書蟲6級(jí)《名利場》第八章: 女主人公們的命運(yùn)浮沉

Mrs Rawdon Crawley knew that to gain acceptance into the highest society, she must be presented to the King at court. After she had made her curtsy to the highest person in the land, the noble families of England would be obliged, however unwillingly, to recognize her.

羅頓·克勞利夫人明白，要獲得最上流社會(huì)承認(rèn)，她必須進(jìn)宮覲見國王。等她向這塊土地上地位最高的人行過屈膝禮后，英格蘭的貴族家庭即使再不情愿也得承認(rèn)她。

"It is an excellent meal, my dear Rebecca," said Sir Pitt. "But everything you do, you do well."

“這頓飯美味極了，我親愛的麗貝卡。”皮特爵士說，“不過，你做什么事都做得好。”

Her sister-in-law, Lady Jane, being from a noble family, was the ideal person to present Becky at court, so Becky made herself very agreeable to Sir Pitt when he was in London. She helped him write his political speeches, and discussed political events with him. She introduced him to important gentlemen at her parties, and he was deeply impressed by Becky's friendly relationship with the wealthy Lord Steyne. He had no idea that behind his back Becky made fun of him to the great Lord.

她的妯娌簡女士出身貴族家庭，是在宮廷引見她的最佳人選，因此皮特爵士在倫敦的時(shí)候，貝姬對(duì)他非常熱情周到。她幫他寫政治演說稿，和他討論政治事件。在她的聚會(huì)上，她把他介紹給有地位的紳士。貝姬與富有的斯泰恩勛爵關(guān)系之友好，給他留下了十分深刻的印象。他完全沒想到，貝姬在背后拿他和勛爵打趣。

While his house in Great Gaunt Street was being made ready for his family, Sir Pitt stayed in Curzon Street, where Becky daily fussed over his comfort. One evening she even cooked a little supper for him with her own hands.

皮特爵士位于大岡特街的家宅還在收拾以備他一家入住時(shí)，他就住在柯曾大街，貝姬每天忙忙碌碌照顧他的起居。有天晚上，她竟然親自為他做了一頓便餐。

"A poor man's wife," Becky replied cheerfully, "must make herself useful, you know."

“你知道，窮人的妻子，”貝姬愉快地回答，“必須會(huì)家務(wù)。”

And later, sitting by the fire, Becky let him talk, listening to him with kindly interest and sewing a shirt for her dear little son. Whenever she wished to appear a model of wifely goodness, this little shirt was brought out of her sewing-box. It was too small for Rawdy long before it was finished.

飯后，貝姬坐在壁爐邊，一邊饒有興致地聽他講話，一邊為她親愛的孩子縫一件襯衫。每當(dāng)她想表現(xiàn)出一副模范妻子的樣子時(shí)，就會(huì)把這件小衫從針線匣里取出來。小衫還沒縫完，羅迪早已長大，穿不進(jìn)去了。

"You could be the wife of a king, with all your skills," Sir Pitt said. He thought to himself how Rawdon was a foolish, dull fellow, who didn't appreciate his brilliant wife; and how pretty Becky looked, sitting opposite him at the table.

“以你現(xiàn)在的能力，你都可以做國王的妻子了。”皮特爵士說。他心想，羅頓是個(gè)多么愚蠢、遲鈍的家伙，不懂欣賞自己優(yōu)秀的妻子。而且，坐在桌子對(duì)面的貝姬看上去多漂亮啊。

When the house in Great Gaunt Street was ready and Lady Jane had moved in, Becky would call on her from time to time, but in general the two women saw little of each other. Sir Pitt, however, found time to see his sister-in-law daily, and was a regular guest at her evening parties.

大岡特街的房子就緒后，簡女士搬了進(jìn)去。貝姬會(huì)時(shí)不時(shí)上門拜訪，但總體來說，這兩位女性很少見到對(duì)方。然而，皮特爵士每天都抽出時(shí)間去見他的弟媳，是她家晚會(huì)上的常客。

In the middle of these fine parties and brilliant people, Colonel Rawdon found himself more isolated every day. He was rarely required for social duties these days, and would often walk round to Gaunt Street with young Rawdy, and sit with Lady Jane and the children. He was glad to be given small jobs to do -- taking messages, helping with the children's dinner. The brave and daring young soldier of ten years before had become a dull, lazy, obedient, middle-aged gentleman.

在這些講究的聚會(huì)上，羅頓上校身處一群杰出人士之中，覺得自己日漸孤立。這些日子以來，他很少被要求參加社交應(yīng)酬，因此就常和小羅迪一起走到大岡特街，陪簡女士及孩子們坐坐。他很樂意被指派點(diǎn)小事做，比如傳個(gè)信，幫忙給孩子們做飯等等。十年前那個(gè)勇武的年輕軍人已經(jīng)變成了一個(gè)沉悶、懶惰又恭順的中年紳士。

At last Becky's kindness and attention to the head of her husband's family were given their due reward, and the great day came when Sir Pitt's carriage arrived in Curzon Street to take Mrs Rawdon Crawley and her husband to meet the King.

最終，貝姬對(duì)夫家族長的親切接待與關(guān)注得到了應(yīng)有的回報(bào)，那個(gè)重大的日子終于來臨：皮特爵士的馬車抵達(dá)柯曾大街，接羅頓·克勞利夫人及其丈夫去覲見國王。

And poor Lady Jane knew that her husband had become a victim of Becky's charm, although when they met, she and Mrs Rawdon still behaved as though they were the best of friends.

可憐的簡女士明白，她丈夫已經(jīng)淪為貝姬的俘虜，盡管她和羅頓夫人見面時(shí)，兩人表現(xiàn)得好像還是非常好的朋友一樣。

Becky's dress that day put the dresses of all other women in the shade, as even Lady Jane was forced to admit.

貝姬那天的禮服令其他所有女性的禮服黯然失色，即使簡女士也不得不承認(rèn)這點(diǎn)。

Becky blushed a little, and looked at him hard. Pitt Crawley blushed too, and looked uneasy. He had given her a little bracelet himself -- but had failed to mention this fact to his wife.

貝姬臉有些漲紅，定定地望著他。皮特·克勞利也臉紅了，顯得拘謹(jǐn)不安。他本人給過她一只小手鐲，不過從沒跟自己的妻子提起過。

Becky smiled at Rawdon. "Guess!" she said. "Where do you think I got them, you silly man? I hired them, of course."

貝姬向羅頓微笑著說：“你猜！你覺得我是從哪兒得到的，傻瓜？當(dāng)然是租的了。”

Becky's diamonds, however, never returned to any hire-shop. They were later locked away in a secret little desk that she had, and Rawdon knew nothing about the diamonds which shone on his wife's neck that day.

不過，貝姬的鉆石從未歸還給任何租借的店鋪，之后都被她鎖進(jìn)一張秘密的小桌子里。羅頓對(duì)那天他妻子頸上閃亮鉆石的來歷一無所知。

And the diamonds…"Where the devil did you get the diamonds, Becky?" said her husband, admiring the jewels which sparkled on her arms and neck with great brilliance.

還有鉆石……“你究竟從哪兒弄到的鉆石，貝姬？”她丈夫說，對(duì)她手臂和脖子上閃耀著奪目光芒的珠寶贊嘆不已。

And so began Becky's victory over her enemies. How angrily did those grand ladies now send their cards of invitation to Mrs Rawdon Crawley! How they smiled at her, tight-lipped and with icy stares! How Becky's eyes sparkled with delight at their silent and terrible fury! And the more the ladies hated her, the more the gentlemen were devoted in their admiration. Hungarian princes sighed over her little hand, government ministers begged her to sing to them at evening parties, handsome young men competed with each other to fetch her shawl, to hold her carriage door, to write poems in praise of her bright eyes.

貝姬戰(zhàn)勝了她的敵人們，戰(zhàn)果開始顯現(xiàn)：現(xiàn)在，那些貴婦人是懷著多么憤恨的心情在給羅頓·克勞利夫人送邀請(qǐng)名片??；她們對(duì)她微笑的時(shí)候，嘴唇緊抿，眼神多么冰冷！面對(duì)她們沉默可怕的怒火，貝姬多么愉快地雙眼放光！女士們?cè)皆骱匏惺總兙驮街孕牡匮瞿剿?。匈牙利王子們嘆息著親吻她的小手；政府大臣們懇求她在晚會(huì)上為他們演唱；英俊的年輕人爭相為她取披肩，為她打開馬車門，寫詩贊美她明亮的雙眸。

But Lord Steyne knew where the jewels came from, and who paid for them. As he bowed over Becky's hand in the royal rooms that day, he gave her a knowing smile, which was returned. And many people there noted the particular attention that the great Lord Steyne paid to the Colonel's little wife.

但是，斯泰恩勛爵知道珠寶的來歷，也知道是誰付的錢。那天在王宮中，他躬身吻手行禮時(shí)對(duì)她會(huì)意地微笑，她也以微笑回報(bào)。許多人都注意到斯泰恩勛爵對(duì)上校的嬌妻格外關(guān)注。

Lord Steyne was amused by Becky's victorious social progress. "It won't last," he told her. "You can't compete with them for long, you silly little fool. You have no money."

貝姬在社交場上的勝利令斯泰恩勛爵頗覺有趣。“不會(huì)長久的。”他告訴她，“你跟她們斗不長，你這小傻瓜。你沒有錢。”

"I can't send her away," Becky said sadly, when she had gone.

“我不能把她打發(fā)走。”等她離開后，貝姬傷心地說。

Becky turned her big green eyes on him and sighed. "You must get my husband a position," she said, "as soon as possible."

貝姬瞪著綠色的大眼睛望著他，嘆了口氣。“您必須給我丈夫謀個(gè)職位。”她說，“越快越好。”

Miss Briggs, seated at the work-table at the back of the room, looked up nervously at the sound of his fierce voice. Lord Steyne saw her looking, and turned angrily to Becky.

布里格斯小姐坐在房間后頭的工作臺(tái)旁邊，聽到他暴躁的聲音便緊張地抬起頭來。斯泰恩勛爵看見她在往這邊望，生氣地轉(zhuǎn)向貝姬。

"All women are the same," said the noble Lord. "Wanting this, demanding that. None of it is worth having."

“所有女人都一樣。”高貴的勛爵說，“不是要這，就是要那。沒一樣是值得的。”

Becky laughed, but a little later suggested to Miss Briggs that she took Rawdy out for a walk in the park.

貝姬笑了笑。但過了一會(huì)兒，她示意布里格斯小姐帶羅迪去公園散步。

"Yes, and worse than that," said Becky. "I have ruined her. I have borrowed all her savings, and can't pay a penny back. My husband would kill me if he knew."

“是，還有更糟的。”貝姬說，“我讓她傾家蕩產(chǎn)了。我借走了她所有的積蓄，但是一分錢也還不了。我丈夫要是知道了，會(huì)殺了我的。”

"You owe her her wages, I suppose?" said Lord Steyne.

“我猜，你欠她工錢？”斯泰恩勛爵說。

"Why don't you get rid of your watch-dog?" he growled.

“你怎么還不打發(fā)走你的看門狗？”他惡狠狠地說。

There was a brief silence. "Damned fool!" said the Lord. "How much is it?"

屋子里一時(shí)寂靜無聲。“該死的笨蛋！”勛爵說，“多少錢？”

Becky thought about the size of Lord Steyne's fortune, and mentioned an amount twice the size of the debt to Miss Briggs. Lord Steyne swore again, at which Becky held her head down and began to cry bitterly. Lord Steyne then took his hat and left.

想了想斯泰恩勛爵的財(cái)產(chǎn)規(guī)模，貝姬提了一個(gè)數(shù)目，是欠布里格斯小姐的債務(wù)的兩倍。斯泰恩勛爵又罵了一句，貝姬聽了后垂下頭，開始痛哭起來。隨后，斯泰恩勛爵取了帽子離開了。

On the way home she stopped to buy a handsome black silk dress for Miss Briggs. She called into the landlord's house and gave him fifty pounds on account, and did the same at the stables where she hired her carriages. The one note that the bank had given her she locked away in her secret little desk.

回家途中，她停下來為布里格斯小姐買了一條漂亮的黑色絲質(zhì)連衣裙。她去房東家，還了他五十英鎊的賒賬，然后去租馬車的馬廄也還了五十英鎊。銀行給她的那一張大票子，她鎖進(jìn)了秘密小桌子里。

That night Becky received a note with Lord Steyne's signature, and an instruction to his bankers. In the morning she hurried to the bank. How will you take the money, madam? A hundred and fifty pounds in small notes, and the rest in one note.

那天晚上，貝姬收到了一張有斯泰恩勛爵親筆簽名的短箋，還有給銀行經(jīng)理的指示。第二天一早，她趕到銀行。您想如何取這筆錢呢，夫人？一百五十英鎊的小額票子，其余的一張大票。

Becky hardly noticed that her son had gone. Nor did she notice her husband's unhappiness. She was too busy thinking about her position, her pleasures, her advancement in society.

貝姬幾乎沒注意到她兒子的離開，也沒注意到丈夫的不開心。她忙著算計(jì)她的地位，如何玩樂，怎么能繼續(xù)往上爬。

Lord Steyne continued to be generous to the Crawley family. He pointed out to the parents that it was time young Rawdy was sent away to a good school, and when the father said he could not pay the fees, Lord Steyne offered to take care of the matter. Rawdon agreed to the plan for his son's sake, but he missed the boy greatly, and was sad and lonely when he had gone.

對(duì)克勞利一家，斯泰恩勛爵繼續(xù)慷慨解囊。他向這對(duì)父母指出，是該送小羅迪去上一所好學(xué)校的時(shí)候了。當(dāng)父親的說他付不起學(xué)費(fèi)，斯泰恩勛爵提出愿意解決此事。為了兒子好，羅頓同意了這個(gè)安排，但是他非常想念兒子。兒子走后，他既傷心又孤獨(dú)。

He arranged a pleasant, well-paid job for Miss Briggs in one of his country houses. Miss Briggs was delighted with the plan, and Rawdon was glad that Miss Briggs would at last receive some wages, even if the debt to her was still unpaid. But he was uneasy in his mind. His brother shared his unease.

他給布里格斯小姐在他的一處鄉(xiāng)村別墅里安排了一份薪水優(yōu)厚的好工作。布里格斯小姐對(duì)這個(gè)安排很滿意。羅頓也感到高興，因?yàn)椴祭锔袼剐〗憬K于能領(lǐng)到一些薪水了，盡管他欠她的錢仍然沒還。但是，他心里感到不安。他哥哥和他有同樣的擔(dān)心。

Having got rid of the child, Lord Steyne suggested before long that there was no further need for Miss Briggs in the Crawley household. He found out from the lady herself how Becky had deceived him about the money, and this amused him greatly.

把孩子打發(fā)走以后，斯泰恩勛爵很快又建議，布里格斯小姐沒必要再待在克勞利家里了。他從這位女士處發(fā)現(xiàn)貝姬騙了他的錢，這讓他覺得有趣極了。

"People are talking about you," he said. "These wild young men of fashion who visit you, the fact that Lord Steyne's carriage is always at your door -- it's not only your reputation that suffers, but that of the whole Crawley family. I am the head of the family and I beg you, I command you, to be more careful."

“人們都在談?wù)撃恪?rdquo;他說，“時(shí)髦放蕩的年輕人常來拜訪你，而且斯泰恩勛爵的馬車總停在你家門前。不僅是你的 名譽(yù)受損，整個(gè)克勞利家族的聲譽(yù)也會(huì)受損。我是一家之長，我請(qǐng)求你，我命令你，處事更加謹(jǐn)慎一些。”

In fact, Sir Pitt was so alarmed that he went to see Becky and came close to a quarrel with his once admired sister-in-law.

實(shí)際上，由于太過憂慮此事，皮特爵士去見了貝姬，還差點(diǎn)和他仰慕過的弟媳吵起來。

"Rebecca should not receive guests without a companion," Sir Pitt said. "You must be with her, Rawdon, at all times."

“沒有女伴，麗貝卡不能接待賓客。”皮特爵士說，“你必須和她在一起，羅頓，無論什么時(shí)候。”

"What a clever little devil she is!" he thought. "I'm a fool compared to her. She's the best liar I have ever met!"

“她是個(gè)多么聰明的小妖精??！”他想，“跟她比我就是個(gè)傻瓜。她是我見過的最厲害的騙子。”

Rawdon, aware of his brother's anger, became more watchful. He stopped gambling and stayed at home. He went with Becky to all her parties. Whenever Lord Steyne visited, he was sure to find the Colonel there.

羅頓知道他兄長的怒氣，變得更加留心。他不再賭博而待在家里。他陪著貝姬參加所有聚會(huì)。無論斯泰恩勛爵何時(shí)到訪，他肯定會(huì)看到上校。

Tears, smiles, excuses -- nothing would calm Sir Pitt, and Becky promised everything Pitt wanted; but Lord Steyne came to her house as often as ever, and Sir Pitt's anger increased.

眼淚，笑容，借口——沒有什么能讓皮特爵士平靜下來。皮特的要求貝姬全都一一答應(yīng)，但斯泰恩勛爵還和以前一樣頻繁拜訪她家。皮特爵士的怒氣與日俱增。

Becky was charmed by Rawdon's attention. "How much nicer it is to have you by my side than foolish old Briggs!" she said. "How happy we would be, if we only had money."

羅頓的關(guān)注令貝姬著迷。“你在我身邊可比愚蠢的老布里格斯好多了！”她說，“如果我們有錢，我們會(huì)多開心啊！”

It was like the early days of their marriage over again, and Rawdon wondered why he had ever had suspicions. She was fond of him; she always had been. As for her shining in society, it was no fault of hers; she was made to shine. Was there any woman who could talk, or sing, or do anything like her?

就像回到了新婚時(shí)的日子，羅頓奇怪自己為什么會(huì)心存疑慮。她喜歡他，一如既往。至于她在社交圈大放光彩，那也不是她的錯(cuò)。她注定會(huì)嶄露頭角。有哪位女性能有她那樣的談吐，能像她那樣唱歌或行事的？

At one grand party at Lord Steyne's house, when a very Royal person was present, Rawdon was reminded yet again of his wife's social success. It was a night when charades were played, and Becky acted the part of Clytemnestra, a Greek queen of long ago who murdered her husband. The style and brilliance of her acting delighted the guests. The company roared their admiration, the Royal person said she was perfection itself, and the great and noble Lord Steyne bowed low before her.

在斯泰恩勛爵家舉辦的一場盛大舞會(huì)上，一位王室成員也出席了，羅頓再一次領(lǐng)略到他妻子在社交場上的成功。晚上玩猜謎游戲，貝姬扮演克呂泰涅斯特拉，一位謀害丈夫的古希臘王后。她的表演風(fēng)格和精彩演技令來賓們大為贊賞。他們?yōu)樗龤g呼，那位王室成員說她本人就是完美的化身。偉大而又高貴的斯泰恩勛爵在貝姬面前深深鞠了個(gè)躬。

Rawdon threw away his cigar. He knew exactly what was happening to him, because it had happened to him before. He was being arrested for debt.

羅頓扔掉雪茄。他知道發(fā)生了什么事，因?yàn)樗郧耙灿龅竭^這種情況。他因?yàn)榍穫徊读恕?/p>

Rawdon looked round.

羅頓回過頭看。

"Excuse me, Colonel, I wish to speak to you."

“打擾了，上校，我想和您談?wù)劇?rdquo;

"There's three of us. No use running," the man said.

“我們有三個(gè)人。逃跑是沒用的。”那人說。

He did not notice the men following him until one of them, touching him on the shoulder, said,

他沒注意到有人跟著他，直到其中一人拍他的肩膀，說：

In the quiet suburb of London where the Sedleys lived, debt was not unknown either. There came a time when Joseph's money from India stopped coming through, and the Sedleys could no longer pay their bills. The knowledge was kept from Amelia for quite a while, though anxiety about their debts made old Mrs Sedley sharp-tongued and bitter, and often critical of Amelia's efforts at kindness and of her pride in her child.

塞德利一家居住在安靜的倫敦郊區(qū)，對(duì)他們來說，債務(wù)也不是陌生的字眼。從某個(gè)時(shí)候開始，約瑟夫就不再從印度匯錢，以至于塞德利一家無法付清欠款。很長一段時(shí)間內(nèi)，阿梅莉亞對(duì)此毫不知情。但由于擔(dān)心他們的債務(wù)，塞德利老夫人變得尖酸刻薄，對(duì)阿梅莉亞表現(xiàn)出的善意以及對(duì)兒子的自豪，經(jīng)常批評(píng)挑剔。

Rawdon Crawley was frightened by Becky's success. It seemed to separate his wife from him further than ever. He thought, with a feeling very like pain, how much above him she was. At the end of the evening he put his wife into the carriage, and decided to go home himself on foot, enjoying a cigar as he walked.

看到貝姬如此成功，羅頓·克勞利心里惶恐起來，覺得她離自己更遠(yuǎn)了。一想到她的地位比自己高這么多，他就有一種類似于痛苦的感覺。那夜末了，他把妻子送上馬車后，決定自己走路回家，順便在路上抽支雪茄。

Georgy was now a schoolboy, though it had given Amelia great pain to release him from her care, to mix with rough boys and to be scolded by stern schoolteachers. It was a little local school (run by a friend of Amelia's constant admirer, Mr Linton), and Georgy loved it, doing well at all his lessons and coming home in the evenings with boastful stories of this and that -- all of which were believed by his fond mother.

喬基已經(jīng)到了上學(xué)的年紀(jì)，雖然阿梅莉亞舍不得兒子離開自己身邊，但還是讓他去上學(xué)了。喬基現(xiàn)在和粗野的男孩子們待在一起，還要受到嚴(yán)厲教師的責(zé)罵，這都讓她非常心痛。那是一所地方小學(xué)校（由阿梅莉亞的忠實(shí)仰慕者林頓先生的一位朋友經(jīng)營），喬基喜歡學(xué)校，他門門功課都不錯(cuò)，每晚回家都吹噓自己這樣那樣的事跡，深愛著他的母親對(duì)這些故事深信不疑。

"Do let Georgy spend the day with me next Saturday," she said to Amelia one day. "Miss Osborne is coming to visit, and I know she'd love to see her brother's son. And who knows, perhaps the boy's grandfather will do something for him one day."

“請(qǐng)務(wù)必讓喬基下周六和我玩一天吧。”一天，她對(duì)阿梅莉亞說，“奧斯本小姐要來拜訪，我知道她很想見見她的侄子。而且，誰知道呢，沒準(zhǔn)兒孩子的祖父將來會(huì)為他做點(diǎn)什么。”

Miss Dobbin followed Georgy's progress with interest, and was keen to be helpful, well aware how poor the Sedleys were.

多賓小姐關(guān)注著喬基的成長。深知塞德利家是多么貧困，她積極地施以援手。

There was a long friendship between the Dobbin and Osborne families. The younger Osborne sister was now married, but the elder, Miss Jane Osborne, still lived at home with her father, old Mr Osborne, whose violent temper and black moods had grown worse year by year since his son's death at Waterloo. Miss Osborne led a sad, gloomy life, and was always asking her friend Miss Dobbin for news of her young nephew.

多賓和奧斯本兩家交情不淺。奧斯本家兩姐妹中的妹妹現(xiàn)已出嫁，但是姐姐簡·奧斯本小姐仍和父親住在一起。自從兒子在滑鐵盧戰(zhàn)死，老奧斯本先生的暴脾氣和壞情緒也一年勝過一年。奧斯本小姐過著愁苦、抑郁的生活，一直向她的朋友多賓小姐問起小侄子的情況。

"What's the matter?" old Mr Osborne growled at last.

“怎么了？”老奧斯本先生終于粗暴地問。

Soon Georgy told his mother about another visitor at the house on a day he spent with Miss Dobbin.

不久后，喬基告訴他母親，有一天他在多賓小姐家時(shí)，見到了另外一位客人。

The meeting took place, and Georgy charmed his aunt, as he did all the women in his life. Miss Osborne, at the dinner table with her father that night, could not hide her emotion.

姑侄見了面，喬基令他姑姑著了迷，就像他迷住身邊所有女性一樣。當(dāng)天晚上，奧斯本小姐與她父親同桌吃飯時(shí)，掩飾不住自己的感情。

The old man did not say a word, but his hands trembled, and he sat staring at the table for a long time.

老人一言不發(fā)，但是雙手直哆嗦。他盯著飯桌，呆坐了很久。

It was a visit from a lawyer, with a letter from Mr Osborne, read aloud in the lawyer's dry voice.

一位律師拿著奧斯本先生的信來訪，他用冷冰冰的聲調(diào)大聲讀出信的內(nèi)容。

Georgy's aunt burst into tears. "Oh sir," she said. "I've seen little George. He's such a beautiful boy -- and so like his father!"

喬基的姑姑潸然淚下。“唉，先生。”她說，“我見過小喬基了。他長得多么漂亮，多么像他的父親??！”

"An old gentleman came today," the boy said. "He watched when I had my riding lesson with Miss Dobbin's coachman. He had very thick eyebrows, and he stared and stared at me."

“今天來了位老先生。”男孩說，“他看著我和多賓小姐的馬車夫上騎術(shù)課。他的眉毛特別粗，而且他一直盯著我看呀看。”

Then Amelia knew that the boy had seen his grandfather, and she waited fearfully to see what would happen next.

阿梅莉亞即刻知道，孩子見到了自己的祖父。她滿懷恐懼地等著接下來會(huì)發(fā)生的事。

"Mr Osborne offers to take his grandson George, who will then inherit the fortune which would have gone to his father. He will also give Mrs Amelia Osborne a regular allowance, to enable her and her family to live in comfort. If she marries again, as is said to be likely, this allowance will still continue. In return, the boy will live with Mr Osborne, who will permit him to visit his mother occasionally in her own home."

“奧斯本先生提出由他撫養(yǎng)孫子喬基，喬基將會(huì)繼承本應(yīng)由其父繼承的財(cái)產(chǎn)。奧斯本先生也會(huì)定期給阿梅莉亞·奧斯本夫人一筆錢，使她與家人生活無憂。如果她再婚，據(jù)說有可能發(fā)生，這筆錢仍會(huì)繼續(xù)支付。作為回報(bào)，男孩將和奧斯本先生住在一起，他會(huì)允準(zhǔn)男孩間或去她家中拜訪。”

Her parents were not present at this interview, and nothing was said at the time. But it soon became clearer than ever that there were financial difficulties. Dinners became smaller and meaner; both the old people wore worried frowns all the time.

這次會(huì)見發(fā)生時(shí)她父母不在場，當(dāng)時(shí)她也沒說什么。但是不久后，情況愈發(fā)明顯：家里遇到了經(jīng)濟(jì)困難。飯菜越做越少，越來越簡單。兩位老人終日愁眉深鎖。

Amelia was rarely angry, but today she stood up, tore this letter into a hundred pieces, and threw them on the floor.

阿梅莉亞很少動(dòng)怒，但今天她站起身，把信撕得粉碎，扔在地上。

"Marry again! Take money -- to part from my child! Who dares to insult me in this way? Tell Mr Osborne it is a cowardly letter. I will not answer it. Good day, sir!"

“再婚！拿錢——和我的孩子分開！誰敢這么侮辱我？告訴奧斯本先生，這是封可鄙的信，我不會(huì)回復(fù)的。再見，先生！”

The widow's pension that Amelia received (which, unknown to her, had been increased by payments from Dobbin) was not large. Amelia had always paid part of it to her parents, but this left little to spend on Georgy. And Georgy must have presents. Georgy must have a new suit every Christmas. Georgy must have everything that other boys at the school had.

阿梅莉亞收到的遺孀撫恤金并不多（她不知道，多賓還往里添了錢）。她總是拿出一部分交給父母，這樣剩下能用在喬基身上的錢就少得可憐了。喬基必須有禮物。喬基每年圣誕節(jié)必須有一套新衣服。學(xué)校里其他男孩有的東西，喬基一定都得有。

At Christmas Georgy complained loudly at not having a new suit. Desperate to please him, Amelia sold Dobbin's Indian shawl in order to buy Georgy some books he wanted.

圣誕節(jié)時(shí)，喬基大聲抱怨沒有新衣服。阿梅莉亞急于取悅他，就把多賓送的印度披肩賣了，買了一些他想要的書。

"Books!" cried the old lady. "Books! When we need food!"

“書！”老太太大叫，“書！在我們需要食物的時(shí)候！”

How selfish she had been! One word from her, and Georgy could be rich, and she could save her parents. But she could not bear it, no, no… she could not bear to lose her son.

她是多么自私??！只要她一句話，喬基就能變得富有，她就能挽救她的雙親。但是她受不了，不，不……她不能忍受失去自己的兒子。

"Books for Georgy," Amelia said. "I promised them to him."

“給喬基的書。”阿梅莉亞說，“我答應(yīng)給他的。”

"I'll give you everything, mother, all the money I have!"

“母親，我把一切都給您，所有的錢都給您！”

She fetched all her little store of money, pushed it into her mother's hand, and ran weeping back to her room.

她取來自己那一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)積蓄，塞進(jìn)她母親的手里，哭著跑回了自己的房間。

"I've had to sell everything I own," her mother said furiously, "just to pay the rent, and to keep your dear father out of prison. Jos hasn't sent us any money for months and months, and now you buy books -- books! -- for your son."

“我已經(jīng)把自己所有的東西都賣了。”她母親大怒，“就為了付房租，為了不讓你親愛的父親進(jìn)監(jiān)獄。喬斯已經(jīng)好長時(shí)間沒給我們一分錢了，現(xiàn)在你還買書——書！——給你的兒子。”

"What are those?" she said.

“那些是什么？”她問。

"You're too selfish to care about anyone except your son! And he could be rich -- he could have whatever he wants, but you will not part with him." Mrs Sedley was now crying bitterly. "Amelia, you break my heart!"

“你太自私了，除了你兒子，誰都不關(guān)心！他本可以變得富有，可以想要什么就有什么，可是你不愿意和他分開。”塞德利夫人開始傷心地哭起來，“阿梅莉亞，你太讓我傷心了！”

"Oh, mother, mother! Why didn't you tell me?"

“哎呀，母親啊，母親！您為什么不告訴我?。?rdquo;

"Oh, mother, I -- I sold my Indian shawl to get the money."

“啊，母親，我——我賣了我的印度披肩換的錢。”

Mrs Sedley saw her putting the new books on Georgy's table.

塞德利夫人看見她把新書擺到喬基的書桌上。

"It's no good, Emmy my dear," he whispered. "Jos still sends the money to his agent in London, but it has to go straight to the money-lender, to pay back all the money I borrowed." He turned his face away from her. "You'll hate your old father now."

“那沒有用的，我親愛的埃米。”他低聲說，“喬斯還在給他倫敦的經(jīng)紀(jì)人寄錢，不過這些錢不得不直接給放貸人，償還我的欠債。”他把臉扭向一邊。“你現(xiàn)在要恨你的老父親了。”

"Oh, no, papa!" Amelia threw her arms around him. "You are always good and kind. You tried your best. It's not the money, it's just that -- that…" She kissed him wildly, and ran away.

“啊，不，爸爸！”阿梅莉亞摟住他，“您一向善良體貼。您已經(jīng)盡力了。不是因?yàn)殄X，只是——只是——”她熱切地親了親他，然后就跑開了。

It all seemed to happen very quickly. Letters were written, arrangements made, legal documents signed. Georgy himself was pleased and excited by the change, boasting to the boys at school that he was going to be rich and live in a big house and have a carriage and a horse and would buy cakes for all his friends.

所有一切似乎都發(fā)生得很快。信件往來，協(xié)議達(dá)成，法律文件簽署。喬基本人對(duì)這樣的變化既歡喜又興奮。他向?qū)W校其他男孩子們吹噓，他將會(huì)變得富有，住在大房子里，擁有一駕馬車和一匹馬，他會(huì)給他所有的朋友買蛋糕吃。

It was over. The battle was lost, the boy must go from her -- to others, to forget her. Her joy, hope, love, her whole life. She must give him up.

一切都結(jié)束了。這場仗打輸了，孩子必須離開她——到別人那里，把她遺忘。他是她的歡樂、希望、愛和全部的生命。她不得不放棄他。

She tried every way she could think of to earn some money, but she had no skills, and every attempt failed. She wrote to Jos in India, begging him to continue sending money to her parents. One night, finding her father alone and sad in the sitting-room, she tried to comfort him by telling him she had written to Jos, but her father's face turned white with terror.

她把能想到的掙錢方法都試過了，但她沒有一技之長，所有努力均告失敗。她給身在印度的喬斯寫信，求他繼續(xù)給父母寄錢。一天晚上，她看見父親獨(dú)自坐在起居室里，神情沮喪。為了安慰他，她說她已經(jīng)給喬斯寫信。但父親卻嚇得面色慘白。

When this letter arrived in India, Dobbin left it unopened for a few days because his sister's letters usually depressed him. She was always getting her facts wrong, and it was not long ago that he had received Amelia's letter congratulating him on his future marriage. This had upset him deeply, and alone and sleepless in the hot Indian night, he had spoken out loud to her in his room.

這封信抵達(dá)印度時(shí)，多賓好些天沒有打開來看，因?yàn)樗妹玫男磐ǔ６甲屗那橛魫?。她總是顛倒黑白。不久前他剛收到阿梅莉亞的信，恭喜他即將結(jié)婚。這讓他難過極了。在印度炎熱的晚上，他夜不成寐，獨(dú)自在房間里大聲對(duì)她表白。

These were not happy memories, but returning to his rooms late one evening, Dobbin decided he must open his sister's letter.

這些回憶并不美好，但是一天深夜回屋時(shí)，他決定打開他妹妹的信。

So Georgy left his mother, with a cheerful smile on his face, and a promise to come and see her often.

于是，喬基帶著開心的笑容離開了他的母親。他許諾會(huì)?；貋砜此?。

Poor Amelia! Nobody really understood the misery she felt at giving away her son: not her parents, nor her friends, and certainly not Miss Dobbin, who wrote to her brother with this and other news -- though where she got the other news from was not at all clear.

可憐的阿梅莉亞！沒有人真正理解她放棄兒子的痛苦：她父母和朋友都不理解，更別提多賓小姐了。多賓小姐給她哥哥的信里提到了這件事和另外一個(gè)消息，至于這另外一個(gè)消息她是從哪里獲得的就不得而知了。

"Good God, Amelia! Don't you know that I only love you in the world? You, whom I cared for through months of illness and sorrow, and who said goodbye to me with a smile on your face, and forgot me before the door shut behind me!"

“老天啊，阿梅莉亞！難道你不明白這個(gè)世界上我只愛你嗎？你數(shù)月纏綿病榻，心情哀傷，我照看你。你微笑著向我道別，我身后的門還沒關(guān)上，你已經(jīng)把我忘了！”

"What is it, Dob, my boy? Is there a fire? What is it?"

“怎么了，多布，我的孩子？著火了嗎？怎么了？”

MY DEAR WILLIAM -- Have you heard the news about your old friend, Mrs Osborne? Her son Georgy, a fine boy though very spoiled, has gone to live with his grandfather, Mr Osborne. Amelia is probably not too unhappy about giving him up as she is about to marry again -- a doctor's assistant, I believe. Not a very good marriage, but Mrs O. is not as young as she was…

我親愛的威廉：你聽說你的老朋友奧斯本夫人的消息了嗎？她兒子喬基——一個(gè)不錯(cuò)的男孩子，盡管嬌慣過頭——已經(jīng)去和他祖父奧斯本先生一起生活了。阿梅莉亞放棄他大概不會(huì)太難過，因?yàn)樗涂煸倩榱?。?jù)我所知，是嫁給一個(gè)醫(yī)生助理。這不是一樁理想的婚姻，不過奧斯本夫人已不像以前那樣年輕了……

Dobbin threw the letter down and rushed out of the house. A few minutes later he was banging on his commander's door.

多賓丟下信，沖出了屋子。幾分鐘后，他開始重重地敲他長官的門。

"I must go back to England," Dobbin shouted. "On the most urgent private business! I must leave tonight!"

“我必須回英格蘭。”多賓大吼，“十萬火急的私事！我今晚必須離開！”

A window opened above him, and the Colonel's head looked out. He was a good-hearted Irishman, popular with his men.

他頭頂上的一扇窗戶打開了，上校的頭探了出來。他是個(gè)好心腸的愛爾蘭人，他的士兵們都愛戴他。

"Colonel!" he shouted. "I must have permission to leave!"

“上校！”他大吼，“我必須請(qǐng)假離開！”