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I received two Cranford letters on one auspicious October morning.
在一个祥和的十月早晨，我收到了两封克兰福德的信。
Both Miss Pole and Miss Matty wrote to ask me to come over and meet the Gordons, who had returned to England alive and well with their two children, now almost grown up.
波尔小姐和马蒂小姐都写信让我过去见见戈登一家，他们已经安然无恙地回到了英国，还带着两个孩子，现在都快成年了。
Dear Jessie Brown had kept her old kind nature, although she had changed her name and station;
亲爱的杰西·布朗仍然像以前一样善良，尽管她已经改变了姓氏和身份。
and she wrote to say that she and Major Gordon expected to be in Cranford on the fourteenth, and she hoped and begged to be remembered to Mrs Jamieson (named first, as became her honourable station), Miss Pole and Miss Matty—could she ever forget their kindness to her poor father and sister?—Mrs Forrester, Mr Hoggins (and here again came in an allusion to kindness shown to the dead long ago), his new wife, who as such must allow Mrs Gordon to desire to make her acquaintance, and who was, moreover, an old Scotch friend of her husband’s.
她写信说她和戈登少校预计14日会到达克兰福德，她希望并恳请向贾米森夫人（按照她尊贵的身份，她的名字排在第一位）、波尔小姐和马蒂小姐转达她的问候（她怎么能忘记她们对她可怜的父亲和姐姐的善待呢？），还要向福里斯特夫人、霍金斯先生（这里又提到了很久以前他们对死者的善举）、他的新婚妻子转达问候，请霍金斯夫人定要允许戈登夫人结识她，而且霍金斯夫人还是她丈夫的一位苏格兰老朋友。
In short, every one was named, from the rector—who had been appointed to Cranford in the interim between Captain Brown’s death and Miss Jessie’s marriage, and was now associated with the latter event—down to Miss Betty Barker.
总之，每个人都被提到了，从教区长开始——他在布朗上尉去世和杰西小姐结婚之间的空当被任命到克兰福德，因此参与了杰西小姐的婚礼——一直到贝蒂·巴克小姐。
All were asked to the luncheon; all except Mrs Fitz-Adam, who had come to live in Cranford since Miss Jessie Brown’s days, and whom I found rather moping on account of the omission.
所有人都被邀请参加午餐会，除了菲茨-亚当夫人，她是在杰西·布朗小姐离开之后才来克兰福德居住的，我发现她因为被遗漏而相当沮丧。
People wondered at Miss Betty Barker’s being included in the honourable list; but, then, as Miss Pole said, we must remember the disregard of the genteel proprieties of life in which the poor captain had educated his girls, and for his sake we swallowed our pride.
人们对贝蒂·巴克小姐也被列入贵族宾客名单而感到惊讶，但是正如波尔小姐所说，我们必须记住，布朗上尉在教育他的女儿们时，对上流社会的礼仪规范是不屑一顾的，看在他的份上，我们只好忍气吞声。
Indeed, Mrs Jamieson rather took it as a compliment, as putting Miss Betty (formerly her maid) on a level with “those Hogginses.”
的确，贾米森夫人反倒觉得这是一种恭维，因为这意味着贝蒂小姐（以前是她家的女仆）和“霍金斯家的人”地位平等。
But when I arrived in Cranford, nothing was as yet ascertained of Mrs Jamieson’s own intentions; would the honourable lady go, or would she not?
但是当我到达克兰福德时，还没有确定贾米森夫人自己的主意，这位尊贵的女士会去吗？还是不会去？
Mr Peter declared that she should and she would; Miss Pole shook her head and desponded.
彼得先生宣称她应该去，而且她也会去；波尔小姐摇了摇头，很是沮丧。
But Mr Peter was a man of resources.
但是彼得先生是一个足智多谋的人。
In the first place, he persuaded Miss Matty to write to Mrs Gordon, and to tell her of Mrs Fitz-Adam’s existence, and to beg that one so kind, and cordial, and generous, might be included in the pleasant invitation.
首先，他说服马蒂小姐给戈登夫人写信，告诉她菲茨-亚当夫人的存在，并请求让这位善良、热情、慷慨的女士也能收到令人愉快的邀请。
An answer came back by return of post, with a pretty little note for Mrs Fitz-Adam, and a request that Miss Matty would deliver it herself and explain the previous omission.
回信很快就到了，还附上了一封给菲茨-亚当夫人的便条，并请求马蒂小姐亲自把便条送过去并解释之前的疏忽。
Mrs Fitz-Adam was as pleased as could be, and thanked Miss Matty over and over again.
菲茨-亚当夫人高兴极了，一遍又一遍地感谢马蒂小姐。
Mr Peter had said, “Leave Mrs Jamieson to me;” so we did; especially as we knew nothing that we could do to alter her determination if once formed.
彼得先生说过“把贾米森夫人交给我吧”，所以我们就照办了，尤其是因为我们知道，一旦她拿定了主意，我们说什么也无法改变。
I did not know, nor did Miss Matty, how things were going on, until Miss Pole asked me, just the day before Mrs Gordon came, if I thought there was anything between Mr Peter and Mrs Jamieson in the matrimonial line, for that Mrs Jamieson was really going to the lunch at the “George.”
我不知道，马蒂小姐也不知道，事情是怎么办的，直到在戈登夫人到达的前一天，波尔小姐问我，我是否认为彼得先生和贾米森夫人之间有什么婚姻上的事情，因为贾米森夫人真的要去“乔治”酒店参加午餐会。
She had sent Mr Mulliner down to desire that there might be a footstool put to the warmest seat in the room, as she meant to come, and knew that their chairs were very high.
她已差穆利纳先生去了酒店，要求在屋里最暖和的座位前放个脚凳，因为她打算来，而且知道酒店里的椅子很高。
Miss Pole had picked this piece of news up, and from it she conjectured all sorts of things, and bemoaned yet more.
波尔小姐听到了这条消息，据此她推测出了各种各样的事情，并且更加悲叹不已。
“If Peter should marry, what would become of poor dear Miss Matty? And Mrs Jamieson, of all people!”
“如果彼得结婚了，可怜的亲爱的马蒂小姐会怎么样呢？而且竟然是贾米森夫人！”
Miss Pole seemed to think there were other ladies in Cranford who would have done more credit to his choice, and I think she must have had someone who was unmarried in her head, for she kept saying, “It was so wanting in delicacy in a widow to think of such a thing.”
波尔小姐似乎认为克兰福德还有其他女士更配得上他的选择，我想她心里一定也有个未婚的人选，因为她不停地说：“一个寡妇却去想结婚，真是太没有分寸了。”
