麥琪的禮物：Chapter 8

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

吉姆好像從恍惚之中醒來,把德拉緊緊地?fù)г趹牙铩，F(xiàn)在,別著急,先讓我們花個十秒鐘從另一角度審慎地思索一下某些無關(guān)緊要的事。房租每周八美元,或者一百萬美元——那有什么差別呢?數(shù)學(xué)家或才子會給你錯誤的答案。麥琪②帶來了寶貴的禮物,但就是缺少了那件東西。這句晦澀的話,下文將有所交待。

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

吉姆從大衣口袋里掏出一個小包,扔在桌上。

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

“別對我產(chǎn)生誤會,德爾,"他說道,“無論剪發(fā)、修面,還是洗頭,我以為世上沒有什么東西能減低一點點對我妻子的愛情。不過,你只消打開那包東西,就會明白剛才為什么使我楞頭楞腦了。"

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

白皙的手指靈巧地解開繩子,打開紙包。緊接著是欣喜若狂的尖叫,哎呀!突然變成了女性神經(jīng)質(zhì)的淚水和哭泣,急需男主人千方百計的慰藉。