The Golden Brush and the Double Claim

The small shipyard at the end of the harbour has three slipways, one crane and a tradition that is older than the crane. On the day a new boat is launched, someone is given the Golden Brush. It is an ordinary paintbrush that was dipped in brass a long time ago. It sits on a velvet cushion in a glass case like a crown jewel.

港口尽头那座小船坞有三条下水滑道、一台起重机，还有一个比起重机更古老的传统。每当一艘新船下水的日子，就会有人被授予“金漆刷”。那只是一把普通的油漆刷，很久以前镀过一层黄铜。它躺在玻璃柜里的天鹅绒垫子上，像一件王冠上的珠宝。

This year the launch boat is a blue-and-white fishing cutter, and it looks beautiful. Every plank gleams. The name on the bow was painted with such care that visitors lean over to touch the letters to check they are real. The whole yard stands on the concrete with their arms folded, waiting for the manager to announce who painted it.

今年下水的是一艘蓝白相间的渔船，漂亮极了。每一块船板都闪闪发亮。船头上的船名写得那样精心，来访的客人都俯身去摸那些字母，看它们是不是真的。整个船坞的人双臂交叠站在水泥地上，等着经理宣布这是谁漆的。

There is only one problem. Two people step forward at the same moment.

只有一个问题。有两个人同时走上前来。

"It was me," says Gabi.

“是我，”加比说。

"It was me," says Adel.

“是我，”阿德尔说。

They are seventeen, they are the yard's only apprentices, and they are identical twins. They have the same dark curls and the same chipped front tooth. They even wipe their hands on the left leg of their overalls. For two years the manager has been calling them "you" when he needs them, because it saves him a lot of mistakes.

他们十七岁，是船坞仅有的两名学徒，还是一对一模一样的双胞胎。他们有同样的深色卷发，同样缺了一角的门牙。就连擦手，他们都是擦在工作服的左腿上。两年来，经理需要他们时都只喊一声“你”，这样能省下许多差错。

"That is impossible," the manager says, rubbing his forehead. "Only one of you painted it."

“这不可能，”经理揉着额头说，“只有一个人漆了它。”

"Exactly," says Gabi. "And it was me."

“没错，”加比说，“就是我。”

"Exactly," says Adel. "And I am the one who did it."

“没错，”阿德尔说，“干这活的人就是我。”

The manager looks at the harbourmaster, who has come to hand over the prize. The harbourmaster looks at the cutter. Nobody looks at the twins' faces for long, because it is a little like looking into a mirror that has learned to argue.

经理看向港务长，后者是来颁奖的。港务长看着那艘渔船。没有人会长时间盯着这对双胞胎的脸，因为那有点像看着一面学会了争吵的镜子。

"Let us settle this fairly," says the harbourmaster. "Each of you will explain exactly what you did."

“咱们公平地解决这件事，”港务长说，“你们每人说说自己到底做了什么。”

Gabi goes first. He says he was up at five every morning for two weeks. He says he sanded the hull three times, mixed the paint himself and painted the lettering with a brush as thin as an eyelash. He says his shoulders still ache from the work, and he demonstrates, with a long groan.

加比先说。他说他连续两个星期，每天早上五点就起床。他说他把船体打磨了三遍，亲手调了油漆，用一支细得像睫毛的笔画了那些字。他说他的肩膀至今还在酸痛，说着还当场演示了一下，发出长长的一声呻吟。

Adel waits politely. Then he says he was up at five every morning for two weeks. He sanded the hull three times, mixed the paint himself and painted the lettering with a brush as thin as an eyelash. His shoulders ache as well. He groans for slightly longer than Gabi, to be safe.

阿德尔礼貌地等着。然后他说，他连续两个星期，每天早上五点就起床。他把船体打磨了三遍，亲手调了油漆，用一支细得像睫毛的笔画了那些字。他的肩膀也酸痛。他呻吟的时间比加比稍微长了一点，以防万一。

"This is exactly what I said," says Gabi.

“这跟我说的一模一样，”加比说。

"I am afraid I said it first," says Adel.

“恐怕是我先说的，”阿德尔说。

"You said it second."

“你是第二个说的。”

"I said it at the same time, which means first."

“我是同时说的，这就意味着是第一个。”

The harbourmaster takes a notebook out of his pocket and writes something, and then he crosses it out.

港务长从口袋里掏出一本笔记本，写了点什么，然后又划掉了。

The investigation grows. The manager examines the lettering for a signature and finds none. The crane driver is called as a witness, but he admits he never looks at anything lower than his own cabin window. A retired shipwright suggests a test: each twin must paint the letter G on a spare board, and the judges will compare the handwriting. Both twins paint a perfect G. They look so similar that the shipwright leans back and says a word the harbourmaster pretends not to hear.

调查越来越复杂。经理检查字母上有没有签名，什么也没找到。起重机司机被叫来作证，却承认自己从来不看比驾驶室窗口更低的东西。一位退休的造船工提议做个测试：两个孩子各在一块备用木板上写一个字母G，评委来比对笔迹。两人都写出了一个完美的G。他们长得太像了，造船工往后一靠，说了一个港务长假装没听到的字眼。

By midday a small crowd has gathered. Someone brings out folding chairs. A child sells lemonade from a wheelbarrow. The twins stand side by side in front of the cutter, still insisting, still identical, and still absolutely certain.

到了中午，周围聚起了一小群人。有人搬来了折叠椅。一个孩子推着手推车卖柠檬水。双胞胎并肩站在渔船前，依然坚持，依然一模一样，依然坚信不疑。

"If you had painted it," Gabi says to Adel, "you would know that the name on the bow is slightly crooked."

“要是你漆的，”加比对阿德尔说，“你就会知道，船头上的名字有一点歪。”

"It is not crooked," says Adel. "It is italic. And I know that, because I made it italic."

“不是歪，”阿德尔说，“是斜体。我知道，因为是我把它做成斜体的。”

"You see? He admits it was done on purpose. That means he is the clever one, and I did all the hard work."

“你看？他承认是故意的。这说明他是聪明的那个，而我干了所有的苦活。”

"That is not what I meant."

“我不是这个意思。”

"It is what you said."

“你就是这么说的。”

The argument is going to last until dinner, and everyone knows it. The harbourmaster has checked his watch twice. The manager has gone pale. Even the seagulls on the roof of the shed seem bored.

这场争论会一直持续到晚饭时分，所有人都心知肚明。港务长已经看了两次表。经理的脸色发白。就连棚顶上的海鸥看起来也腻烦了。

Then a small voice speaks from the back of the crowd.

就在这时，人群后面有个小小的声音响起。

"Excuse me," says the boy who sells the lemonade. "What does the winner actually get?"

“打扰一下，”卖柠檬水的男孩说，“赢的人到底能得到什么？”

The yard goes quiet.

船坞里安静了下来。

It is a strange kind of quiet. It falls when a roomful of people all realise they should have asked something an hour ago. The twins turn around slowly. The manager opens his mouth and closes it again. The harbourmaster looks at the velvet cushion and then at the notebook in his hand.

那是一种奇怪的安静。是一屋子人忽然都意识到，自己一个小时前就该问点什么时才会有的安静。双胞胎慢慢转过身来。经理张开嘴，又闭上了。港务长看看天鹅绒垫子，又看看手里的笔记本。

"Well," he says, "the Golden Brush, of course."

“嗯，”他说，“当然是金漆刷。”

"Sure, but what does that mean?" the boy asks. "Does the winner get money? A holiday? A medal?"

“当然啦，可那是什么意思呢？”男孩问，“赢的人能得到钱吗？一次假期？一枚奖牌？”

"Nobody has ever asked me that," the harbourmaster says honestly. He turns the page of his notebook, then another, then a third. His eyebrows slowly rise. "Ah."

“从来没人问过我这个，”港务长老实地说。他翻了一页笔记本，又翻一页，再翻一页。他的眉毛慢慢扬了起来。“啊。”

"What is it?" says the manager.

“怎么了？”经理问。

"It says here that the holder of the Golden Brush is responsible for the yard's winter job." He reads the line again, as if hoping it will change. "Every year, from the first frost until the thaw, the holder must scrape and repaint the hull of the old harbour ferry. By hand. Alone. All forty metres of it."

“这上面写着，金漆刷的持有者要负责船坞的冬季活计，”他又读了一遍那一行，好像希望它会变一样。“每年从第一场霜到解冻，持有者必须刮净并重新粉刷港口那艘旧渡轮的船体。用手工。一个人。整整四十米长。”

Nobody says a word. A gull lands on the crane and then thinks better of it.

没有人说话。一只海鸥落到起重机上，转念一想，又飞走了。

Gabi is the first to move. He takes one careful step backwards, away from the glass case, away from the cushion, and away from the cutter.

加比第一个行动。他小心翼翼地往后退了一步，离开玻璃柜，离开垫子，也离开了那艘渔船。

"Of course," he says, in a voice full of sudden generosity. "If it is going to make Adel so happy, I suppose I could let him have it."

“当然，”他说，声音里忽然充满了慷慨，“要是这能让阿德尔那么高兴，我想我可以让给他。”

"No, no, no," Adel says, holding up both hands. "You worked so hard. I could never take something that belongs to you."

“不，不，不，”阿德尔举起双手说，“你干得那么辛苦。我怎么能拿属于你的东西。”

"I insist."

“我坚持。”

"I insist more."

“我更坚持。”

"You painted the lettering."

“字是你漆的。”

"I only painted the lettering because you told me to!"

“我漆那些字只是因为你叫我漆的！”

"So you admit it!" says Gabi.

“这么说你承认了！”加比说。

"I admit nothing!" says Adel.

“我什么也没承认！”阿德尔说。

The manager takes the Golden Brush from the cushion, walks across the concrete, and presses it gently into the hands of the nearest twin. Then he steps back and points a finger at the other one.

经理从垫子上拿起金漆刷，穿过水泥地，轻轻地把它塞进离他最近的那个双胞胎手里。然后他退后一步，用手指着另一个。

"Since you both painted it, and neither of you wants the prize, you will both scrape the ferry. Starting at six tomorrow. And please try to be different, just once, so that I can tell who is late."

“既然你们俩都漆了它，又都不想要奖品，那你们俩就一起去刮渡轮。明天早上六点开始。还有，请你们试着有一回不一样，这样我才能分清谁迟到了。”