目 录 上一节 下一节 
“您在哪一段上遇到困难啦？” 'The third part, the passage with the sharps.' “第三段，有高半音的一节。” Gaston got to his feet, sat down at the piano and began to play Weber's splendid melody, the music of which lay open of the stand. 加斯东站起身，坐到钢琴前面，开始弹奏韦伯的这首名曲，乐谱摊在谱架上。 Marguerite, with on hand resting on the piano, looked at the score, her eyes following each note which she accompanied in a soft singing voice and, when Gaston reached the passage which she had mentioned, she hummed it and played it with her fingers on the back of the piano: 玛格丽特一手扶着钢琴，眼睛随着琴谱上每一个音符移动，嘴里低声吟唱着。当加斯东弹到她讲过的那一节的时候，她一面在钢琴背上用手指敲打着，一面低声唱道： Gaston played it again, after which Marguerite said to him: 加斯东又重新弹了一遍，弹完以后，玛格丽特对他说： 
“现在让我来试试。” She took his place and played in turn; but still her stubborn fingers tripped over one or other of the notes which we have just mentioned. 她坐到位子上弹奏起来，但是当她那不听使唤的手指弹到那几个音符时又有一个音符弹错了。 'It's inconceivable, ' she said with a quite childlike ring in her voice, 'that I can't manage to play this passage! You won't believe it, but sometimes I sit up working on it until two in the morning! And when I think that fool of a Count can play it without music, and admirably well at that, then I do believe that's why I get so cross with him.' “真使人难以相信，”她用一种近乎孩子气的腔调说道，“这一段我就是弹不好！你们信不信，有几次我就是这样一直弹到深夜两点多钟！每当我想到这个蠢伯爵竟然能不用乐谱就弹得那么好，我就恨透了他，我想我就是为了这一点才恨他的。” And she began again, and still with the same result. 她又开始弹奏了，但仍旧弹不好。 'The hell with Weber, music and pianos!' she said, flinging the score to the other end of the room. 'Would anybody believe that I simply can't play eight sharps in a row?' “让韦伯、音乐和钢琴全都见鬼去吧！”她一面说，一面把乐谱扔到了房间的另一头，“为什么我就不会接连弹八个高半音呢？” 
她交叉双臂望着我们，一面顿着脚。 The blood rushed to her cheeks and a small cough parted her lips. 她脸涨得通红，一阵轻微的咳嗽使她微微地张开了嘴。 'Come now, ' said Prudence, who had removed her hat and was smoothing her hair in a mirror, 'you'll only get angry an make yourself ill. Let's have supper. It's much the best thing: I'm absolutely starving.' “您看，您看，”普律当丝说，她已经脱下帽子，在镜子前面梳理两鬓的头发，“您又在生气了，这又要使您不舒服了，我们最好还是去吃夜宵吧，我快饿死了。” Marguerite rang again, then she turned back to the piano and began quietly crooning a squalid song ?without making any mistakes in the accompaniment. 玛格丽特又拉了拉铃，然后她又坐到钢琴前弹奏，嘴里曼声低吟着一首轻佻的歌。在弹唱这首歌的时候，她一点也没有出错。 Gaston knew the song, and they truned it into a sort of duet. 加斯东也会唱这首歌，他们就来了个二重唱。 
“别唱这些下流歌曲了，”我带着一种恳求的语气亲切地对玛格丽特说。 'Oh, how innocent you are!' she said, smiling and holding out her hand to me. “啊，您有多正经啊！”她微笑着对我说，一面把手伸给我。 'It's not for my sake but yours.' “这不是为了我，而是为了您呀。” Marguerite made a gesture which meant: 'Oh! it's a long time since I had anything to do with innocence.' 玛格丽特做了一个姿势，意思是说：呵，我早就跟贞洁绝缘了。 At this juncture, Nanine appeared. 这时纳尼娜进来了。 
“夜宵准备好了吗？”玛格丽特问道。 'Yes, madame, in just a moment.' “太太，一会儿就好了。” 'By the by, ' Prudence said to me, 'you haven't seen round the apartment. Come, I'll show you.' “还有，”普律当丝对我说，“您还没有参观过这屋子呢，来，我领您去看看。” As you know, the drawing-room was a marvel. 您已经知道了，客厅布置得很出色。 Marguerite came with us for a few steps, then she called Gaston and went with him into the dining-room to see if supper was ready. 玛格丽特陪了我们一会儿，随后她叫加斯东跟她一起到餐室里去看看夜宵准备好了没有。 
“瞧，”普律当丝高声说，她望着一只多层架子，从上面拿下了一个萨克森小塑像，“我还不知道您有这么一个小玩意儿呢。” 'Which one?' “哪一个？” 'The shepherd boy holding a cage with a bird in it.' “一个手里拿着一只鸟笼的小牧童，笼里还有一只鸟。” 'You can have it if you like it.' “如果您喜欢，您就拿去吧。” 'Oh! but I couldn't deprive you of him.' “啊！可是我怕夺了您的好东西。” 
“我觉得这个塑像很难看，我本来想把它送给我的女用人；既然您喜欢，您就拿去吧。” Prudence saw only the gift and not the manner in which it was given. She put her shepherd boy to one side, and led me into the dressing-room where she showed me two miniatures which made a pair and said: 'That's Count de G who was madly in love with Marguerite. He's the one who made her name. Do you know him?' 普律当丝只看重礼物本身，并不讲究送礼的方式。她把塑像放在一边，把我领到梳妆间，指着挂在那里的两张细密肖像画对我说，“这就是G伯爵，他以前非常爱玛格丽特，是他把她捧出来的。您认识他吗？” 'No. And who's this?' I asked, pointing to the other miniature. “不认识。那么这一位呢？”我指着另一幅肖像问道。 'That's the young Vicomte de L. He had to go away.' “这是小L子爵，他不得不离开了她。” 'Why?' “为什么？” 
“因为他几乎破了产。这又是一个爱过玛格丽特的人！” 'And I imagine she loved him very much?' “那么她肯定也很爱他罗。” 'She's such a funny girl, you never know where you are with her. The evening of the day he went away, she went to the theatre as usual, and yet she had cried when he said goodbye.' “这个姑娘脾气古怪，别人永远也不知道她在想些什么。小L子爵要走的那天晚上，她像往常一样到剧场去看戏，不过在他动身的时候，她倒是哭了。” Just then Nanine appeared, and announced that supper was served. 这时，纳尼娜来了，通知我们夜宵已经准备好了。 When we went into the dining- room, Marguerite was leaning against one wall and Gaston, who was holding both her hands, was whispering to her. 当我们走进餐室的时候，玛格丽特倚着墙，加斯东拉着她的手，轻声地在和她说话。 
“您疯了，”玛格丽特回答他说，“您很清楚我是不会同意您的，像我这样一个女人，您认识已有两年了，怎么现在才想到要做我的情人呢。我们这些人，要么马上委身于人，要么永远也不。来吧，先生们，请坐吧。” And, slipping out of Gaston's grasp, Marguerite sat him on her right, me on her left, and then said to Nanine: 玛格丽特把手从加斯东手里抽回来，请他坐在她右面，我坐在左面，接着她对纳尼娜说：
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