The waiting-room of the celebrated Petersburg lawyer was full when Alexey Alexandrovitch entered it. —
当阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇走进这家著名的彼得堡律师的等候室时，里面已经挤满了人。 —

Three ladies–an old lady, a young lady, and a merchant’s wife–and three gentlemen– one a German banker with a ring on his finger, the second a merchant with a beard, and the third a wrathful-looking government clerk in official uniform, with a cross on his neck– had obviously been waiting a long while already. —
显然，已经有三位女士（一位老太太、一位年轻女士和一个商人的妻子）和三位男士（其中一位是插着戒指的德国银行家，第二位是长着胡子的商人，第三位是一位愤怒的官员，身穿正式制服，脖子上戴着十字架）在等候已久。 —

Two clerks were writing at tables with scratching pens. —
两名办公室职员正在桌旁写字，笔尖发出刺耳的声音。 —

The appurtenances of the writing-tables, about which Alexey Alexandrovitch was himself very fastidious, were exceptionally good. —
桌子上的配备物品非常好，而亚历山德罗维奇本人对此非常挑剔。 —

He could not help observing this. One of the clerks, without getting up, turned wrathfully to Alexey Alexandrovitch, half closing his eyes. —
他不禁注意到这一点。其中一位职员，不起身，愤怒地看着亚历山德罗维奇，眼睛半闭。 —

“What are you wanting?”
“你要什么事？”

He replied that he had to see the lawyer on some business.
他回答说他有要事要见律师。

“He is engaged,” the clerk responded severely, and he pointed with his pen at the persons waiting, and went on writing.
“他在忙”，职员严厉地回答道，并用笔指着等候的人，然后继续写字。

“Can’t he spare time to see me?” said Alexey Alexandrovitch.
“难道他没时间见我？”亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇说道。

“He has not time free; he is always busy. Kindly wait your turn.”
“他没有空闲时间，他总是很忙。请耐心等候。”

“Then I must trouble you to give him my card,” Alexey Alexandrovitch said with dignity, seeing the impossibility of preserving his incognito.
“那么请您帮我把我的名片给他，”亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇庄重地说道，意识到保持匿名的不可能性。

The clerk took the card and, obviously not approving of what he read on it, went to the door.
职员接过名片，明显对上面的内容不满意，走到门口。

Alexey Alexandrovitch was in principle in favor of the publicity of legal proceedings, though for some higher official considerations he disliked the application of the principle in Russia, and disapproved of it, as far as he could disapprove of anything instituted by authority of the Emperor. —
亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇原则上支持法律诉讼的公开，尽管出于某种更高级的官方考虑，他不喜欢在俄罗斯应用这一原则，并且对此持反对态度，尽管在权威机构的指令下他可以反对任何事物。 —

His whole life had been spent in administrative work, and consequently, when he did not approve of anything, his disapproval was softened by the recognition of the inevitability of mistakes and the possibility of reform in every department. —
他的一生都在行政工作中度过，因此，当他不赞同某件事情时，他的不赞同会因认识到错误的不可避免性和每个部门改革的可能性而变得缓和。 —

In the new public law courts he disliked the restrictions laid on the lawyers conducting cases. —
在新的公共法庭中，他不喜欢对执业律师施加的限制。 —

But till then he had had nothing to do with the law courts, and so had disapproved of their publicity simply in theory; —
但在那之前，他与法院没有任何接触，所以他只是理论上不赞成他们的公开； —

now his disapprobation was strengthened by the unpleasant impression made on him in the lawyer’s waiting room.
现在他在律师等候室的令人不悦印象加强了他的不赞同。

“Coming immediately,” said the clerk; and two minutes later there did actually appear in the doorway the large figure of an old solicitor who had been consulting with the lawyer himself.
“马上就来，”办事员说着，两分钟后，确实出现了一个与律师本人商讨过的老律师的高大身影。

The lawyer was a little, squat, bald man, with a dark, reddish beard, light-colored long eyebrows, and an overhanging brow. —
律师是一个矮小、光头、留着深红色胡子的人，长着浅色长眉毛和突出的额骨。 —

He was attired as though for a wedding, from his cravat to his double watch-chain and varnished boots. —
他的着装好像是参加婚礼一样，从领结到双重表链再到涂有光泽的靴子。 —

His face was clever and manly, but his dress was dandified and in bad taste.
他的脸聪明而阳刚，但他的打扮过于浮华，品味不佳。

“Pray walk in,” said the lawyer, addressing Alexey Alexandrovitch; —
“请进，”律师对着亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇说； —

and, gloomily ushering Karenin in before him, he closed the door.
他忧郁地在前面引导着卡列宁进来，然后关上了门。

“Won’t you sit down?” He indicated an armchair at a writing table covered with papers. —
“坐吧，”他指着一个桌上摆满纸张的写字台上的扶手椅说。 —

He sat down himself, and, rubbing his little hands with short fingers covered with white hairs, he bent his head on one side. —
他自己坐下来，用布满白色毛发的短指头搓着小手，在一侧低下了头。 —

But as soon as he was settled in this position a moth flew over the table. —
但刚一安定在这个位置上，一只飞蛾飞过了桌子上。 —

The lawyer, with a swiftness that could never have been expected of him, opened his hands, caught the moth, and resumed his former attitude.
律师以一种人们无法预料到的迅速动作张开手，捉住了飞蛾，然后重新摆好原来的姿势。

“Before beginning to speak of my business,” said Alexey Alexandrovitch, following the lawyer’s movements with wondering eyes, “I ought to observe that the business about which I have to speak to you is to be strictly private.”
“在开始谈论我的事情之前,” Alexey Alexandrovitch说道，在惊异的眼神注视之下，他继续说道，“我应该观察到，我要和你谈的事情必须是严格保密的。”

The lawyer’s overhanging reddish mustaches were parted in a scarcely perceptible smile.
律师的红色大胡子微微分开，露出了一个几乎察觉不到的微笑。

“I should not be a lawyer if I could not keep the secrets confided to me. —
“如果我不能保守向我的信任者托付的秘密，我就不配做一个律师。” —

But if you would like proof…”
但是如果你需要证明的话…

Alexey Alexandrovitch glanced at his face, and saw that the shrewd, gray eyes were laughing, and seemed to know all about it already.
Alexey Alexandrovitch瞥了一眼他的脸，看到机智的灰色双眼在笑，好像早已知道一切。

“You know my name?” Alexey Alexandrovitch resumed.
“你知道我的名字？” Alexey Alexandrovitch继续说道。

“I know you and the good”–again he caught a moth–“work you are doing, like every Russian,” said the lawyer, bowing.
“我知道你和好—又抓住了一只飞蛾—你正在做的工作，就像每一个俄国人一样，”律师说着，鞠躬致意。

Alexey Alexandrovitch sighed, plucking up his courage. —
亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇叹了口气，鼓起勇气。 —

But having once made up his mind he went on in his shrill voice, without timidity–or hesitation, accentuating here and there a word.
但一旦下定决心，他就毫不胆怯地用尖锐的声音继续说话，没有迟疑，在某些地方强调某个词语。

“I have the misfortune,” Alexey Alexandrovitch began, “to have been deceived in my married life, and I desire to break off all relations with my wife by legal means–that is, to be divorced, but to do this so that my son may not remain with his mother.”
“我很不幸”，亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇开始说道，“在我的婚姻生活中被欺骗了，我希望通过法律手段与我的妻子断绝一切关系—也就是说，离婚，但是这样做的目的是为了让我的儿子不和他的母亲在一起。”

The lawyer’s gray eyes tried not to laugh, but they were dancing with irrepressible glee, and Alexey Alexandrovitch saw that it was not simply the delight of a man who has just got a profitable job: —
律师的灰色眼睛努力不笑，但它们却跳动着难以抑制的欢乐，亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇看到，这不仅仅是一个刚刚得到有利工作的男人的喜悦：这是胜利和快乐，眼中闪烁着他在妻子眼中见到的邪恶的光芒。 —

there was triumph and joy, there was a gleam like the malignant gleam he saw in his wife’s eyes.
“你希望我帮助你解决离婚问题？”

“You desire my assistance in securing a divorce?”
亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇想离婚的愿望来源于自己被欺骗的婚姻生活，他希望通过法律手段与妻子断绝一切关系，并且让儿子不再与母亲一起生活。

“Yes, precisely so; but I ought to warn you that I may be wasting your time and attention. —
“是的，确实是这样，但我必须提醒你，我可能在浪费你的时间和注意力。 —

I have come simply to consult you as a preliminary step. —
我只是来寻求你的咨询作为一个初步步骤。 —

I want a divorce, but the form in which it is possible is of great consequence to me. —
我想要离婚，但离婚的形式对我来说非常重要。 —

It is very possible that if that form does not correspond with my requirements I may give up a legal divorce.”
如果这种形式不符合我的要求，我很有可能放弃法律离婚。”

“Oh, that’s always the case,” said the lawyer, “and that’s always for you to decide.”
“噢，这种情况总是这样，”律师说道，”而且这总是由你来决定。”

He let his eyes rest on Alexey Alexandrovitch’s feet, feeling that he might offend his client by the sight of his irrepressible amusement. —
他盯着阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇的脚看，觉得自己可能会因为乐不可支而冒犯到他的委托人。 —

He looked at a moth that flew before his nose, and moved his hands, but did not catch it from regard for Alexey Alexandrovitch’s position.
他看着一只飞在他面前的飞蛾，挥动着手，但出于对阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇地位的敬意，没有抓住它。

“Though in their general features our laws on this subject are known to me,” pursued Alexey Alexandrovitch, “I should be glad to have an idea of the forms in which such things are done in practice.”
“尽管我对这个问题的普遍特点是了解的，”阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇继续说道，”我还是很想了解这种事情在实践中是如何进行的形式。”

“You would be glad,” the lawyer, without lifting his eyes, responded, adopting, with a certain satisfaction, the tone of his client’s remarks, “for me to lay before you all the methods by which you could secure what you desire?”
“你肯定会很高兴的，”律师没有抬起眼睛回答道，满意地采纳了客户的言辞语气，“如果我向您详细说明如何获得您所期望的，您会感到满意吗？”

And on receiving an assuring nod from Alexey Alexandrovitch, he went on, stealing a glance now and then at Alexey Alexandrovitch’s face, which was growing red in patches.
得到Alexey Alexandrovitch 确定的点头回应后，他继续说着，时不时偷偷瞥一眼Alexey Alexandrovitch脸上正变得红红的。

“Divorce by our laws,” he said, with a slight shade of disapprobation of our laws, “is possible, as you are aware, in the following cases. —
“我们法律规定的离婚，”他带着些许不满地对我们的法律表示，“可能在以下情况下进行。 —

… Wait a little!” he called to a clerk who put his head in at the door, but he got up all the same, said a few words to him, and sat down again. —
…稍等！”他对一个探头进门的职员喊道，但他还是站起来，与他说了几句话，然后再次坐下。 —

”…In the following cases: physical defect in the married parties, desertion without communication for five years,” he said, crooking a short finger covered with hair, “adultery” (this word he pronounced with obvious satisfaction), “subdivided as follows” (he continued to crook his fat fingers, though the three cases and their subdivisions could obviously not be classified together): —
“……在以下情况下：夫妇身体缺陷，无来往沟通的离弃达五年之久，”他说着，用毛发盖住的短指头弯曲了一下，“通奸”（他明显地满意地念出这个词），“细分如下”（尽管这三种情况及其细分显然无法归为一类）， —

“physical defect of the husband or of the wife, adultery of the husband or of the wife.” —
“丈夫或妻子的身体缺陷，丈夫或妻子的通奸。” —

As by now all his fingers were used up, he uncrooked all his fingers and went on: —
由于他五指都已使用完，他将手指都伸直了然后继续说： —

“This is the theoretical view; but I imagine you have done me the honor to apply to me in order to learn its application in practice. —
“这是理论观点；但我想您给予我这个荣幸是为了了解其在实践中的应用。 —

And therefore, guided by precedents, I must inform you that in practice cases of divorce may all be reduced to the following– there’s no physical defect, I may assume, nor desertion?…”
因此，根据先例的指导，我必须告诉您，在实践中，离婚案件都可以归纳为以下几种情况——没有身体缺陷，我可以假设，也没有离弃？…”

Alexey Alexandrovitch bowed his head in assent.
阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇低头表示同意。

”–May be reduced to the following: adultery of one of the married parties, and the detection in the fact of the guilty party by mutual agreement, and failing such agreement, accidental detection. —
“也许可以简化为以下几点：夫妻一方通奸，并由双方协议或意外发现该罪行。 —

It must be admitted that the latter case is rarely met with in practice,” said the lawyer, and stealing a glance at Alexey Alexandrovitch he paused, as a man selling pistols, after enlarging on the advantages of each weapon, might await his customer’s choice. —
必须承认实践中很少遇到后一种情况，”律师说道，他偷偷瞥了一眼Alexey Alexandrovitch，然后停下来，就像一个销售手枪的人，在详述每种武器的优点之后等待顾客的选择。 —

But Alexey Alexandrovitch said nothing, and therefore the lawyer went on: —
但是亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇没有说话，所以律师继续说： —

“The most usual and simple, the sensible course, I consider, is adultery by mutual consent. —
“我认为最常见、最简单、最明智的做法是达成互相同意的通奸。 —

I should not permit myself to express it so, speaking with a man of no education,” he said, “but I imagine that to you this is comprehensible.”
如果不是和一个没有受过教育的人讲话，我不会这样表达，”他说，”但我想你能理解。

Alexey Alexandrovitch was, however, so perturbed that he did not immediately comprehend all the good sense of adultery by mutual consent, and his eyes expressed this uncertainty; —
然而，亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇如此困扰，以至于他并没有立刻理解互相同意的通奸的全部合理性，他的眼神表达了这种不确定性。 —

but the lawyer promptly came to his assistance.
然而律师立即前来帮助他。

“People cannot go on living together–here you have a fact. —
“人们不能继续共同生活 - 这是一个事实。 —

And if both are agreed about it, the details and formalities become a matter of no importance. —
如果双方都同意，细节和形式就变得无关紧要了。 —

And at the same time this is the simplest and most certain method.”
同时，这是最简单和最确定的方法。”

Alexey Alexandrovitch fully understood now. —
阿列克谢·亚历山德罗维奇现在完全明白了。 —

But he had religious scruples, which hindered the execution of such a plan.
但是他有宗教上的顾虑，这妨碍了这个计划的实施。

“That is out of the question in the present case,” he said. —
“在目前的情况下是不可能的，”他说。 —

“Only one alternative is possible: undesigned detection, supported by letters which I have.”
“只有一个可行的选择：无意中发现，并有我拥有的信件作为支持。”

At the mention of letters the lawyer pursed up his lips, and gave utterance to a thin little compassionate and contemptuous sound.
一提到信件，律师咂了咂嘴，发出了一声薄而怜悯的声音。

“Kindly consider,” he began, “cases of that kind are, as you are aware, under ecclesiastical jurisdiction; —
“请考虑一下，”他开始说， “那种情况下的案例，正如您所知，属于教会法庭的管辖范围； —

the reverend fathers are fond of going into the minutest details in cases of that kind,” he said with a smile, which betrayed his sympathy with the reverend fathers’ taste. —
教士们喜欢对这种案例的最细节进行深入研究，”他笑着说道，透露出他对教士们喜好的同情。 —

“Letters may, of course, be a partial confirmation; —
“信件当然可以作为部分证实； —

but detection in the fact there must be of the most direct kind, that is, by eyewitnesses. —
但是要在现实中探明事实，就必须找到最直接的证人。 —

In fact, if you do me the honor to intrust your confidence to me, you will do well to leave me the choice of the measures to be employed. —
实际上，如果你能将信任寄予我，最好是让我选择具体的措施。 —

If one wants the result, one must admit the means.”
如果想要结果，就必须承认手段。”

“If it is so…” Alexey Alexandrovitch began, suddenly turning white; —
“如果是这样的话…” 亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇突然变得苍白无色； —

but at that moment the lawyer rose and again went to the door to speak to the intruding clerk.
但就在那一刻，律师站起身再次走向门口去对那个打扰的接待员说话。

“Tell her we don’t haggle over fees!” he said, and returned to Alexey Alexandrovitch.
“告诉她我们不会为费用争论不休！” 他说完后，返回亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇面前。

On his way back he caught unobserved another moth. —
在他返回的路上，他偷偷地抓住了另一只蛾子。 —

“Nice state my rep curtains will be in by the summer!” —
“夏天时，我的声誉窗帘将会处于非常好的状态！” —

he thought, frowning.
他皱着眉头想道。

“And so you were saying?…” he said.
“所以你刚才在说什么？”他说。

“I will communicate my decision to you by letter,” said Alexey Alexandrovitch, getting up, and he clutched at the table. —
“我将用信函通知你我的决定。”亚历克谢·亚历山德罗维奇站起身，紧紧攥住桌子。 —

After standing a moment in silence, he said: —
在沉默片刻后，他说道： —

“From your words I may consequently conclude that a divorce may be obtained? —
“根据你的话，我可以得出结论，离婚是可能的？” —

I would ask you to let me know what are your terms.”
“如果你给我完全的行动自由，那么离婚是可以实现的。”律师回答道，没有回答他的问题。

“It may be obtained if you give me complete liberty of action,” said the lawyer, not answering his question. —
“那么，我何时能收到你的信息？” —

“When can I reckon on receiving information from you?” —
他朝门口走去，眼睛和抛光的靴子闪闪发光。 —

he asked, moving towards the door, his eyes and his varnished boots shining.
“一周之后。请你告知我，你是否愿意接手这个案子，以及你的条件。”

“In a week’s time. Your answer as to whether you will undertake to conduct the case, and on what terms, you will be so good as to communicate to me.”
“非常好。”

“Very good.”
“感谢您的合作。”

The lawyer bowed respectfully, let his client out of the door, and, left alone, gave himself up to his sense of amusement. —
律师恭敬地鞠了一躬，让他的客户出去了，然后，独自一人，他陷入了自己的娱乐之中。 —

He felt so mirthful that, contrary to his rules, he made a reduction in his terms to the haggling lady, and gave up catching moths, finally deciding that next winter he must have the furniture covered with velvet, like Sigonin’s.
他觉得很开心，违反自己的规定，给了那位争论不休的女士一个优惠，并且放弃了捕捉飞蛾，最后决定下个冬天必须让家具像西戈宁的家具一样都覆盖上天鹅绒。