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I had often occasion to notice the use that was made of fragments and small opportunities in Cranford;
我常常注意到克兰福德的人们如何利用零碎的东西和各种小机会；
the rose-leaves that were gathered ere they fell to make into a potpourri for someone who had no garden;
她们会在玫瑰花瓣掉落之前将其收集起来，制成百花香薰，送给那些没有花园的人；
the little bundles of lavender flowers sent to strew the drawers of some town-dweller, or to burn in the chamber of some invalid.
她们会将一小束一小束的薰衣草花送给城里的居民，让他们撒在抽屉里，或者在病人的房间里焚烧。
Things that many would despise, and actions which it seemed scarcely worthwhile to perform, were all attended to in Cranford.
许多人不屑一顾的事情，许多似乎不值得去做的行为，在克兰福德都有人去做。
Miss Jenkyns stuck an apple full of cloves, to be heated and smell pleasantly in Miss Brown’s room; and as she put in each clove she uttered a Johnsonian sentence.
詹金斯小姐往一个苹果里塞满丁香，然后把它加热，好让它在布朗小姐的房间里散发出宜人的香味；她每放入一颗丁香，就会说出一句约翰逊的名言。
Indeed, she never could think of the Browns without talking Johnson; and, as they were seldom absent from her thoughts just then, I heard many a rolling, three-piled sentence.
的确，她每次想到布朗一家，就会提起约翰逊；而且，由于当时她很少不想起他们，因此我听到了许多繁复的、一句话能堆叠三行的句子。
Captain Brown called one day to thank Miss Jenkyns for many little kindnesses, which I did not know until then that she had rendered.
布朗上尉有一天来拜访，感谢詹金斯小姐的许多小善举，直到那时我才知道她做了这些事。
He had suddenly become like an old man; his deep bass voice had a quavering in it, his eyes looked dim, and the lines on his face were deep.
布朗上尉突然变得像个老人；他低沉的男低音有些颤抖，他的眼睛看起来暗淡无光，脸上的皱纹变得很深。
He did not—could not—speak cheerfully of his daughter’s state, but he talked with manly, pious resignation, and not much.
他没有——也不能——愉快地谈论他女儿的状况，但他以男子汉的、虔诚的顺天由命的态度谈论着，而且谈得不多。
Twice over he said, “What Jessie has been to us, God only knows!” and after the second time, he got up hastily, shook hands all round without speaking, and left the room.
他两次说道“杰西对我们有多好，只有上帝知道！”，说了第二次之后，他匆忙起身，一言不发地和大家握手，然后离开了房间。
That afternoon we perceived little groups in the street, all listening with faces aghast to some tale or other.
那天下午，我们看到街上有几小群人，他们都面露惊恐地听着什么故事。
Miss Jenkyns wondered what could be the matter for some time before she took the undignified step of sending Jenny out to inquire.
詹金斯小姐想知道是怎么回事，过了一会儿，她才决定放下尊严，派珍妮出去打听。
Jenny came back with a white face of terror.
珍妮回来了，脸色惨白，充满恐惧。
“Oh, ma’am! Oh, Miss Jenkyns, ma’am! Captain Brown is killed by them nasty cruel railroads!” and she burst into tears.
“哦，夫人！哦，詹金斯小姐，夫人！布朗上尉被那卑鄙的铁路害死了！”然后她一下子哭了起来。
She, along with many others, had experienced the poor Captain’s kindness.
她和其他许多人一样，都曾感受过可怜的上尉的善良。
“How? —where—where? Good God! Jenny, don’t waste time in crying, but tell us something.”
“怎么会？在哪里—哪里？天哪！珍妮，别浪费时间哭了，快把情况告诉我们。”
Miss Matty rushed out into the street at once, and collared the man who was telling the tale.
马蒂小姐立刻冲到街上，抓住了那个讲故事的人。
“Come in—come to my sister at once, Miss Jenkyns, the rector’s daughter.
“请进——请立刻到我姐姐这儿来，我姐姐是詹金斯小姐，她是教区长的女儿。
Oh, man, man! Say it is not true,” she cried, as she brought the affrighted carter, sleeking down his hair, into the drawing-room, where he stood with his wet boots on the new carpet, and no one regarded it.
哦，天啊，天啊!请告诉我这不是真的。”她喊道，同时把那个受惊的车夫带了进来，他捋了捋头发，走进客厅，他的湿靴子踩在新地毯上，却没有人在意。
“Please, mum, it is true. I seed it myself,” and he shuddered at the recollection.
“唉，夫人，是真的。我亲眼所见，”他回忆起来，不禁打了个寒颤，（注：mum是ma’am的不标准读法。）
“The Captain was a-reading some new book as he was deep in, a-waiting for the down train;
“上尉正在读一本新书，他读得入了迷，一边等着过来的火车；（注：a-加动词ing形式是进行时态的古代用法。）
and there was a little lass as wanted to come to its mammy, and gave its sister the slip, and came toddling across the line.
有一个小女孩想去找妈妈，她挣脱了姐姐的手，摇摇晃晃地穿过了铁轨。
And he looked up sudden, at the sound of the train coming, and seed the child, and he darted on the line and cotched it up, and his foot slipped, and the train came over him in no time.
然后上尉听到火车驶来的声音，突然抬起头，看到了孩子，他冲向铁轨，抓住了孩子，他的脚滑了一下，火车瞬间就从他身上碾了过去。
O Lord, Lord! Mum, it’s quite true, and they’ve come over to tell his daughters.
哦，主啊，主啊！夫人，这是千真万确的，他们是来告诉他女儿这个消息的。
The child’s safe, though, with only a bang on its shoulder as he threw it to its mammy.
那个孩子没受伤，不过，上尉把孩子扔给妈妈时，孩子的肩膀上撞了一下。
Poor Captain would be glad of that, mum, wouldn’t he? God bless him!”
可怜的上尉会为此感到高兴的，夫人，不是吗？愿上帝保佑他！”
The great rough carter puckered up his manly face, and turned away to hide his tears.
那位高大粗犷的车夫绷紧了他那男子汉的脸，转过身去，不让人看见他的眼泪。
I turned to Miss Jenkyns.
我转向了詹金斯小姐。
She looked very ill, as if she were going to faint, and signed to me to open the window.
她看上去像是病得很厉害，好像要晕倒了，并且示意我把窗户打开。
“Matilda, bring me my bonnet. I must go to those girls.
“玛蒂尔达，把我的帽子拿来。我必须去看看布朗家的姑娘们。
God pardon me, if ever I have spoken contemptuously to the Captain!”
如果我曾经轻蔑倨傲地对船长说话，请上帝原谅我！”
Miss Jenkyns arrayed herself to go out, telling Miss Matilda to give the man a glass of wine.
詹金斯小姐穿戴整齐，准备出门，吩咐玛蒂尔达小姐给那个男人一杯酒。
While she was away, Miss Matty and I huddled over the fire, talking in a low and awestruck voice.
她不在的时候，马蒂小姐和我蜷缩在炉火旁，低声而敬畏地交谈着。
I know we cried quietly all the time.
我知道我们一直在静静地哭泣。
Miss Jenkyns came home in a silent mood, and we durst not ask her many questions.
詹金斯小姐回到家时心情沉郁，我们不敢问她太多问题。
She told us that Miss Jessie had fainted, and that she and Miss Pole had had some difficulty in bringing her round; but that, as soon as she recovered, she begged one of them to go and sit with her sister.
她告诉我们杰西小姐晕过去了，她和波尔小姐费了好大劲才让她苏醒过来；不过她一恢复知觉，就请求她们中的一个去陪她姐姐坐一会儿。
“Mr Hoggins says she cannot live many days, and she shall be spared this shock,” said Miss Jessie, shivering with feelings to which she dared not give way.
“霍金斯先生说她活不了几天了，不应该再让她受这种打击了。”杰西小姐说，她浑身发抖，不敢流露自己的感情。
“But how can you manage, my dear?” asked Miss Jenkyns; “you cannot bear up, she must see your tears.”
“但是，亲爱的，你怎么应付得来呢？”詹金斯小姐问，“你无法独自承受，她一定会看到你的眼泪。”
“God will help me—I will not give way—she was asleep when the news came; she may be asleep yet.
“上帝会帮助我——我不会屈服——消息传来时她正在睡觉；她现在可能还在睡觉。
She would be so utterly miserable, not merely at my father’s death, but to think of what would become of me; she is so good to me.”
她要是知道了会非常痛苦，不仅是因为父亲去世，还因为她会想到以后我该怎么办；她对我太好了。”
She looked up earnestly in their faces with her soft true eyes, and Miss Pole told Miss Jenkyns afterwards she could hardly bear it, knowing, as she did, how Miss Brown treated her sister.
她抬起头，用她那双温柔真诚的眼睛诚挚地望着她们，事后波尔小姐告诉詹金斯小姐，她当时简直受不了，因为她知道布朗小姐是如何对待她妹妹的。
