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书虫二级《阿利格拉之谜》:订婚消息

所属教程:书虫2级 五镇故事

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2019年06月26日

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News of the Engagement
订婚消息

My mother never came to meet me at Bursley station when I arrived in the Five Towns from London. She always had other things to do; she was getting ready for me. So I always walked alone up Trafalgar Road, between the factories and past the football field. And so tonight, I had time to think. I had some very important news for my mother, and I didn't know how to tell her.

每次我从伦敦回五镇,母亲都不会来伯斯利车站接我。她总有别的事要做:她是在为我回家做准备。因此我总是沿着特拉法尔加大街,经过工厂和足球场,一个人走回家。所以,今晚我有时间好好想想。我要告诉母亲一条重大消息,却不知该如何开口。

I wrote to my mother every week, to tell her what I was doing. She knew the names of all my friends. I often wrote about Agnes and her family. But it's difficult to write in a letter: 'I think Agnes likes me,' 'I'm in love with her,' 'I'm sure she likes me,' 'I think she loves me,' 'I'm going to ask her to marry me.' You can't do that. Well, I couldn't do it. And on the 20th December I asked Agnes to marry me, and Agnes said yes. But my mother didn't know anything about it. And now, on the 22nd December, I was coming to spend Christmas with my mother.

我每周都给母亲写信,告诉她我在忙些什么。她知道我所有朋友的名字。我经常提到阿格尼丝和她的家人。但在信中写不出这样的话:“我觉得阿格尼丝喜欢我”,“我爱上她了”,“我肯定她喜欢我”,“我觉得她爱我”,“我要向她求婚”。你没法这么写。反正,我是写不出来。12月20日我向阿格尼丝求婚,她答应了。但我母亲对此还一无所知。而今天,12月22日,我回来和母亲共度圣诞。

My mother was a widow. I was her only son — and now I was engaged and she didn't know. I was afraid she was going to be a little unhappy, and I was ready for a difficult evening.

我的母亲是个寡妇。我是她的独子——而现在我已经订婚可她还不知道。我担心她会不大高兴,我准备好要过个难捱的晚上。

I walked up to the front door, but before I put my hand up to ring, the door opened and there was my mother. She put her arms around me.

我走到家门口,还没按铃,门就开了,母亲站在那儿。她拥抱了我。

Well, Philip! How are you?'

“哦,菲利普!你好吗?”

And I said, 'Oh! I'm all right, mother. How are you?'

我说:“哦!我很好,母亲。你怎么样?”

She smiled at me. She looked excited and younger than her forty-five years. There was something strange in her smile. I thought: 'She knows I'm going to get married. How does she know?'

她冲我笑了。她有些激动,看起来不像已经45岁的人。她笑得有点儿奇怪。我想:“她知道我要结婚了。她怎么知道的?”

But I said nothing. You have to be careful with mothers.

但我什么也没说。和母亲们打交道要小心才是。

I'll tell her at supper,' I decided.

“吃晚饭的时候我再告诉她。”我打定主意。

I went upstairs to my bedroom. When I came down, my mother was busy in the kitchen. I went into the dining room, and here I had a surprise. There were three chairs around the table, and three plates and three glasses.

我上楼进了自己的卧室,下来的时候,母亲正在厨房忙碌。我走进餐厅,不由得吃了一惊。桌旁摆了三把椅子,桌上是三副杯盘。

So Agnes was coming! I didn't know how my mother knew, but she did know. She and my wonderful Agnes were planning a surprise for me. Agnes was coming to Bursley for Christmas!

这么说阿格尼丝真的要来!我不知道母亲是如何得知的,但她肯定已经知道了。母亲和我可爱的阿格尼丝想给我惊喜。阿格尼丝要来伯斯利过圣诞!

There was a ring at the door. 'It's Agnes!' I thought, and running to the door, I opened it.

门铃响了。“是阿格尼丝!”我这样想着,跑到门口打开了门。

It was Mr Nixon.

来客是尼克松先生。

Mr Nixon was an old friend of the family. He was a large, strong man of about forty-nine or fifty. He was very helpful to my mother after my father's death.

尼克松先生是我家的老朋友。他魁梧健壮,大概49岁或50岁的样子。父亲死后他对母亲很是照顾。

Good evening, young man,' he said. 'It's good to see you back in Bursley.'

“晚上好,年轻人,”他说“很高兴看见你回到伯斯利。”

Mr Nixon has come for supper, Philip,' said my mother.

“尼克松先生来吃晚饭,菲利普。”母亲说。

Mr Nixon often came to supper during my visits to Bursley, but never on the first night. I liked him, but I wasn't very happy to see him tonight because I wanted to talk to my mother. I couldn't talk to her about Agnes with Mr Nixon sitting at the table.

我以前回伯斯利的时候,尼克松先生也经常来吃晚饭,但从没在我回来的第一个晚上来过。我挺喜欢他,但今晚见到他不是很开心,因为我本打算和母亲谈谈,而如果尼克松先生也在的话,我就不能和母亲谈阿格尼丝的事了。

We started our supper. We talked about this and that, but nobody ate very much. I was thinking about what to say to my mother when Mr Nixon went home. At the end of the meal I told my mother that I must go to the post office. I had an important letter to post.

我们开始吃晚饭。我们东聊西扯,但大家都吃得不多。我一直在想尼克松先生回家以后,我该如何对母亲说。吃完饭后,我告诉母亲我必须去趟邮局,我有一封重要的信要寄。

Can't it wait until tomorrow, my pet?' my mother asked.

“宝贝儿,不能等明天再寄吗?”母亲问道。

It can't,' I said.

“不行。”我回答。

My letter, of course, was to Agnes. A letter to Agnes could not wait until tomorrow! I walked over to the dining room door.

我的信当然是寄给阿格尼丝的。给阿格尼丝的信可不能等到明天!我向餐厅门口走去。

A letter to a lady?' asked Mr Nixon, laughing.

“给一位小姐的信?”尼克松先生笑着问我。

Yes,' I replied.

“是的。”我回答。

I walked to the post office and posted my letter. When I got back home, I was sorry to see that Mr Nixon was still there. He was alone in the sitting-room, smoking.

我到邮局寄了信。回到家,我不安地发现尼克松先生还没走,他自己待在客厅里抽烟。

Where's mother?' I asked.

“母亲在哪儿?”我问。

She's just gone out of the room,' he said. 'Come and sit down. Have a cigarette. I'd like to talk to you, Philip.'

“她刚出去。”他说,“过来坐下吧,抽支烟。我想和你谈谈,菲利普。”

I took a cigarette and sat down. I hoped the talk was not going to be a long one.

我接过烟,坐了下来。我希望不会谈太久。

Well, my boy,' he said. 'Would you like me as a stepfather?'

“哦,孩子,”他说,“你愿意让我做你的继父吗?”

For a second I could not move or speak.

有那么一会儿,我愣住了。

What?' I said. 'You mean... you and my mother...?'

“什么?”我说,“你的意思是……你和我母亲……?”

Yes, my boy, I do. I asked her yesterday, and she said yes. I've wanted to ask her for a long time — I think she knew that. Did she tell you in her letters? No? It's difficult to write in a letter, of course. She couldn't really write, "My dear Philip, an old friend, Mr Nixon, is falling in love with me and I think I'm falling in love with him. I think he'll ask me to marry him soon." I don't think your mother could write that, could she?'

“是的,孩子,是这个意思。昨天我向她求婚,她答应了。我很早就想向她求婚了——我想她也明白。她在信里跟你提过吗?没有?在信里写这个当然挺难的。她写不出这样的话:'我亲爱的菲利普,一个老朋友,尼克松先生爱上了我,而我也爱上了他。我想他很快会向我求婚。'我觉得你母亲写不出这种话,对吗?”

I laughed.

我笑了。

Shake hands,' I said. 'This is wonderful news.'

“握个手吧,”我说,“这是个特大的好消息。”

After a moment my mother came in, a little red in the face.

过了一会儿,母亲进来了,脸颊微微发红。

The boy's very happy, Sarah,' said Mr Nixon.

“孩子很开心,萨拉。”尼克松先生说。

I said nothing about my own plans that evening. It was something new to me that my mother could fall in love, and that a man could fall in love with her. It was something new to me that she was lonely in our old house and that perhaps she wanted a new life. Perhaps, like all sons, I thought only about myself and my life. So I decided to say nothing about my news, and that evening my mother came first for me. I could tell her about Agnes tomorrow. We live and learn.

那天晚上我没提自己的事。我以前从未想过母亲也会恋爱,没想过会有一个男人爱上她。她在老屋里很孤独,或许想开始新生活,这也是我没想到过的。大概和所有当儿子的一样,我只想着自己和自己的生活,所以我决定不说自己的事,在那个晚上母亲是最重要的。我可以明天再告诉她阿格尼丝的事。我们活一天就多明白一些事情。

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