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The Hitchhiker
搭车者
John Henderson was driving home late last night from an exhausting business trip. He had put off visiting the company's new headquarters in order to get home before midnight, and now he was having trouble staying awake. He turned up the radio and tried to concentrate on the news — something about a robbery but his eyes kept on closing. His wife was back home in Dayton, and he missed having her company on this long trip.
昨天深夜，约翰·亨德森驱车回家，他刚出了一趟令人筋疲力尽的公差。为了在半夜之前赶到家，他把参观公司新总部的事儿也往后推迟了，而此刻他却难以保持清醒。他打开收音机，想把注意力集中在新闻上——是关于一则抢劫案什么的——可他的眼皮老是不由自主地要合上。他妻子待在代顿的家里，长途旅行时，他真希望有她在自己身旁做伴。
It was then that he noticed the hitchhiker at the side of the road. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he slowed down and stopped the car. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for the young man who looked so wet and miserable in the rain. "Get in," he said.
就在这时他注意到路旁有个人想搭车。他不假思索地减慢车速，让车停下来。那个年轻人在雨中已淋得浑身湿透，看上去怪可怜的，约翰不禁为他感到难过。“上车吧，”他说。
John remembered having to hitchhike home from the university before he had a car. He couldn’t stand sitting at the side of the road for hours, waiting for rides.
约翰想起了自己从前没车时不得不从学校搭便车回家的情景。一连几个小时坐在路旁等着别人让他搭车，他实在忍受不了。
The hitchhiker got in and immediately John was sorry that he had picked him up. The young man had a strange face and very penetrating eyes. His clothes were old and dirty, and his long hair needed cutting. The hitchhiker lit a cigarette and said he was going to Woodsville but when John asked him other questions, the young man avoided giving him any personal information and changed the subject.
搭车者一上了车，约翰顿生后悔之意。年轻人有张奇特的脸，两道目光锐利逼人。他的衣服又旧又脏，长长的头发也该剪剪了。搭车者点着一支烟，说他要去伍兹威尔，但当约翰问到别的问题时，年轻人却避而不谈任何有关他个人的情况，并改变了话题。
John began to sweat and his thoughts turned nervously to his wallet and all the money he was carrying. He desperately tried to remember what the newscaster had said earlier about a robbery. Don't be ridiculous! He thought to himself. Stop imagining things! This guy isn't a criminal. What's the use of panicking ?
约翰身上开始冒冷汗，他情绪紧张，禁不住想到了自己的钱包，想到了带在身边的所有钱财。他竭力想回忆刚才播音员说的那起抢劫案。别犯傻了，他对自己说。别胡思乱想！这家伙不是罪犯。再说惊慌又管什么用？
