评论
打印
As they drove away May laid her hand shyly on his. "I'm so sorry you don't feel well.
他们乘车离开，梅怯生生地把手放在他的手上。“你不舒服，我心里很难过。
I'm afraid they've been overworking you again at the office."
怕是他们在事务所又让你劳累过度了吧。”
"No--it's not that: do you mind if I open the window?" he returned confusedly, letting down the pane on his side.
“不--不是那么回事。我把窗打开行吗？”他不知所措地说，
He sat staring out into the street, feeling his wife beside him as a silent watchful interrogation, and keeping his eyes steadily fixed on the passing houses.
一面落下他那边的窗玻璃。他坐在那儿，眼睛盯着窗外的街道，觉得妻子在身边就像在默默地对他监视、审讯一样，便用眼睛紧紧盯着一座座路过的房子。
At their door she caught her skirt in the step of the carriage, and fell against him.
到了家门口，她在马车的阶蹬上被裙子绊了一下，倒在他身上。
"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, steadying her with his arm.
“你没受伤吧？”他问道，并用胳膊扶稳她。
"No; but my poor dress--see how I've torn it!" she exclaimed.
“没有；可是我可怜的衣服--瞧我把它撕坏了！”她大声说，
She bent to gather up a mud-stained breadth, and followed him up the steps into the hall.
弯身提起被泥土弄脏的那一面，跟着他跨上台阶进了门厅。
The servants had not expected them so early, and there was only a glimmer of gas on the upper landing.
仆人们没想到他们这么早回来，上面平台上只有一盏微弱的煤气灯。
Archer mounted the stairs, turned up the light, and put a match to the brackets on each side of the library mantelpiece.
阿切尔上楼捻亮了灯，并用火柴点着图书室壁炉台两侧的煤气灯嘴。
The curtains were drawn, and the warm friendly aspect of the room smote him like that of a familiar face met during an unavowable errand.
窗帘都拉上了，屋子里暖融融的温馨气氛深深触动了他，使他觉得好像在执行一项难于启齿的任务时遇上了熟人一样。
He noticed that his wife was very pale, and asked if he should get her some brandy.
他注意到妻子脸色十分苍白，问她是否需要他弄点儿白兰地来。
"Oh, no," she exclaimed with a momentary flush, as she took off her cloak.
“噢，不用，”她说着一阵脸红，脱下了外套。
"But hadn't you better go to bed at once?" she added, as he opened a silver box on the table and took out a cigarette.
“你赶紧上床不好吗？”她又说。这时他打开桌上一个银匣子，取出一支香烟。
Archer threw down the cigarette and walked to his usual place by the fire.
阿切尔丢下烟，走到他平时坐的炉火旁边。
"No; my head is not as bad as that." He paused. "And there's something I want to say; something important--that I must tell you at once."
“不用，我的头痛得没那么厉害。”他停顿了一下又说：“我有件事想说一说，一件重要的事--我必须立即告诉你。”
She had dropped into an armchair, and raised her head as he spoke. "Yes, dear?" she rejoined, so gently that he wondered at the lack of wonder with which she received this preamble.
她已坐在扶手椅里，听他一说，抬起头来。“是吗，亲爱的？”她应声道，声音那么温柔，她对他的开场白见怪不怪的态度倒使他感到奇怪了。
"May--" he began, standing a few feet from her chair, and looking over at her as if the slight distance between them were an unbridgeable abyss.
“梅--”他开口道。他站在离她的椅于几英尺之外，对面看着她，仿佛他们之间这点距离是不可逾越的深渊似的。
The sound of his voice echoed uncannily through the homelike hush, and he repeated: "There is something I've got to tell you... about myself..."
他的话音在这种舒适安静的气氛中听起来有点怪异，他又重复地说：“有件事情我必须告诉你……关于我自己……”
She sat silent, without a movement or a tremor of her lashes.
她沉静地坐着，一动不动，眼睛都没眨一下。
She was still extremely pale, but her face had a curious tranquillity of expression that seemed drawn from some secret inner source.
她的脸色仍然非常苍白，但表情却出奇地平静，那平静仿佛来源于内心一种神秘的力量。
Archer checked the conventional phrases of self-accusal that were crowding to his lips.
阿切尔压住了涌到嘴边的那种自责的套语，
He was determined to put the case baldly, without vain recrimination or excuse.
他决心直截了当地把事情说开，不做徒劳的自责或辩解。
"Madame Olenska--" he said; but at the name his wife raised her hand as if to silence him.
“奥兰斯卡夫人--”他说道，但妻子一听这个名字便举起一只手，好像让他住口似的。
As she did so the gaslight struck on the gold of her wedding-ring, "Oh, why should we talk about Ellen tonight?" she asked, with a slight pout of impatience.
这样一来，煤气灯光便照射在她那枚结婚戒指的金面上。“咳，今晚我们干吗要谈论埃伦呢？”她略显厌烦地绷着脸问道。
"Because I ought to have spoken before."
“因为我早就该讲了。”
Her face remained calm. "Is it really worth while, dear? I know I've been unfair to her at times--perhaps we all have.
她脸色依然很平静。“真有必要吗，亲爱的？我知道有时我对她不够公正--也许我们都不公正。
You've understood her, no doubt, better than we did: you've always been kind to her. But what does it matter, now it's all over?"
无疑你比我更理解她：你一直对她很好。不过，既然都已经过去了，还有什么关系呢？”
Archer looked at her blankly.
阿切尔惶惑地看着她。
Could it be possible that the sense of unreality in which he felt himself imprisoned had communicated itself to his wife?
束缚着自己的那种虚幻感觉难道已传染给他妻子了吗？
"All over--what do you mean?" he asked in an indistinct stammer.
“都过去了--你这话什么意思？”他含糊不清地结巴着说。
May still looked at him with transparent eyes.
梅仍然用坦率的目光看着他。
"Why-- since she's going back to Europe so soon; since Granny approves and understands, and has arranged to make her independent of her husband--"
“怎么--因为她很快就回欧洲了；因为外婆赞成她、理解她，而且已经安排好让她不依赖她丈夫而独立--”
