Which actor read the letter in the end, the aristocrat or the gaoler?
到底是哪位演员读信，贵族还是狱卒？
Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.
有些戏剧是如此成功，他们连续运行多年。
In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night.
在许多方面，这对于那些被要求夜复一夜地重复相同台词的可怜演员来说是不幸的。
One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter.
人们会希望他们知道自己的部分，永远不会有动摇的理由。
Yet this is not always the case.
然而，情况并非总是如此。
A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years.
在一部非常成功的戏剧中，一位着名的演员曾经扮演一个被囚禁在巴士底狱二十年的贵族角色。
In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.
在最后一幕中，一个狱卒总是带着一封信走上舞台，他会把信交给囚犯。
Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.
尽管贵族在每次演出时都要读这封信，但他始终坚持要把信全写出来。
One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.
一天晚上，狱卒决定和他的同事开个玩笑，看看经过这么多的表演，他是否已经把信的内容记住了。
The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.
这出戏的最后一幕拉开了帷幕，揭示了一个贵族独自坐在他的黑暗牢房里。
Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands.
就在这时，狱卒手中拿着珍贵的信出现了。
He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat.
他走进牢房,把信交给贵族.
But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual.
但他给他的副本并没有像往常一样完整地写出来。
It was simply a blank sheet of paper.
那只是一张白纸.
The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines.
狱卒急切地看着他，急切地想看看他的同伴是否终于学会了他的台词。
The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.
贵族盯着那张白纸看了几秒钟。
Then, squinting his eyes, he said:'The light is dim. Read the letter to me. '
然后，眯着眼睛说：'光线暗淡。 把信读给我听。 '
And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler.
他立刻把那张纸递给狱卒。
Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses. '
狱卒发现他也记不起这封信的一个字了，就回答说："光线确实很暗，陛下。 我得去拿我的眼镜。 '
With this, he hurried off the stage.
说着，他匆匆离开了舞台。
Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.
