I HAVE seen a great many houses in my time, little and big, new and old, built of stone and of wood, but of one house I have kept a very vivid memory. —
我一生中见过许多房屋，小的大的，新的旧的，用石头建造的和用木头建造的，但有一座房子我记忆犹新。 —

It was, properly speaking, rather a cottage than a house–a tiny cottage of one story, with three windows, looking extraordinarily like a little old hunchback woman with a cap on. —
正确来说，它更像是一间小屋而不是一座房子–一座只有一层的微小小屋，带着三扇窗户，看起来像一位戴着帽子的老驼背妇女。 —

Its white stucco walls, its tiled roof, and dilapidated chimney, were all drowned in a perfect sea of green. —
它的白色灰泥墙，瓦片屋顶和残破的烟囱，都淹没在一片翠绿之中。 —

The cottage was lost to sight among the mulberry-trees, acacias, and poplars planted by the grandfathers and great-grandfathers of its present occupants. —
这座小屋被桑葚树、相思树和白杨树包围着，是由它现在的居民的祖辈种植的。 —

And yet it is a town house. Its wide courtyard stands in a row with other similar green courtyards, and forms part of a street. —
可是它却是座城市房子。宽阔的庭院与其他类似的绿色庭院并列，是街道的一部分。 —

Nothing ever drives down that street, and very few persons are ever seen walking through it.
没有什么东西会驶过这条街，很少有人会穿过。

The shutters of the little house are always closed; —
小房子的百叶窗总是紧闭着； —

its occupants do not care for sunlight–the light is no use to them. —
它的居民不喜欢阳光–对他们没有用处。 —

The windows are never opened, for they are not fond of fresh air. —
窗户从不打开，因为他们不喜欢新鲜空气。 —

People who spend their lives in the midst of acacias, mulberries, and nettles have no passion for nature. —
生活在相思树、桑葚树和荨麻中的人们对自然没有热情。 —

It is only to the summer visitor that God has vouchsafed an eye for the beauties of nature. —
只有夏季的游客才赐予上帝的眼睛能够欣赏大自然的美丽。 —

The rest of mankind remain steeped in profound ignorance of the existence of such beauties. —
其余的人类则固守于对这些美好不存在的无知之中。 —

People never prize what they have always had in abundance. —
人们从未珍视自己一直拥有的东西。 —

“What we have, we do not treasure,” and what’s more we do not even love it.
“我们拥有的东西，我们并不珍惜”，更多的是我们甚至不爱它。

The little house stands in an earthly paradise of green trees with happy birds nesting in them. —
小屋矗立在绿树环绕的人间天堂中，快乐的鸟儿在其中筑巢。 —

But inside … alas … ! In summer, it is close and stifling within; —
但在屋里……哎呀……！夏天里，房间里闷热难当； —

in winter, hot as a Turkish bath, not one breath of air, and the dreariness! …
冬天里，就像土耳其浴室一样热，没有一丝风，而且阴郁无光……；

The first time I visited the little house was many years ago on business. —
我第一次造访这间小屋是很多年前因公务而来。 —

I brought a message from the Colonel who was the owner of the house to his wife and daughter. —
我带着一则来自这所房子主人上校给他妻子和女儿的口信。 —

That first visit I remember very distinctly. —
我至今清晰地记得那第一次拜访。 —

It would be impossible, indeed, to forget it.
这实在是一次不可能忘记的经历。

Imagine a limp little woman of forty, gazing at you with alarm and astonishment while you walk from the passage into the parlour. —
想象一下一个四十岁的矮小女人，当你从走廊走进客厅时，满脸惊恐和惊奇地凝视着你。 —

You are a stranger, a visitor, “a young man”; —
你是一个陌生人，一个游客，“一个年轻人”； —

that’s enough to reduce her to a state of terror and bewilderment. —
这已足够让她陷入恐惧和困惑之中。 —

Though you have no dagger, axe, or revolver in your hand, and though you smile affably, you are met with alarm.
虽然你手中没有匕首、斧头或左轮手枪，尽管你友善地微笑，却被她的惊惧所迎接。

“Whom have I the honour and pleasure of addressing?” the little lady asks in a trembling voice.
“很荣幸见到您，请问您是哪位？”这位小夫人颤抖着的声音问道。

I introduced myself and explained why I had come. —
我向她介绍了自己，并解释了我的来意。 —

The alarm and amazement were at once succeeded by a shrill, joyful “Ach!” —
令人惊讶和恐惧立刻转为尖声而喜悦的“啊！”声， —

and she turned her eyes upwards to the ceiling. This “Ach!” —
她仰起头望向天花板。这声“啊！”声 —

was caught up like an echo and repeated from the hall to the parlour, from the parlour to the kitchen, and so on down to the cellar. —
像回声一般从大厅传到客厅，从客厅传到厨房，一直传到地下室。 —

Soon the whole house was resounding with “Ach!” in various voices.
很快整个房子都回荡着各种声音的“啊！”声。

Five minutes later I was sitting on a big, soft, warm lounge in the drawing-room listening to the “Ach!” —
五分钟后，我坐在客厅里的一个大、软、温暖的躺椅上，听着那些“啊！”声。 —

echoing all down the street. There was a smell of moth powder, and of goatskin shoes, a pair of which lay on a chair beside me wrapped in a handkerchief. —
沿着街道回荡。这里有一股虫草粉和山羊皮鞋的味道，一双鞋包裹在手绢里放在我的旁边的一把椅子上。 —

In the windows were geraniums, and muslin curtains, and on the curtains were torpid flies. —
在窗户上摆着天竺葵和细棉帘，帘子上停着不动的苍蝇。 —

On the wall hung the portrait of some bishop, painted in oils, with the glass broken at one corner, and next to the bishop a row of ancestors with lemon-coloured faces of a gipsy type. —
在墙上挂着主教的肖像，是用油画画的，玻璃的一个角破损了，主教旁边是一排柠檬色面庞的吉普赛人祖先。 —

On the table lay a thimble, a reel of cotton, and a half-knitted stocking, and paper patterns and a black blouse, tacked together, were lying on the floor. —
桌子上放着一个顶针、一卷棉线和一只半针织的袜子，地板上放着纸样和一个黑布衬衫拼接在一起。 —

In the next room two alarmed and fluttered old women were hurriedly picking up similar patterns and pieces of tailor’s chalk from the floor.
在隔壁房间，两个惊慌和慌乱的老太太匆忙地从地板上捡起相似的纸样和裁缝粉笔。

“You must, please, excuse us; we are dreadfully untidy,” said the little lady.
“请原谅我们的凌乱，实在是太糟糕了”，小姑娘说。

While she talked to me, she stole embarrassed glances towards the other room where the patterns were still being picked up. —
她和我说话时，偷偷地朝着还在捡拾纸样的另一个房间瞥了一眼，感到尴尬。 —

The door, too, seemed embarrassed, opening an inch or two and then shutting again.
门好像也不好意思，开了一两英寸，然后又关上了。

“What’s the matter?” said the little lady, addressing the door.
“怎么了？”小姑娘对着门说。

_“Où est mon cravatte lequel mon père m’avait envoyé de Koursk?” —
“我父亲从库尔斯克寄给我的领带在哪里？” —

_ asked a female voice at the door.
门口传来一个女声问道。

“Ah, est-ce que, Marie … que… Really, it’s impossible … . —
“啊，玛丽…真的，这是不可能的… 我们家里有个我们不太熟悉的男人。” 问吕刻日亚。 —

Nous avons donc chez nous un homme peu connu de nous. Ask Lukerya.”
“我们家里有个我们不太熟悉的男人。”要求吕刻日亚。

“How well we speak French, though!” I read in the eyes of the little lady, who was flushing with pleasure.
“我们说法语说得多棒啊！”我读到小姐的眼中，她脸上带着愉悦的红晕。

Soon afterwards the door opened and I saw a tall, thin girl of nineteen, in a long muslin dress with a gilt belt from which, I remember, hung a mother-of-pearl fan. —
门随即打开，我看到一个高大瘦削的十九岁少女，穿着一条长长的薄纱裙子，腰间系着一条镶金的皮带，记得上面挂着一把珍珠母扇。 —

She came in, dropped a curtsy, and flushed crimson. —
她走进来，行了个屈膝礼，脸红了。 —

Her long nose, which was slightly pitted with smallpox, turned red first, and then the flush passed up to her eyes and her forehead.
她那个略有痘疤的长鼻子先泛红，然后红晕升至眼睛和额头。

“My daughter,” chanted the little lady, “and, Manetchka, this is a young gentleman who has come,” etc.
“这是我的女儿，”小姐唱道，“曼内丝卡，这是位年轻绅士前来拜访的。”等等。

I was introduced, and expressed my surprise at the number of paper patterns. —
我被介绍了，对这些裁纸图案的数量表示惊讶。 —

Mother and daughter dropped their eyes.
母女俩垂下了眼睛。

“We had a fair here at Ascension,” said the mother; —
“我们在圣灵节这里有个商品交易会，”母亲说道； —

“we always buy materials at the fair, and then it keeps us busy with sewing till the next year’s fair comes around again. —
“我们总是在交易会上买材料，然后忙着缝纫，直到明年的交易会再次来临。 —

We never put things out to be made. My husband’s pay is not very ample, and we are not able to permit ourselves luxuries. —
我们从不出去做衣服。我丈夫的薪水并不充裕，我们无法给自己奢侈品。 —

So we have to make up everything ourselves.”
所以我们不得不自己制作一切。”

“But who will ever wear such a number of things? There are only two of you?”
“但是谁会穿这么多东西？你们只有两个人？”

“Oh … as though we were thinking of wearing them! —
“噢，好像我们考虑穿这些一样！ —

They are not to be worn; they are for the trousseau!”
它们不是来穿的；它们都是为了嫁妆！”

“Ah, mamam, what are you saying?” said the daughter, and she crimsoned again. —
“啊，妈妈，你在说什么？”女儿说，脸又红了。 —

“Our visitor might suppose it was true. I don’t intend to be married. Never!”
“我们的客人可能会认为这是真的。我不打算结婚。绝对不会！”

She said this, but at the very word “married” her eyes glowed.
她说着，但一提到“结婚”这个词，她的眼睛就闪亮起来。

Tea, biscuits, butter, and jam were brought in, followed by raspberries and cream. —
茶、饼干、黄油和果酱被端进来，接着是覆盆子和奶油。 —

At seven o’clock, we had supper, consisting of six courses, and while we were at supper I heard a loud yawn from the next room. —
七点时，我们吃了晚餐，有六道菜，正在吃饭时我听到隔壁房间传来一声大大的哈欠。 —

I looked with surprise towards the door: —
我惊讶地朝着门口看去： —

it was a yawn that could only come from a man.
那是只有男人才能发出的哈欠声。

“That’s my husband’s brother, Yegor Semyonitch,” the little lady explained, noticing my surprise. —
“那是我丈夫的兄弟，叶戈尔·谢莫尼奇。”小夫人注意到我的惊讶，解释道。 —

“He’s been living with us for the last year. Please excuse him; he cannot come in to see you. —
“他已经和我们一起生活了一年。请原谅他，他可能无法来见你。 —

He is such an unsociable person, he is shy with strangers. He is going into a monastery. —
他是如此不合群的人，对陌生人很害羞。他将要去修道院。 —

He was unfairly treated in the service, and the disappointment has preyed on his mind.”
他在工作中受到不公正待遇，失望一直困扰着他。”

After supper the little lady showed the vestment which Yegor Semyonitch was embroidering with his own hands as an offering for the Church. —
晚饭后，小夫人展示了叶戈尔·谢莫尼奇正在亲手绣制的祭服作品。 —

Manetchka threw off her shyness for a moment and showed me the tobacco- pouch she was embroidering for her father. —
玛涅琴卡露出了一丝不羞涩的神情，向我展示了她为父亲绣制的烟草袋。 —

When I pretended to be greatly struck by her work, she flushed crimson and whispered something in her mother’s ear. —
当我假装对她的作品印象深刻时，她脸红了，低声对她母亲说了些什么。 —

The latter beamed all over, and invited me to go with her to the store-room. —
后者整个脸上都洋溢着笑容，并邀请我跟她去储藏室。 —

There I was shown five large trunks, and a number of smaller trunks and boxes.
在那里，我看到了五个大大的箱子，和许多小箱子和盒子。

“This is her trousseau,” her mother whispered; “we made it all ourselves.”
“这是她的嫁妆，”她的母亲低声说道，“都是我们自己做的。”

After looking at these forbidding trunks I took leave of my hospitable hostesses. —
看完这些令人生畏的大衣箱，我向我的好客主人们告别。 —

They made me promise to come and see them again some day.
他们让我答应以后再去看看她们。

It happened that I was able to keep this promise. —
真巧的是我居然能够兑现这个承诺。 —

Seven years after my first visit, I was sent down to the little town to give expert evidence in a case that was being tried there.
在我第一次造访的七年后，我被派往这个小镇给一个正在那里审理的案件提供专家证词。

As I entered the little house I heard the same “Ach!” echo through it. They recognised me at once. . —
当我走进这间小屋时，又听到了同样的“唉！”回响在屋里。她们一下子就认出了我。 —

. . Well they might! My first visit had been an event in their lives, and when events are few they are long remembered.
没错！他们当然会！我第一次造访对她们的生活来说是一件大事，当事件很少时它们会被长久地记住。

I walked into the drawing-room: the mother, who had grown stouter and was already getting grey, was creeping about on the floor, cutting out some blue material. —
我走进了客厅：母亲变得更胖了，已经开始变灰的头发，正在蹑手蹑脚地在地板上剪着一些蓝色的材料。 —

The daughter was sitting on the sofa, embroidering.
女儿坐在沙发上，正在刺绣。

There was the same smell of moth powder; there were the same patterns, the same portrait with the broken glass. —
空气中飘荡着同样的防蛾粉味道；有同样的图案，同样有坏了的玻璃的肖像。 —

But yet there was a change. Beside the portrait of the bishop hung a portrait of the Colonel, and the ladies were in mourning. —
但却有所不同。主教的肖像旁挂着一幅上校的肖像，两位女士正在穿着丧服。 —

The Colonel’s death had occurred a week after his promotion to be a general.
上校在晋升为将军的一个星期后过世了。

Reminiscences began… . The widow shed tears.
回忆开始涌现……寡妇流下眼泪。

“We have had a terrible loss,” she said. “My husband, you know, is dead. —
“我们遭受了巨大的损失，”她说，“你知道，我丈夫去世了。 —

We are alone in the world now, and have no one but ourselves to look to. —
我们现在独自一人，只能依靠彼此。 —

Yegor Semyonitch is alive, but I have no good news to tell of him. —
叶戈尔·谢苗尼奇还活着，但我没有好消息告诉他。 —

They would not have him in the monastery on account of–of intoxicating beverages. —
他们不让他进修道院，因为……酒精。 —

And now in his disappointment he drinks more than ever. —
现在在失望中，他喝得比以往更多。 —

I am thinking of going to the Marshal of Nobility to lodge a complaint. —
我正在考虑去找贵族元帅投诉。 —

Would you believe it, he has more than once broken open the trunks and … —
你会相信吗，他曾经多次砸开衣橱…… —

taken Manetchka’s trousseau and given it to beggars. —
把玛涅奇卡的嫁妆送给乞丐。 —

He has taken everything out of two of the trunks! —
他把两个箱子里的东西全都拿走了！ —

If he goes on like this, my Manetchka will be left without a trousseau at all.”
如果他这样继续下去，我玛涅奇卡根本没有嫁妆了。”

“What are you saying, mamam?” said Manetchka, embarrassed. “Our visitor might suppose … —
“你在说什么，妈妈？” 玛涅奇卡尴尬地说。”我们的客人可能会以为…… —

there’s no knowing what he might suppose … . —
不知道他会认为什么…… —

I shall never–never marry.”
我永远不会——永远不会结婚。”

Manetchka cast her eyes up to the ceiling with a look of hope and aspiration, evidently not for a moment believing what she said.
玛涅奇卡抬起头仰望天花板，带着希望和向往的神情，显然并不一会相信自己说的话。

A little bald-headed masculine figure in a brown coat and goloshes instead of boots darted like a mouse across the passage and disappeared. —
一个身穿棕色外套、穿着防水鞋而不是靴子的秃头男性身影如老鼠般穿过走廊消失了。 —

“Yegor Semyonitch, I suppose,” I thought.
“叶戈尔·谢苗尼奇，我想。”

I looked at the mother and daughter together. They both looked much older and terribly changed. —
我看着母亲和女儿一起。他们看起来都变老了，变得非常糟糕。 —

The mother’s hair was silvered, but the daughter was so faded and withered that her mother might have been taken for her elder sister, not more than five years her senior.
母亲的头发已经变成银白色，但女儿却憔悴苍老，以至于母亲可能被误认为是她的姐姐，而不是年龄仅大她五岁。

“I have made up my mind to go to the Marshal,” the mother said to me, forgetting she had told me this already. —
“我已经决定去找元帅了，”母亲对我说，忘记了她之前已经告诉我这件事。 —

“I mean to make a complaint. Yegor Semyonitch lays his hands on everything we make, and offers it up for the sake of his soul. —
“我打算投诉。叶戈尔·谢梦尼契对我们做的一切都伸手拿走，然后为了他的灵魂献祭。 —

My Manetchka is left without a trousseau.”
我的曼奈奇卡没有嫁妆了。”

Manetchka flushed again, but this time she said nothing.
曼奈奇卡再次脸红，但这次她什么也没有说。

“We have to make them all over again. And God knows we are not so well off. —
“我们不得不再次重新做一切。上帝知道我们并不那么富裕。 —

We are all alone in the world now.”
我们现在世上孤苦无依。”

“We are alone in the world,” repeated Manetchka.
“我们孤苦无依，”曼奈奇卡重复说。

A year ago fate brought me once more to the little house.
一年前，命运再次将我带到了那座小房子。

Walking into the drawing-room, I saw the old lady. —
走进客厅，我看到了这位老太太。 —

Dressed all in black with heavy crape pleureuses, she was sitting on the sofa sewing. —
穿着全黑色，戴着厚重的丝制哭者，她坐在沙发上缝纫。 —

Beside her sat the little old man in the brown coat and the goloshes instead of boots. —
她旁边坐着穿着褐色外套和胶靴的小老头。 —

On seeing me, he jumped up and ran out of the room.
看到我，他跳起来跑出房间。

In response to my greeting, the old lady smiled and said:
对于我的问候，老太太微笑着说：

“Je suis charmée de vous revoir, monsieur.”
“我很高兴再次见到您，先生。”

“What are you making?” I asked, a little later.
“你在做什么？”我问，过了一会儿。

“It’s a blouse. When it’s finished I shall take it to the priest’s to be put away, or else Yegor Semyonitch would carry it off. —
“这是一件女衫。做好后我会拿到神父那里存放，要不然叶戈尔·谢米奥尼奇会把它拿走。 —

I store everything at the priest’s now,” she added in a whisper.
现在我把所有东西都存在神父那里了，”她小声地说。

And looking at the portrait of her daughter which stood before her on the table, she sighed and said:
她看着桌子上放着的女儿的照片，叹了口气说：

“We are all alone in the world.”
“我们在这个世界上孤独。

And where was the daughter? Where was Manetchka? I did not ask. —
那女儿在哪里呢？玛涅奇卡在哪里？我没有问。 —

I did not dare to ask the old mother dressed in her new deep mourning. —
我不敢问穿着新深褐色丧服的老母亲。 —

And while I was in the room, and when I got up to go, no Manetchka came out to greet me. —
当我在房间里的时候，当我站起来要走的时候，没有玛涅奇卡出来迎接我。 —

I did not hear her voice, nor her soft, timid footstep… .
我没有听到她的声音，也没有听到她轻柔胆怯的脚步声。

I understood, and my heart was heavy.
我明白了，我的心沉重。