The Landlady (1) ذا لاندليدي (1) Die Vermieterin (1) La casera (1) La propriétaire (1) 女将 (1) 집주인 (1) Gospodyni (1)

Billy Weaver had travelled down from London on the slow afternoon train, changing trains on the way, and by the time he got to Bath it was about nine o'clock in the evening. كان بيلي ويفر قد سافر من لندن في القطار البطيء بعد الظهر ، غير القطارات في الطريق ، وعندما وصل إلى باث كانت الساعة حوالي التاسعة مساءً. ビリー・ウィーバーはロンドンから遅い午後の電車で下り、途中で電車を乗り換えていました。彼がバースに着くまでには、夕方の9時頃でした。 Billy Weaver coborase de la Londra cu trenul lent de după-amiază, schimbând trenurile pe drum, iar când ajunse la Bath era cam ora nouă seara. The air was very cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks. كان الهواء شديد البرودة والرياح مثل شفرة مسطحة من الجليد على وجنتيه. 空気はとても冷たく、風は彼の頬に平らな氷の刃のようでした。 Aerul era foarte rece și vântul era ca o lamă plată de gheață pe obrajii lui.

'Excuse me,' he said, 'but is there a fairly cheap hotel not too far away from here?' قال: "معذرة ، لكن هل يوجد فندق رخيص نسبيًا ليس بعيدًا جدًا عن هنا؟" 「すみません」と彼は言いました。「でも、ここからそれほど遠くないところにかなり安いホテルはありますか？」 — Scuză-mă, spuse el, dar există un hotel destul de ieftin, nu prea departe de aici?

'Try the pub down the road,' a man at the station said, pointing. قال رجل في المحطة وهو يشير: "جرب الحانة على الطريق". 「道を下ってパブを試してみてください」と駅の男が指差しながら言った。 „Încercați cârciuma de mai jos”, a spus un bărbat de la gară, arătând. 'They might take you in. قد يأخذونك. '彼らはあなたを連れて行くかもしれません。 — S-ar putea să te primească. It's about a kilometer along on the other side.' إنها حوالي كيلومتر على الجانب الآخر. それは反対側に沿って約1キロです。」 E cam un kilometru pe cealaltă parte.

Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set out to walk to the inn. شكره بيلي وحمل حقيبته وانطلق إلى النزل. Billy i-a mulțumit și și-a luat valiza și a pornit să meargă spre han. He had never been to Bath before. 彼はこれまでバースに行ったことがありませんでした。 Nu mai fusese niciodată la Bath. He didn't know anyone who lived there, but his boss at the Head Office in London had told him it was a splendid city. 彼はそこに住んでいる人を誰も知りませんでしたが、ロンドンの本社の彼の上司は彼にそれが素晴らしい都市であると言いました。 Nu cunoștea pe nimeni care să locuiască acolo, dar șeful lui de la sediul central din Londra îi spusese că este un oraș splendid. 'Find your own accommodation,' he had said, 'and then go along and report to the Local Manager as soon as you've got yourself settled.' Suchen Sie sich eine eigene Unterkunft", hatte er gesagt, "und melden Sie sich dann beim örtlichen Leiter, sobald Sie sich eingelebt haben". 「自分の宿泊施設を見つけてください」と彼は言いました。「落ち着いたらすぐに、一緒に行ってローカルマネージャーに報告してください。」 „Găsește-ți propria locuință”, spusese el, „și apoi du-te și raportează-te la managerul local de îndată ce te-ai stabilit.

Billy was seventeen years old. Billy avea șaptesprezece ani. He was wearing a new dark blue overcoat, a new brown hat, a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. Purta un palton nou albastru închis, o pălărie maro nouă, un costum maro nou și se simțea bine. He walked briskly down the street. A mers cu viteză pe stradă. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. 彼は最近すべてを活発にやろうとしていました。 Încerca să facă totul cu brio zilele astea. All successful businessmen, he had decided, were brisk. 彼が決めた成功したビジネスマンは皆元気でした。 Toți oamenii de afaceri de succes, decisese el, erau vioi. The top men at Head Office were brisk all the time. Oamenii de top de la sediul central erau vioi tot timpul. They were amazing. Au fost uimitoare.

There were no shops on this wide street, only a line of tall houses on each side, all of them looking the same. Pe această stradă largă nu erau magazine, ci doar un șir de case înalte de fiecare parte, toate arătând la fel. They had grand entrances and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that they had been very grand houses indeed. Sie hatten große Eingänge und vier oder fünf Stufen, die zur Haustür hinaufführten, und es war offensichtlich, dass es sich um sehr große Häuser gehandelt hatte. 彼らは壮大な入り口と玄関までの4、5段の階段を持っていました、そして彼らが確かに非常に壮大な家であったことは明らかでした。 Aveau intrări mărețe și patru sau cinci trepte care duceau la ușile lor din față și era evident că fuseseră într-adevăr case foarte mari. But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was coming off the doors and windows, and that the handsome white exteriors had cracks and patches from lack of repair. Aber selbst in der Dunkelheit konnte er sehen, dass die Farbe von den Türen und Fenstern abblätterte und dass die schönen weißen Außenwände Risse und Flecken aufwiesen, weil sie nicht repariert worden waren. しかし今、暗闇の中でさえ、彼はペンキがドアと窓から剥がれ落ちているのを見ることができました、そしてハンサムな白い外面は修理の欠如からひびとパッチを持っていました。 Dar acum, chiar și în întuneric, putea vedea că vopseaua ieșea de pe uși și ferestre și că exteriorul frumos alb avea crăpături și pete din lipsă de reparații.

Suddenly, in a downstairs window that was illuminated by a nearby street lamp, Billy saw a printed notice leaning against the glass in one of the windows. Plötzlich sah Billy in einem Fenster im Erdgeschoss, das von einer nahe gelegenen Straßenlaterne beleuchtet wurde, einen gedruckten Zettel, der an das Glas eines der Fenster gelehnt war. 突然、近くの街灯に照らされた階下の窓で、ビリーは窓の1つにあるガラスに寄りかかっている印刷された通知を見ました。 Deodată, într-o fereastră de la parter, care era iluminată de o lampă stradală din apropiere, Billy a văzut un anunț tipărit sprijinit de geamul uneia dintre ferestre. It said BED AND BREAKFAST. Scria CAZĂ ȘI MIC dejun.

He stopped walking. S-a oprit din mers. He moved a bit closer. 彼は少し近づいた。 S-a apropiat puțin. Green curtains were hanging down on each side of the window. 緑のカーテンが窓の両側にぶら下がっていました。 Perdelele verzi atârnau de fiecare parte a ferestrei. He went right up to it and looked through the glass into the room, and the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the fireplace. Er ging direkt darauf zu und schaute durch das Glas in den Raum, und das erste, was er sah, war ein helles Feuer, das im Kamin brannte. 彼はすぐそこまで行き、ガラス越しに部屋を見ました。彼が最初に見たのは、暖炉で燃えている明るい火でした。 S-a dus direct la el și a privit prin sticlă în cameră și primul lucru pe care l-a văzut a fost un foc strălucitor care ardea în șemineu. On the carpet in front of the fire, a pretty little dog was curled up asleep. Pe covorul din fața focului, un câine drăguț era ghemuit adormit. The room itself, which he could only see in half-darkness, was filled with pleasant furniture. 真っ暗闇の中でしか見えなかった部屋自体は、心地よい家具で埋め尽くされていた。 Însăși încăperea, pe care o putea vedea doar în întuneric, era plină de mobilier plăcut. There was a piano and a big sofa and several comfortable armchairs; and in one corner he saw a large parrot in a cage. Es gab ein Klavier und ein großes Sofa und mehrere bequeme Sessel, und in einer Ecke sah er einen großen Papagei in einem Käfig. Era un pian și o canapea mare și câteva fotolii confortabile; iar într-un colţ văzu un papagal mare într-o cuşcă. Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself, and it looked to him as if it would be a pretty decent house to stay in. Tiere waren normalerweise ein gutes Zeichen an einem Ort wie diesem, sagte sich Billy, und es sah für ihn so aus, als ob es ein ziemlich anständiges Haus wäre, in dem man bleiben konnte. ビリーは、このような場所では通常、動物は良い兆候であり、滞在するのにかなりまともな家であるかのように彼に見えました。 Animalele erau de obicei un semn bun într-un loc ca acesta, își spuse Billy și i se părea că ar fi o casă destul de decentă în care să stea. Certainly it would be more comfortable than a pub. Es wäre sicherlich bequemer als eine Kneipe. 確かにそれはパブよりも快適でしょう。 Cu siguranță ar fi mai confortabil decât un pub.

On the other hand, a pub would be more friendly than a guesthouse. Andererseits wäre eine Kneipe freundlicher als ein Gasthaus. Pe de altă parte, un pub ar fi mai prietenos decât o pensiune. There would be beer and cards in the evenings, and lots of people to talk to, and it would probably be a lot cheaper, too. Abends gäbe es Bier und Karten, viele Leute, mit denen man sich unterhalten könnte, und wahrscheinlich wäre es auch viel billiger. 夕方にはビールやトランプがあり、話をする人もたくさんいて、おそらくもっと安いでしょう。 Ar fi bere și felicitări seara și mulți oameni cu care să vorbești și probabil ar fi mult mai ieftin. He had stayed a couple of nights in a pub once before and had liked it. Er hatte schon einmal ein paar Nächte in einer Kneipe verbracht und es hatte ihm gefallen. 彼はかつてパブに数泊し、それが好きでした。 Mai stătuse o dată câteva nopți într-un pub și îi plăcuse. He had never stayed in any guesthouses and, to be perfectly honest, he was a tiny bit frightened of them. Er hatte noch nie in einem Gästehaus übernachtet, und um ehrlich zu sein, hatte er auch ein wenig Angst vor ihnen. 彼はどのゲストハウスにも泊まったことがなく、正直言って、彼らを少し怖がっていました。 Nu stătuse niciodată în nicio pensiune și, ca să fiu perfect sincer, îi era puțin frică de ele. The word 'guesthouse' suggested watery vegetables and greedy landladies. Das Wort "Gasthaus" ließ an wässriges Gemüse und gierige Wirte denken. 「ゲストハウス」という言葉は、水っぽい野菜と貪欲な女将を示唆していました。 Cuvântul „pensiune” sugera legume apoase și proprietare lacome.

After hesitating like this in the cold for two or three minutes, Billy decided that he would walk on and look at the pub before making up his mind. Nachdem er zwei oder drei Minuten in der Kälte gezögert hatte, beschloss Billy, weiterzugehen und sich die Kneipe anzusehen, bevor er sich entschied. ビリーは、このように寒さの中で2、3分間躊躇した後、決心する前に歩いてパブを見ることにしました。 După ce a ezitat așa în frig timp de două sau trei minute, Billy a decis să meargă mai departe și să se uite la cârciumă înainte de a se decide. He turned to go. 彼は行くようになった。 S-a întors să plece.

And now a strange thing happened to him. そして今、彼に奇妙なことが起こりました。 Și acum i s-a întâmplat un lucru ciudat. He was just going to step back and turn away from the window when his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there. Er wollte gerade einen Schritt zurücktreten und sich vom Fenster abwenden, als sein Blick von dem kleinen Zettel, der dort hing, auf ganz besondere Weise festgehalten wurde. 彼の目がそこにあった小さな通知によって最も独特な方法で捕らえられて保持されたとき、彼はちょうど後退して窓から離れようとしていました。 Tocmai avea de gând să facă un pas înapoi și să se întoarcă de la fereastră când privirea i-a fost surprinsă și ținută în cel mai ciudat mod de micul anunț care era acolo. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said. BED AND BREAKFAST, hieß es. BED AND BREAKFAST, spunea. BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, holding him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door, climbing the steps that led to it and reaching for the bell. Jedes Wort war wie ein großes schwarzes Auge, das ihn durch das Glas anstarrte, ihn festhielt, ihn zwang, dort zu bleiben, wo er war, und nicht von diesem Haus wegzugehen, und das nächste, was er wusste, war, dass er tatsächlich vom Fenster zur Haustür hinüberging, die Stufen hinaufstieg und nach der Klingel griff. それぞれの言葉は、大きな黒い目がガラス越しに彼を見つめ、彼を抱きしめ、彼がいる場所に留まり、その家から離れないように強制するようなものでした。次に彼が知ったのは、彼は実際に窓から正面玄関、そこに通じる階段を登り、鐘に手を伸ばす。 Fiecare cuvânt era ca un ochi mare și negru care se uita la el prin sticlă, ținându-l, forțându-l să rămână acolo unde era și să nu se îndepărteze de acea casă, iar următorul lucru pe care l-a știut, el se muta de fapt de la fereastră la ușa din față, urcând treptele care duceau la ea și întinzându-se spre sonerie.

He pressed it. Er drückte sie. Far away in a back room he heard it ringing, and then at once - it must have been at once because he hadn't even had time to take his finger from the bell-button - the door swung open and a woman was standing there. Weit weg in einem Hinterzimmer hörte er es läuten, und auf einmal - es muss sofort gewesen sein, denn er hatte nicht einmal Zeit gehabt, den Finger vom Klingelknopf zu nehmen - schwang die Tür auf und eine Frau stand da. 奥の部屋で彼はそれが鳴っているのを聞いた、そしてすぐに-ベルボタンから指を離す時間がなかったのですぐにあったに違いない-ドアが開き、女性がそこに立っていた。 Departe, într-o încăpere din spate, a auzit sunetul, apoi imediat - trebuie să fi fost imediat pentru că nici măcar nu avusese timp să-și ia degetul de la sonerie - ușa s-a deschis și o femeie stătea acolo. .

She was about forty-five or fifty years old, and the moment she saw him, she gave him a warm welcoming smile. Sie war etwa fünfundvierzig oder fünfzig Jahre alt und schenkte ihm sofort ein warmes Begrüßungslächeln. Avea vreo patruzeci și cinci sau cincizeci de ani și, în momentul în care l-a văzut, i-a aruncat un zâmbet cald și primitor.

'Please come in,' she said pleasantly. — Te rog, intră, spuse ea plăcut. She stepped to one side, holding the door wide open, and Billy found himself automatically starting forward into the house: the force or, more accurately, the desire to follow her was extraordinarily strong. Sie trat zur Seite und hielt die Tür weit offen, und Billy ertappte sich dabei, wie er automatisch nach vorne ins Haus ging: Der Drang, oder besser gesagt, das Verlangen, ihr zu folgen, war außerordentlich stark. 彼女はドアを大きく開いたまま片側に足を踏み入れ、ビリーは自動的に家の中に前進し始めました。力、より正確には、彼女を追いかけたいという願望は非常に強かったのです。 Ea făcu un pas într-o parte, ținând ușa larg deschisă, iar Billy se trezi automat pornind înainte în casă: forța sau, mai exact, dorința de a o urma era extraordinar de puternică.

'I saw the notice in the window,' he said, holding himself back. 「私は窓の中に通知を見た」と彼は身をかがめて言った。 — Am văzut anunţul în fereastră, spuse el, reţinându-se.

'Yes, I know.' 'Da, știu.'

'I was wondering about a room.' Ich habe mich nach einem Zimmer erkundigt. 「私は部屋について疑問に思っていました。」 — Mă întrebam despre o cameră.

'It's all ready for you, my dear,' she said. 「それはすべてあなたのために準備ができています、私の愛する人」と彼女は言いました。 — Totul este gata pentru tine, draga mea, spuse ea. She had a round pink face and very gentle blue eyes. Avea o față rotundă, roz și ochi albaștri foarte blânzi.

'I was on my way to a pub,' Billy told her. 「私はパブに行く途中だった」とビリーは彼女に言った。 — Eram în drum spre un pub, îi spuse Billy. 'But I noticed the sign in your window.' — Dar am observat semnul pe fereastra ta.

'My dear boy,' she said, 'why don't you come in out of the cold?' 「私の愛する少年」と彼女は言いました。「寒さから抜け出してみませんか？」 „Dragul meu băiat”, a spus ea, „de ce nu intri din frig?”

'How much do you charge?' Wie viel verlangen Sie? — Cât percepeţi?

'Nine pounds a night, including breakfast.' — Nouă lire pe noapte, inclusiv micul dejun.

It was amazingly cheap. Es war erstaunlich billig. It was less than half of what he had been willing to pay. それは彼が喜んで支払った金額の半分以下でした。 Era mai puțin de jumătate din ceea ce fusese dispus să plătească.

'If that is too much,' she added, 'then perhaps I can reduce it just a tiny bit. 「それが多すぎる場合は、」と彼女は付け加えました。 „Dacă este prea mult”, a adăugat ea, „atunci poate că o pot reduce doar un pic. Do you desire an egg for breakfast? 朝食に卵が欲しいですか？ Îți dorești un ou la micul dejun? Eggs are expensive at the moment. 卵は今のところ高価です。 Ouăle sunt scumpe în acest moment. It would cost less without the egg.' 卵がなければ費用は安くなるでしょう。」 Ar costa mai puțin fără ou.

'Nine pounds is fine,' he answered. — Nouă lire sunt în regulă, a răspuns el. 'I would like very much to stay here.' — Mi-ar plăcea foarte mult să rămân aici.

'I knew you would. '私はあなたがそうすることを知っていました。 — Știam că ai face-o. Do come in.' 入ってきてください。' Intra.'

She seemed terribly nice. Sie schien furchtbar nett zu sein. Părea teribil de drăguță. She looked exactly like the mother of one's best school friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays. Sie sah genauso aus wie die Mutter des besten Schulfreundes, die einen in den Weihnachtsferien bei sich zu Hause aufnimmt. 彼女は、クリスマス休暇のために家に1人を迎える親友の母親のように見えました。 Arăta exact ca mama celui mai bun prieten al lui de școală, care îi întâmpina pe cineva în casă să stea de sărbătorile de Crăciun. Billy took off his hat and stepped inside. Billy își scoase pălăria și păși înăuntru.

'Just hang it there,' she said, 'and let me help you with your coat.' 「ただそこに吊るしてください」と彼女は言いました。 — Atârnă-l acolo, spuse ea, și lasă-mă să te ajut cu haina.

There were no other hats or coats in the hall. În hol nu erau alte pălării sau paltoane. There were no umbrellas, no walking-sticks - nothing. Nu erau umbrele, nici bastoane - nimic.

'We have it all to ourselves,' she said, smiling at him over her shoulder as she led the way upstairs. Wir haben es ganz für uns allein", sagte sie und lächelte ihm über die Schulter zu, während sie ihm den Weg nach oben zeigte. 「私たちはそれをすべて自分たちで持っています」と彼女は言った、彼女が二階への道を導いたとき、彼女は彼女の肩越しに彼に微笑んだ。 — Avem totul pentru noi, spuse ea, zâmbindu-i peste umăr în timp ce conducea drumul sus. 'You see, I don't very often have the pleasure of taking a visitor into my little nest.' 「ほら、私は訪問者を私の小さな巣に連れて行く喜びをあまり持っていません。」 — Vezi tu, nu prea am plăcerea să iau un vizitator în micul meu cuib.

The old girl is slightly mad, Billy told himself. „Das alte Mädchen ist ein wenig verrückt“, sagte Billy sich. Bătrâna este puțin supărată, își spuse Billy. But at nine pounds a night, who cares about that? Aber wen interessiert das schon bei neun Pfund pro Nacht? しかし、夜9ポンドで、誰がそれを気にしますか？ Dar cu nouă lire pe noapte, cui îi pasă de asta? 'I should've thought you'd be simply full of visitors wanting to stay,' he said politely. Ich hätte gedacht, dass Sie einfach voller Besucher sind, die bleiben wollen", sagte er höflich. 「滞在したい訪問者でいっぱいになると思っていたはずです」と彼は丁寧に言った。 — Ar fi trebuit să mă gândesc că vei fi pur și simplu plin de vizitatori care doresc să rămână, spuse el politicos.

'Oh, I am, my dear, I am, of course I am. Oh ja, meine Liebe, natürlich bin ich das. 「ああ、私は、私の愛する人、私はもちろん、私です。 — Oh, sunt, draga mea, sunt, desigur că sunt. But the trouble is that I am just a tiny bit careful about whom I choose - if you see what I mean.' Aber das Problem ist, dass ich ein bisschen vorsichtig bin, wen ich auswähle - wenn Sie verstehen, was ich meine. しかし、問題は、私が誰を選ぶかについて少しだけ注意していることです-あなたが私が何を意味するかを見れば。 Dar necazul este că sunt puțin atent pe cine aleg, dacă înțelegi ce vreau să spun.

'Ah, yes.'

'But I'm always ready. Everything is always ready day and night in this house just in case an acceptable young gentleman comes along. 受け入れられる若い紳士がやって来た場合に備えて、この家では昼夜を問わずすべての準備が整っています。 Totul este întotdeauna gata zi și noapte în această casă, în cazul în care vine un tânăr acceptabil. And it is such a pleasure, my dear, when now and again I open the door and I see someone standing there who is just exactly right.' Und es ist so eine Freude, meine Liebe, wenn ich ab und zu die Tür öffne und dort jemand stehe, der genau richtig ist.' そして、それはとても嬉しいことです、私の愛する人、私が時々ドアを開けると、ちょうどいい人がそこに立っているのを見ます。 Și este o mare plăcere, draga mea, când deschid din când în când ușa și văd pe cineva care stă acolo, care are exact dreptate. She was halfway up the stairs, and she paused, turned her head and smiled down at him. Auf halber Höhe der Treppe hielt sie inne, drehte ihren Kopf und lächelte zu ihm hinunter. 彼女は階段の途中で立ち止まり、頭を向けて彼に微笑んだ。 Era la jumătatea scărilor și se opri, întoarse capul și îi zâmbi. 'Like you,' she added, and her blue eyes travelled slowly all the way down the length of Billy's body, to his feet, and then up again. Wie du", fügte sie hinzu, und ihre blauen Augen wanderten langsam an Billys Körper hinunter, zu seinen Füßen und dann wieder hinauf. 「あなたのように」と彼女は付け加え、彼女の青い目はビリーの体の長さをゆっくりと下って、彼の足まで、そして再び上に移動しました。 — La fel ca tine, adăugă ea, iar ochii ei albaștri au călătorit încet pe toată lungimea corpului lui Billy, până la picioarele lui, apoi din nou în sus.

On the first floor she said to him, 'This floor is mine.' La primul etaj, ea i-a spus: „Acest etaj este al meu”.

They climbed up more stairs. Au urcat mai multe scări. 'And this one is all yours,' she said. 「そしてこれはすべてあなたのものです」と彼女は言いました。 — Și acesta este tot al tău, spuse ea. 'Here's your room. — Iată camera ta. I do hope you'll like it.' 気に入っていただければ幸いです。」 Sper că o să-ți placă. She took him into a small but charming front bedroom, switching on the light as she went in. Sie führte ihn in ein kleines, aber charmantes Schlafzimmer und schaltete das Licht ein, als sie hineinging. 彼女は彼を小さいけれど魅力的な正面の寝室に連れて行き、入ったときに電気をつけた。 L-a dus într-un dormitor mic, dar fermecător din față, aprinzând lumina în timp ce intra.

'The morning sun comes right in the window, Mr Perkins. It is Mr Perkins, isn't it?' Sie sind doch Mr. Perkins, nicht wahr? パーキンスさんですよね？」

'No,' he said. 'It's Weaver.' Das ist Weaver.

'Mr Weaver. How nice. I've put a hot water bottle between the sheets to warm them, Mr Weaver. Ich habe eine Wärmflasche zwischen die Laken gelegt, um sie zu wärmen, Herr Weaver. シートの間に湯たんぽを入れて温めました、ウィーバーさん。 And you may light the gas fire at any time if you feel cold.' Und Sie können jederzeit das Gasfeuer anzünden, wenn Ihnen kalt ist. そして、あなたが寒さを感じるならば、あなたはいつでもガス火をつけることができます。 Și poți aprinde focul cu gaz în orice moment dacă ți-e frig.

'Thank you,' Billy said. 'Thank you very much.' He noticed that the bedclothes had been neatly turned back on one side, all ready for someone to get in. Er bemerkte, dass das Bettzeug auf einer Seite ordentlich zurückgeschlagen worden war, so dass jemand einsteigen konnte.

'I'm so glad you appeared,' she said, looking seriously into his face. Ich bin so froh, dass Sie gekommen sind", sagte sie und sah ihm ernst ins Gesicht. 'I was beginning to get worried.' Ich habe mir schon langsam Sorgen gemacht. 「私は心配し始めていました。」 — Începeam să fiu îngrijorat.

'That's all right,' Billy answered brightly. 'You mustn't worry about me.' 「あなたは私を心配してはいけません。」 He put his suitcase on the chair and started to open it.

'And what about supper, my dear? Und was ist mit dem Abendessen, meine Liebe? 「そして、私の愛する夕食はどうですか？ Did you manage to get anything to eat before you came here?' Hast du etwas zu essen bekommen, bevor du hierher gekommen bist?' ここに来る前に何か食べるものを手に入れることができましたか？」

'I'm not hungry, thank you,' he said. 'I think I'll just go to bed as soon as possible because tomorrow I've got to get up rather early and report to the office.' Ich denke, ich werde so schnell wie möglich ins Bett gehen, denn morgen muss ich ziemlich früh aufstehen und mich im Büro melden. 「明日はかなり早く起きてオフィスに報告しなければならないので、できるだけ早く寝るだけだと思います。」

'Very well, then. I'll leave you now so that you can unpack. 開梱できるように、今すぐお任せします。 But before you go to bed, would you be kind enough to come into the sitting room on the ground floor and sign the book? Aber bevor Sie ins Bett gehen, würden Sie bitte ins Wohnzimmer im Erdgeschoss kommen und das Buch signieren? でも、寝る前に、1階の居間に来て本にサインしてくれませんか？ Everyone has to do that because it's the law, and we don't want to break any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?' Jeder muss das tun, weil es das Gesetz vorschreibt, und wir wollen doch in diesem Stadium des Verfahrens keine Gesetze brechen, oder? それは法律であり、訴訟のこの段階で法律を破りたくないので、誰もがそれをしなければなりませんね？」 She gave him a little wave of the hand and went quickly out of the room and closed the door. 彼女は彼に少し手を振って、すぐに部屋から出てドアを閉めました。

The fact that his landlady appeared to be slightly crazy didn't worry Billy at all. Die Tatsache, dass seine Vermieterin ein wenig verrückt zu sein schien, beunruhigte Billy nicht im Geringsten. 彼の女将が少し頭がおかしいように見えたという事実は、ビリーをまったく心配しませんでした。 She was not only harmless - there was no question about that - but she was also quite obviously a kind and generous person. Sie war nicht nur harmlos - daran bestand kein Zweifel -, sondern ganz offensichtlich auch ein freundlicher und großzügiger Mensch. 彼女は無害であるだけでなく、それについては疑問の余地はありませんでしたが、明らかに親切で寛大な人でもありました。 He guessed that she had probably lost a son of her own or something like that, and had never recovered from it. Er vermutete, dass sie wahrscheinlich einen eigenen Sohn oder etwas Ähnliches verloren hatte und sich davon nie erholt hatte. 彼は、彼女がおそらく自分の息子かそのようなものを失い、それから回復したことは一度もないと推測しました。

So a few minutes later, after unpacking and washing his hands, he walked downstairs to the ground floor and entered the sitting room. His landlady wasn't there, but the fire was still burning and the little dog was still sleeping in front of it. The room was wonderfully warm and comfortable. I'm a lucky fellow, he thought, rubbing his hands. Ich bin ein Glückspilz, dachte er und rieb sich die Hände. This is great.

He found the guest-book lying open on the piano, so he took out his pen and wrote down his name and address. There were only two other names above his on the page and, as one always does, he started to read them. Auf der Seite standen nur zwei andere Namen über seinem, und wie immer begann er, sie zu lesen. ページ上で彼の上に他に2つの名前しかなく、いつものように、彼はそれらを読み始めました。 One was a Christopher MulhoUand from Cardiff. 1つはカーディフのChristopherMulhoUandでした。 The other was Gregory W. Temple from Bristol.

That's funny, he thought suddenly. Christopher Mulholland. That name sounds familiar. その名前はおなじみのようです。

Now where had he heard that rather unusual name before? Wo hatte er diesen eher ungewöhnlichen Namen schon einmal gehört? さて、彼は以前、そのかなり珍しい名前をどこで聞いたことがありますか？ Was he a boy at school? No. Was it one of his sister's numerous young men, perhaps, or a friend of his father's? No, no, it wasn't any of those. He glanced down again at the book. In fact, thinking about it again, he wasn't at all sure that the second name wasn't as familiar to him as the first. Wenn er noch einmal darüber nachdachte, war er sich gar nicht so sicher, ob ihm der zweite Name nicht genauso vertraut war wie der erste. 実際、もう一度考えてみると、彼は2番目の名前が最初の名前ほど馴染みがないことをまったく確信していませんでした。 'Gregory Temple?' he said aloud, searching his memory. 'Christopher Mulholland...?'

'Such charming boys,' a voice behind him answered, and he turned and saw his landlady walking into the room carrying the tea tray in front of her. 「そんな魅力的な男の子たち」と彼の後ろの声が答えると、彼は振り返ると、女将が彼女の前にお茶のトレーを持って部屋に入ってきたのを見た。

'They sound somehow familiar,' he said.

'They do? How interesting.'

'I'm almost positive I've heard those names before somewhere. Ich bin mir fast sicher, dass ich diese Namen schon einmal irgendwo gehört habe. 「私はどこかでそれらの名前を聞いたことがあるとほぼ確信しています。 Isn't that strange? Maybe it was in the newspapers. They weren't famous in any way, were they? 彼らは決して有名ではありませんでしたね？ I mean, famous footballers or something like that?' つまり、有名なサッカー選手かそのようなものですか？」

'Famous,' she said, setting the tray down on the low table in front of the sofa. 'Oh no, I don't think they were famous. But they were extraordinarily handsome, both of them, I can promise you that. They were tall and young and handsome, my dear, just exactly like you.'

Once more, Billy glanced down at the book. 'Look here,' he said, noticing the dates. 「ここを見てください」と彼は日付に気づいて言った。 'This last entry is over two years old.' 「この最後のエントリは2年以上前のものです。」

'Is it?'

'Yes, indeed. 「はい、確かに。 And Christopher Mulholland's is nearly a year before that - more than three years ago.' そして、クリストファー・マルホランドはそのほぼ1年前、つまり3年以上前です。

'Oh dear,' she said, shaking her head. 'I never would have thought it. How time flies away from us all, doesn't it, Mr Wilkins?' Wie schnell die Zeit von uns allen vergeht, nicht wahr, Mr. Wilkins?' ウィルキンスさん、私たち全員からどのように時間が飛んでいますか？」