“I could use another wizard,” said the cold voice softly, “that is true. . . .”
“My Lord, it makes sense,” said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now. “Laying hands on “我可以用另一个巫师，”冰冷的声音轻轻地说，“这个想法真不错．．．”
“我的主人，这是可行的，”虫尾巴松了口气，说道。”哈利波特现在收到了严密的保护，想要对他下手太困难了——” Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected —”
“And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder . . . perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Wormtail? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?”
“My Lord! I — I have no wish to leave you, none at all —”
“Do not lie to me!” Hissed the second voice. “I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me. . . .”
“No! My devotion to Your Lordship —”
“所以你主动提出来要为我找一个替代品？我想?也许伺候我这份工作让你厌烦了，虫尾巴？你建议放弃原计划，是不是只是想要抛弃我？”
“我的主人，我——我没有想要离开您的念头，一点儿也没有——”
“不要对我撒谎！”第二个声音嘶哑地说。“我一直都很清楚，虫尾巴！你一直在后悔回到我身边。我使你感到厌恶。我看得出你一看见我就瑟缩，我感觉到我一碰到你你就开始颤抖?”
“没有！我对主人忠心耿耿——”
“Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?”
“But you seem so much stronger, My Lord —”
“Liar,” breathed the second voice. “I am no stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under your clumsy care. Silence!”
Wormtail, who had been sputtering incoherently, fell silent at once. For a few seconds, Frank could hear nothing but the fire crackling. Then the second man spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss.
“I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little
“什么忠心耿耿，你只是胆小而已。如果你有其他的地方可以去，你绝对不会回到这里。我每隔几个小时就需要你喂我，没有你我要怎么生活呢？没有你，谁给纳吉尼喂奶呢？”
“可是你瞧起来强壮多了，主人——”
“说谎，”第二个声音轻轻地说。“我一点也没有强壮起来，不过几天的时间，我就会失去在你马马虎虎的照料下恢复的元气。不要说话！”
正在语无伦次、结结巴巴嘀咕着什么的虫尾巴，立刻安静了下来。几秒钟内，弗兰克仅仅能听到火苗噼里啪啦燃烧的声音。然后，第二个声音又响了起来，声音很轻很轻，嘶嘶作响。
“我用那个男孩自然有我的用意，我已经向你解释过了，我不会再就此多说什么。我已经等了十三年了，在多等几个月对于我来说没有什么妨碍。我相信我的计划会对那个男孩所受到的严密保护起作用的，现在只是需要你一点点的勇气而已。虫尾巴——你需要勇敢一
courage from you, Wormtail — courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldemort’s wrath —”
“My Lord, I must speak!” Said Wormtail, panic in his voice now.“All through our journey I have gone over the plan in my head — My Lord, Bertha Jerkins’ disappearance will not go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I murder —”
“If?” Whispered the second voice. “If? If you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry need never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and without fuss; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition . . . Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us —”
“I am a faithful servant,” said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice. “Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty
点，除非你想感受一下伏地魔的勃然大怒——”
“我的主人，有句话我非说不可！”虫尾巴恐慌地道。“一路上，我反复的想着那个计划——我的主人，波沙·乔金斯的失踪很快就会引起人们的注意的，如果我们再干一次，如果我杀了——”
“如果？”第二个声音轻轻地道。“如果？如果你按照我的计划进行，虫尾巴，魔法部永远都不会发现谁又死了。你悄悄地去做，不要小题大做。我真希望我能自己去做这件事，但是，我目前的身体状况?过来，虫尾巴，只要再死一个人，我们打败哈利波特的道路上就没有绊脚石了。我并不是让你单独行动，到那时，我忠实的仆人就会加入我们——”
“我就是您忠实的仆人，”虫尾巴说，他的声音里面含着一丝丝不悦。
“虫尾巴，我需要一个有着聪明大脑的仆人，对我绝对忠心而且
has never wavered, and you,
unfortunately, fulfill neither
requirement.”
“I found you,” said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now. “I was the one who
found you. I brought you Bertha Jerkins.”
绝不动摇的仆人，很不幸，这两条你都不符合。”
“是我找到您的，”虫尾巴说道，声音里明显带着恼怒。“是我
找到了您，是我将波沙·乔金斯带
到您面前的。”