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The captain’s letter summoned the father and mother to Liverpool instantly, if they wished to see their boy;
上尉在信中说，如果父母想见到他们的儿子，就立刻来利物浦。
and, by some of the wild chances of life, the captain’s letter had been detained somewhere, somehow.
但是，由于生活中一些奇怪的巧合，上尉的信不知在什么地方、不知被什么原因耽搁了。
Miss Matty went on, “And it was racetime, and all the post-horses at Cranford were gone to the races; but my father and mother set off in our own gig—and oh!
马蒂小姐接着说：“当时正是赛马季，克兰福德所有的驿马都去赛马了；但是父亲和母亲坐着我们自己的马车出发了——哦！
My dear, they were too late—the ship was gone!
亲爱的，他们太晚了——船已经开走了！
And now read Peter’s letter to my mother!”
现在请读彼得写给母亲的信！”
It was full of love, and sorrow, and pride in his new profession, and a sore sense of his disgrace in the eyes of the people at Cranford;
彼得的信中充满了爱意、悲伤、对他新职业的骄傲，以及他在克兰福德人眼中的耻辱感；
but ending with a passionate entreaty that she would come and see him before he left the Mersey:
但最后他还是热切地恳求母亲在他离开默西河之前去看他：
“Mother; we may go into battle.
“妈妈，我们可能要上战场了。
I hope we shall, and lick those French: but I must see you again before that time.”
我希望我们会，并且打败那些法国人：但在那之前我必须再见到你。”
“And she was too late,” said Miss Matty; “too late!”
“而她来得太迟了，”马蒂小姐说，“太迟了！”
We sat in silence, pondering on the full meaning of those sad, sad words.
我们默默地坐着，思忖着那些非常非常悲伤的话语中的全部含义。
At length I asked Miss Matty to tell me how her mother bore it.
最后，我请求马蒂小姐告诉我她母亲是如何忍受悲伤的。
“Oh!” she said, “she was patience itself.
“哦！”她说：“她是耐心的化身。
She had never been strong, and this weakened her terribly.
她的身体从来就不是很强健，这使她变得非常虚弱。
My father used to sit looking at her: far more sad than she was.
我父亲过去常常坐在那里看着她：比她还要悲伤得多。
He seemed as if he could look at nothing else when she was by; and he was so humble—so very gentle now.
似乎她在旁边的时候，他什么都不看；他现在是那么谦卑——又是那么温柔。
He would, perhaps, speak in his old way—laying down the law, as it were—and then, in a minute or two, he would come round and put his hand on our shoulders, and ask us in a low voice, if he had said anything to hurt us.
他或许会用他一贯的方式说话——可以说是发号施令——然后过一两分钟，他就会改变态度，把手搭在我们的肩膀上，低声问我们，他有没有说什么伤害我们的话。
I did not wonder at his speaking so to Deborah, for she was so clever; but I could not bear to hear him talking so to me.
我并不奇怪他会这样对黛博拉说话，因为她很聪明；但我受不了听到他这样对我说话。
But, you see, he saw what we did not—that it was killing my mother.
但是，你知道，他看到了我们没有看到的东西——那就是这件事正在杀死母亲。
Yes! Killing her (put out the candle, my dear; I can talk better in the dark), for she was but a frail woman, and ill-fitted to stand the fright and shock she had gone through;
是的！杀死她（亲爱的，把蜡烛吹灭；我在黑暗中更能畅所欲言），因为她只是个脆弱的女人，无法承受她所经历的恐惧和震惊；
and she would smile at him and comfort him, not in words, but in her looks and tones, which were always cheerful when he was there.
而她会对他微笑，安慰他，不是用言语，而是用她的表情和语气，只要他在那里，她总是表现得很愉快。
And she would speak of how she thought Peter stood a good chance of being admiral very soon—he was so brave and clever;
她会说，她觉得彼得很快就很有可能成为海军上将——他是如此勇敢和聪明；
and how she thought of seeing him in his navy uniform, and what sort of hats admirals wore;
她想象着看到他穿着海军制服的样子，以及海军上将们戴的是什么样的帽子；
and how much more fit he was to be a sailor than a clergyman;
他比当牧师更适合当水手；
and all in that way, just to make my father think she was quite glad of what came of that unlucky morning’s work, and the flogging which was always in his mind, as we all knew.
她会说所有这些，只是为了让我父亲认为，对于那个不幸的早晨所发生的事，以及对于他一直记在心里的鞭打，她感到非常高兴，而且我们都知道这一点。
But oh, my dear!
但是，哦，亲爱的！
The bitter, bitter crying she had when she was alone;
她独自一人时，哭得肝肠寸断；
and at last, as she grew weaker, she could not keep her tears in when Deborah or me was by, and would give us message after message for Peter (his ship had gone to the Mediterranean, or somewhere down there, and then he was ordered off to India, and there was no overland route then);
最后，她的身体越来越虚弱，即使我和黛博拉在旁边，她也无法抑制住泪水，还会一次又一次地让我们给彼得捎口信（他的船去了地中海，或者是那边的某个地方，然后他又奉命去了印度，当时还没有陆路可走）；
but she still said that no one knew where their death lay in wait, and that we were not to think hers was near.
但她仍然说，没有人知道他们的死期是什么时候，我们也不要以为她将不久于人世。
We did not think it, but we knew it, as we saw her fading away.
我们没有这样想，但当我们看到她日渐憔悴时，我们知道她快要离开我们了。
Well, my dear, it’s very foolish of me, I know, when in all likelihood I am so near seeing her again.
唉，亲爱的，我知道，我很傻，很可能我很快就能再见到母亲了。
And only think, love!
只要想一想，亲爱的！
The very day after her death—for she did not live quite a twelvemonth after Peter went away—the very day after—came a parcel for her from India—from her poor boy.
就在她去世的第二天——因为彼得离开后不到12个月她就去世了——就在第二天——从印度给她寄来了一个包裹——是她可怜的儿子寄来的。
It was a large, soft, white Indian shawl, with just a little narrow border all round; just what my mother would have liked.
那是一条很大、很柔软的白色印度披肩，四周只有一条窄窄的边；正是我母亲会喜欢的那种。
We thought it might rouse my father, for he had sat with her hand in his all night long; so Deborah took it in to him, and Peter’s letter to her, and all.
我们觉得这可能会唤醒父亲，因为他整晚都握着母亲的手坐在那里；于是黛博拉把披肩拿给他，还有彼得给母亲的信，以及所有的东西。
At first, he took no notice; and we tried to make a kind of light careless talk about the shawl, opening it out and admiring it.
起初，他并没有注意到；于是我们试图轻松随意地谈论这条披肩，把它展开并欣赏它。
Then, suddenly, he got up, and spoke: ‘She shall be buried in it,’ he said; ‘Peter shall have that comfort; and she would have liked it.’
然后，他突然站起身，说道：‘她应该披着它下葬，彼得应该得到这份慰藉，她也会喜欢这样的。’
Well, perhaps it was not reasonable, but what could we do or say?
嗯，也许这不合理，但我们又能做什么或说什么呢？
One gives people in grief their own way.
人们总是让处于悲痛中的人想做什么就做什么。
He took it up and felt it: ‘It is just such a shawl as she wished for when she was married, and her mother did not give it her.
他拿起披肩，摸了摸：‘她结婚的时候就是想要这种披肩，而她母亲没有给她。
I did not know of it till after, or she should have had it—she should; but she shall have it now.’
我当时并不知道，否则她应该得到一件披肩——她本应该有的；但她现在有了。’”
