MASLOVA’S AUNT.
马斯洛娃的姨妈。

Nekhludoff felt more at case with the boys than with the grown-up people, and he began talking to them as they went along. —
涅赫鲁多夫觉得和这些孩子在一起比和成年人在一起更自在，他开始和他们交谈。 —

The little one with the pink shirt stopped laughing, and spoke as sensibly and as exactly as the elder one.
穿粉红衬衫的小个子停止了笑声，说话像大个子一样稳重准确。

“Can you tell me who are the poorest people you have got here?” asked Nekhludoff.
“你能告诉我这里最穷的人是谁吗？”涅赫鲁多夫问道。

“The poorest? Michael is poor, Simon Makhroff, and Martha, she is very poor.”
“最穷的？迈克尔很穷，西蒙·马赫洛夫，还有玛莎，她非常穷。”

“And Anisia, she is still poorer; she’s not even got a cow. They go begging,” said little Fedka.
“还有安妮西亚，她更穷，她甚至没有奶牛。他们去乞讨，”小费德卡说。

“She’s not got a cow, but they are only three persons, and Martha’s family are five,” objected the elder boy.
“她没有奶牛，但他们只有三口之家，而玛莎一家有五口之家，”大个子反驳道。

“But the other’s a widow,” the pink boy said, standing up for Anisia.
“但另一个是寡妇，”穿粉色衬衫的男孩站出来为安妮西亚辩护。

“You say Anisia is a widow, and Martha is no better than a widow,” said the elder boy; —
“你说安妮西亚是个寡妇，而玛莎也不比寡妇好，”大个子说； —

“she’s also no husband.”
“她也没丈夫。”

“And where is her husband?” Nekhludoff asked.
“她的丈夫在哪里？”涅赫鲁多夫问。

“Feeding vermin in prison,” said the elder boy, using this expression, common among the peasants.
“在监狱里喂害虫，”大个子用这个农民常用的词汇说。

“A year ago he cut down two birch trees in the land-lord’s forest,” the little pink boy hurried to say, “so he was locked up; —
“一年前他在地主的森林里砍了两棵桦树，”穿粉色衬衫的小男孩急忙说，“所以他被锁起来； —

now he’s sitting the sixth month there, and the wife goes begging. —
现在他在那里坐了六个月，而妻子却去乞讨。 —

There are three children and a sick grandmother,” he went on with his detailed account.
有三个孩子和一个生病的祖母，”他继续讲述着详细的情况。

“And where does she live?” Nekhludoff asked.
“她住在哪里？”涅赫留多夫问道。

“In this very house,” answered the boy, pointing to a hut, in front of which, on the footpath along which Nekhludoff was walking, a tiny, flaxen-headed infant stood balancing himself with difficulty on his rickety legs.
“就住在这栋房子里。”男孩回答道，指着一间小屋，面对着涅赫留多夫正沿着小路走来的方向，一个金发的小婴儿正艰难地在摇晃的腿上保持平衡。

“Vaska! Where’s the little scamp got to?” —
“瓦斯卡！那个小淘气跑到哪里去了？” —

shouted a woman, with a dirty grey blouse, and a frightened look, as she ran out of the house, and, rushing forward, seized the baby before Nekhludoff came up to it, and carried it in, just as if she were afraid that Nekhludoff would hurt her child.
一位穿着脏灰色上衣、神情惊恐的女人喊道，她从房子里跑了出来，冲上前去，伸手抓住婴儿，正好在涅赫留多夫走近之前，将婴儿抱了进去，就好像她担心涅赫留多夫会伤害她的孩子。

This was the woman whose husband was imprisoned for Nekhludoff’s birch trees.
这位女人就是因为丈夫犯了涅赫留多夫的桦树案而入狱的那位。

“Well, and this Matrona, is she also poor?” Nekhludoff asked, as they came up to Matrona’s house.
“那马特罗娜，她也穷吗？”涅赫留多夫问道，当他们来到马特罗娜的房子前。

“She poor? No. Why, she sells spirits,” the thin, pink little boy answered decidedly.
“她穷？不，她卖烈酒。”瘦小的粉红男孩断然回答道。

When they reached the house Nekhludoff left the boys outside and went through the passage into the hut. —
当他们到达房子时，涅赫留多夫让男孩们在外面等，并穿过走廊走进小屋。 —

The hut was 14 feet long. The bed that stood behind the big stove was not long enough for a tall person to stretch out on. —
这间小屋长14英尺。地板上的床不够长，无法容纳一个身材高大的人伸开。 —

“And on this very bed,” Nekhludoff thought, “Katusha bore her baby and lay ill afterwards.” —
“而在这张床上”，涅赫留多夫想道，“卡图夏生下了她的孩子，并在之后躺病了。” —

The greater part of the hut was taken up by a loom, on which the old woman and her eldest granddaughter were arranging the warp when Nekhludoff came in, striking his forehead against the low doorway. —
在涅赫留多夫走进来时，整个小屋的大部分空间被一台织布机占据，老妇人和她的长孙女正在整理经线。 —

Two other grandchildren came rushing in after Nekhludoff, and stopped, holding on to the lintels of the door.
另外两个孙子在涅赫留多夫后面冲进来，停在门横梁上。

“Whom do you want?” asked the old woman, crossly. —
“你要找谁？”老妇人生气地问道。 —

She was in a bad temper because she could not manage to get the warp right, and, besides, carrying on an illicit trade in spirits, she was always afraid when any stranger came in.
她因为无法弄清经线而心情糟糕，另外，她还在进行非法的烈酒交易，所以总是在有陌生人进来时感到害怕。

“I am–the owner of the neighbouring estates, and should like to speak to you.”
“我是–附近庄园的所有者，想和你谈谈。”

“Dear me; why, it’s you, my honey; and I, fool, thought it was just some passer-by. —
“亲爱的我；天哪，是你，我的宝贝；我傻了，竟然以为是路人。 —

Dear me, you–it’s you, my precious,” said the old woman, with simulated tenderness in her voice.
亲爱的我，你–是你，我的宝贝，”老妇人说着，声音中带着虚情假意。

“I should like to speak to you alone,” said Nekhludoff, with a glance towards the door, where the children were standing, and behind them a woman holding a wasted, pale baby, with a sickly smile on its face, who had a little cap made of different bits of stuff on its head.
“我想和你单独谈谈，”涅赫鲁多夫望向门口，门口站着孩子们，背后有一个女人抱着一个衰弱苍白的婴儿，婴儿脸上挂着虚弱的微笑，头顶一个用不同布片做的小帽子。

“What are you staring at? I’ll give it you. —
“你看着什么？我给你看看。 —

Just hand me my crutch,” the old woman shouted to those at the door.
把我的拐杖递给我，”老妇人对门口的人喊道。

“Shut the door, will you!” The children went away, and the woman closed the door.
“把门关上好吗！” 孩子们走了，女人关上了门。

“And I was thinking, who’s that? And it’s ‘the master’ himself. My jewel, my treasure. —
“我还在想着，那是谁呢？原来是’主人’本人。我的宝贝，我的至爱。 —

Just think,” said the old woman, “where he has deigned to come. —
想想看，”老妇人说，”他居然亲自来了。 —

Sit down here, your honour,” she said, wiping the seat with her apron. —
请坐在这里，阁下，”她一边用围裙擦拭座位，一边说。 —

“And I was thinking what devil is it coming in, and it’s your honour, ‘the master’ himself, the good gentleman, our benefactor. —
“我还在思考，是哪个恶魔进来了，结果是阁下，’主人’本人，这位善良绅士，我们的恩人。 —

Forgive me, old fool that I am; I’m getting blind.”
请原谅，我这老妇人愚蠢，眼睛也花了。

Nekhludoff sat down, and the old woman stood in front of him, leaning her cheek on her right hand, while the left held up the sharp elbow of her right arm.
涅赫鲁多夫坐下，老妇人站在他面前，右手撑着脸颊，左手扶起右臂尖锐的肘部。

“Dear me, you have grown old, your honour; —
“天哪，阁下，您老了； —

and you used to be as fresh as a daisy. And now! Cares also, I expect?”
您以前是那么容光焕发。现在呢！我猜也有牵挂在心头吧？

“This is what I have come about: Do you remember Katusha Maslova?”
“我来找你是为了这件事：你还记得卡秋莎·马斯洛娃吗？”

“Katerina? I should think so. Why, she is my niece. How could I help remembering; —
“叶卡捷琳娜？我应该是记得的。她是我的侄女。我怎么可能忘记； —

and the tears I have shed because of her. Why, I know all about it. —
还有为了她流过的眼泪。我知道所有关于这件事的一切。 —

Eh, sir, who has not sinned before God? who has not offended against the Tsar? —
哎，先生，谁没有在上帝面前犯过罪？谁没有得罪过沙皇？ —

We know what youth is. You used to be drinking tea and coffee, so the devil got hold of you. —
我们知道青年时代是怎样的。你以前是喝茶喝咖啡的，所以恶魔才缠住你。 —

He is strong at times. What’s to be done? Now, if you had chucked her; —
他有时很强。怎么办？要是你当初甩了她； —

but no, just see how you rewarded her, gave her a hundred roubles. And she? What has she done? —
不过不，看看你是怎么报答她的，给了她一百卢布。而她呢？她做了什么？ —

Had she but listened to me she might have lived all right. —
要是她听我的话，或许能活得好好的。 —

I must say the truth, though she is my niece: that girl’s no good. What a good place I found her! —
我得说实话，尽管她是我侄女：那女孩没什么好的。我找了个多好的地方给她！ —

She would not submit, but abused her master. Is it for the likes of us to scold gentlefolk? —
她就是不服从，反而辱骂她的主人。我们这样的人有资格责骂绅士吗？ —

Well, she was sent away. And then at the forester’s. —
好吧，她被赶走了。然后又去了林舍。 —

She might have lived there; but no, she would not.”
她本来可以在那里生活；但她不愿意。”

“I want to know about the child. She was confined at your house, was she not? Where’s the child?”
“我想知道关于孩子的事情。她是在你家生产的，对吗？孩子在哪里？”

“As to the child, I considered that well at the time. —
“至于孩子，我当时考虑过了。 —

She was so bad I never thought she would get up again. —
她当时病得那么重，我根本没想她还能恢复。 —

Well, so I christened the baby quite properly, and we sent it to the Foundlings’. —
嗯，所以我给孩子正式施洗，然后送到了婴儿院。” —

Why should one let an innocent soul languish when the mother is dying? Others do like this: —
为什么一个无辜的灵魂在母亲垂危时要让其受苦？其他人会这样做： —

they just leave the baby, don’t feed it, and it wastes away. But, thinks I, no; —
他们只是抛下婴儿，不给它喂食，让它慢慢消瘦。但是，我认为不行； —

I’d rather take some trouble, and send it to the Foundlings’. —
我宁愿费点力气，把它送到婴儿院去。 —

There was money enough, so I sent it off.”
那里有足够的钱，所以我把宝贝送走了。”

“Did you not get its registration number from the Foundlings’ Hospital?”
“你没有从婴儿院那里得到它的注册号码吗？”

“Yes, there was a number, but the baby died,” she said. “It died as soon as she brought it there.”
“是的，那里有一个号码，但是婴儿死了，”她说。“她一送到那里就死了。”

“Who is she?”
“她是谁？”

“That same woman who used to live in Skorodno. She made a business of it. Her name was Malania. —
“就是那位以前住在斯科罗德诺的女人。她搞这种生意。她叫玛拉尼娅。 —

She’s dead now. She was a wise woman. What do you think she used to do? —
她现在已经去世了。她是个聪明女人。你觉得她以前是怎么做的呢？ —

They’d bring her a baby, and she’d keep it and feed it; —
他们会把一个婴儿带给她，她会留下并喂养它； —

and she’d feed it until she had enough of them to take to the Foundlings’. —
她会喂养它直到她有足够多的婴儿可以送到婴儿院。 —

When she had three or four, she’d take them all at once. —
当她有三四个时，她会一次性把它们全带过去。 —

She had such a clever arrangement, a sort of big cradle–a double one she could put them in one way or the other. —
她有一个很聪明的安排，一种大摇篮–一个双层的她可以按照一种或另一种方式把宝贝放进去。 —

It had a handle. So she’d put four of them in, feet to feet and the heads apart, so that they should not knock against each other. —
它有一个手柄。于是她把四个婴儿放进去，脚对脚，头分开，这样它们就不会互相碰撞。 —

And so she took four at once. She’d put some pap in a rag into their mouths to keep ‘em silent, the pets.”
这样她一次带走四个。她会在他们的嘴里放一块布包装的米糊，让它们安静下来，乖宝贝们。”

“Well, go on.”
“嗯，你继续。”

“Well, she took Katerina’s baby in the same way, after keeping it a fortnight, I believe. —
“嗯，她也是同样的方式带走了卡捷琳娜的孩子，据说她把它留了两周。 —

It was in her house it began to sicken.”
就在她家里，开始生病了。”

“And was it a fine baby?” Nekhludoff asked.
涅克拉杜佛问道，“那是个漂亮的孩子吗？”

“Such a baby, that if you wanted a finer you could not find one. —
“这么漂亮的孩子，如果你想要更漂亮的，是找不到的。 —

Your very image,” the old woman added, with a wink.
就像你的影子，”老妇人眨着眼说。

“Why did it sicken? Was the food bad?”
“为什么生病了？是食物不好吗？”

“Eh, what food? Only just a pretence of food. Naturally, when it’s not one’s own child. —
“什么食物？根本就是假的食物。当然，对一个不是自己孩子的人来说。 —

Only enough to get it there alive. She said she just managed to get it to Moscow, and there it died. —
只是足够把它送到那里能活着。她说她勉强把它送到了莫斯科，然后它就死了。 —

She brought a certificate–all in order. —
她拿来了一份证明——一切合法。 —

She was such a wise woman.”
她是个聪明的女人。”

That was all Nekhludoff could find out concerning his child.
这就是涅克拉杜佛所能打听出有关他孩子的一切。