04.An evening together

4.An evening together
4．共度一夜
Ethan went up to the kitchen door, and found that it was locked. He called 'Hello, Matt!', but there was no answer. He stood in the darkness and waited. After a moment he heard a sound on the stairs, and saw light round the door. And just like the night before, the door opened and there stood a woman with a lamp in her hand. The lamplight shone on the milky whiteness of Mattie's young skin, on her soft lips and shining dark eyes. She smiled gently, and stepped to the side to let Ethan come in.


伊桑走到厨房门前，发现门锁着。他喊道：“嗨，玛蒂！”没人应声。他站在黑暗中等着。过了一会儿，他听到楼梯上传来声音，然后看到门的四周透出光亮来。就像昨晚一样，门开了，一个女人站在门口，手里拿着一盏灯。灯光映着玛蒂牛奶般白皙的年轻肌肤，映着她柔软的嘴唇，还有那双亮闪闪的黑眼睛。她温柔地笑着，让到了一边，让伊桑进去。


The kitchen was warm and welcoming. On the table were cakes and fruit in a bright red glass dish, and the cat was lying lazily in front of a warm fire.


厨房温暖而舒适。桌上有个亮红色玻璃盘子，里面摆着蛋糕和水果，猫慵懒地卧在温暖的炉火前。


Well, Matt, any visitors?' asked Ethan.


“哎，玛蒂，有客人来过？”伊桑问道。


Just one,' replied Mattie, laughing. A black cloud came down over Ethan's world.


“只有一个。”玛蒂笑着答道。一阵阴云笼罩上伊桑的世界。


Who was that?'


“是谁？”


She looked at him and laughed again, 'Jotham Powell. He came in and asked for a drop of coffee.'


她看着他，又笑了：“乔撒姆·鲍威尔。他进来要杯咖啡喝。”


The blackness lifted and Ethan's world grew bright again. 'Well, I hope you gave him some,' he said, then added, 'I suppose Zeena got to the station in time?'


阴云散去，伊桑的世界又见晴朗。“嗯，我想你给了他一些吧。”他说，然后又补充道，“我想齐娜及时赶到车站了吧。”


Zeena's name brought an immediate coolness into the kitchen. After a few moments Mattie said: 'I guess it's about time for supper,' and they sat down.


齐娜这个名字霎时给厨房内带来一丝寒冷。过了一会儿，玛蒂说：“我想该是吃晚饭的时候了。”他们于是坐了下来。


But they still felt uncomfortable — Zeena seemed to be in the room with them, with her cold eyes and strange looks. They ate in embarrassed silence, then began to talk about the weather.


可他们还是觉得不舒服——好像齐娜还在屋子里，和他们在一起，睁着她那双冷酷的眼睛，带着她那种奇怪的表情。他们尴尬地默默用餐，接着聊起了天气。


As they were speaking, the cat climbed quietly onto the table and started to move towards the milk-jug. When they saw it, they both reached forwards at once, their hands meeting on the jug. Ethan kept his hand on Mattie's a few seconds longer than was necessary. At that moment the cat suddenly jumped backwards and knocked into the red glass dish. The dish fell to the floor with a crash.


聊天的时候，猫悄悄地爬上了桌子，向着牛奶罐子走去。看到猫，两个人都立刻伸出手来，两只手在牛奶罐子上碰在了一起。伊桑把手在玛蒂的手上多放了几秒钟。就在这会儿，猫突然向后跳去，撞上了红色的玻璃盘子，盘子“哗啦”一声掉在了地板上。


Oh, Ethan,' Mattie cried, 'It's all in pieces! What will Zeena say? It was her very best dish!'


“啊，伊桑，”玛蒂大叫，“盘子碎了！齐娜会怎么说啊？那是她最好的盘子啊！”


Don't worry. I'll get another one.'


“别急，我再买一个。”


You'll never find one! It was a wedding present from her aunt in Philadelphia. That's why she never uses it. I had to climb up to get it from the top of her cupboard! Oh, Ethan, what shall I do?'


“你根本找不着的！那是她费城的姨妈送她的结婚礼物，所以她从来都没用过。我是爬上去从她橱柜最上面一层拿下来的！哦，伊桑，我该怎么办？”


She began to cry, and her tears seemed to burn into Ethan's heart.


她哭了起来，眼泪好像灼烧着伊桑的心。


Oh, Matt, don't cry! Please don't cry!' he said softly.


“哦，玛蒂，别哭！别哭！”他轻声劝道。


They looked at the bits of red glass lying like the broken pieces of their evening. Ethan picked them up and walked out of the kitchen to the hall. Reaching up his long arm, he put the broken pieces at the top of the cupboard and arranged them carefully. From below nobody could see that the dish was. broken.


他们看着红色玻璃碎片，就像看着他们共度的这个夜晚碎成一片片一样。伊桑把碎片捡起来，走出厨房，来到门厅，伸着长长的胳膊，将碎片放在了橱柜顶层，仔细地归整好。从橱柜下看去，没人看得出盘子碎了。


I'll get some glue to mend it tomorrow,' thought Ethan. 'Zeena won't look at it for months, and I'm sure I'll find another one somewhere.'


“我明天去拿些胶水把它粘好。”伊桑想着，“齐娜几个月内不会看它，我相信能从什么地方再找一个来。”


He went back to the kitchen. 'It's all right, Matt,' he said. 'Let's finish supper.'


他走回厨房。“没事了，玛蒂。”他说，“咱们继续吃饭吧。”


After the meal Mattie cleared the table and Ethan went out to see the cows. The world was dark and still outside. When he came back, Mattie had pushed his chair near the fire and had seated herself by the lamp with a bit of sewing. He sat down, feeling warm and dreamy and at peace with the world. The only trouble was that he could not see Mattie from where he sat. But he felt too lazy to move and after a moment he said: 'Come over here and sit by the fire.'


吃完饭，玛蒂收拾桌子，伊桑出去查看牲口。屋外的世界黑黢黢的，悄无声息。他回来时，玛蒂已将他的椅子推到了炉火边，自己坐在灯边做着针线活儿。他坐了下来，感觉暖洋洋的，恍如在梦境中，世界一片祥和。唯一的不足就是从他坐着的地方看不到玛蒂。可他感到懒懒的，不想动弹，于是过了一会儿他说：“过来坐在炉火边吧。”


Mattie got up and sat opposite him in Zeena's rocking chair. He looked at the chair and for a moment he saw his wife's grim face there. Mattie seemed to feel uncomfortable too. After a while she got up, saying, 'I can't see to sew,' and went back to sit by the lamp.


玛蒂起身坐在了他对面齐娜的摇椅上。他看着那摇椅，一时间又好像看到了妻子那阴郁的脸。玛蒂看上去也不太自在。不一会儿，她站起身来，说：“我看不清，没法儿缝。”就坐回到灯旁边去了。


The cat jumped into the empty rocking-chair, and Ethan moved his own chair a little. Now he could see Mattie as she sat and sewed in the soft lamplight. A deep quiet came over the kitchen. The 'tick-tick' of the clock was the only sound in the room, and the smoke from Ethan's pipe and the smell of Mattie's flowering plants filled the air.


猫跳到了空摇椅上，伊桑把自己的椅子挪了挪。现在他能看到玛蒂了，她坐在柔和的灯光下做着针线活儿。深深的寂静笼罩了厨房，房间里只有“滴答滴答”的钟声，伊桑的烟斗冒出的烟和玛蒂养的鲜花所散发出来的香气弥漫在空气中。


They began to talk easily of everyday things. It all seemed so comfortable and so peaceful. Ethan began to dream that they always spent their evenings like this...


他们扯起了家常。一切看似如此舒畅，如此祥和。伊桑开始梦想他们会一直这样度过所有的夜晚……


This was the night when we were going coasting,' he said after a while.


“今晚我们本来要去玩滑斜坡的。”过了一会儿他说。


She smiled back at him. 'I guess you forgot!'


她笑着回答：“我以为你忘了呢！”


No, I didn't forget. It's too dark tonight, but we can go tomorrow if there's a moon.'


“不，我可没忘。今晚太黑了，明天要是有月亮，我们就去。”


That would be lovely. Ethan!' Mattie laughed happily, and her eyes shone in the lamplight. Ethan loved the way that her face changed as she talked, like a field of grass moving under a gentle summer wind.


“那太好了，伊桑！”玛蒂开心地大笑，眼睛在灯光下放出光彩。伊桑喜欢她聊天时表情的变化，仿佛柔和的夏风吹拂着的草地。


It's too dangerous on a dark night like this,' he went on. 'You've got to keep your eyes open on that slope, you know, Matt. That's a dangerous corner down by that big tree. You could crash right into it if you're not careful.' Then he added: 'I guess we're fine here, aren't we?'


“像今天这么黑的夜晚去那儿太危险了。”他继续说道，“你知道，在斜坡上你必须睁大眼睛，玛蒂。坡下大树旁有个危险的拐角，要是不小心就会撞个正着。”然后他又补充了一句：“我想咱们在这儿挺不错的，是不？”


Yes, we're fine here,' agreed Mattie in a soft, sweet voice. Ethan put down his pipe and pulled his chair up to the table. He touched the end of her piece of sewing.


“是啊，在这儿不错。”玛蒂甜甜地轻声表示同意。伊桑放下烟斗，把椅子拽到桌子前，他碰了碰玛蒂活计的一角。


Say, Matt, guess what I saw tonight? Your friends kissing under the Varnum trees.'


“嘿，玛蒂，猜我今晚看见了什么。你的朋友在瓦纳姆家的大树下接吻。”


Mattie's face turned bright red. 'That'll be Ruth and Ned,' she answered, looking down at her sewing. Ethan felt embarrassed too. Last night on their walk home he had put his arm around Mattie, and had wanted to kiss her. But tonight, in the warm lamplit room, she seemed so much further away.


玛蒂的脸变得红彤彤的。“是露丝和内德。”她答道，低下眼帘看着自己的针线活儿。伊桑也感到一阵尴尬。昨晚他们走回家时他曾搂住玛蒂，还想亲她来着。而今晚，在这被灯光照亮的温暖房间里，她又这般遥远。


I guess they'll get married soon,' said Ethan. 'And then maybe you'll be next.'


“我想他们就快结婚了。”伊桑说，“说不定下一个就是你。”


Why do you say that?' she replied in a low voice. 'Is it because Zeena doesn't want me to stay?'


“为什么这么说？”她低声答道，“是因为齐娜不想让我待在这儿吗？”


What do you mean?' asked Ethan, afraid again.


“什么意思？”伊桑问道，又是一阵恐惧。


I thought that last night she seemed... Oh, I don't know. Nobody knows what Zeena thinks. She hasn't said anything to you, has she?'


“我想昨晚她看上去……哦，我不知道。没人知道齐娜的想法。她没跟你说什么，是吗？”


He shook his head. 'No, not a word.'


他摇了摇头。“没有，一个字也没说。”


I guess it was nothing then. Let's not think about it,' said Mattie, and went on with her sewing.


“我猜那就没什么事，别去想它了。”玛蒂说着，又缝了起来。


Ethan watched her in silence. Then he gently took hold of the other end of her piece of sewing. Mattie's warmth seemed to flow along it towards him. Could she feel the answering warmth from his own hand? They sat like this for a few moments, then Ethan heard a sound behind him. The cat had jumped down from Zeena's chair, and because of the sudden movement the empty chair had started a ghostly rocking.


伊桑静静地看着她，然后轻轻地抓住了她针线活计的另一角。玛蒂的温暖好像通过它流向了伊桑。她能感觉到他的手传递回去的温暖吗？他们这样坐了一阵子，忽然伊桑听到背后一声响动。猫跳下了齐娜的摇椅，这个突然的动作让空摇椅幽灵般地摇晃起来。


Zeena'll be in that chair herself this time tomorrow,' thought Ethan. 'I've been in a dream, and this is the only evening we'll ever have together...' The return to the real world filled him with pain, and he suddenly felt very tired.


“明天这个时候，齐娜就会坐在那把椅子上了。”伊桑想，“我就像做了一场梦，今晚是我们唯一共同度过的夜晚了……”回到现实让他充满痛苦，忽然间他感到十分疲惫。


Mattie looked at him, and for a moment he saw fear cross her face. He held onto her sewing and kissed the end of it softly. She pulled it slowly from his lips and put it away. It was eleven o'clock.


玛蒂看着他，一时间他看到她脸上掠过惊恐的神色。他拉起她的针线活儿，轻轻地亲着一角。她慢慢地将它从他唇边抽出来，放到一边。已经11点了。


Is the fire all right?' she asked in a low voice.


“炉火还好吧？”她低声问道。


They checked the fire, moved the plant pots away from the cold window, and put out the lamp.


他们看了看炉火，把花盆从寒冷的窗子旁搬开，熄了灯。


Goodnight, Matt,' he said, as she put her foot on the first step of the stairs.


“晚安，玛蒂。”玛蒂走上第一级楼梯时，伊桑说道。


Goodnight, Ethan,' she answered, and went up.


“晚安，伊桑。”她答道，然后上楼去了。


When the door of her room had closed, he remembered that he had not even touched her hand.


当她房间的门关上的时候，他想起自己甚至连她的手都没碰一下。