麥琪的禮物：Chapter 6

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

七點鐘,她煮好了咖啡,把煎鍋置于熱爐上,隨時都可作肉排。

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying a little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."

吉姆一貫準時回家。德拉將表鏈對疊握在手心,坐在離他一貫進門最近的桌子角上。接著,她聽見下面樓梯上響起了他的腳步聲,她緊張得臉色失去了一會兒血色。她習慣于為了最簡單的日常事物而默默祈禱,此刻,她悄聲道:“求求上帝,讓他覺得我還是漂亮的吧。"

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

門開了,吉姆步入,隨手關(guān)上了門。他顯得瘦削而又非常嚴肅?？蓱z的人兒,他才二十二歲,就挑起了家庭重擔!他需要買件新大衣,連手套也沒有呀。

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

吉姆站在屋里的門口邊,紋絲不動地好像獵犬嗅到了鵪鶉的氣味似的。他的兩眼固定在德拉身上,其神情使她無法理解,令她毛骨悚然。既不是憤怒,也不是驚訝,又不是不滿,更不是嫌惡,根本不是她所預料的任何一種神情。他僅僅是面帶這種神情死死地盯著德拉。