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In a few minutes tea was brought.
几分钟后，茶就端上来了。
Very delicate was the china, very old the plate, very thin the bread and butter, and very small the lumps of sugar.
瓷器非常精致，盘子非常古老，面包和黄油非常薄，糖块非常小。
Sugar was evidently Mrs Jamieson’s favourite economy.
糖显然是贾米森夫人最喜欢的节约习惯。
I question if the little filigree sugar-tongs, made something like scissors, could have opened themselves wide enough to take up an honest, vulgar good-sized piece;
我怀疑那把小巧的金银丝糖钳，做得有点像剪刀，是否能张得足够大，夹起一块正常大小的、粗俗的大糖块；
and when I tried to seize two little minnikin pieces at once, so as not to be detected in too many returns to the sugar-basin, they absolutely dropped one, with a little sharp clatter, quite in a malicious and unnatural manner.
当我试图一次夹起两块小得可怜的糖块，以免被人发现我频繁地伸手去糖碗夹糖时，那糖钳总是会不怀好意地、不自然地让一块糖掉下来，并发出一声尖锐的咔嗒声。
But before this happened we had had a slight disappointment.
但是在这之前，我们有过一点小小的失望。
In the little silver jug was cream, in the larger one was milk.
小银罐里装的是奶油，大一点的银罐里装的是牛奶。
As soon as Mr Mulliner came in, Carlo began to beg, which was a thing our manners forbade us to do, though I am sure we were just as hungry; and Mrs Jamieson said she was certain we would excuse her if she gave her poor dumb Carlo his tea first.
穆利纳先生一进来，卡罗就开始乞食，我们的礼节不允许我们像卡罗这样做，尽管我确信我们也一样饿；而贾米森夫人说，如果她先给她可怜的小笨狗卡罗喝茶，她相信我们会包容她的。
She accordingly mixed a saucerful for him, and put it down for him to lap; and then she told us how intelligent and sensible the dear little fellow was; he knew cream quite well, and constantly refused tea with only milk in it:
于是她给卡罗调了一碟奶油，放在他面前让他舔食；接着她告诉我们这可爱的小家伙是多么聪明懂事；他很清楚奶油的味道，总是拒绝喝只加了牛奶的茶：
so the milk was left for us; but we silently thought we were quite as intelligent and sensible as Carlo, and felt as if insult were added to injury when we were called upon to admire the gratitude evinced by his wagging his tail for the cream which should have been ours.
所以牛奶就留给我们了；但我们默默地认为我们和卡罗一样聪明懂事，当我们被要求欣赏他为了本应属于我们的奶油而摇尾巴表示感激时，我们觉得仿佛不仅受伤，而且还受到了侮辱。
After tea we thawed down into common-life subjects.
喝完茶后，气氛又变得融洽，我们聊起了日常生活的话题。
We were thankful to Lady Glenmire for having proposed some more bread and butter, and this mutual want made us better acquainted with her than we should ever have been with talking about the Court, though Miss Pole did say she had hoped to know how the dear Queen was from some one who had seen her.
我们很感激格兰米尔夫人提议再吃些黄油和面包，这种共同的愿望让我们比谈论宫廷时与她的关系更亲近，尽管波尔小姐确实说过，她希望能从见过女王的人那里了解到亲爱的女王近况如何。
The friendship begun over bread and butter extended on to cards.
始于面包和黄油的友谊延伸到了纸牌上。
Lady Glenmire played Preference to admiration, and was a complete authority as to Ombre and Quadrille.
格兰米尔夫人玩惠斯特牌的技术令人钦佩，而且是玩奥伯尔牌和夸德里尔牌的权威。
Even Miss Pole quite forgot to say “my lady,” and “your ladyship,” and said “Basto! Ma’am”; “you have Spadille, I believe,” just as quietly as if we had never held the great Cranford Parliament on the subject of the proper mode of addressing a peeress.
甚至连波尔小姐也完全忘记了说“我的夫人”和“尊敬的夫人”，而是说“梅花牌！夫人”；“我想，您有一张大王”，说得如此轻巧自然，就像我们从未就如何正确称呼一位贵族夫人而举行过克兰福德议会一样。
As a proof of how thoroughly we had forgotten that we were in the presence of one who might have sat down to tea with a coronet, instead of a cap, on her head, Mrs Forrester related a curious little fact to Lady Glenmire—an anecdote known to the circle of her intimate friends, but of which even Mrs Jamieson was not aware.
有一件事证明我们已经完全忘记了我们面前的这个人本可以与王公贵族，而非布衣百姓坐下来喝茶，这件事就是福里斯特夫人向格兰米尔夫人讲述了一件奇怪的小事——这是她的密友圈子里都知道的一件轶事，但就连贾米森夫人也不知道。
It related to some fine old lace, the sole relic of better days, which Lady Glenmire was admiring on Mrs Forrester’s collar.
这件事与一些精美的旧蕾丝有关，这是曾经富裕时期的唯一遗物，此时正在福里斯特夫人的衣领上，格兰米尔夫人正欣赏着。
“Yes,” said that lady, “such lace cannot be got now for either love or money; made by the nuns abroad, they tell me.
“是的，”福里斯特夫人说，“这种蕾丝现在无论如何都买不到了；他们跟我说，是国外的修女做的。
They say that they can’t make it now even there.
他们说，即使在国外，他们现在也买不到了。
But perhaps they can, now they’ve passed the Catholic Emancipation Bill. I should not wonder.
但是现在通过了《天主教解放法案》，也许他们可以买到。我不会感到惊讶。
But, in the meantime, I treasure up my lace very much.
但同时，我非常珍视我的蕾丝。
I daren’t even trust the washing of it to my maid” (the little charity school-girl I have named before, but who sounded well as “my maid”).
我甚至不放心把它交给我的女仆去洗”（就是我之前提到过的那个慈善学校的小女孩，但是“我的女仆”听起来更气派）。
“I always wash it myself. And once it had a narrow escape.
“我总是自己洗它。而且有一次它差点就毁了。
Of course, your ladyship knows that such lace must never be starched or ironed.
当然，夫人您知道，这种蕾丝绝不能上浆或熨烫。
Some people wash it in sugar and water, and some in coffee, to make it the right yellow colour; but I myself have a very good receipt for washing it in milk, which stiffens it enough, and gives it a very good creamy colour.
有些人用糖水或咖啡来洗它，让它呈现出合适的黄色；但我自己有一个很好的方法，就是用牛奶来洗，这样可以使它足够硬挺，并呈现出非常好看的奶油色。
Well, ma’am, I had tacked it together (and the beauty of this fine lace is that, when it is wet, it goes into a very little space), and put it to soak in milk, when, unfortunately, I left the room; on my return, I found pussy on the table, looking very like a thief, but gulping very uncomfortably, as if she was half-chocked with something she wanted to swallow and could not.
嗯，夫人，那次我把蕾丝缝在一起（这种精美蕾丝的优点是，湿了的时候会缩成很小的一团），然后把它放在牛奶里浸泡，不巧的是，我离开了房间；回来的时候，我发现猫咪在桌子上，看起来很像个小偷，但它在很不舒服地吞口水，好像被什么东西哽住了，想咽却咽不下去。
And, would you believe it? At first I pitied her, and said ‘Poor pussy! Poor pussy!’ till, all at once, I looked and saw the cup of milk empty—cleaned out!
而且，你相信吗？起初我很心疼它，说着‘可怜的猫咪！可怜的小猫咪！’直到突然，我看到那杯牛奶空了——被喝光了！
‘You naughty cat!’ said I, and I believe I was provoked enough to give her a slap, which did no good, but only helped the lace down—just as one slaps a choking child on the back.
‘你这只调皮的猫！’我说，我想我当时被气得给了她一巴掌，这巴掌没什么用，只是帮她把蕾丝咽下去了——就像人们拍打一个被呛到的孩子的后背一样。
I could have cried, I was so vexed; but I determined I would not give the lace up without a struggle for it.
我都要哭了，我是如此气恼；但我决定，我不会不挽救一番就放弃蕾丝的。
I hoped the lace might disagree with her, at any rate; but it would have been too much for Job, if he had seen, as I did, that cat come in, quite placid and purring, not a quarter of an hour after, and almost expecting to be stroked.
我希望那蕾丝至少会让猫不舒服一阵；但那只猫在不到一刻钟后就进来了，非常平静，还咕噜咕噜叫着，几乎期待着让人抚摸一下，即使是约伯看到也会忍不住去摸摸她的。（注：约伯是《圣经》中穷苦、能忍耐的善人。）
‘No, pussy!’ said I, ‘if you have any conscience you ought not to expect that!’
‘不，猫咪！’我说，“如果你还有点良心，就不该指望我能摸你！’
And then a thought struck me; and I rang the bell for my maid, and sent her to Mr Hoggins, with my compliments, and would he be kind enough to lend me one of his top-boots for an hour?
然后我突然想到了一个主意；我拉铃叫来了我的女仆，让她代我向霍金斯先生致意，问他能否好心借我一只他的长筒靴，让我用一个小时？
I did not think there was anything odd in the message; but Jenny said the young men in the surgery laughed as if they would be ill at my wanting a top-boot.
我不觉得这口信有什么奇怪的；但珍妮说，诊所里的年轻男人们都笑了，好像他们会因为我想要一只长筒靴而生病似的。
When it came, Jenny and I put pussy in, with her forefeet straight down, so that they were fastened, and could not scratch, and we gave her a teaspoonful of current-jelly in which (your ladyship must excuse me) I had mixed some tartar emetic.
当靴子拿来后，珍妮和我把猫咪放了进去，让它的前脚直直地垂下来，这样前脚就被固定住了，无法抓挠，然后我们给了它一茶匙醋栗果冻，在里面（夫人您一定要原谅我）我混合了一些吐酒石。
I shall never forget how anxious I was for the next half-hour.
我永远不会忘记接下来的半个小时我是多么焦虑不安。
I took pussy to my own room, and spread a clean towel on the floor.
我把猫咪带到我自己的房间，在地板上铺上一条干净的毛巾。
I could have kissed her when she returned the lace to sight, very much as it had gone down.
当她把蕾丝吐出来，就像蕾丝被吞进去一样时，我真想亲她一下。
Jenny had boiling water ready, and we soaked it and soaked it, and spread it on a lavender-bush in the sun before I could touch it again, even to put it in milk.
珍妮准备好了开水，我们把蕾丝泡了又泡，把它摊在阳光下的薰衣草灌木丛上，然后我才敢再次触摸蕾丝，并把它放进牛奶里。
But now your ladyship would never guess that it had been in pussy’s inside.”
但是夫人您绝对猜不到这蕾丝曾经在猫咪的肚子里。”
