Jon trembled. I will never father a bastard¹, he said carefully. Never! He spat² it out like venom³. 琼恩浑身颤抖。"我绝不会在外面生什么私生子，"他一字一顿地说，"永远不会！"他将最后一句话当成毒液般吐出口。

Suddenly he realized that the table had fallen silent, and they were all looking at him. 这时他惊觉全桌的人不知什么时候都静了下来，所有人都盯着他。

He felt the tears begin to well behind his eyes. He pushed himself to his feet. 他只觉泪水充满眼眶，最后他站了起来。

I must be excused, he said with the last of his dignity. He whirled and bolted before they could see him cry. "恕我先告退。"他用最后一丝尊严说道，然后趁其他人看到他眼泪掉下之前，旋风似地跑开。

He must have drunk more wine than he had realized. His feet got tangled⁴ under him as he tried to leave, 他一定是喝多了，两只脚仿佛打了结，当即与一位女侍撞个满怀，

and he lurched sideways into a serving girl and sent a flagon of spiced wine crashing to the floor. 使一壶掺香料的葡萄酒泼洒在地，

Laughter boomed all around him, and Jon felt hot tears on his cheeks. Someone tried to steady him. 四座顿时响起哄堂大笑。琼恩眼中的热泪滚下面颊，有人想搀他，

He wrenched⁵ free of their grip and ran, half-blind, for the door. Ghost followed close at his heels, out into the night. 但他甩开善意的手，凭着辨不清地面的眼睛，继续朝大门跑去。白灵紧随其后，奔进低垂的夜幕。

The yard was quiet and empty. A lone⁶ sentry⁷ stood high on the battlements of the inner wall, his cloak pulled tight around him against the cold. 空荡的庭院分外寂静，内墙城垛上只有一位拉紧斗篷抵御寒意的守卫，独自蜷缩墙角，

He looked bored and miserable⁸ as he huddled⁹ there alone, but Jon would have traded places with him in an instant. 虽然看上去百无聊赖，表情悲苦，但琼恩却有一千个一万个想和他交换位置的愿望。

Otherwise the castle was dark and deserted¹⁰. Jon had seen an abandoned holdfast once, 除此之外，整座孤城四下漆黑，满是寂寥。琼恩曾去过一座被遗弃的庄园，

a drear place where nothing moved but the wind and the stones kept silent about whatever people had lived there. 那里杳无人迹、沉默阴郁，四下一片肃然，惟有巨石在默默倾诉过往主人的景况。

Winterfell reminded him of that tonight. 今夜的临冬城便让琼恩联想起当时的情景。