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Chapter 2
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Yeah, I'm a regular Neiman-Marcus. And so when Andy Dufresne came to me in 1949 and asked if I could smuggle1 Rita Hayworth into the prison for him, I said it would be no problem at all. And it wasn't.
When Andy came to Shawshank in 1948, he was thirty years old. He was a short neat little man with sandy hair and small, clever hands. He wore gold-rimmed spectacles. His fingernails were always clipped, and they were always clean. That's a funny thing to remember about a man, I suppose, but it seems to sum Andy up for me. He always looked as if he should have been wearing a tie. On the outside he had been a vice-president in the trust department of a large Portland bank. Good work for a man as young as he was, especially when you consider how conservative most banks are ... and you have to multiply that conservatism by ten when you get up into New England, where folks don't like to trust a man with their money unless he's bald, limping, and constantly plucking at his pants to get his truss around straight Andy was in for murdering his wife and her lover.
As I believe I have said, everyone in prison is an innocent man. Oh, they read that scripture4 the way those holy rollers on TV read the Book of Revelations. They were the victims of judges with hearts of stone and balls to match, or incompetent5 lawyers, or police frame-ups, or bad luck. They read the scripture, but you can see a different scripture in their faces. Most cons3 are a low sort, no good to themselves or anyone else, and their worst luck was that their mothers carried them to term.
In all my years at Shawshank, there have been less than ten men whom I believed when they told me they were innocent. Andy Dufresne was one of them, although I only became convinced of his innocence6 over a period of years. If I had been on the jury that heard his case in Portland Superior Court over six stormy weeks in 1947-48, I would have voted to convict, too.
It was one hell of a case, all right; one of those juicy ones with all the right elements. There was a beautiful girl with society connections (dead), a local sports figure (also dead), and a prominent young businessman in the dock. There was this, plus all the scandal the newspapers could hint at. The prosecution7 had an open-and-shut case. The trial only lasted as long as it did because the DA was planning to run for the US House of Representatives and he wanted John Q Public to get a good long look at his phiz. It was a crackerjack legal circus, with spectators getting in line at four in the morning, despite the subzero temperatures, to assure themselves of a seat.
The facts of the prosecution's case that Andy never contested were these: That he had a wife, Linda Collins Dufresne; that in June of 1947 she had expressed an interest in learning the game of golf at the Falmouth Hills Country Club; that she did indeed take lessons for four months; that her instructor8 was the Falmouth Hills golf pro2, Glenn Quentin; that in late August of 1947 Andy learned that Quentin and his wife had become lovers; that Andy and Linda Dufresne argued bitterly on the afternoon of 10 September 1947; that the subject of their argument was her infidelity.
He testified that Linda professed9 to be glad he knew; the sneaking10 around, she said, was distressing11. She told Andy that she planned to obtain a Reno divorce. Andy told her he would see her in hell before he would see her in Reno. She went off to spend the night with Quentin in Quentin's rented bungalow12 not far from the golf course.
The next morning his cleaning woman found both of them dead in bed. Each had been shot four times.
It was that last fact that mitigated13 more against Andy than any of the others. The DA with the political aspirations14 made a great deal of it in his opening statement and his closing summation15. Andrew Dufresne, he said, was not a wronged husband seeking a hot-blooded revenge against his cheating wife; that, the DA said, could be understood, if not condoned16. But this revenge had been of a much colder type. Consider! the DA thundered at the jury. Four and four! Not six shots, but eight! He had fired the gun empty ... and then stopped to reload so he could shoot each of them again! FOUR FOR HIM AND FOUR FOR HER, the Portland Sun blared. The Boston Register dubbed17 him The Even-Steven Killer18.
A clerk from the Wise Pawnshop in Lewiston testified that he had sold a six-shot .38 Police Special to Andrew Dufresne just two days before the double murder. A bartender from the country club bar testified that Andy had come in around seven o'clock on the evening of 10 September, had tossed off three straight whiskeys in a twenty-minute period - when he got up from the bar-stool he told the bartender that he was going up to Glenn Quentin's house and he, the bartender, could 'read about the rest of it in the papers'. Another clerk, this one from the Handy-Pik store a mile or so from Quentin's house, told the court that Dufresne had come in around quarter to nine on the same night. He purchased cigarettes, three quarts of beer, and some dish-towels. The county medical examiner testified that Quentin and the Dufresne woman had been killed between eleven p.m. and two a.m. on the night of 10-11 September. The detective from the Attorney General's office who had been in charge of the case testified that there was a turnout less than seventy yards from the bungalow, and that on the afternoon of 11 September, three pieces of evidence had been removed from that turnout: first item, two empty quart bottles of Narragansett Beer (with the defendant's fingerprints19 on them); the second item, twelve cigarette ends (all Kools, the defendant's brand); third item, a plaster moulage of a set of tyre tracks (exactly matching the tread-and-wear pattern of the tyres on the defendant's 1947 Plymouth).
In the living room of Quentin's bungalow, four dishtowels had been found lying on the sofa. There were bullet-holes through them and powder-burns on them. The detective theorized (over the agonized20 objections of Andy's lawyer) that the murderer had wrapped the towels around the muzzle21 of the murder-weapon to muffle22 the sound of the gunshots.
Andy Dufresne took the stand in his own defence and told his story calmly, coolly, and dispassionately. He said he had begun to hear distressing rumours23 about his wife and Glenn Quentin as early as the last week in July. In August he had become distressed24 enough to investigate a bit. On an evening when Linda was supposed to have gone shopping in Portland after her tennis lesson, Andy had followed her and Quentin to Quentin's one-storey rented house (inevitably dubbed 'the love-nest' by the papers). He had parked in the turnout until Quentin drove her back to the country club where her car was parked, about three hours later.

  啊,我的商品目录可说是无所不包,因此当安迪·杜佛尼在一九四九年来找我,问我能否把丽塔·海华丝丽塔·海华丝(RitaHayworth,1918—1987),二十世纪四五十年代好莱坞著名性感女星。弄进监狱时,我说没问题。确实没有任何问题。
  安迪在一九四八年到肖申克时是三十岁,他属于五短身材,长得白白净净,一头棕发,双手小而灵巧。他戴了一副金边眼镜,指甲永远剪得整整齐齐、干干净净,我最记得的也是那双手,一个男人给人这种印象还满滑稽的,但这似乎正好总结了安迪这个人的特色,他的样子老让你觉得他似乎应该穿着西装、打着领带的。他没进来前,是波特兰一家大银行的信托部副总裁。在保守的银行界,年纪轻轻就坐上这个位子,可说是前程似锦。尤其在新英格兰这一带,保守的风气更是十倍于其他地方;除非你是个精神委靡的秃头中年人,不时整整西装裤上的线条,惟恐不够笔挺,否则很难得到当地人的信任,让他们把钱存在你那里。安迪是因为谋杀了老婆和她的情夫而被关进来的。
  我相信我说过,监狱里每个犯人都声称自己无辜。他们只是碰上了铁石心肠的法官、无能的律师、警察的诬告,而成为受害者,再不然就是运气实在太坏了。尽管他们手按《圣经》宣誓,但却口是心非,像电视布道家那样信口开河而已。大多数囚犯都不是什么好人,无论对自己或对别人,都没什么好处,他们最大的不幸,就是被生到这世上来。我在肖申克的那些年中,尽管许多人告诉我他们是无辜的,但我相信其中真正无辜的人不超过十个,安迪·杜佛尼就是其中之一。不过我是经过了很多年才相信他的无辜,如果一九四七到四八年间,波特兰高等法院审判他的案子时我也是陪审团的一员,我想我也会投票赞成将他定罪。
  那是个轰动一时的案子,具备了所有耸动刺激的案子必备的要素。三位主角,一位是交游广泛的美丽名媛(已死),一位是当地的运动健将(也死了),被告则是著名的青年企业家,再加上报纸的渲染、对丑闻的暗示。检察当局认为这个案子几乎是铁证如山,而案子之所以还审了那么长的一段时日,是因为侦办此案的检察官当时正要出马竞选众议员,有意留给大家深刻的印象。这是一场出色的法庭秀,旁观的群众清晨四点钟就冒着零度以下的低温到法院排队,免得抢不到位子。
  在这个案子里,安迪始终不曾抗议过由检察官提出的指控,包括安迪的太太琳达在一九四七年六月表示有意去学高尔夫球,她选了佛茂丘乡村俱乐部的课程学了四个月,教练叫格林·昆丁,是一名职业高尔夫球手。结果没有多久,琳达便和高尔夫球教练好起来了,到了八月底,安迪听说了这件事。于是安迪和琳达在一九四七年九月十日下午大吵一架,争论的导火线便是琳达的外遇。
  安迪供称琳达当时表示她很高兴安迪知道这件事,并说偷偷摸摸瞒着他约会,实在很不舒服,她要去雷诺城办离婚。安迪回答,要他一起去雷诺,门儿都没有,他们会先去地狱。琳达当晚即离家出走,到昆丁住处过夜,昆丁家就在高尔夫球场附近。第二天早上,为昆丁清扫洗衣的佣人发现他们两人死在床上,每人各中四枪。
  最后一项事实对安迪最不利。怀抱着政治热情的检察官做了慷慨激昂的开场白和结论。他说安迪·杜佛尼不只是个因为妻子不贞而热血沸腾、急于报复的丈夫,如果是出于这样的动机,我们虽然无法原谅,却可以理解,但是他的报复手段实在太冷血了。想象一下!他连珠炮般对着陪审团说:每人各射了四枪,不是射完手枪里的六发子弹就算了,而是总共射了八枪。把原先枪膛里的子弹射完后,停下来,重新装子弹,然后再一人补一枪!第二天《波特兰太阳报》以斗大标题怒吼着:给他四枪,她也四枪!
  路易斯登镇一家当铺的伙计作证说,他在案发两天前卖了一支点三八口径、有六发子弹的警用手枪给安迪·杜佛尼。乡村俱乐部的酒保作证说九月十日晚上七点左右,安迪到酒吧来喝酒,在二十分钟内喝了三杯烈威士忌酒,当他从椅子上站起来时,他告诉酒保要去昆丁家,并说欲知后事如何,明天看报纸就知道了。还有一个距离昆丁家一英里远的便利商店店员告诉法庭,安迪·杜佛尼在当晚八点四十五分左右去过他的店。他买了香烟、三夸脱啤酒,还有一些擦碗布。法医证明昆丁和琳达是大约在晚上十一点到凌晨两点之间遇害的。检察官派出的探员作证时表示,昆丁家七十码外的地方有个岔道,九月十一日下午,他们在岔道附近找到三样物证:两个空啤酒瓶(上面有被告的指纹)、十二根烟蒂(是被告抽的牌子)以及轮胎痕迹(正是被告一九四七年出厂的普利茅斯牌车子的车胎印子)。
  在昆丁住处的客厅中,有四条擦碗布扔在沙发上,上面有弹孔和火药灼伤的痕迹。警探的推论是,凶手把擦碗布包在枪口上来消音(安迪的律师对探员擅自推论提出强烈抗议)。
  安迪·杜佛尼也走上证人席为自己辩护,他很冷静、镇定、不带感情地述说自己的故事。他说早在七月底就听到太太和昆丁密切来往的事。八月底他悲苦到受不了了,开始调查。一天傍晚,琳达上完高尔夫球课以后,原本说要到波特兰购物,但他尾随琳达和昆丁却到了昆丁住的地方(媒体不可免俗地把这里冠上“爱巢”二字)。他把车子停在附近,一直等昆丁驾车送琳达回俱乐部取车才离开,那是三小时以后的事了。


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 smuggle 5FNzy     
vt.私运;vi.走私
参考例句:
  • Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
  • She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境,没有被逮捕。
2 pro tk3zvX     
n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者
参考例句:
  • The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
  • Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军?
3 cons eec38a6d10735a91d1247a80b5e213a6     
n.欺骗,骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗,哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前,应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 scripture WZUx4     
n.经文,圣书,手稿;Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》,《圣经》中的一段
参考例句:
  • The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
  • They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。
5 incompetent JcUzW     
adj.无能力的,不能胜任的
参考例句:
  • He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
  • He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。
6 innocence ZbizC     
n.无罪;天真;无害
参考例句:
  • There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
  • The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。
7 prosecution uBWyL     
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营
参考例句:
  • The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
  • He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。
8 instructor D6GxY     
n.指导者,教员,教练
参考例句:
  • The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
  • The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
9 professed 7151fdd4a4d35a0f09eaf7f0f3faf295     
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的
参考例句:
  • These, at least, were their professed reasons for pulling out of the deal. 至少这些是他们自称退出这宗交易的理由。
  • Her manner professed a gaiety that she did not feel. 她的神态显出一种她并未实际感受到的快乐。
10 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
11 distressing cuTz30     
a.使人痛苦的
参考例句:
  • All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
  • It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。
12 bungalow ccjys     
n.平房,周围有阳台的木造小平房
参考例句:
  • A bungalow does not have an upstairs.平房没有上层。
  • The old couple sold that large house and moved into a small bungalow.老两口卖掉了那幢大房子,搬进了小平房。
13 mitigated 11f6ba011e9341e258d534efd94f05b2     
v.减轻,缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The cost of getting there is mitigated by Sydney's offer of a subsidy. 由于悉尼提供补助金,所以到那里的花费就减少了。 来自辞典例句
  • The living conditions were slightly mitigated. 居住条件稍有缓解。 来自辞典例句
14 aspirations a60ebedc36cdd304870aeab399069f9e     
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
  • The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。
15 summation fshwH     
n.总和;最后辩论
参考例句:
  • The exhibition was a summation of his life's work.这次展览汇集了他一生中典型的作品。
  • The defense attorney phrased his summation at last.最后,辩护律师作了辩论总结。
16 condoned 011fd77ceccf9f1d2e07bc9068cdf094     
v.容忍,宽恕,原谅( condone的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Terrorism can never be condoned. 决不能容忍恐怖主义。
  • They condoned his sins because he repented. 由于他的悔悟,他们宽恕了他的罪。 来自辞典例句
17 dubbed dubbed     
v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 );把…称为;配音;复制
参考例句:
  • Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
  • Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的? 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
参考例句:
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
19 fingerprints 9b456c81cc868e5bdf3958245615450b     
n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
  • They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套,以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 agonized Oz5zc6     
v.使(极度)痛苦,折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 );苦斗;苦苦思索;感到极度痛苦
参考例句:
  • All the time they agonized and prayed. 他们一直在忍受痛苦并且祈祷。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • She agonized herself with the thought of her loss. 她念念不忘自己的损失,深深陷入痛苦之中。 来自辞典例句
21 muzzle i11yN     
n.鼻口部;口套;枪(炮)口;vt.使缄默
参考例句:
  • He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
  • The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。
22 muffle gFjxn     
v.围裹;抑制;发低沉的声音
参考例句:
  • Mother made an effort to muffle her emotions.母亲努力控制自己的感情。
  • I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my words,so only my friend could hear. 我把手挡在嘴上,遮住声音,仅让我的朋友听到。
23 rumours ba6e2decd2e28dec9a80f28cb99e131d     
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 );风闻;谣言;谣传
参考例句:
  • The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
  • Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
24 distressed du1z3y     
痛苦的
参考例句:
  • He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑,无法回答他们的问题。
  • The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。


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