L章。
夜里我的手换了两次或三次绷带，早上又换了一次。我的左臂一直到肘部都严重烧伤，往上到肩膀烧得轻些；疼得厉害，但火苗是往那个方向烧的，我反倒庆幸没更严重。右手烧得没那么糟，手指还能动。当然也包着绷带，但不像左手和左臂那样碍事；左臂我用吊带吊着，外套只能像斗篷似的松松披在肩上，在脖子上系住。头发被火燎到，头和脸倒没事。
赫伯特去了趟哈默史密斯，看过他父亲，回到我们寓所陪着我，整天照料我。他是最体贴的看护，按时帮我拆绷带，浸到备好的清凉药水里，再重新包好，那份耐心温柔让我深深感激。
起初我静静躺在沙发上，发现很难——简直不可能——摆脱火光、慌乱与呼啸，还有那股刺鼻焦糊味的印象。只要打盹一分钟，就被郝薇香小姐的尖叫惊醒，看见她头顶腾起那样高的火苗朝我扑来。这种心里的痛，比身上受的伤更难熬；赫伯特看出来了，想方设法引开我的注意力。
我们谁也没提那条船，却都想到了。看彼此避着这话题，又都不约而同把我的手恢复使用算作几个钟头的事、而不是几个星期，就明白了。
一见赫伯特，我当然先问：下游一切都好？他爽朗肯定地回了 yes，我们便没再提，直到天色渐晚。那时赫伯特借着炉火多过外光换绷带，自己又扯回这话题。
“我昨晚陪了普罗维斯两整钟头，汉德尔。”
“克拉拉呢？”
“小可爱！”赫伯特说，“她一晚上跟着格鲁夫安德格里姆上上下下。她一离开视线，他就没命地敲地板。我看他也撑不了多久了。又是朗姆酒又是胡椒——胡椒加朗姆——敲地板也该敲到头了。”
“那你就娶克拉拉了，赫伯特？”
“不照顾这孩子我还能怎么着？——把手臂平放在沙发靠背上，好兄弟，我坐下，慢慢解绷带，你都不知什么时候解开的。我刚说普罗维斯。你知道吗，汉德尔，他变好了？”
“上次见他我就说，觉得他软下来了。”
“是说过。确实软了。昨晚他话很多，讲了更多身世。你记得他在这儿断过，说有个女人让他吃尽苦头。——弄疼你没？”
我一激灵，却不是他碰的。他的话让我心头一跳。
“我忘了，赫伯特，你一提我想起来了。”
“嗯！他接着讲那段日子，又黑又野。要说吗？还是现在讲了让你心烦？”
“一定说。每个字都讲。”
赫伯特凑近些看我，像是我答得太急太切，他有点纳闷。“头不热吧？”他摸了摸。
“很凉，”我说，“告诉我普罗维斯说了什么，好赫伯特。”
“看来，”赫伯特说，“——绷带解下来真利落，换凉的这会儿——先缩一下，可怜的家伙，是不是？待会儿就舒服了——那女人年轻、善妒、记仇；汉德尔，恨到极点。”
“什么极点？”
“杀人。——这地方太凉了？”
“没感觉。怎么杀的？杀的谁？”
“呃，那事也许够不上这么吓人的名头，”赫伯特说，“可她受了审，贾格斯给她辩护，那场辩护让普罗维斯头回听说贾格斯。死的是另一个更壮的女人，谷仓里扭打过。谁先动手、公不公平，都说不准；怎么收场却准得很——受害人叫人掐死了。”
“那女人判了有罪？”
“没有，无罪开释。——我弄疼你了，可怜的汉德尔！”
“再轻不过了，赫伯特。后来呢？”
“这开脱了的年轻女人跟普罗维斯有个小孩；普罗维斯疼得不得了。就在你说的那个被妒忌的人勒死的那晚，她露了一面，发誓要弄死孩子（孩子在她手上），叫他永世见不着；然后人就没了。——最糟的胳膊又舒舒服服吊上了，剩右手好弄多了。这光比亮光顺手，看不清那泡就不手抖。——呼吸没碍着吧，兄弟？你喘得急。”
“也许吧，赫伯特。她守誓了？”
“普罗维斯最暗的一段就在这。守了。”
“就是说，他讲她守了。”
“当然，兄弟，”赫伯特意外，又凑近看我，“全他说的。我没别处听来。”
“自然没有。”
“后来，”赫伯特接道，“他对孩子妈是好是坏，普罗维斯没讲；可那女人陪他过了四五年的苦日子，像他炉边说的，他好像怜她、容她。怕被传去作证害她死，就躲起来（虽心疼孩子），他说‘避着、不沾审讯’，只含糊传成个叫阿贝尔的，妒火打他起。开释后她没了，孩子和妈都丢了。”
“我想问——”
“等等，兄弟，我说完。那恶鬼康佩森，群恶里的极恶，晓得他躲那事、为啥躲，事后拿捏着他，叫他更穷更苦。昨晚明白，这叫普罗维斯恨得更尖。”
“我要知道，”我说，“特别要知道，赫伯特，他讲没讲这事几时发的？”
“特别？我想想他的原话。他说，‘整二十年前，跟康佩森搭上没多久。’你小教堂墓园撞见他，几岁？”
“大概七岁。”
“嗯。他说那时过了三四年，你让他想起那惨丢的小女娃，该跟你差不多大。”
“赫伯特，”我沉默片刻，急急道，“你看我，靠窗光清楚，还是靠炉火清楚？”
“炉火，”赫伯特又凑近。
“看我。”
“看着呢，兄弟。”
“摸我。”
“摸着呢，兄弟。”
“你不疑我发烧，或昨晚的事叫头不清？”
“不——不疑，”赫伯特端详后说，“有点亢，人还是你。”
“我知道是我。咱们河下藏着的那人，是艾丝黛拉的父亲。”} 等等，你刚才输出的内容里，怎么把英文原文“Chapter 51: Chapter L.”和“Chapter L.”也混在中文翻译里了？而且开头还带了个奇怪的JSON格式“{
My hands had been dressed twice or thrice in the night, and again in
the morning. My left arm was a good deal burned to the elbow, and, less
severely, as high as the shoulder; it was very painful, but the flames
had set in that direction, and I felt thankful it was no worse. My
right hand was not so badly burnt but that I could move the fingers. It
was bandaged, of course, but much less inconveniently than my left hand
and arm; those I carried in a sling; and I could only wear my coat like
a cloak, loose over my shoulders and fastened at the neck. My hair had
been caught by the fire, but not my head or face.
When Herbert had been down to Hammersmith and seen his father, he came
back to me at our chambers, and devoted the day to attending on me. He
was the kindest of nurses, and at stated times took off the bandages,
and steeped them in the cooling liquid that was kept ready, and put
them on again, with a patient tenderness that I was deeply grateful
for.
At first, as I lay quiet on the sofa, I found it painfully difficult, I
might say impossible, to get rid of the impression of the glare of the
flames, their hurry and noise, and the fierce burning smell. If I dozed
for a minute, I was awakened by Miss Havisham’s cries, and by her
running at me with all that height of fire above her head. This pain of
the mind was much harder to strive against than any bodily pain I
suffered; and Herbert, seeing that, did his utmost to hold my attention
engaged.
Neither of us spoke of the boat, but we both thought of it. That was
made apparent by our avoidance of the subject, and by our
agreeing—without agreement—to make my recovery of the use of my hands a
question of so many hours, not of so many weeks.
My first question when I saw Herbert had been of course, whether all
was well down the river? As he replied in the affirmative, with perfect
confidence and cheerfulness, we did not resume the subject until the
day was wearing away. But then, as Herbert changed the bandages, more
by the light of the fire than by the outer light, he went back to it
spontaneously.
“I sat with Provis last night, Handel, two good hours.”
“Where was Clara?”
“Dear little thing!” said Herbert. “She was up and down with
Gruffandgrim all the evening. He was perpetually pegging at the floor
the moment she left his sight. I doubt if he can hold out long, though.
What with rum and pepper,—and pepper and rum,—I should think his
pegging must be nearly over.”
“And then you will be married, Herbert?”
“How can I take care of the dear child otherwise?—Lay your arm out upon
the back of the sofa, my dear boy, and I’ll sit down here, and get the
bandage off so gradually that you shall not know when it comes. I was
speaking of Provis. Do you know, Handel, he improves?”
“I said to you I thought he was softened when I last saw him.”
“So you did. And so he is. He was very communicative last night, and
told me more of his life. You remember his breaking off here about some
woman that he had had great trouble with.—Did I hurt you?”
