麥琪的禮物：Chapter 9

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

還是因?yàn)閿[在桌上的梳子——全套梳子,包括兩鬢用的,后面的,樣樣俱全。那是很久以前德拉在百老匯的一個(gè)櫥窗里見過并羨慕得要死的東西。這些美妙的發(fā)梳,純玳瑁做的,邊上鑲著珠寶——其色彩正好同她失去的美發(fā)相匹配。她明白,這套梳子實(shí)在太昂貴,對(duì)此,她僅僅是羨慕渴望,但從未想到過據(jù)為己有?，F(xiàn)在,這一切居然屬于她了,可惜那有資格佩戴這垂涎已久的裝飾品的美麗長(zhǎng)發(fā)已無影無蹤了。

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

不過,她依然把發(fā)梳摟在胸前,過了好一陣子才抬起淚水迷濛的雙眼,微笑著說:“我的頭發(fā)長(zhǎng)得飛快,吉姆!"

And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

隨后,德拉活像一只被燙傷的小貓?zhí)似饋?叫道,“喔!喔!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

吉姆還沒有瞧見他的美麗的禮物哩。她急不可耐地把手掌攤開,伸到他面前,那沒有知覺的貴重金屬似乎閃現(xiàn)著她的歡快和熱忱。

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

“漂亮嗎,吉姆?我搜遍了全城才找到了它。現(xiàn)在,你每天可以看一百次時(shí)間了。把表給我,我要看看它配在表上的樣子。"

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

吉姆非旦不按她的吩咐行事,反而倒在睡椅上,兩手枕在頭下,微微發(fā)笑。