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Chapter XIV Friends in Need
第十四章 患难见真情
It was an example to me, and I fancy it might be to many others, to see how immediately Miss Matty set about the retrenchment which she knew to be right under her altered circumstances.
看看马蒂小姐在经济境况突然改变的时候，如何立即着手进行她认为正确的节约行动，这对我来说是个榜样，我想对许多其他人来说也是如此。
While she went down to speak to Martha, and break the intelligence to her, I stole out with my letter to the Aga Jenkyns, and went to the Signor’s lodgings to obtain the exact address.
当她下楼去和玛莎说话，并把这个消息告诉她时，我带着给阿迦·詹金斯的信偷偷溜了出去，去了塞缪尔·布朗先生的住处，以获取确切的地址。
I bound the signora to secrecy; and indeed her military manners had a degree of shortness and reserve in them which made her always say as little as possible, except when under the pressure of strong excitement.
我让布朗夫人保守秘密；事实上，她的军人风度带有一定程度的简洁和内敛，她总是尽可能少说话，除非在情绪十分激动的时候。
Moreover (which made my secret doubly sure), the Signor was now so far recovered as to be looking forward to travelling and conjuring again in the space of a few days, when he, his wife, and little Phoebe would leave Cranford.
而且（这让我的秘密更加万无一失），布朗先生现在已经恢复得差不多了，期待着几天后再次旅行和变魔术，届时他、他的妻子和小菲比将离开克兰福德。
Indeed, I found him looking over a great black and red placard, in which the Signor Brunoni’s accomplishments were set forth, and to which only the name of the town where he would next display them was wanting.
的确，我发现他正在查看一张很大的黑红相间的海报，上面列出了布鲁诺尼先生的才艺，只缺他接下来要展示这些才艺的城镇的名字。
He and his wife were so much absorbed in deciding where the red letters would come in with most effect (it might have been the Rubric for that matter), that it was some time before I could get my question asked privately, and not before I had given several decisions, the which I questioned afterwards with equal wisdom of sincerity as soon as the signor threw in his doubts and reasons on the important subject.
他和妻子正全神贯注地思考在哪里加上红色字母会产生最显眼的效果（可能是标题的位置吧），所以过了一段时间我才有机会私下里问出我的问题，而且在我提出问题之前，我还给了几个建议，一旦布朗先生对这个重要问题提出了他的怀疑和理由，我就会以同样的智慧和真诚来质疑我的这些决定。
At last I got the address, spelt by sound, and very queer it looked.
最后我得到了地址，是根据发音拼写出来的，看起来非常奇怪。
I dropped it in the post on my way home, and then for a minute I stood looking at the wooden pane with a gaping slit which divided me from the letter but a moment ago in my hand.
我在回家的路上把信扔进了邮筒，然后我站了一会儿，看着那块有一条裂缝的木板，刚才还在我手里的信，现在已经和我分开了。
It was gone from me like life, never to be recalled.
它离我而去，就像生命一样，再也无法挽回。
It would get tossed about on the sea, and stained with sea-waves perhaps, and be carried among palm-trees, and scented with all tropical fragrance; the little piece of paper, but an hour ago so familiar and commonplace, had set out on its race to the strange wild countries beyond the Ganges!
它会在海上颠簸，或许会被海浪打湿，被带到棕榈树下，染上所有热带的芬芳；这张小纸片，一个小时前还如此熟悉和平凡，却已经踏上了前往恒河彼岸的奇异狂野国度的征程！
But I could not afford to lose much time on this speculation.
但是我不能在这种推想上浪费太多时间。
I hastened home, that Miss Matty might not miss me.
我赶紧回家，以免马蒂小姐挂念我。
Martha opened the door to me, her face swollen with crying.
玛莎为我开了门，她的脸因哭泣而有些水肿。
As soon as she saw me she burst out afresh, and taking hold of my arm she pulled me in, and banged the door too, in order to ask me if indeed it was all true that Miss Matty had been saying.
她一见到我，就又大哭起来，拉住我的胳膊，把我拉进屋，砰地关上门，问我马蒂小姐说的是不是真的。
“I’ll never leave her! No; I won’t.
“我永远不会离开她！不，我不会的。
I telled her so, and said I could not think how she could find in her heart to give me warning.
我就是这样跟她说的，还说我不明白她怎么能忍心告诉我要解雇我。
I could not have had the face to do it, if I’d been her.
如果我是她，我就不好意思这样做。
I might ha’ been just as good for nothing as Mrs Fitz-Adam’s Rosy, who struck for wages after living seven years and a half in one place.
我可能像菲茨-亚当夫人的罗茜一样没用，她在一个地方生活了七年半，还是为了工资而离开了。（注：ha'即have的方言发音。）
I said I was not one to go and serve Mammon at that rate; that I knew when I’d got a good missus, if she didn’t know when she’d got a good servant”
我说可我不是那种拜金的人；我知道我有一个好主人，但是她不知道她有一个好仆人……”（注：Mammon是《圣经》种的玛门恶魔，代表财富。）
“But, Martha,” said I, cutting in while she wiped her eyes.
“可是，玛莎，”我趁她擦眼泪的时候打断她的话。
“Don’t, ‘but Martha’ me,” she replied to my deprecatory tone.
“别跟我来‘可是玛莎’这套，”她对我不以为然的语气回应道。
“Listen to reason”—
“听我解释……”
“I’ll not listen to reason,” she said, now in full possession of her voice, which had been rather choked with sobbing.
“我不要听解释，”她说道，这会儿她已经完全控制住了自己的声音，之前她的声音因为抽泣而很是哽咽，
“Reason always means what someone else has got to say.
“解释往往意味着别人的话有理。
Now I think what I’ve got to say is good enough reason; but reason or not, I’ll say it, and I’ll stick to it.
我认为我要说的话已经够讲道理了；但不管有没有道理，我都会说出来，并且坚持到底。
I’ve money in the Savings Bank, and I’ve a good stock of clothes, and I’m not going to leave Miss Matty.
我在储蓄银行里有钱，我还有很多衣服，我不会离开马蒂小姐的。
No, not if she gives me warning every hour in the day!”
不，就算她每天每个小时都通知要解雇我，我也不会走！”
She put her arms akimbo, as much as to say she defied me; and, indeed, I could hardly tell how to begin to remonstrate with her, so much did I feel that Miss Matty, in her increasing infirmity, needed the attendance of this kind and faithful woman.
她双手叉腰，仿佛在说她根本不把我放在眼里；的确，我几乎不知道该如何开口劝她，因为我觉得马蒂小姐身体越来越虚弱，确实需要这位善良而忠实的女人的照顾。
“Well”—said I at last.
“好吧……”我最后说道。
“I’m thankful you begin with ‘well!’ If you’d have begun with ‘but,’ as you did afore, I’d not ha’ listened to you. Now you may go on.”
“谢谢你以‘好吧’开头。要是你像刚才那样，开口就说‘可是’，我就不听你说了。现在你可以继续说了。”
“I know you would be a great loss to Miss Matty, Martha”—
“我知道你对马蒂小姐来说会是一个巨大的损失，玛莎……”
“I telled her so. A loss she’d never cease to be sorry for,” broke in Martha triumphantly.
“我跟她说过。她会为此一直感到后悔的。”玛莎得意地插嘴道。
“Still, she will have so little—so very little—to live upon, that I don’t see just now how she could find you food—she will even be pressed for her own.
“不过，她的生活费会很少——非常少——我现在都不知道她怎么有钱给你弄吃的——她自己甚至都会很拮据。
I tell you this, Martha, because I feel you are like a friend to dear Miss Matty, but you know she might not like to have it spoken about.”
我跟你说这个，玛莎，是因为我觉得你就像亲爱的马蒂小姐的朋友一样，但你知道她可能不喜欢别人谈论这件事。”
Apparently this was even a blacker view of the subject than Miss Matty had presented to her, for Martha just sat down on the first chair that came to hand, and cried out loud (we had been standing in the kitchen).
显然，这是一个比马蒂小姐告诉她的更恐怖的消息，因为玛莎一下子跌坐在离手边最近的椅子上，大声哭了起来（我们一直站在厨房里）。
