"I wonder if she wears a round hat or a bonnet in the afternoon," Janey speculated. "At the Opera I know she had on dark blue velvet, perfectly plain and flat-- like a night-gown."
“不知下午她戴的是圓檐帽還是軟帽,”詹尼猜測說。“我知道她在著歌劇時穿的是深藍色天鵝絨,普普通通的,就像睡衣一樣?!?BR>
"Janey!" said her mother; and Miss Archer blushed and tried to look audacious.
“詹尼!”她母親說;阿切爾小姐臉一紅,同時想裝出無所顧忌的樣子。
"It was, at any rate, in better taste not to go to the ball," Mrs. Archer continued.
“不管怎么說,她沒有去舞會,總算是知趣的了,”阿切爾太太接著說。
A spirit of perversity moved her son to rejoin: "I don't think it was a question of taste with her. May said she meant to go, and then decided that the dress in question wasn't smart enough."
一種乖僻的情緒,使做兒子的接腔道:“我認為這不是她知趣不知趣的問題。梅說她本來是打算去的,只是后來又覺得你們剛剛說到的那身衣服不夠漂亮而已?!?BR>
Mrs. Archer smiled at this confirmation of her inference. "Poor Ellen," she simply remarked; adding compassionately: "We must always bear in mind what an eccentric bringing-up Medora Manson gave her. What can you expect of a girl who was allowed to wear black satin at her coming-out ball?"
阿切爾太太見兒子用這樣的方式證實她的推斷,僅僅報之一笑?!翱蓱z的埃倫,”她只這么說了一句,接著又同情地補充道:“我們什么時候都不能忘記,梅多拉·曼森對她進行了什么稀奇古怪的培養教育。在進入社交界的舞會上,居然讓她穿黑緞子衣服,你又能指望她會怎樣呢?”
"Ah--don't I remember her in it!" said Mr. Jackson; adding: "Poor girl!" in the tone of one who, while enjoying the memory, had fully understood at the time what the sight portended.
“哎呀——她穿的那身衣服我還記得呢!”杰克遜先生說。他接著又補一句:“可憐的姑娘!”那口氣既表明他記著那件事,又表明他當時就充分意識到那光景預兆著什么。
"It's odd," Janey remarked, "that she should have kept such an ugly name as Ellen. I should have changed it to Elaine." She glanced about the table to see the effect of this.
“真奇怪,”詹尼說,“她競一直沿用埃倫這么個難聽的名字。假若是我早就改成伊萊恩了。”她環顧一眼餐桌,看這句話產生了什么效果。
Her brother laughed. "Why Elaine?"
她哥哥失聲笑了起來?!盀槭裁匆幸寥R恩?”
"I don't know; it sounds more--more Polish," said Janey, blushing.
“不知道,聽起來更——更有波蘭味,”詹尼漲紅了臉說。
"It sounds more conspicuous; and that can hardly be what she wishes," said Mrs. Archer distantly.
“這名字聽起來太引人注意,她恐怕不會樂意,”阿切爾太太漠然地說。
"Why not?" broke in her son, growing suddenly argumentative. "Why shouldn't she be conspicuous if she chooses? Why should she slink about as if it were she who had disgraced herself? She's `poor Ellen' certainly, because she had the bad luck to make a wretched marriage; but I don't see that that's a reason for hiding her head as if she were the culprit."
“為什么不?”兒子插言道,他突然變得很愛爭論?!叭绻敢猓瑸槭裁淳筒荒芤俗⒁猓克秊槭裁淳驮摱愣汩W閃,仿佛自己給自己丟了臉似的?她當然是‘可憐的埃倫’,因為她不幸結下了倒霉的婚姻。但我不認為她因此就得像罪犯一樣躲起來。”
"That, I suppose," said Mr. Jackson, speculatively, "is the line the Mingotts mean to take.
“我想,”杰克遜先生沉思地說,“這正是明戈特家的人打算采取的立場?!?BR>
The young man reddened. "I didn't have to wait for their cue, if that's what you mean, sir. Madame Olenska has had an unhappy life: that doesn't make her an outcast."
年輕人臉紅了。“我可沒有必要等他們家的暗示——如果你是這個意思的話,先生。奧蘭斯卡夫人經歷了一段不幸的生活,這不等于她無家可歸?!?BR>
"There are rumours," began Mr. Jackson, glancing at Janey.
“外面有些謠傳,”杰克遜先生開口說,瞥了詹尼一眼。