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书虫三级《三个陌生人》:8、一时冲动之 订婚

所属教程:书虫3级 三个陌生人

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2019年09月24日

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1.A wedding is arranged
1.订婚

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.

大多数认识巴普蒂丝塔·特鲁森的人都认为她这个人既不招人喜欢,也不讨人厌。她对一切似乎都没什么感觉。然而静水深流,她拥有如地底金矿般深藏的内心,只不过还没有机会展现而己。

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兰西南海滨一个名叫圣玛丽亚的小岛上。她的父亲是一名农夫,花了很多钱送她到大陆的学校学习。19岁时,她就读于一所师范学校;21岁时,她在大陆沿海一座名叫托阿庞西的小镇上找到了一份教书的工作。

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.

巴普蒂丝塔竭尽所能教孩子们念书。但一年后,她似乎为什么事担起了心。她的房东韦斯太太注意到了这位年轻姑娘的变化,于是问她有什么烦心事。

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

“跟这个镇子没什么关系,跟您也没关系。”特鲁森小姐答道。她似乎不愿多说什么。

Then is it the pay?'

“那么是跟薪水有关喽?”

No, it isn't the pay.'

“不,不是薪水的问题。”

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

“是不是你从家乡收到了什么消息,我亲爱的?”

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.'

巴普蒂丝塔沉默了一小会儿,然后说:“是因为赫德根先生——戴维·赫德根。他是我们在圣玛丽亚岛的一位老邻居,既没有妻子,也没有家人。我小时候,他曾说过想有朝一日娶我为妻。现在我已经是个大姑娘了,这也就不再是玩笑话了,而他真的想娶我。我父母说,没有什么比嫁给他更好的了。”

Has he a lot of money?'

“他很有钱吗?”

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

“是的,他是我们所认识的最有钱的人。”

How much older than you is he?'

“他比你大多少?”

Twenty years, maybe more.'

“20岁吧,也许还不止。”

And is he, perhaps, an unpleasant man?'

“那,也许他是个令人讨厌的人?”

No, he's not unpleasant.'

“不,他并不令人讨厌。”

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,我所能说的就是——如果这桩婚事让你不开心,就不要接受它。你在我家过得舒舒服服的,但愿我没说错,而我也很喜欢你住在这儿。”

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.'

“谢谢您,韦斯太太。您对我太好了。可我也有我的难处。我不喜欢教书。啊,让您吃惊了吧。那是因为我对所有人都隐瞒了这一点。唉,我真的很讨厌学校。孩子们真是可怕的小东西,他们整天制造麻烦。可他们再坏也坏不过巡检员。在他来检查之前的三个月里,我夜夜都会担心得醒过来好几次。要知道该教什么和不该教什么简直太难了!我想爸爸妈妈是对的。他们说,如果我不喜欢这份工作,就永远也不会成为一名好教师,所以我应该嫁给赫德根先生,那样就不用再工作了。我不知道该怎么办,韦斯太太。我喜欢他胜过喜欢教书,可又还没有喜欢到想嫁给他的地步。”

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

类似的谈话日复一日地持续下去,最后,房东太太决定赞同巴普蒂丝塔父母的话。

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

“如果跟这位富有的邻居结婚的话,”她告诉自己这位年轻的朋友,“生活对你来说将会容易得多,亲爱的。”

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

4月,巴普蒂丝塔回到圣玛丽亚岛的家中休了一个短暂的假期,回来后看起来平静多了。

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

“我同意让他做我的丈夫了,这事就这么定了。”她告诉韦斯太太。

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.

在接下来的几个月里,巴普蒂丝塔和赫德根先生之间不时有书信往还。不过,这位姑娘不太愿意跟韦斯太太谈论她的婚约。不久,她告诉韦斯太太她准备在7月底离职,而婚礼就定在8月的第一个星期三。

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