美国语文第五册 第43期：如何告诉噩耗
Mr. H. says, Ha! Steward, how are you, my old boy? How do things go on at home?
你好！管家，最近好吗？老伙计。家里都还好吗？
Steward says, Bad enough, your honor; the magpie's dead.
实在太糟了，尊贵的主人，家里那只叫喜鹊的狗儿死了。
Poor Mag! So he's gone. How came he to die?
可怜的狗儿，它竟然死了，怎么死的？
Overeat himself, sir.
它吃多了，先生。
Did he? A greedy dog; why, what did he get he liked so well?
是吗？这条贪吃的狗。究竟怎么回事？它到底吃了什么？
Horseflesh, sir; he died of eating horseflesh,
马肉，先生。它吃了太多的马肉。
How came he to get so much horseflesh?
它怎么能吃这么多马肉？
All your father's horses, sir.
你父亲的马一只也没剩下，先生。
What! are they dead, too?
怎么回事？父亲的马怎么死光了呢？
Ay, sir; they died of overwork.
唉！先生，那些马是干活累死的。
And why were they overworked, pray?
它们为什么干那么多活？快说呀！
To carry water, sir.
它们要运水，先生。
To carry water! and what were they carrying water for?
运水？为什么马儿要运水？
Sure, sir, to put out the fire.
没错，先生，家里失火了。
Fire! what fire?
失火？怎么回事？
O, sir, your father's house is burned to the ground.
哦，先生，你父亲的房子烧光了。
My father's house burned down! and how came it set on fire?
我父亲的房子烧光了！房子怎么会失火呢？
I think, sir, it must have been the torches.
我觉得，先生，应该是那些火把引起了火灾。
Torches! what torches?
火把？什么火把？
At your mother's funeral.
你母亲葬礼上的火把。
My mother dead!
啊？我母亲去世了？
Ah, poor lady! she never looked up, after it.
哦，可怜的夫人！从那天之后，她压根没睁开眼过。
After what?
什么之后？
The loss of your father.
你父亲去世之后。
My father gone, too?
天呀！我父亲也去世了？
Yes, poor gentleman! he took to his bed as soon as he heard of it.
是的，可怜的先生！他听说那消息，就上床睡觉，也就再没能醒过来。
Heard of what?
究竟听到什么消息？
The bad news, sir, and please your honor.
他听到了噩耗，先生，尊敬的主人。
What! more miseries! more bad news!
我的天呀！还有噩耗？？究竟有完没完的噩耗？
Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is lost, and you are not worth a shilling in the world.
听好，先生。你的银行破产了，你的信用没有了，在这个世界上，如今，你不值一个子了。
I made bold, sir, to wait on you about it, for I thought you would like to hear the news.
先生，我如此冒昧地等你回来，就是要告诉你这些事情，我原以为，你会乐意听到这些噩耗的。
