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"I do not know what I have done to be so severely tried," said he.
"我不知道做了什么缺德事使我要受這么殘酷的折磨，"他說。
"Only two days ago I was a happy and prosperous man, without a care in the world.
"只不過是兩天以前我還是一個幸福和富裕的人，無憂無慮地生活在這世界上。
Now I am left to a lonely and dishonoured age.
現在我落到了要過孤獨和不光彩晚年的地步。
One sorrow comes close upon the heels of another. My niece, Mary, has deserted me." "Deserted you?"
真是禍不單行啊。我的侄女瑪麗拋棄了我。" "拋棄了你？"
"Yes. Her bed this morning had not been slept in, her room was empty, and a note for me lay upon the hall table.
"是的。今天早晨發現她的床一夜沒有人睡過，她的房間已經是人去樓空，一張留給我的便條放在大廳的桌子上。
I had said to her last night, in sorrow and not in anger, that if she had married my boy all might have been well with him.
我昨晚曾經憂傷而不是氣憤地對她說，要是她和我兒子結了婚，他本來可能一切都會很好的。
Perhaps it was thoughtless of me to say so. It is to that remark that she refers in this note:
也許我這樣說太欠斟酌了。她的便條里也談到了這些話：
"MY DEAREST UNCLE: "I feel that I have brought trouble upon you, and that if I had acted differently this terrible misfortune might never have occurred.
"我最親愛的叔叔：我感到我已經給你帶來了苦惱，如果我采取另外一種行動，這可怕的不幸事件可能就永遠不會發生了。
I cannot, with this thought in my mind, ever again be happy under your roof, and I feel that I must leave you forever.
我心里存著這種念頭，就再也不能愉快地住在你的屋檐下了。而且我覺得我必須永遠離開你。
Do not worry about my future, for that is provided for; and, above all, do not search for me, for it will be fruitless labour and an ill-service to me.
不要為我的前途操心，因為我自己有棲身的地方；最重要的是，決不要尋找我，因為這將是徒勞的，而且會幫我的倒忙。
In life or in death, I am ever your loving MARY."
不管我是生是死，我永遠是你親愛的瑪麗。”
