Martha was beginning to go about again, and I had already fixed a limit, not very far distant, to my visit, when one afternoon, as I was sitting in the shop-parlour with Miss Matty—I remember the weather was colder now than it had been in May, three weeks before, and we had a fire and kept the door fully closed—we saw a gentleman go slowly past the window, and then stand opposite to the door, as if looking out for the name which we had so carefully hidden.
玛莎的身体渐渐康复,我也给自己规定了一个探访结束期限,不久后就会离开,一天下午,我正和马蒂小姐坐在设成店铺的客厅里——我记得那天的天气比三周前五月的天气要冷一些,所以我们生了火,还把门关得严严实实——我们看见一位绅士慢慢走过窗前,然后站在门对面,似乎在寻找我们精心隐藏起来的店主人的名字。
He took out a double eyeglass and peered about for some time before he could discover it.
他拿出一副双片眼镜,仔细地看了一会儿,才发现名字。
Then he came in.
然后他进来了。
And, all on a sudden, it flashed across me that it was the Aga himself!
突然之间,我想到那是阿伽本人!
For his clothes had an out-of-the-way foreign cut about them, and his face was deep brown, as if tanned and re-tanned by the sun.
因为他的衣服有一种古怪的外国风格,他的脸是深棕色的,好像被太阳晒黑了又晒黑。
His complexion contrasted oddly with his plentiful snow-white hair, his eyes were dark and piercing, and he had an odd way of contracting them and puckering up his cheeks into innumerable wrinkles when he looked earnestly at objects.
他的肤色与他满头的雪白头发形成了奇特的对比,他的眼睛又黑又锐利,当他认真地看东西时,他有一种奇怪的动作,会眯起眼睛,把脸颊皱成无数的皱纹。
He did so to Miss Matty when he first came in.
他刚进来时就是这样看马蒂小姐的。
His glance had first caught and lingered a little upon me, but then turned, with the peculiar searching look I have described, to Miss Matty.
他的目光先是落在我身上并停留了片刻,然后带着我刚刚描述过的那种特别的探寻神情转向了马蒂小姐。
She was a little fluttered and nervous, but no more so than she always was when any man came into her shop.
她有点慌乱和紧张,但任何男人走进她的店铺时她都差不多是这样紧张。
She thought that he would probably have a note, or a sovereign at least, for which she would have to give change, which was an operation she very much disliked to perform.
她想他可能会有一张票据,或者至少有一个金币,然后她就得找零钱给他,这是她非常不喜欢做的事情。
But the present customer stood opposite to her, without asking for anything, only looking fixedly at her as he drummed upon the table with his fingers, just for all the world as Miss Jenkyns used to do.
但是现在这位顾客站在她对面,什么也没要,而是一边目不转睛地看着她,一边用手指敲着桌子,正像詹金斯小姐过去常做的那样。
Miss Matty was on the point of asking him what he wanted (as she told me afterwards), when he turned sharp to me: “Is your name Mary Smith?”
马蒂小姐正要问他想要什么(她后来告诉我),这时他突然转向我:“您叫玛丽·史密斯吗?”
“Yes!” said I.
“是的!”我说。
All my doubts as to his identity were set at rest, and I only wondered what he would say or do next, and how Miss Matty would stand the joyful shock of what he had to reveal.
我对他身份的所有疑虑都消除了,我只想知道他接下来会说什么或做什么,以及马蒂小姐会如何承受他将透露的这个令人高兴的消息的冲击。
Apparently he was at a loss how to announce himself, for he looked round at last in search of something to buy, so as to gain time, and, as it happened, his eye caught on the almond-comfits, and he boldly asked for a pound of “those things.”
显然他不知道该如何宣布自己的身份,因为他最后环顾四周,想找点东西买,以便争取时间,碰巧,他的目光落在了糖杏仁上,于是他大胆地要了一磅“那些东西”。
I doubt if Miss Matty had a whole pound in the shop, and, besides the unusual magnitude of the order, she was distressed with the idea of the indigestion they would produce, taken in such unlimited quantities.
我怀疑马蒂小姐的店里是否有一整磅糖杏仁,而且除了订单数量异常庞大之外,她还为顾客们会因吃太多糖杏仁而消化不良感到苦恼。
She looked up to remonstrate.
她抬起头来抗议。
Something of tender relaxation in his face struck home to her heart.
他脸上流露出的某种温柔、放松的神情触动了她的心。
She said, “It is—oh, sir! Can you be Peter?” and trembled from head to foot.
她说:“你是——哦,先生!你难道是彼得吗?”她全身都在颤抖。
In a moment he was round the table and had her in his arms, sobbing the tearless cries of old age.
紧接着,他就绕过桌子,和她拥抱,像老人一样无声地哭着。
I brought her a glass of wine, for indeed her colour had changed so as to alarm me and Mr Peter too.
我给她拿了一杯酒,因为她的脸色确实变了,这让我和彼得先生都很担心。
He kept saying, “I have been too sudden for you, Matty—I have, my little girl.”
他不停地说:“我来得太突然了,马蒂——太突然了,我的姐姐。”
I proposed that she should go at once up into the drawing-room and lie down on the sofa there.
我建议她立刻上楼到客厅去,躺在沙发上。
She looked wistfully at her brother, whose hand she had held tight, even when nearly fainting; but on his assuring her that he would not leave her, she allowed him to carry her upstairs.
她感伤地看着弟弟,即使在几乎昏厥的时候也紧紧地握着他的手;但当他向她保证他不会离开时,她允许他把她抱到楼上去。
I thought that the best I could do was to run and put the kettle on the fire for early tea, and then to attend to the shop, leaving the brother and sister to exchange some of the many thousand things they must have to say.
我想我能做的最有用的事就是跑去把水壶放在火上烧早茶,然后去照看店铺,让姐弟俩好好聊聊,他们一定有成千上万的话要说。
I had also to break the news to Martha, who received it with a burst of tears which nearly infected me.
我也得把这个消息告诉玛莎,她听后泪如雨下,差点把我也惹哭了。
She kept recovering herself to ask if I was sure it was indeed Miss Matty’s brother, for I had mentioned that he had grey hair, and she had always heard that he was a very handsome young man.
她不停地恢复自己的情绪,问我是否确定那确实是马蒂小姐的弟弟,因为我提到过他有灰白的头发,而她一直听说他是一个非常英俊的年轻人。