The story of my adventures begins in 1751 .
It was a fine morning early in June. I left myfather’s house for ever，and went down the road.
Good Mr Campbell was waiting by his gardengate. He was the minister of the village church.
“We ll，Da vid，”he said,“I will go a little wa y withyou. ”
We walked on. For some minutes we were silentand then the minister spoke.
“Are you s a d be ca us e you a re le a ving Es s e ndea n ?”he asked.
“I don’t know，s ir ，”I replied.“Es s e nde a n is agood pla c e . I ha ve be e n h a ppy th e re ，but I ha ve nots e e n the world . My pa re nts a re de a d now I am le a vingto ma ke a future fo r mys e lf.”
我的种种险遇开始于1751 年。
那年六月初的一天上午，天气晴朗，我永远离开了父亲的住宅，独自上路了。
好心的坎贝尔先生已经在他家花园门口等着我了。他是我们村里教堂的牧师。
他说：“唔，大卫，我来送你一段路。”
我们朝前走去，起初谁也没有说话。过了几分钟，牧师开口问道：
“离开埃森迪恩，你是不是心里难过?”
我回答说：“这叫我怎么说呢？
埃森迪恩这地方很好，我在这儿过得很愉快。可是，我没有见过大世面。现在我父母都去世了，我要出去自己闯一番事业。”
“we ll，”Mr Campbell said. “I mus t te ll yous ome thing . Whe n yo ur mothe r die d ，your fa the r wa s坎贝尔先生说：“那好，有些事我得告诉你了。你母亲去世时，你 ve ry ill He ga ve me a le tte r. He s a id it wa s your inhe ritanc e .‘Whe n I am de a d，’he s a id,‘ give my boy thisle tte r. S e nd him to the hous e of Shaws . It is not fa rfrom Cramond . I came from tha t pla ce ，a nd my sonough t to g o ba ck the re .”
“The hous e of S haws ！”I cried.“Did my fa the rc ome from the hous e of S haws ？And wha t ca n myin he rita nce be ”？
“I don ’t know，”he answered,“but you be a r thename of tha t family - Ba lfo ur of S haws . It is a na nc ie nt，hone s t Sc ottish hous e . Your fa the r wa s age ntlema n . His c onve rs a tion ga ve me gre a t ple a sure .
I ofte n invite d him to my home to me e t ge ntleme n ofmy own family.”
He gave me the letter. On it my father hadwritten：“To Ebe ne ze r Ba lfour，Hous e of S haws . Mys on Da vid will de live r this .”
My heart was beating hard. Here was a futurefor me. I was seventeen years old，and the son of apoor Scottish village school teacher.
“Mr Campbe ll. ”I said,“do you think tha t Iough t to g o?”
父亲正害着重病。他交给了我一封信，说那就是给你的遗产。他说：
‘ 我死后，你把这封信交给我儿子，送他到离克兰蒙德不远的肖府去。
我是那个地方人，我的儿子也应该回那儿去。”
我失声叫道：“肖府！我父亲是肖府的人吗？我要继承的遗产会是什么呢?”
他回答说；“我也说不上来。可是，你姓巴尔福，与肖府的姓氏一样。那是个正直的苏格兰世家。你父亲是一位有教养的人，我很欣赏他的谈吐。我常常邀请他到我家，与我本家的绅士们会面。”
他把那封信交给了我。信封上是我父亲的笔迹：“肖府埃比尼泽· 巴尔福先生亲启，此信由我儿大卫面呈。”
我的心咚咚地跳着。眼前就是我的前程。我才十七岁，不过是个苏格兰农村穷教员的儿子。
我问：“坎贝尔先生，你看我该不该去?”
“Ye s ，”the minister replied，“Go a t onc e .
Cramond is ne a r Edinb urgh . Yo u a re young a nds trong. Sta rt off now a nd you will re a ch it tomorrow. Ifyour high re la tions do n ot re ce ive you ，you ca n come
牧师回答说：“该去，马上就去吧。克兰蒙德离爱丁堡不远。你年轻力壮，现在动身，明天就能到那儿。要是你那些高贵的亲戚不收留
ba c k to me . But I hope the y will we lc ome you. Andnow，I mus t give you s ome a dvic e .”
His face was serious. He sat down under atree.
“Ne ve r forge t your pra ye rs . ”he began.“Re a dyour Bible e ve ry da y. ”Next he described a greathouse with its laird and its many servants.“Be ha vewe ll，Da vid ，”he said.“Don ’t ma ke us a shame d ofyou，You a re the son of a ge ntlema n，but you ha ve a lways live d in the c ountry. Be wis e . Re sp e ct the la ird，a nd obe y him.”
“I’ll try，s ir，”I said.
“Tha t is a good a nswe r，”Mr Campbell said.
He put his hand in his coat pocket.
“I ha ve bought your fa the r’s bo oks a nd furniture，”he said.“He re is the mone y for them And he rea re thre e sma ll gifts from Mrs camp be ll a nd mys e lt.”
He stood up，and prayed for me. For a momenthe held me in his arms. Then he said good - byeand hurried away，I could see that he did not likeleaving me.
你，你可以回我这儿来。不过，我希望他们会热情接待你。现在，我得给你儿句忠告。”
他面色严肃地坐在一棵树下说：
“任何时候也不要忘记祈祷，天天都要读《圣经》。”然后，他把那个大府第的情况向我描绘了一番，讲了它的主人和许多奴仆。他接着说：“你要规规矩矩，大卫，别给我们丢脸。你虽然是绅士的儿子，可一直住在乡下。学聪明点，要尊敬家长，听他的话。”
我说：“我按您说的去做，先生。”
坎贝尔先生说：“这就对了。”
他把手伸进他的上衣口袋。
“我买下了你父亲的书和家具，这是我应该付的钱，还有我和我太太送给你的三件礼物。”
他站起身，为我祈祷了一阵，把我拥抱了一会儿，然后说了声再见就匆匆走了。我看得出来他是舍不得我走的。
He was sad，but I felt happy. I thought I wasleaving a quiet country life to go to a great busyhouse. I was going among rich grand people of myown name and blood. I imagined the big place full
他 感到伤心，可我却很高兴。
我想我不会再过平淡的乡村生活了，而要到一座热闹的高门贵府去，跟与我同姓同宗的有钱有势的人一
of servants，and the fine furniture in the rooms.
Suddenly I felt ashamed.
“Da vid，”Isaid to myself,“you a re no t gra te ful.
If you we re ，yo u would not forge t your kind oldfrie nd s .”
I looked at the minister’s three gifts，Theywere a shilling，a Bible and some country medicine.
I put them in my small bundle and climbedthe hill . At the top I stopped and looked back atEssendean. I saw the minister’s house and the villagechurch and the trees in the churchyard. Underthose trees my father and mother were lying in theearth.
With my bundle over my shoulder，I walked on.
起生活。我仿佛米到了那座仆人们出出进进的深宅大院，看到了大院内一个个房间里的精巧家具。
我突然感到羞愧，暗自说：
“大卫，你这是忘恩负义，不然，你就不会忘记你那些好心的朋友们。”
我看了看牧师送给我的三件礼物，原来是：一枚先令、一本《圣经》
和一些乡村药品。
我把这几件东西放进我的小包袱里，就往山上走去。到了山顶，我停住脚步，回头眺望了一下埃森迪恩。我看见了牧师的住宅，村里的教堂和教堂院子里的树木。我的父母亲就在那些树底下长眠着。
我背起小包袱，继续朝前走去。
Chapter 2 I Come to the House of Shaws第二章我来到肖府Early next morning I looked down over a wideplain. In the middle of the plain there was a greatcity. It was Edinburgh. At the far edge of the plain Isaw the sea. There was a flag on the castle，andships on the water. I was astonished.
I stopped at a cottage，and asked my way. Aman told me Cramond was west of the city. I wenton and on. I saw some soldiers marching along amain road. I loved their red coats and the gay musicof the band.
I reached Cramond，and asked a man the wayto the Shaws. He looked at me strangely. I saw thathe was surprised by my question.
“He is looking a t my cou ntry clothe s ，” Ithought .“The y a re dus ty from the roa d . He thinks Iam not fit for a gre a t hous e .”
When I spoke to other people，they gave me
第二天一大早，我看到山下有一个大平原。平原的中间有一座规模很大的城市。那就是爱丁堡。平原的尽头是大海。市区的城堡上空有一面旗在随风飘扬，水面上停泊着船只。这一切使我感到非常惊奇。
我在一座小房子前停住脚步，问了问路。一位男子告诉我克兰蒙德在城西方向。我又走了很远。我看见一队士兵在一条大道上行进。
我很喜爱他们的红色上衣和他们的乐队演奏的轻快的乐曲。
我到了克兰蒙德后，向一位男子打问到肖府怎么走。他用一种异样的神气打量了一下我。看得出来，他没有想到我会打听去肖府的路。
我心想：“他是在看我的乡巴佬打扮。我身上落满了路上的灰尘，他认为我不配去一家高门大户。”
我再问路时，其他人也同样以
the same strange look. What was the matter？Icould not understand.
异样的神气打量我。这是怎么一回事呢？我懵住了。
An honest fellow was coming along a side roadwith his cart.
“Do you kn ow the hous e of Shaws ?”I asked.
He，too，stopped and looked at me strangely.
“Ye s ，”he said.
“Is it a gre a t hous e ?”
“We ll，ye s . The hous e is a big one .”
“And th e pe ople in it？”
“Are you ma d ?”he cried.“The re a re no pe oplethe re .”
“Wha t?”I said,“not Mr Ebe ne ze r?”
“Oh，ye s ，”the man said,“the re ’s the la ird ，ifyou wa nt him. Wha t do yo u wa n t the re ，young ma n？”
“I’m hoping for s ome work，”I answered.
“Wha t?”the man cried sharply.“Le t me giveyou s ome a dvice . Don’t go ne a r the S haws .”
