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We all applauded this ingenious contrivance, and Miss Matty sank back into satisfied silence, with a look at Mrs Forrester as if to ask for her private weakness.
我们都为这个巧妙的办法鼓掌，马蒂小姐满意地靠回椅背，沉默不语地看着福里斯特夫人，仿佛在询问她有什么私密弱点。
Mrs Forrester looked askance at Miss Pole, and tried to change the subject a little by telling us that she had borrowed a boy from one of the neighbouring cottages and promised his parents a hundredweight of coals at Christmas, and his supper every evening, for the loan of him at nights.
福里斯特夫人斜睨了波尔小姐一眼，然后试图稍微改变一下话题，她告诉我们，她从附近的一个农舍里借了一个男孩，并答应他的父母，在圣诞节时给他一英担的煤，每天晚上给他提供晚餐，作为晚上借用他的报酬。
She had instructed him in his possible duties when he first came; and, finding him sensible, she had given him the Major’s sword (the Major was her late husband), and desired him to put it very carefully behind his pillow at night, turning the edge towards the head of the pillow.
她在他初来时就教会了他可能要做的工作；她发现他很懂事，就把少校的佩剑（少校是她已故的丈夫）给了他，并希望他晚上睡觉时把剑小心地放在枕头后面，刀刃朝外。
He was a sharp lad, she was sure; for, spying out the Major’s cocked hat, he had said, if he might have that to wear, he was sure he could frighten two Englishmen, or four Frenchmen any day.
他是个机灵的小伙子，她敢肯定；因为他看到了少校的三角帽，他说要是他能戴上那顶帽子，他肯定能吓唬住两个英国人或者四个法国人。
But she had impressed upon him anew that he was to lose no time in putting on hats or anything else; but, if he heard any noise, he was to run at it with his drawn sword.
但是她还是再次叮嘱他，如果他听到任何响动，不能浪费时间戴帽子或做其他事情，而是要拔出剑冲过去。
On my suggesting that some accident might occur from such slaughterous and indiscriminate directions, and that he might rush on Jenny getting up to wash, and have spitted her before he had discovered that she was not a Frenchman, Mrs Forrester said she did not think that that was likely, for he was a very sound sleeper, and generally had to be well shaken or cold-pigged in a morning before they could rouse him.
我暗示说，这种一律斩杀的命令可能会导致意外发生，他可能会冲向正在起床洗漱的珍妮，在发现她不是法国人之前，就已经把她刺穿了，但福里斯特夫人说她觉得这种情况不太可能发生，因为他睡得很沉，早上通常要被大力摇晃或浇冷水才能醒来。
She sometimes thought such dead sleep must be owing to the hearty suppers the poor lad ate, for he was half-starved at home, and she told Jenny to see that he got a good meal at night.
她有时想，这孩子睡得这么死，一定是因为他晚饭吃得太饱了，因为他在家里经常吃不饱，于是她告诉珍妮，晚上要让他吃顿好的。
Still this was no confession of Mrs Forrester’s peculiar timidity, and we urged her to tell us what she thought would frighten her more than anything.
不过这仍然不是福里斯特夫人对自己恐惧的坦白，于是我们催促她告诉我们，她觉得什么会比任何事情都更让她害怕。
She paused, and stirred the fire, and snuffed the candles, and then she said, in a sounding whisper—“Ghosts!”
她停顿了一下，拨弄了一下炉火，剪了剪烛花，然后用响亮的耳语说道——“鬼魂！”
She looked at Miss Pole, as much as to say, she had declared it, and would stand by it.
她看着波尔小姐，仿佛在说她已经说出来了，并且会坚持到底。
Such a look was a challenge in itself.
这样的眼神本身就是一种挑战。
Miss Pole came down upon her with indigestion, spectral illusions, optical delusions, and a great deal out of Dr Ferrier and Dr Hibbert besides.
波尔小姐立刻用消化不良、幽灵幻觉、视觉错觉，以及很多费里尔医生和希伯特医生的说法来反驳她。
Miss Matty had rather a leaning to ghosts, as I have mentioned before, and what little she did say was all on Mrs Forrester’s side, who, emboldened by sympathy, protested that ghosts were a part of her religion; that surely she, the widow of a major in the army, knew what to be frightened at, and what not; in short, I never saw Mrs Forrester so warm either before or since, for she was a gentle, meek, enduring old lady in most things.
正如我之前提到的，马蒂小姐有点倾向于相信鬼魂，她所说的不多的几句话都是站在福里斯特夫人一边的，福里斯特夫人因为同样的意见而受到鼓舞，抗议说鬼魂是她宗教的一部分；她肯定地说，作为一名陆军少校的遗孀，她知道什么该害怕，什么不该害怕；总之，我以前或以后都没见过福里斯特夫人如此激动，因为在大多数事情上，她都是一位温和、温顺、有耐心的老太太。
Not all the elder-wine that ever was mulled could this night wash out the remembrance of this difference between Miss Pole and her hostess.
等到热好的陈酒被端上来，都没能洗去今晚波尔小姐和她的女主人之间的意见分歧。
Indeed, when the elder-wine was brought in, it gave rise to a new burst of discussion; for Jenny, the little maiden who staggered under the tray, had to give evidence of having seen a ghost with her own eyes, not so many nights ago, in Darkness Lane, the very lane we were to go through on our way home.
的确，当陈酒被端进来时，它引发了一阵新的讨论；因为珍妮，那个端着托盘摇摇晃晃的小姑娘，不得不证明她自己亲眼见过鬼，就在不久前的几个晚上，在黑暗小路，就是我们回家要经过的那条小路。
In spite of the uncomfortable feeling which this last consideration gave me, I could not help being amused at Jenny’s position, which was exceedingly like that of a witness being examined and cross-examined by two counsel who are not at all scrupulous about asking leading questions.
尽管小路有鬼的想法让我感到不安，但我还是忍不住被珍妮的处境逗乐了，她极其像一个证人，正在接受两位律师的审查和盘问，而这两位律师毫不顾忌地问一些带有引导性的问题。
The conclusion I arrived at was, that Jenny had certainly seen something beyond what a fit of indigestion would have caused.
我得出的结论是，珍妮肯定看到了一些消化不良无法解释的东西。
A lady all in white, and without her head, was what she deposed and adhered to, supported by a consciousness of the secret sympathy of her mistress under the withering scorn with which Miss Pole regarded her.
她所宣称并坚持的是，她看到了一个全身穿着白色衣服的女人，而且没有头，波儿小姐轻蔑地看着她，但她感觉到她的女主人暗暗表示同意她。
And not only she, but many others, had seen this headless lady, who sat by the roadside wringing her hands as in deep grief.
不仅她，还有许多其他人都见过这位无头女士坐在路边，悲痛地绞着双手。
Mrs Forrester looked at us from time to time with an air of conscious triumph; but then she had not to pass through Darkness Lane before she could bury herself beneath her own familiar bed-clothes.
福里斯特夫人不时地看着我们，带着一种自觉胜利的神情；但她不必穿过黑暗小路，就能钻进熟悉的被褥里。
We preserved a discreet silence as to the headless lady while we were putting on our things to go home, for there was no knowing how near the ghostly head and ears might be, or what spiritual connection they might be keeping up with the unhappy body in Darkness Lane; and, therefore, even Miss Pole felt that it was as well not to speak lightly on such subjects, for fear of vexing or insulting that woebegone trunk.
我们在穿衣服准备回家时，对那位无头女士保持着谨慎的沉默，因为不知道那幽灵的头颅和耳朵可能离我们有多近，也不知道它们可能与黑暗小路里那不幸的躯体保持着怎样的精神联系，因此，就连波尔小姐也觉得最好不要轻率地谈论这样的话题，以免激怒或侮辱了那哀怨的躯体。
At least, so I conjecture; for, instead of the busy clatter usual in the operation, we tied on our cloaks as sadly as mutes at a funeral.
至少我是这样推测的；因为我们没有像往常那样边穿戴边叽叽喳喳地聊天，而是像葬礼上的哑巴一样悲伤地系上了披风。
Miss Matty drew the curtains round the windows of the chair to shut out disagreeable sights, and the men (either because they were in spirits that their labours were so nearly ended, or because they were going down hill), set off at such a round and merry pace, that it was all Miss Pole and I could do to keep up with them.
马蒂小姐拉上了轿子的窗帘，以挡住不愉快的景象，而男人们（要么是因为他们的劳动即将结束而情绪高涨，要么是因为他们正在下山）以如此欢快的步伐出发了，以至于波尔小姐和我都很难跟上他们。
She had breath for nothing beyond an imploring “Don’t leave me!” uttered as she clutched my arm so tightly that I could not have quitted her, ghost or no ghost.
她只能喘着气哀求了一句“别丢下我！”她边说边紧紧地抓着我的胳膊，不管有没有鬼魂，我都不可能离开她。
What a relief it was when the men, weary of their burden and their quick trot, stopped just where Headingley Causeway branches off from Darkness Lane!
当轿夫们抬着轿子快步跑得有些累了，停在希丁利堤道从黑暗小路岔开的地方时，我们真是松了一口气！
Miss Pole unloosed me and caught at one of the men— “Could not you—could not you take Miss Matty round by Headingley Causeway?—the pavement in Darkness Lane jolts so, and she is not very strong.”
波尔小姐松开我，抓住其中一个男人：“你能不能——你能不能送马蒂小姐从希丁利堤道绕过去？黑暗小路的路面太颠簸，她身体不是很强壮。”
A smothered voice was heard from the inside of the chair— “Oh! Pray go on! What is the matter? What is the matter?
从轿子里面传来了低沉的声音：“哦！请继续走！怎么回事？发生什么了？
I will give you sixpence more to go on very fast; pray don’t stop here.”
我会再给你六便士，只要你走得更快些；请不要在这里停下来。”
“And I’ll give you a shilling,” said Miss Pole, with tremulous dignity, “if you’ll go by Headingley Causeway.”
“那我会给你一先令，”波尔小姐带着颤抖的声音庄重地说道，“如果你走希丁利堤道的话。”
The two men grunted acquiescence and took up the chair, and went along the causeway, which certainly answered Miss Pole’s kind purpose of saving Miss Matty’s bones; for it was covered with soft, thick mud, and even a fall there would have been easy till the getting-up came, when there might have been some difficulty in extrication.
那两个男人咕哝着表示同意，然后扛起轿子，沿着堤道走去，这条堤道无疑实现了波尔小姐的好意，保护了马蒂小姐的骨头；因为堤道上覆盖着柔软、厚厚的泥巴，即使摔倒在那里也很没事，就是站起来的时候可能要费一些力气才能从泥巴里脱身。
