评论
打印
"And now you've lost her," she cried wildly;
“而现在你失去了她，”她狂叫着，
"and some other school will get her and her money;
“而别的学校将得到她和她的钱；
and if she were like any other child she'd tell how she's been treated, and all our pupils would be taken away and we should be ruined.
倘若她像其他任何孩子一样，她便会讲出她是怎样受到虐待的，那样我们所有的学生都会被领走，我们就完蛋了。
And it serves us right; but it serves you right more than it does me, for you are a hard woman, Maria Minchin, you're a hard, selfish, worldly woman!"
我们是咎由自取，而你比我更是活该，因为你是个铁石心肠的女人，玛丽亚·铭钦——你是个狠心、自私、唯利是图的女人！”
And she was in danger of making so much noise with her hysterical chokes and gurgles that her sister was obliged to go to her and apply salts and sal volatile to quiet her, instead of pouring forth her indignation at her audacity.
她歇斯底里得喉头硬咽，咕噜咕噜响，眼看要闹得太厉害了，她姐姐不得不去拿嗅盐和碳酸铁来给她服用，好使她镇静下来，而没敢向她的大胆犯上行为倾泻怒火。
And from that time forward, it may be mentioned, the elder Miss Minchin actually began to stand a little in awe of a sister who,
值得一提的是，从此以后，那做姐姐的铭钦女士居然开始对她妹妹有几分畏惧了，
while she looked so foolish, was evidently not quite so foolish as she looked,
她这妹妹虽然傻里傻气的，可显然并不像看上去那样傻，
and might, consequently, break out and speak truths people did not want to hear.
最终还可能一怒而说出人们不愿意听的真话。
That evening, when the pupils were gathered together before the fire in the schoolroom,
当天傍晚，学生们聚集在教室里的炉火前，
as was their custom before going to bed, Ermengarde came in with a letter in her hand and a queer expression on her round face.
这一向是她们上床前的习惯，这时埃芒加德手里拿着一封信进来了，圆圆的脸上露出一副奇特的表情。
It was queer because, while it was an expression of delighted excitement,
之所以奇特，是因为她一方面显得又高兴又激动，
it was combined with such amazement as seemed to belong to a kind of shock just received.
另一方面却夹杂着惊奇的神色，似乎刚受到一场惊吓似的。
"What is the matter?" cried two or three voices at once.
“出了什么事儿？”两三个声音同时喊道。
"Is it anything to do with the row that has been going on?" said Lavinia, eagerly.
“是不是跟刚才那阵吵嚷有关的？”拉维尼娅迫不及待地问道。
"There has been such a row in Miss Minchin's room, Miss Amelia has had something like hysterics and has had to go to bed."
“铭钦女士房里有一阵争吵，闹得很凶，阿米莉亚小姐像发了歇斯底里，不得不上床去睡了。”
Ermengarde answered them slowly as if she were half stunned.
埃芒加德慢吞吞地回答她们，似乎她被吓得半死了。
"I have just had this letter from Sara," she said, holding it out to let them see what a long letter it was.
“我刚才接到萨拉的这封信，”她说着伸手给她们看这信有多么长。
"From Sara!" Every voice joined in that exclamation.
“萨拉的来信！”众口同声地喊道。
"Where is she?" almost shrieked Jessie.
“她在哪儿呀？”杰西几乎是尖声叫嚷的。
"Next door," said Ermengarde, "with the Indian gentleman."
“在隔壁，”埃芒加德依旧慢吞吞地说，“和那位印度绅士在一起。”
