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My next visit to Cranford was in the summer.
我接下来一次去克兰福德是在夏天。
There had been neither births, deaths, nor marriages since I was there last.
自我上次在那儿之后，那里既没有人出生，也没有人死亡，也没有人结婚。
Everybody lived in the same house, and wore pretty nearly the same well-preserved, old-fashioned clothes.
每个人都住在与之前同样的房子里，穿着几乎相同的保存完好的老式衣服。
The greatest event was, that Miss Jenkyns had purchased a new carpet for the drawing-room.
最重大的事件是，詹金斯小姐为客厅购置了一块新地毯。
Oh, the busy work Miss Matty and I had in chasing the sunbeams, as they fell in an afternoon right down on this carpet through the blindless window!
哦，我和玛蒂小姐在追逐阳光时忙得不可开交，因为下午的阳光正好透过没有窗帘的窗户照在这块地毯上！
We spread newspapers over the places and sat down to our book or our work;
我们把报纸铺在地毯上，然后坐下来看书或做事；
and, lo! In a quarter of an hour the sun had moved, and was blazing away on a fresh spot; and down again we went on our knees to alter the position of the newspapers.
瞧！一刻钟后，太阳移动了位置，又照到了一个新的地方；于是我们又跪下来，把报纸挪了挪位置。
We were very busy, too, one whole morning, before Miss Jenkyns gave her party, in following her directions, and in cutting out and stitching together pieces of newspaper so as to form little paths to every chair set for the expected visitors, lest their shoes might dirty or defile the purity of the carpet.
在詹金斯小姐举办聚会之前的整整一个上午我们也非常忙，我们都在按照她的指示，把报纸裁剪再缝合起来，以便铺成小路，引领将要来的访客走到为她们放置的每把椅子前，以免她们的鞋子弄脏或玷污地毯的洁净。
Do you make paper paths for every guest to walk upon in London?
你们在伦敦会为每位客人铺纸路供他们行走吗？
Captain Brown and Miss Jenkyns were not very cordial to each other.
布朗上尉和詹金斯小姐彼此不太融洽。
The literary dispute, of which I had seen the beginning, was a “raw,” the slightest touch on which made them wince.
那场文学争论（其开端我曾目睹）是一个“痛处”，哪怕最轻微的触碰也会让他们彼此回避。
It was the only difference of opinion they had ever had; but that difference was enough.
这是他们之间唯一的分歧；但这个分歧已经足够了。
Miss Jenkyns could not refrain from talking at Captain Brown; and, though he did not reply, he drummed with his fingers, which action she felt and resented as very disparaging to Dr Johnson.
詹金斯小姐忍不住对着布朗上尉大发议论；虽然他没有回答，但他用手指敲打着，她感觉到了这个动作，并认为这是对约翰逊博士的极大贬低，因此很生气。
He was rather ostentatious in his preference of the writings of Mr Boz; would walk through the streets so absorbed in them that he all but ran against Miss Jenkyns;
布朗上尉对博兹先生作品的偏爱毫不掩饰；他会在街上边走边全神贯注地读这些小说，以至于差点撞到詹金斯小姐；
and though his apologies were earnest and sincere, and though he did not, in fact, do more than startle her and himself, she owned to me she had rather he had knocked her down, if he had only been reading a higher style of literature.
尽管他的道歉严肃而真诚，尽管事实上他只是吓到了她和他自己，但她向我承认，如果他是在读一种风格更高雅的文学作品，她宁可他把她撞倒。
The poor, brave Captain!
可怜的、勇敢的上尉！
He looked older, and more worn, and his clothes were very threadbare.
他看上去更老了，也更憔悴了，他的衣服也非常破旧。
But he seemed as bright and cheerful as ever, unless he was asked about his daughter’s health.
但他似乎一如既往地开朗，除非有人问起他女儿的健康状况。
“She suffers a great deal, and she must suffer more: we do what we can to alleviate her pain;—God’s will be done!”
“她遭受了巨大的痛苦，而且她必须遭受更多的痛苦：我们尽我们所能来减轻她的痛苦；——愿上帝的旨意成全！”
He took off his hat at these last words.
他说到最后几句话时脱下了帽子。
I found, from Miss Matty, that everything had been done, in fact.
我发现，实际上一切能做的都做了，这是从玛蒂小姐那里得知的。
A medical man, of high repute in that country neighbourhood, had been sent for, and every injunction he had given was attended to, regardless of expense.
一位在当地颇有名望的医生被请来了，他所开的每一项医嘱都得到了执行，不论费用多高。
Miss Matty was sure they denied themselves many things in order to make the invalid comfortable; but they never spoke about it; and as for Miss Jessie! —
马蒂小姐确信，他们为了让病人舒适而放弃了很多东西；但他们从不谈论此事；至于杰西小姐！—
“I really think she’s an angel,” said poor Miss Matty, quite overcome.
“我真觉得她是个天使。”可怜的玛蒂小姐说，她完全被打动了，
“To see her way of bearing with Miss Brown’s crossness, and the bright face she puts on after she’s been sitting up a whole night and scolded above half of it, is quite beautiful.
“看到她容忍布朗小姐的坏脾气，以及她熬夜照顾布朗小姐并被骂了半个晚上之后还能露出快乐的表情，真是太美了。
Yet she looks as neat and as ready to welcome the Captain at breakfast-time as if she had been asleep in the Queen’s bed all night.
然而，她看起来整洁利落，准备好在早餐时间迎接上尉，就好像她整晚都睡在女王的床上一样。
My dear!
亲爱的！
You could never laugh at her prim little curls or her pink bows again if you saw her as I have done.”
如果你像我一样见过她的这些经历，你就再也不会嘲笑她那一头小卷发或她的粉色蝴蝶结了。”
I could only feel very penitent, and greet Miss Jessie with double respect when I met her next.
于是我只能感到非常懊悔，下次见到杰西小姐时加倍尊敬地向她打招呼。
She looked faded and pinched; and her lips began to quiver, as if she was very weak, when she spoke of her sister.
她看上去很憔悴，很苍白；当她谈起姐姐时，她的嘴唇开始颤抖，仿佛她非常虚弱。
But she brightened, and sent back the tears that were glittering in her pretty eyes, as she said— “But, to be sure, what a town Cranford is for kindness!
但是她变得快乐起来，忍住了在她美丽的眼睛里闪烁的泪水，她说——“但是，克兰福德真是一个多么善良的小镇啊！
I don’t suppose any one has a better dinner than usual cooked but the best part of all comes in a little covered basin for my sister.
有人把饭菜中最好的部分装在有盖的小盆里送给我姐姐，我想没人吃过比这更好的晚餐了。
The poor people will leave their earliest vegetables at our door for her.
穷人会把他们最早收获的蔬菜留在我们家门口给她。
They speak short and gruff, as if they were ashamed of it: but I am sure it often goes to my heart to see their thoughtfulness.”
他们说话简短而生硬，似乎为此感到难为情：但我确信，看到他们的体贴常常让我感动。”
The tears now came back and overflowed; but after a minute or two she began to scold herself, and ended by going away the same cheerful Miss Jessie as ever.
眼泪又涌了出来，夺眶而出；但过了一两分钟，她开始责备自己，最后还是变回了那个平日里的快乐的杰西小姐。
“But why does not this Lord Mauleverer do something for the man who saved his life?” said I.
“可是，这位莫利弗勋爵为什么不为他的救命恩人做点什么呢？”我说。
“Why, you see, unless Captain Brown has some reason for it, he never speaks about being poor; and he walked along by his lordship looking as happy and cheerful as a prince;
“哎呀，你瞧，除非布朗上尉有什么理由，否则他从不谈自己穷；他和勋爵并肩走着，看上去像王子一样快乐和愉快；
and as they never called attention to their dinner by apologies, and as Miss Brown was better that day, and all seemed bright, I daresay his lordship never knew how much care there was in the background.
而且他们从不为晚餐不丰盛而道歉，也就没有引起别人对他们晚餐的注意，而且那天布朗小姐也好些了，一切似乎都很美好，我敢说勋爵从来不知道背后有多少忧虑。
He did send game in the winter pretty often, but now he is gone abroad.”
勋爵在冬天确实经常送来打猎的野味，但现在他出国了。”
