Editha Venning sighed faintly. “It was really very simple. For a few years we’d go to places where we were strangers—Australia, Java, Indo-China. In time, Gerald figured, enough people would forget how Michael looked so that when Gerald turned up in his place it would be thought that a few years in the Orient had changed him a little, nothing more. They were about the same height and build and coloring, and not so unlike in appearance.” She paused, frowning. “Once I’d agreed, I’d let myself in for it. After that, I couldn’t give him away without giving myself away.”
莫娜·麦克莱恩伸出手，放在她的肩膀上。
Mona McClane reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“那很可怕。”女人突然说道。她的声音只是微微有些颤抖。“不仅被社会抛弃——生活在世界上所有遥远的地方，而且他……”她又停顿了一下，杰克能看到她喉咙处的肌肉绷紧了。“他非常坏。”
“It was horrible,” the woman said suddenly. Her voice broke only a little. “Not only being an outcast—living in all the faraway places of the world, but he—” She paused again, and Jake could see the muscles tightening in her throat. “He was pretty bad.”
“我能想象得到。”马龙平静地说，他的眼神很严厉。
“I rather imagined so,” Malone said quietly, and his eyes looked hard.
她继续说道：“总是要躲避那些认识迈克尔的人。当这样的人来到我们所在的地方时，他要么去打猎了，要么生病了。但我们开始担心，如果从来没有人见过他，人们会开始怀疑。”她脸颊上的血色开始褪去。“然后战争来了。我们冒险回到了这里。他确信这么久了没人会记得迈克尔。莫娜前一年在印度见过我们，并且把他当成了迈克尔·文宁，所以当莫娜的邀请到来时，我们决定接受。他确信如果莫娜把他介绍成迈克尔·文宁，并且相信他就是迈克尔·文宁，那么其他人也会。”她现在脸色苍白。“我在那里非常讨厌那样的生活。我很孤独，一直都很孤独。我再也受不了他了……”就在这时，她的声音真的哽咽了。
She went on, “There was always the business of dodging people who’d known Michael. When people like that came to wherever we were, he would be away on a hunting trip, or ill. But we were beginning to be afraid that people would start to wonder, if no one ever saw him.” The color began to recede from her cheeks. “Then the war came. We took a chance on ing back here. He felt sure that no one would remember Michael after so long. Mona had seen us in India the year before, and accepted him as Michael Venning, so when Mona’s invitation came, we decided to accept it. He felt sure that if Mona introduced him as Michael Venning, and believed he was Michael Venning, everyone else would.” Her face was colorless now. “I hated it so over there. I was so lonely, always lonely. I couldn’t stand him any longer—” That was when her voice did break.
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