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She made no answer. Her lips trembled into a smile, but the eyes remained distant and serious, as if bent on some ineffable vision. "Dear," Archer whispered, pressing her to him: it was borne in on him that the first hours of being engaged, even if spent in a ball-room, had in them something grave and sacramental. What a new life it was going to be, with this whiteness, radiance, goodness at one's side!
她沒有回話，雙唇綻出一絲微笑，但眼神依然淡漠莊重，仿佛正凝神于某種抹不去的幻象。“親愛的，”阿切爾悄聲說，一面用力拉她靠近自己。他堅信，訂婚的最初幾個小時即使在舞廳里度過，其中也包含著重大與神圣的內容。有這樣一位純潔、美麗、善良的人在身邊，將是怎樣的一種新生活啊！
The dance over, the two, as became an affianced couple, wandered into the conservatory; and sitting behind a tall screen of tree-ferns and camellias Newland pressed her gloved hand to his lips.
舞會結束了，他們倆既然已成了未婚夫妻，便漫步走到溫室里；坐在一片桫欏與山茶的屏障后面，紐蘭將她戴著手套的手緊緊壓在唇上。
"You see I did as you asked me to," she said.
“你知道，我是照你的要求做的，”她說。
"Yes: I couldn't wait," he answered smiling. After a moment he added: "Only I wish it hadn't had to be at a ball."
“是的，我不能再等待了，”他含笑回答。過了一會兒又補充說：“我只是希望不是在舞會上宣布。”
"Yes, I know." She met his glance comprehendingly. "But after all--even here we're alone together, aren't we?"
“是的，我知道，”她會意地迎著他的目光說。“不過，畢竟——就是在這兒，我們也是單獨在一起，不是嗎？”
"Oh, dearest--always!" Archer cried.
“哦，最親愛的——永遠！”阿切爾喊道。
Evidently she was always going to understand; she was always going to say the right thing. The discovery made the cup of his bliss overflow, and he went on gaily: "The worst of it is that I want to kiss you and I can't." As he spoke he took a swift glance about the conservatory, assured himself of their momentary privacy, and catching her to him laid a fugitive pressure on her lips. To counteract the audacity of this proceeding he led her to a bamboo sofa in a less secluded part of the conservatory, and sitting down beside her broke a lily-of-the-valley from her bouquet. She sat silent, and the world lay like a sunlit valley at their feet.
顯然，她將永遠理解他，永遠講得體的話。這一發現使得他樂不可支。他開心地接著說：“最糟糕的是我想吻你卻吻不到，”說著，他朝溫室四周迅速瞥了一眼，弄清他們暫時處于隱蔽之中，便把她攬在懷里，匆匆地吻了一下她的雙唇。為了抵消這一出格舉動的影響，他把她帶到溫室不太隱蔽部分的一個長竹椅上。他在她身邊坐下，從她的花束上摘下一朵鈴蘭。她坐著一語不發，整個世界像陽光燦爛的峽谷橫在他們腳下。
"Did you tell my cousin Ellen?" she asked presently, as if she spoke through a dream.
“你告訴我的表姐埃倫了嗎？”過了一會兒她問，仿佛在夢中說話一樣。
