書蟲三級《三個陌生人》：8、一時沖動之 訂婚

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1.A wedding is arranged
1．訂婚

Most people who knew Baptista Trewthen agreed that there was nothing in her to love, and nothing in her to hate. She did not seem to feel very strongly about anything. But still waters run deep, and nothing had yet happened to make her show what lay hidden inside her, like gold underground.

大多數(shù)認識巴普蒂絲塔·特魯森的人都認為她這個人既不招人喜歡，也不討人厭。她對一切似乎都沒什么感覺。然而靜水深流，她擁有如地底金礦般深藏的內心，只不過還沒有機會展現(xiàn)而己。

Since her birth she had lived on St Maria's, an island off the south-west coast of England. Her father, a farmer, had spent a lot of money on sending her to school on the mainland. At nineteen she studied at a training college for teachers, and at twenty-one she found a teaching job in a town called Tor-upon-Sea, on the mainland coast.

自打出生起，她就一直居住在英格蘭西南海濱一個名叫圣瑪麗亞的小島上。她的父親是一名農(nóng)夫，花了很多錢送她到大陸的學校學習。19歲時，她就讀于一所師范學校；21歲時，她在大陸沿海一座名叫托阿龐西的小鎮(zhèn)上找到了一份教書的工作。

Baptista taught the children as well as she could, but after a year had passed she seemed worried about something. Mrs Wace, her landlady, noticed the change in the young woman and asked her what the matter was.

巴普蒂絲塔竭盡所能教孩子們念書。但一年后，她似乎為什么事?lián)鹆诵?。她的房東韋斯太太注意到了這位年輕姑娘的變化，于是問她有什么煩心事。

It has nothing to do with the town, or you,' replied Miss Trewthen. She seemed reluctant to say more.

“跟這個鎮(zhèn)子沒什么關系，跟您也沒關系?！碧佤斏〗愦鸬馈Ｋ坪醪辉付嗾f什么。

Then is it the pay?'

“那么是跟薪水有關嘍？”

No, it isn't the pay.'

“不，不是薪水的問題?！?

Is it something that you've heard from home, my dear?'

“是不是你從家鄉(xiāng)收到了什么消息，我親愛的？”

Baptista was silent for a few moments. Then she said, 'It's Mr Heddegan — David Heddegan. He's an old neighbour of ours on St Maria's, with no wife or family at all. When I was a child, he used to say he wanted to marry me one day. Now I'm a woman, it's no longer a joke, and he really wishes to do it. And my parents say I can't do better than have him.'

巴普蒂絲塔沉默了一小會兒，然后說：“是因為赫德根先生——戴維·赫德根。他是我們在圣瑪麗亞島的一位老鄰居，既沒有妻子，也沒有家人。我小時候，他曾說過想有朝一日娶我為妻?，F(xiàn)在我已經(jīng)是個大姑娘了，這也就不再是玩笑話了，而他真的想娶我。我父母說，沒有什么比嫁給他更好的了?！?

Has he a lot of money?'

“他很有錢嗎？”

Yes, he's the richest man that we know.'

“是的，他是我們所認識的最有錢的人?！?

How much older than you is he?'

“他比你大多少？”

Twenty years, maybe more.'

“20歲吧，也許還不止。”

And is he, perhaps, an unpleasant man?'

“那，也許他是個令人討厭的人？”

No, he's not unpleasant.'

“不，他并不令人討厭?！?

Well, child, all I can say is this — don't accept this engagement if it doesn't please you. You're comfortable here in my house, I hope, and I like having you here.'

“好吧，孩子，我所能說的就是——如果這樁婚事讓你不開心，就不要接受它。你在我家過得舒舒服服的，但愿我沒說錯，而我也很喜歡你住在這兒。”

Thank you, Mrs Wace. You're very kind to me. But here comes my difficulty. I don't like teaching. Ah, you're surprised. That's because I've hidden it from everyone. Well, I really hate school. The children are awful little things, who make trouble all day long. But even they are not as bad as the inspector. For the three months before his visit I woke up several times every night, worrying about it. It's so difficult knowing what to teach and what to leave untaught! I think father and mother are right. They say I'll never be a good teacher if I don't like the work, so I should marry Mr Heddegan and then I won't need to work. I don't know what to do, Mrs Wace. I like him better than teaching, but I don't like him enough to marry him.'

“謝謝您，韋斯太太。您對我太好了?？晌乙灿形业碾y處。我不喜歡教書。啊，讓您吃驚了吧。那是因為我對所有人都隱瞞了這一點。唉，我真的很討厭學校。孩子們真是可怕的小東西，他們整天制造麻煩?？伤麄冊賶囊矇牟贿^巡檢員。在他來檢查之前的三個月里，我夜夜都會擔心得醒過來好幾次。要知道該教什么和不該教什么簡直太難了！我想爸爸媽媽是對的。他們說，如果我不喜歡這份工作，就永遠也不會成為一名好教師，所以我應該嫁給赫德根先生，那樣就不用再工作了。我不知道該怎么辦，韋斯太太。我喜歡他勝過喜歡教書，可又還沒有喜歡到想嫁給他的地步?！?

These conversations were continued from day to day, until at last the landlady decided to agree with Baptista's parents.

類似的談話日復一日地持續(xù)下去，最后，房東太太決定贊同巴普蒂絲塔父母的話。

Life will be much easier for you, my dear,' she told her young friend, 'if you marry this rich neighbour.'

“如果跟這位富有的鄰居結婚的話，”她告訴自己這位年輕的朋友，“生活對你來說將會容易得多，親愛的?！?

In April Baptista went home to St Maria's for a short holiday, and when she returned, she seemed calmer.

4月，巴普蒂絲塔回到圣瑪麗亞島的家中休了一個短暫的假期，回來后看起來平靜多了。

I have agreed to have him as my husband, so that's the end of it,' she told Mrs Wace.

“我同意讓他做我的丈夫了，這事就這么定了?！彼嬖V韋斯太太。

In the next few months letters passed between Baptista and Mr Heddegan, but the girl preferred not to discuss her engagement with Mrs Wace. Later, she told her that she was leaving her job at the end of July, and the wedding was arranged for the first Wednesday in August.

在接下來的幾個月里，巴普蒂絲塔和赫德根先生之間不時有書信往還。不過，這位姑娘不太愿意跟韋斯太太談論她的婚約。不久，她告訴韋斯太太她準備在7月底離職，而婚禮就定在8月的第一個星期三。