评论
打印
What I heard from Miss Matty was that he had been a volunteer at the siege of Rangoon; had been taken prisoner by the Burmese; and somehow obtained favour and eventual freedom from knowing how to bleed the chief of the small tribe in some case of dangerous illness;
我从马蒂小姐那里听说，他曾是仰光被围时的一名志愿者，曾被缅甸人俘虏，在一个病情十分危险的情况，他知道如何给一个小部落的酋长放血治疗，因此获得了部落的青睐并最终获得了自由；
that on his release from years of captivity he had had his letters returned from England with the ominous word “Dead” marked upon them;
在囚禁多年获释后，他收到了从英国退回的信件，上面写着不祥的“已死亡”字样；
and, believing himself to be the last of his race, he had settled down as an indigo planter, and had proposed to spend the remainder of his life in the country to whose inhabitants and modes of life he had become habituated, when my letter had reached him;
他以为家里其他人都已不在人世，于是定居下来，成为一名靛青作物种植园主，他已经习惯了这里的人们和生活方式，于是打算在这个国家度过余生，就在这时，他收到了我的信；
and, with the odd vehemence which characterised him in age as it had done in youth, he had sold his land and all his possessions to the first purchaser, and come home to the poor old sister, who was more glad and rich than any princess when she looked at him.
他带着年轻时就有的那种古怪的冲动和热情，把土地和所有产业都卖给了第一个买家，然后回到了可怜的姐姐身边，当姐姐看着他时，她比任何公主都要高兴和富有。
She talked me to sleep at last, and then I was awakened by a slight sound at the door, for which she begged my pardon as she crept penitently into bed;
她终于把我说得睡着了，后来我被门边的一点声音吵醒了，她一边蹑手蹑脚地、有些懊悔地爬上床，一边为吵醒我抱歉。
but it seems that when I could no longer confirm her belief that the long-lost was really here—under the same roof—she had begun to fear lest it was only a waking dream of hers; that there never had been a Peter sitting by her all that blessed evening—but that the real Peter lay dead far away beneath some wild sea-wave, or under some strange eastern tree.
但是，当我不再能让她相信那个失散已久的人真的回来了，就在同一个屋檐下时，她开始担心这一切只是她的一个清醒的梦，担心在那个幸福的夜晚，根本就没有彼得坐在她身边——真正的彼得远在异国他乡，葬身于某片狂野的海浪之下，或者葬身于某棵奇异的东方大树下。
And so strong had this nervous feeling of hers become, that she was fain to get up and go and convince herself that he was really there by listening through the door to his even, regular breathing—I don’t like to call it snoring, but I heard it myself through two closed doors—and by-and-by it soothed Miss Matty to sleep.
她的这种紧张情绪变得如此强烈，她不得不起身去确认他真的在那里，她透过门听见他均匀、有规律的呼吸声——我不想称之为鼾声，但我自己隔着两扇紧闭的门也听到了——渐渐地，这声音让马蒂小姐安心地入睡了。
I don’t believe Mr Peter came home from India as rich as a nabob; he even considered himself poor, but neither he nor Miss Matty cared much about that.
我不相信彼得先生从印度回来时像个印度大富翁一样富有；他甚至认为自己很穷，但他和马蒂小姐都不太在意这一点。
At any rate, he had enough to live upon “very genteelly” at Cranford; he and Miss Matty together.
无论如何，他有足够的钱在克兰福德过着“非常优雅”的生活，足够他和马蒂小姐一起生活。
And a day or two after his arrival, the shop was closed, while troops of little urchins gleefully awaited the shower of comfits and lozenges that came from time to time down upon their faces as they stood up-gazing at Miss Matty’s drawing-room windows.
他回来一两天后，茶叶店就关门了，一群小孩兴高采烈地等在店外，当他们抬头望向马蒂小姐家客厅的窗户时，总是会有一阵糖果雨纷纷扬扬地落下来。
Occasionally Miss Matty would say to them (half-hidden behind the curtains), “My dear children, don’t make yourselves ill;” but a strong arm pulled her back, and a more rattling shower than ever succeeded.
马蒂小姐偶尔会对他们说（半隐在窗帘后面）：“亲爱的孩子们，别把自己吃得不舒服了。”但是一只强壮的手臂会把她拉回来，接着是一阵更大的糖果雨。
A part of the tea was sent in presents to the Cranford ladies; and some of it was distributed among the old people who remembered Mr Peter in the days of his frolicsome youth.
一部分茶叶被当作礼物送给了克兰福德的女士们；还有一些茶叶则分给了老人们，这些老人还记得彼得先生年轻时是如何爱嬉闹。
The Indian muslin gown was reserved for darling Flora Gordon (Miss Jessie Brown’s daughter).
那条印度平纹细布长袍留给了亲爱的弗洛拉·戈登（杰西·布朗小姐的女儿）。
The Gordons had been on the Continent for the last few years, but were now expected to return very soon; and Miss Matty, in her sisterly pride, anticipated great delight in the joy of showing them Mr Peter.
戈登夫妇过去几年一直在欧洲大陆，不过现在预计很快就会回来。马蒂小姐怀着姐姐的自豪，期待着带彼得先生去见他们时，大家会多么高兴。
The pearl necklace disappeared; and about that time many handsome and useful presents made their appearance in the households of Miss Pole and Mrs Forrester; and some rare and delicate Indian ornaments graced the drawing-rooms of Mrs Jamieson and Mrs Fitz-Adam.
珍珠项链不见了，大约就在那个时候，波尔小姐和福里斯特夫人家收到了许多漂亮而实用的礼物；贾米森夫人和菲茨-亚当夫人的客厅也因一些罕见而精致的印度饰品而增添了光彩。
I myself was not forgotten.
我自己也没有被遗忘。
Among other things, I had the handsomest-bound and best edition of Dr Johnson’s works that could be procured; and dear Miss Matty, with tears in her eyes, begged me to consider it as a present from her sister as well as herself.
除了很多礼物之外，我还得到了一本可以买到的装帧最漂亮、版本最好的约翰生博士的著作，亲爱的马蒂小姐含着眼泪，请求我把这书当作她和她姐姐一起送的礼物并收下。
In short, no one was forgotten; and, what was more, every one, however insignificant, who had shown kindness to Miss Matty at any time, was sure of Mr Peter’s cordial regard.
总之，没有人被遗忘；而且更重要的是，每一个人，无论多么微不足道，只要在任何时候对马蒂小姐表示过善意，都肯定会得到彼得先生的衷心尊重。
