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她匆忙地料理着餐桌上的琐事，偶尔抬起眼睛，发现老太太国不转睛地瞅着自己，便顽皮地把简简单单编了一下的头发从额前往后一撩，嫣然绽开笑脸，流露出温情和纯真的爱心，连神灵看着她也会眉开眼笑。 'And Brittles has been gone upwards of an hour, has he?' asked the old lady, after a pause. “布里特尔斯已经动身一个多小时了，是吗？”老太太踌躇了一下问道。 'An hour and twelve minutes, ma'am,' replied Mr. Giles, referring to a silver watch, which he drew forth by a black ribbon. “一小时十二分，夫人。”凯尔司先生拉住一根黑色丝带，掏出一块银壳怀表看了看，答道。 'He is always slow,' remarked the old lady. “他总是慢吞吞的。”老太太说道。 'Brittles always was a slow boy, ma'am,' replied the attendant. And seeing, by the bye, that Brittles had been a slow boy for upwards of thirty years, there appeared no great probability of his ever being a fast one. “布里特尔斯向来就是个迟钝的孩子，夫人。”管家回答。顺便提一句，由于布里特尔斯年逾三十还是一个迟钝的小伙子，那就根本不存在变得利索起来的可能性。 
“我看他不是变得利索了，倒是越变越慢了。”老太太说。 'It is very inexcusable in him if he stops to play with any other boys,' said the young lady, smiling. “假如他停下来跟别的孩子玩的话，那才真是没法说清呢。”小姐微笑着说。 Mr. Giles was apparently considering the propriety of indulging in a respectful smile himself, when a gig drove up to the garden-gate: out of which there jumped a fat gentleman, who ran straight up to the door: and who, getting quickly into the house by some mysterious process, burst into the room, and nearly overturned Mr. Giles and the breakfast-table together. 凯尔司先生显然正考虑，自己彬彬有礼地笑一笑是否得体，这时，一辆双轮马车驶抵花园门，车上跳出一位胖胖的绅士，一径朝门口奔来，经过某种不可思议的方式很快走进这所屋子，闯进房间，差一点把凯尔司先生和早餐饭桌一块儿撞翻在地。 'I never heard of such a thing!' exclaimed the fat gentleman. 'My dear Mrs. Maylie--bless my soul--in the silence of the night, too--I NEVER heard of such a thing!' “我从来没听说过这种事！”胖绅士大声疾呼，“我亲爱的梅莱太太--上帝保佑--又是在夜静更深的时候--我从来没听说过这种事！” With these expressions of condolence, the fat gentleman shook hands with both ladies, and drawing up a chair, inquired how they found themselves. 胖绅士一边倾吐着这些安慰话，一边与两位女士握手，他拖过一把椅子，问她们感觉如何。 
“您会没命的，肯定会吓死，”胖绅士说道，“您干吗不派个人来？上帝保佑，我的人只要一分钟就可以赶到，我也一样。在这种情形之下，我敢保证，我的助手一定乐意帮忙。天啦，天啦，真是没有想到。又是在夜静更深的时候。” The doctor seemed expecially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by post, a day or two previous. 大夫看来感到痛心疾首，抢劫案出人意外，又是夜间作案，就好像以人室行劫为业的绅士们的惯例是白天办公，还会提前一两天来个预约似的。 'And you, Miss Rose,' said the doctor, turning to the young lady, 'I--' “还有你，露丝小姐，”大夫说着朝年轻小姐转过身去，“我想--” 'Oh! very much so, indeed,' said Rose, interrupting him; 'but there is a poor creature upstairs, whom aunt wishes you to see.' “哦。太出乎意料了，真的，”露丝打断了他的话，“不过楼上有一个可怜的家伙，姑妈希望你去看看。” 'Ah! to be sure,' replied the doctor, 'so there is. That was your handiwork, Giles, I understand.' “啊。真是的，”大夫回答，“我差点忘了，据我所知，那是你干的，凯尔司。” 
凯尔司先生正在紧张地把茶杯重新摆好，他涨红了脸说，自己有过这份荣幸。 'Honour, eh?' said the doctor; 'well, I don't know; perhaps it's as honourable to hit a thief in a back kitchen, as to hit your man at twelve paces. Fancy that he fired in the air, and you've fought a duel, Giles.' “荣幸，哦？”大夫说，“好啊，我倒是不明白，也许在一间后厨房里打中一个碱，就和在十二步以外向你的对手开火一样体面呢。你想想，他向空中开了一枪，而你倒像是参加一场决斗，凯尔司。” Mr. Giles, who thought this light treatment of the matter an unjust attempt at diminishing his glory, answered respectfully, that it was not for the like of him to judge about that; but he rather thought it was no joke to the opposite party. 凯尔司先生认为，对事情这样轻描淡写实属动机不良，有损自己的荣誉，他彬彬有礼地回答，像自己这样的人不便妄加评判，不过他倒是认为对方不是在开玩笑。 'Gad, that's true!' said the doctor. 'Where is he? Show me the way. I'll look in again, as I come down, Mrs. Maylie. That's the little window that he got in at, eh? Well, I couldn't have believed it!' “老天爷有眼。”大夫说道，“他在哪儿？领我去吧。我下来的时候，再替梅莱太太检查一下。他就是从那扇小窗子钻进来的，哦？唉，我简直难以相信。” Talking all the way, he followed Mr. Giles upstairs; and while he is going upstairs, the reader may be informed, that Mr. Losberne, a surgeon in the neighbourhood, known through a circuit of ten miles round as 'the doctor,' had grown fat, more from good-humour than from good living: and was as kind and hearty, and withal as eccentric an old bachelor, as will be found in five times that space, by any explorer alive. 他一路唠唠叨叨，跟着凯尔司先生上楼去了。在他往楼上走的这段时间里，写书人要向读者交待一下，罗斯伯力先生是附近的一位外科医生，方圆十英里之内大名鼎鼎的“大夫”，他已经有些发福，这与其归功于生活优裕，不如说是由于他乐天知命。他善良，热心，加上又是一位脾气古怪的老单身汉，当今无论哪一位探险家非得在比此地大五倍的地方才有可能发掘出这么一个。 
大夫在楼上呆了很长时间，大大超出了他本人或两位女士的预想。人们从马车里取出一只又大又扁的箱子送上楼去，卧室的铃子频频拉响，仆人们川流不息跑上跑下。根据这些迹象完全可以断定，楼上正在进行某种重要的事情。最后，他总算从楼上下来了。在答复有关病人的焦急不安的询问时，他样子十分神秘，还小心翼翼地关上了门。 'This is a very extraordinary thing, Mrs. Maylie,' said the doctor, standing with his back to the door, as if to keep it shut. “这事非常离奇，梅莱太太。”大夫说话时背朝房门站着，好像是防止有人开门进来似的。 'He is not in danger, I hope?' said the old lady. “他已经脱离危险了吧，我希望？”老太太问道。 'Why, that would NOT be an extraordinary thing, under the circumstances,' replied the doctor; 'though I don't think he is. Have you seen the thief?' “嗨，在当前情形下，这算不上离奇的事儿，”大夫回答，“尽管我认为他尚未脱离危险。你们见过这个小偷吗？” 'No,' rejoined the old lady. “没见过。”老太太回答。 
“也没听说过关于他的什么事？” 'No.' “没有。” 'I beg your pardon, ma'am, interposed Mr. Giles; 'but I was going to tell you about him when Doctor Losberne came in.' “请原谅，夫人，”凯尔司先生插了进来，“罗斯伯力大夫来的时候，我正想告诉您。” The fact was, that Mr. Giles had not, at first, been able to bring his mind to the avowal, that he had only shot a boy. Such commendations had been bestowed upon his bravery, that he could not, for the life of him, help postponing the explanation for a few delicious minutes; during which he had flourished, in the very zenith of a brief reputation for undaunted courage. 事情是这样的，凯尔司先生一开始没有勇气承认自己打中的仅仅是个孩子。他的勇武刚毅赢得了这么多的赞美，就是豁出性命，他也得推迟几分钟再作解释，在这宝贵的几分钟里，他临危不惧的短促英名正处在风光无限的巅峰之上。 'Rose wished to see the man,' said Mrs. Maylie, 'but I wouldn't hear of it.' “露丝想看看那个人，”梅莱太太说，“我就是没答应。” 
“哼。”大夫回答，“他脸上倒是没什么惊人之处。我陪你们去看看他，你们不反对吧？” 'If it be necessary,' replied the old lady, 'certainly not.' “如果必要的话，”老太太答道，“当然不反对。”
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