Well, very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums of money.

不久，我就发现我已积起大笔钱财。

I do not mean that any beggar in the streets of London could earn 700 pounds a year -- which is less than my average takings

我不是说：任何乞丐在伦敦的街头，一年都能挣到七百英镑（这还够不上我的平均收入），

but I had exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also in a facility of repartee,

但我有巧于化装和善于应付的特殊才能，而这两方面又越练越精，

which improved by practice and made me quite a recognized character in the City.

这就使我成为城里为人所赏识的人物。

All day a stream of pennies, varied by silver, poured in upon me, and it was a very bad day in which I failed to take 2 pounds.

整天都有各种各样的银币流水般地进入我的囊中，如果哪天收入不到两英镑，那就算是运气不济的了。

As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country,

我越发财，野心越大。我在郊区买了所房子，

and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.

后来结婚成家。没有任何人怀疑我的真正职业。

My dear wife knew that I had business in the City. She little knew what.

我的爱妻只知道我在城里做生意，她却不知道我究竟干的是些什么。

Last Monday I had finished for the day and was dressing in my room above the opium den when I looked out of my window and saw,

上一个星期一，我刚结束了一天的营生，正在烟馆楼上的房间里换衣服，不料向窗外一望，

to my horror and astonishment, that my wife was standing in the street, with her eyes fixed full upon me.

忽见我妻子站在街心，眼睛正对着我瞧，这使我惶恐万状。

I gave a cry of surprise, threw up my arms to cover my face,

我惊叫一声，连忙用手臂遮住脸，

and, rushing to my confidant, the lascar, entreated him to prevent anyone from coming up to me.

接着立即跑去找我的知交，那个印度阿三，求他阻止任何人上楼来找我。

I heard her voice downstairs, but I knew that she could not ascend.

我听见她在楼下的声音，但知道她一时还上不来。

Swiftly I threw off my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar, and put on my pigments and wig.

我飞快地脱下衣服，穿上乞丐的那一身装束，涂上颜色，戴上假发。

Even a wife's eyes could not pierce so complete a disguise.

这样，甚至于一个妻子的眼睛也不能识破这伪装。

But then it occurred to me that there might be a search in the room, and that the clothes might betray me.

不过马上我又想到也许在这屋子里要进行搜查，那些衣服可能会泄露我的秘密。

I threw open the window, reopening by my violence a small cut which I had inflicted upon myself in the bedroom that morning.

我忙把窗户打开，由于用力过猛，竟又碰破我清晨在卧室里割破的创口。

Then I seized my coat, which was weighted by the coppers which I had just transferred to it from the leather bag in which I carried my takings.

我抓起因装满铜板而沉甸甸的这件衣服，平常我要来的钱都放在一个皮袋里，我刚把其中的铜板掏出来塞在上衣兜里。

I hurled it out of the window, and it disappeared into the Thames.

扔出窗外，它掉在泰晤士河里不见了。

The other clothes would have followed, but at that moment there was a rush of constables up the stair,

其它的衣服本来也要扔下去，但是就在此转瞬之间，有些警察正冲上楼，

and a few minutes after I found, rather, I confess, to my relief,

我承认，使我感到欣慰的是，一会儿，

that instead of being identified as Mr. Neville St. Clair, I was arrested as his murderer.

我就发现我未被认出是内维尔·圣克莱尔先生，而是把我当作谋杀内维尔·圣克莱尔的嫌疑犯被逮捕起来了。