双语对照 | 书虫二级《神秘女人——阿加莎·克里斯蒂》：3.车站茗谈

3.Tea at the railway station

3．车站茗谈

On October the 12th, 1912, when Agatha was twenty-two, she went to a dance at the home of Lord and Lady Clifford. They lived near Chudleigh, twelve miles from Torquay, and there were many young people there for Agatha to talk to.

1912年10月12日，阿加莎22岁了，她去参加在克利福德勋爵夫妇家里举办的一场舞会。他们住在离托基12英里的查德利附近，在那儿阿加莎可以和许多年轻人聊天。

During the evening a young army officer came up to her.

晚上的时候一位年轻军官走到她面前。

'Will you dance with me?' he asked Agatha.

“我可以请您跳舞吗？”他问阿加莎。

'Me?' said Agatha. 'Oh, yes, all right.'

“我吗？”阿加莎问，“哦，好，当然可以。”

He was tall and good-looking, with friendly blue eyes, and his name was Archibald Christie. Agatha liked him immediately. They danced together many times that evening, and Archie told her his plans.

他高大英俊，蓝色的眼睛透着和善，他的名字叫阿奇博尔德·克里斯蒂。阿加莎立刻就喜欢上了他。那晚他们跳了一支又一支舞，而且阿奇给她讲了自己的计划。

'I want to fly,' he said, 'and I'm trying to get into the Royal Flying Corps.'

“我想做一名飞行员，”他说，“我正努力进入皇家航空队。”

'How exciting!' said Agatha.

“多棒啊！”阿加莎说。

A week later, she was having tea with some friends at a house opposite Ashfield, her home, when there was a telephone call for her. It was her mother.

一星期后，她正和几个朋友在她的家——阿什菲尔德——对面的房子里喝茶，突然接到一个电话，是她母亲打来的。

'Come home, will you, Agatha?' said Clara. 'There's a young man here. He's just arrived and I'm giving him tea. I don't know him, and I think he wants to see you.'

“阿加莎，回家来好吗？”克拉拉说，“有一个年轻人正等着你。他刚到，我正给他沏茶。我不认识他，我想他是想见你。”

Agatha had to leave her friends and hurry home, so she was not very pleased. But when she got home, she found Archie Christie waiting for her.

阿加莎只得告别朋友赶快回家，心里不太高兴，但是到家后，她发现等着她的那个人是阿奇·克里斯蒂。

'Hello,' he said. 'I was in Torquay and—and I thought that perhaps it would be nice to see you.' His face was red and he looked at his shoes.

“您好。”他说，“我路过托基，所以——所以我想最好能见见您。”他的脸变得通红，低头看着自己的鞋。

Agatha smiled.

阿加莎笑了。

Archie stayed for the rest of the afternoon, and for supper that evening. When it was time for him to leave, he said, 'Will you come to a concert in Exeter with me, Agatha? We can go to the Redcliffe Hotel for tea after the concert.'

阿奇待了一个下午，还留下来吃了晚饭。临走时，他说：“阿加莎，能和我一起参加埃克塞特的音乐会吗？听完音乐会后我们还可以到雷德克利夫旅馆喝茶。”

'I'd love to,' said Agatha, then looked at Clara. 'Can I, mother?'

“好的。”阿加莎说，然后看看母亲，“妈妈，我可以去吗？”

'A concert, yes, Agatha,' said Clara. 'But tea at a hotel? No, I don't think so. Not a hotel.'

“阿加莎，你可以去听音乐会，”克拉拉说，“但是在旅馆喝茶？不行，我想不可以。旅馆可不行。”

'Perhaps I could take Agatha to tea in—in the restaurant at Exeter railway station!' said Archie.

“或许我可以带阿加莎去——去埃克塞特车站的一家餐馆喝茶！”阿奇说。

Agatha tried not to smile, but her mother agreed. So Agatha and Archie went to the concert—and then had tea at Exeter railway station!

阿加莎强忍住笑，她母亲最终还是同意了。于是阿加莎就和阿奇一起去听了音乐会——然后在埃克塞特车站喝茶！

'There's a New Year's dance in Torquay on the second of January,' said Agatha, when Archie took her home later. 'Will you come?'

“1月2日托基有一场新年舞会。”在阿奇送她回家的路上阿加莎说，“你能来吗？”

He smiled. 'Of course,' he said. 'I want to see you as often as I can.'

他笑了笑。“当然可以，”他说，“我想尽可能多地见到你。”

But when Archie came to the New Year's dance he was very quiet and did not seem happy. He seemed to be worried about something, but Agatha said nothing. Two days later, on the 4th of January, 1913, they went to another concert together. Archie was still very quiet, and after the concert Agatha asked, 'What's wrong, Archie?'

可是阿奇来参加新年舞会的时候却非常沉默，看起来很不开心，心事重重。阿加莎什么也没问。两天后，也就是1913年1月4日，他们一起去参加另一场音乐会，阿奇依然很沉默。音乐会后阿加莎问他：“阿奇，你怎么了？”

'The Royal Flying Corps have said "yes" to me,' said Archie. 'I have to leave Exeter in two days' time. I have to go to Salisbury.' He looked at her. 'Agatha, you've got to marry me! There will never be anyone for me, only you! I've known that since our first evening together, at the Cliffords' dance.'

“皇家航空队已经同意接收我了。”阿奇说，“两天后我就必须离开埃克塞特，去索尔兹伯里。”他望着她，“阿加莎，你必须嫁给我！除了你，我不会娶任何人！从我们在克利福德家的舞会上共度的第一晚我就知道了。”

Agatha was very surprised. 'But—but I can't marry you. I've already told Reggie that I'll marry him.' And then she told him about Reggie Lucy.

阿加莎惊讶万分。“可是——可是我不能嫁给你。我已经告诉雷吉要和他结婚的。”接着她向阿奇讲了雷吉·卢西的事情。

'You didn't marry him before he went away,' said Archie. 'Why not? It's because you don't really love him!'

“在他走之前你没有嫁给他，”阿奇说，“为什么没有呢？因为你并不真正爱他！”

'We thought it was better to wait—' began Agatha.

“我们想着最好是等——”阿加莎开始解释。

'I won't wait,' said Archie. 'I want to marry you next month, or the month after.'

“我不要等，”阿奇说，“我想下个月就和你结婚，或是下下个月。”

'We can't!' said Agatha. 'We haven't got any money. How will we live?'

“不行！”阿加莎说，“我们一点钱也没有，怎么生活呢？”

But she did want to marry Archie.

但她确实想和阿奇结婚。

'Archie has asked me to marry him, and I want to. I want to very much!' she told her mother.

“阿奇已经向我求婚了，我想嫁给他。我真的很想嫁给他！”她告诉母亲。

Clara was very surprised. 'You must wait,' she told them both. 'I like you, Archie, but you are only twenty-three years old, and neither of you has any money.'

克拉拉大吃一惊。“你们必须再等些时候，”她告诉他们两个，“我很欣赏你，阿奇，可是你只有23岁，并且你们两个都没有钱。”

So Archie went to Salisbury, and he and Agatha waited. Agatha wrote to Reggie Lucy. It was a difficult letter to write, but Reggie wrote a very kind letter back to her. 'Don't worry about it,' he told her. 'I understand.'

于是阿奇去了索尔兹伯里，他和阿加莎都等待着。阿加莎给雷吉·卢西写了一封信，这封信写起来异常艰难，不过雷吉的回信却非常善解人意。“不要担心，”他告诉她，“我能理解。”

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In August 1914, England was suddenly at war with Germany. Archie went to France with the Royal Flying Corps, and Agatha went to work as a volunteer nurse at the Torbay Hospital in Torquay.

1914年8月，英国突然与德国开战。阿奇随皇家航空队开赴法国，而阿加莎则在托基的托贝医院做了一名志愿护士。

Archie came back to England for five days in December, and Agatha went up to London to meet him. Then the two of them went down to Bristol, where Archie's mother lived. They could not wait any longer. They wanted to get married.

12月，阿奇回到了伦敦，可只能停留五天，于是阿加莎北上伦敦与他相会。然后两人又南下去了阿奇母亲居住的布里斯托尔。他们再也不能等待下去了。他们要结婚。

Archie's mother was not happy about this, but Clara thought differently. 'Yes, get married now,' she said. 'There's a war on. Who knows what will happen? Be happy while you can.'

阿奇的母亲并不是很赞成，不过克拉拉却有不同想法。“好，现在就结婚吧，”她说，“战争正在进行。谁能预知明天呢？及时行乐吧。”

So Agatha and Archie were married at last on the 24th of December, 1914. Two days later, Archie went back to the war, and Agatha did not see him again for six months.

于是1914年12月24日，阿加莎和阿奇终于结婚了。两天后，阿奇返回了战场，这一分离便是六个月。

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During the summer of 1915, Agatha was ill and could not do any nursing work at the hospital for three or four weeks. Then, when she returned, she went to work in the hospital dispensary. And here she learned something which was very useful for a writer of detective stories. She learned about poisons.

1915年夏天，阿加莎病倒了，有三四个星期不能做任何护理工作。病好后，她转到了医院药房工作。在这里她学到了一些对成为一个侦探小说家大有益处的东西。她认识了毒药。

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immediately adv. at once; without delay. 立刻；马上；当即；毫不耽搁。

opposite prep. facing. 面对。

hurry v. do sth. or move quickly or too quickly; rush. 迅速的或仓促的做某事或移动；赶紧。

concert n. musical entertainment given in public by one or more per formers. 音乐会。

restaurant n. public place where meals can be bought and eaten. 餐馆；饭店。

go away leave a place. 走开；离开。

worry about be anxious about. 担忧；担心；发愁。

be at war be in a state of war. 处于交战状态。

volunteer n. person who offers to do sth. without being compelled or paid. 自愿或无偿地效劳的人；志愿者。

dispensary n. place in a hospital, school, etc. where medicines are given out. （医院、学校等的）药房。