到达。 —

The attractions it possessed but did not advertise were, first, an exclusive and divine cordial made by the monks that was said to far surpass benedictine and chartreuse. —
它拥有但没有广告宣传的吸引力，首先是修道士们制作的一种独家神圣酒，据说远远超过了本笃和夏特鲁斯。 —

Next a huge brass bell so purely and accurately cast that it had not ceased sounding since it was first rung three hundred years ago. —
其次，还有一口巨大的纯正准确的黄铜钟，自三百年前首次敲响以来从未停止过。 —

Finally, it was asserted that no Englishman had ever set foot within its walls. —
最后，有人声称从未有英国人踏足过这座修道院的大门。 —

Eyres and Gilliam decided that these three reports called for investigation.
艾尔斯和吉利安决定对这三个传闻展开调查。

It took them two days with the aid of two guides to reach the monastery of St. Gondrau. —
在两名向导的帮助下，他们花了两天时间来到了圣贡德劳修道院。 —

It stood upon a frozen, wind-swept crag with the snow piled about it in treacherous, drifting masses. —
它矗立在一个被风吹雪覆盖的冰冻悬崖上，周围的雪堆堆积如山，飘移不定。 —

They were hospitably received by the brothers whose duty it was to entertain the infrequent guest. —
他们受到了负责招待少数客人的修道士们的热情接待。 —

They drank of the precious cordial, finding it rarely potent and reviving. —
他们品尝了珍贵的神圣酒，发现其效力非常强大且具有恢复力。 —

They listened to the great, ever-echoing bell, and learned that they were pioneer travelers, in those gray stone walls, over the Englishman whose restless feet have trodden nearly every corner of the earth.
他们倾听着巨大而回荡的钟声，得知自己是先驱旅行者，在那些灰色的石墙之上，英国人的脚步几乎踏遍了地球的每一个角落。

At three o’clock on the afternoon they arrived, the two young Gothamites stood with good Brother Cristofer in the great, cold hallway of the monastery to watch the monks march past on their way to the refectory. —
下午三点钟，两个年轻的纽约人和善良的克里斯托佛尔修士站在寒冷的修道院大厅里，目睹僧侣们走过去前往餐厅。 —

They came slowly, pacing by twos, with their heads bowed, treading noiselessly with sandaled feet upon the rough stone flags. —
他们缓慢地走来，成双成对地行进，低着头，用鞋底悄然踏在粗糙的石板上。 —

As the procession slowly filed past, Eyres suddenly gripped Gilliam by the arm. —
随着队伍缓缓通过，艾尔斯突然抓住吉利安的胳膊。 —

“Look,” he whispered, eagerly, “at the one just opposite you now - the one on this side, with his hand at his waist - if that isn’t Johnny Bellchambers then I never saw him!”
他兴奋地低声说道：“看，就是你对面的那个人 - 在这边，手放在腰上 - 如果那不是约翰尼·贝尔钦伯斯，那我就没有见过他！”

Gilliam saw and recognized the lost glass of fashion.
吉利安看到并认出了这个失散的时尚先生。

“What the deuce,” said he, wonderingly, “is old Bell doing here? Tommy, it surely can’t be he! —
“怎么回事，”他惊讶地说，“老贝尔怎么会在这里？汤米，这肯定不是他！ —

Never heard of Bell having a turn for the religious. —
从来没听说过贝尔对宗教感兴趣。” —

Fact is, I’ve heard him say things when a four-in-hand didn’t seem to tie up just right that would bring him up for court-martial before any church.”
事实是，当四匹马车不像回收得那么好时，我听到他说的话，会让他被送上军事法庭，而不是教堂。

“It’s Bell, without a doubt,” said Eyres, firmly, “or I’m pretty badly in need of an oculist. —
“毫无疑问，这就是贝尔，”艾尔斯坚定地说，“要么我这双眼睛出了问题。” —

But think of Johnny Bellchambers, the Royal High Chancellor of swell togs and the Mahatma of pink teas, up here in cold storage doing penance in a snuff-colored bathrobe! —
但是想想约翰尼·贝尔钱伯斯，那位华服的皇家高级大法官，粉红茶会的马哈特玛，在这里穿着褐色浴袍忏悔，实在让我难以理解！ —

I can’t get it straight in my mind. —
我脑子乱了。 —

Let’s ask the jolly old boy that’s doing honors.”
我们问问那个正在主持的老兄弟吧。

Brother Cristofer was appealed to for information. —
询问信息的人是克里斯托弗修士。 —

By that time the monks had passed into the refectory. —
那时，修道士们已经走进了食堂。 —

He could not tell to which one they referred. —
他不知道他们指的是哪一个。 —

Bellchambers? Ah, the brothers of St. Gondrau abandoned their worldly names when they took the vows. —
贝尔钱伯斯？啊，圣冈德劳兄弟会的修士们在发誓时都会放弃世俗的名字。 —

Did the gentlemen wish to speak with one of the brothers? —
这些先生是否希望与其中一位兄弟交谈？ —

If they would come to the refectory and indicate the one they wished to see, the reverend abbot in authority would, doubtless, permit it.
如果他们去餐厅并指出他们想见的那个人，那位有权的尊敬的教长无疑会允许的。

Eyres and Gilliam went into the dining hall and pointed out to Brother Cristofer the man they had seen. —
Eyres和Gilliam走进餐厅，指给Brother Cristofer看到他们见过的那个人。是的， —

Yes, it was Johnny Bellchambers. —
那是Johnny Bellchambers。 —

They saw his face plainly now, as he sat among the dingy brothers, never looking up, eating broth from a coarse, brown bowl.
现在他们清楚地看到了他的脸，他坐在脏兄弟们中间，从粗糙的棕色碗里吃着汤。

Permission to speak to one of the brothers was granted to the two travelers by the abbot, and they waited in a reception room for him to come. —
允许两位旅行者与其中一位兄弟交谈，他们在一个接待室等待他过来。 —

When he did come, treading softly in his sandals, both Eyres and Gilliam looked at him in perplexity and astonishment. —
当他踏着凉鞋轻轻走来时，Eyres和Gilliam困惑且惊讶地看着他。 —

It was Johnny Bellchambers, but he had a different look. —
那是Johnny Bellchambers，但他看起来不一样了。 —

Upon his smooth-shaven face was an expression of ineffable peace, of rapturous attainment, of perfect and complete happiness. —
他光洁的脸上有一种不可言喻的宁静，狂喜的达成，完美而圆满的幸福。 —

His form was proudly erect, his eyes shone with a serene and gracious light. —
他的身材傲然挺立，眼睛闪烁着一种宁静而亲切的光芒。 —

He was as neat and well-groomed as in the old New York days, but how differently was he clad! —
他和在旧时的纽约一样整洁和修饰得体，但他的着装却完全不同！ —

Now he seemed clothed in but a single garment - a long robe of rough brown cloth, gathered by a cord at the waist, and falling in straight, loose folds nearly to his feet. —
现在他只穿了一件衣物——一件长长的粗棕布长袍，腰间绑着一根绳子，笔直地垂至脚边。 —

He shook hands with his visitors with his old ease and grace of manner. —
他以他过去的从容和优雅的态度同来访者握手。 —

If there was any embarrassment in that meeting it was not manifested by Johnny Bellchambers. —
如果这次见面有任何尴尬，约翰尼·贝尔钱柏斯并未表现出来。 —

The room had no seats; they stood to converse.
房间里没有座位；他们站着交谈。

“Glad to see you, old man,” said Eyres, somewhat awkwardly. —
“很高兴见到你，老兄，”埃尔斯有点尴尬地说。” —

“Wasn’t expecting to find you up here. —
没想到会在这里见到你。 —

Not a bad idea though, after all. —
但这并不是个坏主意。 —

Society’s an awful sham. Must be a relief to shake the giddy whirl and retire to - er - contemplation and - er - prayer and hymns, and those things.
社会真是太虚伪了。能抛开忙乱的纷扰，退隐于——嗯——默想、祈祷和圣诗之中，这肯定是个解脱。

“Oh, cut that, Tommy,” said Bellchambers, cheerfully. —
“别提那个，汤米，”贝尔钱柏斯愉快地说。” —

“Don’t be afraid that I’ll pass around the plate. —
别怕我会四处募款。 —

I go through these thing-um-bobs with the rest of these old boys because they are the rules. —
我和这些老家伙一起遵守这些规则是因为这就是规矩。你知道， —

I’m Brother Ambrose here, you know. —
我是Ambrose兄弟。 —

I’m given just ten minutes to talk to you fellows. —
我只有十分钟跟你们说话。Gilliam， —

That’s rather a new design in waistcoats you have on, isn’t it, Gilliam? —
你们穿的那个背心设计还挺新奇的，不是吗？ —

Are they wearing those things on Broadway now?”
他们现在在百老汇上穿这些东西吗？

“It’s the same old Johnny,” said Gilliam, joyfully. —
“Gilliam兴高采烈地说： “这还是当年那个老约翰尼啊！ —

“What the devil - I mean why - Oh, confound it! —
我是说，你为什么-哎呀，见鬼！ —

what did you do it for, old man?”
你为什么这么做，老兄？

“Peel the bathrobe,” pleaded Eyres, almost tearfully, “and go back with us. The old crowd’ll go wild to see you. —
Eyres几乎含泪地请求道： “脱下浴袍，跟我们一起回去。老伙计们见到你会疯狂的。 —

This isn’t in your line, Bell. I know half a dozen girls that wore the willow on the quiet when you shook us in that unaccountable way. —
“这不是你的风格，贝尔。当你莫名其妙地离开我们时，我认识六个女孩子默默地为你伤心。 —

Hand in your resignation, or get a dispensation, or whatever you have to do to get a release from this ice factory. —
请递交辞职信，或者获取一份免除责任的批准，或者无论你怎么做才能获得从这个冰冷的工厂的解脱。 —

You’ll get catarrh here, Johnny - and - My God! —
在这里你会患上鼻炎，约翰尼-天哪！ —

you haven’t any socks on!”
你居然没穿袜子！

Bellchambers looked down at his sandaled feet and smiled.
Bellchambers低头看着自己的穿着凉鞋的脚，微笑着。

“You fellows don’t understand,” he said, soothingly. —
“你们伙计们不明白，”他温和地说道。 —

“It’s nice of you to want me to go back, but the old life will never know me again. —
“你们想让我回去是件好事，但旧生活再也不会认识我了。” —

I have reached here the goal of all my ambitions. —
“我已经达到了我所有抱负的目标。 —

I am entirely happy and contented. —
我完全快乐和满足。 —

Here I shall remain for the remainder of my days. —
在这里，我会度过余生。” —

You see this robe that I wear?” Bellchambers caressingly touched the straight-hanging garment: —
你看我穿的这件袍子？”伯尔特切姆柔和地抚摸着直挂的衣物。 —

“At last I have found something that will not bag at the knees. —
“终于找到一件不会在膝盖处变形的东西。 —

I have attained -”
我已经达成了——”

At that moment the deep boom of the great brass bell reverberated through the monastery. —
就在那一刻，大号钟深沉的钟声在修道院中回荡。 —

It must have been a summons to immediate devotions, for Brother Ambrose bowed his head, turned and left the chamber without another word. —
这一定是召唤立即参与祷告的信号，因为安布罗斯修士低下了头，转身离开了房间，再没有多说一句话。 —

A slight wave of his hand as he passed through the stone doorway seemed to say a farewell to his old friends. —
在走出石质门口的时候，他在手势中似乎和他的旧朋友们告别。 —

They left the monastery without seeing him again.
他们离开修道院却再也没有见到他。

And this is the story that Tommy Eyres and Lancelot Gilliam brought back with them from their latest European tour.
这就是汤米·埃尔斯和兰斯洛特·吉利亚姆从他们最新的欧洲之行带回来的故事。