ON the red velvet seat of a first-class railway carriage a pretty lady sits half reclining. —-
在一节头等铁路车厢的红天鹅绒座位上，一位漂亮的女士半躺着坐着。 —-

An expensive fluffy fan trembles in her tightly closed fingers, a pince-nez keeps dropping off her pretty little nose, the brooch heaves and falls on her bosom, like a boat on the ocean. —-
她紧闭的手指中握着一把昂贵的蓬松扇子，鼻梁上还戴着一副圆形眼镜，不停地掉下，胸前的胸针像船在海洋上一样起伏。 —-

She is greatly agitated.
她非常激动。

On the seat opposite sits the Provincial Secretary of Special Commissions, a budding young author, who from time to time publishes long stories of high life, or “Novelli” as he calls them, in the leading paper of the province. —-
对面的座位上坐着省特别委员会的秘书，一个崭露头角的年轻作家，他时常在省内主要报纸上发表关于上流社会的长篇故事，或者称之为“诺维利”。 —-

He is gazing into her face, gazing intently, with the eyes of a connoisseur. —-
他凝视着她的脸，专注地凝视着，眼中透露出一个鉴赏家的眼神。 —-

He is watching, studying, catching every shade of this exceptional, enigmatic nature. —-
他正在观察、研究，抓住这位与众不同、神秘的人性的每一个细微之处。 —-

He understands it, he fathoms it. Her soul, her whole psychology lies open before him.
他理解它，深入领悟。她的灵魂，她整个的心理都展现在他面前。

“Oh, I understand, I understand you to your inmost depths! —-
“噢，我理解，我深入理解你！ —-

” says the Secretary of Special Commissions, kissing her hand near the bracelet. —-
“说着，特别委员会的秘书亲吻着她手腕上的手镯。 —-

“Your sensitive, responsive soul is seeking to escape from the maze of —— Yes, the struggle is terrific, titanic. —-
“你敏感而善感的灵魂正在试图逃离迷宫——是的，斗争是惊人的，巨大的。 —-

But do not lose heart, you will be triumphant! Yes!”
但不要失去信心，你将会胜利！是的！”

“Write about me, Voldemar!” says the pretty lady, with a mournful smile. —-
“写一篇关于我，沃尔德马！”漂亮的女士带着哀伤的微笑说道。 —-

“My life has been so full, so varied, so chequered. Above all, I am unhappy. —-
“我的人生如此充实、如此多变、如此曲折。最重要的是，我是不幸的。 —-

I am a suffering soul in some page of Dostoevsky. Reveal my soul to the world, Voldemar. —-
“我是陀思妥耶夫斯基某一页上受苦的灵魂。揭示我的灵魂给世界看，沃尔德马。 —-

Reveal that hapless soul. You are a psychologist. —-
“展现那个不幸的灵魂。你是一位心理学家。” —-

We have not been in the train an hour together, and you have already fathomed my heart.”
我们一起在火车上还没坐了一个小时，你就已经洞悉了我的心思。

“Tell me! I beseech you, tell me!”
“告诉我！求求你，告诉我！”

“Listen. My father was a poor clerk in the Service. —-
“听着，我父亲是个穷苦的公务员。” —-

He had a good heart and was not without intelligence; —-
他心地善良，也不乏聪明才智； —-

but the spirit of the age—of his environment—vous comprenez?—I do not blame my poor father. —-
但时代精神，环境的影响，你懂的吧？我并不怪罪我可怜的父亲。 —-

He drank, gambled, took bribes. My mother—but why say more? —-
他喝酒，赌博，收受贿赂。我的母亲——就不说了吧？ —-

Poverty, the struggle for daily bread, the consciousness of insignificance—ah, do not force me to recall it! —-
贫困，为了温饱而奋斗，自感微不足道——啊，不要求我回忆起那些！ —-

I had to make my own way. You know the monstrous education at a boarding-school, foolish novel-reading, the errors of early youth, the first timid flutter of love. —-
我不得不走自己的路。你知道在寄宿学校接受的可怕教育，愚蠢的小说阅读，年少时的错误，初恋的羞涩。 —-

It was awful! The vacillation! And the agonies of losing faith in life, in oneself! —-
这太可怕了！摇摆不定！对生活、对自己失去信心的痛苦！ —-

Ah, you are an author. You know us women. You will understand. Unhappily I have an intense nature. —-
啊，你是个作家。你了解我们女人。你会理解的。不幸的是，我天性热情奔放。 —-

I looked for happiness—and what happiness! —-
我寻求幸福，哦，幸福在哪里！ —-

I longed to set my soul free. Yes. In that I saw my happiness!”
我渴望解放我的灵魂。是的。在那里我看到了我的幸福！

“Exquisite creature!” murmured the author, kissing her hand close to the bracelet. —-
“美丽的生命！”作家低声说着，亲吻着她手腕上的手链。 —-

“It’s not you I am kissing, but the suffering of humanity. —-
“我亲吻的不是你，而是人类的痛苦。 —-

Do you remember Raskolnikov and his kiss?”
你记得罗斯科尔尼科夫和他的吻吗？”

“Oh, Voldemar, I longed for glory, renown, success, like every—why affect modesty? —-
“哦，沃尔德马，我渴望荣耀、名声、成功，就像每个…为什么要假装谦逊？ —-

—every nature above the commonplace. I yearned for something extraordinary, above the common lot of woman! —-
每个超越平凡的人都渴望着一些非凡的东西，超越女人的普通命运！ —-

And then—and then—there crossed my path—an old general—very well off. —-
然后，然后…有一个老将军进入了我的生活…身价很高。 —-

Understand me, Voldemar! It was self-sacrifice, renunciation! You must see that! —-
理解我，沃尔德马！这是自我牺牲，放弃！你必须明白！ —-

I could do nothing else. I restored the family fortunes, was able to travel, to do good. —-
我无能为力。我重振家族的财富，可以旅行，行善。 —-

Yet how I suffered, how revolting, how loathsome to me were his embraces—though I will be fair to him—he had fought nobly in his day. —-
但我多么痛苦，多么令人厌恶，多么恶心我对他的拥抱——虽然我要公平地说，他年轻时曾英勇战斗。 —-

There were moments—terrible moments—but I was kept up by the thought that from day to day the old man might die, that then I would begin to live as I liked, to give myself to the man I adore—be happy. —-
有些时刻——可怕的时刻——但我坚持着这个想法：每一天老人都有可能去世，到那时我就能开始自由地生活，献身于我所崇拜的男人——幸福。 —-

There is such a man, Voldemar, indeed there is!”
确实有这样一个人，名叫沃尔德马尔！

The pretty lady flutters her fan more violently. —-
漂亮的女士更加剧烈地扇动着她的扇子。 —-

Her face takes a lachrymose expression. She goes on:
她的脸上露出了忧郁的表情。她继续说道：

“But at last the old man died. He left me something. I was free as a bird of the air. —-
“但最后老人去世了。他给了我一些东西。我自由了，就像天空中的一只鸟。 —-

Now is the moment for me to be happy, isn’t it, Voldemar? —-
现在是我快乐的时刻了，对吗，沃尔德马尔？ —-

Happiness comes tapping at my window, I had only to let it in—but—Voldemar, listen, I implore you! —-
幸福敲响了我的窗户，我只需要让它进来，但，沃尔德马尔，听着，我恳求你！ —-

Now is the time for me to give myself to the man I love, to become the partner of his life, to help, to uphold his ideals, to be happy—to find rest—but—how ignoble, repulsive, and senseless all our life is! —-
现在是我去献身给我所爱的人，成为他一生的伴侣，帮助他，支持他的理想，快乐，找到宁静的时候了，但是，我们的生活是多么卑鄙、令人厌恶和毫无意义啊！ —-

How mean it all is, Voldemar. I am wretched, wretched, wretched! —-
沃尔德马尔，多么卑鄙啊。我是可怜的，可怜的，可怜的！ —-

Again there is an obstacle in my path! Again I feel that my happiness is far, far away! —-
在我面前又出现了一道障碍！我感觉到我的幸福又远了！ —-

Ah, what anguish!—if only you knew what anguish!”

“But what—what stands in your way? I implore you tell me! What is it?”
啊，多么痛苦！如果你知道我的痛苦！”

“Another old general, very well off——”
“但是，但是有什么，阻碍着你？我恳求你告诉我！是什么呢？”

The broken fan conceals the pretty little face. —-
“又是一个老将军，非常富有…” —-

The author props on his fist his thought-heavy brow and ponders with the air of a master in psychology. —-
破碎的扇子遮住了这位漂亮小姐的脸。 —-

The engine is whistling and hissing while the window curtains flush red with the glow of the setting sun.
作者用思考沉重的眉头撑在拳头上，在心理学的领域里思考着，神情很师出高徒。