IN THE EVENING of the same day a lively discussion was taking place in Denisov’s quarters between some officers of the squadron.
当天晚上，一群骑兵军官正在德尼索夫的住处进行热烈的讨论。

“But I tell you, Rostov, that you must apologise to the colonel,” the tall staff-captain was saying, addressing Rostov, who was crimson with excitement. —
“但是我告诉你，罗斯托夫，你必须向上校道歉。” 身材高大的参谋长对着激动得面红耳赤的罗斯托夫说道。 —

The staff-captain, Kirsten, a man with grizzled hair, immense whiskers, thick features and a wrinkled face, had been twice degraded to the ranks for affairs of honour, and had twice risen again to holding a commission.
参谋长克尔斯滕是一个长着灰白头发、浓密络腮胡须、粗糙面容和皱纹的人，因为荣誉事件曾两次被贬为士兵，但又两次升回军官。

“I permit no one to tell me I’m lying!” cried Rostov. —
“我不允许任何人告诉我撒谎！”罗斯托夫喊道。 —

“He told me I was lying and I told him he was lying. And there it rests. —
“他告诉我我在撒谎，我告诉他他在撒谎。事情就到这儿。” —

He can put me on duty every day, he can place me under arrest, but no one can compel me to apologise, because if he, as the colonel, considers it beneath his dignity to give me satisfaction, then …”
他可以每天让我值勤，他可以把我关押起来，但是没有人能强迫我道歉，因为如果他作为上校觉得给我满足是有损他的尊严的话，那么……”

“But you wait a bit, my good fellow; you listen to me,” interrupted the staff-captain in his bass voice, calmly stroking his long whiskers. —
“但是你等等，我的朋友；你听我说。”参谋长用他的低沉嗓音打断他，平静地抚摸着他的长胡须。 —

“You tell the colonel in the presence of other officers that an officer has stolen—”
“你告诉上校在其他军官面前，有一个军官偷东西——”

“I’m not to blame for the conversation being in the presence of other officers. —
“并不是我要求在其他军官面前谈话的。 —

Possibly I ought not to have spoken before them, but I’m not a diplomatist. —
也许我不应该在他们面前说话，但我不是外交官。 —

That’s just why I went into the hussars; —
这就是为什么我加入了侍从的原因； —

I thought that here I should have no need of such finicky considerations, and he tells me I’m a liar … so let him give me satisfaction.”
我以为在这里我不需要考虑这些麻烦事，他告诉我我是个骗子……所以让他给我一个合理的解释。”

“That’s all very fine, no one imagines that you’re a coward; but that’s not the point. —
“这一切都很好，没有人认为你是个懦夫；但问题不在这里。 —

Ask Denisov if it’s not utterly out of the question for an ensign to demand satisfaction of his colonel?”
问问Denisov，一个少尉要求和他的上校解决争端是否完全不可能？”

Denisov was biting his moustache with a morose air, listening to the conversation, evidently with no desire to take part in it. —
Denisov一脸忧郁地咬着胡子，听着对话，显然并不想参与其中。 —

To the captain’s question, he replied by a negative shake of the head.
对于上尉的问题，他摇了摇头表示否定。

“You speak to the colonel in the presence of other officers of this dirty business,” pursued the staff-captain. —
“你在其他军官面前谈论这种肮脏的事情，”幕僚上尉继续说道。 —

“Bogdanitch” (Bogdanitch was what they called the colonel) “snubbed you …”
“波格丹尼奇”（波格丹尼奇是大家对上校的称呼）“冷落了你。”

“No, he didn’t. He said I was telling an untruth.”
“不，他没有。他说我在说谎。”

“Quite so, and you talked nonsense to him, and you must apologise.”
“确实如此，而且你对他说了废话，你必须道歉。”

“Not on any consideration!” shouted Rostov.
“无论如何都不会！”罗斯托夫喊道。

“I shouldn’t have expected this of you,” said the staff-captain seriously and severely. —
“我本没想到你会这样做。”副官说得严肃而严厉。 —

“You won’t apologise, but, my good sir, it’s not only him, but all the regiment, all of us, that you’ve acted wrongly by; —
“你不肯道歉，但是，先生，不只是他，整个团，我们所有人，你都对我们做错了； —

you’re to blame all round. Look here; if you’d only thought it over, and taken advice how to deal with the matter, but you must go and blurt it all straight out before the officers. —
“你在全面上都有责任。你看，要是你仅仅多考虑一下，并找人商量如何处理这个事情，但你却跑去把所有事情都告诉了军官们。 —

What was the colonel to do then? Is he to bring the officer up for trial and disgrace the whole regiment? —
“那么上校该怎么办？他要把军官拉上法庭，给整个团丢脸吗？ —

On account of one scoundrel is the whole regiment to be put to shame? —
“就因为一个无赖，整个团都要蒙羞吗？ —

Is that the thing for him to do, to your thinking? It is not to our thinking. —
“这是他应该做的吗？按照我们的想法并不是。 —

And Bogdanitch did the right thing. He told you that you were telling an untruth. —
而博格丹尼奇做得很对。他告诉你说你在说谎。 —

It’s unpleasant, but what could he do? you brought it on yourself. —
虽然不好听，但他能怎么办？是你自作自受。 —

And now when they try to smooth the thing over, you’re so high and mighty, you won’t apologise, and want to have the whole story out. —
现在他们试图化解事情，你却如此高傲，不肯道歉，还想把整个事情都说出来。 —

You’re huffy at being put on duty, but what is it for you to apologise to an old and honourable officer! —
你对被安排值勤感到不悦，但向一位老而尊贵的军官道歉对你来说算什么呢！ —

Whatever Bogdanitch may be, any way he’s an honourable and gallant old colonel; —
不管博格丹尼奇是什么样的人，至少他是一位光荣而勇敢的老上校。 —

you’re offended at that, but disgracing the regiment’s nothing to you. —
你觉得受了侮辱，但这影响到整个团队对你来说又算什么呢。 —

” The staff-captain’s voice began to quaver. —
参谋长的声音开始颤抖起来。 —

“You, sir, have been next to no time in the regiment; —
“你，先生，在团队里待得时间简直不值一提； —

you’re here to-day, and to-morrow you’ll be passed on somewhere as an adjutant; —
你今天在这里，明天就会被调到别处当副官； —

you don’t care a straw for people saying: —
你根本不在乎其他人会说： —

‘There are thieves among the Pavlograd officers!’ —
“帕夫洛格勒德军官中有贼！”这样的话。 —

But we do care! Don’t we, Denisov? Do we care?”
但我们在乎！对吧，德尼索夫？我们在乎吗？”

Denisov still did not speak or stir; his gleaming black eyes glanced now and then at Rostov.
德尼索夫依然不说话，也没有动弹；他那双闪亮的黑眼睛断断续续地瞥了一下罗斯托夫。

“Your pride is dear to you, you don’t want to apologise,” continued the staff-captain, “but we old fellows, as we grew up in the regiment and, please God, we hope to die in it, it’s the honour of the regiment is dear to us, and Bogdanitch knows that. —
“你们自尊心很重要，你们不想道歉，”警官队长继续说道，“但我们这些老人，我们在团里长大，也希望能死在团里，团的荣誉对我们太重要了，而博格丹尼奇知道这一点。 —

Ah, isn’t it dear to us! But this isn’t right; it’s not right! —
啊，对我们来说它是多么重要啊！但这不对，这是不对的！ —

You may take offence or not; but I always speak the plain truth. It’s not right!”
你可以生气也可以不生气，但我总是说实话。这不对！

And the staff-captain got up and turned away from Rostov.
警官队长站起来，背对着罗斯托夫。

“That’s the truth, damn it!” shouted Denisov, jumping up. “Come, Rostov, come!”
“真话，该死！”丹尼索夫跳了起来，“过来，罗斯托夫，过来！”

Rostov, turning crimson and white again, looked first at one officer and then at the other.
罗斯托夫又红了又白，先看了一个军官，又看了另一个。

“No, gentlemen, no … you mustn’t think … I quite understand, you’re wrong in thinking that of me … I … for me … for the honour of the regiment I’d … but why talk? —
“不，先生们，不……你们不能这样想……我完全理解，你们误解了我……为了我……为了团的荣誉，我愿意……但为什么要说呢？ —

I’ll prove that in action and for me the honour of the flag … well, never mind, it’s true, I’m to blame! —
我会在行动中证明的,对于我来说，旗帜的荣誉……嗯，不管了，这是真的，我有错！” —

” … There were tears in his eyes. “I’m wrong, wrong all round! —
“…他眼中有泪水。‘我错了，全错了！ —

Well, what more do you want?” …
“那你还想要什么？”…

“Come, that’s right, count,” cried the staff-captain, turning round and clapping him on the shoulder with his big hand.
“来吧，这才对，伯爵，”参谋长大声喊道，转过身用大手拍了拍他的肩膀。

“I tell you,” shouted Denisov, “he’s a capital fellow.”
“告诉你，”德尼索夫喊道，“他是个了不起的家伙。”

‘That’s better, count,” repeated the captain, beginning to address him by his title as though in acknowledgment of his confession. —
“伯爵，很好，”上尉重复道，开始用他的头衔称呼他，好像在承认他的忏悔一样。 —

“Go and apologise, your excellency.”
“去道歉吧，阁下。”

“Gentlemen, I’ll do anything, no one shall hear a word from me,” Rostov protested in an imploring voice, “but I can’t apologise, by God, I can’t, say what you will! —
“先生们，我什么都愿意做，绝不会对外泄露一句话，”罗斯托夫哀求地说，“但是我无法道歉，天地可鉴，我无法像个小男孩一样祈求原谅！” —

How can I apologise, like a little boy begging pardon!”
我怎么能道歉，像个乞求宽恕的小男孩一样！”

Denisov laughed.
德尼索夫笑了起来。

“It’ll be the worse for you, if you don’t. Bogdanitch doesn’t forget things; —
“如果你不道歉，你会后悔的。波格达尼奇不会忘记这些事情；他会让你为你的顽固付出代价的，”克尔斯滕说道。 —

he’ll make you pay for your obstinacy,” said Kirsten.
“天地可鉴，这不是顽固！我无法形容他给我的感觉。我做不到。”

“By God, it’s not obstinacy! I can’t describe the feeling it gives me. I can’t do it.”
“那好吧，你爱怎么样就怎么样，”参谋长说道。

“Well, as you like,” said the staff-captain. —
“好吧，随你的便，”参谋长说道。 —

“What has the scoundrel done with himself? —
“那个恶棍怎么了？” —

” he asked Denisov.
他问道，丹尼索夫说。

“He has reported himself ill; to-morrow the order’s given for him to be struck off,” said Denisov.
“他自报了病，明天就会下令将他除名了。”丹尼索夫说。

“It is an illness, there’s no other way of explaining it,” said the staff-captain.
“这是一种疾病，没别的解释了。”参谋长说。

“Whether it’s illness or whether it’s not, he’d better not cross my path—I’d kill him,” Denisov shouted bloodthirstily.
“无论是病还是其他什么，他最好别碰到我，否则我会杀了他！”丹尼索夫血腥地喊道。

Zherkov walked into the room.
泽尔科夫走进了房间。

“How do you come here?” the officers cried to the newcomer at once.
“你怎么会在这儿？”军官们立即对那位新来者喊道。

“To the front, gentlemen. Mack has surrendered with his whole army.”
“向前走，先生们。麦克带着他整个军队投降了。”

“Nonsense!”
“胡说！”

“I’ve seen him myself.”
“我亲眼见过他。”

“What? Seen Mack alive, with all his arms and legs?”
“什么？见过麦克活着，保留着他所有的手臂和腿？”

“To the front! to the front! Give him a bottle for such news. How did you come here?”
“向前走！向前走！为这个消息给他递一瓶酒。你是怎么来的？”

“I’ve been dismissed back to the regiment again on account of that devil, Mack. The Austrian general complained of me. —
“因为那个恶魔麦克我又被解雇回了团里。那位奥地利将军对我抱怨。” —

I congratulated him on Mack’s arrival. … What is it, Rostov, you look as if you’d just come out of a hot bath?”
“我祝贺他麦克的到来……罗斯托夫，你怎么看上去好像刚从热水澡里出来？”

“We’ve been in such a mess these last two days, old boy.”
“这两天我们一直处在一团糟之中，老兄。”

The regimental adjutant came in and confirmed the news brought by Zherkov. —
团里的副官进来确认了泽尔科夫带来的消息。 —

They were under orders to advance next day.
他们接到了明天前进的命令。

“To the front, gentlemen!”
“各位，向前方前进！”

“Well, thank God! we’ve been sticking here too long.”
“好吧，感谢上帝！我们待在这儿太久了。”

……”
“……”