"Take her for a walk in the park, or a straw ride, or walk home with her from church Chance! Pshaw!"

“带她上公园散步，或者驾车出游，要么做完礼拜陪她回家也可以。机会，多的是嘛！”

"you don't know the social mill, dad. She's part of the stream that turns it.

“你不知道现在社交界的状况，爹。她是社交界的头面人物之一，

Every hour and minute of her time is arranged for days in advance. I must have that girl, dad,

她的每小时每分钟都在前几天预先安排妥当了。我非要那个姑娘不可，爹，

or this town is a blackjack swamp forevermore. And I can't write it--I can't do that."

否则这个城市会变成腐臭的沼泽，使我抱恨终身。我又无法写信表白，不能那么做。”

"Tut!" said the old man. "Do you mean to tell me that with all the money I've got you can't get an hour or two of a girl's time for yourself?"

“呸！”老头儿说。“你是想对我说，拿我的全部财产做后盾，你还不能让一个姑娘陪你一两个小时吗？”

"I've put it off too late. She's going to sail for Europe at noon day after to-morrow for a two youars' stay.

“我发动得太迟了。后天中午，她就要乘船去欧洲，在那儿待两年。

I'm to see her alone to-morrow evening for a few minutes. She's at Larchmont now at her aunt's. I can't go there.

明天傍晚，我可以单独同她待上几分钟。眼前她在拉奇蒙特她姨妈家。我不能到那儿去。

But I'm allowed to meet her with a cab at the Grand Central Station to-morrow evening at the 8.30 train.

但是 她答应我明天傍晚乘马车到中央火车站去接她，她搭八点三十分那班火车来。

We drive down Broadway to Wallack's at a gallop, where her mother and a box party will be waiting for us in the lobby.

我们一道乘马车赶到百老汇街的沃拉克剧院，她母亲和别的亲友在剧院休息室等我们。

Do you think she would listen to a declaration from me during that six or eight minutes under those circumstances?

你以为在那种情况下，只有六到八分钟，她会听我表白心意吗？

No. And what chance would I have in the theatre or afterward? None. No, dad, this is one tangle that your money can't unravel.

不会的。在剧院里或者散戏之后，我还能有什么机会呢？绝对没有。 不，爸爸，这就是你的金钱所不能解决的难题。

We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer.

金钱连一分钟的时间都买不到；如果能买到，有钱人就能长生不老了。

There's no hope of getting a talk with Miss Lantry before she sails."

在兰特里小姐启航之前，我没希望同她好好谈谈了。”

"All right, Richard, my boy," said old Anthony, cheerfully. "you may run along down to your club now.

“好啦，理查德，孩子，”老安东尼快活地说。“现在，你可以去俱乐部玩了。

I'm glad it ain't your liver. But don't forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss house to the great god Mazuma from time to time.

我很高兴你的肝脏没闹毛病，不过别忘了常常去神庙，给伟大的财神爷烧香跪拜求保佑。

you say money won't buy time? Well, of course, you can't order eternity wrapped up and delivered at your residence for a price,

你说钱买不到时间吗？唔，当然，你不能出个价钱，叫永恒包扎得好好的给你送到家门口，

but I've seen Father Time get pretty bad stone bruises on his heels when he walked through the gold diggings."

但是，我已经见过，时间老人穿过金矿时，被石块弄得满脚伤痕。”