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The Love letter
遲到的情書
I was always a little in awe of Great-aunt Stephina Roos. Indeed, as children we were all frankly terrified of her. The fact that she did not live with the family, preferring her tiny cottage and solitude to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up-added to the respectful fear in which she was held.
我對斯蒂菲娜老姑總是懷著敬畏之情。說實在話，我們幾個孩子對她都怕得要死。她不和家人一塊生活，寧愿住在她的小屋子里，而不愿住在舒舒服服、熱熱鬧鬧的家里--我們六個孩子都是在家里帶大的--這更加重了我們對她的敬畏之情。
We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies which my mother had made down from the big house to the little cottage where Aunt Stephia and an old colored maid spent their days. Old Tnate Sanna would open the door to the rather frightened little messenger and would usher him-or her - into the dark voor-kamer, where the shutters were always closed to keep out the heat and the flies. There we would wait, in trembling but not altogether unpleasant.
我們經(jīng)常輪替著從我們住的大房子里帶些母親為她做的可口的食品到她和一名黑人女仆一塊過活的那間小屋里去。桑娜老姨總是為每一個上門來的怯生生的小使者打開房門，將他或她領(lǐng)進(jìn)昏暗的客廳。那里的百葉窗長年關(guān)閉著，以防熱氣和蒼蠅進(jìn)去。我們總是在那里哆哆嗦嗦、但又不是完全不高興地等著斯蒂菲娜老姑出來。
She was a tiny little woman to inspire so much veneration. She was always dressed in black, and her dark clothes melted into the shadows of the voor-kamer and made her look smaller than ever. But you felt. The moment she entered. That something vital and strong and somehow indestructible had come in with her, although she moved slowly, and her voice was sweet and soft.
一個像她那樣身材纖細(xì)的女人居然能贏得我們?nèi)绱俗鹁础Ｋ偸巧泶┖谏路c客廳里的陰暗背景融成一體，將她的身材襯托得更加嬌小。但她一進(jìn)門，我們就感到有一種說不清道不明、充滿活力和剛強的氣氛，盡管她的步子慢悠、聲調(diào)甜柔。
She never embraced us. She would greet us and take out hot little hands in her own beautiful cool one, with blue veins standing out on the back of it, as though the white skin were almost too delicate to contain them.
她從不擁抱我們，但總是和我們寒暄，將我們熱乎乎的小手握在她那雙秀美清爽的手里，她的手背上露出一些青筋，就像手上白嫩的皮膚細(xì)薄得遮不住它們似的。
Tante Sanna would bring in dishes of sweet, sweet, sticky candy, or a great bowl of grapes or peaches, and Great-aunt Stephina would converse gravely about happenings on the farm ,and, more rarely, of the outer world.
桑娜阿姨每次都要端出幾碟粘乎乎的南非糖果和一缽葡萄或桃子給我們吃。斯蒂菲娜老姑總是一本正經(jīng)他說些農(nóng)場里的事，偶爾也談些外邊世界發(fā)生的事。
When we had finished our sweetmeats or fruit she would accompany us to the stoep, bidding us thank our mother for her gift and sending quaint, old-fashioned messages to her and the Father. Then she would turn and enter the house, closing the door behind, so that it became once more a place of mystery.
待我們吃完糖果或水果，她總要將我們送到屋前的門廊，叮囑我們要多謝母親給她送食品，要我們對父母親轉(zhuǎn)達(dá)一些稀奇古怪的老式祝愿，然后就轉(zhuǎn)身回到屋里，隨手關(guān)上門，使那里再次成為神秘世界。
As I grew older I found, rather to my surprise, that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt. But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her, before I had confided in another living soul, of our engagement. To my astonishment, she was delighted.
讓我感到吃驚的是，隨著我逐漸長大，我發(fā)現(xiàn)打心眼里喜歡起我那位孤伶伶的老姑姑來。至今我仍不知道那是一種什么樣的奇異動力，使我在還沒有透露給別人之前就把喬治領(lǐng)去看望姑姑，告訴她我們已經(jīng)訂婚的消息。不成想，聽到這個消息以后，她竟非常高興。
"An Englishman,"she exclaimed."But that is splendid, splendid. And you,"she turned to George,"you are making your home in this country? You do not intend to return to England just yet?"
