8220;Silence, sir! 8221; said Uncle Andrew, bringing his hand down on the table. 8220;I will not be talked to like that by a little, dirty, schoolboy. You don 8217;t understand. I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment. Of course I need subjects to do it on. Bless my soul, you 8217;ll be telling me next that I ought to have asked the guinea-pigs 8217; permission before I used them! No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice. But the idea of my going myself is ridiculous. It 8217;s like asking a general to fight as a common soldier. Supposing I got killed, what would become of my life 8217;s work? 8221;
“住嘴，先生！”安德色舅舅把手放在桌上．说道，“一个脏兮兮的小男孩怎么能这样对我说话。你不会明白的。我是一位伟大的学者、魔法师和行家，正在做这项试验，当然需要试验品。天哪，接下来你会告诉我，应该在用豚鼠做试验以前得到它们的同意。没有牺牲是不可能获得大智慧的。但要我自己去却十分可笑，就像要求一个将军像普通士兵那样打仗，假如我被杀了，我毕生的大事怎么办呢？ 8221;
8220;Oh, do stop jawing, 8221; said Digory. 8220;Are you going to bring Polly back? 8221;
“好了，别哆里哆嗦地训人了，”迪格雷说，“你准备让波莉回来吗？”
8220;I was going to tell you, when you so rudely interrupted me, 8221; said Uncle Andrew, 8220;that I did at last find out a way of doing the return journey. The green rings draw you back. 8221;
“刚才你粗鲁地打断我时，我就要告诉你，”安德鲁舅舅说，“我最后终于找到了回来的办法。绿戒指能带你回来。”
8220;But Polly hasn 8217;t got a green ring. 8221;
“但波莉没有绿戒指。”
8220;No 8221; said Uncle Andrew with a cruel smile.
“没有。”安德香舅舅残忍地一笑。
8220;Then she can 8217;t get back, 8221; shouted Digory. 8220;And it 8217;s exactly the same as if you 8217;d murdered her.
“这么说，她不能回来了，”迪格雷高声喊着，“这跟谋害没什么两样。”
8220;She can get back, 8221; said Uncle Andrew, 8220;if someone else will go after her, wearing a yellow ring himself and taking two green rings, one to bring himself back and one to bring her back. 8221;
“她可以回来，”安德鲁舅舅说，”如果有人肯去找她，戴上一枚黄戒指，再带上两枚绿戒指，一枚给自己，一枚给她。”
And now of course Digory saw the trap in which he was caught: and he stared at Uncle Andrew, saying nothing, with his mouth wide open. His cheeks had gone very pale.
这时，迪格雷明白自己上了当，他大张着嘴，无声地旬若安德鲁舅舅。他的脸变得苍白。
8220;I hope, 8221; said Uncle Andrew presently in a very high and mighty voice, just as if he were a perfect Uncle who had given one a handsome tip and some good advice, 8220;I hope, Digory, you are not given to showing the white feather. I should be very sorry to think that anyone of our family had not enough honour and chivalry to go to the aid of 8211; er 8211; a lady in distress. 8221;
“我希望，”安德鲁舅舅用劲大声说遂，好像他是个大方而正派的舅舅，给过谁一笔可观的赏钱或者善意的忠告似的，“我希望，迪格雷，你不盲欢示弱。想到我们家没有人有足够的责任心和侠义精神去解救苦难中的女士，我就感到十分遗憾。”
8220;Oh shut up! 8221; said Digory. 8220;If you had any honour and all that, you 8217;d be going yourself. But I know you won 8217;t. Alright. I see I 8217;ve got to go. But you are a beast. I suppose you planned the whole thing, so that she 8217;d go without knowing it and then I 8217;d have to go after her. 8221;
“住嘴吧！”迪格雷说，“要是你有点儿责任心和侠义精神，你自己就会去，但我知道你是不会去的。好，我明白，我必须去，但你的确是个狼心狗肺的家伙。我想，这全是你一手策划的，计她糊里糊涂地消失了，然后，我就不得不跟若去。”
8220;Of course, 8221; said Uncle Andrew with his hateful smile.
“当然。”安德鲁舅舅奸笑着说。
8220;Very well. I 8217;ll go. But there 8217;s one thing I jolly well mean to say first. I didn 8217;t believe in Magic till today. I see now it 8217;s real. Well if it is, I suppose all the old fairy tales are more or less true. And you 8217;re simply a wicked, cruel magician like the ones in the stories. Well, I 8217;ve never read a story in which people of that sort weren 8217;t paid out in the end, and I bet you will be. And serve you right. 8221;
“好，我去。但有件事，我一定要说在前头。我过去不相信魔法，直到今天，我才知道是真的。那么，我想，那些古老的神话故事多多少少都是真的。你就是故事里写的那种那恶、残忍的魔法师。我还从来没有读过这样的人能逃脱惩罚的故事。我敢打赌，你也会有这一天的。那是报应。”
Of all the things Digory had said this was the first that really went home. Uncle Andrew started and there came over his face a look of such horror that, beast though he was, you could almost feel sorry for him. But a second later he smoothed it all away and said with a rather forced laugh, 8220;Well, well, I suppose that is a natural thing for a child to think 8211; brought up among women, as you have been. Old wives 8217; tales, eh? I don 8217;t think you need worry about my danger, Digory. Wouldn 8217;t it be better to worry about the danger of your little friend? She 8217;s been gone some time. If there are any dangers Over There 8211; well, it would be a pity to arrive a moment too late. 8221;
迪格雷说了那么多，这番话才最切中要害。安德鲁舅舅吃了一惊。虽然他缺乏人性，但他脸上露出的恐惧神态几乎让人感到怜悯。可是，这种神色很快消失了，接着是响亮的笑声。他说“唉唉，对一个像你这样在女人堆里长大的孩子来说，这么想是很自然的。老太太们讲的故事，对吗？我认为你不必为我担忧，迪格雷。为你的小朋友担忱不是更好吗？她走了好一阵了，要是那边有什么危险——迟去一秒钟都会遗憾的。”