After twenty years

1 The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely ten o’clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh de-peopled the streets.

2 Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed.

3 When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly.

4 “It’s all right, officer,” he said, reassuringly. “I’m just waiting for a friend. It’s an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll explain if you’d like to make certain it’s all straight. About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands – ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.”

5 “Until five years ago,” said the policeman. “It was torn down then.”

6 The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes, and a little white scar near his right eyebrow. His scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set.

7 “Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I dined here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”

8 “It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left?”

9 “Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,” said the other. “But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old partner turns up.”

10 The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds.

11 “Three minutes to ten,” he announced. “It was exactly ten o’clock when we parted here at the restaurant door.”

12 “Did pretty well out West, didn’t you?” asked the policeman.

13 “You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. He was a kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile. A man gets in a groove in New York. It takes the West to put a razor-edge on him.”

14 The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two.

15 “I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around all right. Going to call time on him sharp?”

16 “I should say not!” said the other. “I’ll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy is alive on earth he’ll be here by that time. So long, officer.”

17 “Good night, sir,” said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doors as he went.

18 There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind had risen from its uncertain puffs into a steady blow. The few foot passengers astir in that quarter hurried dismally and silently along with coat collars turned high and pocketed hands. And in the door of the hardware store the man who had come a thousand miles to fill an appointment, uncertain almost to absurdity, with the friend of his youth, smoked his cigar and waited.

19 About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to the waiting man.

20 “Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.

21 “Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.

22 “Bless my heart!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his own. “It’s Bob, sure as fate. I was certain I’d find you here if you were still in existence. Well, well, well! – twenty years is a long time. The old restaurant’s gone, Bob; I wish it had lasted, so we could have had another dinner there. How has the West treated you, old man?”

23 “Buddy; it has given me everything I asked it for. You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches.”

24 “Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.”

25 “Doing well in New York, Jimmy?”

26 “Moderately. I have a position in one of the city departments. Come on, Bob; we’ll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times.”

27 The two men started up the street, arm in arm. The man from the West, his egotism enlarged by success, was beginning to outline the history of his career. The other, submerged in his overcoat, listened with interest.

28 At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights. When they came into this glare each of them turned simultaneously to gaze upon the other’s face.

29 The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.

30 “You’re not Jimmy Wells,” he snapped. “Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug.”

31 “It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man. “You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob. Chicago thinks you may have dropped over our way and wires us she wants to have a chat with you. Going quietly, are you? That’s sensible. Now, before we go on to the station here’s a note I was asked to hand you. You may read it here at the window. It’s from Patrolman Wells.”

32 The man from the West unfolded the little piece of paper handed him. His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished. The note was rather short.

33 Bob: I was at the appointed place on time. When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago. Somehow I couldn’t do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.

                                                                                                     JIMMY

Translation:

二十年后

 1       正在巡逻的警察沿街而行，神态威严。威严的神态是习惯性的而不是给别人看的，因为也没几个人在看。时间将近夜里十点钟，但是，夹带着一丝雨意的阵阵寒风已使街道近乎空无一人了。

2       警官边走边推门，看看沿街的店门关好了没有。他以错综复杂的精妙动作熟练地摆弄着警棍，时不时转身把警觉的目光投向安静的街道，他健壮的身形和微微大摇大摆的样子形成一幅和平守护者的美妙图像。这一带街区的人是习惯早睡早起的。时不时能看到一家雪茄店或一间通宵营业的便餐馆还亮着灯；但大多数商铺都早已关门了。

3       走到某一街区的中段时，警察突然放慢了脚步。在一家黑了灯的五金店门口倚着一个男人，嘴里叼着一根没点着的雪茄。警察一走上前去，那人急忙开了腔。

 4     “没事儿，警官，”他说这话好叫警官放心。“我只是在等朋友。这是二十年前定的约会。听起来您觉得有点儿滑稽，对吧？呃，如果您想弄清楚这是不是实话，我可以解释。大约二十年前，这家店所在之处原是个餐馆 —— ‘大乔’布拉迪餐馆。” 

5          “直到五年前，”警察说。“五年前被拆了。” 

6       门口那人划了一根火柴点燃雪茄。火光照出一张苍白、方下巴、长着一双锐利眼睛的脸，右眉边上有一处微小的白色疤痕。他的别针是一块大钻石，镶嵌的方式很奇特。

7       “二十年前的今晚，”那人说，“我在‘大乔’布拉迪这里和我最好的哥们儿、世上最棒的伙计吉米·威尔斯一起吃饭。我和他在纽约这块儿一起长大，就像哥儿俩。我当时十八岁，吉米二十岁。第二天早上我就要动身去西部发财了。你没法儿把吉米拽出纽约；他以为这是地球上唯一的一块地儿。呃，那天晚上我们约定，我们将在二十年后的同一天、同一时间在这里再见面，无论我们混成什么样子，或者得从多远的地方来。我们估计二十年后，我们应该都已经知道了自己的命运，发了财。至于是好是坏都无所谓了。” 

8       “听起来很有趣，”警察说。“不过在我看来，两次会面之间隔了相当长一段时间。自从离开后，你没有听到过你朋友的消息吗？” 

9      “呃，有的，我们通过一段时间的信，”那人说。“可是一两年后，我们彼此就失去了联系。你知道，西部的生意相当大，我一直忙得团团转。但我知道如果吉米还活着，他一定会到这儿来见我的，因为他始终是这世界上最忠实、最可靠的老伙计。他绝不会忘的。今晚我从千里之外赶到这个地方， 如果我的老伙伴露面的话，一切都值得了。” 

10       那个等候的人掏出一只漂亮的怀表，表盖上镶嵌着小钻石。

11     “差三分钟十点，”他宣布。“我们是十点整在这餐馆门口分手的。” 

12          “你在西部混得相当不错，对吧？”警察问道。

13      “当然啦！我希望吉米混得有我一半儿好。他是那种闷头苦干的人，不过是个好人。我可得跟一帮打我钱财主意的最精明的人竞争。一个人在纽约容易墨守成规。西部则会让他身处险境。” 

14          警察转动警棍，又踱了几步。

15      “我得上路了。希望你的朋友能准时到来。如果他没有按时来，你会离开吗？” 

16        “我不会离开 ！”另一位说。“我会至少再给他半个小时。如果吉米还活在世上，到时候他会来的。再见，警官。” 

17      “晚安，先生，”警察说着，沿巡逻路线继续前行，边走边推着店门。

18        此时下起了毛毛细雨，寒意袭人，原先若有若无的微风也变成凛冽的寒风。还在街上行走的少数行人也都竖起了大衣领子，将手插进了口袋，阴郁而沉默地匆匆走开了。五金店门口，从千里之外赶来赴约的那个人抽着雪茄等待着，他与少年时代朋友的这场不确定的约会几乎到了荒诞的程度。

19      他等了大约二十分钟，这时一个身穿长大衣，领子竖起到耳朵的高个子男人匆匆从街对面走来。他径直走向正在等待的人。

20          “是你吗，鲍勃？”他犹疑地问。

21         “是你吗，吉米·威尔斯？”门口的人大叫。

22     “天哪！”新来的人欢呼起来，紧紧抓住对方的双手。“是鲍勃，确定无疑。只要你还活着，我肯定会在这儿找到你的。好，好，好！—— 二十年很长。老餐馆没了，鲍勃；我多希望它还在，那样我们就可以在这儿再吃一顿饭了。西部待你怎样，老伙计？” 

23      “好极了！它给了我要的一切。你变了很多，吉米。我可没想过你还能再长高两三英寸。” 

24        “哦，我二十岁以后又长了一点儿。” 

25        “在纽约混得不错，吉米？” 

26       “一般。我在市政府部门有个职位。来吧，鲍勃；咱们去一个我知道的地方，好好长谈一番过去的时光。” 

27      两人挽着胳膊，沿街走去。来自西部的人，功成名就，信心满满，开始谈论自己的发达史。另一位缩在大衣里，饶有兴趣地听着。

28      街角有一家杂货店，灯火辉煌。他们走到这光亮里时，不约而同地转头打量对方的面孔。

29          西部来的人突然停住，松开了他的胳膊。

30       “你不是吉米·威尔斯，”他厉声说。“二十年是很长，但不足以把一个人的高鼻梁变成塌鼻梁。” 

31       “有时候会把一个好人变成坏人，”高个子男人说。“你已经被捕十分钟了，‘滑头’鲍勃。芝加哥警方认为你可能会来我们这里，电报通知我们说她想跟你聊聊。乖乖跟我们走，好吧？这才算聪明。现在，在我们继续往警局走之前，这儿有一张纸条，有人让我交给你。你可以在橱窗这儿读。是巡警威尔斯写的。” 

32     来自西部的人打开交给他的纸条。开始时他的手还是稳的，但到读完的时候他的手却在颤抖。纸条很短。

33     鲍勃：我按时到了约定的地点。你划火柴点雪茄的时候，我看到了一张被芝加哥通缉的人的脸。不知怎么的，我自己下不了手，于是我转了一圈，去找了个便衣来干这活儿。

                                                                                      吉米