书虫6级《名利场》第一章: 小姐们离校

One sunny morning in June, early in the 1800s, Miss Amelia Sedley and Miss Rebecca Sharp left school. The carriage which took them away from Miss Pinkerton's school for young ladies was filled with gifts and flowers for Amelia, for everyone loved her; but nobody cried when Rebecca left.

十九世纪初，六月里一个阳光明媚的清晨，阿梅莉亚·塞德利小姐和丽贝卡·夏普小姐离校了。把她们从平克顿女子学校接走的马车里装满了送给阿梅莉亚的礼物和花儿，因为人人都爱她；但丽贝卡离开时却没有一个人掉眼泪。

We are going to see a great deal of Amelia, so there is no harm in saying straight away that she was a dear little creature. She is not a heroine because her nose was rather short and her face was too round, though it shone with rosy health. She had a lovely smile and her eyes were bright with good humour, except when they were filled with tears, which happened a great deal too often because she had the kindest heart in the world. And when she left school she did not know whether to cry or not. She was glad to go home, but she was very sad to leave her friends at school.

我们还会常常见到阿梅莉亚，所以不妨直说，她是个讨人喜爱的姑娘。她不是故事里的女主人公，因为她鼻子颇短，脸又太圆，尽管她的脸蛋透出健康红润的光泽。她有着甜美的笑容，明亮的双眸闪烁着快乐的光芒，除非眼里充满了泪水。这种情况发生得太过频繁，因为她有一颗世界上最善良的心。她离校时不知道自己该不该哭：可以回家了她很高兴，但要告别学校里的朋友她又很伤心。

Well, at last the goodbyes were over and the carriage drove away. In her hand Amelia held a letter from Miss Pinkerton, the school's headmistress, which was full of praise for Amelia's educational achievements and the sweetness of her nature.

好啦，道别终于结束，马车出发了。阿梅莉亚手里拿着学校校长平克顿小姐写的信，信中满是对阿梅莉亚学业成绩和善良品格的褒扬。

 

Amelia's companion, Miss Rebecca Sharp, had no letter from Miss Pinkerton, and was not at all sad to leave school. Indeed, she was delighted.

阿梅莉亚的同伴丽贝卡·夏普小姐没有得到平克顿小姐的信，而且离开学校她一点也不伤心。实际上，这正合她心意呢。

"I hate the place," she said. "I never want to see it again! I wish it were at the bottom of the river, with Miss Pinkerton too."

“我讨厌这个地方。”她说，“我再也不想看见它了！我希望它沉到河底，连平克顿小姐也一起沉下去。”

Amelia was shocked. "Oh, Rebecca!" she cried. "How can you have such wicked thoughts?"

阿梅莉亚吓了一跳。“啊，丽贝卡！”她大叫，“你怎么会有这么恶毒的想法呢？”

As you will guess, Rebecca was not a kind or forgiving person. She said that the world treated her very badly -- though it was quite possible that she deserved the treatment she got.

你可以猜得出来，丽贝卡不是一个善良宽容的人。她说世界对她太残酷——尽管很有可能是，她活该受到那样的待遇。

Her father was an artist, who had given drawing lessons to the young ladies at Miss Pinkerton's school. He was a clever man and a pleasant companion, but was always in debt and had too great a fondness for the bottle. When he was drunk, he used to beat his wife and daughter. He had married a French dancer, who had taught her daughter to speak perfect French. She had died young, leaving Rebecca to her father's care.

丽贝卡的父亲是位画家，在平克顿小姐的学校里教年轻小姐们绘画课。他是个聪明人，也好相处，但总是债台高筑，而且贪好杯中物。以前他喝醉时会殴打妻子和女儿。他的妻子是个法国舞女，教会女儿讲一口流利的法语，只是年纪轻轻就去世了，留下丽贝卡给他照顾。

And when Rebecca was seventeen, her father died. On his deathbed he wrote to Miss Pinkerton, begging her to look after his orphan daughter. So Miss Pinkerton employed Rebecca to speak French to the young ladies. In return, Rebecca lived in the school, was paid a few pounds a year, and was allowed to attend classes when she was free.

丽贝卡十七岁时，父亲亡故了。临终时他给平克顿小姐写信，求她照顾自己的孤女。于是平克顿小姐就雇丽贝卡同年轻小姐们讲法语。作为报酬，丽贝卡可以住在学校里，每年拿几英镑薪水，空闲时还可以去听课。

 

Rebecca, or Becky, as she was often called, was small and thin, with a pale face and light red hair. She usually kept her head down, but when she looked up, her green eyes were large and attractive, especially to men. Next to the tall, healthy young ladies in the school, Becky Sharp looked like a child. But being poor and in debt had taught her many adult lessons. She knew how to deal with angry shopkeepers demanding their money, and how to charm them into providing one more meal. Her father, who was very proud of her lively mind, had liked to have her at his drinking parties, though the conversation of his wild friends was hardly suitable for a young girl. But she had never been a girl, she said; she had been a woman since she was eight years old.

丽贝卡，大家也常常叫她贝姬，身材瘦小，脸色苍白，长着一头淡红色的头发。她通常低着头，可是当她抬起眼来时，那双绿眼睛显得又大又迷人，对男性尤其有吸引力。和学校里高挑健康的年轻小姐们站在一起，贝姬·夏普看起来就像个小孩子。然而，家境贫寒又债务缠身，使她学会了许多成年人才知道的诀窍：她知道怎么应付那些来讨钱的凶巴巴的店主，也知道怎么打动他们，让他们再多提供一顿饭。她的父亲非常赞赏她那灵活的头脑，喜欢在找人喝酒时把她带上，可是他那帮狐朋狗友讲的话实在不适合年轻女孩听。然而，她说她从来没当过女孩，从八岁起她就是一位成年女子了。

Rebecca hated the school. She argued and fought with Miss Pinkerton, and was jealous of the young ladies there. After the freedom of her father's house, the school felt like a prison, and she was soon making plans for her escape.

丽贝卡讨厌平克顿女子学校。她与平克顿小姐争吵不休，对学校里的年轻小姐们嫉妒不已。她在父亲家里过惯了自由的生活，学校简直就像一座监狱，因此她很快就开始计划如何摆脱学校的束缚。

Her only friend was Amelia Sedley, and when Amelia left school at the age of seventeen, Rebecca, now aged nineteen, left school too. She had obtained a post as a governess to the daughters of Sir Pitt Crawley, to whose house she would go after spending a few weeks with Miss Sedley's family.

阿梅莉亚·塞德利是她唯一的朋友。阿梅莉亚十七岁离校时，已十九岁的丽贝卡也同时离校了。丽贝卡获得了一个家庭教师的职位，教导皮特·克劳利爵士的女儿们。她会先在塞德利小姐家住几周，之后再前往克劳利爵士家。

 

By the time the carriage arrived at the Sedleys' house in Russell Square, Amelia had forgotten her sadness and was happy to be home again. She took great pleasure in showing Rebecca every room in the house, her piano, all her books, her dresses, her jewellery, and the wonderful presents which her brother Joseph had brought back for her from India.

等马车到了位于拉塞尔广场的塞德利家门口时，阿梅莉亚已将悲伤抛在脑后，因回到家而高兴起来。她兴致勃勃地带着丽贝卡参观每个房间，展示她的钢琴、书籍、衣服、珠宝以及她的哥哥约瑟夫从印度为她带回来的各种精美礼物。

"It must be delightful to have a brother," said Rebecca. "He's very rich, I expect, if he's been in India. Is his wife very pretty?"

“有位兄长真好。”丽贝卡说，“既然他一直在印度，我猜他一定很富有。他的妻子长得很漂亮吗？”

"Oh yes, Joseph is wealthy, but he isn't married," Amelia said.

“噢，是的，约瑟夫很有钱，不过他还没有结婚呢。”阿梅莉亚说。

"Oh, what a pity!" said Rebecca. "I was sure you said he was married, and I was hoping to meet your nieces and nephews."

“啊，真遗憾！”丽贝卡说，“我确信你曾说过他结婚了，而且我还期待见到你的侄子、侄女们呢。”

But the thought that was really going through Rebecca's mind was this: "If Mr Joseph Sedley is rich and unmarried, why shouldn't I marry him? I have only a few weeks, to be sure, but there's no harm in trying."

但实际上丽贝卡脑子里想的是：“既然约瑟夫·塞德利先生富有且又未婚，我为什么不嫁给他呢？不错，我只有几个星期的时间，但试试也无妨。”

Should we blame Miss Sharp for her marriage ambitions? No, for we must remember that poor Rebecca had no kind mother to arrange this delicate business for her, and that if she did not get a husband for herself, there was no one else to do it for her.

我们应该谴责夏普小姐的结婚大计吗？不，因为我们须记着，可怜的丽贝卡没有体贴的母亲为她安排这桩棘手之事。如果她不为自己寻觅夫君的话，别人是不会为她操办婚事的。

 

So Rebecca became even more affectionate to Amelia, thanking her with tears in her eyes for the presents which her dear friend had given her. And when the dinner-bell rang, she went downstairs with her arm round her friend's waist, as is the habit of young ladies who love each other dearly.

因此，丽贝卡对阿梅莉亚表现得更亲热，对这位亲爱的朋友送给她的礼物感激涕零。餐铃响起，她揽着她朋友的腰走下楼，这是关系亲密的年轻女士们的习惯。

In the drawing-room they found a large, fat man, fashionably dressed in bright colours, sitting by the fire reading the newspaper. As the young ladies entered, he stood up quickly, and his face went red in alarm and embarrassment.

在客厅里，她们看到一位身材高大、体态臃肿的男子。他穿着鲜艳入时，正坐在炉火边看报。两位年轻女士进屋时，他迅速站起身，脸色因惊慌尴尬而变得通红。

"It's only your sister, Joseph," said Amelia, laughing. "I've finished school, you know, and this is my friend, Miss Sharp. You've heard me talk about her."

“只是你妹妹而已，约瑟夫。”阿梅莉亚笑着说，“我完成了学业，你知道的。这位是我的朋友，夏普小姐。我曾向你提起过她。”

"No, never," said Joseph in great confusion. "That is, yes -- what very cold weather we're having, Miss --", and he began to stir up the fire, although it was the middle of June.

“没，从来没听过。”约瑟夫极为窘迫地说，“我是说，是听过——这天气可真够冷的，小姐——”他开始拨弄炉火，尽管当时已经是六月中旬了。

"He's very handsome," Rebecca whispered, rather loudly.

“他很英俊。”丽贝卡对阿梅莉亚耳语，但是声音相当大。

"Oh, do you think so?" said Amelia. "I'll tell him."

“哦，是吗？”阿梅莉亚说，“我来告诉他。”

"No, please don't!" cried Miss Sharp, stepping back and keeping her eyes fixed modestly on the carpet.

“别，求你了！”夏普小姐大声说，往后退去，双眼羞涩地盯着地毯。

 

Joseph Sedley was twelve years older than his sister, and worked in Bengal, in a very isolated place, for the East India Company. But he became ill, and was sent back to London, where he decided to enjoy all the pleasures he had missed when he went to India. So he had his own apartment, drove his horses in the park, ate in fashionable restaurants, and went to the theatre. But he had no friends. He was fat, lazy, and vain, and the sight of a lady frightened him tremendously.

约瑟夫·塞德利比他妹妹大十二岁，受雇于（英国）东印度公司，在孟加拉一处人迹罕至的地方工作。但他生病了，被派回伦敦。他决定要在这里寻欢作乐，好好弥补去印度时错过的时光。因此，他拥有自己的一套公寓，驾自己的马车去公园游玩，在时髦的餐馆里吃饭，还去剧院看戏。但是他没有朋友。他又肥又懒又虚荣，一看见女士就吓得惊慌失措。

Becky Sharp would have to be very clever indeed to catch such a man for a husband. Her first moves, though, showed considerable skill. "I must be very quiet," she thought, "and very interested in India." And all through dinner, she paid great attention to everything Joseph said.

要想抓住这么个男人作丈夫，贝姬·夏普得非常巧妙才行。不过，她最初的行为，还是显示出了相当的技巧。“我必须安安静静的，”她想，“还要表现出对印度很感兴趣。”整个晚餐期间，她都全神贯注地听约瑟夫讲的每一句话。

After dinner, when the ladies had gone up to the drawing-room, old Mr Sedley laughed, and said to his son, "Take care, Jos. That girl is planning to catch you for a husband."

晚餐结束后，女士们去了楼上客厅，老塞德利先生笑呵呵地对他儿子说：“留神啊，乔斯。那姑娘可打算嫁给你呢。”

"Nonsense!" Joseph replied. But he could not help thinking about her and the way she had looked at him with her beautiful green eyes when he had picked up her handkerchief. "She dropped it twice," he thought. "And is that her singing now in the drawing-room? Shall I go up and see?"

“胡说！”约瑟夫回道。可是他情不自禁地想起她，想起他为她捡起手帕时，她那双美丽的绿眼睛看他的样子。“她的手帕掉了两次呢。”他想，“是她在客厅里唱歌吗？我是不是该上楼去看看？”

 

But his shyness overcame him, and he quietly slipped away from the house. From the window Mrs Sedley saw him go. "Miss Sharp has frightened him away," she remarked.

但羞怯最终占了上风，他悄悄地溜出了家门。塞德利夫人透过窗户看见他离开。“夏普小姐把他吓跑了。”她说。

It was three days before Joseph returned to the house, and during that time Rebecca never mentioned his name. She was full of grateful respect for Mrs Sedley, laughed at all Mr Sedley's jokes, and was delighted with every excursion. When Amelia had a headache, Rebecca would not go out without her. Her green eyes filled with tears. "Dear, dear Emmy," she said. "How could I go out and leave you? You have shown a poor orphan what happiness and love are for the first time in her life."

约瑟夫三天后才又回到家里。在这期间，丽贝卡一次也没提过他的名字。她对塞德利夫人毕恭毕敬，充满感激之情；塞德利先生的每个笑话都逗得她哈哈大笑；每次出游她都欢喜不尽。阿梅莉亚害头痛时，丽贝卡没她就不肯出门。她那双绿眼睛里含着泪水。“亲爱的，亲爱的埃米。”她说，“我怎么能留下你一个人出去呢？你让一个可怜的孤儿这辈子头一次感受到什么是幸福和爱啊。”

In fact, Becky Sharp won the hearts of all the family.

实际上，贝姬·夏普赢得了全家人的心。

On the day that Joseph reappeared, Amelia reminded her brother that he had promised to take her to the Royal Gardens at Vauxhall, which was a very popular place of entertainment.

约瑟夫再次现身的那天，阿梅莉亚提醒她哥哥，他曾答应要带她去沃克斯霍尔的皇家花园游玩，那是一处很受欢迎的游览地。

"The young ladies must have a gentleman each," said Amelia's father. "Jos will forget all about Emmy if he's looking after Miss Sharp. Ask George Osborne if he'll come."

“年轻女士们每人都得有男士陪伴。”阿梅莉亚的父亲说，“乔斯如果照顾夏普小姐的话就会完全忽略埃米。问问乔治·奥斯本能不能一起去。”

 

He and his wife exchanged little smiles, and Amelia looked down and blushed as only a young girl of seventeen can blush -- and as Miss Rebecca Sharp had never blushed in her life.

他和妻子相视而笑，阿梅莉亚红了脸低下头去。只有十七岁的少女才会这样脸红，而丽贝卡·夏普小姐从来都没如此脸红过。

But on the night of the Vauxhall party, it rained heavily, and the young people had to postpone their excursion. They spent a comfortable evening at home instead. The Sedleys had known George Osborne all his life, and it was accepted in both families that he and Amelia would marry one day. In fact, the marriage settlement had already been agreed between the two fathers.

但是原定出发去沃克斯霍尔的那天晚上，下起了倾盆大雨，这群年轻人只好推迟了出游。他们在家里惬意地度过了一晚。塞德利一家对乔治·奥斯本知根知底，两家人早有默契，他和阿梅莉亚有朝一日会结成连理。实际上，双方父亲已经就婚姻财产授予达成了一致。

So it was a very informal evening, and when Amelia and George went off to the piano in the back drawing-room, Becky and Joseph were left alone. Joseph was surprised to find that he could talk to Becky quite easily. She asked him many questions about India and listened admiringly to all his stories.

因此，晚上气氛轻松愉悦，阿梅莉亚和乔治起身去后客厅弹琴，剩下贝姬和约瑟夫两人单独在一起。约瑟夫惊讶地发现他可以轻松自如地和贝姬交谈。她问了许多有关印度的问题，并钦佩地听着他夸夸而谈。

"Promise me that you will never go on one of those dreadful tiger hunts," she begged him, her green eyes filled with fear.

“答应我你今后再也不会去参加那些可怕的猎虎活动了。”她乞求道，绿眼睛里满是恐惧。

Joseph laughed bravely. "Nonsense, Miss Sharp. The danger only makes it more exciting." He had only once been on a tiger hunt, when he had indeed nearly died -- of terror.

约瑟夫豪迈地笑了：“这真是无稽之谈，夏普小姐。危险只会让猎虎变得更刺激。”他只参加过一次猎虎活动，那次他的确差点死掉。不过，是差点被吓死的。

 

Later, Rebecca, whose singing was as excellent as her French, sang a song about an orphan, her voice trembling a little over the sad ending. Everyone was reminded of Rebecca's own orphan state and her uncertain future in life.

之后，丽贝卡唱了一首关于孤儿的歌曲，她的演唱功力可与她的法语水平媲美。在歌曲哀伤的结尾处，她的声音微微有些颤抖。大家都想起了丽贝卡也是一个孤儿，还有她前途未卜的生活。

"Such a beautiful song, dear Miss Sharp," said Joseph Sedley. "It almost made me cry."

“歌唱得太美了，亲爱的夏普小姐。”约瑟夫·塞德利说，“差点把我唱哭了。”

"That's because you have a kind heart, Mr Joseph," came the soft reply, accompanied by an even softer glance.

“那是因为你有颗善良的心，约瑟夫先生。”她温柔地回答，并投去更加温柔的一瞥。

Becky's efforts were not wasted. Joseph's mind was full of thoughts of marriage. "She'll make a fine little wife," he said to himself. "I'll ask the question at Vauxhall. Yes, I will!"

贝姬的努力没有白费。约瑟夫满脑子都是结婚的事。“她能成为一个不错的娇妻。”他暗自思忖，“我要在沃克斯霍尔向她求婚。对，我要求婚！”

George Osborne came to lunch on the day of the Vauxhall party and said to Mrs Sedley, "I hope you don't mind, but I've asked Dobbin to come here tonight and go with us to Vauxhall."

去沃克斯霍尔那天，乔治·奥斯本来吃午饭，他对塞德利夫人说：“希望您不介意，我邀请了多宾今晚来这里，和我们一道去沃克斯霍尔。”

Lieutenant George Osborne and Captain William Dobbin had been at school together. Dobbin, a quiet, modest boy, had saved Osborne from a beating, and from then on the two had been good friends. They were now both in the same regiment in the army and had not long returned from service in the West Indies.

乔治·奥斯本中尉和威廉·多宾上尉曾同上一所学校。多宾是个安静、谦逊的男孩，在奥斯本挨打时救过他，从那时起两人就成了好朋友。现在，他们在陆军的同一个团里，不久前刚从西印度群岛服役归来。

 

"Of course he can come," said Mrs Sedley. "I remember Dobbin very well. Is he still as awkward and plain as ever?"

“他当然能来。”塞德利夫人说，“多宾我记得很清楚。他还像以前那样笨手笨脚，相貌平平吗？”

"I'll always like him," Amelia said, "however awkward he is." But her reason for liking Dobbin was that he was George's friend.

“我会一直喜欢他，”阿梅莉亚说，“不管他有多么笨手笨脚。”但是她喜欢多宾是因为他是乔治的朋友。

"He's a fine fellow," said George, "even if he's not very good-looking." And he glanced towards the mirror, admiring his own handsome face and curly black hair. He blushed a little when he saw Rebecca watching him, and Rebecca thought, "And you certainly know what a fine fellow you are, don't you!"

“他人不错，”乔治说，“虽然他长得不怎么好看。”他朝镜子望去，欣赏自己英俊的脸庞和卷曲的黑发。看到丽贝卡在端详他，他脸红了一下。丽贝卡心想：“你当然知道自己 是个多么漂亮的人儿啦，不是吗！”

That evening, when Amelia came into the sitting-room, singing happily, and as fresh as a rose in a pretty white dress, a very tall awkward gentleman in uniform stepped forward. He had large hands and feet, and bowed clumsily.

那天晚上，阿梅莉亚穿着漂亮的白裙子，像朵娇艳的玫瑰花，一边高兴地唱着歌，一边走进起居室。这时，一位笨头笨脑、粗手大脚的高个子先生迎了上来。他身穿军服，笨拙地鞠了个躬。

He had arrived very quietly, and the ladies upstairs did not know that he was there. Otherwise Amelia would not have come into the room singing. As it was, the fresh little voice went straight to William Dobbin's heart -- and stayed there. "What a lucky fellow George Osborne is," he thought.

他悄然而至，楼上的女士们不知道他在那里，否则阿梅莉亚也不会唱着歌进起居室了。就这样，她那甜美柔嫩的声音径直闯进了威廉·多宾的心，而且驻扎了下来。“乔治·奥斯本真是个幸运的家伙啊！”他想。

 

On the way to Vauxhall Gardens, Rebecca sat next to Joseph in the carriage and George Osborne sat between Amelia and Dobbin. Though nothing was said, everybody in the carriage was sure that Joseph would propose to Becky that evening. And when they stepped down from the carriage, Joseph took her on his arm, and George and Amelia went off together.

在前往沃克斯霍尔花园的马车上，丽贝卡挨着约瑟夫坐，乔治·奥斯本坐在阿梅莉亚和多宾中间。尽管一言不发，但马车上的人都肯定约瑟夫当晚会向贝姬求婚。他们下马车时，约瑟夫让丽贝卡挽着自己的手臂，乔治和阿梅莉亚则结伴前行。

Dobbin paid for them all, and then walked behind, content in his generous and unselfish way to see Amelia and George so happy together. They had all promised to stay together, but within ten minutes, of course, they had separated, and Rebecca found herself alone with Joseph on one of the side walks. Now, she thought, was the moment for Joseph to ask the question. A few minutes earlier somebody had rudely pushed past Rebecca, and she had fallen back with a little cry, into Mr Sedley's arms. This made him feel very loving towards her, and he told her several of his Indian stories again -- for the sixth time.

多宾为大家付了钱，跟着走在后面。看到阿梅莉亚和乔治在一起那么开心，慷慨无私的他觉得心满意足。他们本来说好要一起行动的，但结果不出所料，不到十分钟他们就分开了。丽贝卡发现她和约瑟夫单独走在一条小路上。现在，她想，约瑟夫该问那个问题了。就在几分钟前，有人粗鲁地从丽贝卡身边挤过去，她轻声尖叫，跌进塞德利先生的怀里。这使他对她的爱意更浓了，于是他又讲了几个他在印度的故事——这已经是第六遍了。

"How I should like to see India!" breathed Rebecca.

“我多想去印度看看啊！”丽贝卡轻声说。

"Would you really?" Joseph asked eagerly, and the important question must have been trembling on his lips, because he was breathing very heavily. Rebecca placed her little hand on his heart and she could feel it beating wildly.

“你真的想去吗？”约瑟夫热切地问，那个重要的问题一定就在他的嘴边打着转，因为他的呼吸变得粗重起来。丽贝卡把小手放在他的胸口上，能感觉到他的心脏在剧烈跳动。

 

Just at this interesting moment, however, the bell rang for the start of the fireworks, and the lovers were surrounded by crowds of hurrying people, and were forced to go with them.

然而就在这让人心猿意马之际，焰火表演开始的钟声敲响了，这对情侣被匆匆的人流裹挟着，只得随着一起走。

Captain Dobbin walked round the Gardens alone. He thought of joining the others for supper, but saw, when he passed in front of their table, that they were all talking happily to each other, and that their table was prepared for four only. They had forgotten all about him, so he went away again. When he returned later, he realized that Joseph had drunk too much, for he was talking and laughing and singing very loudly. He had attracted a crowd of people, who were gathering round to watch. In fact, George was just about to hit one man who wanted to join the party, but Dobbin arrived at that moment and sent the crowd away.

多宾上尉独自一人绕着花园散步。他想和其他人一起共进晚餐，但从他们的桌子前经过时，他发现他们在兴高采烈地交谈，桌子也只是为四人准备的。他们已经把他忘得一干二净。所以，他再次离开了。等他稍后返回来时，他发现约瑟夫已经喝高了，正在高声谈笑、唱歌，吸引了一大群人围观。事实上，乔治正要打一个来凑热闹的男人，但多宾此刻及时出现，把人群驱散了。

"Good heavens! Where have you been, Dobbin?" said George. Then, without waiting for a reply, he added, "Make yourself useful. Look after Joseph, and I'll take the ladies home."

“我的天啊！你刚才 上哪儿去啦，多宾？”乔治问。没等对方回答，他又说：“快帮帮忙。你照顾约瑟夫，我送女士们回家。”

That night as she went up to bed, Rebecca said to herself, "He must propose tomorrow. He called me his darling four times. He must propose tomorrow."

那晚就寝时，丽贝卡心想：“他明天一定会求婚的。他叫我心肝宝贝儿，叫了四次。他明天一定 会求婚。”

 

But wine can be the ruin of marriage plans. The next day Joseph had a terrible headache, and his condition was not improved by a visit from George Osborne, who laughed at him most unkindly. "What a fool you made of yourself last night, Jos! Singing love songs, and crying all over Miss Sharp's hand!"

可是酒也能成为破坏婚姻计划的罪魁。次日约瑟夫头痛得厉害，乔治·奥斯本的来访也没能让情况好转。他对约瑟夫大肆嘲笑，刻薄极了。“你昨晚出了多大的洋相啊，乔斯！唱情歌，还拉着夏普小姐的手痛哭流涕！”

George had been thinking about Joseph and Becky Sharp. If he, George, was going to marry into the Sedley family, he did not want his brother-in-law to marry a governess, a little nobody, without money or social position. And so George continued to laugh at Joseph and make cruel jokes about him.

乔治一直在考虑约瑟夫和贝姬·夏普的事。如果他——乔治——将来要和塞德利家结亲的话，他可不愿意他的大舅子娶一个无足轻重的女家庭教师，既没钱又没社会地位。因此，乔治继续嘲笑约瑟夫，还开十分过分的玩笑。

The result of all this was that Joseph decided that he was too ill to visit the young ladies, and the next day he sent a letter to his sister, saying that when he recovered he planned to go to Scotland for several months.

这一切使得约瑟夫决定以抱恙为由，不去拜访年轻女士们了。又过了一天，他给妹妹写信，说等他康复后，他打算去苏格兰待几个月。

It was the death of Rebecca's hopes. Kind-hearted Amelia was very sad for her friend and cried a great deal, but it was now clear to the rest of the Sedley family that the time had come for Rebecca to leave. She made her preparations, and accepted all Amelia's parting gifts with just the right amount of hesitation. Even George Osborne gave Rebecca a present, but he had made too many unkind jokes about Joseph and the Vauxhall party.

丽贝卡的希望破灭了。心地善良的阿梅莉亚为她的朋友感到非常难过，哭了很多次。但塞德利家的其他人都明白，现在是丽贝卡离开的时候了。她打点行装，在表现出恰到好处的犹豫之后，收下了阿梅莉亚全部的临别赠礼。就连乔治·奥斯本也送了丽贝卡一份礼物，但是他开了太多有关约瑟夫和沃克斯霍尔那天晚上的恶意玩笑了。

 

"I'm so grateful to him!" Rebecca told Amelia, but in her heart she was thinking, "George Osborne prevented my marriage." So we can imagine just how grateful she was to George Osborne.

“我对他真感激不尽！”丽贝卡对阿梅莉亚说。但她心里却在想：“乔治·奥斯本阻挠了我的婚事。”所以，我们可以想象她对乔治·奥斯本究竟有多“感激”了。

And so the final parting came. After many tears and promises of undying friendship, both sincere and insincere, Rebecca and Amelia said goodbye.

最终，离别的时刻到了。她们洒下许多泪水，相互许诺友谊不朽，当中有真情也有假意。最后，丽贝卡与阿梅莉亚道别了。