“Da vid，”he said.“you oug ht n ot to s pe a k to meof your fa the r. He wa s my only brothe r.”
He picked up his spoon again，but he wastrembling still.
Why had he seized me by the jacket？Whydid he suddenly pretend he loved my father？Fearand hope filled my mind. If he was mad，I was indanger. But if he was not mad，was he hiding thetruth？I remembered a famous old ballad of a poorboy and a cruel uncle. This boy was the real heir to
我在傍晚時間伯父說：“我父親小時候聰明伶俐嗎?”
他回答說：“亞曆山大？不，我比他聰穎得多。我小時候非常聰明。”
這就怪了。“你和我父親是雙生嗎?”我問道。
他一下子跳了起來，手裏的勺子也掉到地上。
“你幹嘛要問這個？”他說著一把抓住我的上衣胸部，這次雙眼卻直盯著我。他的眼睛又小又亮又怪。
我問道：“你這是什麼意思？鬆開手，別抓住我的上衣。你不應該這樣做。”他把手鬆開了，渾身在顫抖。他說：
“大衛，你不該在我麵前提起你父親。我就那麼一個兄弟啊。”
他揀起勺子，可還在發抖。
他為什麼到抓住我的上衣？又為什麼突然假裝喜歡我父親呢？我既害怕，又有了一線希望。他要是個瘋子，我可就遭殃了。可如果他沒有病，他是不是在隱瞞事情的真相呢？我想起一首膾炙人口的民
a great house，but his uncle cheated him of his inheritance.
謠，講的是一個窮男孩和他的狠毒的叔叔的事。那個男孩是一家高貴門第的真正繼承人，可是，他的叔叔騙取了他應該繼承的家產。
Was not my uncle behaving strangely to me？
Was I like the boy in the ballad？Was I the heir tothe Shaws？
I sat and watched him. He sat and watchedme. He said nothing，but he was thinking. I knewhis thoughts were evil.
“Da vid ，”he said，after a time,“I ha ve a littlemone y fo r you . I p romis e d it to your fa the r. It is fortypoun ds . If you will go outs ide for a minute ，I will ge tit.”
I thought this story was a lie. I obeyed himand went outside. There was a sound of wind in thehills. The weather was changing.
My uncle called me in. Slowly he counted thirtyseven gold guineas into my hand. He had the restof the money in small coins. His greed was too greatfor him，and he put the coins into his own pocket.