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"But all the while," Mrs. Welland began again, as she rose from the luncheon-table, and led the way into the wilderness of purple satin and malachite known as the back drawing-room, "I don't see how Ellen's to be got here tomorrow evening; and I do like to have things settled for at least twenty-four hours ahead."
“可到头来，我还是不知道埃伦明天傍晚怎么到这儿来，”韦兰太太从午餐桌前站起身来，带领大家走进满眼是紫缎子和孔雀石的所谓后客厅，她又发话了。“我总爱至少提前24小时把事情安排停当。”
Archer turned from the fascinated contemplation of a small painting representing two Cardinals carousing, in an octagonal ebony frame set with medallions of onyx.
阿切尔从沉思中转过头来。他正凝神专注于一幅表现两位红衣主教畅饮的画，那幅小画用八角乌木框镶在大理石浮雕上。
"Shall I fetch her?" he proposed.
“我去接她吧？”他提议说。
"I can easily get away from the office in time to meet the brougham at the ferry, if May will send it there." His heart was beating excitedly as he spoke.
“我可以很容易从事务所走开，按时到渡口去接那辆四轮马车--如果梅把车送去的话。”他说着，心脏不由兴奋地跳动起来。
Mrs. Welland heaved a sigh of gratitude, and May, who had moved away to the window, turned to shed on him a beam of approval.
韦兰太太感激地吁了口气，已经挪到窗口的梅转过身来向他露出赞同的笑脸。
"So you see, mamma, everything will be settled twenty-four hours in advance," she said, stooping over to kiss her mother's troubled forehead.
“所以，你瞧，妈妈，一切都会提前24小时安排停当的，”她说着，弯下身吻了一下母亲忧虑的额头。
May's brougham awaited her at the door, and she was to drive Archer to Union Square, where he could pick up a Broadway car to carry him to the office.
梅的马车在大门口等她，她要把阿切尔送到联邦广场，他可以在那儿搭乘百老汇的公共马车，送他去事务所。
As she settled herself in her corner she said: "I didn't want to worry mamma by raising fresh obstacles; but how can you meet Ellen tomorrow, and bring her back to New York, when you're going to Washington?"
她在自己那个角落坐下后说：“我刚才是不想再提出新的困难让妈妈担心，可明天你怎么能去接埃伦，并把她带回纽约来呢--你不是要去华盛顿吗？”
"Oh, I'm not going," Archer answered.
“噢，我不去了，”阿切尔回答说。
"Not going? why, what's happened?" Her voice was as clear as a bell, and full of wifely solicitude.
“不去了？怎么，出了什么事？”她的声音像银铃般清脆，并充满妻子的关切。
"The case is off--postponed."
“案子推了--延期了。”
"Postponed? How odd!
“延期了？真奇怪！
I saw a note this morning from Mr. Letterblair to mammasaying that he was going to Washington tomorrow for the big patent case that he was to argue before the Supreme Court.
今天早上我见到莱特布赖给妈妈的一封便函，说明天他因为一件专利大案要去华盛顿，他要到最高法院去辩论。
You said it was a patent case, didn't you?"
你说过是件专利案，不是吗？”
"Well--that's it: the whole office can't go. Letterblair decided to go this morning."
“唔--就是这案子：事务所的人不能全都去呀。莱特布赖决定今天上午走。”
"Then it's not postponed?" she continued, with an insistence so unlike her that he felt the blood rising to his face, as if he were blushing for her unwonted lapse from all the traditional delicacies.
“这么说，案子没有延期？”她接着说，那寻根刨底的样子十分反常。他觉得热血涌上了面颊，为她少见的有失审慎的风度而难为情。
"No, but my going is," he answered, cursing the unnecessary explanations that he had given when he had announced his intention of going to Washington, and wondering where he had read that clever liars give details, but that the cleverest do not.
“没有，不过我去的时间推迟了。”他回答说，心里诅咒着当初宣布要去华盛顿时那些多余的解释，并想起不知在哪儿读到过的一句话：聪明的说谎者编造详情，最聪明的说谎者却不。
It did not hurt him half as much to tell May an untruth as to see her trying to pretend that she had not detected him.
对梅说一次谎话倒无关紧要，令他伤心的是他发现她想假装没有识破他。
"I'm not going till later on: luckily for the convenience of your family," he continued, taking base refuge in sarcasm.
“我以后再去，幸好这样能为你们家提供一点方便，”他接着说，用一句挖苦话作拙劣的掩护。
As he spoke he felt that she was looking at him, and he turned his eyes to hers in order not to appear to be avoiding them.
他说话时觉得她在盯着他，于是他把目光对准她的眼睛，以免显得在回避她的注视。
Their glances met for a second, and perhaps let them into each other's meanings more deeply than either cared to go.
两人的目光交汇了片刻，那目光也许注入了太多的含义，这是两人谁都不希望发生的。
"Yes; it is awfully convenient," May brightly agreed, "that you should be able to meet Ellen after all; you saw how much mamma appreciated your offering to do it."
“是啊，”梅愉快地赞同说。“你能去接埃伦，确实太方便了，你没见妈妈听说你要去是多么感激嘛。”
"Oh, I'm delighted to do it." The carriage stopped, and as he jumped out she leaned to him and laid her hand on his.
“哦，我很高兴去接她。”马车停下了，他从车上下来时，她倚在他身上，并把手放在他的手上。
"Good-bye, dearest," she said, her eyes so blue that he wondered afterward if they had shone on him through tears.
“再见，最亲爱的，”她说。她的眼睛特别蓝；过后他思量，那目光是否是通过泪水射向他的？
He turned away and hurried across Union Square, repeating to himself, in a sort of inward chant: "It's all of two hours from Jersey City to old Catherine's. It's all of two hours--and it may be more."
他转过身去，匆匆穿过联邦广场，心里默默重复着一句话：“从泽西城到老凯瑟琳家一共要两小时，一共两小时--可能还会多。”
