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It seemed to me that I had never met so fascinating and so thoughtful a man.
我好像從來沒遇到過這么動人、這么會體貼人的人。
As I was already in debt to my tradesmen, the advance was a great convenience,
由于我那時還欠著小商販的債，這預付給我的錢當然對我是很大的方便。
and yet there was something unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to know a little more before I quite committed myself.
然而，整個接洽過程當中，我總覺得有些地方不大自然，決定多了解一些情況然后再表態。
'May I ask where you live, sir?' said I.
'我是否可以問你住在什么地方，先生。'我說。
'Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles on the far side of Winchester.
'漢普郡，可愛的鄉村地區。銅山毛櫸，它離溫切斯特才五英里。
It is the most lovely country, my dear young lady, and the dearest old country-house.'
真是最可愛不過的鄉村，我親愛的小姐，并且還有一座最可愛的古老的鄉村房子。'
'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would be.'
'那么我的職務呢，先生？我很想了解一下是什么工作。'
'One child, one dear little romper just six years old.
'一個小孩子，一個剛剛六歲的可愛的小淘氣。
Oh, if you could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack! smack! Three gone before you could wink!'
喲，你要是能夠看見他用拖鞋打死蟑螂！啪噠！啪噠！啪噠！你眼睛還來不及眨一眨，三個已經報銷了！'
He leaned back in his chair and laughed his eyes into his head again.
他靠在椅背上笑得又把他的眼睛瞇成一條縫了。
I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement, but the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was joking.
孩子這樣的玩樂興趣有點使我吃驚，但是他爸爸的笑聲使我認為也許他只是在開玩笑而已。
'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single child?'
'那么，我唯一的工作，'我說，'是照管一個孩子？'
'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he cried.
'不，不，不是唯一的，不是唯一的，我親愛的年輕小姐，'他大聲地說。
'Your duty would be, as I am sure your good sense would suggest, to obey any little commands my wife might give,
'你的任務應該是，我肯定你聰明的頭腦會意識到，聽候我妻子的任何命令，
provided always that they were such commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see no difficulty, heh?'
假如這些命令是一位小姐理應遵從的話。你看，一點困難沒有，是嗎？'
'I should be happy to make myself useful.'
'我很樂意使自己成為對你們有用的人。'
'Quite so. In dress now, for example. We are faddy people, you know, faddy but kind-hearted.
'那太好了，現在說說服裝，比如說，我們喜歡時尚，你知道，有時尚癖，但是心眼不壞。
If you were asked to wear any dress which we might give you, you would not object to our little whim. Heh?'
倘若我們給你件服裝要你穿的話，你不會反對我們的小小怪癖，是嗎？'
'No,' said I, considerably astonished at his words.
'不，'我說，對他的話感到相當吃驚。
'Or to sit here, or sit there, that would not be offensive to you?' 'Oh, no.'
'叫你坐在這里，或者坐在那里，這將不致于使你不高興吧？' '啊！不會的。'
