介绍:
（下拉有中英对照文本）
Two years has passed since that momentous day. It was now the summer of 1792, and Yann was now seventeen years old.
He had never told a soul what had happened at the Gypsy camp, and he had long given up the idea of revenge. The burning flame of grief had lost its urgency: There was so much more he wanted to do. He had worked hard at his studies, acquitted himself well, and now a future he couldn’t have envisaged a few years ago was his for the taking—a place at Cambridge University, the possibility of becoming a lawyer. London suddenly seemed to be filled with pretty, flirtatious girls whom he met at private balls and public dances. He had made the pleasing discovery that young ladies liked his company, would giggle, flounce their curls, pout, and generally look charming to get his attention.
The Laxtons’ house in Queen Square had become a meeting point for many of the immigrations who now found themselves in London, under what they felt to be gray skies and diminishing circumstances. The conversation was often heated, and the ideas expressed both radical and conservative.
两年了过去了。现在是1792夏天，Yann已经十七岁了。
他从未告诉过任何人，自己在吉普赛营地发生了什么事，他早就放弃了复仇的想法。复仇的火焰已经没有那么强烈了：他还想做更多的事情。他在书房努力学习，表现的也不错，几年前他绝对不会想到自己有今天，他在剑桥大学学习，很可能成为一名律师。伦敦似乎挤满了他在舞会上遇到的漂亮迷人的姑娘。他发现年轻的女士们很喜欢他，会咯咯笑，会拨弄卷发，嘟嘴，看起来很想引起他的注意。
Laxton夫妇的家在皇后广场已成为很多人伦敦的移民的聚集地，他们认为天空越来越灰。谈话经常激烈，想法既激进又有保守面。
The distant drum of the Revolution could be heard loud and clear across the water here in London.
At one supper party Yann had met Charles Cordell for the first time. Madame Claumont, a lady from Paris, had also been amongst the guests, along with her friend Sir John Randall.
Yann, as he often did, listened intently rather than join in. But then Sir John Randall said, “We have heard everyone else’s views round this table except yours, sir. Speak up—they say revolution is a young man’s sport. What have you to say for yourself?”
It was not from a lack of opinions that Yann had kept silent. “I thought when the Bastille fell that all men might truly be free,” he said. “I t struck me as a good enough reason for stopping time and starting the clocks anew: a fresh beginning when all men would be equal. But what I hear and read is that the people of France are no freer than before. A whole lot of wigs, hats, and crowns will have changed heads, but it looks as if the new masters will be as bad as the old.”
革命的鼓声响亮而清晰，从水这边传到了伦敦。
一个晚餐聚会上，Yann第一次见到了Charles Cordell。Madame Claumont，一位来自巴黎的女士，也在客人中，是和朋友John Randall先生一起来的。
Yann，和往常一样，总是专注地听而不是加入谈话中。但John Randall爵士说：“先生，除了你，其他人都发表了自己的看法。他们说革命是年轻人的运动。你有什么要说的吗？“
Yann一直保持沉默，并不是因为没有意见。他说：“我想巴士底狱倒下的时候，所有的人都会得到真正自由。我想我们应该让时间停止，重新开始计时。人人都要有一个平等的新开始。但我听到和看到的是，法国人民没有比以前更自由。只是换了个主人罢了，但看起来新的主人和旧的一样糟糕。”
“Wise words, young man,” said Sir John Randall.
“I ’m sure the poor will forever help the rich become richer,” continued Yann. “Whatever flag you fly, whatever song you sing, whatever church you worship in, it will always be the same. What’s the point of playing at politics? All that matters is people.”
“Steady on, sir, that is going too far!” said Sir John. Charles Cordell looked with interest at this young man who spoke with such passion, and he asked,
“So if you have no alliance to king or country, what does interest you?”
“What it is to be human,” said Yann.
“Go on,” said Cordell. “I ’m listening.”
“说得很对，年轻人，”John Randall爵士说。
“我相信穷人会永远帮助富人变得更富有，”Yann继续说。“无论你树立什么旗帜，无论你唱什么歌，无论你信仰什么教堂，它都是一样的。玩政治的意义是什么？最重要的是人。”
“慢着，先生，这有些过分了！John爵士说。Charles Cordell很有兴趣地看着这个年轻人富有激情的说话，他问：
“所以，如果你不喜欢国王或者国家的联盟，你对什么有什么兴趣？“
“什么是人，”Yann说。
“继续，”Cordell说。“我在听。”
“Well, sir, as far as I see it, we’re all housed in the same skin, same blood pulses through all our veins, the same heart beats. Yet some men believe that through birth and privilege they stand above everyone else. I don’t believe that. I think that kings have had their day, and the future should be in the hands of the people.”
“These are revolutionary views indeed,” said Sir John Randall, taken aback by Yann’s zeal.
“And views I violently disagree with!” exclaimed Madame Claumont. “There must be order, otherwise society will collapse. People only thrive when they know their place. Absolute monarchy is the only possible way to ensure this.”
“Too late, my dear madam,” said Cordell. “Your good king didn’t seize his chance to put down the Revolution. Now it is too late. With Marat as leader, the Revolution has given birth to a reign of terror that is growing in power day by day. I believe that in the end it will rule everything, destroy everything.”
“好吧，先生，据我所知，我们同样都有皮肤，血管都流着血液，同样跳动着心脏。然而，有些人认为，他们生来就有特权，永远站在其他人之上。我不相信。我认为国王总有一天会被推翻，未来应该掌握在人民手中。”
“事实上，这些都是革命性的观，，”John Randall说，被Yann的热情吓了一跳。
“我强烈反对！”Madame Claumont叫道。“一定要有秩序，否则社会就会崩溃。”人们只有知道自己的位置，才会兴旺发达。君主专制是唯一能确保这一点的办法。”
“太晚了，我亲爱的夫人，”Cordell说。“你的好国王没有抓住机会推翻这场革命。现在太晚了。让Marat作为领袖，革命催生了恐怖统治，权利与日俱增。我相信最终它会统治一切，摧毁一切。”
----每周一/三/五晚更----
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