“那你们最好等到暴风雨过去，”清洁工说。“这些夏季暴风雨从来不会持续很久。”
“Then you’d better wait till she blows over,” the janitor said. “These summer storms never last long.”
红头发的男人耸了耸肩。“好吧，等候室在哪儿。”
The red-haired man shrugged his shoulders. “O.K., wheel out a waiting room.”
“我们没有等候室，” 纽扣先生遗憾地说。他若有所思地挠了挠头。“不过，你们等的时候，我很乐意带你们参观法院。” 从他的态度看，他可能是在提议带他们参观泰姬陵。
小主，
“We haven’t got one of those,” Buttonholes said regretfully. He scratched his head thoughtfully. “I’ll be glad to show you around the courthouse while you’re waiting, though.” He might, from his manner, have been offering to show them the Taj Mahal.
“来吧，杰克，” 女孩说。“这是个高尚的提议。你从没见过像这样的法院。”
“Come on, Jake,” the girl said. “It's a noble offer. You've never seen a courthouse like this one.”
杰克犹豫了。“我见过太多和这个一模一样的法院了，我打赌我蒙上眼睛都能找到男厕所。在格罗夫县 ——”
Jake hesitated. “I've seen so much of a courthouse exactly like this one, I bet I could find the men's toilet, blindfolded. Back in Grove County -”
纽扣先生的眼睛亮了起来。“爱荷华州的格罗夫县？我在那儿有亲戚。1932 年去过那儿。但是说真的，格罗夫的法院比不上这个。”
A light came into Buttonholes’ eyes. “Grove County, Iowa? I've got kinfolk there. Visited there back in ‘32. But say, the courthouse in Grove Falls can't touch this one.”
“你快跟他说说，” 女孩热情地说。“杰克只是个无知的乡下人。一个很了不起的法院才能比得上这个。”
“You tell him,” the girl said warmly. “Jake's just a helpless provincial. A courthouse would have to go some to beat this.”
“你得给我展示一下，” 杰克说。他看了看手表。“见鬼，我们除了时间一无所有。来吧，海伦，让我们看看风景。”
“You've got to show me,” Jake said. He looked at his wrist watch. “Hell, we've got nothing in the world but time. “Come on, Helene, let's see the sights.”
“我是哈维?巴顿，” 清洁工说。
“I'm Harvey Button,” the janitor said.
“我是杰克?贾斯特，” 红头发的男人告诉他。“这是我的妻子，贾斯特夫人。”
“I'm Jake Justus,” the red-haired man told him. “This is my wife, Mrs. Justus.”
“很高兴见到你们两位，” 纽扣先生说，摇晃着一大串钥匙。“嗯，你们已经看过县书记员办公室了。公路局办公室和它一样，法院书记员办公室也是。都非常优雅。这是县财务官办公室。”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Buttonholes said,rattling an enormous bunch of keys. “Well, you've seen the county clerk's office. The highway office is just like it, so's the clerk of the court's. All pretty elegant, too. This here's the county treasurer's office.”
他自豪地打开了一扇门。
He opened a door with a proud gesture.
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在他们所能看到的范围内，它和他们刚刚离开的办公室一模一样，只是这个办公室两面都有窗户。这是一个高大的房间，天花板很高，一张崭新的红木桌子紧挨着一张巨大的、有划痕的卷盖式桌子。尽管房间很大，但从墙到墙都摆满了桌子、椅子、书桌、凳子、文件柜和办公机器。
As far as they could see, it was exactly like the office they had just left, save that this one had windows on two sides. It was a large, high-ceilinged room in which a shining, new mahogany desk stood next to an immense, scarred, roll-top model. Despite its size, the room was crowded from wall to wall with tables, chairs, desks, stools, filing cabinets, and office machines.
坐在那张旧卷盖式桌子旁的是杰克和海伦见过的最彻底的秃头男人。他很瘦，即使坐在转椅上也显得很高，但他唯一的其他显着特征是他光秃秃的、光滑的脑袋。海伦后来评论说，甚至他的眼皮都是秃的。
Sitting at the old roll-top desk was the most pletely hairless man Jake and Helene had ever seen. He was thin, and even sitting in a swivel chair he appeared tall, but his only other mark of distinction was his nude, polished head. Helene mented later that even his eyelids were bald.
在办公室的一端，一扇通往保险库的巨大铁门半掩着。在它旁边的角落里，是一个古老的黑色大理石壁炉，里面安装了一个小型蒸汽散热器。
At one end of the office a huge iron door leading to the vault stood ajar. Next to it, in the corner, was an ancient black marble fireplace in which a small steam radiator had been installed.
“当然，我们不再使用壁炉了，” 纽扣先生自豪地说。“它们只是用来装饰的。”
“Course, we don’t use the fireplaces any more,” Buttonholes said proudly. “They’re just for show.”
“我很高兴听到这个消息，” 海伦说。
“I’m glad to hear it,” Helene said.
壁炉上方是一张装裱好的黄色合影，上面标着 “1902 年法院工作人员”。在它后面，一个黑色边框、手写的牌子上写着：
Above the fireplace was a framed yellow group photograph marked COURTHOUSE STAFF, 1902. Beyond it a black-framed, hand-lettered sign proclaimed:
一个诚实的人是上帝最崇高的作品。
AN HONEST MAN IS THE NOBLEST WORK. OF GOD.
“在格罗夫法院的财务官办公室，” 杰克说，“牌子上写着‘诚实是上策’。”
“In the treasurer’s office of the Grove Falls Courthouse,” Jake said, “the sign read ‘Honesty is the best policy.’”
那个秃头男人从他的分类账上抬起头来。“这个，” 他相当冷淡地说，“是杰克逊商人协会的口号。” 他又补充说，好像是为了对访客表示友好，“不过，诚实是上策。”
小主，
The bald-headed man looked up from his ledger. “This one,” he said rather coldly, “is the slogan of the Jackson businessmen’s association.” He added, as though to be agreeable to a visitor, “However, honesty is the best policy.”
“我听说这句话很有高度，” 杰克礼貌地说。
“I’ve heard it spoken of very highly,” Jake said politely.
“那是高奇先生，” 纽扣先生在走廊上说。“阿尔文?高奇。”
“That was Mr. Goudge,” Buttonholes said, out in the hall. “Alvin Goudge.”
他打开走廊下一扇门。里面是一个和高奇先生的办公室相似的办公室，只是有两个丰满的女孩在两台加法机前疯狂地工作，一排十分钱商店的玩具卡车装饰着雕刻的大理石壁炉架顶部。一个留着宽胡子、毡帽拉低遮住眼睛的男人在角落里的转椅上大声打着呼噜。
He opened the next door down the hall. It disclosed an office similar to the one occupied by Mr. Goudge, save that two plumpish girls were working furiously at a pair of adding machines, and that a row of tencent-store toy trucks decorated the top of the carved marble mantelpiece. A wide mustached man with a felt hat pulled down over his eyes was sleeping noisily in the swivel chair in the corner.
“这是公路部门，” 杰克宣称。
“This is the highway department,” Jake declared.
纽扣先生钦佩地盯着他。“你怎么知道的？”
Buttonholes stared at him admiringly. “How did you know?”
杰克神秘地说：“这是怀旧周。” 他吹了一句《公路是快乐的路》的曲调。“在格罗夫县，他们通过抽奖选公路专员。我们继续走吧。”
Jake said cryptically, “This is old home week.” He whistled a bar of Highways Are Happy Ways. “Back in Grove County they picked the highway missioner in a numbers game. Let’s shove on.”
纽扣先生会意地咧嘴笑了，用胳膊肘碰了碰杰克的肋骨，说：“我们的公路专员切特?费尼在米尔斯中心附近拥有六个农场。” 他突然停下来，表情严肃，然后用一种正直的低语补充道：“他酗酒。”
Buttonholes grinned knowingly, nudged Jake in the ribs, and said, “Chet Feeny, our highway missioner, owns a half-dozen farms up near Mills Center.” He stopped suddenly, looked stern, and added in a virtuous whisper, “He drinks.”
“也许他有一个不为人知的悲伤故事，” 海伦悲伤地说。
“Maybe he has a secret sorrow,” Helene said sadly.
小个子清洁工领着他们沿着洞穴般的走廊继续走，打开了一连串标有 “县护士”、“户外救济” 和 “卫生设施” 的门。他经过一对华丽的双扇门，门上有一个金色字母的牌子，上面写着 “县法院”。
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The little janitor led them on down the cavernous hall, opening a succession of doors marked COUNTY NURSE, OUTDOOR RELIEF, and SANITATION. He passed by an ornate pair of double doors on which a gold-lettered sign proclaimed COUNTY COURT.
“门锁着，” 他解释说。“富特法官去钓鱼了。”
“It’s locked up,” he explained. “Judge Foote is away on a fishing trip.”