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'Don't tell Florence what, my little Paul?' said Mrs Pipchin, coming round to the bedside, and sitting down in the chair.
“別告訴弗洛倫斯什么，我的小保羅？”皮普欽太太走到床邊，在椅子上坐下來，說道。
'About me,' said Paul.
“我的情形，”保羅說道。
'No, no,' said Mrs Pipchin.
“不會告訴，不會告訴，”皮普欽太太說道。
'What do you think I mean to do when I grow up, Mrs Pipchin?' inquired Paul, turning his face towards her on his pillow, and resting his chin wistfully on his folded hands.
“皮普欽太太，您想我長大以后，我想做什么？”保羅在枕頭上轉過臉來對著他，并沉思地把下巴擱在他交叉的雙手上。
Mrs Pipchin couldn't guess.
皮普欽太太無法猜測。
'I mean,' said Paul, 'to put my money all together in one Bank, never try to get any more, go away into the country with my darling Florence, have a beautiful garden, fields, and woods, and live there with her all my life!'
“我想，”保羅說道，“把我所有的錢都存在一個銀行里，永遠不想再賺更多的錢，然后跟我親愛的弗洛倫斯離開城市到鄉下去，那里有一個美麗的花園，還有田野和森林，跟她在那里住一輩子！”
'Indeed!' cried Mrs Pipchin.
“真的嗎？”皮普欽太太喊道。
'Yes,' said Paul. 'That's what I mean to do, when I - ' He stopped, and pondered for a moment.
“是的，”保羅說道?！斑@就是我想做的，在我——”他停住了，然后沉思了一會兒。
Mrs Pipchin's grey eye scanned his thoughtful face.
皮普欽太太的灰色眼睛細看著他的若有所思的臉孔。
'If I grow up,' said Paul. Then he went on immediately to tell Mrs Pipchin all about the party, about Florence's invitation, about the pride he would have in the admiration that would be felt for her by all the boys, about their being so kind to him and fond of him, about his being so fond of them, and about his being so glad of it. Then he told Mrs Pipchin about the analysis, and about his being certainly old-fashioned, and took Mrs Pipchin's opinion on that point, and whether she knew why it was, and what it meant. Mrs Pipchin denied the fact altogether, as the shortest way of getting out of the difficulty; but Paul was far from satisfied with that reply, and looked so searchingly at Mrs Pipchin for a truer answer, that she was obliged to get up and look out of the window to avoid his eyes.
“如果我長大了，”保羅說道。然后他立刻接下去向皮普欽太太談到晚會的一切情形，談到邀請弗洛倫斯參加，談到他會由于所有的男孩子都會愛慕她而感到自豪，談到他們對他都很友善親切和都喜歡他，談到他很喜歡他們以及他為此而感到高興。然后他向皮普欽太太談到他的分析評語，談到他確實老氣，并想聽聽皮普欽太太對這一點的意見，和她是否知道為什么會這樣以及這意味著什么。皮普欽太太完全否認這一事實，以此作為她擺脫困境的捷徑。但是保羅對這一回答很不滿意，尋根究底地望著皮普欽太太，期待著她給一個真實一些的回答，因此她不得不站起來，望著窗外，來避開他的眼睛。
