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"There was the case of poor Grandmamma Spicer; your great-grandmother, May. Of course," Mrs. Welland hastened to add, "your great- grandfather's money difficulties were private--losses at cards, or signing a note for somebody--I never quite knew, because Mamma would never speak of it.
“可怜的祖母斯派塞--你的太外婆，梅--就是个例子。当然，”韦兰太太急忙补充说，“你太外公的财政困难是私人性质的--打牌输了，或者借给别人了--我一直不很清楚，因为妈妈从米不肯讲。
But she was brought up in the country because her mother had to leave New York after the disgrace, whatever it was: they lived up the Hudson alone, winter and summer, till Mamma was sixteen.
但她是在乡下长大的，因为出了丢脸的事，不管是怎么回事，她母亲不得不离开了纽约。她们单独住在哈德逊河上游，年复一年，直到我妈妈16岁。
It would never have occurred to Grandmamma Spicer to ask the family to 'countenance' her, as I understand Regina calls it; though a private disgrace is nothing compared to the scandal of ruining hundreds of innocent people."
斯派塞祖母是绝对不会像里吉纳那样要求家里人‘支持’她的，尽管私人性质的耻辱与毁了数百个无辜者的丑闻相比简直算不了什么。”
"Yes, it would be more becoming in Regina to hide her own countenance than to talk about other people's," Mrs. Lovell Mingott agreed.
“是啊，里吉纳若是躲起来不露面，比要求别人支持更得体，”洛弗尔太太赞同地说。
"I understand that the emerald necklace she wore at the Opera last Friday had been sent on approval from Ball and Black's in the afternoon.
“我听说，上星期五看歌剧时她戴的祖母绿项链是鲍尔一布莱克首饰店下午刚送去的试用品，
I wonder if they'll ever get it back?"
不知他们是否还能收回去。”
Archer listened unmoved to the relentless chorus.
阿切尔无动于衷地听着异口同声的无情声讨。
The idea of absolute financial probity as the first law of a gentleman's code was too deeply ingrained in him for sentimental considerations to weaken it.
在财政事务中的绝对诚实，是绅士规范的首要法则，这在他心目中根深蒂固，多愁善感的体恤也不能将其削弱。
An adventurer like Lemuel Struthers might build up the millions of his Shoe Polish on any number of shady dealings; but unblemished honesty was the noblesse oblige of old financial New York.
像莱姆尔·斯特拉瑟斯之流的投机分子可以靠无数见不得人的勾当为他的鞋油店聚集几百万，但清白诚实依然是老纽约金融界崇尚的道德规范。
Nor did Mrs. Beaufort's fate greatly move Archer.
博福特太太的命运也没有给阿切尔以太太的触动。
He felt, no doubt, more sorry for her than her indignant relatives; but it seemed to him that the tie between husband and wife, even if breakable in prosperity, should be indissoluble in misfortune.
与她那些愤愤的亲戚相比，他无疑更为她感到遗憾，但他认为夫妻间的纽带即便顺利时可以破裂，在逆境中却应坚不可摧。
As Mr. Letterblair had said, a wife's place was at her husband's side when he was in trouble; but society's place was not at his side, and Mrs. Beaufort's cool assumption that it was seemed almost to make her his accomplice.
正如莱特布赖先生说的，当丈夫遇到困难时，妻子应该站在他一边。然而上流社会却不会站在他一边。博福特太太厚颜地臆断它会支持他，这种想法几乎把她变成了他的帮凶。
The mere idea of a woman's appealing to her family to screen her husband's business dishonour was inadmissible, since it was the one thing that the Family, as an institution, could not do.
她请求她的家人遮盖她丈夫生意上的耻辱--仅仅有这种想法都是不能允许的，因为家庭作为社会的细胞是不能做那种事的。
The mulatto maid called Mrs. Lovell Mingott into the hall, and the latter came back in a moment with a frowning brow.
混血女佣把洛弗尔太太叫到门厅，后者旋即皱着眉头回来了。
"She wants me to telegraph for Ellen Olenska. I had written to Ellen, of course, and to Medora; but now it seems that's not enough.
“她要我发电报叫埃伦·奥兰斯卡。当然，我已经给埃伦写了信去，也给梅多拉写了。
I'm to telegraph to her immediately, and to tell her that she's to come alone."
可现在看来还不行，我得赶紧去给她发份电报，叫她一个人回来。”
The announcement was received in silence. Mrs. Welland sighed resignedly, and May rose from her seat and went to gather up some newspapers that had been scattered on the floor.
迎接这一消息的是一片沉默。韦兰太太听大由命地叹了口气，梅则从座位上站起来，去收拾散落在地上的几张报纸。
"I suppose it must be done," Mrs. Lovell Mingott continued, as if hoping to be contradicted; and May turned back toward the middle of the room.
“我看这电报是一定得发了。”洛弗尔·明戈特太太接着说，似乎希望有人反对似的。梅转身走向屋子中间。
"Of course it must be done," she said.
“当然一定得发了，”她说。
"Granny knows what she wants, and we must carry out all her wishes. Shall I write the telegram for you, Auntie?
“外婆清楚自己想干什么，我们必须满足她的所有要求。我来为你写电文好吗，舅妈？
If it goes at once Ellen can probably catch tomorrow morning's train."
如果立即发走，埃伦也许能赶上明晨的火车。”
She pronounced the syllables of the name with a peculiar clearness, as if she had tapped on two silver bells.
她将那名字的音节说得特别清晰，仿佛敲响两只银铃似的。
"Well, it can't go at once. Jasper and the pantry-boy are both out with notes and telegrams."
“唔，马上可发不走，贾斯珀和配膳男仆都出去送信、发电报了。”
May turned to her husband with a smile. "But here's Newland, ready to do anything.
梅嫣然一笑转向她的丈夫。“可这儿有纽兰待命呢。
Will you take the telegram, Newland? There'll be just time before luncheon."
你去发电报好吗，纽兰？午饭前正好还来得及。”
Archer rose with a murmur of readiness, and she seated herself at old Catherine's rosewood "Bonheur du Jour," and wrote out the message in her large immature hand.
阿切尔站起来，咕哝说行。她自己坐到老凯瑟琳玫瑰木的“迭式写字台”旁，用她那尚不够圆熟的大字体写起了电文。
When it was written she blotted it neatly and handed it to Archer.
写完又用吸墨纸仔细吸干，交给了阿切尔。
"What a pity," she said, "that you and Ellen will cross each other on the way!--Newland," she added, turning to her mother and aunt, "is obliged to go to Washington about a patent law-suit that is coming up before the Supreme Court.
“多可惜呀，”她说，“你和埃伦要在路上擦肩而过了！”她转过身来对着母亲和舅妈补充说：“纽兰得到华盛顿去，为了一件即将提交最高法院的专利案件。
I suppose Uncle Lovell will be back by tomorrow night, and with Granny improving so much it doesn't seem right to ask Newland to give up an important engagement for the firm--does it?"
我想，洛弗尔舅舅明晚就回来了，既然外婆大有好转，似乎不应该让纽兰放弃事务所的一项重要任务吧？”
She paused, as if for an answer, and Mrs. Welland hastily declared: "Oh, of course not, darling.
她打住话头，仿佛等待回答。韦兰太太急忙声明说：“噢，当然不应该，亲爱的。
Your Granny would be the last person to wish it." As Archer left the room with the telegram, he heard his mother-in- law add, presumably to Mrs. Lovell Mingott: "But why on earth she should make you telegraph for Ellen Olenska--" and May's clear voice rejoin: "Perhaps it's to urge on her again that after all her duty is with her husband."
你外婆最不愿那样了。”阿切尔拿着电报走出房间后，听到他的岳母又说--可能是对洛弗尔·明戈特：“可她究竟干吗要让你发电报叫埃伦·奥兰斯卡--”梅声音清晰地应声说：“也许是为了再次向她强调，她的职责终究是要和丈夫在一起。”
The outer door closed on Archer and he walked hastily away toward the telegraph office.
外大门在阿切尔身后关上了，他急忙向电报局走去。
