第三级-《三个陌生人》-第10课

前情提要 

男孩透过窗户看到了一对男女正在交谈，他们并不是夫妻，只是暧昧的老友。那个女人决定不能再和男人暧昧不清了，男人想让女人再给自己一个机会好好告别……

故事原文

The Three Strangers and Other Stories 10

三个陌生人 10

'Oh, I must not! People will talk. Don't ask it of me!'

“噢，我不能那样！人们会说闲话的。请不要对我提出这样的要求！”

'Then confess two things to me: that you did love me once, and that your husband is unkind to you often enough to make you think of the time when you loved me.'

“那你要对我承认两件事：一是你过去的确爱我，还有就是你的丈夫对你不好，常常会让你回想起当初爱着我的时光。”

'Yes, I confess them both,' she answered quietly.

“是的，这两件事情我都承认。”她静静地回答道。

'Come once more!' He still held her hand, and had his arm around her waist.

“再来见我一次吧！”他仍旧握着她的手，另一只手臂环绕在她腰间。

'Very well, then,' she said finally. 'I agree. I'll meet you tomorrow night or the night after. Now let me go.'

“那好吧，”她终于说，“我答应你。我明天或者后天晚上来见你。现在请让我走吧。”

He set her free, and watched her hurry down the hill towards her home, Shakeforest Towers. Then he turned and walked away. In a few minutes all was silent and empty again.

他放开了她，看着她急匆匆地朝山下的家——舍克弗洛斯特城堡跑去。接着，他也转身离去了。几分钟后，周围又恢复了平静和空旷。

But only for a moment. Suddenly, a third figure appeared, from behind the stones. He was a man of heavier build(1) than the Captain, and was wearing riding boots. It was clear that he had watched the meeting between the Captain and the Duchess. He had been too far away to hear their conversation and the lady's reluctant(2) words, so to him they had the appearance of lovers. But several more years passed before the boy was old enough to understand this.

但这只持续了一小会儿。突然，石头后面出现了第三个身影。他身材比上尉健壮些，脚蹬马靴。很显然，他看到了上尉和公爵夫人的会面过程。他离得太远，听不清他们的谈话和夫人勉强的言辞，因此在他看来，他们俨然是一对情侣。但直到几年后，年龄渐长的男孩才想明白了当时的情形。

This third figure stood still for a moment, thinking. Then he went back into the trees, and came out again with his horse. He rode off, and the sound of the horse's feet on the hard ground was heard for several minutes, until it died away(3).

第三个身影沉思着呆立了片刻，返身回到树林中，然后又骑着马走了出来。他策马而去，马蹄在坚硬的土地上踏出的声音持续了好几分钟才渐渐消失。

The boy stayed in the hut, his eyes still on the stones, but nobody else appeared there. Suddenly he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, which made him jump.

男孩待在小屋里，眼睛仍旧盯着那些石头，却再没有人出现了。突然，他感到有一只沉重的手搭上了自己的肩头，吓得跳将起来。

'Now look here, young Bill Mills, ye've let the fire in the stove go out! Well, what's happened, ye bad boy?'

“你看看，小比尔·米尔斯，你让炉子里的火熄掉了！呃，发生了什么事，你这个坏孩子？”

'Nothing, master.'

“没什么，主人。”

'Sheep and lambs all safe and well?'

“羊群和羊羔都好好的吗？”

'Yes, master.'

“是的，主人。”

The old shepherd spoke angrily. 'Well, that's where ye're wrong. There are two new lambs out there, born just this minute, and one of the mothers is half dead! I told ye to stay awake, boy, and fetch me if I was needed! Well, what have you got to say for yourself?'

老牧羊人生气地咆哮着说：“哼，这你就说错了。外面有两头母羊刚刚生了小羊羔，一头母羊都快死了！我告诉过你要保持清醒，小子，如果有必要就去叫我！好了，这你有什么说的？”

'You said that I could have a bit of a sleep! In the chair by the stove, you said!'

“你说过我可以睡一小会儿的！在火炉边的椅子上，你说过的！”

'Don't you speak to your elders and betters(4) like that, young man, or you'll end up(5) hanging from a rope at the prison! Well, ye can go home now, and come back again by breakfast time. I'm an old man, but there's no rest for me!'

“不要这样跟有经验的长者讲话，年轻人，不然你的下场就是在监狱里被绞索吊死！好了，你现在可以回家了，早饭前再过来。我都老了，还一刻不得闲！”

The old shepherd then lay down inside the hut, and the boy went down the hill to his home in the village.

接着，老牧羊人在小屋里躺了下来，男孩则下山朝村子里的家走去。

（原文中出现高光标示内容请见核心语言点）

核心语言点

1. build v. 建造 n. 身材

例句：

a woman of slim build 一个身材苗条的女人

He has a strong, muscular build. 他身材强壮。

a man of average build 身材普通的男性

2. reluctant 勉强的；不情愿的

例句：

Many parents feel reluctant to talk openly with their children.

很多父母都不愿意和儿女们敞开心扉交谈。

He was reluctant to talk about it.

他不愿意谈论这件事。

3. die away （逐渐）消失

例句：

She waited until her parents' footstep died away, then it's time to play.

等父母的脚步声消失之后，她就出去玩了。

Love is that when the excitement dies away you still love the person in front of your eyes.

爱情就是当激情全部散去后，你仍然还爱着眼前的人。

4. better 长辈

例句：

His parents always told him to respect his betters.

他的父母总是告诉他要尊重长辈。

5. end up doing sth. 最终……；结果……

例句：

Whenever we go out to have dinner with them, I always end up paying the bill.

每次我们和他们一起出去吃饭，最后总是我付账。

Most slimmers end up putting weight back on.

多数瘦身的人最终又胖回去了。