《飘》精读6章9

Scarlett stood on the landing and peered cautiously over the banisters into the hall below.

cautiously:谨慎地;小心地，谨慎地;

思嘉站在楼梯顶上，倚着栏杆留心看着下面的穿堂。

It was empty.

穿堂里已经没有人了。

From the bedrooms on the floor above came an unending hum of low voices, rising and falling, punctuated with squeaks of laughter

punctuated:给…加标点符号;不时打断;

楼上卧室里传来无休止的低声细语，时起时落，中间插入一阵阵尖利的笑声，

and,“Now, you didn't, really!” and “What did he say then?”

以及“唔，你没有，真的！”和“那么他怎么说呢？”这样简短的语句。

On the beds and couches of the six great bedrooms, the girls were resting,

在六间大卧室里的床上和睡椅上，姑娘们正在休息，

their dresses off, their stays loosed, their hair flowing down their backs.

她们把衣裳脱掉了，胸衣解开了，头发飘散在背上。

Afternoon naps were a custom of the country and never were they so necessary as on the all-day parties, beginning early in the morning and culminating in a ball..

culminating:(在某一点)结束;

午睡本是南方的一种习惯，在那种从清早开始到晚上舞会结束的全天性集会中，尤其是必不可少的。

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For half an hour, the girls would chatter and laugh, and then servants would pull the shutters and in the warm half-gloom the talk would die to whispers and finally expire in silence broken only by soft regular breathing.

开头半小时姑娘们总是闲谈嬉笑，然后仆人进来把百叶窗关上，于是在温暖的半明半暗中谈话渐渐变为低语，最后归于沉寂，只剩下柔和而有规律的呼吸声了。

Scarlett had made certain that Melanie was lying down on the bed with Honey and Hetty Tarleton before she slipped into the hall and started down the stairs.

思嘉确信媚兰已经跟霍妮和赫蒂·塔尔顿上床躺下了，这才溜进楼上的穿堂，动身下楼去。

From the window on the landing, she could see the group of men sitting under the arbor, drinking from tall glasses, and she knew they would remain there until late afternoon.

她从楼梯拐角处的一个窗口看见那群男人坐在凉亭里端着高脚杯喝酒，知道他们是要一直坐到下午很晚时才散的。

Her eyes searched the group but Ashley was not among them.

她的目光在人群中搜索，可是艾希礼不在里面。

Then she listened and she heard his voice.

于是她侧耳倾听，听到了他的声音。

As she had hoped, he was still in the front driveway bidding good-by to departing matrons and children.

原来正如她所希望的，他还在前面车道上给那些离去的太太和孩子们送别呢。

Her heart in her throat, she went swiftly down the stairs.

她兴奋得心都跳到喉咙里来了，便飞速跑下楼去。

What if she should meet Mr. Wilkes?

可是，假如她碰上威尔克斯先生呢？

What excuse could she give for prowling about the house when all the other girls were getting their beauty naps? Well, that had to be risked.

prowling:无聊、焦躁等)徘徊，走来走去

她怎样解释为什么别的姑娘们都美美地午睡了，她却还在屋子里到处溜达呢？好吧，反正这个风险是非冒一下不可了。

As she reached the bottom step, she heard the servants moving about in the dining room under the butler's orders, lifting out the table and the chairs in prepa-ration for the dancing.

她跑到楼下时，听见仆人们由膳事总管指挥着在饭厅里干活，主要是把餐桌和椅子搬出来，为晚上的舞会作准备。

Across the wide hall was the open door of the library and she sped into it noiselessly.

大厅对面藏书室的门敞着，她连忙悄悄溜了进去。

She could wait there until Ashley finished his adieux and then call to him when he came into the house.

adieux:告别;再会;再见;

她可以在那里等着，直到艾希礼把客人送走后进屋来，她就把他叫住。

The library was in semidarkness, for the blinds had been drawn against the sun.

藏书室里半明半暗，因为要挡阳光，把窗帘放下来了。

The dim room with towering walls completely filled with dark books depressed her.

那间四壁高耸的阴暗房子里塞满了黑乎乎的图书，使她感到压抑。

It was not the place which she would have chosen for a tryst such as she hoped this one would be.

要是让她选择一个像现在这样进行约会的地点，她是不会选这房间的。

Large numbers of books always depressed her, as did people who liked to read large numbers of books.

书本多了只能给她一种压迫感，就像那些喜欢大量读书的人给她的感觉一样。

That is—all people except Ashley.

那就是说—所有那样的人，只有艾希礼除外。

The heavy furniture rose up at her in the half-light, high-backed chairs with deep seats and wide arms, made for the tall Wilkes men,

在半明半暗中，那些笨重的家具兀立在那里，它们是专门给高大的威尔克斯家男人做的座位很深、扶手宽大的高背椅，

squatty soft chairs of velvet with velvet hassocks before them for the girls.

squatty:矮胖的;hassocks:跪垫(在教堂祈祷时用);

给姑娘们用的前面配有天鹅绒膝垫的柔软天鹅绒矮椅。

Far across the long room before the hearth, the seven-foot sofa, Ashley's favorite seat, reared its high back, like some huge sleeping animal.

这个长房间尽头的火炉前面摆着一只七条腿的沙发，那是艾希礼最喜欢的座位，它像一头巨兽耸着隆起的脊背在那儿睡着了。

She closed the door except for a crack and tried to make her heart beat more slowly.

她把门掩上，只留下一道缝，然后极力镇定自己，让心跳渐渐缓和。

She tried to remember just exactly what she had planned last night to say to Ashley, but she couldn't recall anything.

她要把头天晚上计划好准备对艾希礼说的那些话从头温习一遍，可是一点也想不起来了。

Had she thought up something and forgotten it—or had she only planned that Ashley should say something to her?

究竟是她设想过一些什么，可现在忘记了，还是她本来就只准备听艾希礼说话的呢？

She couldn't remember, and a sudden cold fright fell upon her.

她记不清楚，于是突然一个寒噤，浑身恐惧不安。

If her heart would only stop pounding in her ears, perhaps she could think of what to say.

只要她的心跳暂时停止，不再轰击她的耳朵，也许她还能想出要说的话来。

But the quick thudding only increased as she heard him call a final farewell and walk into the front hall.

可是她急促的心跳偏偏加快了，因为她已经听见他说完最后一声再见，走进前厅来了。

All she could think of was that she loved him—everything about him, from the proud lift of his gold head to his slender dark boots,

她惟一能想起来的是她爱他——爱他所有的一切，从高昂的金色头颅到那双细长的黑马靴；

loved his laughter even when it mystified her, loved his bewildering silences.

爱他的笑声，即使那笑声令人迷惑不解；爱他的沉思，尽管它难以捉摸。

Oh, if only he would walk in on her now and take her in his arms, so she would be spared the need of saying anything.

spared:抽出;放过;免去;饶恕;赦免;留出;使逃脱;拨出;匀出;省得;

啊，只要他这时走进来把她一把抱在怀里，她就什么也不用说了。

He must love her— "Perhaps if I prayed—" She squeezed her eyes tightly and began gabbling to herself "Hail Mary, full of grace—"

他一定是爱她的—“或许，我还是祷告—”她紧紧闭上眼睛，喃喃地念起“仁慈的圣母玛利亚—”来。

"Why, Scarlett!" said Ashley's voice, breaking in through the roaring in her ears and throwing her into utter confusion.

“怎么，思嘉！”艾希礼的声音突然冲破她耳朵里的轰鸣，使她陷于狼狈不堪的境地。

He stood in the hall peering at her through the partly opened door, a quizzical smile on his face.

他站在大厅里，从虚掩着的门口注视着她，脸上流露出一丝疑惑的微笑。

"Who are you hiding from—Charles or the Tarletons?"

“你这是在躲避谁呀—是查尔斯还是塔尔顿兄弟？”

She gulped.

她哽塞着说不出声来。

So he had noticed how the men had swarmed about her!

看来他已经注意到有那么多男人聚在她的周围了！

How unutterably dear he was standing there with his eyes twinkling, all unaware of her excitement.

他站在那儿，眼睛熠熠放光，仿佛没有意识到她很激动，那神态是多么难以言喻的可爱呀！

She could not speak, but she put out a hand and drew him into the room.

她不说话，只伸出一只手来拉他进屋去。

He entered, puzzled but intere-sted.

他进去了，觉得又奇怪又有趣。

There was a tenseness about her, a glow in her eyes that he had never seen before, and even in the dim light he could see the rosy flush on her cheeks.

她浑身紧张，眼睛里闪烁着他从未见过的光辉，即使在阴暗中他也能看见她脸上泛着玫瑰色的红晕。

Automatically he closed the door behind him and took her hand.

他自动地把背后的门关上，然后把她的手拉过来。

"What is it?" he said, almost in a whisper.

“怎么回事呀？”他说，几乎是耳语。

At the touch of his hand, she began to tremble.

她一接触到他的手便开始颤抖。

It was going to happen now, just as she had dreamed it.

事情就要像她所梦想的那样发生了。

A thousand incoherent thoughts shot through her mind, and she could not catch a single one to mold into a word.

mold:浇铸，塑造;塑造，使成形

她脑海里有许许多多不连贯的思想掠过，可是她连一个也抓不住，所以也就编不出一句话来。

She could only shake and look up into his face. Why didn't he speak?

她只能浑身哆嗦，仰视着他的面孔。他怎么不说话呀？

“What is it?” he repeated. “A secret to tell me?"

“这是怎么回事？”他重复说，“是要告诉我一个秘密？”

Suddenly she found her tongue and just as suddenly all the years of Ellen's teachings fell away,

她突然能开口了，这几年母亲对她的教诲也同样突然地随之消失，

and the forthright Irish blood of Gerald spoke from his daughter's lips.

而父亲爱尔兰血统的直率则从她嘴里说出来了。

“Yes--a secret. I love you."

“是的——一个秘密。我爱你。”

For an instance there was a silence so acute it seemed that neither of them even breathed.

霎时间，一阵沉重的沉默，仿佛他们谁也不再呼吸了。

Then the trembling fell away from her, as happiness and pride surged through her.

然后，她的战栗渐渐消失，快乐和骄傲之情从她胸中涌起。

Why hadn't she done this before?

她为什么不早就这样办呢？

How much simpler than all the ladylike maneuverings she had been taught. And then her eyes sought his.

maneuverings:用策略

这比人们所教育她的全部闺门诀窍要简单多了！于是她的眼光径直向他搜索了。

There was a look of consternation in them, of incredulity and something more- -what was it?

他的目光里流露出狼狈的神色，那是怀疑和别的什么——别的什么呢？

Yes, Gerald had looked that way the day his pet hunter had broken his leg and he had had to shoot him.

对了，杰拉尔德在他那匹珍爱的猎马摔断了腿，他不得不用枪把那匹马杀死的那一天，是有过这种表情的。

Why did she have to think of that now?

可是她为什么现在要去想那件事呀？

Such a silly thought. And why did Ashley look so oddly and say nothing?

真是傻透了。那么，艾希礼又究竟为什么显得这么古怪，一言不发呢？

Then something like a well-trained mask came down over his face and he smiled gallantly.

这时，他脸上仿佛罩上了一个很好的面具，他殷勤地笑了。

“Isn't it enough that you've collected every other man's heart here today?”he said, with the old, teasing, caressing note in his voice.

“难道你今天赢得了这里所有别的男人的心，还嫌不够吗？”他用往常那种戏谑而亲切的口气说，

“Do you want to make it unanimous? Well, you've always had my heart, you know. You cut your teeth on it."

“你想来个全体一致？那好，你早已赢得了我的好感，这你知道。你从小就那样嘛。”

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