Introduction：The narrator，an elderly lawyer，relates the story of the strangest man he has ever known。He hired a scrivener called Bartleby。At first the scrivener did an extraordinary quantity of writing silently，palely and mechanically。But later he behaved eccentrically：he refused to verify the accuracy of his copy，and then refused to do anything in the office。No matter what the lawyer said and did，Bartleby still did nothing and had no intention to leave。
1 I am a rather elderly man。The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years，has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men，of whom，as yet，nothing，that I know of，has ever been written—I mean，the law-copyists，or scriveners。I have known very many of them，professionally and privately，and，if I pleased，could relate divers histories，at which good-natured gentlemen might smile，and sentimental souls might weep。But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners，for a few passages in the life of Bartleby，who was a scrivener，the strangest I ever saw，or heard of。While，of other law-copyists，I might write the complete life，of Bartlebynothing of that sort can be done。I believe that no materials exist，for a full and satisfactory biography of this man。It is an irreparable loss to literature。Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable，except from the original sources，and in his case，those are very small。What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby，that is all I know of him，except，indeed，one vague report，which will appear in the sequel。
2 Ere introducing the scrivener，as he first appearedto me，it is fit I make some mention of myself，my employees，my business，my chambers，and general surroundingsbecause some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented。
3 Imprimis：I am a man who，from his youth upwards，has been filledwith a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best。Hence，though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous，even to turbulence，at times，yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace。I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury，or in any way draws downpublic applausebut，in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat，do a snug business among rich men’s bonds，and mortgages，and title-deeds。All who know me，consider me an eminently safe man。The late John Jacob Astor，a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm，had no hesitation in pronouncing my firstgrand point to be prudencemy next，method。I do not speak it in vanity，but simply record thefact，that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astora name which，I admit，I love to repeat，for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it，and rings like unto bullion。I will freely add，that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor’s good opinion。
avocation：n。嗜好，副业
scrivener：n。抄写员，誊写员
waive：v。放弃，搁置
ascertainable：adj。可确定探知的，可发现的
ere：prep。在……之前
imprimis：adv。第一，首先
conviction：n。信念
turbulence：n。混乱，无秩序
tranquility：n。宁静
snug：adj。安逸的
retreat：n。隐秘居处
given to：惯于
prudence：n。谨慎
4 Some time prior to the period at which this little history begins，my avocations had been largely increased。The good old office，now extinct in the State of New York，of a Master in Chancery，had been conferred upon me。It was not a very arduous office，but very pleasantly remunerative。I seldom lose my tempermuch more seldom indulge in dangerous indignation at wrongs and outragesbut I must be permitted to be rash here，and declare，that I consider the sudden and violent abrogation of the office of Master of Chancery，by the new Constitution，as a—premature actinasmuch as I had counted upon a life-lease of the profits，whereas I only received those of a few short years。But this is by the way。
5 My chambers were up stairs，at No。—Wall street。At one end，they looked upon the white wall of the interior of a spacious sky-light shaft，penetrating thebuilding from top to bottom。This view might have been considered rather tame than otherwise，deficient in what landscape painters call“life”。But，if so，the view from the other end of my chambers offered，at least，a contrast，if nothing more。In that direction，my windows commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall，black by age and everlasting shadewhich wall required no spy-glass tobring out its lurking beauties，but，for the benefit of all near-sighted spectators，was pushed up to within ten feet of my window panes。Owing to the great height of the surrounding buildings，and my chambers being on the second floor，theinterval between this wall and mine not a little resembled a huge square cistern。
评注：梅尔维尔的这部短篇小说被公认为是再现现代办公室生活的最早作品之一。在第5段中，作者生动刻画了现代都市中狭小、枯燥、压抑的办公大楼。这种缺乏生气和人情味的工作空间也暗示了现代生活的枯燥，乏味，而抄写员的工作在这种背景下又极具典型性。
6 At the period just preceding the advent of Bartleby，I had two persons as copyists in my employment，and a promising lad as an office-boy。First，Turkeysecond，Nippersthird，Ginger Nut。These may seem names，the like of which are not usually found in the Directory。In truth，they were nicknames，mutually conferred upon each other by my three clerks，and were deemed expressive of their respective persons or characters。Turkey was a short，pursy Englishman，of about my own age—that is，somewhere not far from sixty。In the morning，one might say，hisface was of a fine florid—hue，but after twelve o’clock，meridian—his dinnerhour—it blazed like a grate full of Christmas coalsand continued blazing—but，as it were，with a gradual wane—till 6 o’clock，P。M。or thereaboutsafter which，I saw no more of the proprietor of the face，which，gaining its meridian withthe sun，seemed to set with it，to rise，culminate，and decline the following day，with the like regularity and undiminished glory。There are many singular coincidences I have known in the course of my life，not the least among which was the fact，that，exactly when Turkey displayed his fullest beams from his red and radiant countenance，just then，too，at that critical moment，began the daily period when I considered his business，capacities as seriously disturbed for the remainder of the twenty-four hours。Not that he was absolutely idle，or averse to business，thenfar from it。
The difficulty was，he was apt to be altogether too energetic。There was a strange，inflamed，flurried，flighty recklessness of activity about him。He would be incautious in dipping his pen into his inkstand。All his blots upon my documents were dropped there after twelve o’clock，meridian。
Indeed，not only would he be reckless，and sadly given to making blots in the afternoon，but，some days，he went further，and was rather noisy。At such times，too，his face flamed with augmented blazonry，as if cannel coal had been heaped on anthracite。He made an unpleasant racket with hischairspilled his sand-boxinmending his pens，impatiently split them all to pieces，and threw them on the floor in a sudden passionstood up and leaned over his table，boxing his papers about in a most indecorous manner，very sad to behold in an elderly man like him。Nevertheless，as he was in many ways a most valuable person to me，and all thetime before twelve o’clock，meridian，was the quickest，steadiest creature，too，accomplishing a great deal of work in a style not easily to be matched—for thesereasons，I was willing to overlook his eccentricities，though，indeed，occasionally，I remonstrated with him。
I did this very gently，however，because，though the civilest，nay，the blandest and most reverential of men in the morning，yet，in the afternoon，he was disposed，upon provocation，to be slightly rash with his tongue—in fact，insolent。Now，valuing his morning services as I did，and resolved not to lose them—yet，at the same time，made uncomfortable by his inflamed ways after twelve o’clock—and being a man of peace，unwilling by my admonitions to call forth unseemly retorts from him，I took upon me，one Saturday noon（he was always worse on Saturdays）to hint to him，very kindly，that，perhaps，now that he was growing old，it might be well to abridge his laborsinshort，he need not come to my chambers after twelve o’clock，but，dinner over，had best go hometo his lodgings，and rest himself till tea-time。But nohe insisted upon his afternoon devotions。His countenance became intolerably fervid，as he oratoricallyassured me—gesticulating with a long ruler at the other end of the room—that if his services in the morning were useful，how indispensable，then，in the afternoon？
avocation：n。职业
confer upon sb。：授予某人职位
arduous：adj。艰苦的
remunerative：adj。有利可图的
indignation：n。愤怒
abrogation：n。废除
Master of Chancery：法院推事
be deficient in：缺乏，不足
unobstructed：adj。不被阻挡的
cistern：n。（抽水马桶的）贮水池
hue：n。色调，色彩，色泽
radiant：adj。绚丽的，容光焕发的
countenance：n。容貌
averse：adj。不愿意，反对
augmented：adj。增加的，增强的
anthracite：n。无烟煤
indecorous：adj。不和礼节的，不雅的
eccentricities：n。怪僻
remonstrate with sb。：规劝某人
nay：adv。而且
bland：adj。温和的
reverential：adj。可敬的
be disposed to do sth。：有……的倾向
insolent：adj。粗野的，无礼的
admonition：n。警告
retort：n。反驳
abridge：v。删减
7 “With submission，sir，”said Turkey，on this occasion，“I considermyself your right-hand man。In the morning I but marshal and deploy my columnsbut in theafternoon I put myself at their head，and gallantly charge the foe，thus”—and he made a violent thrust with the ruler。
8 “But the blots，Turkey，”intimated I。
9 “Truebut，with submission，sir，behold these hairs！I am getting old。Surely，sir，a blot or two of a warm afternoon is not to be severely urged against gray hairs。Old age—even if it blot the page—is honorable。With submission，sir，we both are getting old。”
with submission：请原谅
marshal：v。安排
deploy：v。布置
gallantly：adv。勇敢地
foe：n。敌人
blot：n。墨迹
intimate：v。明白表示
behold：v。看10This appeal to my fellow-feeling was hardly to be resisted。At all events，I saw that go he would not。So，I made up my mind to let him stay，resolving，nevertheless，to see to it，that，during the afternoon，he had to do with my less important papers。
11 Nippers，the second on my list，was a whiskered，sallow，and，upon the whole，rather piratical-looking young man，of about five and twenty。I always deemedhim the victim of two evil powers—ambition and indigestion。Theambition was evinced by a certain impatience of the duties of a mere copyist，an unwarrantable usurpation of strictly professional affairs，such as the original drawing up of legal documents。The indigestion seemed betokened in an occasional nervous testiness and grinning irritability，causing the teeth to audibly grind together overmistakes committed in copyingunnecessary maledictions，hissed，rather than spoken，in the heat of businessand especially by a continual discontent with theheight of the table where he worked。Though of a very ingeniousmechanical turn，Nippers could never get this table to suit him。He put chips under it，blocks of various sorts，bits of pasteboard，and at last went so far as to attempt an exquisite adjustment，by final pieces of folded blotting-paper。But no invention would answer。If，for the sake of easing his back，he brought the table lid at a sharp angle well up towards his chin，and wrote there like a man using the steeproof of a Dutch house for his desk，then he declared that it stopped the circulation in his arms。If now he lowered the table to his waistbands，and stooped over it in writing，then there was a sore aching in his back。In short，the truthof the matter was，Nippers knew not what he wanted。
Or，if he wanted anything，it was to be rid of a scrivener’s table altogether。Among the manifestations ofhis diseased ambition was a fondness he had for receiving visits from certain ambiguous-looking fellows in seedy coats，whom he called his clients。Indeed，I was aware that not only was he，at times，considerable of a ward-politician，but he occasionally did a little business at the Justices’courts，and was not unknown on the steps of the Tombs。I have good reasons to believe，however，that one individual who called upon him at my chambers，and who，with a grand air，he insisted was his client，was no other than a dun，and the alleged title-deed，a bill。But，with all his failings，and the annoyances he caused me，Nippers，like his compatriot Turkey，was a very useful man to mewrote a neat，swift handand，when he chose，was not deficient in a gentlemanly sort of deportment。Added to this，he always dressed in a gentlemanly sort of wayand so，incidentally，reflected credit upon my chambers。Whereas，with respect to Turkey，I had much ado to keep him from being a reproach to me。His clothes were aptto look oily and smell of eating-houses。He wore his pantaloons very loose and baggy in summer。
His coats were execrablehis hat not be to handled。But while the hat was a thing of indifference to me，inasmuch as his natural civility and deference，as a dependent Englishman，always led him to doff it the moment he entered the room，yet his coat was another matter。Concerning his coats，I reasoned with himbut with no effect。The truth was，I suppose，that a man with so small an income could not afford to sport such a lustrous face and a lustrous coat at one and the same time。
As Nippers once observed，Turkey’s money went chiefly for red ink。One winterday，I presented Turkey with a highly-respectable looking coat of my own—a padded gray coat，of a most comfortable warmth，and which buttoned straight up from the knee to the neck。I thought Turkey would appreciate the favor，and abate hisrashness and obstreperousness of afternoons。But noI verily believe that buttoning himself up in so downy and blanket-like a coat had a pernicious effect upon him—upon the same principle that too much oats are bad for horses。In fact，precisely as a rash，restive horse is said to feel his oats，so Turkey felt his coat。It made him insolent。He was a man whom prosperity harmed。
12 Though，concerning the self-indulgent habits of Turkey，I had my own private surmises，yet，touching Nippers，I was well persuaded that，whatever might be his faults in other respects，he was，at least，a temperate young man。But indeed，nature herself seemed to have been his vintner，and，at his birth，charged him so thoroughly with an irritable，brandy-like disposition，that all subsequent potations were needless。When I consider how，amid the stillnessof my chambers，Nippers would sometimes impatiently rise from his seat，and stooping over his table，spread his arms wide apart，seize the whole desk，and move it，and jerk it，with a grim，grinding motion on the floor，as if the table were a perverse voluntary agent，intent on thwarting and vexing him，I plainly perceive that，for Nippers，brandy-and-water were altogether superfluous。
13 It was fortunate for me that，owing to its peculiar cause—indigestion—theirritability and consequent nervousness of Nippers were mainly observable in the morning，while in the afternoon he was comparatively mild。So that，Turkey’s paroxysms only coming on about twelve o’clock，I never had to do with their eccentricities at one time。Their fits relieved each other like guards。When Nippers’was on，Turkey’s was offand vice versa。This was a good natural arrangement，under the circumstances。
whiskered：adj。长有连鬓胡子的
sallow：adj。脸色病黄的
indigestion：n。消化不良
evince：v。表明
unwarrantable：adj。无正当理由的
usurpation：n。霸占
betoken：v。预示，表示
malediction：n。诅咒，诽谤
ingenious：adj。机灵的
dun：n。催债者，债主
deportment：n。风度举止
have much ado：费劲全力
reproach：n。丢脸，羞耻
execrable：adj。该憎恶的
doff：v。脱，除去
sport：v。炫耀，夸示
abate：v。减少
obstreperousness：n。喧闹，吵闹
pernicious：adj。有害的，致命的
surmise：n。臆测
temperate：adj。有节制的
vintner：n。酒商
potation：n。饮料，畅饮
perverse：adj。刚愎的，乖张的
thwart：v。反对
vex：v。使恼怒
superfluous：adj。过多的，不必要的
paroxysm：n。猛然发作，阵发
fit：n。突然发作
14 Ginger Nut，the third on my list，was a lad，some twelve years old。His father was a carman，ambitious of seeing his son on the bench instead of a cart，before he died。So he sent him to my office，as student at law，errand boy，and cleaner and sweeper，at the rate of one dollar a week。He had a little desk to himself，but he did not use it much。Upon inspection，the drawer exhibited a great array of the shells of various sorts of nuts。Indeed，to this quick-witted youth，the whole noble science of the law was contained in a nut-shell。Not the least among the employments of Ginger Nut，as well as one which he discharged with the most alacrity，was his duty as cake and apple purveyor for Turkey and Nippers。Copying law-papers being proverbially a dry，husky sort of business，my two scriveners were fain to moisten their mouths very often with Spitzenbergs，to be had atthe numerous stalls nigh the Custom House and Post Office。
Also，they sent Ginger Nut very frequently for that peculiar cake—small，flat，round，and very spicy—after which he had been named by them。Of a cold morning，when business was but dull，Turkey would gobble up scores of these cakes，as if they were mere wafers—indeed，they sell them at the rate of six or eight for a penny—the scrapeof his pen blending with the crunching of the crisp particles in his mouth。Of all the fiery afternoon blunders and flurried rashnesses of Turkey，was his once moistening a ginger-cake between his lips，and clapping it on to a mortgage，for a seal。I came within an ace of dismissing him then。But he mollified me by making an oriental bow，and saying—“With submission，sir，it was generous of me to find you in stationery on my own account。”
评注：从第6段到第14段，叙述者依次介绍了他的三个雇员。梅尔维尔用十分幽默的语言细致地描述了他们的一些“怪异”特点，为更为“怪异”的巴特尔比的出现做好铺垫。
15 Now my original business—that of a conveyancer and title hunter，and drawer-up of recondite documents of all sorts—was considerably increased by receiving the master’s office。There was now great work for scriveners。Not only must Ipush the clerks already with me，but I must have additional help。In answer to my advertisement，a motionless young man one morning stood upon my office threshold，the door being open，for it was summer。I can see that figure now—pallidly neat，pitiably respectable，incurably forlorn！It was Bartleby。
16 After a few words touching his qualifications，I engaged him，glad to have among my corps of copyists a man of so singularly sedate an aspect，which I thought might operate beneficially upon the flighty temper of Turkey，and the fiery one of Nippers。
17 I should have stated before that ground glass folding-doors divided my premises into two parts，one of which was occupied by my scriveners，the other by myself。According to my humor，I threw open these doors，or closed them。I resolvedto assign Bartleby a corner by the folding-doors，but on my side of them，so asto have this quiet man within easy call，in case any trifling thing was to be done。I placed his desk close up to a small side-window in that part of the room，a window which originally had afforded a lateral view of certain grimy back-yards and bricks，but which，owing to subsequent erections，commanded at present noview at all，though it gave some light。Within three feet of the panes was a wall，and the light came down from far above，between two lofty buildings，as froma very small opening in a dome。Still further to a satisfactory arrangement，I procured a high green folding screen，which might entirely isolate Bartleby frommy sight，though not remove him from my voice。And thus，in a manner，privacy and society were conjoined。
评注：请注意第14段中描写的办公室里的格局实质上是对现代人之间关系的暗示。
errand：n。差使，差事
discharge with：履行
alacrity：n。敏捷，活泼
purveyor：n。供应粮食者
proverbially：adv。无人不知地
fain：adj。（只作表语）乐意的
stall：n。货摊
nigh：prep。在附近
wafer：n。薄脆饼
crunch：v。嘎吱嘎吱地咀嚼
blunder：n。大错
flurried：adj。不安的
within an ace of：离……只差一点儿
mollify：v。缓和
conveyancer：n。代立契约
recondite：adj。秘密的
pallidly：adv。苍白地；无生气地
forlorn：adj。凄凉的
sedate：adj。文静的
aspect：n。外表
flighty：adj。反复无常的；轻浮的
lateral：adj。侧面的，旁边的
pane：n。窗格玻璃
procure：v。采购
conjoin：v。联合起来
18 At first，Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing。As if long famishing for something to copy，he seemed to gorge himself on my documents。There was no pause for digestion。He ran a day and night line，copying by sun-light andby candle-light。I should have been quite delighted with his application，had he been cheerfully industrious。But he wrote on silently，palely，mechanically。
19 It is，of course，an indispensable part of a scrivener’s business to verifythe accuracy of his copy，word by word。Where there are two or more scriveners in an office，they assist each other in this examination，one reading from the copy，the other holding the original。It is a very dull，wearisome，and lethargicaffair。I can readily imagine that，to some sanguine temperaments，it would be altogether intolerable。For example，I cannot credit that the mettlesome poet，Byron，would have contentedly sat down with Bartleby to examine a law document of，say five hundred pages，closely written in a crimpy hand。
20 Now and then，in the haste of business，it had been my habit to assist in comparing some brief document myself，calling Turkey or Nippers for this purpose。One object I had，in placing Bartleby so handy to me behind the screen，was，to avail myself of his services on such trivial occasions。It was on the third day，I think，of his being with me，and before any necessity had arisen for having his own writing examined，that，being much hurried to complete a small affair I had in hand，I abruptly called to Bartleby。In my haste and natural expectancy of instant compliance，I sat with my head bent over the original onmy desk，and myright hand sideways，and somewhat nervously extended with the copy，so that，immediately upon emerging from his retreat，Bartleby might snatch it and proceed tobusiness without the least delay。
famish：v。使挨饿
gorge oneself on：贪婪工作
indispensable：adj。不可缺少的
lethargic：adj。冷淡的，冷漠的
sanguine：adj。乐天的，自信的
temperament：n。气质，性情
mettlesome：adj。精神抖擞的
crimpy：adj。弯曲的
avail：v。有易于
compliance：n。顺从，应允21In this very attitude did I sit when I called to him，rapidly stating what it was I wanted him to do—namely，to examine a small paper with me。Imagine my surprise，nay，my consternation，when without moving from his privacy，Bartleby，in a singularly mild，firm voice，replied，“I would prefer not to。”
评注：在第21段，巴特尔比说出了全文的第一句“我不愿意”，成为老律师和他的关系的转折点，也标志着他们之间冲突的开始。
22 I sat awhile in perfect silence，rallying my stunned faculties。Immediatelyit occurred to me that my ears had deceived me，or Bartleby had entirely misunderstood my meaning。I repeated my request in the clearest tone I could assumebut in quite as clear as one came the previous reply，“I would prefer not to。”
23 “Prefer not to，”echoed I，rising in high excitement，and crossing the roomwith a stride。“What do you mean？Are you moon-struck？I want you to help me compare this sheet here—take it，”and I thrust it towards him。
24 “I would prefer not to，”said he。
25 I looked at him steadfastly。His face was leanly composedhis gray eyes dimly calm。Not a wrinkle of agitation rippled him。Had there been the least uneasiness，anger，impatience or impertinence in his mannerin other words，had therebeen anything ordinarily human about him，doubtless I should have violently dismissed him from the premises。But as it was，I should have as soon thought of turning my pale plaster-of-paris bust of Cicero out of doors。Istood gazing athim awhile，as he went on with his own writing，and then reseated myself at my desk。This is very strange，thought I。What had one best do？But my business hurried me。I concluded to forget the matter for the present，reserving it for my future leisure。So calling Nippers from the other room，the paper was speedily examined。
26 A few days after this，Bartleby concluded four lengthy documents，being quadruplicates of a week’s testimony taken before me inmy High Court of Chancery。It became necessary to examine them。It was an important suit，and great accuracy was imperative。Having all things arranged，I called Turkey，Nippers and GingerNut，from the next room，meaning to place the four copies in the hands of my four clerks，while I should read from the original。Accordingly，Turkey，Nippers andGinger Nut had taken their seats in a row，each with his document in hand，whenI called to Bartleby to join this interesting group。
consternation：n。大为吃惊，惊骇
singularly：adv。异乎寻常地
composed：adj。沉着的
ripple：v。使波动
impertinence：n。不礼貌
bust：n。半身（雕）像
quadruplicate：n。一式四份
imperative：adj。绝对必要的27“Bartleby！quick，I am waiting。”
28 I heard a slow scrape of his chair legs on the uncarpeted floor，and soon he appeared standing at the entrance of his hermitage。
29 “What is wanted？”said he，mildly。
30 “The copies，the copies，”said I，hurriedly。“We are going to examine them。There”—and I held towards him the fourth quadruplicate。
31 “I would prefer not to，”he said，and gently disappeared behind the screen。
32 For a few moments I was turned into a pillar of salt，standing at the head of my seated column of clerks。Recovering myself，I advanced towards the screen，and demanded the reason for such extraordinary conduct。
33 “Why do you refuse？”
34 “I would prefer not to。”
35 With any other man I should have flown outright into a dreadful passion，scorned all further words，and thrust him ignominiously from my presence。But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me，but，in a wonderful manner，touched and disconcerted me。I began to reason with him。
36 “These are your own copies we are about to examine。It is labor saving to you，because one examination will answer for your four papers。It is common usage。Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy。Is it not so？Will you not speak？Answer！”
37 “I prefer not to，”he replied in a flute-like tone。It seemed to me that，while I had been addressing him，he carefully revolved every statement that I madefully comprehended the meaningcould not gainsay the irresistible conclusionbut，at the same time，some paramount consideration prevailed with him to replyas he did。
38 “You are decided，then，not to comply with my request—a request made according to common usage and common sense？”
39 He briefly gave me to understand，that on that point my judgment was sound。Yes：his decision was irreversible。
40 It is not seldom the case that，when a man is browbeaten insome unprecedented and violently unreasonable way，he begins to stagger in his own plainest faith。He begins，as it were，vaguely to surmise that，wonderful as it may be，all the justice and all the reason is on the other side。Accordingly，if any disinterested persons are present，he turns to them for some reinforcement of his own faltering mind。
hermitage：n。隐居处，此处指他很少离开的办公间
ignominiously：adv。耻辱地
disarm：v。使消除敌意
disconcert：v。使惊惶，使不安
gainsay：v。否认，反驳
paramount：adj。最重要的，最高权力的
comply with：照做
browbeat：v。吓唬
faltering：adj。畏缩的，犹豫的
41 “Turkey，”said I，“what do you think of this？Am I not right？”
42 “With submission，sir，”said Turkey，with his blandest tone，“I think that you are。”
43 “Nippers，”said I，“what do you think of it？”
44 “I think I should kick him out of the office。”
45 （The reader，of nice perceptions，will here perceive that，it being morning，Turkey’s answer is couched in polite and tranquil terms，but Nippers replies inill-tempered ones。Or，to repeat a previous sentence，Nippers’s ugly mood was on duty，and Turkey’s off。）
46 “Ginger Nut，”said I，willing to enlist the smallest suffrage inmy behalf，“what do you think of it？”
47 “I think，sir，he’s a little luny，”replied Ginger Nut，with a grin。
48 “You hear what they say，”said I，turning towards the screen，“come forth and do your duty。”
49 But he vouchsafed no reply。I pondered a moment in sore perplexity。But once more business hurried me。I determined again to postpone the consideration of this dilemma to my future leisure。With a little trouble we made out to examine the papers without Bartleby，though at every page or two Turkey deferentially dropped his opinion，that this proceeding was quite out of the commonwhile Nippers，twitching in his chair with a dyspeptic nervousness，ground out，between his set teeth，occasional hissing maledictions against the stubborn oaf behind the screen。And for his（Nippers’s）part，this was the first and the last time hewould do another man’s business without pay。
50 Meanwhile Bartleby sat in his hermitage，oblivious to every thing but his own peculiar business there。
51 Some days passed，the scrivener being employed upon another lengthy work。His late remarkable conduct led me to regard his ways narrowly。I observed that he never went to dinnerindeed，that he never went any where。As yet I had never，of my personal knowledge，known him to be outside of my office。He was a perpetual sentry in the corner。At about eleven o’clockthough，in the morning，I noticed that Ginger Nut would advance toward the opening in Bartleby’s screen，as if silently beckoned thither by a gesture invisible to me where I sat。The boy wouldthen leave the office，jingling a few pence，and reappear with a handful of ginger-nuts，which he delivered in the hermitage，receiving two of the cakes for histrouble。
suffrage：n。同意
luny：adj。发疯的
vouchsafe：v。赐予，给予
perplexity：n。困惑，茫然
deferentially：adv。恭敬地
dyspeptic：adj。暴躁的，消化不良的
malediction：n。诅咒
oaf：n。蠢人，莽汉
perpetual：v。永远的
sentry：n。哨兵
thither：adv。向那里52He lives，then，on ginger-nuts，thought Inever eats a dinner，properly speakinghe must be a vegetarian，thenbut nohe never eats even vegetables，he eats nothing but ginger-nuts。My mind then ran on in reveries concerning the probable effects upon the human constitution of living entirely on ginger-nuts。Ginger-nuts are so called，because they contain ginger as one of their peculiar constituents，and the final flavoring one。Now，what was ginger？A hot，spicy thing。Was Bartleby hot and spicy？Not at all。Ginger，then，had no effect upon Bartleby。Probably he preferred it should have none。
53 Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance。If the individual so resisted be of a not inhumane temper，and the resisting one perfectlyharmless in his passivity，then，in the better moods of the former，he will endeavor charitably to construe to his imagination what proves impossible to be solved by his judgment。Even so，for the most part，I regarded Bartleby and his ways。Poor fellow！thought I，he means no mischiefit is plain he intends no insolencehis aspect sufficiently evinces that his eccentricities are involuntary。He is useful to me。I can get along with him。If I turn him away，the chances arehe will fall in with some less indulgent employer，and then he will be rudely treated，and perhaps driven forth miserably to starve。Yes。Here I can cheaply purchase a delicious self-approval。To befriend Bartlebyto humor him in his strange wilfulness，will cost me little or nothing，while I lay up in my soul what will eventually prove a sweet morsel for my conscience。But this mood was not invariable with me。The passiveness of Bartleby sometimes irritated me。I felt strangely goaded on to encounter him in new opposition—to elicit some angry spark from him answerable to my own。But，indeed，I might as well have essayed to strike fire with my knuckles against a bit of Windsor soap。But one afternoon the evil impulse in me mastered me，and the following little scene ensued：
54 “Bartleby，”said I，“when those papers are all copied，I will compare them with you。”
55 “I would prefer not to。”
56 “How？Surely you do not mean to persist in that mulish vagary？”
57 No answer。
58 I threw open the folding-doors near by，and，turning upon Turkeyand Nippers，exclaimed in an excited manner—
59 “Bartleby a second time says，he won’t examine his papers。What do you think of it，Turkey？”
60 It was afternoon，be it remembered。Turkey sat glowing like a brass boilerhis bald head steaminghis hands reeling among his blotted papers。
61 “Think of it？”roared Turkey“I think I’ll just step behind hisscreen，and black his eyes for him！”
62 So saying，Turkey rose to his feet and threw his arms into a pugilistic position。He was hurrying away to make good his promise，when I detained him，alarmed at the effect of incautiously rousing Turkey’s combativenessafter dinner。
reverie：n。幻想
aggravate：v。加剧
construe：v。解释，翻译
morsel：n。一点点，一口
goad：v。刺激，煽动
elicit：v。引出，使发出
ensue：v。跟着发生了
mulish：adj。固执的
vagary：n。妄想
reel：v。卷，绕
pugilistic：adj。拳击的
combativeness：n。好斗性
63 “Sit down，Turkey，”said I，“and hear what Nippers has to say。What do you think of it，Nippers？Would I not be justified in immediately dismissing Bartleby？”
64 “Excuse me，that is for you to decide，sir。I think his conduct quite unusual，and，indeed，unjust，as regards Turkey and myself。But it may only be a passing whim。”
65 “Ah，”exclaimed I，“you have strangely changed your mind，then—you speak very gently of him now。”
66 “All beer，”cried Turkey“gentleness is effects of beer—Nippers and I dined together today。You see how gentle I am，sir。Shall I go and black his eyes？”
67 “You refer to Bartleby，I suppose。No，not today，Turkey，”I replied“pray，put up your fists。”
68 I closed the doors，and again advanced towards Bartleby。I felt additional incentives tempting me to my fate。I burned to be rebelled against again。I remembered that Bartleby never left the office。
69 “Bartleby，”said I，“Ginger Nut is awayjust step round to the Post Office，won’t you？（it was but a three minutes’walk），and see if there is any thing for me。”
70 “I would prefer not to。”
71 “You will not？”
72 “I prefer not。”
73 I staggered to my desk，and sat there in a deep study。My blind inveteracy returned。Was there any other thing in which I could procure myself to be ignominiously repulsed by this lean，penniless wight？—my hired clerk？What added thing is there，perfectly reasonable，that he will be sure to refuse to do？
74 “Bartleby！”
75 No answer。
76 “Bartleby，”in a louder tone。
77 No answer。
78 “Bartleby，”I roared。
79 Like a very ghost，agreeably to the laws of magical invocation，at the third summon，he appeared at the entrance of his hermitage。
80 “Go to the next room，and tell Nippers to come to me。”
81 “I prefer not to，”he respectfully and slowly said，and mildly disappeared。
82 “Very good，Bartleby，”said I，in a quiet sort of serenely-severe self-possessed tone，intimating the unalterable purpose of some terrible retribution veryclose at hand。At the moment I half intended something of the kind。But upon the whole，as it was drawing towards my dinner-hour，I thought it best to put on my hat and walk home for the day，suffering much from perplexity and distress of mind。
83 Shall I acknowledge it？The conclusion of this whole business was，that it soon became a fixed fact of my chambers，that a pale young scrivener，by the name of Bartleby，had a desk therethat he copied for me at the usual rate of fourcents a folio（one hundred words）but he was permanently exempt from examiningthe work done by him，that duty being transferred to Turkey and Nippers，out ofcompliment，doubtless，to their superior acutenessmoreover，said Bartleby was never，on any account，to be dispatched on the most trivial errand of any sortandthat even if entreated to take upon him such a matter，it was generally understood that he would“prefer not to”—in other words，that he would refuse point-blank。
84 As days passed on，I became considerably reconciled to Bartleby。His steadiness，his freedom from all dissipation，his incessant industry（except when he chose to throw himself into a standing revery behind his screen），his great stillness，his unalterableness of demeanor under all circumstances，made him a valuable acquisition。One prime thing was this，—he was always there—first in the morning，continually through the day，and the last at night。I had a singular confidence in his honesty。I felt my most precious papers perfectly safe in his hands。Sometimes to be sure，I could not，for the very soul of me，avoid falling intosudden spasmodic passions with him。For it was exceeding difficult to bear in mind all the time those strange peculiarities，privileges，and unheard of exemptions，forming the tacit stipulations on Bartleby’s part under which he remained in my office。Now and then，in the eagerness of dispatching pressing business，I would inadvertently summon Bartleby，in a short，rapid tone，to put his finger，say，on the incipient tie of a bit of red tape with which I was about compressing some papers。Of course，from behind the screen the usual answer，“I prefer notto”was sure to comeand then，how could a human creature，with the common infirmities of our nature，refrain from bitterly exclaiming upon such perverseness—such unreasonableness。However，every added repulse of this sortwhich I received only tended to lessen the probability of my repeating the inadvertence。
whim：n。怪念头
incentive：n。动机
inveteracy：n。顽固
repulse：v。驱逐，击退
invocation：n。祈祷
serenely：adv。安详地，平静地
retribution：n。报应
be exempt from：被免除
dispatch：v。派遣
entreat：v。恳求
point-blank：adv。直截了当地
reconcile to：接受
dissipation：n。消遣，娱乐
incessant：adj。不断的
revery：n。幻想，深思
demeanor：n。行为，风度
spasmodic：adj。间歇的
tacit：adj。心照不宣的
stipulation：n。规定
inadvertently：adv。粗心地
incipient：adj。开始的，刚出现的，早期的
infirmity：n。虚弱
refrain from：忍住
perverseness：n。不正常
repulse：n。拒绝
inadvertence：n。粗心85Here it must be said，that according to the custom of most legalgentlemen occupying chambers in densely-populated law buildings，there were several keys to my door。One was kept by a woman residing in the attic，which person weekly scrubbed and daily swept and dusted my apartments。Another was kept by Turkey for convenience sake。The third I sometimes carried in my own pocket。The fourth I knew not who had。
86 Now，one Sunday morning I happened to go to Trinity Church，to hear a celebrated preacher，and finding myself rather early on the ground，I thought I wouldwalk round to my chambers for a while。Luckily I had my key with mebut upon applying it to the lock，I found it resisted by something inserted from the inside。Quite surprised，I called outwhen to my consternation a key was turned fromwithinand thrusting his lean visage at me，and holding the door ajar，the apparition of Bartleby appeared，inhis shirt sleeves，and otherwise in a strangelytattered dishabille，saying quietly that he was sorry，but he was deeply engaged just then，and—preferred not admitting me at present。In a brief word or two，he moreover added，that perhaps I had better walk round the block two or three times，and by that time he would probably have concluded his affairs。
87 Now，the utterly unsurmised appearance of Bartleby，tenanting mylaw-chambers of a Sunday morning，with his cadaverously gentlemanly nonchalance，yet withal firm and self-possessed，had such a strange effect upon me，that incontinently I slunk away from my own door，and did as desired。But not without sundry twinges of impotent rebellion against the mild effrontery of this unaccountable scrivener。Indeed，it was his wonderful mildness chiefly，which not only disarmed me，but unmanned me as it were。For I consider that one，for the time，is a sort of unmanned when he tranquilly permits his hired clerk to dictate to him，and order him away from his own premises。Furthermore，I was full of uneasiness as to what Bartleby could possibly be doing in my office in his shirt sleeves，and in an otherwise dismantled condition of a Sunday morning。Was any thing amiss going on？Nay，that was out of the question。It was not to be thought of for a moment that Bartleby was an immoral person。But what could he be doing there？—copying？Nay again，whatever might be his eccentricities，Bartleby was an eminently decorous person。He would be the last man to sit down to his desk inany state approaching to nudity。Besides，it was Sundayand there was something about Bartlebythat forbade the supposition that we would by any secular occupation violate the proprieties of the day。
评注：“星期天”是基督教里的安息日。在这一天做坏事儿被认为是亵渎上帝的。
visage：n。面貌，外观
ajar：adj。微开的
apparition：n。幽灵
tattered：adj。破烂的，衣衫褴褛的
dishabille：n。便装
cadaverously：adv。尸体似的
nonchalance：n。无动于衷
withal：adv。而且
slink：v。溜走
sundry：adj。各种
twinge：n。（生理，心理）剧痛
impotent：adj。无能力的
effrontery：n。厚颜无耻
unman：v。使失去男子气概
dismantled：adj。无人的
amiss：adj。错误，罪恶
decorous：adj。合宜的，相称的
nudity：n。裸露
supposition：n。猜想，推测
secular：adj。世俗的