During her absence, the house was silent but happy,
她走后,家里顯得安靜祥和,
and, the evening being now far advanced, Lucy was expected home every minute,
可現(xiàn)在天黑早了,家里人惦記她早點回家。
and Michael, Agnes, and Isabel, her father, mother, and aunt, went to meet her on the way.
她的父母邁克爾、艾格尼絲,還有嬸嬸伊莎貝爾都去路上接她。
They walked on and on, wondering a little, but in no degree alarmed till they reached Ladyside,
大家有點納悶地走呀走,不知不覺中竟然來到了女人坡,
and heard the cheerful din of the children within, still rioting at the close of the holiday.
隱約聽到屋里面孩子們的嬉笑打鬧,聚會快結(jié)束了,依然喧鬧翻天。
Jacob Mayne came to the door, but, on their kindly asking why Lucy had not been sent home before daylight was over,
雅各.梅恩過來開門,可聽到來客禮貌地詢問為何露西沒有在天黑前趕到家,
he looked painfully surprised, and said that she had not been at Ladyside.
頓時,他神色驚愕地告訴他們,今天露西沒來女人坡。
Within two hours, a hundred persons were traversing the hills in all directions,
接下來兩小時里,上百人從四面八方到處搜索,
even at a distance which it seemed most unlikely that poor Lucy could have reached.
甚至連露西完全不可能走到的地方也去了。
The shepherds and their dogs, all the night through, searched every nook, every stony and rocky place,
整整一夜,那些牧羊人帶上他們的牧羊犬,找遍了山間野外所有能想到的旮旯角落,,甚至每處石縫溝壑、
every piece of taller heather, every crevice that could conceal anything alive or dead: but no Lucy was there.
灌叢樹林,那些可以藏身匿尸的所有地方,但,沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)露西。
Her mother, who for a while seemed inspired with supernatural strength,
似乎由某種超自然力量支撐,
had joined in the search, and with a quaking heart looked into every brake,
露西母親一度亦參加了夜間搜索,她膽戰(zhàn)心驚地查看途經(jīng)的茂密叢林。
or stopped and listened to every shout and halloo reverberating among the hills, intent to seize upon some tone of recognition or discovery.
夜色蒼茫,山嶺野外,“嗨—嗨—”的呼喚聲不時在山間溝壑回蕩,每一聲都讓露西母親掛肚牽腸,她不時停下,聆聽呼喊聲中是否夾有歡樂或驚喜。
But the moon sank; and then the stars, whose increased brightness had for a short time supplied her place, all faded away;
月亮落山了,星星隨之落下,她的心里剎那涌出丁點欣喜,夜幕黯淡隱去,
and then came the gray dawn of the morning,
清晨煦光乍露,
and then the clear brightness of the day,—and still Michael and Agnes were childless.
慣常一輪艷陽騰空而起,露西父母邁克爾和艾格尼絲仍然沒有孩子的消息。