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'You are looking for a situation, miss?' he asked. 'Yes, sir.'
'你是來尋找職業(yè)的吧，小姐？'他問。'是的，先生。'
'As governess?' 'Yes, sir.'
'做家庭女教師？' '是的，先生。'
'And what salary do you ask?'
'你要求多少薪水？'
'I had 4 pounds a month in my last place with Colonel Spence Munro.'
'我以前在斯彭斯·芒羅上校處是每月四英鎊。'
'Oh, tut, tut! sweating, rank sweating!' he cried, throwing his fat hands out into the air like a man who is in a boiling passion.
'哎喲，嘖！嘖！苛刻啊，這夠苛刻的，'他一面嚷著，一面伸出一雙肥胖的手，好像情緒激動的人那樣，在空中揮舞。
'How could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady with such attractions and accomplishments?'
'怎么會有人出這么可憐的小數(shù)目給這樣有吸引力和造詣的一位女士？'
'My accomplishments, sir, may be less than you imagine,' said I. 'A little French, a little German, music, and drawing...'
'我的造詣么，先生，可能不如你所想象的那么深，'我說，'懂一點(diǎn)法文，懂一點(diǎn)德文、音樂和繪畫...'
'Tut, tut!' he cried. 'This is all quite beside the question.
'嘖，嘖！'他喊著，'這些都不是主要問題。
The point is, have you or have you not the bearing and deportment of a lady? There it is in a nutshell.
關(guān)鍵是你有沒有一位有教養(yǎng)婦女的舉止和風(fēng)度？簡單地說就是這一句話。
If you have not, you are not fitted for the rearing of a child who may some day play a considerable part in the history of the country.
你若是沒有，那你就不適宜于教育一個將來有一天也許會對國家的歷史起很大作用的孩子。
But if you have, why, then, how could any gentleman ask you to condescend to accept anything under the three figures?
但是倘若你有，那么，為什么竟有一位先生好意思要求你屈尊俯就接受少于三位數(shù)的數(shù)目的薪金？
Your salary with me, madam, would commence at 100 pounds a year.'
小姐，你在我這里的薪水，要從一百鎊一年開始。'
You may imagine, Mr. Holmes, that to me, destitute as I was, such an offer seemed almost too good to be true.
你可以想象，福爾摩斯先生，這樣的待遇，在我這樣窮得不名一文的人看來幾乎是好得難以令人相信啊！
The gentleman, however, seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon my face, opened a pocket-book and took out a note.
可是這位先生，大概看見我臉上懷疑的表情，便打開錢包，拿出一張鈔票。
'It is also my custom,' said he, smiling in the most pleasant fashion until his eyes were just two little shining slits amid the white creases of his face,
'這也是我的習(xí)慣，'他說，甜蜜蜜地笑得兩只眼睛在他那布滿皺紋的白臉上只剩下兩條發(fā)亮的細(xì)縫，
'to advance to my young ladies half their salary beforehand, so that they may meet any little expenses of their journey and their wardrobe.'
'預(yù)付一半薪金給我的年輕的小姐，好讓她們應(yīng)付旅費(fèi)上的零星開支和添置些服裝！'
