Nobody knew what to do at first. Deposit slips fluttered to the floor. A man touched the rim of his baseball cap to make sure it was still there.

一开始没人知道该怎么办。存款单飘落到地上，一个男人摸了摸自己棒球帽的帽檐，确认它还在那儿。

The bank robber seemed just as shocked. There were too many people. He realized that， despite all his preparation， he hadn’t considered the afternoon rush.

银行劫匪似乎同样惊诧。人也太多了。他意识到，尽管自己做足准备，但还是没考虑到午后的高峰期。

“Put your hands up，” he said， and people more or less did that. “You’re all hostages now.”

“把手都举起来。”他说。大家基本都照做了。“你们现在都是人质了。”

“We don’t want to be hostages，” someone said.

“我们不想当人质。”有人说。

“That’s not how this works，” the bank robber said. “I come in， you all become hostages， I get some money and leave， and then you’re free again.”

“这事儿可由不得你。”劫匪说，“我一进来，你们就都变成人质了，我拿了钱走人，你们就又自由了。”

“We’re afraid，” someone else said.

“我们害怕。”另一个人说。

The bank robber got it—he was also afraid.

劫匪心里懂——他也害怕。

A bank teller waved her hand， which was still raised above her head. “I’ll be the hostage，” she said.

一位银行柜员挥了挥举在头顶的手。“让我当人质吧。”她说。

“You are already one of many hostages，” the bank robber said.

“你已经是众多人质之一了。”劫匪说。

“Then everyone can go and sit in the old vault，” she said. “There’s no way to call for help in there， and it has a heavy iron door. That means fewer people to mess things up. And I can access everything up front.”

“那就让所有人都到旧金库里待着去。”她说，“那里面没法求救，还有个沉重的铁门。这样一来就没几个人能添乱了。前台的所有东西我都能拿到。”

It was a good plan and made the bank robber feel less like he had screwed up by coming in during the rush. “You’re sure there are no alert switches or emergency phones in there？”

这是个好主意，也让劫匪觉得自己选在高峰期行动也不太至于搞砸一切。“你确定那里面没有报警器或者紧急电话吗？”

“It’s a hundred years old，” she said. “You couldn’t get a call out of there if you tried.”

“那地方有好些年头了。”她说，“就算你想打电话，里面也拨不出去。”

The hostages all turned to see what he would say. He shifted his gun from one hand to the other.

人质们都转头看他会怎么说。他把枪从一只手换到另一只手上。

“Fine，” he said.

“行吧。”他说。

They all went to the old vault and the hostages filed in silently. There was plenty of room for them to sit or stand; they would be comfortable there. The teller turned an iron wheel to lock them in. “All right，” she said. “Let’s get to work.”

众人都去了旧金库，人质们安静地鱼贯而入。里面有足够的空间供他们或站或坐，人人都呆得舒坦。柜员转动铁转盘，把众人锁在里面。“好了。”她说，“开始做事吧。”

She opened every teller station using keys on a ring she kept at her waist. He watched her stack the money in a duffel bag1， one of two he had brought for the purpose. He was grateful for her knowledge and assistance， if a little unsettled that she was offering it all so freely.

她用腰间钥匙环上的钥匙，打开所有出纳柜台。他看着她把钱码放进一个圆筒包里——那是他带来的两个包之一。他感激柜员的熟练与协助，不过也因为她如此痛快地主动帮忙而略感不安。

“You’re not putting a dye pack2 in there， are you？” he asked.

“你该不会往里面放染料包吧？”他问。

The woman turned to look at him， and he was surprised to see that his question seemed to have wounded her. “I would never，” she said. “What would make you say that？”

女人转头看向他，他惊讶地发现这个问题似乎伤了她的心。