"The fact is," Mr. van der Luyden continued, stroking his long grey leg with a bloodless hand weighed down by the Patroon's great signet-ring, "the fact is, I dropped in to thank her for the very pretty note she wrote me about my flowers; and also--but this is between ourselves, of course--to give her a friendly warning about allowing the Duke to carry her off to parties with him. I don't know if you've heard--"
“事實上，”范德盧頓先生接著說，一面用一只沒有血色的手撫摩著他那長長的灰靴筒，手上戴著那枚碩大的莊園主圖章戒指。“事實上，我的順訪是為了感謝她為那些花而寫的非常漂亮的回函；還想——這一點可別向外傳——向她提出友好的警告，叫她別讓公爵隨便帶著去參加聚會。我不知你們是否聽到了——”

Mrs. Archer produced an indulgent smile. "Has the Duke been carrying her off to parties?"
阿切爾太太臉上露出寬容的微笑。“公爵是誘使她參加聚會了嗎？”

"You know what these English grandees are. They're all alike. Louisa and I are very fond of our cousin--but it's hopeless to expect people who are accustomed to the European courts to trouble themselves about our little republican distinctions. The Duke goes where he's amused." Mr. van der Luyden paused, but no one spoke. "Yes--it seems he took her with him last night to Mrs. Lemuel Struthers's. Sillerton Jackson has just been to us with the foolish story, and Louisa was rather troubled. So I thought the shortest way was to go straight to Countess Olenska and explain--by the merest hint, you know--how we feel in New York about certain things. I felt I might, without indelicacy, because the evening she dined with us she rather suggested . . . rather let me see that she would be grateful for guidance. And she WAS."
“你知道這些英國顯貴的德性，他們全都一樣。路易莎和我很喜歡我們這位表親——不過指望習慣了歐洲宅邸的人勞神去留心我們共和主義的小小差別，那是絕對辦不到的。哪里能尋開心，公爵就到哪里去。”范德盧頓停頓一下，但沒有人吭聲。“是的——看來昨晚是他帶她到萊姆爾·斯特拉瑟斯太太家去的。西勒頓· 杰克遜剛才到我們家去過，講了這件荒唐事。路易莎很不安。所以我想最好的捷徑就是直接去找奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人，并向她說明——僅僅是暗示，你知道——在紐約我們對某些事情的看法。我覺得我可以做到這一點，而且不會有什么不得體，因為她同我們一起進晚餐的那天晚上，她好像說過——讓我想想看——她會感激對她的指導，而她的確如此。”

Mr. van der Luyden looked about the room with what would have been self-satisfaction on features less purged of the vulgar passions. On his face it became a mild benevolence which Mrs. Archer's countenance dutifully reflected.
范德盧頓先生四面看了看，那神態若是出現在普通的庸俗之輩的臉上，滿可以稱得上是一種自鳴得意。但在他的臉上，卻是一種淡淡的仁慈；阿切爾太太一見，馬上義不容辭地露出了同樣的表情。

"How kind you both are, dear Henry--always! Newland will particularly appreciate what you have done because of dear May and his new relations."
“你們倆真是太仁慈了，親愛的亨利——而且是一貫如此呀！你對梅和他的新親戚的關照，紐蘭會分外感激的。”

She shot an admonitory glance at her son, who said: "Immensely, sir. But I was sure you'd like Madame Olenska."
她向兒子投去敦促的目光。兒子說：“感激不盡，大人。不過我早知道你會喜歡奧蘭斯卡夫人的。”

Mr. van der Luyden looked at him with extreme gentleness. "I never ask to my house, my dear Newland," he said, "any one whom I do not like. And so I have just told Sillerton Jackson." With a glance at the clock he rose and added: "But Louisa will be waiting. We are dining early, to take the Duke to the Opera."
范德盧頓先生極有風度地看著他說：“親愛的紐蘭，我從來不請任何我不喜歡的人到我家作客。我剛才也對西勒頓·杰克遜這樣講過。”他瞥了一眼時鐘站了起來，接著說：“路易莎要等我了。我們準備早點兒吃飯，帶公爵去聽歌劇。”

After the portieres had solemnly closed behind their visitor a silence fell upon the Archer family.
門簾在客人身后莊嚴地合攏之后，一片沉寂降臨在阿切爾的家人之中。

"Gracious--how romantic!" at last broke explosively from Janey. No one knew exactly what inspired her elliptic comments, and her relations had long since given up trying to interpret them.
“真高雅——太浪漫了！”詹尼終于爆發似地說。誰都不明白什么事激發了她這簡潔的評論，她的親人早已放棄了解釋這種評論的企圖。

Mrs. Archer shook her head with a sigh. "Provided it all turns out for the best," she said, in the tone of one who knows how surely it will not. "Newland, you must stay and see Sillerton Jackson when he comes this evening: I really shan't know what to say to him."
阿切爾太太嘆口氣搖了搖頭。“但愿結果是皆大歡喜，”她說，那口氣卻明知絕對不可能。“紐蘭，你一定要待在家里，等晚上西勒頓·杰克遜先生來的時候見見他，我真的不知該對他說些什么。”

"Poor mother! But he won't come--" her son laughed, stooping to kiss away her frown.
“可憐的媽媽！可是他不會來了——”兒子笑著說，一面彎身吻開她的愁眉。

雙語小說連載:純真年代 The Age of Innocence(9)