“We’ve already got one of those,” the red-haired man said. “This time we want a fishing license.”
“不过，” 女孩补充说，“如果今天有什么特别优惠的话，我们也许会考虑买今年流行的新款式。”
“Though,” the girl added, “if you have a special on today, we might consider something snappy in a this year’s model.”
哈维·巴顿想了想整个情况。“你们最好去找县书记员的副手，” 最后他说，“沿着走廊走，在左边的第一扇门就是。”
Buttonholes thought the whole thing over for a minute. “You’d better see the county clerk’s deputy,” he said at last. “First door to your left, down the corridor.”
这对夫妇向他道谢后便离开了。正当他在清扫金发女孩香烟掉落的一点烟灰时，楼梯上传来了沉重的脚步声。清洁工站到了一边，看着42位县委员会成员涌过走廊，然后开始清理他们在地板上留下的垃圾。
The couple thanked him and went. He was sweeping up a tiny bit of ash from the blonde girl’s cigarette when a heavy tread came from the stairs. The janitor stood aside as forty-two members of the county board poured out through the corridor, then he began to clean up the small litter they had made on the floor.
这是一座很棒的法院，如果人们能保持它整洁就更好了。他赞赏地环顾四周。1882年人们就知道如何建造宏伟的法院。巨大的镶板门，高高的天花板，华丽的瓷砖地板，到处都是精致的木工制品。
It was a wonderful courthouse, if only people would keep it neat. He looked around admiringly. Back in 1882, they knew how to build courthouses. Big, paneled doors, high ceilings, fancy tile floors, and elegant millwork everywhere.
他走到走廊尽头，打开门，往外看了一眼。在这几分钟内，天空已经完全变黑，巨大的乌云像一个巨大的盖子一样压在树梢上。任何地方都没有一丝空气流动，法院广场上的每一只鸟都沉默不语。
He walked to the end of the corridor, opened the door, and glanced out. In these few minutes, the sky had bee entirely dark, immense black clouds pressed down over the trees like a gigantic cover. Not a single breath of air stirred anywhere, every bird in the courthouse square was silent.
“当它来袭时，会是一场大风暴，” 清洁工对周围的人说道。
“She’s going to be a whopper when she hits,” the janitor remarked to the world in general.
他关上门，打开了洞穴般的走廊里的电灯。但这并没有太大帮助。
He shut the door and switched on the electric light in the cavernous hallway. It didn’t help much.
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