書蟲6級《名利場》第一章: 小姐們離校

One sunny morning in June, early in the 1800s, Miss Amelia Sedley and Miss Rebecca Sharp left school. The carriage which took them away from Miss Pinkerton's school for young ladies was filled with gifts and flowers for Amelia, for everyone loved her; but nobody cried when Rebecca left.

十九世紀初，六月里一個陽光明媚的清晨，阿梅莉亞·塞德利小姐和麗貝卡·夏普小姐離校了。把她們從平克頓女子學校接走的馬車里裝滿了送給阿梅莉亞的禮物和花兒，因為人人都愛她；但麗貝卡離開時卻沒有一個人掉眼淚。

We are going to see a great deal of Amelia, so there is no harm in saying straight away that she was a dear little creature. She is not a heroine because her nose was rather short and her face was too round, though it shone with rosy health. She had a lovely smile and her eyes were bright with good humour, except when they were filled with tears, which happened a great deal too often because she had the kindest heart in the world. And when she left school she did not know whether to cry or not. She was glad to go home, but she was very sad to leave her friends at school.

我們還會常常見到阿梅莉亞，所以不妨直說，她是個討人喜愛的姑娘。她不是故事里的女主人公，因為她鼻子頗短，臉又太圓，盡管她的臉蛋透出健康紅潤的光澤。她有著甜美的笑容，明亮的雙眸閃爍著快樂的光芒，除非眼里充滿了淚水。這種情況發(fā)生得太過頻繁，因為她有一顆世界上最善良的心。她離校時不知道自己該不該哭：可以回家了她很高興，但要告別學校里的朋友她又很傷心。

Well, at last the goodbyes were over and the carriage drove away. In her hand Amelia held a letter from Miss Pinkerton, the school's headmistress, which was full of praise for Amelia's educational achievements and the sweetness of her nature.

好啦，道別終于結束，馬車出發(fā)了。阿梅莉亞手里拿著學校校長平克頓小姐寫的信，信中滿是對阿梅莉亞學業(yè)成績和善良品格的褒揚。

 

Amelia's companion, Miss Rebecca Sharp, had no letter from Miss Pinkerton, and was not at all sad to leave school. Indeed, she was delighted.

阿梅莉亞的同伴麗貝卡·夏普小姐沒有得到平克頓小姐的信，而且離開學校她一點也不傷心。實際上，這正合她心意呢。

"I hate the place," she said. "I never want to see it again! I wish it were at the bottom of the river, with Miss Pinkerton too."

“我討厭這個地方。”她說，“我再也不想看見它了！我希望它沉到河底，連平克頓小姐也一起沉下去。”

Amelia was shocked. "Oh, Rebecca!" she cried. "How can you have such wicked thoughts?"

阿梅莉亞嚇了一跳。“啊，麗貝卡！”她大叫，“你怎么會有這么惡毒的想法呢？”

As you will guess, Rebecca was not a kind or forgiving person. She said that the world treated her very badly -- though it was quite possible that she deserved the treatment she got.

你可以猜得出來，麗貝卡不是一個善良寬容的人。她說世界對她太殘酷——盡管很有可能是，她活該受到那樣的待遇。

Her father was an artist, who had given drawing lessons to the young ladies at Miss Pinkerton's school. He was a clever man and a pleasant companion, but was always in debt and had too great a fondness for the bottle. When he was drunk, he used to beat his wife and daughter. He had married a French dancer, who had taught her daughter to speak perfect French. She had died young, leaving Rebecca to her father's care.

麗貝卡的父親是位畫家，在平克頓小姐的學校里教年輕小姐們繪畫課。他是個聰明人，也好相處，但總是債臺高筑，而且貪好杯中物。以前他喝醉時會毆打妻子和女兒。他的妻子是個法國舞女，教會女兒講一口流利的法語，只是年紀輕輕就去世了，留下麗貝卡給他照顧。

And when Rebecca was seventeen, her father died. On his deathbed he wrote to Miss Pinkerton, begging her to look after his orphan daughter. So Miss Pinkerton employed Rebecca to speak French to the young ladies. In return, Rebecca lived in the school, was paid a few pounds a year, and was allowed to attend classes when she was free.

麗貝卡十七歲時，父親亡故了。臨終時他給平克頓小姐寫信，求她照顧自己的孤女。于是平克頓小姐就雇麗貝卡同年輕小姐們講法語。作為報酬，麗貝卡可以住在學校里，每年拿幾英鎊薪水，空閑時還可以去聽課。

 

Rebecca, or Becky, as she was often called, was small and thin, with a pale face and light red hair. She usually kept her head down, but when she looked up, her green eyes were large and attractive, especially to men. Next to the tall, healthy young ladies in the school, Becky Sharp looked like a child. But being poor and in debt had taught her many adult lessons. She knew how to deal with angry shopkeepers demanding their money, and how to charm them into providing one more meal. Her father, who was very proud of her lively mind, had liked to have her at his drinking parties, though the conversation of his wild friends was hardly suitable for a young girl. But she had never been a girl, she said; she had been a woman since she was eight years old.

麗貝卡，大家也常常叫她貝姬，身材瘦小，臉色蒼白，長著一頭淡紅色的頭發(fā)。她通常低著頭，可是當她抬起眼來時，那雙綠眼睛顯得又大又迷人，對男性尤其有吸引力。和學校里高挑健康的年輕小姐們站在一起，貝姬·夏普看起來就像個小孩子。然而，家境貧寒又債務纏身，使她學會了許多成年人才知道的訣竅：她知道怎么應付那些來討錢的兇巴巴的店主，也知道怎么打動他們，讓他們再多提供一頓飯。她的父親非常贊賞她那靈活的頭腦，喜歡在找人喝酒時把她帶上，可是他那幫狐朋狗友講的話實在不適合年輕女孩聽。然而，她說她從來沒當過女孩，從八歲起她就是一位成年女子了。

Rebecca hated the school. She argued and fought with Miss Pinkerton, and was jealous of the young ladies there. After the freedom of her father's house, the school felt like a prison, and she was soon making plans for her escape.

麗貝卡討厭平克頓女子學校。她與平克頓小姐爭吵不休，對學校里的年輕小姐們嫉妒不已。她在父親家里過慣了自由的生活，學校簡直就像一座監(jiān)獄，因此她很快就開始計劃如何擺脫學校的束縛。

Her only friend was Amelia Sedley, and when Amelia left school at the age of seventeen, Rebecca, now aged nineteen, left school too. She had obtained a post as a governess to the daughters of Sir Pitt Crawley, to whose house she would go after spending a few weeks with Miss Sedley's family.

阿梅莉亞·塞德利是她唯一的朋友。阿梅莉亞十七歲離校時，已十九歲的麗貝卡也同時離校了。麗貝卡獲得了一個家庭教師的職位，教導皮特·克勞利爵士的女兒們。她會先在塞德利小姐家住幾周，之后再前往克勞利爵士家。

 

By the time the carriage arrived at the Sedleys' house in Russell Square, Amelia had forgotten her sadness and was happy to be home again. She took great pleasure in showing Rebecca every room in the house, her piano, all her books, her dresses, her jewellery, and the wonderful presents which her brother Joseph had brought back for her from India.

等馬車到了位于拉塞爾廣場的塞德利家門口時，阿梅莉亞已將悲傷拋在腦后，因回到家而高興起來。她興致勃勃地帶著麗貝卡參觀每個房間，展示她的鋼琴、書籍、衣服、珠寶以及她的哥哥約瑟夫從印度為她帶回來的各種精美禮物。

"It must be delightful to have a brother," said Rebecca. "He's very rich, I expect, if he's been in India. Is his wife very pretty?"

“有位兄長真好。”麗貝卡說，“既然他一直在印度，我猜他一定很富有。他的妻子長得很漂亮嗎？”

"Oh yes, Joseph is wealthy, but he isn't married," Amelia said.

“噢，是的，約瑟夫很有錢，不過他還沒有結婚呢。”阿梅莉亞說。

"Oh, what a pity!" said Rebecca. "I was sure you said he was married, and I was hoping to meet your nieces and nephews."

“啊，真遺憾！”麗貝卡說，“我確信你曾說過他結婚了，而且我還期待見到你的侄子、侄女們呢。”

But the thought that was really going through Rebecca's mind was this: "If Mr Joseph Sedley is rich and unmarried, why shouldn't I marry him? I have only a few weeks, to be sure, but there's no harm in trying."

但實際上麗貝卡腦子里想的是：“既然約瑟夫·塞德利先生富有且又未婚，我為什么不嫁給他呢？不錯，我只有幾個星期的時間，但試試也無妨。”

Should we blame Miss Sharp for her marriage ambitions? No, for we must remember that poor Rebecca had no kind mother to arrange this delicate business for her, and that if she did not get a husband for herself, there was no one else to do it for her.

我們應該譴責夏普小姐的結婚大計嗎？不，因為我們須記著，可憐的麗貝卡沒有體貼的母親為她安排這樁棘手之事。如果她不為自己尋覓夫君的話，別人是不會為她操辦婚事的。

 

So Rebecca became even more affectionate to Amelia, thanking her with tears in her eyes for the presents which her dear friend had given her. And when the dinner-bell rang, she went downstairs with her arm round her friend's waist, as is the habit of young ladies who love each other dearly.

因此，麗貝卡對阿梅莉亞表現(xiàn)得更親熱，對這位親愛的朋友送給她的禮物感激涕零。餐鈴響起，她攬著她朋友的腰走下樓，這是關系親密的年輕女士們的習慣。

In the drawing-room they found a large, fat man, fashionably dressed in bright colours, sitting by the fire reading the newspaper. As the young ladies entered, he stood up quickly, and his face went red in alarm and embarrassment.

在客廳里，她們看到一位身材高大、體態(tài)臃腫的男子。他穿著鮮艷入時，正坐在爐火邊看報。兩位年輕女士進屋時，他迅速站起身，臉色因驚慌尷尬而變得通紅。

"It's only your sister, Joseph," said Amelia, laughing. "I've finished school, you know, and this is my friend, Miss Sharp. You've heard me talk about her."

“只是你妹妹而已，約瑟夫。”阿梅莉亞笑著說，“我完成了學業(yè)，你知道的。這位是我的朋友，夏普小姐。我曾向你提起過她。”

"No, never," said Joseph in great confusion. "That is, yes -- what very cold weather we're having, Miss --", and he began to stir up the fire, although it was the middle of June.

“沒，從來沒聽過。”約瑟夫極為窘迫地說，“我是說，是聽過——這天氣可真夠冷的，小姐——”他開始撥弄爐火，盡管當時已經(jīng)是六月中旬了。

"He's very handsome," Rebecca whispered, rather loudly.

“他很英俊。”麗貝卡對阿梅莉亞耳語，但是聲音相當大。

"Oh, do you think so?" said Amelia. "I'll tell him."

“哦，是嗎？”阿梅莉亞說，“我來告訴他。”

"No, please don't!" cried Miss Sharp, stepping back and keeping her eyes fixed modestly on the carpet.

“別，求你了！”夏普小姐大聲說，往后退去，雙眼羞澀地盯著地毯。

 

Joseph Sedley was twelve years older than his sister, and worked in Bengal, in a very isolated place, for the East India Company. But he became ill, and was sent back to London, where he decided to enjoy all the pleasures he had missed when he went to India. So he had his own apartment, drove his horses in the park, ate in fashionable restaurants, and went to the theatre. But he had no friends. He was fat, lazy, and vain, and the sight of a lady frightened him tremendously.

約瑟夫·塞德利比他妹妹大十二歲，受雇于（英國）東印度公司，在孟加拉一處人跡罕至的地方工作。但他生病了，被派回倫敦。他決定要在這里尋歡作樂，好好彌補去印度時錯過的時光。因此，他擁有自己的一套公寓，駕自己的馬車去公園游玩，在時髦的餐館里吃飯，還去劇院看戲。但是他沒有朋友。他又肥又懶又虛榮，一看見女士就嚇得驚慌失措。

Becky Sharp would have to be very clever indeed to catch such a man for a husband. Her first moves, though, showed considerable skill. "I must be very quiet," she thought, "and very interested in India." And all through dinner, she paid great attention to everything Joseph said.

要想抓住這么個男人作丈夫，貝姬·夏普得非常巧妙才行。不過，她最初的行為，還是顯示出了相當?shù)募记伞?ldquo;我必須安安靜靜的，”她想，“還要表現(xiàn)出對印度很感興趣。”整個晚餐期間，她都全神貫注地聽約瑟夫講的每一句話。

After dinner, when the ladies had gone up to the drawing-room, old Mr Sedley laughed, and said to his son, "Take care, Jos. That girl is planning to catch you for a husband."

晚餐結束后，女士們去了樓上客廳，老塞德利先生笑呵呵地對他兒子說：“留神啊，喬斯。那姑娘可打算嫁給你呢。”

"Nonsense!" Joseph replied. But he could not help thinking about her and the way she had looked at him with her beautiful green eyes when he had picked up her handkerchief. "She dropped it twice," he thought. "And is that her singing now in the drawing-room? Shall I go up and see?"

“胡說！”約瑟夫回道?？墒撬椴蛔越叵肫鹚?，想起他為她撿起手帕時，她那雙美麗的綠眼睛看他的樣子。“她的手帕掉了兩次呢。”他想，“是她在客廳里唱歌嗎？我是不是該上樓去看看？”

 

But his shyness overcame him, and he quietly slipped away from the house. From the window Mrs Sedley saw him go. "Miss Sharp has frightened him away," she remarked.

但羞怯最終占了上風，他悄悄地溜出了家門。塞德利夫人透過窗戶看見他離開。“夏普小姐把他嚇跑了。”她說。

It was three days before Joseph returned to the house, and during that time Rebecca never mentioned his name. She was full of grateful respect for Mrs Sedley, laughed at all Mr Sedley's jokes, and was delighted with every excursion. When Amelia had a headache, Rebecca would not go out without her. Her green eyes filled with tears. "Dear, dear Emmy," she said. "How could I go out and leave you? You have shown a poor orphan what happiness and love are for the first time in her life."

約瑟夫三天后才又回到家里。在這期間，麗貝卡一次也沒提過他的名字。她對塞德利夫人畢恭畢敬，充滿感激之情；塞德利先生的每個笑話都逗得她哈哈大笑；每次出游她都歡喜不盡。阿梅莉亞害頭痛時，麗貝卡沒她就不肯出門。她那雙綠眼睛里含著淚水。“親愛的，親愛的埃米。”她說，“我怎么能留下你一個人出去呢？你讓一個可憐的孤兒這輩子頭一次感受到什么是幸福和愛啊。”

In fact, Becky Sharp won the hearts of all the family.

實際上，貝姬·夏普贏得了全家人的心。

On the day that Joseph reappeared, Amelia reminded her brother that he had promised to take her to the Royal Gardens at Vauxhall, which was a very popular place of entertainment.

約瑟夫再次現(xiàn)身的那天，阿梅莉亞提醒她哥哥，他曾答應要帶她去沃克斯霍爾的皇家花園游玩，那是一處很受歡迎的游覽地。

"The young ladies must have a gentleman each," said Amelia's father. "Jos will forget all about Emmy if he's looking after Miss Sharp. Ask George Osborne if he'll come."

“年輕女士們每人都得有男士陪伴。”阿梅莉亞的父親說，“喬斯如果照顧夏普小姐的話就會完全忽略埃米。問問喬治·奧斯本能不能一起去。”

 

He and his wife exchanged little smiles, and Amelia looked down and blushed as only a young girl of seventeen can blush -- and as Miss Rebecca Sharp had never blushed in her life.

他和妻子相視而笑，阿梅莉亞紅了臉低下頭去。只有十七歲的少女才會這樣臉紅，而麗貝卡·夏普小姐從來都沒如此臉紅過。

But on the night of the Vauxhall party, it rained heavily, and the young people had to postpone their excursion. They spent a comfortable evening at home instead. The Sedleys had known George Osborne all his life, and it was accepted in both families that he and Amelia would marry one day. In fact, the marriage settlement had already been agreed between the two fathers.

但是原定出發(fā)去沃克斯霍爾的那天晚上，下起了傾盆大雨，這群年輕人只好推遲了出游。他們在家里愜意地度過了一晚。塞德利一家對喬治·奧斯本知根知底，兩家人早有默契，他和阿梅莉亞有朝一日會結成連理。實際上，雙方父親已經(jīng)就婚姻財產(chǎn)授予達成了一致。

So it was a very informal evening, and when Amelia and George went off to the piano in the back drawing-room, Becky and Joseph were left alone. Joseph was surprised to find that he could talk to Becky quite easily. She asked him many questions about India and listened admiringly to all his stories.

因此，晚上氣氛輕松愉悅，阿梅莉亞和喬治起身去后客廳彈琴，剩下貝姬和約瑟夫兩人單獨在一起。約瑟夫驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)他可以輕松自如地和貝姬交談。她問了許多有關印度的問題，并欽佩地聽著他夸夸而談。

"Promise me that you will never go on one of those dreadful tiger hunts," she begged him, her green eyes filled with fear.

“答應我你今后再也不會去參加那些可怕的獵虎活動了。”她乞求道，綠眼睛里滿是恐懼。

Joseph laughed bravely. "Nonsense, Miss Sharp. The danger only makes it more exciting." He had only once been on a tiger hunt, when he had indeed nearly died -- of terror.

約瑟夫豪邁地笑了：“這真是無稽之談，夏普小姐。危險只會讓獵虎變得更刺激。”他只參加過一次獵虎活動，那次他的確差點死掉。不過，是差點被嚇死的。

 

Later, Rebecca, whose singing was as excellent as her French, sang a song about an orphan, her voice trembling a little over the sad ending. Everyone was reminded of Rebecca's own orphan state and her uncertain future in life.

之后，麗貝卡唱了一首關于孤兒的歌曲，她的演唱功力可與她的法語水平媲美。在歌曲哀傷的結尾處，她的聲音微微有些顫抖。大家都想起了麗貝卡也是一個孤兒，還有她前途未卜的生活。

"Such a beautiful song, dear Miss Sharp," said Joseph Sedley. "It almost made me cry."

“歌唱得太美了，親愛的夏普小姐。”約瑟夫·塞德利說，“差點把我唱哭了。”

"That's because you have a kind heart, Mr Joseph," came the soft reply, accompanied by an even softer glance.

“那是因為你有顆善良的心，約瑟夫先生。”她溫柔地回答，并投去更加溫柔的一瞥。

Becky's efforts were not wasted. Joseph's mind was full of thoughts of marriage. "She'll make a fine little wife," he said to himself. "I'll ask the question at Vauxhall. Yes, I will!"

貝姬的努力沒有白費。約瑟夫滿腦子都是結婚的事。“她能成為一個不錯的嬌妻。”他暗自思忖，“我要在沃克斯霍爾向她求婚。對，我要求婚！”

George Osborne came to lunch on the day of the Vauxhall party and said to Mrs Sedley, "I hope you don't mind, but I've asked Dobbin to come here tonight and go with us to Vauxhall."

去沃克斯霍爾那天，喬治·奧斯本來吃午飯，他對塞德利夫人說：“希望您不介意，我邀請了多賓今晚來這里，和我們一道去沃克斯霍爾。”

Lieutenant George Osborne and Captain William Dobbin had been at school together. Dobbin, a quiet, modest boy, had saved Osborne from a beating, and from then on the two had been good friends. They were now both in the same regiment in the army and had not long returned from service in the West Indies.

喬治·奧斯本中尉和威廉·多賓上尉曾同上一所學校。多賓是個安靜、謙遜的男孩，在奧斯本挨打時救過他，從那時起兩人就成了好朋友?，F(xiàn)在，他們在陸軍的同一個團里，不久前剛從西印度群島服役歸來。

 

"Of course he can come," said Mrs Sedley. "I remember Dobbin very well. Is he still as awkward and plain as ever?"

“他當然能來。”塞德利夫人說，“多賓我記得很清楚。他還像以前那樣笨手笨腳，相貌平平嗎？”

"I'll always like him," Amelia said, "however awkward he is." But her reason for liking Dobbin was that he was George's friend.

“我會一直喜歡他，”阿梅莉亞說，“不管他有多么笨手笨腳。”但是她喜歡多賓是因為他是喬治的朋友。

"He's a fine fellow," said George, "even if he's not very good-looking." And he glanced towards the mirror, admiring his own handsome face and curly black hair. He blushed a little when he saw Rebecca watching him, and Rebecca thought, "And you certainly know what a fine fellow you are, don't you!"

“他人不錯，”喬治說，“雖然他長得不怎么好看。”他朝鏡子望去，欣賞自己英俊的臉龐和卷曲的黑發(fā)。看到麗貝卡在端詳他，他臉紅了一下。麗貝卡心想：“你當然知道自己 是個多么漂亮的人兒啦，不是嗎！”

That evening, when Amelia came into the sitting-room, singing happily, and as fresh as a rose in a pretty white dress, a very tall awkward gentleman in uniform stepped forward. He had large hands and feet, and bowed clumsily.

那天晚上，阿梅莉亞穿著漂亮的白裙子，像朵嬌艷的玫瑰花，一邊高興地唱著歌，一邊走進起居室。這時，一位笨頭笨腦、粗手大腳的高個子先生迎了上來。他身穿軍服，笨拙地鞠了個躬。

He had arrived very quietly, and the ladies upstairs did not know that he was there. Otherwise Amelia would not have come into the room singing. As it was, the fresh little voice went straight to William Dobbin's heart -- and stayed there. "What a lucky fellow George Osborne is," he thought.

他悄然而至，樓上的女士們不知道他在那里，否則阿梅莉亞也不會唱著歌進起居室了。就這樣，她那甜美柔嫩的聲音徑直闖進了威廉·多賓的心，而且駐扎了下來。“喬治·奧斯本真是個幸運的家伙??！”他想。

 

On the way to Vauxhall Gardens, Rebecca sat next to Joseph in the carriage and George Osborne sat between Amelia and Dobbin. Though nothing was said, everybody in the carriage was sure that Joseph would propose to Becky that evening. And when they stepped down from the carriage, Joseph took her on his arm, and George and Amelia went off together.

在前往沃克斯霍爾花園的馬車上，麗貝卡挨著約瑟夫坐，喬治·奧斯本坐在阿梅莉亞和多賓中間。盡管一言不發(fā)，但馬車上的人都肯定約瑟夫當晚會向貝姬求婚。他們下馬車時，約瑟夫讓麗貝卡挽著自己的手臂，喬治和阿梅莉亞則結伴前行。

Dobbin paid for them all, and then walked behind, content in his generous and unselfish way to see Amelia and George so happy together. They had all promised to stay together, but within ten minutes, of course, they had separated, and Rebecca found herself alone with Joseph on one of the side walks. Now, she thought, was the moment for Joseph to ask the question. A few minutes earlier somebody had rudely pushed past Rebecca, and she had fallen back with a little cry, into Mr Sedley's arms. This made him feel very loving towards her, and he told her several of his Indian stories again -- for the sixth time.

多賓為大家付了錢，跟著走在后面?？吹桨⒚防騺喓蛦讨卧谝黄鹉敲撮_心，慷慨無私的他覺得心滿意足。他們本來說好要一起行動的，但結果不出所料，不到十分鐘他們就分開了。麗貝卡發(fā)現(xiàn)她和約瑟夫單獨走在一條小路上?，F(xiàn)在，她想，約瑟夫該問那個問題了。就在幾分鐘前，有人粗魯?shù)貜柠愗惪ㄉ磉厰D過去，她輕聲尖叫，跌進塞德利先生的懷里。這使他對她的愛意更濃了，于是他又講了幾個他在印度的故事——這已經(jīng)是第六遍了。

"How I should like to see India!" breathed Rebecca.

“我多想去印度看看?。?rdquo;麗貝卡輕聲說。

"Would you really?" Joseph asked eagerly, and the important question must have been trembling on his lips, because he was breathing very heavily. Rebecca placed her little hand on his heart and she could feel it beating wildly.

“你真的想去嗎？”約瑟夫熱切地問，那個重要的問題一定就在他的嘴邊打著轉，因為他的呼吸變得粗重起來。麗貝卡把小手放在他的胸口上，能感覺到他的心臟在劇烈跳動。

 

Just at this interesting moment, however, the bell rang for the start of the fireworks, and the lovers were surrounded by crowds of hurrying people, and were forced to go with them.

然而就在這讓人心猿意馬之際，焰火表演開始的鐘聲敲響了，這對情侶被匆匆的人流裹挾著，只得隨著一起走。

Captain Dobbin walked round the Gardens alone. He thought of joining the others for supper, but saw, when he passed in front of their table, that they were all talking happily to each other, and that their table was prepared for four only. They had forgotten all about him, so he went away again. When he returned later, he realized that Joseph had drunk too much, for he was talking and laughing and singing very loudly. He had attracted a crowd of people, who were gathering round to watch. In fact, George was just about to hit one man who wanted to join the party, but Dobbin arrived at that moment and sent the crowd away.

多賓上尉獨自一人繞著花園散步。他想和其他人一起共進晚餐，但從他們的桌子前經(jīng)過時，他發(fā)現(xiàn)他們在興高采烈地交談，桌子也只是為四人準備的。他們已經(jīng)把他忘得一干二凈。所以，他再次離開了。等他稍后返回來時，他發(fā)現(xiàn)約瑟夫已經(jīng)喝高了，正在高聲談笑、唱歌，吸引了一大群人圍觀。事實上，喬治正要打一個來湊熱鬧的男人，但多賓此刻及時出現(xiàn)，把人群驅散了。

"Good heavens! Where have you been, Dobbin?" said George. Then, without waiting for a reply, he added, "Make yourself useful. Look after Joseph, and I'll take the ladies home."

“我的天?。∧銊偛?上哪兒去啦，多賓？”喬治問。沒等對方回答，他又說：“快幫幫忙。你照顧約瑟夫，我送女士們回家。”

That night as she went up to bed, Rebecca said to herself, "He must propose tomorrow. He called me his darling four times. He must propose tomorrow."

那晚就寢時，麗貝卡心想：“他明天一定會求婚的。他叫我心肝寶貝兒，叫了四次。他明天一定 會求婚。”

 

But wine can be the ruin of marriage plans. The next day Joseph had a terrible headache, and his condition was not improved by a visit from George Osborne, who laughed at him most unkindly. "What a fool you made of yourself last night, Jos! Singing love songs, and crying all over Miss Sharp's hand!"

可是酒也能成為破壞婚姻計劃的罪魁。次日約瑟夫頭痛得厲害，喬治·奧斯本的來訪也沒能讓情況好轉。他對約瑟夫大肆嘲笑，刻薄極了。“你昨晚出了多大的洋相啊，喬斯！唱情歌，還拉著夏普小姐的手痛哭流涕！”

George had been thinking about Joseph and Becky Sharp. If he, George, was going to marry into the Sedley family, he did not want his brother-in-law to marry a governess, a little nobody, without money or social position. And so George continued to laugh at Joseph and make cruel jokes about him.

喬治一直在考慮約瑟夫和貝姬·夏普的事。如果他——喬治——將來要和塞德利家結親的話，他可不愿意他的大舅子娶一個無足輕重的女家庭教師，既沒錢又沒社會地位。因此，喬治繼續(xù)嘲笑約瑟夫，還開十分過分的玩笑。

The result of all this was that Joseph decided that he was too ill to visit the young ladies, and the next day he sent a letter to his sister, saying that when he recovered he planned to go to Scotland for several months.

這一切使得約瑟夫決定以抱恙為由，不去拜訪年輕女士們了。又過了一天，他給妹妹寫信，說等他康復后，他打算去蘇格蘭待幾個月。

It was the death of Rebecca's hopes. Kind-hearted Amelia was very sad for her friend and cried a great deal, but it was now clear to the rest of the Sedley family that the time had come for Rebecca to leave. She made her preparations, and accepted all Amelia's parting gifts with just the right amount of hesitation. Even George Osborne gave Rebecca a present, but he had made too many unkind jokes about Joseph and the Vauxhall party.

麗貝卡的希望破滅了。心地善良的阿梅莉亞為她的朋友感到非常難過，哭了很多次。但塞德利家的其他人都明白，現(xiàn)在是麗貝卡離開的時候了。她打點行裝，在表現(xiàn)出恰到好處的猶豫之后，收下了阿梅莉亞全部的臨別贈禮。就連喬治·奧斯本也送了麗貝卡一份禮物，但是他開了太多有關約瑟夫和沃克斯霍爾那天晚上的惡意玩笑了。

 

"I'm so grateful to him!" Rebecca told Amelia, but in her heart she was thinking, "George Osborne prevented my marriage." So we can imagine just how grateful she was to George Osborne.

“我對他真感激不盡！”麗貝卡對阿梅莉亞說。但她心里卻在想：“喬治·奧斯本阻撓了我的婚事。”所以，我們可以想象她對喬治·奧斯本究竟有多“感激”了。

And so the final parting came. After many tears and promises of undying friendship, both sincere and insincere, Rebecca and Amelia said goodbye.

最終，離別的時刻到了。她們?yōu)⑾略S多淚水，相互許諾友誼不朽，當中有真情也有假意。最后，麗貝卡與阿梅莉亞道別了。