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"It was only a joke at first," groaned our visitor.
"我當初只不過是跟她開玩笑，"客人哼哼唧唧地說，
"We never thought that she would have been so carried away."
"我們根本沒有想到她會那么癡情。"
"Very likely not. However that may be, the young lady was very decidedly carried away,
"根本不可能是開玩笑。不過，那位年輕姑娘確實是被沖昏了頭腦，
and, having quite made up her mind that her stepfather was in France, the suspicion of treachery never for an instant entered her mind.
一心以為她的繼父是在法國，從來不懷疑她自己是上了大當。
She was flattered by the gentleman's attentions, and the effect was increased by the loudly expressed admiration of her mother.
她因受到那位先生的殷勤奉承而高興。而她母親的一片贊揚聲使她更加高興。
Then Mr. Angel began to call, for it was obvious that the matter should be pushed as far as it would go if a real effect were to be produced.
于是安吉爾先生開始來訪，因為一旦奏效，事情就要繼續(xù)進行下去。
There were meetings, and an engagement, which would finally secure the girl's affections from turning towards anyone else.
會過幾次面，訂了婚，這就最后保證了姑娘的心不會轉向別人。
But the deception could not be kept up forever. These pretended journeys to France were rather cumbrous.
但是牌局不能永遠繼續(xù)下去，裝著去法國出差也相當麻煩，
The thing to do was clearly to bring the business to an end in such a dramatic manner
所以就干脆把事情來一個戲劇性的收場，
that it would leave a permanent impression upon the young lady's mind and prevent her from looking upon any other suitor for some time to come.
以便在年輕姑娘的心上留下永不磨滅的印象，這樣來防止她有朝一日可能會看上其他求婚的男子。
Hence those vows of fidelity exacted upon a Testament,
于是，就出現了手按圣經發(fā)誓白頭偕老，
and hence also the allusions to a possibility of something happening on the very morning of the wedding.
舉行婚禮那天的早晨暗示可能發(fā)生某種事情等把戲。
James Windibank wished Miss Sutherland to be so bound to Hosmer Angel,
詹姆斯·溫迪班克希望薩瑟蘭小姐對霍斯默·安吉爾忠貞不渝，
and so uncertain as to his fate, that for ten years to come, at any rate, she would not listen to another man.
而對他的生死則難以肯定，總而言之，可使她在以后的十年里不會去聽從別的男人的話。
As far as the church door he brought her, and then, as he could go no farther,
霍斯默陪她到了教堂門口，他不能再往前走了，
he conveniently vanished away by the old trick of stepping in at one door of a four-wheeler and out at the other.
他耍起了老花招，從四輪馬車的這扇門鉆進去，又從那扇門鉆出來，悠哉游哉地溜走了。
I think that that was the chain of events, Mr. Windibank!"
我認為這就是整個事情的經過，溫迪班克先生！"
