The sun shone intermittently the next morning and the hard wind that drove dark clouds swiftly across its face rattled the windowpanes and moaned faintly about the house. —
次日清晨阳光时隐时现，强劲的风将黑云迅速驱散，使得窗玻璃发出咔咔声并在房子里淡淡地呻吟。 —

Scarlett said a brief prayer of thanksgiving that the rain of the previous night had ceased, for she had lain awake listening to it, knowing that it would mean the ruin of her velvet dress and new bonnet. —
斯嘉丽为前一晚的雨停了小小地祷告，她一直躺在床上倾听着雨声，心知若继续下雨，她的丝绒裙子和新礼帽都将毁掉。 —

Now that she could catch fleeting glimpses of the sun, her spirits soared. —
现在她能偶尔瞥见太阳，心情大好。 —

She could hardly remain in bed and look languid and make croaking noises until Aunt Pitty, Mammy and Uncle Peter were out of the house and on their way to Mrs. Bonnell’s. —
她无法继续躺在床上表现得懒洋洋的，发出喉音，直到派蒂姨妈、玛米和彼得叔叔离开房子去邦奈尔太太那儿。 —

When, at last, the front gate banged and she was alone in the house, except for Cookie who was singing in the kitchen, she leaped from the bed and lifted her new clothes from the closet hooks.
最后，前门闩上，在房子里只剩下在厨房里唱歌的库基，她跳下床，从衣橱钩子上取下自己的新衣服。

Sleep had refreshed her and given her strength and from the cold hard core at the bottom of her heart, she drew courage. —
睡眠使她充满活力，给她力量，她从内心的冷酷深处汲取勇气。 —

There was something about the prospect of a struggle of wits with a man—with any man—that put her on her mettle and, after months of battling against countless discouragements, the knowledge that she was at last facing a definite adversary, one whom she might unhorse by her own efforts, gave her a buoyant sensation.
面对与任何男人的智力搏斗，正是这种前途一片暗淡的挑战让她感到激动不已。经过数月的不屈不挠，终于面对一个明确的对手，她有信心凭自己的努力把他搬翻，这让她心情愉快。

Dressing unaided was difficult but she finally accomplished it and putting on the bonnet with its rakish feathers she ran to Aunt Pitty’s room to preen herself in front of the long mirror. —
自己一个人穿衣服很困难，但她最终还是成功了。戴上了那顶带着别致羽毛的礼帽，她跑到阿姨皮蒂的房间前，在长镜子前摆姿势。 —

How pretty she looked! The cock feathers gave her a dashing air and the dull-green velvet of the bonnet made her eyes startlingly bright, almost emerald colored. —
她看起来好漂亮！帽子上的公鸡羽毛给她增添了一种轻快的魅力，深绿色天鹅绒的帽子让她的眼睛闪闪发亮，几乎像翠绿的宝石一样。 —

And the dress was incomparable, so rich and handsome looking and yet so dignified! —
而那条裙子无与伦比，既富丽堂皇又优雅庄重！ —

It was wonderful to have a lovely dress again. —
能再次拥有一条漂亮的裙子真是太美妙了。 —

It was so nice to know that she looked pretty and provocative, and she impulsively bent forward and kissed her reflection in the mirror and then laughed at her own foolishness. —
知道自己看起来既漂亮又吸引人，她不由地俯身亲吻了镜子中的影像，然后傻笑了起来。 —

She picked up Ellen’s Paisley shawl to wrap about her but the colors of the faded old square clashed with the moss-green dress and made her appear a little shabby. —
她捡起了艾伦的佩斯利披肩缠在身上，但那些褪色了的颜色与苔绿色的裙子格格不入，让她看起来有点破旧。 —

Opening Aunt Pitty’s closet she removed a black broadcloth cloak, a thin fall garment which Pitty used only for Sunday wear, and put it on. —
打开皮蒂阿姨的衣橱，她拿出了一件黑色的宽松斗篷，这是皮蒂只在星期日穿的薄款服饰，并披在身上。 —

She slipped into her pierced ears the diamond earrings she had brought from Tara, and tossed her head to observe the effect. —
她穿上了她从塔拉带来的钻石耳环，然后扬起头来观察效果。 —

They made pleasant clicking noises which were very satisfactory and she thought that she must remember to toss her head frequently when with Rhett. Dancing earrings always attracted a man and gave a girl such a spirited air.
它们发出令人愉悦的点击声，非常令人满意。她想到要在与雷特在一起时经常扬头。跳动的耳环总能吸引男人，给女孩带来一种活泼的气息。

What a shame Aunt Pitty had no other gloves than the ones now on her fat hands! —
真可惜皮蒂阿姨除了现在她那双胖胖的手上戴着的手套外没有其他手套！ —

No woman could really feel like a lady without gloves, but Scarlett had not had a pair since she left Atlanta. —
没有手套，没有女人真正感觉像个淑女，但自从她离开亚特兰大以来，斯嘉丽就没有一双手套了。 —

And the long months of hard work at Tara had roughened her hands until they were far from pretty. —
在塔拉的漫长劳作月份中，她的双手粗糙到了远非漂亮之处。 —

Well, it couldn’t be helped. She’d take Aunt Pitty’s little seal muff and hide her bare hands in it. Scarlett felt that it gave her the final finishing touch of elegance. —
嗯，没办法。她将拿起彼得小小的水貂手套，把自己的裸露双手藏在里面。斯嘉丽觉得这给了她最后一丝优雅的完美修饰。 —

No one, looking at her now, would suspect that poverty and want were standing at her shoulder.
没人现在看到她时会怀疑贫穷和困苦在她身后。

It was so important that Rhett should not suspect. —
这很重要，罗得不能怀疑。 —

He must not think that anything but tender feelings were driving her.
他不能觉得除了温柔的感情外还有别的东西在推动她。

She tiptoed down the stairs and out of the house while Cookie bawled on unconcernedly in the kitchen. She hastened down Baker Street to avoid the all seeing eyes of the neighbors and sat down on a carriage block on Ivy Street in front of a burned house, to wait for some passing carriage or wagon which would give her a ride. —
她蹑手蹑脚地走下楼梯，离开了房子，而Cookie则毫不关心地在厨房里大声吼叫。她匆忙走下贝克街，以避开邻居们的敏锐眼光，坐在一幢烧毁房屋前的马车桩上等待经过的马车或货车能够搭载她。 —

The sun dipped in and out from behind hurrying clouds, lighting the street with a false brightness which had no warmth in it, and the wind fluttered the lace of her pantalets. —
太阳从快速飘过的云层中时隐时现，照亮着街道，但带着一种没有温暖的虚假亮光，风吹拂她短裤上的蕾丝。 —

It was colder than she had expected and she wrapped Aunt Pitty’s thin cloak about her and shivered impatiently. —
天气比她预期的要冷，她包紧了Pitty姨妈的薄披肩，不耐烦地打着哆嗦。 —

Just as she was preparing to start walking the long way across town to the Yankee encampment, a battered wagon appeared. —
就在她准备从镇上绕道去联邦营地的时候，出现了一辆破旧的马车。 —

In it was an old woman with a lip full of snuff and a weather-beaten face under a drab sunbonnet, driving a dawdling old mule. —
车里坐着一个抽满烟囱的老妇人，戴着一顶普通的遮阳帽，驱着一只懒洋洋的瘦骡子。 —

She was going in the direction of the city hall and she grudgingly gave Scarlett a ride. —
她正往市政厅的方向走，也勉强给了斯嘉丽一程。 —

But it was obvious that the dress, bonnet and muff found no favor with her.
不过很显然，这件礼服、帽子和围巾并没有得到她的青睐。

“She thinks I’m a hussy,” thought Scarlett. “And perhaps she’s right at that!”
“她认为我是个轻浮的女人，”心想着斯嘉丽，”或许她说得没错呢！”

When at last they reached the town square and the tall white cupola of the city hall loomed up, she made her thanks, climbed down from the wagon and watched the country woman drive off. —
当她们最终到达市中心的广场，市政厅那座高耸的白色圆顶出现在眼前时，她表达了谢意，从马车上下来，看着那位乡下妇人驾车离去。 —

Looking around carefully to see that she was not observed, she pinched her cheeks to give them color and bit her lips until they stung to make them red. —
她小心翼翼地四周张望，确保没有人注意到她，捏了捏脸颊让它们变红，咬住嘴唇直到它们发红发痛。 —

She adjusted the bonnet and smoothed back her hair and looked about the square. —
她整理了一下头巾，将头发往后梳了梳，环顾四周的广场。 —

The two-story red-brick city hall had survived the burning of the city. —
这座两层楼的红砖市政厅幸存于城市的焚烧之中。 —

But it looked forlorn and unkempt under the gray sky. —
但在灰色天空下，它显得凄凉而蓬乱。 —

Surrounding the building completely and covering the square of land of which it was the center were row after row of army huts, dingy and mud splashed. —
围绕建筑物的是一排排陆续铺开的军用小屋，沾满了泥污，显得昏暗不堪。 —

Yankee soldiers loitered everywhere and Scarlett looked at them uncertainly, some of her courage deserting her. —
北方士兵们随处闲逛，斯嘉丽不确定地看着他们，她的一些勇气消失了。 —

How would she go about finding Rhett in this enemy camp?
她该如何在这个敌军营地中找到瑞德？

She looked down the street toward the firehouse and saw that the wide arched doors were closed and heavily barred and two sentries passed and repassed on each side of the building. —
她往街道望去，看见消防队大门紧闭且上了重重木板，两个哨兵在建筑物两侧巡逻。 —

Rhett was in there. But what should she say to the Yankee soldiers? And what would they say to her? —
瑞德就在那里。但她应该对北方士兵说什么呢？他们会对她说些什么呢？ —

She squared her shoulders. If she hadn’t been afraid to kill one Yankee, she shouldn’t fear merely talking to another.
她挺直了肩膀。如果她不怕杀一个北方人，她就不应该仅仅害怕与另一个对话。

She picked her way precariously across the stepping stones of the muddy street and walked forward until a sentry, his blue overcoat buttoned high against the wind, stopped her.
她小心翼翼地穿过泥泞的街道上的跳板，并向前走，直到一个戴着蓝色大衣高扣的哨兵拦住了她。

“What is it, Ma’m?” His voice had a strange mid-Western twang but it was polite and respectful.
“怎么了，夫人？”他的声音带着一种奇怪的中西部口音，但是彬彬有礼。

“I want to see a man in there—he is a prisoner.”
“我想见一个人——他是个囚犯。”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the sentry, scratching his head. —
“嗯，我不知道。”哨兵挠了挠头。 —

“They are mighty particular about visitors and—” He stopped and peered into her face sharply. —
“他们对访客很挑剔，而且……”他停下来，尖刻地盯着她的脸。 —

“Lord, lady! Don’t you cry! You go over to post headquarters and ask the officers. —
“天哪，夫人！别哭了！你去post headquarters问问军官们。 —

They’ll let you see him, I bet.”
他们肯定会让你见他的。”

Scarlett, who had no intention of crying, beamed at him. —
斯嘉丽本来无意哭泣，却对他露出了笑容。 —

He turned to another sentry who was slowly pacing his beat: —
他转向另一个正在缓慢巡逻的哨兵： —

“Yee-ah, Bill. Come’eer.”
“喂，比尔。过来。”

The second sentry, a large man muffled in a blue overcoat from which villainous black whiskers burst, came through the mud toward them.
第二个哨兵，一个包裹在一件蓝色大衣里的大个子，他的邪恶黑胡子从面颊上伸出，走过泥泞的路向他们靠近。

“You take this lady to headquarters.”
“你带这位女士去总部。”

Scarlett thanked him and followed the sentry.
斯嘉丽向他表示感谢，然后跟着哨兵走了。

“Mind you don’t turn your ankle on those stepping stones,” said the soldier, taking her arm. —
“小心别在这些踏石上扭到脚踝，”士兵说着，牵住她的手臂。 —

“And you’d better hist up your skirts a little to keep them out of the mud.”
“还是把裙子提高一点，别让它们沾到泥巴上。”

The voice issuing from the whiskers had the same nasal twang but was kind and pleasant and his hand was firm and respectful. —
胡子下的声音仍然带着同样的鼻音，但温和而愉快，他的手握得很有力，也很尊重。 —

Why, Yankees weren’t bad at all!
噢，其实北方佬一点都不坏！

“It’s a mighty cold day for a lady to be out in,” said her escort. “Have you come a fer piece?”
“对于一位淑女来说，今天是非常寒冷的天气，”她的护送人说道，“你走了很远了吗？”

“Oh, yes, from clear across the other side of town,” she said, warming to the kindness in his voice.
“噢，没错，从城镇的另一边过来的，”她渐渐感受到他声音中的友善。

“This ain’t no weather for a lady to be out in,” said the soldier reprovingly, “with all this la grippe in the air. —
“这不是一个淑女外出的天气，”士兵责备地说道，“现在空气中还有那么多流感病毒。 —

Here’s Post Command, lady— What’s the matter?”
这是驻军司令部，夫人——怎么了？

“This house—this house is your headquarters?” —
“这栋房子，这栋房子是你们的总部？” —

Scarlett looked up at the lovely old dwelling facing on the square and could have cried. —
斯嘉丽抬头看着广场上那座美丽的古老住宅，她差点哭了出来。 —

She had been to so many parties in this house during the war. —
在战争期间，她参加了这个房子里的那么多派对。 —

It had been a gay beautiful place and now—there was a large United States flag floating over it.
它曾经是一个欢乐美丽的地方，而现在——上面悬挂着一面大大的美国国旗。

“What’s the matter?”
“发生了什么事？”

“Nothing—only—only—I used to know the people who lived here.”
“没什么——只是——只是我曾经认识住在这里的人。”

“Well, that’s too bad. I guess they wouldn’t know it themselves if they saw it, for it shore is torn up on the inside. —
“嗯，真可惜。我猜他们自己看到了也不会认出来，因为里面真乱糟糟的。” —

Now, you go on in, Ma’m, and ask for the captain.”
“现在，夫人，你进去找船长吧。”

She went up the steps, caressing the broken white banisters, and pushed open the front door. —
她上了台阶，抚摸着破碎的白色栏杆，推开前门。 —

The hall was dark and as cold as a vault and a shivering sentry was leaning against the closed folding doors of what had been, in better days, the dining room.
大厅黑暗而寒冷，像个地窖，瑟瑟发抖的哨兵靠在曾经，在更好的时日里，是餐厅的折叠门上。

“I want to see the captain,” she said.
“我想见船长。”她说。

He pulled back the doors and she entered the room, her heart beating rapidly, her face flushing with embarrassment and excitement. —
他拉开门，她走进房间，心跳加速，面颊因尴尬和激动而发红。 —

There was a close stuffy smell in the room, compounded of the smoking fire, tobacco fumes, leather, damp woolen uniforms and unwashed bodies. —
房间里有一股闷闷的气味，是烟火、烟草气味、皮革、潮湿的羊毛制服和未洗涤的身体散发出的。 —

She had a confused impression of bare walls with torn wallpaper, rows of blue overcoats and slouch hats hung on nails, a roaring fire, a long table covered with papers and a group of officers in blue uniforms with brass buttons.
她对光秃秃的墙壁上的撕破的墙纸、挂在钉子上的一排蓝色外衣和软帽、一堆燃烧的火焰、铺满文件的长桌以及一群穿着蓝色制服和黄铜纽扣的军官们产生了困惑的印象。

She gulped once and found her voice. She mustn’t let these Yankees know she was afraid. She must look and be her prettiest and most unconcerned self.
她狠狠咽了一口气，找到了自己的声音。她不能让这些北方人知道她害怕。她必须尽显出自己最漂亮和最无所谓的样子。

“The captain?”
“那位上尉呢？”

“I’m one captain,” said a fat man whose tunic was unbuttoned.
“我是其中一位上尉，”一个敞开蓝军制服钮扣的胖子说道。

“I want to see a prisoner, Captain Rhett Butler.”
“我想见一位囚犯，雷特·巴特勒上尉。”

“Butler again? He’s popular, that man,” laughed the captain, taking a chewed cigar from his mouth. —
“巴特勒又来了？那个人真受欢迎，”上尉笑着，从口中取出一支被咬过的雪茄。 —

“You a relative, Ma’m?”
“你是亲戚吗，夫人？”

“Yes—his—his sister.”
“是的——他——他的姐姐。”

He laughed again.
他又笑了起来。

“He’s got a lot of sisters, one of them here yesterday.”
“他有很多姐姐，昨天有一个姐姐来过。”

Scarlett flushed. One of those creatures Rhett consorted with, probably that Watling woman. —
斯嘉丽脸红了。那些与雷特交往的人中有一个，很可能是那个沃特林女人。 —

And these Yankees thought she was another one. It was unendurable. —
这些北方人以为她是另一个那种女人。这简直无法忍受。 —

Not even for Tara would she stay here another minute and be insulted. —
即使为了塔拉，她也不会再在这里呆上一分钟，并且受到侮辱。 —

She turned to the door and reached angrily for the knob but another officer was by her side quickly. —
她转身走向门，愤怒地伸手去拧门把，但另一个警官迅速来到她身边。 —

He was clean shaven and young and had merry, kind eyes.
他一脸洗净，年轻而眼神友善开朗。

“Just a minute, Ma’m. Won’t you sit down here by the fire where it’s warm? —
“请稍等，女士。你可坐在火炉旁边，那里很暖和。” —

I’ll go see what I can do about it. What is your name? —
我去看看能不能解决这个问题。你叫什么名字？ —

He refused to see the—lady who called yesterday.”
他拒绝见昨天打电话来的那位女士。

She sank into the proffered chair, glaring at the discomfited fat captain, and gave her name. —
她坐到被提供的椅子上，怒视着尴尬的胖队长，然后给出了自己的名字。 —

The nice young officer slipped on his overcoat and left the room and the others took themselves off to the far end of the table where they talked in low tones and pawed at the papers. —
那位年轻而友善的警官穿上外套离开了房间，其他人则走到桌子的远端低声交谈和翻看文件。 —

She stretched her feet gratefully toward the fire, realizing for the first time how cold they were and wishing she had thought to put a piece of cardboard over the hole in the sole of one slipper. —
她感激地伸直了脚，靠近火炉，第一次意识到自己的脚有多冷，心想要是之前想到在一只拖鞋底部的洞上盖上一块硬纸板就好了。 —

After a time, voices murmured outside the door and she heard Rhett’s laugh. —
一段时间后，门外传来低声的谈话声，她听到了瑞德的笑声。 —

The door opened, a cold draft swept the room and Rhett appeared, hatless, a long cape thrown carelessly across his shoulders. —
门打开了，一股寒风扫过房间，里特出现了，头上没有帽子，一条长披风随意地披在肩上。 —

He was dirty and unshaven and without a cravat but somehow jaunty despite his dishabille, and his dark eyes were snapping joyfully at the sight of her.
他脏兮兮的，胡子没剃，没有戴领巾，但尽管衣冠不整，他的黑眼睛却满含欢喜地望着她。

“Scarlett!”
“斯佳丽！”

He had her hands in both of his and, as always, there was something hot and vital and exciting about his grip. —
他用双手握住她的手，和往常一样，他的握力有一种炽热、充满活力和令人兴奋的感觉。 —

Before she quite knew what he was about, he had bent and kissed her cheek, his mustache tickling her. —
在她还没弄清他要做什么时，他就俯下身，亲吻了她的脸颊，胡须掠过她的皮肤。 —

As he felt the startled movement of her body away from him, he hugged her about the shoulders and said: —
感受到她因为惊讶而退缩的动作，他紧紧搂住她的肩膀说道: —

“My darling little sister!” and grinned down at her as if he relished her helplessness in resisting his caress. —
“我亲爱的妹妹！”他冲着她咧嘴一笑，似乎很享受她无法抵抗他的爱抚的无奈。 —

She couldn’t help laughing back at him for the advantage he had taken. —
她不禁笑了起来，因为他利用了这个优势。 —

What a rogue he was! Jail had not changed him one bit.
他真是个流氓！监狱一点也没有改变他。

The fat captain was muttering through his cigar to the merry-eyed officer.
胖中尉正对着那个眼睛明亮的军官嘟囔着什么，手里还拿着雪茄。

“Most irregular. He should be in the firehouse. You know the orders.”
“非常不规则。他应该在消防局。你知道命令。”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Henry! The lady would freeze in that barn.”
“哦，天哪，亨利！那个小屋子里，这位女士会冻僵的。”

“Oh, all right, all right! It’s your responsibility.”
“好吧，好吧！这是你的责任。”

“I assure you, gentlemen,” said Rhett, turning to them but still keeping a grip on Scarlett’s shoulders, “my—sister hasn’t brought me any saws or files to help me escape.”
“先生们可以放心，”瑞德转过身去对他们说，但仍然握着斯嘉丽的肩膀，“我姐姐没有给我带来任何锯子或锉刀来帮我逃脱。”

They all laughed and, as they did, Scarlett looked quickly about her. —
他们都笑了，就在他们笑的时候，斯嘉丽迅速地四处看了看。 —

Good Heavens, was she going to have to talk to Rhett before six Yankee officers! —
天哪，她是不是要在六个联邦军官面前和瑞德说话！ —

Was he so dangerous a prisoner they wouldn’t let him out of their sight? —
他是一个那么危险的囚犯吗？他们不会让他稍微离开他们的视线吗？ —

Seeing her anxious glance, the nice officer pushed open a door and spoke brief low words to two privates who had leaped to their feet at his entrance. —
看到她焦虑的眼神，那位友善的军官推开一扇门，对站起身来的两个士兵说了几句低语。 —

They picked up their rifles and went out into the hall, closing the door behind them.
他们拿起步枪，走出大厅，关上了门。

“If you wish, you may sit here in the orderly room,” said the young captain. —
“如果您愿意，您可以在这里在指挥室里等待，”这位年轻的上尉说道。 —

“And don’t try to bolt through that door. —
“但是不要试图通过那扇门逃跑。 —

The men are just outside.”
士兵们就在外面。”

“You see what a desperate character I am, Scarlett,” said Rhett. “Thank you, Captain. —
“你看到我有多绝望，斯佳丽，”瑞特说道。”谢谢你，船长。 —

This is most kind of you.”
你真是太好心了。”

He bowed carelessly and taking Scarlett’s arm pulled her to her feet and propelled her into the dingy orderly room. —
他漫不经心地鞠了一躬，拉着斯佳丽的手臂，把她拉起身来，推开了那间脏乱的办公室。 —

She was never to remember what the room looked like except that it was small and dim and none too warm and there were handwritten papers tacked on the mutilated walls and chairs which had cowhide seats with the hair still on them.
她一辈子也记不得那个房间长什么样子，只记得它很小、昏暗、不够温暖，墙上钉满了手写的纸张和还带着毛皮的椅子。

When he had closed the door behind them, Rhett came to her swiftly and bent over her. —
他们在关上门后，瑞特迅速走近她，弯下腰。 —

Knowing his desire, she turned her head quickly but smiled provocatively at him out of the corners of her eyes.
她明白了他的欲望，迅速地转过头，却调皮地用眼角的余光对他笑着。

“Can’t I really kiss you now?”
“我现在真的不能吻你吗？”

“On the forehead, like a good brother,” she answered demurely.
“额头上，像个好哥哥一样，”她殷勤地回答道。

“Thank you, no. I prefer to wait and hope for better things.” —
“谢谢，不用了。我宁愿等待并期盼更美好的事情。” —

His eyes sought her lips and lingered there a moment. —
他的目光落在她的嘴唇上停留了片刻。 —

“But how good of you to come to see me, Scarlett! —
“但是你真好，能来看我，斯佳丽！ —

You are the first respectable citizen who has called on me since my incarceration, and being in jail makes one appreciate friends. —
你是自从我被监禁以来第一个可敬的公民拜访我，而呆在监狱中让人珍惜朋友。 —

When did you come to town?”
你是什么时候来到这个城镇的？

“Yesterday afternoon.”
“昨天下午。”

“And you came out this morning? Why, my dear, you are more than good.” —
“而你今天早上就出来了？亲爱的，你真是太好了。 —

He smiled down at her with the first expression of honest pleasure she had ever seen on his face. —
他微笑着俯视着她，她第一次看到他脸上露出真诚的快乐表情。 —

Scarlett smiled inwardly with excitement and ducked her head as if embarrassed.
斯嘉丽内心兴奋地微笑着，低下头，仿佛感到尴尬。

“Of course, I came out right away. Aunt Pitty told me about you last night and I—I just couldn’t sleep all night for thinking how awful it was. —
“当然，我马上就出来了。Aunt Pitty昨晚告诉我你的事情，我……我整晚都没法入睡，一直在想那有多么可怕。 —

Rhett, I’m so distressed!”
雷特，我很苦恼！”

“Why, Scarlett!”
“为什么，斯嘉丽！”

His voice was soft but there was a vibrant note in it, and looking up into his dark face she saw in it none of the skepticism, the jeering humor she knew so well. —
他的声音柔和，但其中有一种振奋人心的音调，她抬头注视着他那张黑脸，却看不出熟悉的怀疑和嘲笑。 —

Before his direct gaze her eyes fell again in real confusion. —
在他直接的目光下，她的眼睛陷入了真正的困惑中，再次低下了头。 —

Things were going even better than she hoped.
事情进展得比她希望的还要顺利。

“It’s worth being in jail to see you again and to hear you say things like that. —
“能再次见到你，能听到你说出那样的话，我觉得它们真是值得坐牢来看见和听见的。” —

I really couldn’t believe my ears when they brought me your name. —
当他们告诉我你的名字时，我真不敢相信自己的耳朵。 —

You see, I never expected you to forgive me for my patriotic conduct that night on the road near Rough and Ready. But I take it that this call means you have forgiven me?”
明白了吗，我从来没指望你会原谅我那天在拉夫和雷迪附近的道路上的爱国行为。但是我猜你的电话意味着你已经原谅我了，对吗？

She could feel swift anger stir, even at this late date, as she thought of that night but she subdued it and tossed her head until the earrings danced.
即使到了现在，她仍能感到愤怒在内心涌动，回想起那个晚上，但她将它压制住，扭动脑袋，耳环随之舞动。

“No, I haven’t forgiven you,” she said and pouted.
“不，我还没有原谅你，” 她说着皱起嘴巴。

“Another hope crushed. And after I offered up myself for my country and fought barefooted in the snow at Franklin and got the finest case of dysentery you ever heard of for my pains!”
“又一个希望破灭了。在富兰克林打了光脚的雪、为了我的国家而奉献自己，结果得了你从未听说过的最严重的痢疾！”

“I don’t want to hear about your—pains,” she said, still pouting but smiling at him from up-tilted eyes. —
“我不想听你的——痛苦，” 她说着，一直皱着嘴巴，但从斜眼中朝他微笑着。 —

“I still think you were hateful that night and I never expect to forgive you. —
“我仍然认为你那天晚上太可恶了，而且我永远不会原谅你。 —

Leaving me alone like that when anything might have happened to me!”
“那天晚上你把我一个人留在那里，什么意外都可能发生在我身上！”

“But nothing did happen to you. So, you see, my confidence in you was justified. —
“但是我没有任何差错，你明白吗。所以，你看，我对你的信任是有根据的。 —

I knew you’d get home safely and God help any Yankee who got in your way!”
我知道你会平安回家，愿上帝保佑那些与你为敌的南方人！

“Rhett, why on earth did you do such a silly thing—enlisting at the last minute when you knew we were going to get licked? —
“瑞德，你究竟为什么要做这种愚蠢的事情——在最后一刻参军，明明知道我们必定要被打败？” —

And after all you’d said about idiots who went out and got shot!”
“而且你曾说过那些出去上战场自讨苦吃的人都是白痴！”

“Scarlett, spare me! I am always overcome with shame when I think about it.”
“斯嘉丽，饶我一命吧！每当我想起这件事，我就充满了羞愧。”

“Well, I’m glad to learn you are ashamed of the way you treated me.”
“好吧，听到你为自己对待我的方式感到羞愧，我很高兴。”

“You misunderstand. I regret to say that my conscience has not troubled me at all about deserting you. —
“你误解了。遗憾的是，我对于抛弃你并没有任何内疚之感。” —

But as for enlisting—when I think of joining the army in varnished boots and a white linen suit and armed with only a pair of dueling pistols— And those long cold miles in the snow after my boots wore out and I had no overcoat and nothing to eat. —
“至于参军，当我想起当初穿着漂亮的靴子、白色亚麻衬衫，只拿着一对决斗手枪加入军队的事情时，还有那段漫长寒冷的里程，当我的靴子磨破了，我没有大衣也没有食物。” —

..I cannot understand why I did not desert. It was all the purest insanity. But it’s in one’s blood. —
“我无法理解当时为什么没有逃兵。这完全是最纯粹的疯狂。但这就是我们的血性。” —

Southerners can never resist a losing cause. —
“南方人永远无法抗拒一个即将失败的事业。” —

But never mind my reasons. It’s enough that I’m forgiven.”
“但不管我的原因是什么，能够得到宽恕就足够了。”

“You’re not. I think you’re a hound.” But she caressed the last word until it might have been “darling.”
“你一点也不像。我觉得你更像一只猎狗。”但她温柔地念着最后一个词，仿佛是在说“亲爱的”。

“Don’t fib. You’ve forgiven me. Young ladies don’t dare Yankee sentries to see a prisoner, just for charity’s sweet sake, and come all dressed up in velvet and feathers and seal muffs too. —
“不要撒谎。你已经原谅我了。年轻的女士不会为了慈善而敢于挑战北方哨兵去看望囚犯，还穿着丝绒、羽毛和海豹皮手套呢。” —

Scarlett, how pretty you look! Thank God, you aren’t in rags or mourning! —
“斯嘉丽，你看起来真漂亮！谢天谢地，你不再衣衫褴褛或哀悼。” —

I get so sick of women in dowdy old clothes and perpetual crepe. —
“我受够了穿着陈旧的衣服，整天穿着丧服的女人。” —

You look like the Rue de la Paix. Turn around, my dear, and let me look at you.”
“你看起来像巴黎大街。转过身来，亲爱的，让我看看你。”

So he had noticed the dress. Of course, he would notice such things, being Rhett. She laughed in soft excitement and spun about on her toes, her arms extended, her hoops tilting up to show her lace trimmed pantalets. —
所以他注意到了那件礼服。当然，他会注意到这些事情，毕竟他是雷特。她兴奋地笑着，站在脚趾上转了个圈，双臂伸展，裙圈翘起，露出镶有蕾丝的花裤裙。 —

His black eyes took her in from bonnet to heels in a glance that missed nothing, that old impudent unclothing glance which always gave her goose bumps.
他的黑眼睛从帽子到鞋跟一览无余地打量着她，一个旧的放肆而挑逗性的注视，总是让她鸡皮疙瘩。

“You look very prosperous and very, very tidy. And almost good enough to eat. —
“你看起来非常富有，非常整洁。几乎可以当成美食来享用。” —

If it wasn’t for the Yankees outside—but you are quite safe, my dear. Sit down. —
如果不是外面的洋基队——但你很安全，亲爱的。请坐下。 —

I won’t take advantage of you as I did the last time I saw you.” —
我不会像上次见到你那样占你的便宜。 —

He rubbed his cheek with pseudo ruefulness. —
他带着伪装的歉意擦了擦脸颊。 —

“Honestly, Scarlett, don’t you think you were a bit selfish that night? —
“老实说，斯嘉丽，你那天晚上有点自私，不是吗？ —

Think of all I had done for you, risked my life—stolen a horse—and such a horse! —
想想我为你做过的一切，冒着生命危险——偷了匹马——而且是那样一匹马！ —

Rushed to the defense of Our Glorious Cause! —
冲向我们光荣事业的防御！ —

And what did I get for my pains? Some hard words and a very hard slap in the face.”
为了我的辛苦付出，我得到了什么？一些刺耳的话和一记狠狠的耳光。”

She sat down. The conversation was not going in quite the direction she hoped. —
她坐了下来。对话的方向并不如她所希望的那样进行。 —

He had seemed so nice when he first saw her, so genuinely glad she had come. —
当他刚刚看到她时，他似乎很友善，对她的到来感到真心高兴。 —

He had almost seemed like a human being and not the perverse wretch she knew so well.
他几乎像一个人类，而不是她所熟知的那个异想天开的家伙。

“Must you always get something for your pains?”
“你总是要为你的付出得到回报吗？”

“Why, of course! I am a monster of selfishness, as you ought to know. —
“当然！我是一个极度自私的怪物，你应该知道。 —

I always expect payment for anything I give.”
我总是希望对我所给予的东西得到回报。”

That sent a slight chill through her but she rallied and jingled her earbobs again.
这让她略感寒意，但她鼓起勇气再次晃动着她的耳环。

“Oh, you really aren’t so bad, Rhett. You just like to show off.”
“哦，其实你真的没那么糟糕，雷特。你只是喜欢炫耀而已。”

“My word, but you have changed!” he said and laughed. “What has made a Christian of you? —
“天啊，你变了多么多啊！”他笑着说道。“是什么让你成为一个基督徒的呢？” —

I have kept up with you through Miss Pittypat but she gave me no intimation that you had developed womanly sweetness. —
“我通过皮蒂帕特小姐一直关注着你，可她没提到过你已经变得如此女人味十足。” —

Tell me more about yourself, Scarlett. What have you been doing since I last saw you?”
“告诉我更多关于你自己的事情，斯嘉丽。自从上次见到你后你都在做些什么呢？”

The old irritation and antagonism which he roused in her was hot in her heart and she yearned to speak tart words. —
他引起了她心中的烦恼和敌意，她渴望说些尖酸的话。 —

But she smiled instead and the dimple crept into her cheek. —
但她微笑了，腮帮子上浮起了一个酒窝。 —

He had drawn a chair close beside hers and she leaned over and put a gentle hand on his arm, in an unconscious manner.
他已经将一把椅子移到她旁边，她倾身过去，在无意识中轻轻地把手放在他的胳膊上。

“Oh, I’ve been doing nicely, thank you, and everything at Tara is fine now. —
“哦，我过得很好，谢谢。Tara农场一切都很好。 —

Of course, we had a dreadful time right after Sherman went through but, after all, he didn’t burn the house and the darkies saved most of the livestock by driving it into the swamp. —
当然，谢尔曼经过的时候我们曾经度过了一段可怕的时光，不过，毕竟他没有烧毁我们的房子，黑奴们把大部分牲畜赶进了沼泽地，所以我们挽救了它们。 —

And we cleared a fair crop this last fall, twenty bales. —
去年秋天我们收割了一个不错的庄稼，有二十包棉花。 —

Of course, that’s practically nothing compared with what Tara can do but we haven’t many field hands. —
当然，与塔拉能做的相比，那几乎算不了什么，但我们没有太多的田地工人。 —

Pa says, of course, we’ll do better next year. But, Rhett, it’s so dull in the country now! —
爸爸说，当然，明年我们会做得更好。但是，雷特，在乡村里真的很无聊！ —

Imagine, there aren’t any balls or barbecues and the only thing people talk about is hard times! —
想象一下，没有舞会也没有烧烤，人们谈论的唯一事情就是困难时期！ —

Goodness, I get sick of it! Finally last week I got too bored to stand it any longer, so Pa said I must take a trip and have a good time. —
天哪，我受够了！上周我实在太无聊了，所以爸爸说我必须去旅行，玩得开心一点。 —

So I came up here to get me some frocks made and then I’m going over to Charleston to visit my aunt. —
所以我来这里做几件裙子，然后去查尔斯顿拜访我的姑姑。 —

It’ll be lovely to go to balls again.”
再次去参加舞会会很美好。

There, she thought with pride, I delivered that with just the right airy way! —
她骄傲地想着，我用恰当的轻松方式表达了那个。 —

Not too rich but certainly not poor.
不算太富有，但肯定也不穷。

“You look beautiful in ball dresses, my dear, and you know it too, worse luck! —
“亲爱的，你穿着舞会礼服很漂亮，你也知道，真不幸！ —

I suppose the real reason you are going visiting is that you have run through the County swains and are seeking fresh ones in fields afar.”
我想你去拜访的真正原因是你已经穷尽了乡村的追求者，现在在远方寻找新的。

Scarlett had a thankful thought that Rhett had spent the last several months abroad and had only recently come back to Atlanta. —
斯嘉丽感激地想到，雷特过去几个月一直在国外，直到最近才回到亚特兰大。 —

Otherwise, he would never have made so ridiculous a statement. —
否则，他永远不可能说出如此荒谬的话。 —

She thought briefly of the County swains, the ragged embittered little Fontaines, the poverty-stricken Munroe boys, the Jonesboro and Fayetteville beaux who were so busy plowing, splitting rails and nursing sick old animals that they had forgotten such things as balls and pleasant flirtations ever existed. —
她短暂地想起县中的小伙子，那些穷困潦倒的冯坦家族，贫困潦倒的蒙罗兄弟，以及繁忙地耕地、劈柴并照料生病的老家畜而忘记舞会和愉快调情都曾存在的琼斯伯勒和费耶特维尔的男人们。 —

But she put down this memory and giggled self-consciously as if admitting the truth of his assertion.
但她打消了这个念头，尴尬地咯咯笑了一下，仿佛承认了他句子的真实性。

“Oh, well,” she said deprecatingly.
“噢，呵呵，好吧”，她谦虚地说道。

“You are a heartless creature, Scarlett, but perhaps that’s part of your charm.” —
“你真是个无情的家伙，斯嘉丽，但或许这正是你的魅力所在。” —

He smiled in his old way, one corner of his mouth curving down, but she knew he was complimenting her. —
他以往的那种微笑，嘴角向下弯，但她知道他在赞美她。 —

“For, of course, you know you have more charm than the law should permit. —
“当然，你知道你比法律允许的魅力多。 —

Even I have felt it, case-hardened though I am. —
“即使我已经变得铁石心肠，也能感受到。” —

I’ve often wondered what it was about you that made me always remember you, for I’ve known many ladies who were prettier than you and certainly more clever and, I fear, morally more upright and kind. —
我经常想知道你身上有什么特别之处，让我总是记得你。毕竟我认识许多比你更漂亮、更聪明、更道德正直和善良的女士。 —

But, somehow, I always remembered you. Even during the months since the surrender when I was in France and England and hadn’t seen you or heard of you and was enjoying the society of many beautiful ladies, I always remembered you and wondered what you were doing.”
然而，不知怎么地，我总是记得你。即使在投降后的几个月里，我身在法国和英国，没有见到你或听到你的消息，我也享受着与许多美丽女士相处的社交活动，可我总是记得你，想知道你在做什么。

For a moment she was indignant that he should say other women were prettier, more clever and kind than she, but that momentary flare was wiped out in her pleasure that he had remembered her and her charm. —
她一度感到愤怒，因为他说其他女人比她更漂亮、更聪明和更善良，但这一瞬间的愤怒在她快乐地发现他记得她和她的魅力时消失了。 —

So he hadn’t forgotten! That would make things easier. —
所以他没有忘记！这将使事情变得更容易。 —

And he was behaving so nicely, almost like a gentleman would do under the circumstances. —
而且他的行为非常得体，几乎像一个绅士应有的样子。 —

Now, all she had to do was bring the subject around to himself, so she could intimate that she had not forgotten him either and then—
现在，她只需要把话题引向他自己，以示她也没有忘记他，然后…

She gently squeezed his arm and dimpled again.
她轻轻捏了捏他的胳膊，然后再次微笑起来。

“Oh, Rhett, how you do run on, teasing a country girl like me! —
“哦，雷特，你真是说个没完，戏弄一个像我这样的乡下丫头！” —

I know mighty well you never gave me a thought after you left me that night. —
“我很清楚，在你离开我那天晚上后，你根本就没想过我。” —

You can’t tell me you ever thought of me with all those pretty French and English girls around you. —
“你不能告诉我，在你四周都是漂亮的法国和英国女孩时，你曾经想过我。” —

But I didn’t come all the way out here to hear you talk foolishness about me. —
“但是我可没跑这么远只是为了听你在我身上说些愚蠢的话。” —

I came—I came—because—”
“我来了 - 我来了 - 是因为 -”

“Because?”
“因为？”

“Oh, Rhett, I’m so terribly distressed about you! So frightened for you! —
“哦，雷特，我真的非常为你担忧！为你害怕！” —

When will they let you out of that terrible place?”
“他们什么时候才会放你出那个可怕的地方？”

He swiftly covered her hand with his and held it hard against his arm.
他迅速地把手放在她的手上，紧紧地按在他的胳膊上。

“Your distress does you credit. There’s no telling when I’ll be out. —
“你的担忧让你值得称赞。没有人知道我什么时候会出来。 —

Probably when they’ve stretched the rope a bit more.”
也许当它们再把绳索拉紧一点的时候。”

“The rope?”
“绳索？”

“Yes, I expect to make my exit from here at the rope’s end.”
“是的，我预计会在这里的绳索的尽头离开。”

“They won’t really hang you?”
“他们不会真的绞死你吧？”

“They will if they can get a little more evidence against me.”
“如果他们能找到更多证据来对付我，他们就会这样做。”

“Oh, Rhett!” she cried, her hand at her heart.
“哦，雷特！”她惊呼着，手放在胸口。

“Would you be sorry? If you are sorry enough, I’ll mention you in my will.”
“你会难过吗？如果你够难过，我会在我的遗嘱中提到你。”

His dark eyes laughed at her recklessly and he squeezed her hand.
他的深邃眼睛放肆地笑了起来，紧握着她的手。

His will! She hastily cast down her eyes for fear of betrayal but not swiftly enough, for his eyes gleamed, suddenly curious.
他的遗嘱！她急忙低下了眼睛，生怕暴露出自己的心思，但还是不够快，因为他的眼睛突然闪烁起好奇的光芒。

“According to the Yankees, I ought to have a fine will. —
“按照南方联邦的说法，我应该有一份精美的遗嘱。” —

There seems to be considerable interest in my finances at present. —
目前似乎对我的财务非常感兴趣。 —

Every day, I am hauled up before another board of inquiry and asked foolish questions. —
每天，我都被一个又一个的调查委员会传讯，被问一些愚蠢的问题。 —

The rumor seems current that I made off with the mythical gold of the Confederacy.”
谣言正在传播，说我偷走了南方联邦的神秘金藏。

“Well—did you?”
“嗯，你偷了吗？”

“What a leading question! You know as well as I do that the Confederacy ran a printing press instead of a mint.”
“这是一个很明显的问题！你知道和我一样，南方联邦用印刷机代替造币厂。”

“Where did you get all your money? Speculating? Aunt Pittypat said—”
“你从哪里得来那么多钱？投机吗？彼蒂帕姑妈说——”

“What probing questions you ask!”
“你问这么多钻牛角尖的问题！”

Damn him! Of course, he had the money. She was so excited it became difficult to talk sweetly to him.
真讨厌他！他当然有钱。她太兴奋了，以至于很难对他甜言蜜语。

“Rhett, I’m so upset about your being here. Don’t you think there’s a chance of your getting out?”
“雷特，你来这里真让我心烦。你觉得有可能逃出去吗？”

”‘Nihil desperandum’ is my motto.”
“’Nihil desperandum’是我的座右铭。”

“What does that mean?”
“那是什么意思？”

“It means ‘maybe,’ my charming ignoramus.”
“意味着‘也许’，我的可爱的无知者。”

She fluttered her thick lashes up to look at him and fluttered them down again.
她扑闪着浓密的睫毛抬头看着他，然后再放下。

“Oh, you’re too smart to let them hang you! —
“哦，你太聪明了，不会让他们抓到你！” —

I know you’ll think of some clever way to beat them and get out! —
“我知道你会想出一些聪明的办法来战胜他们逃脱！” —

And when you do—”
“当你做到的时候——”

“And when I do?” he asked softly, leaning closer.
“当我做到的时候？”他轻声问道，靠得更近了些。

“Well, I—” and she managed a pretty confusion and a blush. —
“嗯，我——”她设法装作困窘并脸红了。 —

The blush was not difficult for she was breathless and her heart was beating like a drum. —
脸红对她来说并不难，因为她气喘吁吁，心跳像鼓一样。 —

“Rhett, I’m so sorry about what I—I said to you that night—you know—at Rough and Ready. I was—oh, so very frightened and upset and you were so—so—” She looked down and saw his brown hand tighten over hers. —
“雷特，我对那晚——你懂的——在粗鲁和准备中对你说的话，我很抱歉——我当时——非常害怕和心烦，而你——”她低头看到他的棕色手紧紧抓住她的手。 —

“And—I thought then that I’d never, never forgive you! —
“而且——那时我觉得我永远，永远也不会原谅你！” —

But when Aunt Pitty told me yesterday that you—that they might hang you—it came over me of a sudden and I—I—” She looked up into his eyes with one swift imploring glance and in it she put an agony of heartbreak. —
但是当昨天Pitty阿姨告诉我说你，他们可能会把你吊死的时候，我突然间感到一种——我——”她用一瞬间恳求的目光看着他，其中蕴含着一片心碎的痛苦。 —

“Oh, Rhett, I’d die if they hanged you! I couldn’t bear it! —
“噢，Rhett，如果他们吊死你，我会死的！我无法忍受！ —

You see, I—” And, because she could not longer sustain the hot leaping light that was in his eyes, her lids fluttered down again.
你知道，我——”因为她再也无法忍受他眼中那种炽热的跳动光芒，她的眼皮又垂下了。

In a moment I’ll be crying, she thought in a frenzy of wonder and excitement. —
稍等片刻，我就要哭了，她在疯狂地惊奇和激动中想道。 —

Shall I let myself cry? Would that seem more natural?
我应该让自己哭吗？那样会显得更自然吗？

He said quickly: “My God, Scarlett, you can’t mean that you—” and his hands closed over hers in so hard a grip that it hurt.
他迅速说道：”天哪，Scarlett，你不是真的想——”他的手紧紧地握着她的手，以至于疼痛。

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to squeeze out tears, but remembered to turn her face up slightly so he could kiss her with no difficulty. —
她紧闭着眼睛，试图挤出眼泪，但又想起要稍微抬起脸，这样他就可以轻松地亲吻她。 —

Now, in an instant his lips would be upon hers, the hard insistent lips which she suddenly remembered with a vividness that left her weak. —
现在，一刹那之间他的嘴唇就会贴上她的嘴唇，那硬邦邦而坚定的嘴唇在她突然想起来时让她感到无比虚弱。 —

But he did not kiss her. Disappointment queerly stirring her, she opened her eyes a trifle and ventured a peep at him. —
但他没有吻她。失望让她感到不解，她微微睁开眼睛，冒险偷瞄了他一眼。 —

His black head was bent over her hands and, as she watched, he lifted one and kissed it and, taking the other, laid it against his cheek for a moment. —
他的黑发低垂在她的手上，她看着他，他亲吻了一只手，然后，拿起另一只手，把它贴在脸颊上片刻。 —

Expecting violence, this gentle and loverlike gesture startled her. —
她本以为他会对她动粗，但这个温柔又富有爱意的举动让她大吃一惊。 —

She wondered what expression was on his face but could not tell for his head was bowed.
她好奇他的脸上是什么表情，可惜她无法看清，因为他的头低垂着。

She quickly lowered her gaze lest he should look up suddenly and see the expression on her face. —
她迅速地低下了目光，生怕他突然抬头看见她脸上的表情。 —

She knew that the feeling of triumph surging through her was certain to be plain in her eyes. —
她知道自己心中涌动的胜利感定然能从眼神中显露出来。 —

In a moment he would ask her to marry him—or at least say that he loved her and then. —
他马上就要向她求婚了，或者至少会对她说他爱她，然后… —

..As she watched him through the veil of her lashes he turned her hand over, palm up, to kiss it too, and suddenly he drew a quick breath. —
当她透过睫毛看着他时，他再次翻过她的手掌，掌心向上，亲吻了一下，然后他突然倒抽了一口气。 —

Looking down she saw her own palm, saw it as it really was for the first time in a year, and a cold sinking fear gripped her. —
往下看，她看见自己的手掌，真实地看见了一年来的变化，她感到一阵寒意，恐惧涌上心头。 —

This was a stranger’s palm, not Scarlett O’Hara’s soft, white, dimpled, helpless one. —
这是一个陌生人的手掌，而不是像斯嘉丽·奥哈拉的柔软、白皙、酒窝般的无助之手。 —

This hand was rough from work, brown with sunburn, splotched with freckles. —
这只手因为劳作而粗糙，晒黑了，布满雀斑。 —

The nails were broken and irregular, there were heavy calluses on the cushions of the palm, a half-healed blister on the thumb. —
指甲破碎且不规则，手掌垫处有厚重的茧，拇指上有一个半愈合的水泡。 —

The red scar which boiling fat had left last month was ugly and glaring. —
上个月热油留下的红疤很丑陋，闪烁着光芒。 —

She looked at it in horror and, before she thought, she swiftly clenched her fist.
她恐惧地看着手掌，不经思索地迅速握紧了拳头。

Still he did not raise his head. Still she could not see his face. —
他依旧没有抬起头，她依旧看不清他的脸。 —

He pried her fist open inexorably and stared at it, picked up her other hand and held them both together silently, looking down at them.
他毫不动摇地拉开她的拳头，默默地看着，接着又拿起她的另一只手，静静地把两只手放在一起，低头看着。

“Look at me,” he said finally raising his head, and his voice was very quiet. —
“看着我，”他最后抬起头说道，声音非常轻柔。 —

“And drop that demure expression.”
“还有，别再摆出那种拘谨的表情了。”

Unwillingly she met his eyes, defiance and perturbation on her face. —
她不情愿地对上他的眼睛，在她的脸上显露出反抗和不安。 —

His black brows were up and his eyes gleamed.
他的黑眉毛耸了起来，眼睛闪烁着光芒。

“So you have been doing very nicely at Tara, have you? —
“所以你在塔拉过得很好？ —

Cleared so much money on the cotton you can go visiting. —
你可以用赚到的很多钱去旅行。 —

What have you been doing with your hands—plowing?”
你用你的手在做什么——耕种吗？

She tried to wrench them away but he held them hard, running his thumbs over the calluses.
她试图抽回手但是他死死地握住，用拇指在老茧上轻轻摩擦。

“These are not the hands of a lady,” he said and tossed them into her lap.
“这可不是淑女的手。”他说着把手放在她膝盖上。

“Oh, shut up!” she cried, feeling a momentary intense relief at being able to speak her feelings. —
“哦，闭嘴！”她大声说道，感到一时的巨大解脱，能够发表自己的感受。 —

“Whose business is it what I do with my hands?”
“我用我的手做什么关你什么事？”

What a fool I am, she thought vehemently. I should have borrowed or stolen Aunt Pitty’s gloves. —
我真傻，她愤慨地想道。我应该借或者偷爱蒂·庇史迪的手套。 —

But I didn’t realize my hands looked so bad. Of course, he would notice them. —
但是我没意识到我的手看起来这么糟糕。他肯定会注意到的。 —

And now I’ve lost my temper and probably ruined everything. —
现在我发脾气了，可能把一切都毁了。 —

Oh, to have this happen when he was right at the point of a declaration!
哦，竟然发生在他要表白的时候！

“Your hands are certainly no business of mine,” said Rhett coolly and lounged back in his chair indolently, his face a smooth blank.
“你的手当然不关我的事。”瑞德冷冷地说着，慵懒地靠在椅子上，脸上毫无表情。

So he was going to be difficult. Well, she’d have to bear it meekly, much as she disliked it, if she expected to snatch victory from this debacle. —
所以他打算让事情变得困难。嗯，她不喜欢这样，但如果她想从这场灾难中夺取胜利，她就必须默默忍受。 —

Perhaps if she sweet-talked him—
也许如果她甜言蜜语地跟他说—

“I think you’re real rude to throw off on my poor hands. —
“我觉得你真的很无礼，嘲笑我的可怜双手。 —

Just because I went riding last week without my gloves and ruined them—”
就因为我上周不戴手套去骑马，把它们弄脏了—”

“Riding, hell!” he said in the same level voice. —
“骑马，见鬼！”他用同样平静的声音说道。 —

“You’ve been working with those hands, working like a nigger. What’s the answer? —
“你一直在用这些手工作，像一个黑奴一样辛苦工作。答案是什么？ —

Why did you lie to me about everything being nice at Tara?”
你为什么对我撒谎说泰拉一切都很好？”

“Now, Rhett—”
“现在，雷特—”

“Suppose we get down to the truth. What is the real purpose of your visit? —
“让我们直话直说吧。你这次来的真正目的是什么？ —

Almost, I was persuaded by your coquettish airs that you cared something about me and were sorry for me.”
几乎，你那娇媚的样子差点让我相信你在乎我，为我感到难过。”

“Oh, I am sorry! Indeed—”
“哦，我很难过！真的—”

“No, you aren’t. They can hang me higher than Haman for all you care. —
“不，你不是。他们可以把我吊得更高，甚至比哈曼还高，对你来说无所谓。 —

It’s written as plainly on your face as hard work is written on your hands. —
就像你的手上写满辛勤努力一样，在你脸上也清楚地写着。 —

You wanted something from me and you wanted it badly enough to put on quite a show. —
你想从我这里得到一些东西，你迫切地想要，所以你扮演了很大的戏码。 —

Why didn’t you come out in the open and tell me what it was? —
为什么你不敞开告诉我到底是什么呢？ —

You’d have stood a much better chance of getting it, for if there’s one virtue I value in women it’s frankness. —
如果你直率一点，你得到它的机会会更大，因为如果有一种优点我对女人看重，那就是坦率。 —

But no, you had to come jingling your earbobs and pouting and frisking like a prostitute with a prospective client.”
但不，你非得戴着耳环叮当响、撅嘴并蹦跳着像一名妓女等待潜在的客户。

He did not raise his voice at the last words or emphasize them in any way but to Scarlett they cracked like a whiplash, and with despair she saw the end of her hopes of getting him to propose marriage. —
他并没有提高声音或以任何方式强调这些话，但对於斯嘉丽来说，这些话像鞭子一样劈头盖脸，她绝望地看到她想要让他提出婚姻求婚的希望破灭了。 —

Had he exploded with rage and injured vanity or upbraided her, as other men would have done, she could have handled him. —
如果他暴怒并伤到自己的自尊心，或责备她，就像其他男人那样，她可以应对。 —

But the deadly quietness of his voice frightened her, left her utterly at a loss as to her next move. —
但是他平静的声音让她害怕，完全不知道下一步该怎么做。 —

Although he was a prisoner and the Yankees were in the next room, it came to her suddenly that Rhett Butler was a dangerous man to run afoul of.
尽管他是囚犯，而北方佬就在隔壁房间，斯嘉丽突然意识到雷特·巴特勒是一个危险的人，惹恼他是很危险的。

“I suppose my memory is getting faulty. I should have recalled that you are just like me and that you never do anything without an ulterior motive. —
“我想我的记忆力开始出问题了。我应该记得你和我一样，从来不做任何事没有别有用心的。 —

Now, let me see. What could you have had up your sleeve, Mrs. Hamilton? —
现在，让我看看你藏在袖子里的东西，汉密尔顿夫人。 —

It isn’t possible that you were so misguided as to think I would propose matrimony?”
“你不可能如此误解，认为我会求婚吧？”

Her face went crimson and she did not answer.
她的脸变得通红，没有回答。

“But you can’t have forgotten my oft-repeated remark that I am not a marrying man?”
“但你不可能忘记我曾多次说过我不是个结婚的人吧？”

When she did not speak, he said with sudden violence:
当她没有说话时，他突然愤怒地说：

“You hadn’t forgotten? Answer me.”
“你没忘吧？回答我。”

“I hadn’t forgotten,” she said wretchedly.
她痛苦地说：“我没忘。”

“What a gambler you are, Scarlett,” he jeered. —
“你是个赌徒，斯嘉丽，”他嘲笑道。 —

“You took a chance that my incarceration away from female companionship would put me in such a state I’d snap at you like a trout at a worm.”
“你冒险以为我在女性陪伴的缺席中会对你有所反应。”

And that’s what you did, thought Scarlett with inward rage, and if it hadn’t been for my hands—
斯嘉丽内心愤怒地想道：如果不是我手上的事情……

“Now, we have most of the truth, everything except your reason. —
“现在，我们已经得到大部分真相，只差你的理由了。” —

See if you can tell me the truth about why you wanted to lead me into wedlock.”
请你告诉我为什么你想要娶我，告诉我实话。

There was a suave, almost teasing note in his voice and she took heart. —
他的声音中带有一种优雅而近乎戏仿的口气，她为此感到欣慰。 —

Perhaps everything wasn’t lost, after all. —
或许一切都没完全毁掉。 —

Of course, she had ruined any hope of marriage but, even in her despair, she was glad. —
当然，她已经破坏了任何结婚的希望，但即使在绝望中，她也感到庆幸。 —

There was something about this immobile man which frightened her, so that now the thought of marrying him was fearful. —
这个毫无动作的男人让她感到害怕，所以现在嫁给他的想法也让她感到害怕。 —

But perhaps if she was clever and played on his sympathies and his memories, she could secure a loan. —
但也许，如果她聪明地利用他的同情心和回忆，她可以借到款。 —

She pulled her face into a placating and childlike expression.
她把脸扮得和善而像个孩子。

“Oh, Rhett, you can help me so much—if you’ll just be sweet.”
“噢，雷特，如果你能温柔一点，你可以帮我很多忙。”

“There’s nothing I like better than being—sweet.”
“没有比做个温柔的人更让我开心的事情了。”

“Rhett, for old friendship’s sake, I want you to do me a favor.”
“雷特，出于旧日的友谊，我希望你帮我个忙。”

“So, at last the horny-handed lady comes to her real mission. —
“所以，最后那位有着粗糙的双手的女人走到了她真正的使命面前。” —

I feared that ‘visiting the sick and the imprisoned’ was not your proper role. —
“我担心‘探望病人和囚犯’不是你适合的角色。” —

What do you want? Money?”
“你想要什么？钱吗？”

The bluntness of his question ruined all hopes of leading up to the matter in any circuitous and sentimental way.
他直接的问题毁了一切设想以迂回和伤感的方式引入话题的希望。

“Don’t be mean, Rhett,” she coaxed. “I do want some money. —
“别那么刻薄，雷特，”她哄说道，”我真的需要一些钱。” —

I want you to lend me three hundred dollars.”
我想借你300美元。

“The truth at last. Talking love and thinking money. —
终于说出真相了。说爱却想着钱。 —

How truly feminine! Do you need the money badly?”
多么典型的女性啊！你是非常需要这些钱吗？

“Oh, ye— Well, not so terribly but I could use it.”
“哦，是啊，”她顿了一下，”可能不是特别急，但我能用得上。”

“Three hundred dollars. That’s a vast amount of money. What do you want it for?”
300美元，可真是一大笔钱啊。你要用它做什么？

“To pay taxes on Tara.”
“用来交塔拉上的税。”

“So you want to borrow some money. Well, since you’re so businesslike, I’ll be businesslike too. —
所以你想借一些钱。既然你这么看中生意，我也同样看中。 —

What collateral will you give me?”
你能给我什么做抵押？

“What what?”
“什么什么？”

“Collateral. Security on my investment. Of course, I don’t want to lose all that money.” —
“抵押物。作为我投资的保障。当然，我不想亏掉那么多钱。” —

His voice was deceptively smooth, almost silky, but she did not notice. —
他的声音似乎光滑，几乎柔和，但她没有注意到。 —

Maybe everything would turn out nicely after all.
也许一切都会好起来的。

“My earrings.”
“我的耳环。”

“I’m not interested in earrings.”
“我对耳环不感兴趣。”

“I’ll give you a mortgage on Tara.”
“我会给你塔拉上的抵押贷款。”

“Now just what would I do with a farm?”
“那我会用农场做什么呢？”

“Well, you could—you could—it’s a good plantation. —
“嗯，你可以——你可以——这是一片好种植园。” —

And you wouldn’t lose. I’d pay you back out of next year’s cotton.”
“而且你不会亏本。我会用明年的棉花来偿还你。”

“I’m not so sure.” He tilted back in his chair and stuck his hands in his pockets. —
“我不太确定。”他往椅子上一靠，把手放进口袋里。 —

“Cotton prices are dropping. Times are so hard and money’s so tight.”
“棉花价格正在下跌。现在经济如此困难，钱也很紧张。”

“Oh, Rhett, you are teasing me! You know you have millions!”
“哦，瑞德，你在逗我！你知道你有数百万财产！”

There was a warm dancing malice in his eyes as he surveyed her.
当他审视她的时候，眼中闪烁着一种温暖而恶意的舞动。

“So everything is going nicely and you don’t need the money very badly. —
“那一切都很顺利，你并不是很需要这笔钱。” —

Well, I’m glad to hear that. I like to know that all is well with old friends.”
“嗯，我很高兴听到这个。我希望老朋友都过得好。”

“Oh, Rhett, for God’s sake…” she began desperately, her courage and control breaking.
“哦，瑞德，求求你了…” 她绝望地说道，她的勇气和控制力都崩溃了。

“Do lower your voice. You don’t want the Yankees to hear you, I hope. —
“别放声说话。我希望你不想让北方人听到你的声音。” —

Did anyone ever tell you you had eyes like a cat—a cat in the dark?”
“有人告诉过你你有着猫一样的眼睛——黑暗中的猫咪吗？”

“Rhett, don’t! I’ll tell you everything. I do need the money so badly. —
“瑞德，别这样！我会告诉你一切。我真的非常需要这笔钱。” —

I—I lied about everything being all right. Everything’s as wrong as it could be. —
我——我撒了谎，说一切都好。事实上，一切都糟透了。 —

Father is—is—he’s not himself. He’s been queer ever since Mother died and he can’t help me any. —
父亲——他不再是他自己了。自从母亲去世以后，他就变得古怪起来，无法帮助我。 —

He’s just like a child. And we haven’t a single field hand to work the cotton and there’s so many to feed, thirteen of us. —
他就像个孩子一样。而且我们没有一个田务工人来耕种棉花，而我们有这么多人要养活，一共十三个人。 —

And the taxes— they are so high. Rhett, I’ll tell you everything. —
还有税收——税收太高了。雷特，我会告诉你一切。 —

For over a year we’ve been just this side of starvation. Oh, you don’t know! You can’t know! —
整整一年多来，我们都处于挨饿的边缘。哦，你不知道！你不可能知道！ —

We’ve never had enough to eat and it’s terrible to wake up hungry and go to sleep hungry. —
我们从来都没有足够的食物，每天醒来饿着肚子，入睡时也饿着肚子，太可怕了。 —

And we haven’t any warm clothes and the children are always cold and sick and—”
而且我们没有温暖的衣物，孩子们总是又冷又生病，而且——”

“Where did you get the pretty dress?”
“你这件漂亮的裙子是哪里来的？”

“It’s made out of Mother’s curtains,” she answered, too desperate to lie about this shame. —
“是用妈妈的窗帘做的，”她回答，太绝望以至于无法为这种羞耻撒谎。 —

“I could stand being hungry and cold but now—now the Carpetbaggers have raised our taxes. —
我可以忍受饥饿和寒冷，但现在——现在这些地毯袋的税收提高了。 —

And the money’s got to be paid right away. —
而且钱必须立即付清。 —

And I haven’t any money except one five-dollar gold piece. I’ve got to have money for the taxes! —
除了一枚价值五美元的金币，我一分钱都没有。我必须有钱缴税！ —

Don’t you see? If I don’t pay them, I’ll—we’ll lose Tara and we just can’t lose it! —
难道你不明白吗？如果我不付税，我们会失去泰拉，而我们无法失去它！ —

I can’t let it go!”
我不能就这样放手！

“Why didn’t you tell me all this at first instead of preying on my susceptible heart—always weak where pretty ladies are concerned? —
“你为什么不一开始就告诉我这一切，而是利用我容易受美女影响的软肋呢？ —

No, Scarlett, don’t cry. You’ve tried every trick except that one and I don’t think I could stand it. —
不，斯嘉丽，别哭。你除了这一招都试过了，而我不认为我能承受得了。 —

My feelings are already lacerated with disappointment at discovering it was my money and not my charming self you wanted.”
我已经因为发现是我的钱而不是我的迷人本事引起的失望而受伤了。

She remembered that he frequently told bald truths about himself when he spoke mockingly—mocking himself as well as others, and she hastily looked up at him. —
她记得他经常在嘲笑中讲述关于自己的赤裸事实，嘲笑他自己和其他人，于是她急忙抬头看着他。 —

Were his feelings really hurt? Did he really care about her? —
他的感受真的受伤了吗？他真的在乎她吗？ —

Had he been on the verge of a proposal when he saw her palms? —
他看到她的手掌时是不是正要求婚？ —

Or had he only been leading up to another such odious proposal as he had made twice before? —
或者他只是在为第三次提出那样令人讨厌的求婚而铺垫？ —

If he really cared about her, perhaps she could smooth him down. —
如果他真的在乎她，也许她可以使他冷静下来。 —

But his black eyes raked her in no lover-like way and he was laughing softly.
但是他的黑眼睛并没有对她有任何恋人般的目光，而且他在轻声笑着。

“I don’t like your collateral. I’m no planter. What else have you to offer?”
“我不喜欢你的抵押品。我不是种植园主。你还能提供什么别的吗？”

Well, she had come to it at last. Now for it! —
好吧，她终于要说了。现在准备好了！ —

She drew a deep breath and met his eyes squarely, all coquetry and airs gone as her spirit rushed out to grapple that which she feared most.
她深吸了一口气，直视着他的眼睛，所有的媚态和虚伪都消失了，她的灵魂急切地试图应对她最害怕的事情。

“I—I have myself.”
“我，我就是我自己。”

“Yes?”
“是吗？”

Her jaw line tightened to squareness and her eyes went emerald.
她的下巴变得紧实，眼神变成了翠绿色。

“You remember that night on Aunt Pitty’s porch, during the siege? —
“你还记得那个围困期间，在皮蒂姨妈的门廊上的那个晚上吗？ —

You said—you said then that you wanted me.”
你说过，你想要我。”

He leaned back carelessly in his chair and looked into her tense face and his own dark face was inscrutable. —
他懒洋洋地靠在椅子上，注视着她紧绷的脸庞，他自己的深色脸庞无法捉摸。 —

Something flickered behind his eyes but he said nothing.
他眼神后面闪过一丝东西，但他什么也没说。

“You said—you said you’d never wanted a woman as much as you wanted me. —
“你说过，你从来没有像想要我一样想要过一个女人。 —

If you still want me, you can have me. Rhett, I’ll do anything you say but, for God’s sake, write me a draft for the money! —
如果你还想要我，你可以得到我。雷特，我愿意听从你的吩咐，但是求你，为了上帝的缘故，写给我一张支票！” —

My word’s good. I swear it. I won’t go back on it. —
我的话是可靠的。我发誓。我不会食言。 —

I’ll put it in writing if you like.”
如果你愿意，我可以写下来。

He looked at her oddly, still inscrutable and as she hurried on she could not tell if he were amused or repelled. —
他奇怪地看着她，仍然难以琢磨，当她匆忙继续讲话时，她不知道他是被逗乐了还是感到厌恶。 —

If he would only say something, anything! —
只要他能说点什么，无论什么都行！ —

She felt her cheeks getting hot.
她感到自己的脸颊发烫。

“I have got to have the money soon, Rhett. They’ll turn us out in the road and that damned overseer of Father’s will own the place and—”
“我必须尽快拿到钱，雷特。他们会把我们赶到大路上，那个该死的父亲的监工会占有这片土地，-”

“Just a minute. What makes you think I still want you? —
“等一下。你凭什么认为我还想要你？ —

What makes you think you are worth three hundred dollars? —
你凭什么觉得你值三百美元？ —

Most women don’t come that high.”
大多数妇女是不值那么多钱的。”

She blushed to her hair line and her humiliation was complete.
她的脸红得发烫，她的羞辱达到了顶点。

“Why are you doing this? Why not let the farm go and live at Miss Pittypat’s. —
“你为什么这样做？为什么不让农场放弃，去住在皮蒂帕特小姐那里。 —

You own half that house.”
你占据了那座房子的一半。”

“Name of God!” she cried. “Are you a fool? I can’t let Tara go. It’s home. —
“天哪！”她大喊，“你是傻子吗？我不能放弃塔拉。那是我的家。 —

I won’t let it go. Not while I’ve got breath left in me!”
我不会放弃它。只要我还有气息！”

“The Irish,” said he, lowering his chair back to level and removing his hands from his pockets, “are the damnedest race. —
“爱尔兰人，”他说着，把椅子调到水平位置，把手从口袋里拿出来，“是最可恶的民族。 —

They put so much emphasis on so many wrong things. Land, for instance. —
他们在许多错误的事情上都非常强调，比如土地。 —

And every bit of earth is just like every other bit. Now, let me get this straight, Scarlett. —
而且每一块土地都和其他的一模一样。现在，让我弄明白，斯嘉丽。 —

You are coming to me with a business proposition. —
你是带着一个商业提议来找我的。 —

I’ll give you three hundred dollars and you’ll become my mistress.”
我会给你三百美元，你会成为我的情妇。”

“Yes.”
“是的。”

Now that the repulsive word had been said, she felt somehow easier and hope awoke in her again. —
现在这个令人厌恶的词一旦说出来，她感到某种放松，希望再次萌发。 —

He had said “I’ll give you.” There was a diabolic gleam in his eyes as if something amused him greatly.
他说“我会给你。”他眼里闪烁着邪恶的光芒，好像有什么很好笑的事情。

“And yet, when I had the effrontery to make you this same proposition, you turned me out of the house. —
“而当我厚颜无耻地向你提出同样的提议时，你把我赶出了屋子。 —

And also you called me a number of very hard names and mentioned in passing that you didn’t want a ‘passel of brats.’ —
而且你还用了一些非常恶毒的话形容我，并且顺便提到你不想要一群孩子。 —

No, my dear, I’m not rubbing it in. I’m only wondering at the peculiarities of your mind. —
不，亲爱的，我不是在嘲笑你。我只是对你的思维方式的奇特性感到好奇。 —

You wouldn’t do it for your own pleasure but you will to keep the wolf away from the door. It proves my point that all virtue is merely a matter of prices.”
你不会为了自己的快乐而这么做，但为了让恶劣境地远离，你会这么做。这证明了我的观点，所有的美德只是一种代价的问题。

“Oh, Rhett, how you run on! If you want to insult me, go on and do it but give me the money.”
“哦，瑞德，你就这样一直说下去吧！如果你想侮辱我，继续吧，但给我钱。”

She was breathing easier now. Being what he was, Rhett would naturally want to torment and insult her as much as possible to pay her back for past slights and for her recent attempted trickery. —
她的呼吸变得轻松了。因为他是什么样的，瑞德自然会尽可能折磨和侮辱她，以报答过去的冷落和她最近的诡计。 —

Well, she could stand it. She could stand anything. Tara was worth it all. —
好吧，她能忍受。她什么都能忍受。塔拉的价值就是一切的。 —

For a brief moment it was mid-summer and the afternoon skies were blue and she lay drowsily in the thick clover of Tara’s lawn, looking up at the billowing cloud castles, the fragrance of white blossoms in her nose and the pleasant busy humming of bees in her ears. —
有那么一刹那，仿佛是盛夏，午后的天空蔚蓝，她昏昏欲睡地躺在塔拉草坪上，抬头望着飘动的云朵堆，鼻子里弥漫着白花的香气，耳边传来蜜蜂幸福忙碌的嗡嗡声。 —

Afternoon and hush and the far-off sound of the wagons coming in from the spiraling red fields. —
下午时分，寂静无声，从红土地上蜿蜒而来的马车声。 —

Worth it all, worth more.
值得一切，不止于此。

Her head went up.
她抬起头。

“Are you going to give me the money?”
“你打算给我钱吗？”

He looked as if he were enjoying himself and when he spoke there was suave brutality in his voice.
他看起来好像很享受，当他说话时，声音中有一种优雅的残忍。

“No, I’m not,” he said.
“不，我不是，”他说。

For a moment her mind could not adjust itself to his words.
她的脑海一时间无法适应他的话。

“I couldn’t give it to you, even if I wanted to. I haven’t a cent on me. Not a dollar in Atlanta. —
“即使我想给你，我也没钱。连一分钱都没有，亚特兰大也没有。 —

I have some money, yes, but not here. And I’m not saying where it is or how much. —
我有一些钱，是的，但不在这里。我不会说在哪里和有多少。 —

But if I tried to draw a draft on it, the Yankees would be on me like a duck on a June bug and then neither of us would get it. —
但如果我试图提取一份汇票，南方联邦军会像鸭子在夏天的甲虫上一样缠着我，然后我们两个都拿不到钱。 —

What do you think of that?”
你觉得怎么样？

Her face went an ugly green, freckles suddenly standing out across her nose and her contorted mouth was like Gerald’s in a killing rage. —
她的脸变成了难看的绿色，雀斑突然凸显在她的鼻子上，她扭曲的嘴就像杰拉尔德在杀气中一样。 —

She sprang to her feet with an incoherent cry which made the hum of voices in the next room cease suddenly. —
她发出一声无法言喻的呼喊，使得隔壁房间中人们的声音突然停止。 —

Swift as a panther, Rhett was beside her, his heavy hand across her mouth, his arm tight about her waist. —
犹如一只黑豹，雷特站在她身边，沉重的手掌捂住她的嘴，他的胳膊紧紧绕着她的腰。 —

She struggled against him madly, trying to bite his hand, to kick his legs, to scream her rage, despair, hate, her agony of broken pride. —
她拼命地反抗他，试图咬他的手，踢他的腿，尖叫出她的愤怒、绝望、恨意和自尊心的痛苦。 —

She bent and twisted every way against the iron of his arm, her heart near bursting, her tight stays cutting off her breath. —
她反复扭动身体，竭尽全力想挣脱他的铁臂，她的心几乎要爆裂，紧绷的束身衣压得她无法呼吸。 —

He held her so tightly, so roughly that it hurt and the hand over her mouth pinched into her jaws cruelly. —
他紧紧地抱着她，粗暴地使她疼痛，捂住她的嘴部，狠狠地掐住她的下颔。 —

His face was white under its tan, his eyes hard and anxious as he lifted her completely off her feet, swung her up against his chest and sat down in the chair, holding her writhing in his lap.
他的脸在金黄晒黑的底色下变得苍白，他的眼神坚定而焦虑，他把她完全从地面抱起，将她搂在胸前，坐在椅子上，紧紧地让她在他的腿上扭动。

“Darling, for God’s sake! Stop! Hush! Don’t yell. —
“亲爱的，求你了！停下来！嘘！不要喊叫。 —

They’ll be in here in a minute if you do. Do calm yourself. —
“如果你这样喊，他们一分钟就会冲进来。请冷静下来。 —

Do you want the Yankees to see you like this?”
“你难道想让北方佬看到你这样吗？”

She was beyond caring who saw her, beyond anything except a fiery desire to kill him, but dizziness was sweeping her. —
她已经不再在乎谁能看到她了，只剩下一种灼热的欲望，那就是杀了他，但她感到头晕目眩。 —

She could not breathe; he was choking her; her stays were like a swiftly compressing band of iron; —
她无法呼吸，他把她勒得窒息，紧束的束身器就像一条迅速压缩的铁带。 —

his arms about her made her shake with helpless hate and fury. —
他抱着她的胳膊让她充满了无助的仇恨和愤怒。 —

Then his voice became thin and dim and his face above her swirled in a sickening mist which became heavier and heavier until she no longer saw him—or anything else.
然后他的声音变得低沉而模糊，她眼前的他在一片令人作呕的薄雾中旋转，雾越来越重，直到她再也看不到他——或任何其他东西。

When she made feeble swimming motions to come back to consciousness, she was tired to her bones, weak, bewildered. —
当她试图虚弱地划泳以恢复意识时，她感到筋疲力尽，虚弱而迷茫。 —

She was lying back in the chair, her bonnet off, Rhett was slapping her wrist, his black eyes searching her face anxiously. —
她躺在椅子里，脱掉了帽子，瑞特正拍打着她的手腕，他的黑眼睛焦急地搜索着她的脸。 —

The nice young captain was trying to pour a glass of brandy into her mouth and had spilled it down her neck. —
那位友好的年轻船长正试图往她嘴里倒一杯白兰地，结果洒到了她的脖子上。 —

The other officers hovered helplessly about, whispering and waving their hands.
其他军官无助地围绕着，低声窃窃私语并挥动着手。

“I—guess I must have fainted,” she said, and her voice sounded so far away it frightened her.
“我——我想我可能晕倒了，”她说，她的声音听起来离她很远，这让她感到恐惧。

“Drink this,” said Rhett, taking the glass and pushing it against her lips. —
“喝这个，”瑞特说着，拿起杯子，把它贴在她的嘴唇上。 —

Now she remembered and glared feebly at him but she was too tired for anger.
现在她回想起来，微弱地怒视着他，但她太累了，无力发怒。

“Please, for my sake.”
“请你为了我喝下去。”

She gulped and choked and began coughing but he pushed it to her mouth again. —
她咽下去，噎住了，开始咳嗽，但他又把它递到她嘴边。 —

She swallowed deeply and the hot liquid burned suddenly in her throat.
她深吸一口气，热饮顿时在她的喉咙里灼烧。

“I think she’s better now, gentlemen,” said Rhett, “and I thank you very much. —
“先生们，我想她现在好一些了，非常感谢你们。 —

The realization that I’m to be executed was too much for her.”
“她无法接受我将被处决的事实，这对她来说太难以承受了。

The group in blue shuffled their feet and looked embarrassed and after several clearings of throats, they tramped out. —
穿蓝色衣服的人群踌躇不前，看起来尴尬，咳嗽了几声后，他们踩踏出去了。 —

The young captain paused in the doorway.
年轻的队长在门口停了下来。

“If there’s anything more I can do—”
“如果还有我可以做的事——”

“No, thank you.”
“不，谢谢你。”

He went out, closing the door behind him.
他离开了，关上了门。

“Drink some more,” said Rhett.
“再喝点儿。” Rhett说。

“No.”
“不要了。”

“Drink it.”
“喝吧。”

She swallowed another mouthful and the warmth began spreading through her body and strength flowed slowly back into her shaking legs. —
她又咽下了一口，温暖开始在身体中蔓延，力量慢慢回流到她颤抖的双腿中。 —

She pushed away the glass and tried to rise but he pressed her back.
她推开玻璃杯，试图站起来，但他把她按了回去。

“Take your hands off me. I’m going.”
“放开我。我要走了。”

“Not yet. Wait a minute. You might faint again.”
“还没。等一下。你可能会再晕倒。”

“I’d rather faint in the road than be here with you.”
“我宁愿在路上晕倒，也不愿与你在一起。”

“Just the same, I won’t have you fainting in the road.”
“不管怎样，我不允许你在路上晕倒。”

“Let me go. I hate you.”
“放开我。我讨厌你。”

A faint smile came back to his face at her words.
她的话让他脸上浮现出一丝微笑。

“That sounds more like you. You must be feeling better.”
“听起来更像你了。你一定感觉好些了。”

She lay relaxed for a moment, trying to summon anger to her aid, trying to draw on her strength. —
她懒散地靠在那里片刻，试图激起愤怒，试图催动自己的力量。 —

But she was too tired. She was too tired to hate or to care very much about anything. —
但她太累了。她太累了，不再恨或关心任何事情。 —

Defeat lay on her spirit like lead. She had gambled everything and lost everything. —
挫败如同重石压在她的灵魂上。她把一切都押在了赌上，却输掉了一切。 —

Not even pride was left. This was the dead end of her last hope. —
连骄傲都没有留下。这是她最后的希望走到了尽头。 —

This was the end of Tara, the end of them all. —
这是塔拉的终结，也是他们所有人的终结。 —

For a long time she lay back with her eyes closed, hearing his heavy breathing near her, and the glow of the brandy crept gradually over her, giving a false strength and warmth. —
她闭着眼睛躺了很久，听见他近在咫尺的喘息声，威士忌的热量渐渐传遍全身，给予了一种虚假的力量和温暖。 —

When finally she opened her eyes and looked him in the face, anger had roused again. —
最后她睁开眼睛，直视着他的脸，愤怒再次被激起。 —

As her slanting eyebrows rushed down together in a frown Rhett’s old smile came back.
当她的斜眉拧在一起，眉头紧锁，Rhett的旧笑容重新浮现。

“Now you are better. I can tell it by your scowl.”
“现在你好多了。我能从你的怒容看出来。”

“Of course, I’m all right. Rhett Butler, you are hateful, a skunk, if ever I saw one! —
“当然，我没事。Rhett Butler，你真讨人厌，像只臭鼬一样的家伙！” —

You knew very well what I was going to say as soon as I started talking and you knew you weren’t going to give me the money. —
只要我一开始说话，你就知道我要说什么，而且你也知道你不会给我钱。 —

And yet you let me go right on. You could have spared me—”
但你让我继续说下去。你本可以不让我受罪的。”

“Spared you and missed hearing all that? Not much. I have so few diversions here. —
“让你受罪还错过这么有趣的事情？不可能。我在这里乐趣太少了。 —

I don’t know when I’ve ever heard anything so gratifying.” —
我不记得我上次听到什么事情能这么让我高兴了。” —

He laughed his sudden mocking laugh. At the sound she leaped to her feet, snatching up her bonnet.
他冷嘲热讽地笑了起来。听到这声音，她跳起来，抓起她的帽子。

He suddenly had her by the shoulders.
他突然抓住了她的肩膀。

“Not quite yet. Do you feel well enough to talk sense?”
“还没到时间。你感觉好点了，能说点有意义的话吗？”

“Let me go!”
“放开我！”

“You are well enough, I see. Then, tell me this. Was I the only iron you had in the fire?” —
“你已经好了，我看得出来。那么，告诉我。我是你唯一的选择吗？” —

His eyes were keen and alert, watching every change in her face.
他的眼神敏锐而警觉，观察着她脸上的每一个变化。

“What do you mean?”
“你是什么意思？”

“Was I the only man you were going to try this on?”
“我是你唯一试验的对象吗？”

“Is that any of your business?”
“这关你什么事？”

“More than you realize. Are there any other men on your string? Tell me!”
“比你想象的多。你的魅力网中还有其他男人吗？告诉我！”

“No.”
“没有。”

“Incredible. I can’t imagine you without five or six in reserve. —
“难以置信。我无法想象你没有五六个备胎。” —

Surely someone will turn up to accept your interesting proposition. —
“肯定会有人出现接受你有趣的提议。” —

I feel so sure of it that I want to give you a little advice.”
“我如此确信，以至于我想给你一些建议。”

“I don’t want your advice.”
“我不需要你的建议。”

“Nevertheless I will give it. Advice seems to be the only thing I can give you at present. —
“但我还是要给你。目前看来我只能给你建议。” —

Listen to it, for it’s good advice. When you are trying to get something out of a man, don’t blurt it out as you did to me. —
“听听吧，这是好建议。当你试图从一个男人身上得到某些东西时，不要像你对我那样脱口而出。” —

Do try to be more subtle, more seductive. It gets better results. —
“要更加巧妙，更加诱人。效果会更好。” —

You used to know how, to perfection. But just now when you offered me your—er—collateral for my money you looked as hard as nails. —
“你曾经擅长这个。但就在刚才，当你为了我的钱向我提供你的——额——抵押品时，你的眼神坚硬如钉。” —

I’ve seen eyes like yours above a dueling pistol twenty paces from me and they aren’t a pleasant sight. —
“我见过你这种眼神时，脑后二十步外有一把决斗手枪，这并不是令人愉快的景象。” —

They evoke no ardor in the male breast. That’s no way to handle men, my dear. —
“它们在男人的心中不会激起热情。亲爱的，这不是对待男人的方式。” —

You are forgetting your early training.”
“你忘记了你的早期培训。”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to behave,” she said and wearily put on her bonnet. —
“我不需要你告诉我如何行事，”她说着，疲倦地戴上她的帽子。 —

She wondered how he could jest so blithely with a rope about his neck and her pitiful circumstances before him. —
她想知道他如何能在他脖子上套着绳子、她可怜的处境摆在他面前的情况下还能如此轻松地开玩笑。 —

She did not even notice that his hands were jammed in his pockets in hard fists as if he were straining at his own impotence.
她甚至没有注意到他的手攥紧在口袋里，仿佛他在奋力抗争自己的无能为力。

“Cheer up,” he said, as she tied the bonnet strings. —
“振作点，”他说着，她系着帽带。 —

“You can come to my hanging and it will make you feel lots better. —
“你可以来参加我的绞刑，这样你会感觉好得多。 —

It’ll even up all your old scores with me—even this one. And I’ll mention you in my will.”
这将为你解决所有以前对我的算账——甚至包括这一次。我会在遗嘱中提到你。”

“Thank you, but they may not hang you till it’s too late to pay the taxes,” she said with a sudden malice that matched his own, and she meant it.
“谢谢，但他们可能要等到支付不起税款的时候才绞死你，”她带着与他一样恶意的突然说道，而且她是认真的。