書蟲四級《克蘭福德》：2.上尉

2．The captain

2．上尉

It was impossible to live in Cranford for a month and not know everybody's daily habits. So, long before my visit ended, I knew a lot about the Browns. They were indeed poor. And the captain was extraordinarily kind. One Sunday morning after church, he met a poor old woman who was fetching her dinner from the town bakehouse. The street was wet and she was rather shaky on her legs, so the captain carried her baked meat and potatoes home for her! Cranford people did not do this kind of thing, but the captain was not at all ashamed of himself.

在克蘭福德住上一個月，不可能不知道每個人的日常習慣。所以，早在我的訪問結束之前，我對布朗一家就有了很多了解。他們確實不富裕，上尉又是個特別好的人。一個星期日的早晨，做過禮拜之后，他碰到一個可憐的老太太在鎮(zhèn)里的面包房取午飯。街道上濕漉漉的，她兩腿都在打顫，所以上尉幫她把烤肉和土豆弄回了家！克蘭福德人不會做這種事，但上尉一點兒也沒感到有什么不妥。

Miss Jenkyns could not forgive Captain Brown for his unkind opinion of Dr Johnson, so I did not see much of the family until I went on to stay with Miss Pole. I learnt then that Miss Brown was seriously ill. And when I saw how difficult she was, and how endlessly kind her father and sister were to her, I understood a little better and forgave Miss Jessie for her childish way of dressing.

詹金斯小姐不肯原諒布朗上尉對約翰遜博士口出不遜，所以我在搬到波爾小姐那里住之前，很少見到這家人。后來我聽說布朗小姐病得很重。當我看到她痛苦的樣子，看到她父親和妹妹盡心盡力地照料她時，我對他們的了解更多了些，也不再介意杰西小姐穿衣服孩子氣了。

The captain tried hard to make peace with Miss Jenkyns, but she remained cool. No gentleman, surely, could prefer Mr Dickens to Dr Johnson!

上尉努力想和詹金斯小姐講和，但詹金斯小姐不加理睬。當然了，沒有哪位紳士會喜歡狄更斯先生，而不是約翰遜博士！

That was the situation when I left Cranford to return to my father in Drumble. But several of the ladies sent me news of the dear little town. Miss Pole wrote, asking for some knitting-wool. Miss Matty Jenkyns (Miss Deborah's younger sister) wrote nice, kind, disorganized letters, occasionally giving her own opinion but more often giving her elder sister's. And Miss Deborah Jenkyns herself wrote—grand, slow-moving letters, using words like 'Brunonian' for 'Brown'.

我離開克蘭福德，回到德萊姆伯爾我父親身邊的時候，情況就是這樣。不過有幾位女士給我送來了這個可愛小鎮(zhèn)的消息。波爾小姐寫信要一些毛線。馬蒂·詹金斯小姐（德博拉小姐的妹妹）信寫得不錯，很友好，但沒有章法，有時候她會談談自己的看法，不過更多的時候她寫的都是她姐姐的看法。德博拉·詹金斯小姐寫的信夸張而乏味，用“布魯諾寧”這樣的詞來代替“布朗”。

My next visit to Cranford was in the summer. No one had been born or married since I was last there, and no one had died. Everyone lived in the same house and wore the same unfashionable clothes. The greatest excitement was that the Misses Jenkyns had bought a new carpet. Oh, what busy work Miss Matty and I had in the afternoons, covering it with newspaper where the sun shone in!

我再次來到克蘭福德時已是夏天了。從我上次到那里到現(xiàn)在，沒有人出生、結婚或過世。每個人都住在同樣的房子里，穿著同樣過時的服裝。最振奮人心的事情就是詹金斯小姐買了一條新地毯。哦，我和馬蒂小姐下午的時候得把報紙鋪在地毯上陽光照得著的地方，可真夠我們忙的！

Captain Brown and Miss Jenkyns were still not very friendly. Miss Jenkyns always talked at the captain and, though he did not reply, he made it quite clear that he preferred the writings of Mr Dickens to those of Dr Johnson. Indeed, he used to read Mr Dickens's books while walking through the streets, and was so deeply interested in his reading that once he nearly knocked Miss Jenkyns down.

布朗上尉和詹金斯小姐之間仍然不太友好。詹金斯小姐說話總是和上尉針鋒相對，雖然上尉并不予以回應，他還是表明他更喜歡狄更斯先生而不是約翰遜博士的作品。的確，他曾在街上邊走邊讀狄更斯先生的作品，讀得很入神，以至于有一次差點兒撞倒詹金斯小姐。

The poor, brave captain! His clothes looked very old and worn, but he seemed as bright as ever, unless he was asked about his elder daughter's health. 'She's in great pain,' he replied, 'though we do what we can.'

可憐勇敢的上尉！他的衣服顯得很破舊，不過他人還是像從前那樣精神，除非被問到他大女兒的健康狀況。“她痛得厲害，”他答道，“雖然我們盡力了。”

Miss Matty told me that, in fact, he and his younger daughter had done everything possible to make the patient comfortable, whatever the cost. 'And Miss Jessie's a wonderful nurse. My dear, if you saw her as I have, you'd never laugh again at her childish pink ribbons.'

馬蒂小姐告訴我，實際上，他和小女兒什么可能的方法都試過了，想讓病人舒服點兒，而且不惜任何代價。“杰西小姐是個出色的護士。親愛的，如果你像我一樣親眼看到，你就再也不會笑話她那些孩子氣的粉紅色絲帶了。”

I felt ashamed and spoke to Miss Jessie with twice as much respect next time we met. She looked exhausted, but she pushed back the tears in her pretty eyes. 'What a good town Cranford is!' she said. 'Everyone sends my sister presents.'

我感到慚愧，所以再次見到杰西小姐的時候，我和她說話時口氣雙倍的尊敬。她顯得很疲憊，不過還是忍住沒讓她那雙美麗的眼睛流淚。“克蘭福德真是個好地方！”她說，“大家都給我姐姐送禮物。”

Captain Brown called one day to thank Miss Jenkyns for many little kindnesses I had not known about. He had suddenly become like an old man, and his deep voice trembled when he spoke about his elder daughter. 'There is no hope,' he said. 'Thank God we have Jessie!' Then he quickly shook everyone's hand and left the room.

一天，布朗上尉來拜訪，感謝詹金斯小姐幫了很多小忙，這些我都不知道。他突然變得像個老人，說起大女兒的時候，他低沉的嗓音都在顫抖。“沒希望了，”他說，“感謝上帝我們還有杰西！”然后他匆匆地和大家握了握手，就離開了房間。

That afternoon, we saw little groups in the street, all listening with horror to some story. Miss Jenkyns sent out Jenny the maid, who came back in tears. 'Oh, Miss Jenkyns! Captain Brown has been killed by that cruel railway!'

那天下午，我們看見街上的人一小群一小群地聚在一起，都面帶恐懼地聽著什么事情。詹金斯小姐把女仆珍妮打發(fā)了出去，結果她哭著回來了。“哦，詹金斯小姐！布朗上尉被那條無情的鐵路害死了！”

How? Where, where?' Miss Matty ran out into the street and brought back the man who was telling the story. 'Oh, say it's not true!' Miss Matty cried.

“怎么回事？在哪兒，在哪兒？”馬蒂小姐跑到街上把正在說這件事的那個男人帶了回來，“哦，說那不是真的！”馬蒂小姐哭道。

The man stood there with his wet boots on the new carpet and no one noticed. 'It's true, Miss,' he said. 'I saw it myself. The captain was reading some new book while he waited for the down-train. Then he looked up suddenly and saw a little girl on the railway line, just as the train was coming into the station. He ran forwards and caught her, but then he fell and the train went straight over him. The child's safe, though. The poor captain would be glad of that. Miss, wouldn't he?'

那人穿著濕靴子站在新地毯上，卻沒人注意到。“是真的，小姐，”他說，“我親眼看見的。上尉邊看新書邊等火車。后來他突然抬頭看見鐵道上有一個小女孩兒，而火車馬上就要進站了。他跑過去抓住她，可后來自己卻摔倒了，火車徑直地從他身上碾了過去。不過孩子倒平安無事，可憐的上尉會為這個感到欣慰的。小姐，對吧？”

Miss Jenkyns's face was very white. 'Matilda, bring me my bonnet,' she commanded Miss Matty. 'I must go to those girls... God forgive me if I ever spoke sharply to the captain!'

詹金斯小姐面色慘白。“馬蒂爾達，把我的圓帽拿來，”她命令馬蒂小姐，“我必須去看看那兩個姑娘……要是我以前對上尉說過什么刻薄的話，上帝寬恕我！”

When she came back, she did not want to talk much. Mr Hoggins, the Cranford doctor, had said that Miss Brown would not live for many more days. Miss Jessie did not want her sister to hear the terrible news of her father's death, so Miss Brown was told that her father had been called away on railway business.

她回來的時候，并不怎么想說話。克蘭福德的醫(yī)生霍金斯先生說過布朗小姐活不了多少天了。杰西小姐不想讓她姐姐聽到父親去世的噩耗，所以布朗小姐被告知她父親因為鐵路上的事被叫走了。

Next day, the newspaper had the full story of the accident. 'The brave gentleman,' it said, 'was reading this month's Pickwick Papers.'

第二天，報上刊登了事故的全過程。“這位勇敢的紳士，”報上寫道，“當時正在讀這個月的《匹克威克外傳》。”

Poor, dear, silly man!' Miss Jenkyns shook her head, and busily sewed some black ribbon on her bonnet for the funeral.

“可憐、可愛的傻瓜！”詹金斯小姐搖了搖頭，然后就忙著在圓帽上縫上黑帶子，以備葬禮上用。

She went with Miss Jessie to the funeral, while Miss Pole, Miss Matty and I sat with Miss Brown.

她陪杰西小姐一起去參加葬禮，而我和波爾小姐、馬蒂小姐則陪著布朗小姐。

Next day when we returned, we could see that Miss Brown was dying.

第二天我們回來的時候，發(fā)現(xiàn)布朗小姐快要死了。

Oh, Jessie!' she whispered. 'How selfish I've been! God forgive me!'

“哦，杰西！”她低聲說道，“我是多么自私??！上帝寬恕我！”

Sssh, love, sssh!' said Miss Jessie in tears.

“噓，親愛的，噓！”杰西小姐含著眼淚說。

And my dear, dear father! He can never know now how I loved him.'

“我親愛的，親愛的爸爸！他永遠無法知道我有多愛他了。”

He does know, dearest. He... he has gone before you to his resting-place. He knows now how you loved him.' The tears ran like rain down Miss Jessie's face. A few moments later her sister lay calm and quiet.

“他知道，最親愛的。他……他已經(jīng)先于你到長眠之地去了。他知道你有多愛他。”杰西小姐淚如雨下。過了一會兒，她姐姐就安息了。

After this second funeral, Miss Jenkyns made Miss Jessie stay with us. Miss Jessie had only about ￡20 a year to live on, and one day she and I began to discuss how she could earn some money.

第二個葬禮之后，詹金斯小姐讓杰西小姐和我們住在了一起。杰西小姐每年只有大約20英鎊的收入，她就靠這點兒錢過活，所以有一天她和我開始討論她該怎么掙點兒錢。

I can sew,' said Jessie, 'and I like nursing...'

“我可以給人縫補東西，”杰西說，“而且我也喜歡看護……”

Suddenly Miss Jenkyns entered the room in unusual excitement. 'My dear Miss Jessie! Such a surprise! There is a gentleman downstairs whom you once knew—'

突然詹金斯小姐走進房間，神情異常激動，“我親愛的杰西小姐！真是個驚喜！樓下有一位你認識的紳士——”

Miss Jessie went white, then red.

杰西小姐臉色一白，接著又紅了。

—a gentleman, my dear, who wants to know if you will see him.'

“——一位紳士，親愛的，他想知道你愿不愿意見他。”

Is it...? It isn't...?' Miss Jessie could not finish.

“是……？不是……？”杰西小姐說不下去了。

This is his visiting-card,' said Miss Jenkyns. She gave the card to Miss Jessie and made a strange face at me over her head. 'May he come up?'

“這是他的名片。”詹金斯小姐說。她把名片遞給杰西小姐，從她頭頂上朝我做了個鬼臉，“他可以上來嗎？”

Oh, oh yes!' said Miss Jessie. She picked up some of Miss Matty's knitting and began to be very busy.

“哦，哦可以！”杰西小姐說。她把馬蒂小姐的編織活兒拿起來開始忙著編織。

Miss Jenkyns rang the bell. 'Bring Captain Gordon upstairs,' she told the maid.

詹金斯小姐按了鈴。“請帶戈登上尉上樓。”她對女仆說。

A tall, fine, sincere-looking man of about forty walked in. He shook hands with Miss Jessie, who looked down at the floor.

一位40歲左右，舉止文雅，相貌真誠的高個子男人走了進來。他和杰西小姐握手的時候，杰西小姐低頭看著地板。

Miss Jenkyns asked me to come downstairs and help her prepare some fruit. Although Miss Jessie tried to make me stay, I could not refuse to help Miss Jenkyns. Instead of preparing fruit, however, Miss Jenkyns told me what Captain Gordon had told her. He had been in the army with Captain Brown and had fallen in love with Jessie when she was only eighteen. When he had inherited an estate in Scotland, he had asked her to marry him—and she had refused in order to nurse her sister. Gordon had then gone angrily abroad. He was in Rome when he saw the report of Captain Brown's death.

詹金斯小姐讓我下樓幫她準備一些水果。雖然杰西小姐竭力讓我留下來，我卻不能拒絕幫助詹金斯小姐。不過，詹金斯小姐并沒有準備水果，而是把戈登先生跟她說的話告訴了我。他和布朗上尉曾一起在軍中服役，并在杰西小姐年僅18歲那年愛上了她。當他繼承了一處位于蘇格蘭的莊園時，他曾經(jīng)向她求婚——可是她為了照顧姐姐，拒絕了他。于是戈登一氣之下遠走異國。他是在羅馬得知布朗上尉的死訊的。

Just then Miss Matty, who had been out all the morning, happened to come home. 'Deborah!' she cried. 'There's a gentleman upstairs with his arm round Miss Jessie's waist!' Miss Matty's eyes were large with horror.

正在那時，已經(jīng)出去一個早上的馬蒂小姐碰巧回家了。“德博拉！”她叫道，“樓上有一位先生用胳膊摟著杰西小姐的腰！”馬蒂小姐嚇得瞪大了眼睛。

Miss Jenkyns's reply surprised her sister greatly.

詹金斯小姐的回答令她妹妹大為吃驚。

The best place in the world for his arm to be in. Go away, Matilda, and mind your own business.'

“那是這世界上最適合他放胳膊的地方。馬蒂爾達，忙你自己的事情去吧。”

The last time I ever saw Miss Jenkyns was years after this. She and Miss Matty and Miss Pole had all visited Miss Jessie (now Mrs Gordon) in Scotland and returned with wonderful stories of her home, her husband and her pretty dimples. Now, at the time I am speaking of, Miss Jenkyns had grown old. Miss Jessie's daughter, little Flora Gordon, had come down to Cranford on a visit. When I came in, Miss Jenkyns was lying on the sofa and Flora was reading aloud to her.

我上次見詹金斯小姐已經(jīng)是這之后的好多年了。她和馬蒂小姐以及波爾小姐都到蘇格蘭去看望過杰西小姐（現(xiàn)在的戈登夫人），回來使勁地夸獎她家、她丈夫和她那漂亮的酒窩?，F(xiàn)在，我說這些事情的時候，詹金斯小姐已經(jīng)老了。杰西小姐的女兒，小弗洛拉·戈登也來到了克蘭福德。我進來的時候，詹金斯小姐正躺在沙發(fā)上，而弗洛拉則在大聲地給她讀書。

Ah, my dear!' Miss Jenkyns said to me. 'I cannot see as well as I used to. Did you ever read Rasselas? It's a wonderful book—wonderful! And so good for Flora. Much better than that strange book by Mr Dickens that killed poor Captain Brown...'

“啊，親愛的！”詹金斯小姐對我說，“我現(xiàn)在視力不如以前好了。你讀過《拉塞拉斯》嗎？那是一本好書——真的好！對弗洛拉非常有益，比讓可憐的布朗上尉喪命的狄更斯先生的怪書要好多了……”