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By this time the shop was pretty well filled, for it was Cranford market-day, and many of the farmers and country people from the neighbourhood round came in, sleeking down their hair, and glancing shyly about, from under their eyelids, as anxious to take back some notion of the unusual gaiety to the mistress or the lasses at home, and yet feeling that they were out of place among the smart shopmen and gay shawls and summer prints.
这时店里已经相当热闹了，因为今天是克兰福德的赶集日，附近许多农户和乡下人都来了，他们把头发梳得溜光，羞怯地从眼角偷眼观瞧，急于把这里不同寻常的欢乐景象带回去讲给家里的主妇或姑娘们听，但又觉得自己在衣着时髦的店员、艳丽的披肩和夏季印花布中间显得格格不入。
One honest-looking man, however, made his way up to the counter at which we stood, and boldly asked to look at a shawl or two.
然而，一个面相诚实的男人走到我们站着的柜台前，大胆地要求看一两条披肩。
The other country folk confined themselves to the grocery side; but our neighbour was evidently too full of some kind intention towards mistress, wife or daughter, to be shy; and it soon became a question with me, whether he or Miss Matty would keep their shopmen the longest time.
其他的乡下人只在杂货区活动；但是我们的这位邻居显然给女主人、妻子或女儿买点好东西，所以一点也不害羞；我很快就产生了一个疑问，他和马蒂小姐谁会让店员忙活更长时间。
He thought each shawl more beautiful than the last; and, as for Miss Matty, she smiled and sighed over each fresh bale that was brought out; one colour set off another, and the heap together would, as she said, make even the rainbow look poor.
他觉得每条披肩都比上一条更漂亮；至于马蒂小姐，她对着新拿出来的每一包披肩都又微笑又叹气；一种颜色衬托着另一种颜色，正如她所说，这一堆披肩放在一起，甚至会让彩虹都逊色。
“I am afraid,” said she, hesitating, “Whichever I choose I shall wish I had taken another.
“我担心，”她犹豫地说，“无论我选择哪一个，我都会希望我当时应该选择另一个。
Look at this lovely crimson! It would be so warm in winter.
看看这可爱的深红色！冬天看起来会非常温暖。
But spring is coming on, you know.
但是，你知道，春天就要来了。
I wish I could have a gown for every season,” said she, dropping her voice—as we all did in Cranford whenever we talked of anything we wished for but could not afford.
我希望每个季节都能有一件长袍。”她说，压低了声音——在克兰福德，每当我们谈起任何我们想要但买不起的东西时，我们都会这样做。
“However,” she continued in a louder and more cheerful tone, “it would give me a great deal of trouble to take care of them if I had them; so, I think, I’ll only take one.
“不过，”她接着用更响亮、更欢快的语气说道，“如果我买了很多长袍，养护它们会给我带来不少事；所以，我想，我要一件就行了。
But which must it be, my dear?”
但是，亲爱的，应该选哪一个呢？”
And now she hovered over a lilac with yellow spots, while I pulled out a quiet sage-green that had faded into insignificance under the more brilliant colours, but which was nevertheless a good silk in its humble way.
现在她在一匹带有黄色斑点的丁香紫丝绸上犹豫不决，而我则拉出了一匹素净的鼠尾草绿丝绸，在那些更加鲜艳的颜色映衬下，这匹绿丝绸已经失色得几乎不起眼了，但它仍然是一匹不惹眼且质地良好的丝绸。
Our attention was called off to our neighbour.
我们的注意力被吸引到了邻居身上。
He had chosen a shawl of about thirty shillings’ value; and his face looked broadly happy, under the anticipation, no doubt, of the pleasant surprise he would give to some Molly or Jenny at home;
他挑了一条价值约三十先令的披肩；毫无疑问，他期待着回家后给某个莫莉或珍妮一个惊喜，因而脸上洋溢着幸福的笑容；
he had tugged a leathern purse out of his breeches-pocket, and had offered a five-pound note in payment for the shawl, and for some parcels which had been brought round to him from the grocery counter; and it was just at this point that he attracted our notice.
他从马裤口袋里掏出一个皮钱包，拿出一张五英镑的票据，为这条披肩和从杂货柜台给他送来的一些包裹付款；就在这时，他引起了我们的注意。
The shopman was examining the note with a puzzled, doubtful air.
店员带着困惑、怀疑的神情检查着那张票据。
“Town and County Bank! I am not sure, sir, but I believe we have received a warning against notes issued by this bank only this morning.
“郡镇银行！我不确定，先生，但我想我们今天早上才收到了一份针对这家银行发行的票据的警告。
I will just step and ask Mr Johnson, sir; but I’m afraid I must trouble you for payment in cash, or in a note of a different bank.”
我这就去问问约翰逊先生，先生；但恐怕我得麻烦您用现金支付，或者用另一家银行的票据支付。”
I never saw a man’s countenance fall so suddenly into dismay and bewilderment.
我从未见过一个人的面容如此突然地陷入沮丧和困惑之中。
It was almost piteous to see the rapid change.
看到这种迅速的变化，几乎令人感到悲哀。
“Dang it!” said he, striking his fist down on the table, as if to try which was the harder, “the chap talks as if notes and gold were to be had for the picking up.”
“该死！”他说，一边用拳头捶着桌子，似乎想试试哪个更硬，“这家伙说话的口气，好像票据和金子是可以随便捡到的。”
Miss Matty had forgotten her silk gown in her interest for the man.
马蒂小姐因为对这个男人感兴趣，而把她的丝绸长袍给忘了。
I don’t think she had caught the name of the bank, and in my nervous cowardice I was anxious that she should not; and so I began admiring the yellow-spotted lilac gown that I had been utterly condemning only a minute before.
我觉得她没有听清银行的名字，而我出于紧张和怯懦，也希望她没听清；于是我开始夸赞那件黄点丁香紫长袍，而就在一分钟前，我还在狠狠地批判它。
But it was of no use.
但是没有用。
“What bank was it? I mean, what bank did your note belong to?”
“是哪家银行？我是说，你的票据属于哪家银行？”
“Town and County Bank.”
“郡镇银行。”
“Let me see it,” said she quietly to the shopman, gently taking it out of his hand, as he brought it back to return it to the farmer.
“请让我看看，”她轻声对店员说，店员把票据拿回来要还给那位农夫时，她轻轻地从店员手里把票据拿了过来。
Mr Johnson was very sorry, but, from information he had received, the notes issued by that bank were little better than waste paper.
约翰逊先生非常抱歉，但是根据他所收到的信息，那家银行发行的票据几乎和废纸一样。
“I don’t understand it,” said Miss Matty to me in a low voice. “That is our bank, is it not? —the Town and County Bank?”
“我不明白，”马蒂小姐低声对我说，“那是我们的银行，不是吗？郡镇银行？”
“Yes,” said I.
“是的，”我说，
“This lilac silk will just match the ribbons in your new cap, I believe,” I continued, holding up the folds so as to catch the light, and wishing that the man would make haste and be gone,
“我相信，这块丁香紫的丝绸正好可以配上你新帽子上的缎带，”我继续说道，举起那块布料，让它对着光，心里希望这个男人能快点离开。
and yet having a new wonder, that had only just sprung up, how far it was wise or right in me to allow Miss Matty to make this expensive purchase, if the affairs of the bank were really so bad as the refusal of the note implied.
然而，我又有了一个新的刚刚冒出来的疑虑：如果银行的情况真像拒绝兑现票据所暗示的那么糟糕，那么我允许马蒂小姐买这么贵的东西，还是不是明智和正确呢？
