Under Mrs. Merriwether’s goading, Dr. Meade took action, in the form of a letter to the newspaper wherein he did not mention Rhett by name, though his meaning was obvious. —
在梅里韦瑟夫人的挑唆下，梅德医生采取了行动，他写了一封给报纸的信，尽管信中没有提到雷特的名字，但意思是明显的。 —

The editor, sensing the social drama of the letter, put it on the second page of the paper, in itself a startling innovation, as the first two pages of the paper were always devoted to advertisements of slaves, mules, plows, coffins, houses for sale or rent, cures for private diseases, abortifacients and restoratives for lost manhood.
编辑意识到这封信的社会戏剧性，将其放在报纸的第二页，这本身就是一个令人惊讶的创新，因为报纸的头两页通常都是用来登广告的，广告内容涵盖奴隶、骡子、犁头、棺材、待售或出租的房屋、治疗私密疾病的药物、流产药物以及恢复男性力量的产品。

The doctor’s letter was the first of a chorus of indignation that was beginning to be heard all over the South against speculators, profiteers and holders of government contracts. —
这封医生的信是南方愤怒之声的开始，人们开始对投机商、牟取暴利者和政府合同持有人感到愤慨。 —

Conditions in Wilmington, the chief blockade port, now that Charleston’s port was practically sealed by the Yankee gunboats, had reached the proportions of an open scandal. —
威尔明顿，作为主要封锁港口，现在由于北方炮艇几乎封锁了查尔斯顿的港口，情况已经达到了一个公然的丑闻。 —

Speculators swarmed Wilmington and, having the ready cash, bought up boatloads of goods and held them for a rise in prices. —
投机商蜂拥而至威尔明顿，凭借现金买下大量商品并抱着期待价格上涨的希望。 —

The rise always came, for with the increasing scarcity of necessities, prices leaped higher by the month. —
价格的上涨一直存在，由于生活必需品日益稀缺，价格每个月都会大幅提高。 —

The civilian population had either to do without or buy at the speculators’ prices, and the poor and those in moderate circumstances were suffering increasing hardships. —
普通民众要么没有得到所需物品，要么只能以投机商定的价格购买，贫困者和中等收入者的困难逐渐增加。 —

With the rise in prices, Confederate money sank, and with its rapid fall there rose a wild passion for luxuries. —
随着价格上涨，南方联盟的货币贬值，而且货币迅速贬值引起了对奢侈品的疯狂追求。 —

Blockaders were commissioned to bring in necessities but now it was the higher-priced luxuries that filled their boats to the exclusion of the things the Confederacy vitally needed. —
封锁者被委托运送必需品，但现在他们的船上满载的却是价格更高的奢侈品，而非南方联盟迫切需要的物品。 —

People frenziedly bought these luxuries with the money they had today, fearing that tomorrow’s prices would be higher and the money worthless.
人们疯狂地用手头现有的钱购买这些奢侈品，因为他们害怕明天的价格会更高，而这些钱会变得毫无价值。

To make matters worse, there was only one railroad line from Wilmington to Richmond and, while thousands of barrels of flour and boxes of bacon spoiled and rotted in wayside stations for want of transportation, speculators with wines, taffetas and coffee to sell seemed always able to get their goods to Richmond two days after they were landed at Wilmington.
更糟糕的是，从威尔明顿到里士满只有一条铁路线，而成千上万桶面粉和盒子里的熏肉因缺乏运输而腐烂在途中的车站上，而那些拥有葡萄酒、丝绸和咖啡等货物要出售的投机者似乎总能在其货物在威尔明顿卸货两天后将其运到里士满。

The rumor which had been creeping about underground was now being openly discussed, that Rhett Butler not only ran his own four boats and sold the cargoes at unheard-of prices but bought up the cargoes of other boats and held them for rises in prices. —
曾悄悄传播的谣言如今正公开讨论，即瑞特·巴特勒不仅运营着自己的四条船并以前所未有的价格出售货物，而且还收购了其他船只的货物并等待价格上涨后再出售。 —

It was said that he was at the head of a combine worth more than a million dollars, with Wilmington as its headquarters for the purpose of buying blockade goods on the docks. —
据说他领导着一个价值超过一百万美元的联合体，以威尔明顿作为其总部，目的是在码头购买封锁物资。 —

They had dozens of warehouses in that city and in Richmond, so the story ran, and the warehouses were crammed with food and clothing that were being held for higher prices. —
传闻称，他们在该市和里士满拥有数十个仓库，而这些仓库中堆满了食品和服装，这些物资被保留以等待更高的价格。 —

Already soldiers and civilians alike were feeling the pinch, and the muttering against him and his fellow speculators was bitter.
现在士兵和平民都感到紧张不安，对他和他的同伴们的非法交易愈发怨声载道。

“There are many brave and patriotic men in the blockade arm of the Confederacy’s naval service,” ran the last of the doctor’s letter, “unselfish men who are risking their lives and all their wealth that the Confederacy may survive. —
“那个医生信的最后一部分写道：“那些参与封锁行动的南联邦海军军官中有许多勇敢而爱国的人，他们为了南联邦的生存而冒着生命危险，甘愿把所有财富置之度外。 —

They are enshrined in the hearts of all loyal Southerners, and no one begrudges them the scant monetary returns they make for their risks. —
他们在忠实南方人的心中被奉为神圣，没有人会嫉妒他们为风险所获得的微薄金钱。 —

They are unselfish gentlemen, and we honor them. —
他们是无私的绅士，我们要向他们致敬。 —

Of these men, I do not speak.
我不是在谈论这些人。

“But there are other scoundrels who masquerade under the cloak of the blockader for their own selfish gains, and I call down the just wrath and vengeance of an embattled people, fighting in the justest of Causes, on these human vultures who bring in satins and laces when our men are dying for want of quinine, who load their boats with tea and wines when our heroes are writhing for lack of morphia. —
“但是还有其他一些无义之徒，他们冒充封锁商以追求个人利益。我呼唤那些为正义而战的人们正当的怒火和复仇心态，让它们降临在这些人类秃鹰身上。这些人以缺乏奎宁粉的情况下搬运罗纹绸和花边，以缺乏吗啡的情况下装满船只的茶叶和葡萄酒。” —

I execrate these vampires who are sucking the lifeblood of the men who follow Robert Lee—these men who are making the very name of blockader a stench in the nostrils of all patriotic men. —
我诅咒那些吸取罗伯特·李追随者的生命之血的吸血鬼，这些人让“封锁者”这个名字成为所有爱国男人鼻中的臭味。 —

How can we endure these scavengers in our midst with their varnished boots when our boys are tramping barefoot into battle? —
当我们的男孩们光着脚步入战场时，我们怎能容忍这些身穿擦亮靴子、贪婪的腐肉的食腐动物存在于我们中间？ —

How can we tolerate them with their champagnes and their pates of Strasbourg when our soldiers are shivering about their camp fires and gnawing moldy bacon? —
当我们的士兵在营火旁颤抖、啃食发霉的培根时，我们怎能容忍他们享用香槟和斯特拉斯堡肉酱？ —

I call upon every loyal Confederate to cast them out.”
我呼吁每个忠诚的南方人将他们赶出去。

Atlanta read, knew the oracle had spoken, and, as loyal Confederates, they hastened to cast Rhett out.
亚特兰大市民阅读了这篇训令，知道神谕已落定，作为忠诚的南方人，他们匆匆将雷特驱逐出境。

Of all the homes which had received him in the fall of 1862, Miss Pittypat’s was almost the only one into which he could enter in 1863. —
在1862年秋天，所有接待他的家庭中，唯有皮蒂帕特小姐的家几乎是他能够进去的。 —

And, except for Melanie, he probably would not have been received there. —
要不是梅兰妮，他可能就不会被接纳了。 —

Aunt Pitty was in a state whenever he was in town. —
每当他在城里时，皮蒂姨婆就陷入了一种状态。 —

She knew very well what her friends were saying when she permitted him to call but she still lacked the courage to tell him he was unwelcome. —
她十分清楚她的朋友们在告诉她让他打电话时在说什么，但她仍然缺乏勇气告诉他他是不受欢迎的。 —

Each time he arrived in Atlanta, she set her fat mouth and told the girls that she would meet him at the door and forbid him to enter. —
每次他到达亚特兰大时，她紧闭双唇告诉女孩们她会去门口迎接他，并禁止他进入。 —

And each time he came, a little package in his hand and a compliment for her charm and beauty on his lips, she wilted.
每次他来时，手里拿着一个小包裹，嘴唇里夸奖她的魅力和美丽，她都会变得萎靡不振。

“I just don’t know what to do,” she would moan. —
“我真不知道该怎么办，”她呻吟道。 —

“He just looks at me and I—I’m scared to death of what he would do if I told him. —
“他只是看着我，我——如果我告诉他，我会被吓死的。” —

He’s got such a bad reputation. Do you suppose he would strike me—or—or— Oh, dear, if Charlie were only alive! —
他名声很坏，你们觉得他会打我吗——或者——哦，亲爱的，如果查理还在世就好了！ —

Scarlett, YOU must tell him not to call again—tell him in a nice way. Oh, me! —
斯嘉丽，你必须告诉他不要再来电话了——以一种友好的方式告诉他。哦，天哪！ —

I do believe you encourage him, and the whole town is talking and, if your mother ever finds out, what will she say to me? —
我相信你鼓励他，整个城里都在议论，而且，如果你妈妈知道了，她会对我说什么？ —

Melly, you must not be so nice to him. Be cool and distant and he will understand. —
梅莉，你不能对他太好了。保持冷漠和疏远，他会明白的。 —

Oh, Melly, do you think I’d better write Henry a note and ask him to speak to Captain Butler?”
哦，梅莉，你觉得我最好写一封信给亨利，让他和巴特勒上尉谈谈吗？

“No, I don’t,” said Melanie. “And I won’t be rude to him, either. —
“不，我不觉得。而且我也不会对他无礼。” —

I think people are acting like chickens with their heads off about Captain Butler. —
我觉得人们对巴特勒上尉反应太过激动了，就像无头苍蝇一样。 —

I’m sure he can’t be all the bad things Dr. Meade and Mrs. Merriwether say he is. —
我敢肯定他不会像米德医生和梅里韦瑟太太说的那样坏。 —

He wouldn’t hold food from starving people. Why, he even gave me a hundred dollars for the orphans. —
他不会将食物从饥饿的人手中夺走。噢，他甚至给了我一百美元帮助孤儿们。 —

I’m sure he’s just as loyal and patriotic as any of us and he’s just too proud to defend himself. —
我相信他和我们任何一个人一样忠诚和爱国，只是他太自豪而不愿为自己辩护。 —

You know how obstinate men are when they get their backs up.”
你知道男人们在倔强时是多么难以对付。

Aunt Pitty knew nothing about men, either with their backs up or otherwise, and she could only wave her fat little hands helplessly. —
皮蒂婶婶对男人一无所知，无论是倔强还是其他方面，她只能无助地挥动着她那小小的胖手。 —

As for Scarlett, she had long ago become resigned to Melanie’s habit of seeing good in everyone. —
至于斯嘉丽，她早就接受了梅莉总是看到别人的优点的习惯。 —

Melanie was a fool, but there was nothing anybody could do about it.
梅莉是一个傻瓜，但是没人能对此做些什么。

Scarlett knew that Rhett was not being patriotic and, though she would have died rather than confess it, she did not care. —
斯嘉丽知道雷特不是在为了国家利益，虽然她情愿死也不愿承认这一点，但她并不在乎。 —

The little presents he brought her from Nassau, little oddments that a lady could accept with propriety, were what mattered most to her. —
他从拿骚带给她的小礼物，无论大小，对她来说最重要。 —

With prices as high as they were, where on earth could she get needles and bonbons and hairpins, if she forbade the house to him? —
价格如此之高，如果她禁止雷特进入家门，她从哪里弄针线、糖果和发夹呢？ —

No, it was easier to shift the responsibility to Aunt Pitty, who after all was the head of the house, the chaperon and the arbiter of morals. —
不，把责任推给Pitty姨妈更容易，毕竟她是这家的主人、监护人和道德仲裁者。 —

Scarlett knew the town gossiped about Rhett’s calls, and about her too; —
斯嘉丽知道这个镇子对雷特的拜访充满八卦，对她也是如此； —

but she also knew that in the eyes of Atlanta Melanie Wilkes could do no wrong, and if Melanie defended Rhett his calls were still tinged with respectability.
但她也知道，在亚特兰大人的眼中，梅兰妮·威尔克斯无所不能，如果梅兰妮为雷特辩护，他的拜访仍然有些体面。

However, life would be pleasanter if Rhett would recant his heresies. —
然而，如果雷特能公开悔过，生活会更愉快。 —

She wouldn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of seeing him cut openly when she walked down Peachtree Street with him.
她就不会遭受当她与雷特一起走在Peachtree Street上时，看到他公然被人冷落的尴尬了。

“Even if you think such things, why do you say them?” she scolded. —
“即使你这样想，为什么要说出来？”她责备道。 —

“If you’d just think what you please but keep your mouth shut, everything would be so much nicer.”
“如果你只想自己的想法但保持嘴巴闭上，一切都会好得多。”

“That’s your system, isn’t it, my green-eyed hypocrite? Scarlett, Scarlett! —
“那就是你的方式，是吗，我的绿眼伪君子？斯嘉丽，斯嘉丽！” —

I hoped for more courageous conduct from you. —
“我本希望你更勇敢一些。” —

I thought the Irish said what they thought and the Divvil take the hindermost. —
“我以为爱尔兰人说话直来直去，顾后果也是魔鬼的事。” —

Tell me truthfully, don’t you sometimes almost burst from keeping your mouth shut?”
“坦白地告诉我，你有没有因为一直闭嘴而几乎忍不住要爆发？”

“Well—yes,” Scarlett confessed reluctantly. —
“那么—是的，”斯嘉丽勉强承认。 —

“I do get awfully bored when they talk about the Cause, morning, noon and night. —
“当他们整天谈论事业的时候，我真的感到非常无聊。 —

But goodness, Rhett Butler, if I admitted it nobody would speak to me and none of the boys would dance with me!”
“但天哪，瑞特·巴特勒，如果我承认了，没有人会和我说话，也没有一个男孩会和我跳舞！”

“Ah, yes, and one must be danced with, at all costs. —
“啊，是的，无论如何都要被人陪着跳舞。” —

Well, I admire your self-control but I do not find myself equal to it. —
“嗯，是的，我很佩服你的自制力，但我做不到。 —

Nor can I masquerade in a cloak of romance and patriotism, no matter how convenient it might be. —
“我也无法伪装浪漫和爱国主义的外衣，无论它有多方便。” —

There are enough stupid patriots who are risking every cent they have in the blockade and who are going to come out of this war paupers. —
有足够的愚蠢的爱国者正在冒着他们所有的财富去进行封锁，并将在这场战争中落得一贫如洗。 —

They don’t need me among their number, either to brighten the record of patriotism or to increase the roll of paupers. —
他们不需要我加入他们的行列，无论是为了增添爱国主义的纪录还是为了增加贫穷者的名单。 —

Let them have the haloes. They deserve them—for once I am being sincere—and, besides, haloes will be about all they will have in a year or so.”
让他们拥有光环吧。他们应该得到，这次我是真诚的，而且，几年后，光环可能就是他们唯一的东西了。

“I think you are very nasty to even hint such things when you know very well that England and France are coming in on our side in no time and—”
“我觉得你说这样的事情太过分了，明知道英国和法国马上就会站到我们这边来，还有…”

“Why, Scarlett! You must have been reading a newspaper! I’m surprised at you. Don’t do it again. —
“噢，斯嘉丽！你居然看报纸了！真意外。别再这么做了。 —

It addles women’s brains. For your information, I was in England, not a month ago, and I’ll tell you this. —
这会让女人的脑子混乱。据你所知，不到一个月前，我还在英国，我告诉你吧。 —

England will never help the Confederacy. England never bets on the underdog. —
英国永远不会帮助南方联盟。英国从不押注那些命运不被看好的人。 —

That’s why she’s England. Besides, the fat Dutch woman who is sitting on the throne is a God-fearing soul and she doesn’t approve of slavery. —
这就是为什么她是英国。此外，坐在王位上的那位胖荷兰女人是个虔诚的灵魂，她不赞成奴隶制度。 —

Let the English mill workers starve because they can’t get our cotton but never, never strike a blow for slavery. —
让英国的纺织工人因为得不到我们的棉花而挨饿吧，但绝对不能为奴隶制度而战。 —

And as for France, that weak imitation of Napoleon is far too busy establishing the French in Mexico to be bothered with us. —
至于法国，那个拙劣的拿破仑的仿制品正忙着在墨西哥建立法国势力，无暇理睬我们。 —

In fact he welcomes this war, because it keeps us too busy to run his troops out of Mexico. —
事实上，他对这场战争表示欢迎，因为这使我们没时间把他的军队赶出墨西哥。 —

..No, Scarlett, the idea of assistance from abroad is just a newspaper invention to keep up the morale of the South. The Confederacy is doomed. —
不，斯嘉丽，外国援助的想法只是报纸捏造出来的，目的是提高南方的士气。邦联注定要失败。 —

It’s living on its hump now, like the camel, and even the largest of humps aren’t inexhaustible. —
现在，它就像骆驼一样靠着它的脊背过活，即使是最大的脊背也不是无穷无尽的。 —

I give myself about six months more of blockading and then I’m through. —
我再给封锁六个月，然后我就退出。 —

After that, it will be too risky. And I’ll sell my boats to some foolish Englishman who thinks he can slip them through. —
之后，风险就太大了。我会把我的船卖给一些愚蠢的认为能够溜过去的英国人。 —

But one way or the other, it’s not bothering me. —
不管怎样，这对我来说都不是个问题。 —

I’ve made money enough, and it’s in English banks and in gold. None of this worthless paper for me.”
我已经赚够钱了，存放在英国银行和黄金里。对我来说，这些一文不值的纸钞毫无意义。

As always when he spoke, he sounded so plausible. —
他说话总是听起来很有道理。 —

Other people might call his utterances treachery but, to Scarlett, they always rang with common sense and truth. —
别人可能会称他的言论为背叛，但对斯嘉丽来说，它们总是充满常识和真理的声音。 —

And she knew that this was utterly wrong, knew she should be shocked and infuriated. —
她知道这是完全错误的，知道自己应该感到震惊和愤怒。 —

Actually she was neither, but she could pretend to be. —
实际上她既不震惊也不愤怒，但她可以假装愤怒。 —

It made her feel more respectable and ladylike.
这让她感觉更受尊敬，更像个淑女。

“I think what Dr. Meade wrote about was right, Captain Butler. —
“我认为梅德医生写的是对的，巴特勒上尉。 —

The only way to redeem yourself is to enlist after you sell your boats. —
唯一能让你挽回名誉的方法就是在卖掉船只后入伍。 —

You’re a West Pointer and—”
你是一个西点军校的人，而且——”

“You talk like a Baptist preacher making a recruiting speech. Suppose I don’t want to redeem myself? —
“你说话像个浸信会传教士在做征兵演讲。假设我不想挽回名誉呢？ —

Why should I fight to uphold the system that cast me out? —
为什么我要为那个抛弃我自己的体制而战呢？ —

I shall take pleasure in seeing it smashed.”
我将会对看到它崩溃感到快乐。”

“I never heard of any system,” she said crossly.
“我从没听说过什么体制，”她生气地说。

“No? And yet you are a part of it, like I was, and I’ll wager you don’t like it any more than I did. —
“没有吗？可是你是它的一部分，就像我一样，我敢打赌你不喜欢它，就像我一样。 —

Well, why am I the black sheep of the Butler family? —
那么，为什么我是巴特勒家族中的败类呢？ —

For this reason and no other—I didn’t conform to Charleston and I couldn’t. —
唯一的原因就是这个——我不符合查尔斯顿的规范，而我又无法适应。” —

And Charleston is the South, only intensified. I wonder if you realize yet what a bore it is? —
查尔斯顿是南方，而且更加引人注目。我不知道你是否已经意识到这有多无聊？ —

So many things that one must do because they’ve always been done. —
有太多事情我们必须去做，只因为它们一直都这样做。 —

So many things, quite harmless, that one must not do for the same reason. —
有太多事情，虽然无害，但我们却因为同样的原因不得不避免做。 —

So many things that annoyed me by their senselessness. —
有太多事情因为它们毫无意义而让我感到烦恼。 —

Not marrying the young lady, of whom you have probably heard, was merely the last straw. —
不和你可能听说过的那位年轻女士结婚，只是压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。 —

Why should I marry a boring fool, simply because an accident prevented me from getting her home before dark? —
为什么我要和一个无聊的傻瓜结婚，仅仅因为我没有在天黑之前送她回家？ —

And why permit her wild-eyed brother to shoot and kill me, when I could shoot straighter? —
为什么要让她那个眼睛狂野的兄弟来开枪杀死我，当我能更准确地开枪？ —

If I had been a gentleman, of course, I would have let him kill me and that would have wiped the blot from the Butler escutcheon. —
如果当然了，我是个绅士，我会让他杀了我，这样就能为巴特勒家族抹去耻辱。 —

But—I like to live. And so I’ve lived and I’ve had a good time. —
但是，我喜欢活着。所以我活了下来，过得很开心。 —

..When I think of my brother, living among the sacred cows of Charleston, and most reverent toward them, and remember his stodgy wife and his Saint Cecilia Balls and his everlasting rice fields—then I know the compensation for breaking with the system. —
当我想起我的兄弟，生活在查尔斯顿的神圣牛群之间，对它们充满敬畏，想起他那保守的妻子、她对圣塞西莉亚舞会的执着以及他的稻田——然后我知道，与这个系统决裂所得到的补偿是值得的。 —

Scarlett, our Southern way of living is as antiquated as the feudal system of the Middle Ages. The wonder is that it’s lasted as long as it has. —
斯嘉丽，我们南方的生活方式像中世纪封建制度一样古老。奇迹就在于它居然延续了这么久。 —

It had to go and it’s going now. And yet you expect me to listen to orators like Dr. Meade who tell me our Cause is just and holy? —
它必须消逝，而且现在正在消逝。然而，你却希望我听那些向我宣称我们的事业正大义凛然的演说家们？ —

And get so excited by the roll of drums that I’ll grab a musket and rush off to Virginia to shed my blood for Marse Robert? —
还期望我听到鼓声激动得夺起步枪，冲向弗吉尼亚，为罗伯特将军流尽我的鲜血？ —

What kind of a fool do you think I am? Kissing the rod that chastised me is not in my line. —
你以为我是什么样的傻瓜？我可不属于那种卑躬屈膝的人。 —

The South and I are even now. The South threw me out to starve once. —
南方和我现在已经扯平了。南方曾经将我赶出去让我挨饿。 —

I haven’t starved, and I am making enough money out of the South’s death throes to compensate me for my lost birthright.”
我没有挨饿，而且我从南方的临终挣扎中赚到了足够的钱来补偿我失去的血统权益。

“I think you are vile and mercenary,” said Scarlett, but her remark was automatic. —
“我觉得你卑鄙而唯利是图，”斯嘉丽说道，但她的话只是下意识的回应。 —

Most of what he was saying went over her head, as did any conversation that was not personal. —
他说的大部分内容都超出了她的理解范围，与任何没有涉及个人的对话一样。 —

But part of it made sense. There were such a lot of foolish things about life among nice people. —
但其中一部分是有道理的。在善良人群中，有很多愚蠢的事情。 —

Having to pretend that her heart was in the grave when it wasn’t. —
不得不假装自己的心已经死了，尽管并非如此。 —

And how shocked everybody had been when she danced at the bazaar. —
还有当她在集市上跳舞时，所有人都感到震惊。 —

And the infuriating way people lifted their eyebrows every time she did or said anything the least bit different from what every other young woman did and said. —
那些人每当她做或说一点点与其他年轻女子不同的事情时，都会愤怒地挑起眉毛。 —

But still, she was jarred at hearing him attack the very traditions that irked her most. —
但她听到他攻击那些最使她烦恼的传统时，仍然感到震惊。 —

She had lived too long among people who dissembled politely not to feel disturbed at hearing her own thoughts put into words.
她在彬彬有礼地掩饰自己的思想中生活得太久了，听到自己的想法被用言辞表达出来时感到不安。

“Mercenary? No, I’m only farsighted. Though perhaps that is merely a synonym for mercenary. —
“唯利是图？不，我只是有远见而已。或许这仅仅是贪婪的同义词。 —

At least, people who were not as farsighted as I will call it that. —
至少，那些没有我这么有远见的人会这么说。 —

Any loyal Confederate who had a thousand dollars in cash in 1861 could have done what I did, but how few were mercenary enough to take advantage of their opportunities! —
任何一位在1861年拥有一千美元现金的忠诚南方人都可以像我一样做的，但很少有人如此唯利是图地利用他们的机会！ —

As for instance, right after Fort Sumter fell and before the blockade was established, I bought up several thousand bales of cotton at dirt-cheap prices and ran them to England. —
比如说，在萨姆特堡陷落之后，封锁之前，我以极低的价格买进了几千包棉花，然后运到了英国。 —

They are still there in warehouses in Liverpool. I’ve never sold them. —
它们至今还放在利物浦的仓库里。我从未卖过它们。 —

I’m holding them until the English mills have to have cotton and will give me any price I ask. —
我要一直持有它们，直到英国的纺织厂迫切需要棉花，愿意给我不计其数的价格。 —

I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a dollar a pound.”
如果我得到一磅一美元，我一点也不会惊讶。

“You’ll get a dollar a pound when elephants roost in trees!”
“当大象在树上栖息时，你才能得到一磅一美元！”

“I’ll believe I’ll get it. Cotton is at seventy-two cents a pound already. —
“我相信我会得到的。棉花现在已经达到了每磅72美分。 —

I’m going to be a rich man when this war is over, Scarlett, because I was farsighted—pardon me, mercenary. —
当这场战争结束时，我会成为一个富翁，因为我的远见——请原谅我，是唯利是图。 —

I told you once before that there were two times for making big money, one in the upbuilding of a country and the other in its destruction. —
我曾经告诉过你，赚大钱的时机有两个，一个是在一个国家兴盛的时候，另一个是在它毁灭的时候。 —

Slow money on the upbuilding, fast money in the crack-up. —
稳定的财富积累需要时间，快速的财富消耗只需一瞬间。 —

Remember my words. Perhaps they may be of use to you some day.”
记住我的话。也许有一天它们对你有用。

“I do appreciate good advice so much,” said Scarlett, with all the sarcasm she could muster. —
“我非常欣赏好的建议，”斯嘉丽讽刺地说道。 —

“But I don’t need your advice. Do you think Pa is a pauper? —
“但我不需要你的建议。你认为爸爸是个乞丐吗？ —

He’s got all the money I’ll ever need and then I have Charles’ property besides.”
他有我需要的所有钱，而且我还有查尔斯的财产。

“I imagine the French aristocrats thought practically the same thing until the very moment when they climbed into the tumbrils.”
“我想法国贵族们直到登上断头台的那一刻，他们也是这么认为的。

Frequently Rhett pointed out to Scarlett the inconsistency of her wearing black mourning clothes when she was participating in all social activities. —
雷特经常向斯嘉丽指出，她身穿黑色丧服却参与所有社交活动的矛盾之处。 —

He liked bright colors and Scarlett’s funeral dresses and the crepe veil that hung from her bonnet to her heels both amused him and offended him. —
他喜欢鲜艳的颜色，斯嘉丽的丧服和从帽子上到脚跟的黑纱面罩既使他感到好笑，又触动了他的敏感神经。 —

But she clung to her dull black dresses and her veil, knowing that if she changed them for colors without waiting several more years, the town would buzz even more than it was already buzzing. —
但她坚持穿着沉闷的黑色衣服和面罩，明白如果不等待几年时间就改为鲜艳的颜色，整个城市会更加议论纷纷。 —

And besides, how would she ever explain to her mother?
而且，她怎么向她的妈妈解释呢？

Rhett said frankly that the crepe veil made her look like a crow and the black dresses added ten years to her age. —
雷特坦率地说，蕾丝面纱让她看起来像只乌鸦，黑色裙子让她看起来老了十岁。 —

This ungallant statement sent her flying to the mirror to see if she really did look twenty-eight instead of eighteen.
这个不绅士的说法让她急忙跑到镜子前，看看自己是不是真的看起来像28岁而不是18岁。

“I should think you’d have more pride than to try to look like Mrs. Merriwether,” he taunted. —
“我觉得你应该比这样试图像默里韦瑟夫人那样看起来更有自尊心，”他讥讽道。 —

“And better taste than to wear that veil to advertise a grief I’m sure you never felt. —
“而且，更有品味地戴那个面纱来展示一个你从未真正感受过的悲伤。” —

I’ll lay a wager with you. I’ll have that bonnet and veil off your head and a Paris creation on it within two months.”
“我跟你打赌。我会在两个月内让你的帽子和面纱脱下来，换上一顶巴黎的作品。”

“Indeed, no, and don’t let’s discuss it any further,” said Scarlett, annoyed by his reference to Charles. —
“实际上，不要吧，我们不要再讨论了，”斯嘉丽生气地说，他提到查尔斯让她不爽。 —

Rhett, who was preparing to leave for Wilmington for another trip abroad, departed with a grin on his face.
雷特准备去威尔明顿再次出国旅行，笑得合不拢嘴。

One bright summer morning some weeks later, he reappeared with a brightly trimmed hatbox in his hand and, after finding that Scarlett was alone in the house, he opened it. —
几个星期后的一个明亮的夏日早晨，他带着一个装有亮丽装饰的礼帽盒子出现了，发现斯嘉丽一个人在家，他打开了盒子。 —

Wrapped in layers of tissue was a bonnet, a creation that made her cry: “Oh, the darling thing!” —
包裹在薄纱中的是一个发髻，这件作品让她哭了：“哦，它真是个可爱的东西！” —

as she reached for it. Starved for the sight, much less the touch, of new clothes, it seemed the loveliest bonnet she had ever seen. —
当她伸手去拿的时候，渴望着看到，更别说触摸一下新衣服，它似乎是她见过最可爱的发髻。 —

It was of dark-green taffeta, lined with water silk of a pale-jade color. —
它是由深绿色塔夫绸制成的，内衬是淡绿色的水丝绸。 —

The ribbons that tied under the chin were as wide as her hand and they, too, were pale green. —
系在下巴下面的丝带和她的手一样宽，也是淡绿色的。 —

And, curled about the brim of this confection was the perkiest of green ostrich plumes.
而，围绕在这个精美的发髻边缘的是最时髦的绿色鸵鸟羽毛。

“Put it on,” said Rhett, smiling.
“戴上它，”雷特微笑着说。

She flew across the room to the mirror and plopped it on her head, pushing back her hair to show her earrings and tying the ribbon under her chin.
她飞过房间去镜子前，把它戴在了头上，把头发往后梳，露出了耳环，并在下巴下系上丝带。

“How do I look?” she cried, pirouetting for his benefit and tossing her head so that the plume danced. —
“我看起来怎么样？”她喊道，为了他的受益转圈，头发摇摆，羽毛也跟着舞动。 —

But she knew she looked pretty even before she saw confirmation in his eyes. —
但她知道自己看起来很漂亮，即使在她看到他的眼睛确认之前。 —

She looked attractively saucy and the green of the lining made her eyes dark emerald and sparkling.
她看起来迷人而俏皮，发髻里的绿色让她的眼睛变成深翠绿色，闪闪发光。

“Oh, Rhett, whose bonnet is it? I’ll buy it. I’ll give you every cent I’ve got for it.”
“哦，雷特，这是谁的帽子？我要买下它。我会用我所有的钱给你。”

“It’s your bonnet,” he said. “Who else could wear that shade of green? —
他说：“这是你的帽子。”“还有谁能戴这样的绿色呢？” —

Don’t you think I carried the color of your eyes well in my mind?”
你认为我在心里好好记住了你的眼睛的颜色吗？”

“Did you really have it trimmed just for me?”
“你真的为我修剪了它吗？”

“Yes, and there’s ‘Rue de la Paix’ on the box, if that means anything to you.”
“是的，盒子上还有’Rue de la Paix’这个字样，如果这对你有任何意义的话。”

It meant nothing to her, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. —
这对她来说毫无意义，她在镜子里微笑着看着自己的倒影。 —

Just at this moment, nothing mattered to her except that she looked utterly charming in the first pretty hat she had put on her head in two years. —
就在这一刻，除了她在两年里第一次戴上漂亮的帽子，她什么都不在乎。 —

What she couldn’t do with this hat! And then her smile faded.
她可以用这顶帽子做什么好事啊！然后她的微笑消失了。

“Don’t you like it?”
“你不喜欢它吗？”

“Oh, it’s a dream but— Oh, I do hate to have to cover this lovely green with crepe and dye the feather black.”
“哦，这是个梦想，但是——哦，我真不想用黑色的丝绸遮住这个很可爱的绿色，并染黑羽毛。”

He was beside her quickly and his deft fingers untied the wide bow under her chin. —
他迅速走到她旁边，灵巧的手指解开了她下巴下的宽蝴蝶结。 —

In a moment the hat was back in its box.
一会儿，帽子又回到了盒子里。

“What are you doing? You said it was mine.”
“你在做什么？你说过这是我的。”

“But not to change to a mourning bonnet. I shall find some other charming lady with green eyes who appreciates my taste.”
“但不是为了换成一个丧服帽。我会找到另一个迷人的绿眼睛女士，她会欣赏我的品味。”

“Oh, you shan’t! I’ll die if I don’t have it! Oh, please, Rhett, don’t be mean! Let me have it.”
“哦，你不会这样！如果我不能拥有它，我会死的！哦，拜托，雷特，别那么刻薄！让我留着它。”

“And turn it into a fright like your other hats? No.”
“然后把它变成像你其他帽子一样的可怕东西？不行。”

She clutched at the box. That sweet thing that made her look so young and enchanting to be given to some other girl? —
她抓住了盒子。那个能让她看起来年轻迷人的甜蜜之物要给其他女孩吗？ —

Oh, never! For a moment she thought of the horror of Pitty and Melanie. —
“哦，绝不！她想到了Pitty和Melanie的屈辱，并感到了恐惧。 —

She thought of Ellen and what she would say, and she shivered. —
她想到了Ellen和她会说什么，她不禁打了个冷战。 —

But vanity was stronger.
但虚荣心更强烈。

“I won’t change it. I promise. Now, do let me have it.”
“我不会换它的。我保证。现在，请让我留着。”

He gave her the box with a slightly sardonic smile and watched her while she put it on again and preened herself.
他带着略带讽刺的微笑把盒子递给她，看着她重新戴上并打扮自己。

“How much is it?” she asked suddenly, her face falling. —
“多少钱？”她突然问道，脸色一落千丈。 —

“I have only fifty dollars but next month—”
“我只有五十美元，但下个月——”

“It would cost about two thousand dollars, Confederate money,” he said with a grin at her woebegone expression.
“那要花大约两千美元，南方货币，”他冷笑着看着她悲痛欲绝的表情。

“Oh, dear— Well, suppose I give you the fifty now and then when I get—”
“天啊，好吧——那我给你五十块现在，然后等我——”

“I don’t want any money for it,” he said. “It’s a gift.”
“我不想要钱，”他说。“这是礼物。”

Scarlett’s mouth dropped open. The line was so closely, so carefully drawn where gifts from men were concerned.
斯嘉丽张大了嘴，这个规矩在男士送礼物这一块真的是划得太清楚、太细致了。

“Candy and flowers, dear,” Ellen had said time and again, “and perhaps a book of poetry or an album or a small bottle of Florida water are the only things a lady may accept from a gentleman. —
“亲爱的，糖果和鲜花，也许还有一本诗集，一本相册或者一小瓶佛罗里达水，这些都是女士能够接受的礼物。” —

Never, never any expensive gift, even from your fiance. —
绝对不能接受任何有价值的礼物，即使是来自未婚夫的。 —

And never any gift of jewelry or wearing apparel, not even gloves or handkerchiefs. —
也不能接受珠宝首饰、穿着品，甚至包括手套和手帕都不可以。 —

Should you accept such gifts, men would know you were no lady and would try to take liberties.”
如果你接受这些礼物，男人们会知道你不是淑女，会试图超越界限。

“Oh, dear,” thought Scarlett, looking first at herself in the mirror and then at Rhett’s unreadable face. —
斯嘉丽想：“天啊”，她先是照照镜子里的自己，再看了看瑞特难以捉摸的脸。 —

“I simply can’t tell him I won’t accept it. It’s too darling. —
“我真的不能告诉他我不会接受，这个太可爱了。” —

I’d—I’d almost rather he took a liberty, if it was a very small one.” —
“如果他敢冒犯一下，哪怕是一点点，我都愿意。” —

Then she was horrified at herself for having such a thought and she turned pink.
然后她对自己有这样的念头感到恐惧，她的脸变得通红。

“I’ll—I’ll give you the fifty dollars—”
“我…我会给你五十美元…”

“If you do I will throw it in the gutter. —
“如果你这样做，我会把它扔进沟里。 —

Or, better still buy masses for your soul. —
或者更好的是给你的灵魂弥撒。 —

I’m sure your soul could do with a few masses.”
我相信你的灵魂需要一些弥撒。

She laughed unwillingly, and the laughing reflection under the green brim decided her instantly.
她不情愿地笑了起来，而绿色帽檐下的笑容使她立刻下定了决心。

“Whatever are you trying to do to me?”
“你到底想对我做什么？”

“I’m tempting you with fine gifts until your girlish ideals are quite worn away and you are at my mercy,” he said. —
“我给你各种华丽的礼物，诱使你的少女理想完全消失，让你任凭我摆布，”他说。 —

”‘Accept only candy and flowers from gentlemen, dearie,’” he mimicked, and she burst into a giggle.
“只接受绅士们的糖果和鲜花，亲爱的，”他模仿着说，她突然笑了出来。

“You are a clever, black-hearted wretch, Rhett Butler, and you know very well this bonnet’s too pretty to be refused.”
“你是一个聪明，黑心的坏蛋，雷特·巴特勒，你很清楚这顶帽子太漂亮了，不能拒绝。”

His eyes mocked her, even while they complimented her beauty.
他的眼睛嘲笑着她，同时又赞美她的美丽。

“Of course, you can tell Miss Pitty that you gave me a sample of taffeta and green silk and drew a picture of the bonnet and I extorted fifty dollars from you for it.”
“当然，你可以告诉皮蒂小姐，你给了我一些塔夫绸和绿色丝绸的样品，并画了顶帽子的图片，我向你敲诈了五十美元。

“No. I shall say one hundred dollars and she’ll tell everybody in town and everybody will be green with envy and talk about my extravagance. —
“不。我会说一百美元，她会告诉镇上的每个人，每个人都会因为我的奢侈而羡慕嫉妒，口口声声议论不休。 —

But Rhett, you mustn’t bring me anything else so expensive. —
但是，雷特，你不能再给我买这么贵的东西了。 —

It’s awfully kind of you, but I really couldn’t accept anything else.”
这样真是太好心了，但是我真的不能再接受其他的东西了。”

“Indeed? Well, I shall bring you presents so long as it pleases me and so long as I see things that will enhance your charms. —
“是吗？那么我将继续给你带来礼物，只要我喜欢，只要我看得上能增添你魅力的东西。 —

I shall bring you dark-green watered silk for a frock to match the bonnet. —
我将给你带来深绿色水磨丝作的长裙，配上这顶帽子。 —

And I warn you that I am not kind. I am tempting you with bonnets and bangles and leading you into a pit. —
但我要警告你，我并不慈善。我在以帽子和手镯引诱你，把你引入一个陷阱。 —

Always remember I never do anything without reason and I never give anything without expecting something in return. —
请永远记住，我做任何事情都有原因，我从不白白给出任何东西，我总是要得到回报。 —

I always get paid.”
我总会得到报偿。”

His black eyes sought her face and traveled to her lips.
他的黑眼睛搜索着她的脸，然后移到了她的嘴唇上。

Scarlett cast down her eyes, excitement filling her. —
斯嘉丽垂下眼帘，兴奋充满了她的心。 —

Now, he was going to try to take liberties, just as Ellen predicted. —
现在，他要试着采取一些不正当的行动，就像埃伦预测的那样。 —

He was going to kiss her, or try to kiss her, and she couldn’t quite make up her flurried mind which it should be. —
他本想亲吻她，或试图亲吻她，而她有些紧张的心里无法决定应该怎么样。 —

If she refused, he might jerk the bonnet right off her head and give it to some other girl. —
如果她拒绝了，他可能会把帽子猛地从她头上掀掉，给其他女孩。 —

On the other hand, if she permitted one chaste peck, he might bring her other lovely presents in the hope of getting another kiss. —
另一方面，如果她允许他亲一下，他可能会带来其他可爱的礼物，希望能再亲一次。 —

Men set such a store by kisses, though Heaven alone knew why. —
男人对吻看得很重，尽管只有天知道为什么。 —

And lots of times, after one kiss they fell completely in love with a girl and made most entertaining spectacles of themselves, provided the girl was clever and withheld her kisses after the first one. —
很多时候，亲了一下后，他们就完全爱上女孩了，并且会表现得非常有趣，前提是女孩聪明地在第一次之后不再亲吻他们。 —

It would be exciting to have Rhett Butler in love with her and admitting it and begging for a kiss or a smile. —
能让雷特·巴特勒爱上她并承认，并乞求一个吻或一个微笑，这会很令人兴奋。 —

Yes, she would let him kiss her.
是的，她会让他亲她。

But he made no move to kiss her. She gave him a sidelong glance from under her lashes and murmured encouragingly.
但他没有动作来亲她。她从睫毛底下斜眼看着他，鼓励地低声说道。

“So you always get paid, do you? And what do you expect to get from me?”
“所以你总是收到报酬，对吧？那你期望我给你什么？”

“That remains to be seen.”
“这还有待观察。”

“Well, if you think I’ll marry you to pay for the bonnet, I won’t,” she said daringly and gave her head a saucy flirt that set the plume to bobbing.
“好吧，如果你觉得我会为了付那顶帽子而嫁给你，你就错了，”她大胆地说道，然后调皮地摇了摇头，让羽毛在晃动。

His white teeth gleamed under his little mustache.
他留着小胡子，露出洁白的牙齿。

“Madam, you flatter yourself, I do not want to marry you or anyone else. I am not a marrying man.”
“夫人，你过于自负了，我不想娶你或任何其他人。我不是一个结婚的人。”

“Indeed!” she cried, taken aback and now determined that he should take some liberty. —
“真的吗！”她惊讶地喊道，现在决心让他采取些行动。 —

“I don’t even intend to kiss you, either.”
“我甚至也不打算吻你。”

“Then why is your mouth all pursed up in that ridiculous way?”
“那为什么你的嘴唇这么紧抿着呢？”

“Oh!” she cried as she caught a glimpse of herself and saw that her red lips were indeed in the proper pose for a kiss. —
“哦！”她喊道，她瞥了一眼自己，发现她的红唇确实摆出了一个合适的吻的姿势。 —

“Oh!” she cried again, losing her temper and stamping her foot. —
“哦！”她再次喊道，失去了耐心，跺起了脚。 —

“You are the horridest man I have ever seen and I don’t care if I never lay eyes on you again!”
“你是我见过的最可恶的人，我不在乎再见到你！”

“If you really felt that way, you’d stamp on the bonnet. —
“如果你真的那么想，你就会跺掉那顶帽子。” —

My, what a passion you are in and it’s quite becoming, as you probably know. —
“哎呀，你真是愤怒的样子，而且这让你更加迷人，你可能知道的。” —

Come, Scarlett, stamp on the bonnet to show me what you think of me and my presents.”
“来吧，斯嘉丽，跺掉那顶帽子，让我看看你对我和我的礼物有什么看法。”

“Don’t you dare touch this bonnet,” she said, clutching it by the bow and retreating. —
“你敢碰这个帽子，”她说着，用蝴蝶结紧紧攥住，退后了一步。 —

He came after her, laughing softly and took her hands in his.
他追了上去，轻笑着抓住了她的手。

“Oh, Scarlett, you are so young you wring my heart,” he said. —
“哦，斯嘉丽，你还年轻，真让我心痛，”他说道。 —

“And I shall kiss you, as you seem to expect it,” and leaning down carelessly, his mustache just grazed her cheek. —
“既然你期待，我就要亲吻你了”，他漫不经心地低下头，胡子刮了一下她的脸颊。 —

“Now, do you feel that you must slap me to preserve the proprieties?”
“现在，你是不是觉得为了保持礼仪，你必须要打我一耳光？”

Her lips mutinous, she looked up into his eyes and saw so much amusement in their dark depths that she burst into laughter. —
她嘟起嘴，朝他的眼睛看去，发现他深邃的眼中盛满了笑意，于是她突然笑了出来。 —

What a tease he was and how exasperating! —
他真是个调皮鬼，真是让人又气又好笑！ —

If he didn’t want to marry her and didn’t even want to kiss her, what did he want? —
如果他不想娶她，甚至不想亲她，那他到底想要什么？ —

If he wasn’t in love with her, why did he call so often and bring her presents?
如果他不爱她，为什么会经常来找她，给她礼物？

“That’s better,” he said. “Scarlett, I’m a bad influence on you and if you have any sense you will send me packing—if you can. —
“好了，”他说，“斯嘉丽，我对你影响不好，你要是有点儿聪明，你就会把我赶走——如果你能的话。 —

I’m very hard to get rid of. But I’m bad for you.”
我不好摆脱。但我对你来说是个坏人。”

“Are you?”
“是吗？”

“Can’t you see it? Ever since I met you at the bazaar, your career has been most shocking and I’m to blame for most of it. —
“你难道看不见吗？自从我在市集上遇见你以后，你的事业变得最令人震惊，而我要为其中的大部分负责。” —

Who encouraged you to dance? Who forced you to admit that you thought our glorious Cause was neither glorious nor sacred? —
“是谁鼓励了你跳舞？是谁逼迫你承认你认为我们辉煌的事业既不辉煌也不神圣？” —

Who goaded you into admitting that you thought men were fools to die for high-sounding principles? —
“是谁激励你承认你认为人们为了华丽的理念而去死是愚蠢的？” —

Who has aided you in giving the old ladies plenty to gossip about? —
“是谁帮助你让老太太们有了充足的八卦话题？” —

Who is getting you out of mourning several years too soon? —
“是谁让你提前结束了几年的丧期？” —

And who, to end all this, has lured you into accepting a gift which no lady can accept and still remain a lady?”
“而谁，为了了结这一切，引诱你接受了一个女士不能接受而仍旧保持女士身份的礼物呢？”

“You flatter yourself, Captain Butler. I haven’t done anything so scandalous and I’d have done everything you mentioned without your aid anyway.”
“你自作多情，巴特勒上尉。我没有做出那么丢脸的事情，而且无论你帮忙还是不帮忙，我都会做所有你提到的事情。”

“I doubt that,” he said and his face went suddenly quiet and somber. —
“我对此表示怀疑，”他说着，脸色突然变得安静而严肃。 —

“You’d still be the broken-hearted widow of Charles Hamilton and famed for your good deeds among the wounded. —
“你还是查尔斯·汉密尔顿的心碎寡妇，以及在照顾伤员方面享有盛名的人。” —

Eventually, however—”
“虽然最终，然而——”

But she was not listening, for she was regarding herself pleasedly in the mirror again, thinking she would wear the bonnet to the hospital this very afternoon and take flowers to the convalescent officers.
但是她没有在听，因为她又自鸣得意地在镜子里看着自己，想着下午去医院时会戴上那顶帽子，并给那些康复中的军官送花。

That there was truth in his last words did not occur to her. —
她没有意识到他最后的话是真实的。 —

She did not see that Rhett had pried open the prison of her widowhood and set her free to queen it over unmarried girls when her days as a belle should have been long past. —
她没有看到的是，瑞特已经打开了她寡妇的牢笼，让她在应该已经过去的年纪仍然统治着未婚女孩们。 —

Nor did she see that under his influence she had come a long way from Ellen’s teachings. —
她也没有看到，在他的影响下，她已经远离艾伦的教导。 —

The change had been so gradual, the flouting of one small convention seeming to have no connection with the flouting of another, and none of them any connection with Rhett. She did not realize that, with his encouragement, she had disregarded many of the sternest injunctions of her mother concerning the proprieties, forgotten the difficult lessons in being a lady.
这个变化是如此渐进的，对一个小规矩的不屑似乎与违反另一个规矩没有任何联系，而这些规矩与瑞特也没有任何联系。她没有意识到，在他的鼓励下，她已经忽视了许多母亲关于得体的最严厉的教诲，忘记了如何做一个淑女的艰难课程。

She only saw that the bonnet was the most becoming one she ever had, that it had not cost her a penny and that Rhett must be in love with her, whether he admitted it or not. —
她只看见帽子是她有过的最合适的一个，这个帽子花她一分钱都没有，而且雷德一定是爱她的，不管他是否承认。 —

And she certainly intended to find a way to make him admit it.
而且她一定打算找到办法让他承认。

The next day, Scarlett was standing in front of the mirror with a comb in her hand and her mouth full of hairpins, attempting a new coiffure which Maybelle, fresh from a visit to her husband in Richmond, had said was the rage at the Capital. —
第二天，斯嘉丽站在镜子前，手里拿着梳子，嘴里塞满了发圈，尝试着一个新的发式，梅贝尔刚从里士满去看丈夫回来，说这在首都很流行。 —

It was called “Cats, Rats and Mice” and presented many difficulties. —
它叫做“猫，老鼠和鼠”，有很多困难。 —

The hair was parted in the middle and arranged in three rolls of graduating size on each side of the head, the largest, nearest the part, being the “cat.” —
头发在中间分开，并在头的两侧分别梳成三个大小递增的卷发，最接近发分的是“猫”。 —

The “cat” and the “rat” were easy to fix but the “mice” kept slipping out of her hairpins in an exasperating manner. —
“猫”和“老鼠”很容易弄好，但“鼠”总是让发夹滑落，非常恼人。 —

However, she was determined to accomplish it, for Rhett was coming to supper and he always noticed and commented upon any innovation of dress or hair.
然而，她决心要完成它，因为雷德要来吃晚饭，他总是会注意并评论任何新的着装或发型。

As she struggled with her bushy, obstinate locks, perspiration beading her forehead, she heard light running feet in the downstairs hall and knew that Melanie was home from the hospital. —
当她费力地应对着自己蓬松而顽固的发丝，额头上冒出汗珠时，她听到楼下走廊里轻快的奔跑脚步声，知道梅兰妮从医院回来了。 —

As she heard her fly up the stairs, two at a time, she paused, hairpin in mid-air, realizing that something must be wrong, for Melanie always moved as decorously as a dowager. —
当她听到她两次一跳地上楼的声音时，她停下来，发夹悬在半空中，意识到一定是出了什么事，因为梅兰妮总是像一个端庄的寡妇一样行动。 —

She went to the door and threw it open, and Melanie ran in, her face flushed and frightened, looking like a guilty child.
她走到门口，打开门，梅兰妮跑了进来，脸红脸惊恐，看起来像个内疚的孩子。

There were tears on her cheeks, her bonnet was hanging on her neck by the ribbons and her hoops swaying violently. —
她的脸上有泪痕，她的帽子被绳子挂在脖子上，她的裙撑在剧烈摇晃。 —

She was clutching something in her hand, and the reek of heavy cheap perfume came into the room with her.
她手里紧紧抓着什么东西，一股浓郁的廉价香水味随着她进了房间。

“Oh, Scarlett!” she cried, shutting the door and sinking on the bed. “Is Auntie home yet? She isn’t? —
“哦，斯嘉丽！”她关上门，倒在床上说道。“姨妈回来了吗？她还没回来？ —

Oh, thank the Lord! Scarlett, I’m so mortified I could die! —
哦，感谢上帝！斯嘉丽，我太尴尬了，我都想死了！ —

I nearly swooned and, Scarlett, Uncle Peter is threatening to tell Aunt Pitty!”
我差点晕倒，斯嘉丽，彼得叔叔威胁要告诉庇蒂姨妈！”

“Tell what?”
“告诉什么？”

“That I was talking to that—to Miss—Mrs.—” Melanie fanned her hot face with her handkerchief. —
“我正在和那个-那个-茜茜小姐-夫人-”梅兰妮用手帕扇着红着的脸。 —

“That woman with red hair, named Belle Watling!”
“那个红头发的女人，叫贝尔·沃特林！”

“Why, Melly!” cried Scarlett, so shocked she could only stare.
“哎呀，梅莉！”斯嘉丽吃惊得目瞪口呆。

Belle Watling was the red-haired woman she had seen on the street the first day she came to Atlanta and by now, she was easily the most notorious woman in town. —
贝尔·沃特林就是她第一天来亚特兰大时在街上看到的那个红发女人，现在她已经成了城里最臭名昭著的妇女。 —

Many prostitutes had flocked into Atlanta, following the soldiers, but Belle stood out above the rest, due to her flaming hair and the gaudy, overly fashionable dresses she wore. —
很多妓女都跟随军队涌入亚特兰大，但贝尔因为她那火红的头发和俗气的过分时髦的裙装而脱颖而出。 —

She was seldom seen on Peachtree Street or in any nice neighborhood, but when she did appear respectable women made haste to cross the street to remove themselves from her vicinity. —
她很少出现在皮奇街或任何好社区，但每当她出现时，体面的女人们都急忙越过街道远离她的附近。 —

And Melanie had been talking with her. No wonder Uncle Peter was outraged.
而梅兰妮居然跟她说了话。难怪彼得大叔会愤怒。

“I shall die if Aunt Pitty finds out! You know she’ll cry and tell everybody in town and I’ll be disgraced,” sobbed Melanie. —
“如果庞蒂姑姑发现了，我会死的！你知道她会哭着告诉全城的人，我会被羞辱的。”梅兰妮哭泣着说。 —

“And it wasn’t my fault. I—I couldn’t run away from her. It would have been so rude. —
“而这不是我的错。我…我不能离开她，那会太无礼了。 —

Scarlett, I—I felt sorry for her. Do you think I’m bad for feeling that way?”
Scarlett，我…我为她感到难过。你觉得我这样想是不好吗？

But Scarlett was not concerned with the ethics of the matter. —
但Scarlett并未对这个问题的伦理关切。 —

Like most innocent and well-bred young women, she had a devouring curiosity about prostitutes.
像大多数天真而有良好教养的年轻女性一样，她对妓女有着极大的好奇心。

“What did she want? What does she talk like?”
“她想要什么？她说话是什么样子的？”

“Oh, she used awful grammar but I could see she was trying so hard to be elegant, poor thing. —
“哦，她的语法很糟糕，但我能看出她很努力地想要优雅，可怜的家伙。 —

I came out of the hospital and Uncle Peter and the carriage weren’t waiting, so I thought I’d walk home. —
我出了医院，彼得叔叔和马车没有等在那里，所以我就想着走路回家。 —

And when I went by the Emersons’ yard, there she was hiding behind the hedge! —
当我经过埃默森家的院子时，她就藏在篱笆后面！ —

Oh, thank Heaven, the Emersons are in Macon! —
哦，谢天谢地，埃默森家去了梅肯！ —

And she said, ‘Please, Mrs. Wilkes, do speak a minute with me.’ I don’t know how she knew my name. —
她说：“请，威尔克斯夫人，和我说一会儿话。”我不知道她是怎么知道我的名字的。 —

I knew I ought to run as hard as I could but—well, Scarlett, she looked so sad and—well, sort of pleading. —
我知道我应该尽快跑开，但是…呃，好吧，Scarlett，她看起来如此悲伤，还有…呃，有点乞求的样子。 —

And she had on a black dress and black bonnet and no paint and really looked decent but for that red hair. —
她穿着一件黑色连衣裙和黑色宽檐帽，没有化妆，看起来还不错，只是那红头发有些特别。 —

And before I could answer she said. ‘I know I shouldn’t speak to you but I tried to talk to that old peahen, Mrs. Elsing, and she ran me away from the hospital.’”
在我来得及回答之前，她说道：“我知道我不该和你说话，但我试图和那老母鸡艾尔辛夫人说话，她把我赶出了医院。”

“Did she really call her a peahen?” said Scarlett pleasedly and laughed.
“她真的称她为母鸡吗？”斯嘉丽高兴地问道，并笑了起来。

“Oh, don’t laugh. It isn’t funny. It seems that Miss—this woman, wanted to do something for the hospital—can you imagine it? —
“哦，别笑了。这不好笑。原来这位女士，也就是这个女人，想为医院做点事——你能想象吗？ —

She offered to nurse every morning and, of course, Mrs. Elsing must have nearly died at the idea and ordered her out of the hospital. —
她提出每天早上看护病人，当然，艾尔辛夫人应该对这个想法几乎要崩溃了，让她离开了医院。 —

And then she said, ‘I want to do something, too. Ain’t I a Confedrut, good as you?’ —
然后她说：“我也想做点什么，我不比你差，我是个南方人。” —

And, Scarlett, I was right touched at her wanting to help. —
而，斯嘉丽，她想要帮助我，我感动得不行。 —

You know, she can’t be all bad if she wants to help the Cause. Do you think I’m bad to feel that way?”
你知道的，如果她想要帮助事业，她肯定不是全坏人。你认为我感到这样是否不好？

“For Heaven’s sake, Melly, who cares if you’re bad? What else did she say?”
“天啊，梅莉，谁在乎你是不是坏人？她还说了什么？”

“She said she’d been watching the ladies go by to the hospital and thought I had—a—a kind face and so she stopped me. —
“她说她一直在看着路过医院的妇女们，觉得我有一个…一个友善的面孔，所以她才叫住了我。 —

She had some money and she wanted me to take it and use it for the hospital and not tell a soul where it came from. —
她有一些钱，她想让我拿去给医院用，不要告诉任何人这钱是从哪里来的。 —

She said Mrs. Elsing wouldn’t let it be used if she knew what kind of money it was. —
她说如果Elsing太太知道这是什么样的钱，她就不会让这钱被用掉。 —

What kind of money! That’s when I thought I’d swoon! —
什么样的钱！那时候我都快晕倒了！ —

And I was so upset and anxious to get away, I just said: —
我那时非常不安，急于离开，只是说了句： —

‘Oh, yes, indeed, how sweet of you’ or something idiotic, and she smiled and said: —
‘哦，是的，非常亲切’或者什么愚蠢的话，然后她笑着说： —

‘That’s right Christian of you’ and shoved this dirty handkerchief into my hand. —
‘你做得对，这样很负责任’然后把这个脏手绢塞到我手里。 —

Ugh, can you smell the perfume?”
呃，你能闻到香水的味道吗？

Melanie held out a man’s handkerchief, soiled and highly perfumed, in which some coins were knotted.
梅兰妮递过来一条男士手绢，脏而且带着浓郁的香水味，里面扎着一些硬币。

“She was saying thank you and something about bringing me some money every week and just then Uncle Peter drove up and saw me!” —
“她说谢谢，并说每个星期会给我带一些钱来，就在这时，彼得叔叔开车过来看到了我！” —

Melly collapsed into tears and laid her head on the pillow. —
梅莉崩溃地哭了起来，把头放在枕头上。 —

“And when he saw who was with me, he—Scarlett, he HOLLERED at me! —
“当他看到和我在一起的是谁时，他——Scarlett，他冲我大喊大叫！” —

Nobody has ever hollered at me before in my whole life. —
“我一生中从未有过人对我大喊大叫。” —

And he said, ‘You git in dis hyah cah’ige dis minute!’ —
“他说，‘你现在赶紧上这辆马车！’” —

Of course, I did, and all the way home he blessed me out and wouldn’t let me explain and said he was going to tell Aunt Pitty. Scarlett, do go down and beg him not to tell her. —
“当然，我就上去了，回家的路上他不停地责骂我，不让我解释，并说他要告诉Aunt Pitty。Scarlett，你去劝劝他别告诉她吧。” —

Perhaps he will listen to you. It will kill Auntie if she knows I ever even looked that woman in the face. Will you?”
“也许他会听你的。要是她知道我曾经与那个女人正面相对，她会伤心的。你愿意吗？”

“Yes, I will. But let’s see how much money is in here. It feels heavy.”
“好的，我去。但是先看看里面有多少钱。感觉挺重的。”

She untied the knot and a handful of gold coins rolled out on the bed.
她解开了结，一把黄金硬币从床上滚出来。

“Scarlett, there’s fifty dollars here! And in gold!” —
“Scarlett，这里有50美元！而且都是金子！” —

cried Melanie, awed, as she counted the bright pieces. —
梅兰妮惊讶地数着那些亮闪闪的硬币。 —

“Tell me, do you think it’s all right to use this kind—well, money made—er—this way for the boys? —
“告诉我，你觉得用这种，嗯，用这种方式得到的钱给孩子们用，合适吗？” —

Don’t you think that maybe God will understand that she wanted to help and won’t care if it is tainted? —
“你觉得也许上帝会理解她想帮助我们，不会在意它是否蒙上了污点吗？” —

When I think of how many things the hospital needs—”
当我想起医院需要多少东西时——

But Scarlett was not listening. She was looking at the dirty handkerchief, and humiliation and fury were filling her. —
但是Scarlett并没有在听。她看着那个脏手帕，羞辱和愤怒充斥着她的心头。 —

There was a monogram in the corner in which were the initials “R. K. B.” In her top drawer was a handkerchief just like this, one that Rhett Butler had lent her only yesterday to wrap about the stems of wild flowers they had picked. —
在角落有一个标记，上面刺着“R. K. B.”。她的上抽屉里有一条和这条一模一样的手帕，是昨天只有刚和她一起采的野花的时候，Rhett Butler借给她的。 —

She had planned to return it to him when he came to supper tonight.
她原计划今晚在晚餐时还给他。

So Rhett consorted with that vile Watling creature and gave her money. —
所以Rhett和那个卑鄙的Watling贱人呆在一起并给了她钱。 —

That was where the contribution to the hospital came from. Blockade gold. —
那些为医院贡献的金子都是走私得来的。 —

And to think that Rhett would have the gall to look a decent woman in the face after being with that creature! —
想到Rhett在和那个贱人在一起后还厚颜无耻地对一个正派女子呵斥，真是太让人气愤了！ —

And to think that she could have believed he was in love with her! —
想到她曾经相信他爱她，真是让人傻眼！ —

This proved he couldn’t be.
这证明了他是不可能爱她的。

Bad women and all they involved were mysterious and revolting matters to her. —
坏女人以及与之相关的一切对她来说都是神秘而令人反感的事情。 —

She knew that men patronized these women for purposes which no lady should mention—or, if she did mention them, in whispers and by indirection and euphemism. —
她知道男性出于不宜提及的目的而光顾这些女人，或者如果她确实提及，也是小声地通过间接暗示和委婉措辞。 —

She had always thought that only common vulgar men visited such women. —
她一直以为只有粗俗庸俗的男人才会去拜访这样的女人。 —

Before this moment, it had never occurred to her that nice men— that is, men she met at nice homes and with whom she danced—could possibly do such things. —
在这一刻之前，她从未想过好男人——也就是她在体面的家庭中认识并与之共舞的男人们——竟然会做出这种事情。 —

It opened up an entirely new field of thought and one that was horrifying. —
这为她打开了一个完全新颖而令人恐惧的思维领域。 —

Perhaps all men did this! It was bad enough that they forced their wives to go through such indecent performances but to actually seek out low women and pay them for such accommodation! —
也许所有男人都这样做！他们强迫妻子参与这样不体面的表演已经够坏了，居然还主动寻找下贱的女人并给她们金钱以换取这种“招待”！ —

Oh, men were so vile, and Rhett Butler was the worst of them all!
哦，男人太卑鄙了，还有瑞德·巴特勒，他是最卑鄙的一个！

She would take this handkerchief and fling it in his face and show him the door and never, never speak to him again. —
她将拿起这块手帕，扔到他的脸上，把他赶出去，永远不再与他说一句话。 —

But no, of course she couldn’t do that. She could never, never let him know she even realized that bad women existed, much less that he visited them. —
但是，当然，她不可能那样做。她永远不会让他知道她甚至意识到坏女人的存在，更不用说他去拜访她们了。 —

A lady could never do that.
一个淑女永远不能那样做。

“Oh,” she thought in fury. “If I just wasn’t a lady, what wouldn’t I tell that varmint!”
“哦，”她愤怒地想道。“如果我不是一个淑女，我会告诉那个坏蛋什么！”

And, crumbling the handkerchief in her hand, she went down the stairs to the kitchen in search of Uncle Peter. As she passed the stove, she shoved the handkerchief into the flames and with impotent anger watched it burn.
她将手帕揉成一团，走下楼梯去找彼得叔叔。当她经过炉子时，她把手帕塞进火焰里，愤怒地看着它燃烧。