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Chapter 51
第五十一章
Tiare, when I told her this story, praised my prudence, and for a few minutes we worked in silence, for we were shelling peas. Then her eyes, always alert for the affairs of her kitchen, fell on some action of the Chinese cook which aroused her violent disapproval. She turned on him with a torrent of abuse. The Chink was not backward to defend himself, and a very lively quarrel ensued. They spoke in the native language, of which I had learnt but half a dozen words, and it sounded as though the world would shortly come to an end; but presently peace was restored and Tiare gave the cook a cigarette. They both smoked comfortably.
當我給蒂阿瑞講完了這個故事，她很稱贊我看問題的敏銳。這以后，我們埋頭干了幾分鐘活兒，誰也沒有再開口，因為我們當時正在剝豆子。她的眼睛對廚房里發(fā)生的事一件也不放過，沒過多一會兒，她看到中國廚師做了一件她非常不贊成的事，馬上對他罵了一大串話，但是那個中國人也毫不示弱，于是你一言我一語，展開一場極為激烈的舌戰(zhàn)。他們對罵時用的是當地土話，我只聽得懂五、六個詞，給我的印象是，好象世界末日都快要到了。但是沒過多久，和平就又恢復了，而且蒂阿瑞居然還遞給廚師傅一根紙煙。兩個人都舒舒服服地噴起云霧來。
"Do you know, it was I who found him his wife?" said Tiare suddenly, with a smile that spread all over her immense face.
“你知道，他的老婆還是我給找的呢，”蒂阿瑞突如其來地說了一句，一張大臉上布滿了笑容。
"The cook?"
“廚師傅的老婆？”
"No, Strickland."
“不，思特里克蘭德的。”
"But he had one already."
“他已經有了呀。”
"That is what he said, but I told him she was in England, and England is at the other end of the world."
“他也這么說。可是我告訴他，她的老婆在英國，英國在地球的那一邊呢。”
"True," I replied.
“不錯，”我回答說。
"He would come to Papeete every two or three months, when he wanted paints or tobacco or money, and then he would wander about like a lost dog. I was sorry for him. I had a girl here then called Ata to do the rooms; she was some sort of a relation of mine, and her father and mother were dead, so I had her to live with me. Strickland used to come here now and then to have a square meal or to play chess with one of the boys. I noticed that she looked at him when he came, and I asked her if she liked him. She said she liked him well enough. You know what these girls are; they're always pleased to go with a white man."
“每隔兩三個月，當他需要油彩啊、煙草啊，或者缺錢花的時候，他就到帕皮提來一趟。到了這里，他總是象個沒主的野狗似地東游西蕩，我看著怪可憐的。我這里雇著一個女孩子，幫我收拾房間。她名字叫愛塔。她是我的一個遠房親戚，父母都死了，所以我只好收留了她。思特里克蘭德有時候到我這兒來吃一頓飽飯，或者同我這里的哪個干活兒的下盤棋。我發(fā)現每次他來的時候，愛塔都盯著他。我就問她她是不是喜歡這個人。她說她很喜歡他。你知道這些女孩子是怎么樣的，都喜歡找個白人。”
"Was she a native?" I asked.
“愛塔是本地人嗎？”我問。
