The drawing-rooms were beginning to fill up with after-dinner guests, and following Madame Olenska's glance Archer saw May Welland entering with her mother. In her dress of white and silver, with a wreath of silver blossoms in her hair, the tall girl looked like a Diana just alight from the chase.
餐后的客人漸漸地擠滿了客廳。順著奧蘭斯卡夫人的目光，阿切爾看到梅·韋蘭正和母親一起走進門。身穿銀白色服裝，頭上戴著銀白色花朵的花環，那位身材高挑的姑娘看起來就像剛狩獵歸來的狄安娜女神。

"Oh," said Archer, "I have so many rivals; you see she's already surrounded. There's the Duke being introduced."
“啊，”阿切爾說，“我的競爭者可真多呀；你瞧她已經被包圍住了。那邊正在介紹那位公爵呢。”

"Then stay with me a little longer," Madame Olenska said in a low tone, just touching his knee with her plumed fan. It was the lightest touch, but it thrilled him like a caress.
“那就跟我多呆一會兒吧，”奧蘭斯卡夫人低聲說，并用她的羽毛扇輕輕碰了一下他的膝蓋。雖然只是極輕的一碰，但卻如愛撫一般令他震顫。

"Yes, let me stay," he answered in the same tone, hardly knowing what he said; but just then Mr. van der Luyden came up, followed by old Mr. Urban Dagonet. The Countess greeted them with her grave smile, and Archer, feeling his host's admonitory glance on him, rose and surrendered his seat.
“好的，我留下，”他用同樣的語氣說，幾乎不知自己在講什么。但正在這時，范德盧頓先生過來了，后面跟著老厄本·達戈內特先生。伯爵夫人以莊重的微笑與他們招呼，阿切爾覺察到主人對他責備的目光，便起身讓出了他的座位。

Madame Olenska held out her hand as if to bid him goodbye.
奧蘭斯卡夫人伸出一只手，仿佛向他告別。

"Tomorrow, then, after five--I shall expect you," she said; and then turned back to make room for Mr. Dagonet.
“那么，明天，5點鐘以后——我等你，”她說，然后轉身為達戈內特先生讓出位置。

"Tomorrow--" Archer heard himself repeating, though there had been no engagement, and during their talk she had given him no hint that she wished to see him again.
“明天——”阿切爾聽見自己重復說，盡管事先沒有約定，他們交談時她也沒向他暗示想再見他。

As he moved away he saw Lawrence Lefferts, tall and resplendent, leading his wife up to be introduced; and heard Gertrude Lefferts say, as she beamed on the Countess with her large unperceiving smile: "But I think we used to go to dancing-school together when we were children--." Behind her, waiting their turn to name themselves to the Countess, Archer noticed a number of the recalcitrant couples who had declined to meet her at Mrs. Lovell Mingott's. As Mrs. Archer remarked: when the van der Luydens chose, they knew how to give a lesson. The wonder was that they chose so seldom.
他走開的時候，看見身材高大、神采奕奕的勞倫斯·萊弗茨，正領著妻子走來準備被引薦給伯爵夫人。他還聽見格特魯德·萊弗茨滿臉堆著茫然的笑容高興地對伯爵夫人說：“我想我們小時候經常一起去舞蹈學校——”在她身后，等著向伯爵夫人通報姓名的人中間，阿切爾注意到還有幾對拒絕在洛弗爾·明戈特太太家歡迎她的倔強夫婦。正如阿切爾太太所說的：范德盧頓夫婦只要樂意，他們知道如何教訓人。奇怪的是他們樂意的時候卻太少了。

The young man felt a touch on his arm and saw Mrs. van der Luyden looking down on him from the pure eminence of black velvet and the family diamonds. "It was good of you, dear Newland, to devote yourself so unselfishly to Madame Olenska. I told your cousin Henry he must really come to the rescue."
年輕人覺得胳膊被碰了一下。他發現范德盧頓太太穿一身名貴的黑絲絨，戴著家族的鉆石首飾，正居高臨下地看著他。“親愛的紐蘭，你毫無私心地關照奧蘭斯卡夫人，真是太好了。我告訴你表舅亨利，他一定要過來幫忙。”

He was aware of smiling at her vaguely, and she added, as if condescending to his natural shyness: "I've never seen May looking lovelier. The Duke thinks her the handsomest girl in the room."
他發覺自己茫然微笑著望著她，她仿佛俯就他靦腆的天性似地又補充說：“我從沒見過梅像今天這么可愛，公爵認為她是客廳里最漂亮的姑娘。”

雙語小說連載:純真年代 The Age of Innocence(7)