The following conversation, which took place between the two friends in the pump-room one morning, after an acquaintance of eight or nine days, is given as a specimen of their very warm attachment, and of the delicacy, discretion, originality of thought, and literary taste which marked the reasonableness of that attachment.
They met by appointment; and as Isabella had arrived nearly five minutes before her friend, her first address naturally was, "My dearest creature, what can have made you so late? I have been waiting for you at least this age!"
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3
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“真的吗?太对不起了,我还以为我很及时呢。才刚刚一点,但愿没让你久等。”
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3
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"Have you, indeed! I am very sorry for it; but really I thought I was in very good time. It is but just one. I hope you have not been here long?"
"Oh! These ten ages at least. I am sure I have been here this half hour. But now, let us go and sit down at the other end of the room, and enjoy ourselves. I have an hundred things to say to you. In the first place, I was so afraid it would rain this morning, just as I wanted to set off; it looked very showery, and that would have thrown me into agonies! Do you know, I saw the prettiest hat you can imagine, in a shop window in Milsom Street just now -- very like yours, only with coquelicot ribbons instead of green; I quite longed for it. But, my dearest Catherine, what have you been doing with yourself all this morning? Have you gone on with Udolpho?"
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5
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“是的,早上一醒来就在看。已经看到黑纱幔那儿了。”
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5
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"Yes, I have been reading it ever since I woke; and I am got to the black veil."
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6
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“真的吗?多有意思啊!哦!我说什么也不告诉你那黑纱幔后面罩着什么!难道你不急于想知道吗?”
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6
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"Are you, indeed? How delightful! Oh! I would not tell you what is behind the black veil for the world! Are not you wild to know?"
"Oh! Yes, quite; what can it be? But do not tell me -- I would not be told upon any account. I know it must be a skeleton, I am sure it is Laurentina's skeleton. Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it. I assure you, if it had not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it for all the world."
"Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of the same kind for you."
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9
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“真的!那可太好了!都是些什么书?”
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9
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"Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?"
"I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest, Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some time."
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11
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“是的,真是太好了。不过,这些书都很恐怖吗?你肯定它们都很恐怖吗?”
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11
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"Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?"
"Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them. I wish you knew Miss Andrews, you would be delighted with her. She is netting herself the sweetest cloak you can conceive. I think her as beautiful as an angel, and I am so vexed with the men for not admiring her! I scold them all amazingly about it."
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13
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“责骂他们?你能因为他们不爱慕她,就大加责骂?”
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13
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"Scold them! Do you scold them for not admiring her?"
"Yes, that I do. There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature. My attachments are always excessively strong. I told Captain Hunt at one of our assemblies this winter that if he was to tease me all night, I would not dance with him, unless he would allow Miss Andrews to be as beautiful as an angel. The men think us incapable of real friendship, you know, and I am determined to show them the difference. Now, if I were to hear anybody speak slightingly of you, I should fire up in a moment: but that is not at all likely, for you are just the kind of girl to be a great favourite with the men."
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15
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“噢,天哪!”凯瑟琳红着脸嚷道,“你怎么能这么说呢?”
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15
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"Oh, dear!" cried Catherine, colouring. "How can you say so?"
"I know you very well; you have so much animation, which is exactly what Miss Andrews wants, for I must confess there is something amazinglyinsipid about her. Oh! I must tell you, that just after we parted yesterday, I saw a young man looking at you so earnestly -- I am sure he is in love with you." Catherine coloured, and disclaimed again. Isabella laughed. "It is very true, upon my honour, but I see how it is; you are indifferent to everybody's admiration, except that of one gentleman, who shall be nameless. Nay, I cannot blame you" -- speaking more seriously -- "your feelings are easily understood. Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else. Everything is so insipid, so uninteresting, that does not relate to the beloved object! I can perfectly comprehend your feelings."
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17
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“不过,你别让我觉得自己就这么想念蒂尔尼先生,我兴许再也见不到他了。”
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17
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"But you should not persuade me that I think so very much about Mr. Tilney, for perhaps I may never see him again."
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18
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“再也见不到他了!我的宝贝,别这么说啦。你要是这么想,肯定要垂头丧气了。”
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18
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"Not see him again! My dearest creature, do not talk of it. I am sure you would be miserable if you thought so!"
"No, indeed, I should not. I do not pretend to say that I was not very much pleased with him; but while I have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make me miserable. Oh! The dreadful black veil! My dear Isabella, I am sure there must be Laurentina's skeleton behind it."
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20
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“我觉得真怪.你以前居然没看过《尤多尔弗》。不过我想,莫兰太太反对看小说。”
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20
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"It is so odd to me, that you should never have read Udolpho before; but I suppose Mrs. Morland objects to novels."
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21
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“不,她不反对。她自已就常看《查尔斯·格兰迪森爵士》。不过,新书落不到我们手里。”
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21
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"No, she does not. She very often reads Sir Charles Grandison herself; but new books do not fall in our way."
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22
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“《查尔斯·格兰迪森爵》!那是一部十分无聊的书,对不?我记得安德鲁斯小姐连第一卷都无法看完。”
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22
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"Sir Charles Grandison! That is an amazing horrid book, is it not? I remember Miss Andrews could not get through the first volume."
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23
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“它和《尤多尔弗》完全不同,不过我还是觉得很有趣。”
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23
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"It is not like Udolpho at all; but yet I think it is very entertaining."
"Do you indeed! You surprise me; I thought it had not been readable. But, my dearest Catherine, have you settled what to wear on your head tonight? I am determined at all events to be dressed exactly like you. The men take notice of that sometimes, you know."
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25
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“他们注意有什么关系?”凯瑟琳十分天真地说。
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25
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"But it does not signify if they do," said Catherine, very innocently.
"Signify! Oh, heavens! I make it a rule never to mind what they say. They are very often amazinglyimpertinent if you do not treat them with spirit, and make them keep their distance."
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27
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“是吗?这我可从没注意到。他们对我总是规规矩矩的。”
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27
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"Are they? Well, I never observed that. They always behave very well to me."
"Oh! They give themselves such airs. They are the most conceited creatures in the world, and think themselves of so much importance! By the by, though I have thought of it a hundred times, I have always forgot to ask you what is your favourite complexion in a man. Do you like them best dark or fair?"
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29
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“我也说不上。我没怎么想过这个问题。我想还是介乎两者之间的棕色最好,不白也不很黑。”
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29
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"I hardly know. I never much thought about it. Something between both, I think. Brown -- not fair, and -- and not very dark."
"Very well, Catherine. That is exactly he. I have not forgot your description of Mr. Tilney -- 'a brown skin, with dark eyes, and rather dark hair.' Well, my taste is different. I prefer light eyes, and as to complexion -- do you know -- I like a sallow better than any other. You must not betray me, if you should ever meet with one of your acquaintance answering that description."
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31
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“泄露你的天机!你这是什么意思?”
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31
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"Betray you! What do you mean?"
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32
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“得了,你别难为我啦。我看我说得太多了。我们别再谈这件事吧。”
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32
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"Nay, do not distress me. I believe I have said too much. Let us drop the subject."
Catherine, in some amazement, complied, and after remaining a few moments silent, was on the point of reverting to what interested her at that time rather more than anything else in the world, Laurentina's skeleton, when her friend prevented her, by saying, "For heaven's sake! Let us move away from this end of the room. Do you know, there are two odious young men who have been staring at me this half hour. They really put me quite out of countenance. Let us go and look at the arrivals. They will hardly follow us there."
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34
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她们走到来宾簿那儿。伊莎贝拉查看来宾登记的时候,凯瑟琳就负责监视那两个可怕的年轻人的行踪。
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34
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Away they walked to the book; and while Isabella examined the names, it was Catherine's employment to watch the proceedings of these alarming young men.
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35
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“他们没朝这边来吧?但愿他们别死皮赖脸地跟着我们。要是他们来了,你可要告诉我一声。我决不抬头。”
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35
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"They are not coming this way, are they? I hope they are not so impertinent as to follow us. Pray let me know if they are coming. I am determined I will not look up."
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36
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过了不久,凯瑟琳带着真挚的喜悦告诉伊莎贝拉,说她不必再感到不安了,因为那两个男的刚刚离开了矿泉厅。
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36
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In a few moments Catherine, with unaffected pleasure, assured her that she need not be longer uneasy, as the gentlemen had just left the pump-room.
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37
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“他们往哪边去了?”伊莎贝拉急忙转过身,问道,“有个小伙子长得还真漂亮。”
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37
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"And which way are they gone?" said Isabella, turning hastily round. "One was a very good-looking young man."
"Well, I am amazingly glad I have got rid of them! And now, what say you to going to Edgar's Buildings with me, and looking at my new hat? You said you should like to see it."
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40
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凯瑟琳欣然同意了。“只是,”她补充说,“我们或许会赶上那两个年轻人的。”
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40
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Catherine readily agreed. "Only," she added, "perhaps we may overtake the two young men."
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41
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“哎!别管那个。我们要是赶得快,马上就能超过他们。我一心急着让你看帽子呢。”
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41
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"Oh! Never mind that. If we make haste, we shall pass by them presently, and I am dying to show you my hat."
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42
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“不过,我们只要再等几分钟,压根儿就不会再碰见他们。”
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42
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"But if we only wait a few minutes, there will be no danger of our seeing them at all."
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43
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“老实对你说吧,我才不这样抬举他们呢。我对男人就不这么敬重。那只会把他们宠坏。”
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43
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"I shall not pay them any such compliment, I assure you. I have no notion of treating men with such respect. That is the way to spoil them."
Catherine had nothing to oppose against such reasoning; and therefore, to show the independence of Miss Thorpe, and her resolution of humbling the sex, they set off immediately as fast as they could walk, in pursuit of the two young men.