Chapter 5
第5章
The letter was from my father in Geneva， and this is what he wrote：
信是我父亲从日内瓦写来的，下面就是他写的内容：
My dear Victor，
我亲爱的维克多：
I want you to know before you arrive home that an awful thing has happened.Your dear youngest brother，William，is dead. He was murdered. It happened last Thursday evening when Elizabeth and I and your two brothers， Ernest and William， went for a walk outside the city. William and Ernest were playing. William had hidden from Ernest， and Ernest asked Elizabeth and me to help find William. We all began to search for him， but we couldn't find him. We searched all night. At five in the morning I found him. He was lying on the grass， white and still. I could see the marks of fingers on his neck—the murderer had strangled him.
在你到家之前我想让你知道所发生的一件可怕的事情。你亲爱的小弟弟威廉死了。他是被谋杀的。这件事发生在上个礼拜四，那时我和伊丽莎白以及你的两个弟弟欧内斯特和威廉正在城外散步。威廉同欧内斯特当时正玩耍。威廉从欧内斯特那儿藏了起来，于是欧内斯特要我和伊丽莎白帮着找威廉。我们都找了起来，但没能找到他。我们找了一整夜。早晨5点钟时我找到了他。他躺倒在草地上，脸色苍白，身子一动也不动。我能看出他脖子上的手指印——是凶手勒死了他。
Elizabeth had let him wear a gold chain of hers round his neck.On the chain was a very small picture of your mother.We all think that someone murdered William to steal the gold chain.Poor Elizabeth is terribly unhappy at William's death. She thinks he died because she let him wear the chain. Hurry home， my dear Victor. You are the only one who can help Elizabeth， and we all need you.
伊丽莎白曾让他把她的一根金链子戴在脖子上。链子上有一张非常小的、你妈妈的照片。我们都认为是有人为了偷取那条金链子而杀死了威廉。可怜的伊丽莎白对威廉的死非常伤心。她认为他的死是因为她让他戴了那条链子。赶快回家吧，我亲爱的维克多。只有你能帮助伊丽莎白，并且我们都需要你。
With all our love，
我们都爱你！
Your Father
你的父亲