Jack Hannaford

There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars—so long, that he was quite out-at-elbows, and he did not know where to go to find a living. So he walked up moors, down glens, till at last he came to a farm, from which the good man had gone away to market. The wife of the farmer was a very foolish woman, who had been a widow when he married her; the farmer was foolish enough, too, and it is hard to say which of the two was the more foolish. When you've heard my tale you may decide.

从前有个老兵，打仗打了很久很久——久到他衣衫褴褛，穷困潦倒，都不知道该去哪里谋生了。于是他翻过荒原，走下山谷，最后来到一处农庄，庄里的男主人刚好去赶集了。这农夫的妻子是个非常愚蠢的女人，她嫁给农夫之前是个寡妇；这农夫呢，也够愚蠢的，很难说这两口子到底谁更蠢一些。等你听完我这故事，自会明白。

Now before the farmer goes to market says he to his wife: “Here is ten pounds all in gold, take care of it till I come home.” If the man had not been a fool he would never have given the money to his wife to keep. Well, off he went in his cart to market, and the wife said to herself: “I will keep the ten pounds quite safe from thieves;” so she tied it up in a rag, and she put the rag up the parlour chimney.

且说农夫出门赶集之前，对妻子说：“这儿有十镑金币，你替我保管好，等我回来。”要不是这农夫是个傻瓜，他绝不会把钱交给妻子保管。好，他就赶着车去赶集了，妻子心想：“我得把这十镑钱藏得稳稳当当，不让贼偷了去。”于是她把钱用一块布包好，塞进客厅的烟囱里。

“There,” said she, “no thieves will ever find it now, that is quite sure.”

“好了，”她说道，“这下贼是绝对找不到的了，这是肯定的。”

Jack Hannaford, the old soldier, came and rapped at the door.

老兵杰克·汉纳福德来了，敲了敲门。

“Who is there?” asked the wife.

“是谁呀？”妻子问道。

“Jack Hannaford.”

“杰克·汉纳福德。”

“Where do you come from?”

“你从哪儿来？”

“Paradise.”

“天堂。”

“Lord a' mercy! and maybe you've seen my old man there,” alluding to her former husband.

“天哪，我的老天！那你说不定见过我那口子了。”她指的是她的前夫。

“Yes, I have.”

“是的，我见过他。”

“And how was he a-doing?” asked the goody.

“他过得怎么样啊？”妇人问道。

“But middling; he cobbles old shoes, and he has nothing but cabbage for victuals.”

“还凑合吧；他在那儿补旧鞋，吃的只有卷心菜。”

“Deary me!” exclaimed the woman. “Didn't he send a message to me?”

“天哪！”妇人叫道。“他没托你带个话给我吗？”

“Yes, he did,” replied Jack Hannaford. “He said that he was out of leather, and his pockets were empty, so you were to send him a few shillings to buy a fresh stock of leather.”

“带了，”杰克·汉纳福德答道。“他说他皮革用完了，口袋也空了，让你寄几个先令去，好买些新皮革。”

“He shall have them, bless his poor soul!” And away went the wife to the parlour chimney, and she pulled the rag with the ten pounds in it from the chimney, and she gave the whole sum to the soldier, telling him that her old man was to use as much as he wanted, and to send back the rest.

“他会有的，愿他可怜的灵魂保佑！”说着妻子就跑去客厅烟囱那儿，把裹着十镑钱的布从烟囱里抽出来，把整笔钱都给了这个士兵，还嘱咐他，让她那口子想用多少就用多少，剩下的再寄回来。

It was not long that Jack waited after receiving the money; he went off as fast as he could walk.

杰克拿到钱之后没耽搁多久，撒开腿就走得飞快。

Presently the farmer came home and asked for his money. The wife told him that she had sent it by a soldier to her former husband in Paradise, to buy him leather for cobbling the shoes of the saints and angels of Heaven. The farmer was very angry, and he swore that he had never met with such a fool as his wife. But the wife said that her husband was a greater fool for letting her have the money.

不一会儿，农夫回到家，问起他的钱。妻子告诉他，她已经托一个士兵把钱送去天堂给她的前夫了，好让他买皮革，为天堂里的圣徒和天使们补鞋。农夫勃然大怒，赌咒说自己从没见过像他老婆这么蠢的人。可妻子却说，是她丈夫更蠢，才会把钱交给她保管。

There was no time to waste words; so the farmer mounted his horse and rode off after Jack Hannaford. The old soldier heard the horse's hoofs clattering on the road behind him, so he knew it must be the farmer pursuing him. He lay down on the ground, and shading his eyes with one hand, looked up into the sky, and pointed heavenwards with the other hand.

事到如今没工夫再废话了，农夫翻身上马，去追杰克·汉纳福德。老兵听见身后马蹄声得得作响，便知道一定是农夫追来了。他往地上一躺，一只手遮着眼睛，仰头望着天空，另一只手朝天上指去。

“What are you about there?” asked the farmer, pulling up.

“你在那儿干什么呢？”农夫勒住马问道。

“Lord save you!” exclaimed Jack: “I've seen a rare sight.”

“老天保佑你！”杰克叫道：“我刚才看见了一件稀罕事。”

“What was that?”

“什么稀罕事？”

“A man going straight up into the sky, as if he were walking on a road.”

“有个人径直往天上走去，就像走在大路上一样。”

“Can you see him still?”

“你现在还看得见他吗？”

“Yes, I can.”

“看得见。”

“Where?”

“在哪儿？”

“Get off your horse and lie down.”

“你下马躺下来看。”

“If you will hold the horse.”

“那你得替我牵着马。”

Jack did so readily.

杰克一口答应了。

“I cannot see him,” said the farmer.

“我看不见他啊，”农夫说。

“Shade your eyes with your hand, and you'll soon see a man flying away from you.”

“用手遮住眼睛，你很快就会看见一个人正朝远处飞去。”

Sure enough he did so, for Jack leaped on the horse, and rode away with it. The farmer walked home without his horse.

农夫果然照做了，就在这时，杰克一跃上马，骑着马跑掉了。农夫只好徒步走回家去，连马都没了。

“You are a bigger fool than I am,” said the wife; “for I did only one foolish thing, and you have done two.”

“你比我还蠢，”他妻子说道，“我不过做了一件蠢事，你倒做了两件。”