He tried to steel himself against disappointment. It would probably turn out that the box held nothing except an old laundry bill and a couple of mousetraps. Or Joshua Gumbril’s other necktie, if he had another necktie. It might even be empty. In fact, it probably was empty. Jake was positive that it was empty. He felt that the sound of his heart beating as Malone struggled with the tools would drown out the bined Army and Navy bands.
马龙停止摆弄工具，愤怒地盯着盒子。
Malone had stopped fiddling with the tools and stared indignantly at the box.
杰克说：“你们这些暴徒应该多练练。你就打不开它吗？”
Jake said, “You thugs ought to keep in practice. Can’t you get it open?”
马龙低声咆哮着回答。他把工具包里剩下的工具都拿出来试验，直到把所有的都试过了。突然，他把它们都扫进了书桌抽屉，也没心思把它们放回皮制工具包，砰地一声关上抽屉，然后带着又困惑又愤怒又无奈的复杂神情怒视着这个顽固的盒子。
Malone answered with a low growl. He took the rest of the tools out of the kit and experimented with them until he had tried them all. Suddenly he swept them into the desk drawer without bothering to put them in their leather kit, slammed the drawer shut, and glared at the obstinate box with a mixture of baffled rage and helplessness.
海伦优雅地清了清嗓子。“试试回形针。”
Helene cleared her throat delicately. “Try a paper clip.”
回形针不管用。发夹也不行。
The paper clip didn’t work. Neither did a hairpin.
马龙说：“该死，如果我得下楼去向看门人借把斧子把这该死的东西劈成两半……” 他的声音在一阵含混不清的愤怒嘟囔中中断了。
Malone said, “By God, if I have to go down and borrow an ax from the janitor and split the infernal thing in two-” his voice broke off in an incoherent and enraged gurgle.
海伦叹了口气，拿起盒子检查。无意中她按了一下钥匙孔上方的小旋钮。盒子立刻弹开了，从她手中滑落，砰地一声可怕地掉在桌面上。海伦尖叫起来。杰克和马龙都吓了一跳。
Helene sighed, picked up the box, and examined it. Accidentally she pressed the tiny knob just above the keyhole. The box immediately sprang open, jolted out of her hands, and fell to the desk top with a horrific clatter. Helene screamed. Jake and Malone both jumped.
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