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说到这里，男客们插嘴了，急急乎请求她们对最后谈到的两点，进一步透露一下。然而面对这些人的纠缠，她们颤栗着脸涨得通红，又是叫呀又是笑。同时太太们递上了香嗅瓶，摇起扇来，还因为没有及时接受她们的劝告，而一再露出不安的表情。年长的男士们大笑不止，年青的赶紧去给美丽的女士压惊。 In the midst of the tumult, and while my eyes and ears were fullyengaged in the scene before me, I heard a hem close at my elbow: Iturned, and saw Sam. 在这一片混乱之中，我的耳目被眼前的情景所吸引。这时我听见身旁有人清了清嗓子，回头一看，见是萨姆。 "If you please, miss, the gipsy declares that there is another youngsingle lady in the room who has not been to her yet, and she swearsshe will not go till she has seen all. I thought it must be you:there is no one else for it. What shall I tell her?"" 对不起，小姐，吉卜赛人说，房子里还有一位未婚年青女士没有去见她，她发誓不见到所有的人就不走。想必这就是你，没有其他人了。我怎么去回话呢？" "Oh, I will go by all means," I answered: and I was glad of theunexpected opportunity to gratify my much-excited curiosity. Islipped out of the room, unobserved by any eye--for the company weregathered in one mass about the trembling trio just returned--and Iclosed the door quietly behind me." 呵，我一定去，"我回答。我很高兴能有这个意外的机会满足我大大激起了的好奇心。我溜出房间，谁也没有看到我--因为众人聚在一起，围着刚回来依然哆嗦着的三个人--随手轻轻地关上门。 "If you like, miss," said Sam, "I'll wait in the hall for you; andif she frightens you, just call and I'll come in."" 对不起，小姐，"萨姆说，"我在厅里等你，要是她吓着你了，你就叫一下，我会进来的。" 
不用了，萨姆，你回到厨房去吧，我一点也不怕。"我倒算是不怕的，不过我很感兴趣，也很激动。 The library looked tranquil enough as I entered it, and the Sibyl--if Sibyl she were--was seated snugly enough in an easy-chair at thechimney-corner. She had on a red cloak and a black bonnet: orrather, a broad-brimmed gipsy hat, tied down with a stripedhandkerchief under her chin. An extinguished candle stood on thetable; she was bending over the fire, and seemed reading in a littleblack book, like a prayer-book, by the light of the blaze: shemuttered the words to herself, as most old women do, while she read;she did not desist immediately on my entrance: it appeared shewished to finish a paragraph. 我进门的时候，图书室显得很安静，那女巫--如果她确实是的话，舒适地坐在烟囱角落的安乐椅上。她身披红色斗篷，头戴一顶黑色女帽，或者不如说宽边吉卜赛帽，用一块条子手帕系到了下巴上。桌子上立着一根熄灭了的蜡烛。她俯身向着火炉，借着火光，似乎在读一本祈祷书般的黑色小书，一面读，一面象大多数老妇人那样，口中念念有词。我进门时她并没有立即放下书来，似乎想把一段读完。 I stood on the rug and warmed my hands, which were rather cold withsitting at a distance from the drawing-room fire. I felt now ascomposed as ever I did in my life: there was nothing indeed in thegipsy's appearance to trouble one's calm. She shut her book andslowly looked up; her hat-brim partially shaded her face, yet Icould see, as she raised it, that it was a strange one. It lookedall brown and black: elf-locks bristled out from beneath a whiteband which passed under her chin, and came half over her cheeks, orrather jaws: her eye confronted me at once, with a bold and directgaze. 我站在地毯上，暖了暖冰冷的手，因为在客厅时我坐得离火炉较远。这时我像往常那么平静，说实在吉卜赛人的外表没有什么会使我感到不安。她合上书，慢慢抬起头来，帽沿遮住了脸的一部份。但是她扬起头来时，我们能看清楚她的面容很古怪。乱发从绕过下巴的白色带子下钻了出来，漫过半个脸颊，或者不如说下颚。她的目光立即与我的相遇，大胆地直视着我。 "Well, and you want your fortune told?" she said, in a voice asdecided as her glance, as harsh as her features." 噢，你想要算命吗？"她说，那口气像她的目光那样坚定，像她的五官那样严厉。 "I don't care about it, mother; you may please yourself: but Iought to warn you, I have no faith."" 我并不在乎，大妈，随你便吧，不过我得提醒你，我并不相信。" 
说话这么无礼倒是你的脾性，我料定你会这样，你跨过门槛的时候，我从你的脚步声里就听出来了。" "Did you? You've a quick ear."" 是吗？你的耳朵真尖。" "I have; and a quick eye and a quick brain."" 不错，而且眼睛亮，脑子快。" "You need them all in your trade."" 干你这一行倒是都需要的。" "I do; especially when I've customers like you to deal with. Whydon't you tremble?"" 我是需要的，尤其是对付像你这样的顾客的时候。你干嘛不发抖？" 
我并不冷。" "Why don't you turn pale?"" 你为什么脸不发白？" "I am not sick."" 我没有病。" "Why don't you consult my art?"" 你为什么不来请教我的技艺？" "I'm not silly."" 我不傻。" 
这老太婆在帽子和带子底下爆发出了一阵笑声。随后取出一个短短的烟筒，点上烟，开始抽了起来。她在这份镇静剂里沉迷了一会儿后，便直起了弯着的腰，从嘴里取下烟筒，一面呆呆地盯着炉火，一面不慌不忙地说："你很冷；你有病；你很傻。" "Prove it," I rejoined." 拿出证据来，"我回答， "I will, in few words. You are cold, because you are alone: nocontact strikes the fire from you that is in you. You are sick;because the best of feelings, the highest and the sweetest given toman, keeps far away from you. You are silly, because, suffer as youmay, you will not beckon it to approach, nor will you stir one stepto meet it where it waits you."" 一定，三言两语就行。你很冷，因为你孤身一人，没有交往，激发不了内心的火花。你病了，因为给予男人的最好、最高尚、最甜蜜的感情，与你无缘。你很傻，因为尽管你很痛苦，你却既不会主动去召唤它靠近你，也不会跨出一步，上它等候你的地方去迎接它。" She again put her short black pipe to her lips, and renewed hersmoking with vigour. 她再次把那杆黑色的短烟筒放进嘴里，使劲吸了起来。 "You might say all that to almost any one who you knew lived as asolitary dependent in a great house."" 凡是你所知道寄居在大房子里的孤独者，你几乎都可以说这样的话。" 
是几乎对谁都可以这么说，但几乎对谁都适用吗？" "In my circumstances."" 适合处于我这种情况的人。" "Yes; just so, in YOUR circumstances: but find me another preciselyplaced as you are."" 是的，一点也不错，适合你的情况。不过你倒给我找个处境跟你一模一样的人看看。" "It would be easy to find you thousands."" 我猜还得在上面放上银币吧？" I gave her a shilling: she put it into an old stocking-foot whichshe took out of her pocket, and having tied it round and returnedit, she told me to hold out my hand. I did. She ached her face tothe palm, and pored over it without touching it. 我给了她一个先令。她从口袋里掏出一只旧长袜，把钱币放进去，用袜子系好，放回原处。她让我伸出手去，我照办了。她把脸贴近我手掌，细细看了起来，但没有触碰它。 
太细嫩了，"她说。"这样的手我什么也看不出来，几乎没有皱纹。况且，手掌里会有什么呢？命运又不刻在那儿。" "I believe you," said I." 我相信你，"我说。 "No," she continued, "it is in the face: on the forehead, about theeyes, in the lines of the mouth. Kneel, and lift up your head."" 不，"她继续说，"它刻在脸上，在额头，在眼睛周围，在眸子里面，在嘴巴的线条上。跪下来，抬起你的头来。"
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