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“到巴黎去了!?” 'Yes, sir.' “是的,先生。” 'When?' “什么时候去的?” 'An hour after you.' “您走后一个小时。” 'Did she leave anything for you to give me?' “她没有什么东西留给我吗?” 
“没有。” Nanine left me. 纳尼娜离开我走了。 'It's quite likely she was afraid, ' I thought, 'and went to Paris to see for herself whether the visit I'd said I was going to make to my father's wasn't just an excuse for having a day away from her. “她可能有什么疑虑,”我想,“也许是到巴黎去证实我对她说的去看父亲的事究竟是不是一个借口,为的是得到一天自由。 'Perhaps Prudence wrote to her about something important, ' I said to myself when I was alone. 'But I saw Prudence as soon as I got there, and she didn't say anything to make me suppose that she'd written to Marguerite.' “或者是普律当丝有什么重要事情写信给她了,”当剩下我一个人的时候我心里想:“但是在我去巴黎的时候已经见到过普律当丝,在她跟我的谈话里面我一点也听不出她曾给玛格丽特写过信。” Suddenly, I recalled the question Madame Duvernoy had asked me: 'So she's not coming today?' when I had told her Marguerite was ill. Simultaneously, I remembered Prudence's embarrassed reaction when I'd stared at her after hearing her words, which had seemed to hint at a secret rendezvous. To this was added my recollection of the tears Marguerite had wept all that day which had been pushed into the back of my mind by my father's warm welcome. 突然我想起了当我对迪韦尔诺瓦太太说玛格丽特不舒服时,她问了我一句话:“那么她今天不来了吗?”这句话似乎泄露了她们有约会,同时我又想起了在她讲完这句话我望她的时候,她的神色很尴尬。我又回忆起玛格丽特整天眼泪汪汪,后来因为我父亲接待我很殷勤,我就把这些事给忘了。 
想到这里,这天发生的一切事情都围绕着我的第一个怀疑打转,使我的疑心越来越重。所有一切,一直到父亲对我的慈祥态度都证实了我的怀疑。 Marguerite had virtually insisted that I should go to Paris. She had pretended to be calm when I suggested I should stay by her side. Had I fallen into a trap? Was Marguerite deceiving me? Had she counted on getting back in sufficiently good time for me to remain unaware of her absence, and had some chance occurrence detained her? Why had she not said anything to Nanine, or why had she not left me a note? What was the meaning of the tears, her absence, this whole mystery? 玛格丽特几乎是逼着我到巴黎去的,我一提出要留在她身边,她就假装平静下来。我是不是落入了圈套?玛格丽特是在欺骗我吗?她是不是本来打算要及时回来,不让我发现她曾经离开过,但由于发生了意外的事把她拖住了呢?为什么她什么也没对纳尼娜说,又不给我写几个字呢?这些眼泪,她的出走,这些神秘莫测的事究竟是什么意思呢? Such were the questions which, with some trepidation, I put to myself as I stood in that empty bedroom, with my eyes fixed on the clock which, striking midnight, seemed to be telling me that it was too late now for me to hope to see my mistress return. 在这个空荡荡的房间里面,我惶惶不安地想着以上这些问题。我眼睛盯着墙上的时钟,时针已指着半夜,似乎在告诉我,要想再见到我的情妇回来,时间已经太晚了。 And yet, after the plans we had made, after the sacrifice which had been offered and accepted, was it likely she should be unfaithful? No. I made a conscious effort to dismiss my initial assumptions. 然而,不久前我们还对今后的生活作了安排;她作出了牺牲,我也接受了。难道她真的在欺骗我吗?不会的。我竭力要丢开我刚才的那些设想。 'The poor girl has probably found a buyer for her furniture and has gone to Paris to finalize the details. She didn't want to tell me beforehand because she knows that, though I may have agreed to her selling everything, for our future happiness depends on it, I don't like the idea at all. She was afraid she'd wound my pride and my scruples if she mentioned it. She'd much prefer to turn up again when everything is settled. It's obvious that Prudence was expecting her in connection with all this, and she gave herself away to me. Marguerite won't have been able to conclude her business today and is spending the night in her apartment, or perhaps she'll be here any minute, for she must have some idea of how anxious I am and certainly won't want to leave me to worry. 也许这个可怜的姑娘为她的家具找到了一个买主,她到巴黎接洽去了。这件事她不想让我事前知道,因为她知道,尽管这次拍卖对于我们今后的幸福十分必要,而且我也同意了,但这对我来说总是很难堪的。她怕在向我谈这件事时会伤了我的自尊心,损害我的感情。她宁愿等一切都办妥了再跟我见面。显而易见,普律当丝就是为了这件事在等她,而且在我面前泄漏了真相。玛格丽特今天大概还不能办完这次交易,她睡在普律当丝家里,也许她一会儿就要回来了,因为她应该想到我在担忧,肯定不会把我就这样丢在这里的。 
但是她为什么要流泪呢?无疑是不管她怎样爱我,这个可怜的姑娘要放弃这种奢侈生活,到底还是舍不得的。她已经过惯了这种生活,并且觉得很幸福,别人也很羡慕她。 I readily forgave Marguerite her regrets. I waited impatiently for her to come so that I could tell her, as I smothered her in kisses, that I had guessed the reason for her mysterious absence. 我非常体谅玛格丽特这种留恋不舍的心情。我焦急地等着她回来,我要好好地吻吻她,并对她说,我已经猜到了她神秘地出走的原因。 But the night wore on and still Marguerite did not come. 然而,夜深了,玛格丽特仍旧没有回来。 Imperceptibly, my anxiety tightened its hold, and gripped both my mind and my heart. Perhaps something had happened to her! Perhaps she was lying injured or ill or dead! Perhaps I would see a messenger arrive with news of some terrible accident! Perhaps the new day would find me still plunged in the same uncertainties, the same fears! 我越来越感到焦虑不安,心里紧张得很。她会不会出了什么事!她是不是受伤了,病了,死了!也许我马上就要看见一个信差来通知我什么噩耗,也许一直到天亮,我仍将陷在这同样的疑惑和忧虑之中。 The thought that Marguerite was being unfaithful to me even as I waited in the midst of the terrors unleashed by her absence, no longer entered my head. There had to be some good reason, independent of her will, to keep her far from me, and the more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that this reason could only be some misfortune or other. Oh, the pride of man assumes protean shapes! 玛格丽特的出走使我惊慌失措,我提心吊胆地等着她,她是否会欺骗我呢?这种想法我一直没再有过。一定是有一种她作不了主的原因把她拖住了,使她不能到我这里来。我越是想,越是相信这个原因只能是某种灾祸。啊,人类的虚荣心呵!你的表现形式真是多种多样啊。 
一点钟刚刚敲过,我心里想我再等她一个小时,倘使到了两点钟玛格丽特还不回来,我就动身到巴黎去。 To while away the time, I looked for a book, for I dared not let myself think. 在等待的时候,我找了一本书看,因为我不敢多想。 Manon Lescaut lay open on the table. It appeared to me that here and there the pages were damp, as though tears had been shed over them. After skimming through the volume, I closed it: the print made no sense through the veil of my doubts. 《玛侬·莱斯科》翻开在桌子上,我觉得书页上有好些地方似乎被泪水沾湿了。在翻看了一会以后,我把书又合上了。 由于我疑虑重重,书上的字母对我来说似乎毫无意义。 Time passed slowly. The sky was overcast. Autumn rain lashed the windows. At times, the empty bed seemed, I thought, to resemble a grave. I felt afraid. 时间慢慢在流逝,天空布满了乌云,一阵秋雨抽打着玻璃窗,有时空荡荡的床铺看上去犹如一座坟墓,我害怕起来了。 I opened the door. I listened, but heard nothing save the sound of the wind in the trees. No carriage rattled by on the road outside. Half past struck lugubriously from the church tower. 我打开门,侧耳静听,除了树林里簌簌的风声以外什么也听不见。路上车辆绝迹,教堂的钟凄凉地在敲半点钟。 
我倒反而怕有人来了,我觉得在这种时刻,在这种阴沉的天气,要有什么事情来找我的话,也决不会是好事。 It struck two. I waited a little longer. Only the regular, rhythmic ticking of the clock disturbed the silence. 两点钟敲过了,我稍等了一会儿,唯有那墙上时钟的单调的滴答声打破寂静的气氛。 At length, I left the room. Even the most trivial object in it had assumed that air of gloom which an anxious and lonely heart lends to everything around it. 最后我离开了这个房间,由于内心的孤独和不安,在我看来这个房间里连最小的物件也都蒙上了一层愁云。 In the next room, I found Nanine asleep over her needle work. The creaking of the door woke her, and she asked me if her mistress had returned. 在隔壁房间里我看到纳尼娜扑在她的活计上面睡着了。听到门响的声音,她惊醒了,问我是不是她的女主人回来了。 'No, but if she does, you will say that I couldn't stand the worry and that I've gone to Paris.' “不是的,不过如果她回来,您就对她说我实在放心不下,到巴黎去了。” 
“现在去吗?” 'Yes.' “是的。”
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