書(shū)蟲(chóng)四級(jí)《克蘭福德》：7.突然的消息

7．Sudden news

7．突然的消息

An idea had come into my head. Was Peter Jenkyns of Cranford now the Aga jenkyns of Chunderabaddad? Could it be possible? I decided to ask the Cranford ladies some questions, without explaining what I suspected.

我的頭腦中有了個(gè)想法?，F(xiàn)在克蘭福德的彼得·詹金斯會(huì)不會(huì)就是昌德拉巴達(dá)的那位阿加·詹金斯？這可能嗎？我決定問(wèn)克蘭福德的女士們一些問(wèn)題，卻不向她們解釋我的疑惑。

I did not learn much. Miss Pole believed that Peter had become something important in Tibet. Mrs Forrester said he had been rather handsome. They both thought the last news of him had come from India. That was almost all I discovered.

我沒(méi)有了解到太多的情況。波爾小姐相信彼得已經(jīng)成了西藏的重要人物，福里斯特夫人說(shuō)他以前長(zhǎng)得很帥，她們都認(rèn)為關(guān)于他的最后消息是從印度傳來(lái)的。我就發(fā)現(xiàn)了這么多。

Meanwhile, however, something extraordinary was going on around us and we all, even Miss Pole, failed to notice! I remember the morning she came to tell us. It was nearly calling-time. Miss Matty and I had just been discussing Signor Brunoni and that clever Mr Hoggins when someone knocked at the door.

不過(guò)，與此同時(shí)，我們身邊發(fā)生了一件非同尋常的事情，而我們大家，甚至連波爾小姐，都沒(méi)有注意到！我記得那天早晨是她來(lái)告訴我們的。當(dāng)時(shí)已經(jīng)將近串門(mén)時(shí)間，馬蒂小姐和我正在談?wù)摬剪斨Z尼先生和那位聰明的霍金斯先生，就在那時(shí)，有人敲門(mén)。

We were hurrying to change our caps when Miss Pole ran up the stairs. 'It's not twelve, I know,' she called, 'but I must speak to you. What do you think? Mr Hoggins is going to marry Lady Glenmire!'

我們匆忙換上帽子，這時(shí)波爾小姐已經(jīng)跑上樓來(lái)了。“還不到12點(diǎn)，我知道，”她大聲說(shuō)，“但是我非得和你們說(shuō)說(shuō)。你們到底怎么想？霍金斯先生要和格蘭米爾夫人結(jié)婚了！”

Marry?!' we said.

“結(jié)婚？！”我們說(shuō)。

Marry! I heard it in Mr Johnson's shop.'

“結(jié)婚！我是在約翰遜先生的店里聽(tīng)說(shuō)這件事的。”

Perhaps it's not true,' said Miss Matty hopefully.

“也許這不是真的。”馬蒂小姐懷著希望說(shuō)。

It's true,' said Miss Pole. 'I went straight to Mrs Fitz-Adam, and she said her brother and Lady Glenmire had come to an understanding. "Understanding"! Such a vulgar word! But my lady will have to hear many vulgar words now. I believe Mr Hoggins drinks beer at supper every night...'

“是真的，”波爾小姐說(shuō)，“我立刻趕到了菲茨-亞當(dāng)夫人那里，她說(shuō)她哥哥和格蘭米爾夫人已經(jīng)達(dá)成了默契。‘默契’！多么俗氣的一個(gè)詞！不過(guò)這位夫人現(xiàn)在還要聽(tīng)很多俗氣的詞。我相信霍金斯先生每天晚飯時(shí)都要喝啤酒……”

Marry!' repeated Miss Matty. 'Well! Two people that we know going to be married. It's coming very near!'

“結(jié)婚！”馬蒂小姐重復(fù)道，“?。蓚€(gè)我們認(rèn)識(shí)的人要結(jié)婚了。要不了多久了！”

I'm not surprised that Mr Hoggins likes her,' I said. 'But how can she like Mr Hoggins?'

“霍金斯先生喜歡她，這我倒不覺(jué)得奇怪，”我說(shuō)，“但她怎么會(huì)喜歡上霍金斯先生呢？”

Oh, Mr Hoggins is rich and very pleasant-looking,' said Miss Matty, 'and very kind.'

“哦，霍金斯先生有錢(qián)，長(zhǎng)著一副快樂(lè)的模樣，”馬蒂小姐說(shuō)，“而且心腸也很好。”

We began to wonder what the Honourable Mrs Jamieson would say. Mrs Jamieson had recently gone down to Cheltenham in the care of Mulliner, leaving Lady Glenmire to manage her house and to stop her maids taking followers. And while she was away, Lady Glenmire had herself taken a follower! A follower whom Mrs Jamieson thought was vulgar and not good enough for Cranford society! Had Mr Hoggins ever visited Lady Glenmire at Mrs Jamieson's house, we wondered? Or had they only met at the lodgings of the poor sick conjurer? Certainly, they had both been very kind to him.

我們開(kāi)始想尊敬的賈米森夫人會(huì)怎么說(shuō)。賈米森夫人最近在馬利納的看護(hù)下去了切爾滕納姆，留下格蘭米爾夫人一個(gè)人照管自己的家，并防止女仆們帶追求者回來(lái)。她離開(kāi)的這段時(shí)間，格蘭米爾夫人自己卻有了個(gè)追求者！一個(gè)賈米森夫人認(rèn)為俗氣，配不上克蘭福德上流社會(huì)的追求者！霍金斯先生有沒(méi)有到賈米森夫人家去拜訪格蘭米爾夫人呢？我們想知道?；蚴撬麄冎辉诳蓱z的生病的魔術(shù)師住的地方相見(jiàn)呢？當(dāng)然，他們倆對(duì)他都很好。

Well! What next? When would the wedding be? How could servants announce a married couple as 'Lady Glenmire and Mr Hoggins'? Would anyone visit the couple? Oh dear, would we have to choose between visiting dull Mrs Jamieson and bright Lady Glenmire?

那么！接下來(lái)會(huì)發(fā)生什么呢？婚禮什么時(shí)候舉行？仆人們?cè)趺葱歼@對(duì)夫婦為“格蘭米爾夫人和霍金斯先生”呢？會(huì)不會(huì)有人去拜訪這對(duì)夫婦呢？哦天啊，我們難道不得不在無(wú)聊的賈米森夫人和活潑的格蘭米爾夫人之間選擇拜訪誰(shuí)嗎？

Next time we saw Lady Glenmire, in church, she looked happy and younger than before. Mr Hoggins too looked happy, and he was wearing his first new pair of boots for twenty-five years. But none of the Cranford ladies said anything to either of them about their marriage. Until Mrs Jamieson returned, indeed, we did not know what to say.

我們?cè)俅我?jiàn)到格蘭米爾夫人是在教堂里，她看起來(lái)很幸福，也比以前顯得年輕了?；艚鹚瓜壬瓷先ヒ埠苄腋?，而且25年來(lái)頭一次穿了雙新靴子。但是克蘭福德的女士們同他們交談時(shí)對(duì)他們的婚姻只字不提。真的，直到賈米森夫人回來(lái)為止，我們都不知道該說(shuō)什么。

But it was now March, and Mr Johnson announced the arrival of the spring fashions at his shop. Miss Matty had been waiting for this before buying herself a new silk dress. In our excitement we forgot, for the moment, about Lady Glenmire.

但是現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是三月了，約翰遜先生宣布他的店里已經(jīng)有春季時(shí)裝到貨。馬蒂小姐一直在等這個(gè)消息，準(zhǔn)備買(mǎi)一條新絲裙。我們激動(dòng)得暫時(shí)忘記了格蘭米爾夫人。

On the Tuesday on which Mr Johnson was going to show the new fashions, two letters were waiting for us on the breakfast table. One was to me from my father—a dull, businessman's letter. There were unpleasant reports about the Town and County Bank, he wrote, and he hoped Miss Matty did not still have shares in it. He had warned her sister years ago not to put money into that bank, but she had not listened to his advice.

在約翰遜先生要展示新時(shí)裝的那個(gè)周二，我們?cè)谠绮妥郎峡吹搅藘煞庑拧Ｒ环馐俏腋赣H寫(xiě)給我的——一封干巴巴的商務(wù)式信件。有一些關(guān)于縣鎮(zhèn)銀行的不太好的消息，他寫(xiě)道，他希望馬蒂小姐不要繼續(xù)持有他們的股票。他幾年前就警告過(guò)她姐姐不要把錢(qián)投入那家銀行，可是她不聽(tīng)他的勸告。

Who is your letter from, my dear?' asked Miss Matty. 'Mine is from the Town and County Bank, asking me to an important meeting of the shareholders in Drumble on Thursday. It's kind of them to remember me.'

“你的信是誰(shuí)寫(xiě)來(lái)的，親愛(ài)的？”馬蒂小姐問(wèn)，“我的信是縣鎮(zhèn)銀行寫(xiě)來(lái)的，讓我星期四參加在德萊姆伯爾舉行的一個(gè)重要的股東會(huì)議。他們真好，還記得我。”

I was alarmed at this 'important meeting', and was afraid that my father's fears were right. However, bad news always came fast enough, so I decided to say nothing for the moment. I simply told Miss Matty that my father sent his best wishes, then I changed the conversation. 'What time should we go to see the fashions?' I asked.

我對(duì)于這一“重要會(huì)議”感到吃驚，而且擔(dān)心我父親的疑慮是對(duì)的。不過(guò)，壞消息總是來(lái)得快，所以我決定暫時(shí)什么也不說(shuō)。我只是告訴馬蒂小姐我父親祝福她，然后就換了個(gè)話題。“我們什么時(shí)候去看時(shí)裝？”我問(wèn)。

Well, the correct time to go is after twelve o'clock,' she said. 'But then all Cranford will be there, and I'd rather not look at dresses and caps in front of everyone. So let's go this morning after breakfast. I need half a pound of tea. We can buy that, and choose the silk for my new dress. Then we can go quietly upstairs, look at the fashions and decide the style for my dress.'

“哦，應(yīng)該是12點(diǎn)以后去，”她說(shuō)，“不過(guò)那時(shí)克蘭福德的人都會(huì)到那里去，我可不想當(dāng)著每個(gè)人的面看那些服裝和帽子。所以我們今天還是吃過(guò)早飯就去吧。我需要半磅茶葉。我們可以買(mǎi)茶葉，還可以挑選給我做新衣服的絲綢，然后我們就悄悄上樓，看時(shí)裝，再?zèng)Q定我衣服的式樣。”

The young men at Mr Johnson's wore their best clothes and their best smiles. Miss Matty bought her tea, then began looking at the silks. It was Cranford's market-day, and many country people came into the shop.

約翰遜先生店里的小伙子穿著最好的服裝，個(gè)個(gè)笑容可掬。馬蒂小姐買(mǎi)了茶葉，然后開(kāi)始看絲綢。那天是克蘭福德的趕集日，許多鄉(xiāng)下人也來(lái)到了店里。

One honest-looking man stood next to us and asked to look at some shawls for his wife. He hesitated. Miss Matty hesitated too. She would like a sea-green silk. No, that lovely red. No, that bright yellow...

一個(gè)看起來(lái)挺誠(chéng)實(shí)的男人站在我們旁邊，他要求給他妻子看看披肩?？伤貌欢ㄖ饕狻ｑR蒂小姐也拿不定主意。她想要一塊海藍(lán)色的絲綢。不，那種可愛(ài)的紅色絲綢。不，那種明黃色的……

Our neighbour finally chose a shawl and held out a five-pound note.

我們旁邊的人終于選中了一條披肩，遞出去五英鎊的鈔票。

The shop-boy looked at the note. 'Town and County Bank! I think we were warned this morning not to accept this bank's notes. I'll just ask Mr Johnson...'

店里的伙計(jì)看了看鈔票。“縣鎮(zhèn)銀行！我想我們今天早晨得到了通知不收這家銀行的鈔票。我去問(wèn)問(wèn)約翰遜先生……”

What!' The poor farmer could not believe it.

“什么！”可憐的農(nóng)夫難以置信。

Miss Matty forgot her new silk dress. 'Which bank did your note belong to?' she asked him.

馬蒂小姐也忘了她的新絲綢服裝。“你的鈔票是哪家銀行的？”她問(wèn)他。

Town and County.'

“縣鎮(zhèn)銀行。”

Mr Johnson's very sorry, Mr Dobson,' the boy said as he brought the note back, 'but the bank's notes are worth less.'

“約翰遜先生很抱歉，多布森先生，”伙計(jì)把鈔票拿回來(lái)的時(shí)候說(shuō)，“可是這家銀行的鈔票一錢(qián)不值。”

I don't understand,' Miss Matty said to me in a 1ow voice. 'Town and County is my bank, isn't it?'

“我不明白，”馬蒂小姐低聲對(duì)我說(shuō)，“縣鎮(zhèn)銀行是我的那家銀行，對(duì)吧？”

Yes... This yellow silk will match the ribbons in your new cap,' I continued quickly, holding it up and wishing the man would go away.

“是的……這塊黃絲綢和你新帽子上的絲帶很配。”我馬上繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，并把絲綢舉起來(lái)，希望那個(gè)人能走開(kāi)。

Never mind the silks for a moment, dear,' she said, putting her hand gently on mine and looking at the farmer. 'I'll give you five pound coins for your note, Mr Dobson,' she said. 'But there must be some mistake. I'm a shareholder in that bank and I've not been told about any problem.'

“暫時(shí)別管絲綢了，親愛(ài)的，”她說(shuō)道，把手輕輕地放在我的手上，看著那個(gè)農(nóng)夫，“我給你五英磅硬幣換你的紙幣，多布森先生。”她說(shuō)，“不過(guò)這一定是搞錯(cuò)了。我是那家銀行的股東，我還沒(méi)得到任何通知說(shuō)出了問(wèn)題。”

The shop-boy whispered across the table to Miss Matty. She looked at him uncertainly. 'I don't understand business,' she said. 'But if honest people are going to lose their money because they have our notes, then... Oh, I can't explain myself. Just give me your note, please, Mr Dobson, and then you can take the shawl for your wife.'

店伙計(jì)隔著桌子小聲地跟馬蒂小姐說(shuō)了幾句話。她看著他，有些不敢肯定。“我不懂生意，”她說(shuō)，“可是如果誠(chéng)實(shí)的人要是因?yàn)樗麄兡玫氖俏覀兊募垘啪鸵獡p失錢(qián)財(cái)，那么……哦，我自己也解釋不清。請(qǐng)把你的鈔票給我吧，多布森先生，那樣你就可以把這條披肩帶給你妻子了。”

The farmer looked at her gratefully, but hesitated for a moment. 'I wouldn't like somebody else to lose money instead of me,' he said. 'But, you see, madam, five pounds is a lot of money to a man with a family.'

農(nóng)夫感激地看著她，但遲疑了一會(huì)兒。“我不想別人為我而損失錢(qián)財(cái)。”他說(shuō)，“可是，您看，夫人，五英鎊對(duì)于一個(gè)拖家?guī)Э诘娜藖?lái)說(shuō)可是一大筆錢(qián)。”

I'm sure there is a mistake,' said Miss Matty quietly, 'and in a few days everything will be all right.' She pushed her five gold coins towards the farmer, who slowly put down his note. 'Thank you,' Miss Matty said. 'I'll wait a day or two before I buy any of these silks,' she told the boy. 'My dear, will you come upstairs and see the fashions?'

“我敢肯定一定是弄錯(cuò)了，”馬蒂小姐平靜地說(shuō)，“要不了幾天，一切都會(huì)正常的。”她把自己的五鎊金幣推給那個(gè)農(nóng)夫，那人慢慢地放下紙幣。“謝謝你。”馬蒂小姐說(shuō)，“我要等一兩天再買(mǎi)這些絲綢。”她對(duì)伙計(jì)說(shuō)。“親愛(ài)的，你要不要上樓來(lái)看看時(shí)裝？”

Miss Matty looked with great interest at all the new dresses and bonnets and shawls. She seemed unworried by what had happened downstairs. But as we came down through the shop, Mr Johnson was waiting for us. It was true, he said, the bank was in serious trouble. Miss Matty showed no surprise or alarm. Cranford ladies thought it was vulgar to show their feelings in a shop.

馬蒂小姐懷著極大的興趣看著所有的新服裝、新帽子和新披肩。她似乎一點(diǎn)兒也沒(méi)有為剛才樓下發(fā)生的事情擔(dān)心。可是我們下樓穿過(guò)店里的時(shí)候，約翰遜先生正在等著我們。是真的，他說(shuō)，那家銀行陷入了大麻煩。馬蒂小姐沒(méi)有表現(xiàn)出驚訝或恐慌的樣子。克蘭福德的女士們認(rèn)為在店鋪里表露感情很俗氣。

However, we walked home very silently and neither of us ate much dinner. Later, in the drawing-room, Miss Matty unlocked her desk and began to look through her bills and papers. After a while, she came and sat next to me, by the fire. I put my hand into hers. She held it, but did not speak.

不過(guò)，我們默默地走回家中，兩個(gè)人都沒(méi)怎么吃飯。后來(lái)，在休息室，馬蒂小姐打開(kāi)桌子上的鎖，開(kāi)始檢查她的賬單和文件。過(guò)了一會(huì)兒，她來(lái)到壁爐旁，坐到我身邊。我把手放在她的手里。她握住我的手，卻沒(méi)有說(shuō)話。

At last she said, 'If that bank goes wrong, I'll lose ￡149 a year. I'll only have ￡13 a year left.' It was too dark to see her face, but I knew that she was crying. 'Oh, I'm so glad poor Deborah is not here!' That was all she said about the sister who had put their money in that unlucky bank.

最后她說(shuō)：“如果那家銀行出了問(wèn)題，我每年就要損失149英鎊，那樣一年我就只剩下13英鎊了。”屋里太黑，看不清她的臉，但我知道她在哭。“哦，我真高興可憐的德博拉不在這里！”對(duì)于姐姐把她們的錢(qián)投入這家倒霉的銀行，她就只說(shuō)了這么一句。

We lit the candle later than usual that day. After tea, however, we talked about Lady Glenmire. Miss Matty had begun to think it was a good idea for her to marry Mr Hoggins. 'A man knows what to do when there are problems,' she said. 'And Mr Hoggins, though a little rough, is very nice. I've known good, clever people who were not "in society" but were both true and loving...'

后來(lái)我們點(diǎn)燃了蠟燭，但時(shí)間比平常晚。不過(guò)，用過(guò)茶點(diǎn)之后，我們談起了格蘭米爾夫人。馬蒂小姐開(kāi)始認(rèn)為她嫁給霍金斯先生是對(duì)的。“出了問(wèn)題男人知道該怎么辦。”她說(shuō)，“霍金斯先生雖然有些粗俗，卻是個(gè)很好的人。我認(rèn)識(shí)一些不屬于‘上流社會(huì)’的善良聰明的人，他們又真誠(chéng)又有愛(ài)心……”

She began to day-dream about Mr Holbrook, and I did not stop her. I had decided what to do. That night after she went to bed, I lit the candle again and sat down in the drawing-room to write a letter to the Aga Jenkyns. The church clock struck two before I had finished.

她開(kāi)始想霍爾布魯克先生了，我沒(méi)有阻止她。我已經(jīng)決定了該怎么辦。那天晚上她上床睡覺(jué)之后，我又點(diǎn)燃了蠟燭，然后坐在休息室里給阿加·詹金斯先生寫(xiě)信。教堂的鐘敲兩點(diǎn)的時(shí)候我還沒(méi)寫(xiě)完。

The next morning news came that the Town and County Bank had failed. Miss Matty had lost all her money. She now had only about one pound a month on which to live. 'But many poor people have less,' she said. 'Poor Martha! I think she'll be sorry to leave me.' She smiled at me through her tears, and I think she wanted me to see only the smile, not the tears.

第二天一早就傳來(lái)了縣鎮(zhèn)銀行破產(chǎn)的消息。馬蒂小姐損失了所有的錢(qián)，現(xiàn)在她每月只有大約一英鎊的收入，她只能靠這點(diǎn)兒錢(qián)生活。“不過(guò)很多窮人錢(qián)更少。”她說(shuō)，“可憐的馬莎！我想她離開(kāi)我會(huì)難過(guò)的。”她含著淚朝我微笑。我覺(jué)得她只想讓我看見(jiàn)微笑，而不是眼淚。