The particulars which the princess had learned in regard to Varenka’s past and her relations with Madame Stahl were as follows:
公主了解到瓦伦卡的过去以及她与斯塔尔夫人的关系的细节如下：

Madame Stahl, of whom some people said that she had worried her husband out of his life, while others said it was he who had made her wretched by his immoral behavior, had always been a woman of weak health and enthusiastic temperament. —
有人说斯塔尔夫人因为她出轨的行为而让她的丈夫病死，也有人说是她的丈夫的不道德行为让她非常痛苦。她一直是一个身体虚弱和狂热的女人。 —

When, after her separation from her husband, she gave birth to her only child, the child had died almost immediately, and the family of Madame Stahl, knowing her sensibility, and fearing the news would kill her, had substituted another child, a baby born the same night and in the same house in Petersburg, the daughter of the chief cook of the Imperial Household. —
当她与丈夫分居后，她生下了她唯一的孩子，但孩子几乎立即就去世了。斯塔尔夫人的家人知道她的敏感性，担心这个消息会让她崩溃，因此他们将另一个孩子代替了她，这个孩子是在同一天晚上在圣彼得堡的同一所房子里出生的，她是皇室厨师长的女儿。 —

This was Varenka. Madame Stahl learned later on that Varenka was not her own child, but she went on bringing her up, especially as very soon afterwards Varenka had not a relation of her own living. —
这个孩子就是瓦伦卡。斯塔尔夫人后来得知瓦伦卡不是她亲生的孩子，但她继续抚养着她，特别是因为瓦伦卡很快就没有了自己的亲人。 —

Madame Stahl had now been living more than ten years continuously abroad, in the south, never leaving her couch. —
Madame Stahl现在已经在国外连续生活了十多年，在南部，从未离开过沙发。 —

And some people said that Madame Stahl had made her social position as a philanthropic, highly religious woman; —
有些人说Madame Stahl把她的社会地位作为慈善、高度宗教的女性建立起来； —

other people said she really was at heart the highly ethical being, living for nothing but the good of her fellow creatures, which she represented herself to be. —
其他人说她真的是一个高度道德的人，为了她的同伴的利益而活着，她自己就是这么描述自己的。 —

No one knew what her faith was–Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox. —
没有人知道她的信仰是什么——天主教、新教还是东正教。 —

But one fact was indubitable–she was in amicable relations with the highest dignitaries of all the churches and sects.
但有一个事实是毋庸置疑的——她与各个教会和教派的最高领袖保持着友好的关系。

Varenka lived with her all the while abroad, and everyone who knew Madame Stahl knew and liked Mademoiselle Varenka, as everyone called her.
Varenka一直与她一起居住在国外，每个认识Madame Stahl的人都认识并喜欢上了Varenka，正如每个人都称呼她的那样。

Having learned all these facts, the princess found nothing to object to in her daughter’s intimacy with Varenka, more especially as Varenka’s breeding and education were of the best–she spoke French and English extremely well–and what was of the most weight, brought a message from Madame Stahl expressing her regret that she was prevented by her ill health from making the acquaintance of the princess.
在了解了所有这些事实后，公主对女儿与瓦仁卡的亲密关系没有异议，尤其是考虑到瓦仁卡的教养和教育是最好的-她的法语和英语说得非常好-最重要的是，她带来了一封斯塔尔夫人的来信，表达了她因病无法与公主见面的遗憾。

After getting to know Varenka, Kitty became more and more fascinated by her friend, and every day she discovered new virtues in her.
经过了解瓦仁卡之后，基蒂对她的朋友越来越着迷，每天都会发现她的新美德。

The princess, hearing that Varenka had a good voice, asked her to come and sing to them in the evening.
听说瓦仁卡有好声音，公主请她晚上来给他们唱歌。

“Kitty plays, and we have a piano, not a good one, it’s true, but you will give us so much pleasure,” said the princess with her affected smile, which Kitty disliked particularly just then, because she noticed that Varenka had no inclination to sing. —
“基蒂会弹琴，我们有一架钢琴，虽然不好，但你会给我们带来很多快乐的，”公主带着她那做作的微笑说道。基蒂现在对此特别讨厌，因为她注意到瓦仁卡并不想唱歌。 —

Varenka came, however, in the evening and brought a roll of music with her. —
然而，瓦仁卡晚上还是来了，还带了一卷乐谱。 —

The princess had invited Marya Yevgenyevna and her daughter and the colonel.
公主邀请了玛丽亚·叶芙根尼耶夫娜以及她的女儿和上校。

Varenka seemed quite unaffected by there being persons present she did not know, and she went directly to the piano. —
瓦伦卡似乎对场上有她不认识的人并不受影响，她直接走到钢琴跟前。 —

She could not accompany herself, but she could sing music at sight very well. —
她不能自己伴奏，但是她可以很好地即席演唱。 —

Kitty, who played well, accompanied her.
弹得不错的基蒂伴奏她。

“You have an extraordinary talent,” the princess said to her after Varenka had sung the first song extremely well.
“你有非凡的才华，”公主在瓦伦卡演唱完第一首歌后对她说。

Marya Yevgenyevna and her daughter expressed their thanks and admiration.
玛丽亚·叶芙根尼耶夫娜和她的女儿表示感谢和赞赏。

“Look,” said the colonel, looking out of the window, “what an audience has collected to listen to you.” —
“看，”上校指着窗外说道，”一大群人聚集在窗下来听你唱歌。” —

There actually was quite a considerable crowd under the windows.
窗外实际上聚集了相当多的人群。

“I am very glad it gives you pleasure,” Varenka answered simply.
“我很高兴你喜欢，”瓦伦卡简单地回答道。

Kitty looked with pride at her friend. She was enchanted by her talent, and her voice and her face, but most of all by her manner, by the way Varenka obviously thought nothing of her singing and was quite unmoved by their praises. —
基蒂自豪地看着她的朋友。她被她的才华、她的声音和她的脸所迷住，但更多的是她的态度，瓦伦卡显然对自己的歌唱毫不在乎，对他们的赞美也不为所动。 —

She seemed only to be asking: “Am I to sing again, or is that enough?”
她似乎只是在问：”我要再唱一次吗，还是已经够了？”

“If it had been I,” thought Kitty, “how proud I should have been! —
“如果是我，”凯蒂心想，“我会多自豪啊！” —

How delighted I should have been to see that crowd under the windows! —
看到窗外那么多人群，我会多高兴啊！ —

But she’s utterly unmoved by it. Her only motive is to avoid refusing and to please mamma. —
但她对此完全无动于衷。她唯一的动机是避免拒绝并取悦妈妈。 —

What is there in her? What is it gives her the power to look down on everything, to be calm independently of everything? —
她身上有什么特质？是什么让她能够看不起一切，独立于一切的冷静？ —

How I should like to know it and to learn it of her!” thought Kitty, gazing into her serene face. —
我多想知道，并向她学习！”凯蒂望着她宁静的面容想到。 —

The princess asked Varenka to sing again, and Varenka sang another song, also smoothly, distinctly, and well, standing erect at the piano and beating time on it with her thin, dark-skinned hand.
公主请求瓦连卡再唱一次，瓦连卡站在钢琴前，用纤细的棕色手在上面敲节奏，唱起了另一首歌，依然流畅、清晰而出色。

The next song in the book was an Italian one. —
接下来的一首歌是一首意大利歌曲。 —

Kitty played the opening bars, and looked round at Varenka.
凯蒂弹奏起开头的几个音符，望向瓦连卡。

“Let’s skip that,” said Varenka, flushing a little. —
“我们跳过那首吧，”瓦连卡微微脸红地说。 —

Kitty let her eyes rest on Varenka’s face, with a look of dismay and inquiry.
凯蒂惊讶地看着瓦连卡的脸，带着疑问的表情。

“Very well, the next one,” she said hurriedly, turning over the pages, and at once feeling that there was something connected with the song.
“好吧，下一个。”她匆忙地说着，翻开了书页，立刻感觉到这首歌与某件事有关。

“No,” answered Varenka with a smile, laying her hand on the music, “no, let’s have that one.” —
“不，”瓦伦卡微笑着回答，把手放在乐谱上，“不，我们来唱这首。” —

And she sang it just as quietly, as coolly, and as well as the others.
她唱得和其他人一样轻轻地、冷静地，也同样出色。

When she had finished, they all thanked her again, and went off to tea. —
当她唱完时，大家再次感谢她，然后去喝茶了。 —

Kitty and Varenka went out into the little garden that adjoined the house.
凯蒂和瓦伦卡走出了紧邻房子的小花园。

“Am I right, that you have some reminiscences connected with that song?” —
“我没错吧，那首歌和你有一些回忆联系吧？” —

said Kitty. “Don’t tell me,” she added hastily, “only say if I’m right.”

“No, why not? I’ll tell you simply,” said Varenka, and, without waiting for a reply, she went on: —
凯蒂说。“不要告诉我，”她匆忙地补充道，“只要告诉我我猜对了没有。” —

“Yes, it brings up memories, once painful ones. —
“不，为什么不呢？我会简单地告诉你的。”瓦伦卡说着，不等回答，继续说道： —

I cared for someone once, and I used to sing him that song.”
“是的，它唤起了一些曾经痛苦的回忆。

Kitty with big, wide-open eyes gazed silently, sympathetically at Varenka.
我曾经喜欢过一个人，我曾经给他唱过那首歌。”

“I cared for him, and he cared for me; but his mother did not wish it, and he married another girl. —
凯蒂睁大了眼睛，默默地、同情地看着瓦伦卡。 —

He’s living now not far from us, and I see him sometimes. —
他现在离我们不远，我有时候能见到他。 —

You didn’t think I had a love story too,” she said, and there was a faint gleam in her handsome face of that fire which Kitty felt must once have glowed all over her.
“你没想到我也有一个爱情故事”，她说道，她帅气的脸上闪烁着一丝往日的热情，凯蒂感觉她曾经全身散发着的那种火焰。

“I didn’t think so? Why, if I were a man, I could never care for anyone else after knowing you. —
“我没那么想吗？如果我是一个男人，在认识你之后我永远不会爱上别人。 —

Only I can’t understand how he could, to please his mother, forget you and make you unhappy; he had no heart.”
只是我不明白他怎么能为了取悦他的母亲而忘记你，让你不开心；他没有心。”

“Oh, no, he’s a very good man, and I’m not unhappy; quite the contrary, I’m very happy. —
“哦，不，他是个很好的人，我也不不开心；相反，我很快乐。 —

Well, so we shan’t be singing any more now,” she added, turning towards the house.
好了，所以我们现在不再唱歌了，”她转身朝房子走去。

“How good you are! how good you are!” cried Kitty, and stopping her, she kissed her. —
“你真好！你真好！”凯蒂喊道，她拦住她，亲吻了她。 —

“If I could only be even a little like you!”
“如果我能像你一点儿就好了！”

“Why should you be like anyone? You’re nice as you are,” said Varenka, smiling her gentle, weary smile.
“你为什么要像别人一样？你现在就挺好的，”瓦伦卡微笑着说，带着温和而疲倦的笑容。

“No, I’m not nice at all. Come, tell me…. Stop a minute, let’s sit down,” said Kitty, making her sit down again beside her. —
“不，我一点也不好。来吧，告诉我……等一下，让我们坐下来。”凯蒂说着，又让她坐在自己身边。 —

“Tell me, isn’t it humiliating to think that a man has disdained your love, that he hasn’t cared for it?…”
“告诉我，难道想到一个男人看不起你的爱情，对它不在乎，不觉得羞辱吗？…”

“But he didn’t disdain it; I believe he cared for me, but he was a dutiful son…”
“但他并没有看不起，我相信他在乎我，只是作为一个尽职尽责的儿子…”

“Yes, but if it hadn’t been on account of his mother, if it had been his own doing?. —
“是的，但如果不是因为他母亲的缘故，如果是他自己的决定呢？” —

..” said Kitty, feeling she was giving away her secret, and that her face, burning with the flush of shame, had betrayed her already.
基蒂感到自己泄露了秘密，她的脸因为羞耻而发烫，她说道。

“I that case he would have done wrong, and I should not have regretted him,” answered Varenka, evidently realizing that they were now talking not of her, but of Kitty.
“那样的话，他就错了，我不会为他感到遗憾，”瓦连卡回答说，显然意识到她们现在谈论的并不是她自己，而是基蒂。

“But the humiliation,” said Kitty, “the humiliation one can never forget, can never forget,” she said, remembering her look at the last ball during the pause in the music.
“但是羞辱啊，”基蒂说道，“羞辱是永远无法忘记的，永远无法忘记。”她想起了在最后一次舞会上音乐间隙中的那个眼神。

“Where is the humiliation? Why, you did nothing wrong?”
“羞辱在哪里？为什么，你并没有做错什么？”

“Worse than wrong–shameful.”
“比错更坏–可耻。”

Varenka shook her head and laid her hand on Kitty’s hand.
瓦连卡摇了摇头，把手放在基蒂的手上。

“Why, what is there shameful?” she said. “You didn’t tell a man, who didn’t care for you, that you loved him, did you?”
“为什么，有什么可羞耻的？”她说。“你没有告诉一个不在乎你的男人，你爱他，对吗？”

“Of course not, I never said a word, but he knew it. —
“当然不是，我从来没说过一句话，但他知道。” —

No, no, there are looks, there are ways; —
“不，不，有眼神，有方式； —

I can’t forget it, if I live a hundred years.”
“我永远不会忘记，就算我活到一百岁。”

“Why so? I don’t understand. The whole point is whether you love him now or not,” said Varenka, who called everything by its name.
“为什么呢？我不明白。关键是你现在是否爱他，”瓦连卡说，她总是直言不讳。

“I hate him; I can’t forgive myself.”
“我恨他；我不能原谅自己。”

“Why, what for?”
“为什么呢？”

“The shame, the humiliation!”
“那种羞辱，那种屈辱！”

“Oh! if everyone were as sensitive as you are!” said Varenka. —
“哦！如果每个人都像你这么敏感！”瓦连卡说。 —

“There isn’t a girl who hasn’t been through the same. —
“没有一个女孩没有经历过同样的事情。 —

And it’s all so unimportant.”
“那些都不重要。”

“Why, what is important?” said Kitty, looking into her face with inquisitive wonder.
“为什么呢？”凯蒂好奇地看着她的脸。

“Oh, there’s so much that’s important,” said Varenka, smiling.
“哦，有很多事情很重要，”瓦连卡微笑着说。

“Why, what?”
“为什么呢？”

“Oh, so much that’s more important,” answered Varenka, not knowing what to say. —
“哦，有很多更重要的事情，”瓦连卡回答说，不知道该说什么。 —

But at that instant they heard the princess’s voice from the window. —
但就在这一瞬间，他们听到了公主从窗口传来的声音。 —

“Kitty, it’s cold! Either get a shawl, or come indoors.”
“凯蒂，天很冷！要么拿个披肩，要么进屋吧。”

“It really is time to go in!” said Varenka, getting up. —
“真的是该进屋了！”瓦伦卡站起来说道。 —

“I have to go on to Madame Berthe’s; she asked me to.”
“我还得去贝尔特夫人那里，她请我去。”

Kitty held her by the hand, and with passionate curiosity and entreaty her eyes asked her: —
凯蒂拉着她的手，用着热切的好奇和恳求的眼神询问她： —

“What is it, what is this of such importance that gives you such tranquillity? You know, tell me!” —
“这是什么，为什么这么重要，让你如此平静？你知道的，告诉我！” —

But Varenka did not even know what Kitty’s eyes were asking her. —
但瓦伦卡甚至不知道凯蒂的眼神在问她什么。 —

She merely thought that she had to go to see Madame Berthe too that evening, and to make haste home in time for maman’s tea at twelve o’clock. —
她只是觉得她也得去看看贝尔特夫人，今晚赶回家准时参加十二点的妈妈的茶会。 —

She went indoors, collected her music, and saying good-bye to everyone, was about to go.
她进屋后整理了自己的音乐，向每个人道别，就要走了。

“Allow me to see you home,” said the colonel.
“让我送你回家吧，”上校说。

“Yes, how can you go alone at night like this?” chimed in the princess. “Anyway, I’ll send Parasha.”
“对，你怎么能够这么晚一个人走呢？”公主接着说道，”不管怎样，我会派帕拉莎去的。”

Kitty saw that Varenka could hardly restrain a smile at the idea that she needed an escort.
凯蒂看到瓦伦卡几乎无法控制地笑了，因为她觉得自己需要一个护送人简直是个笑话。

“No, I always go about alone and nothing ever happens to me,” she said, taking her hat. —
“不，我总是一个人四处走动，从来没有什么事情发生。”她说着，戴上了帽子。 —

And kissing Kitty once more, without saying what was important, she stepped out courageously with the music under her arm and vanished into the twilight of the summer night, bearing away with her her secret of what was important and what gave her the calm and dignity so much to be envied.
她再次亲吻了凯蒂，没有说出举足轻重的事情，她勇敢地带着音乐走出去，消失在夏夜的暮色中，带走了她重要的秘密，赋予自己平静和庄重，让人羡慕不已。