评论
打印
I am not going to weary you with the details of all the business we went through; and one reason for not telling about them is, that I did not understand what we were doing at the time, and cannot recollect it now.
我不打算絮叨地告诉您我们做的所有事情的所有细节；不讲述这些细节的一个原因是，我当时不明白我们在做什么，现在也记不起来了。
Miss Matty and I sat assenting to accounts, and schemes, and reports, and documents, of which I do not believe we either of us understood a word;
马蒂小姐和我坐在那里，对账目、计划、报告和文件表示同意，我相信我们俩一个字也没听懂；
for my father was clear-headed and decisive, and a capital man of business, and if we made the slightest inquiry, or expressed the slightest want of comprehension, he had a sharp way of saying, “Eh? Eh? It’s as clear as daylight. What’s your objection?”
因为我父亲头脑清醒，性格果断，很有商业头脑，如果我们稍微有疑问，或者表示出一点点不理解，他就会用一种尖锐的语气说：“嗯？嗯？这都一清二楚。你有什么反对意见？”
And as we had not comprehended anything of what he had proposed, we found it rather difficult to shape our objections; in fact, we never were sure if we had any.
因为我们对他所提出的内容一无所知，所以我们很难提出反对意见；事实上，我们甚至不确定我们是否有反对意见。
So presently Miss Matty got into a nervously acquiescent state, and said “Yes,” and “Certainly,” at every pause, whether required or not;
所以眼下马蒂小姐陷入了一种紧张且默许的状态，父亲的话语一有停顿，她都说“是的”和“当然”，不管需不需要她这样说；
but when I once joined in as chorus to a “Decidedly,” pronounced by Miss Matty in a tremblingly dubious tone, my father fired round at me and asked me “What there was to decide?”
可是有一次，马蒂小姐用颤抖而迟疑的声调说出“就这么决定”时，我也跟着附和，父亲便立刻把矛头转向我，问我“有什么好决定的？”
And I am sure to this day I have never known.
我确信直到今天我也不知道我们说的是什么。
But, in justice to him, I must say he had come over from Drumble to help Miss Matty when he could ill spare the time, and when his own affairs were in a very anxious state.
但是为了公正地评价父亲，我必须说，他当时几乎抽不出时间，但还是从德拉姆布尔赶来帮助马蒂小姐，而且当时他自己的事情也让他焦头烂额。
While Miss Matty was out of the room giving orders for luncheon—and sadly perplexed between her desire of honouring my father by a delicate, dainty meal, and her conviction that she had no right, now that all her money was gone, to indulge this desire—I told him of the meeting of the Cranford ladies at Miss Pole’s the day before.
马蒂小姐走出房间去安排午饭了——她很是为难，一方面她想通过一顿精致可口的饭菜来表达对我父亲的敬意，另一方面她又深信，既然她所有的钱都没了，就没有权利再这样放纵自己享乐了——趁她不在，我把前一天克兰福德的女士们在波尔小姐家聚会的事告诉了父亲。
He kept brushing his hand before his eyes as I spoke—and when I went back to Martha’s offer the evening before, of receiving Miss Matty as a lodger, he fairly walked away from me to the window, and began drumming with his fingers upon it.
我说话的时候，他不停地用手拂过眼前——当我讲到前一天晚上玛莎的提议，让马蒂小姐做她的房客时，他干脆从我身边走开，来到窗前，开始用手指敲着窗玻璃。
Then he turned abruptly round, and said, “See, Mary, how a good, innocent life makes friends all around.
然后他突然转过身来说：“看，玛丽，善良、纯真的人会结交到许多朋友。”
Confound it! I could make a good lesson out of it if I were a parson; but, as it is, I can’t get a tail to my sentences—only I’m sure you feel what I want to say.
该死！如果我是牧师，我可以据此讲出一篇很好的布道词；但我不是，我没法讲出精彩的句子，但我相信你能感受到我想说的话。
You and I will have a walk after lunch and talk a bit more about these plans.”
你和我在午饭后去散步吧，我们再谈谈这些计划。”
The lunch—a hot savoury mutton-chop, and a little of the cold loin sliced and fried—was now brought in.
午餐——一道热气腾腾的美味羊排，还有一点冷羊腰肉被切成薄片并油炸——现在被端了进来。
Every morsel of this last dish was finished, to Martha’s great gratification.
这最后一道菜的每一口都被吃完了，这让玛莎非常满意。
Then my father bluntly told Miss Matty he wanted to talk to me alone, and that he would stroll out and see some of the old places, and then I could tell her what plan we thought desirable.
然后我父亲直截了当地告诉马蒂小姐，他想单独和我谈谈，他想出去走走，看看一些老地方，然后我可以告诉她我们认为合适的计划是什么。
Just before we went out, she called me back and said, “Remember, dear, I’m the only one left—I mean, there’s no one to be hurt by what I do.
就在我们要出门之前，她把我叫了回去，说道：“请记住，亲爱的，现在只剩我一个人了——我是说，我做什么都不会伤害到任何人。
I’m willing to do anything that’s right and honest; and I don’t think, if Deborah knows where she is, she’ll care so very much if I’m not genteel; because, you see, she’ll know all, dear.
我愿意做任何正确和诚实的事情；而且我认为，如果黛博拉在天之灵知道的话，她不会太介意我是否文雅；因为，你知道，她什么都明白，亲爱的。
Only let me see what I can do, and pay the poor people as far as I’m able.”
只要让我知道我能做什么，去尽我所能地把钱还给穷人。”
I gave her a hearty kiss, and ran after my father.
我给了她一个衷心的吻，然后跑去追我父亲。
