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没有，你那么容易受惊！"他回答，一边脱下斗篷，挂在门上。他冷冷地推了推进来时被他弄歪了的垫子，跺了跺脚，把靴子上的雪抖掉。 "I shall sully the purity of your floor," said he, "but you mustexcuse me for once." Then he approached the fire. "I have had hardwork to get here, I assure you," he observed, as he warmed his handsover the flame. "One drift took me up to the waist; happily thesnow is quite soft yet."" 我会把你干净的地板弄脏的，"他说，"不过你得原谅我一回。"随后他走近火炉。"说真的，我好不容易到了这儿，"他一面在火焰上烘着手，一面说，"有一堆积雪让我陷到了腰部、幸亏雪很软。" "But why are you come?" I could not forbear saying." 可是你干嘛要来呢，"我忍不住说。 "Rather an inhospitable question to put to a visitor; but since youask it, I answer simply to have a little talk with you; I got tiredof my mute books and empty rooms. Besides, since yesterday I haveexperienced the excitement of a person to whom a tale has been half-told, and who is impatient to hear the sequel."" 这么问客人是不大客气的。不过既然你问了，我就回答，纯粹是想要同你聊一会儿。不会出声的书，空空荡荡的房间，我都厌倦了。此外，从昨天起我便有些激动不安，像是一个人听了半截故事，急不可耐地要听下去一样。" He sat down. I recalled his singular conduct of yesterday, andreally I began to fear his wits were touched. If he were insane,however, his was a very cool and collected insanity: I had neverseen that handsome-featured face of his look more like chiselledmarble than it did just now, as he put aside his snow-wet hair fromhis forehead and let the firelight shine free on his pale brow andcheek as pale, where it grieved me to discover the hollow trace ofcare or sorrow now so plainly graved. I waited, expecting he wouldsay something I could at least comprehend; but his hand was now athis chin, his finger on his lip: he was thinking. It struck methat his hand looked wasted like his face. A perhaps uncalled-forgush of pity came over my heart: I was moved to say - 他坐了下来。我回想起他昨天奇怪的举动，真的开始担心他的理智受到了影响。然而要是他神经错乱了，那他的错乱还是比较冷静和镇定的。当他把被雪弄湿的头发从额头撸到旁边，让火光任意照在苍白的额角和脸颊上时，我从来没有看到过他那漂亮的脸容，像现在这样酷似大理石雕像了。我悲哀地发现这张脸上清晰地刻下了辛劳和忧伤的凹陷痕迹。我等待着，盼着他会说一些我至少能够理解的事，但这会儿他的手托着下巴，手指放在嘴唇上，他在沉思默想。我的印象是，他的手跟他的脸一样消瘦。我心里涌起了-阵也许是不必要的怜悯之情，感动得说话了： 
但愿黛安娜或玛丽会来跟你住在一起，你那么孤零零一个人，实在太糟糕了，而你对自己的健康又那么草率。" "Not at all," said he: "I care for myself when necessary. I amwell now. What do you see amiss in me?""- 点也没有，"他说，"必要时我会照顾自己的，我现在很好，你看见我什么地方不好啦？" This was said with a careless, abstracted indifference, which showedthat my solicitude was, at least in his opinion, wholly superfluous.I was silenced. 他说这话的时候心不在焉，神情漠然。表明我的关切，至少在他看来是多余的。我闭上了嘴。 He still slowly moved his finger over his upper lip, and still hiseye dwelt dreamily on the glowing grate; thinking it urgent to saysomething, I asked him presently if he felt any cold draught fromthe door, which was behind him. 他依然慢悠悠地把手指移到上嘴唇，依然那么睡眼朦胧地看着闪烁的炉格，像是有什么要紧的事儿要说。我立刻问他是不是感到有一阵冷风从他背后的门吹来。 "No, no!" he responded shortly and somewhat testily. 没有，没有，"他有些恼火，回答得很简捷， 
好吧，"我沉思起来，"要是你不愿谈、你可以保持沉默，我就不打扰你了，我看我的书去。" So I snuffed the candle and resumed the perusal of "Marmion." Hesoon stirred; my eye was instantly drawn to his movements; he onlytook out a morocco pocket-book, thence produced a letter, which heread in silence, folded it, put it back, relapsed into meditation.It was vain to try to read with such an inscrutable fixture beforeme; nor could I, in impatience, consent to be dumb; he might rebuffme if my he liked, but talk I would. 于是我剪了烛芯，继续细读起《玛米昂》来。不久他开始动弹了，我的眼睛立刻被他的动作所吸引。他只不过取出了一个山羊鞣皮面皮夹子，从里面拿出一封信来，默默地看着，又把它折起来，放回原处，再次陷入了沉思。面前站着这么一个不可思议的固定物，想要看书也看不进去。而在这种不耐烦的时刻，我也不愿当哑巴。他要是不高兴，尽可拒绝我，但我要同他交谈。 "Have you heard from Diana and Mary lately?"" 最近接到过黛安娜和玛丽的信吗？" "Not since the letter I showed you a week ago."" 自从一周前我给你看的那封信后，没有收到过。" "There has not been any change made about your own arrangements?You will not be summoned to leave England sooner than you expected?"" 你自己的安排没有什么更动吧？该不会叫你比你估计更早离开英国吧？" 
说实在恐怕不会。这样的机会太好了，不会落到我头上。"我至此毫无进展，于是便掉转枪头--决定谈学校和学生了。 "Mary Garrett's mother is better, and Mary came back to the schoolthis morning, and I shall have four new girls next week from theFoundry Close--they would have come to-day but for the snow."" 玛丽．加勒特的母亲好些了，玛丽今天早上到校里来了，下星期我有四个从铸造场来的新同学--要不是这场雪今天该到了。" "Indeed!"" 真的？" "Mr. Oliver pays for two."" 奥利弗先生支付其中两个的学费。" "Does he?"" 是吗？" 
他打算在圣诞节请全校的客人。" "I know."" 我知道了。" "Was it your suggestion?"" 是你的建议吗，" "No."" 不是。" "Whose, then?"" 那么是谁的？" 
他女儿的，我想。" "It is like her: she is so good-natured."" 是像她建议的，她心地善良。" "Yes."" 是呀。" Again came the blank of a pause: the clock struck eight strokes.It aroused him; he uncrossed his legs, sat erect, turned to me. 谈话停顿了下来，再次出现了空隙。时钟敲了八下。钟声把他惊醒了，他分开交叉的腿，站直了身子，转向我。 "Leave your book a moment, and come a little nearer the fire," hesaid." 把你的书放-会儿吧，过来靠近点火炉"他说。 
我有些纳闷，而且是无止境地纳闷，于是也就答应了。 "Half-an-hour ago," he pursued, "I spoke of my impatience to hearthe sequel of a tale: on reflection, I find the matter will bebetter managed by my assuming the narrator's part, and convertingyou into a listener. Before commencing, it is but fair to warn youthat the story will sound somewhat hackneyed in your ears; but staledetails often regain a degree of freshness when they pass throughnew lips. For the rest, whether trite or novel, it is short." 半小时之前，"他接着说，"我曾说起急于听一个故事的续篇。后来想了一下，还是让我扮演叙述者的角色，让你转化为听众比较好办。开场之前，我有言在先，这个故事在你的耳朵听来恐怕有些陈腐，但是过时的细节从另一张嘴里吐出来，常常又会获得某种程度的新鲜感。至于别的就不管了，陈腐也好，新鲜也好，反正很短。"
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