How strange those old recollections are which haunt us, without our being able to get rid of them.
多么奇怪的那些陈旧的回忆，它们困扰着我们，我们无法摆脱它们。

This one is so very old that I cannot understand how it has clung so vividly and tenaciously to my memory.
这一个如此古老，以至于我无法理解它如何如此生动地和顽强地停留在我的记忆中。 —

Since then I have seen so many sinister things, which were either affecting or terrible, that I am astonished at not being able to pass a single day without the face of Mother Bellflower recurring to my mind’s eye, just as I knew her formerly, now so long ago, when I was ten or twelve years old.
从那时起，我曾见过那么多令人不安或可怕的事情，以至于我惊讶地发现自己无法一天都没有母亲贝尔弗劳尔的脸庞在我的脑海中出现，就像我以前认识她一样，那是如此久远的往事，当我才十岁或十二岁的时候。

She was an old seamstress who came to my parents’ house once a week, every Thursday, to mend the linen.
她是一个老裁缝，每周四都会来我父母家修补衣物。 —

My parents lived in one of those country houses called chateaux, which are merely old houses with gable roofs, to which are attached three or four farms lying around them.
我父母住在那种被称为庄园的乡村小屋里，那只是附有三四个农场的陈旧房屋。

The village, a large village, almost a market town, was a few hundred yards away, closely circling the church, a red brick church, black with age.
这个村庄，一个相当大的村庄，几乎可以算是个集镇，离这里几百码远，紧紧地围绕着一座红砖黑墙的教堂，可见岁月的痕迹。

Well, every Thursday Mother Clochette came between half-past six and seven in the morning, and went immediately into the linen-room and began to work.
每个星期四，克洛谢特妈妈都会在早上六点半到七点之间来到，立刻走进织布房开始工作。 —

She was a tall, thin, bearded or rather hairy woman, for she had a beard all over her face, a surprising, an unexpected beard, growing in improbable tufts, in curly bunches which looked as if they had been sown by a madman over that great face of a gendarme in petticoats.
她是个高个子，瘦瘦的，有着胡子的女人，或者更确切地说，是一张满脸胡子的女人，一个令人惊讶，意想不到的胡子，在那张像巡警穿着裙子的庞大脸上生长着，以令人难以置信的卷曲团簇的形式，看起来就像是被一个疯子撒在那张脸上的。 —

She had them on her nose, under her nose, round her nose, on her chin, on her cheeks;
她的鼻子上、鼻子下、鼻子周围，下巴上、脸颊上都长满了胡子。 —

and her eyebrows, which were extraordinarily thick and long, and quite gray, bushy and bristling, looked exactly like a pair of mustaches stuck on there by mistake.
她的眉毛异常浓密和长，灰色的、浓密的、竖立起来的眉毛看起来就像是错误地贴在那儿的胡子。

She limped, not as lame people generally do, but like a ship at anchor.
她走路一瘸一拐的，不像一般的跛脚人那样，而是像一艘抛锚的船舶。 —

When she planted her great, bony, swerving body on her sound leg, she seemed to be preparing to mount some enormous wave, and then suddenly she dipped as if to disappear in an abyss, and buried herself in the ground.
当她把她那庞大、骨瘦如柴、扭曲的身体放在健康的腿上时，她似乎在准备登上一片巨大的波浪，然后突然下沉，仿佛要消失在一个深渊中，然后埋入地下。 —

Her walk reminded one of a storm, as she swayed about, and her head, which was always covered with an enormous white cap, whose ribbons fluttered down her back, seemed to traverse the horizon from north to south and from south to north, at each step.
她的步态让人想起了暴风雨，她摇晃着身体走来走去，她那总是戴着一个巨大的白色帽子的头，帽带在她的后背上飘舞，似乎在每一步中从南到北、从北到南地横贯地平线。

I adored Mother Clochette.
我爱慕着克洛谢特夫人。 —

As soon as I was up I went into the linen-room where I found her installed at work, with a foot-warmer under her feet.
我一起床就走进了她安置工作的布匹房，她的脚下放着一个暖脚器。 —

As soon as I arrived, she made me take the foot-warmer and sit upon it, so that I might not catch cold in that large, chilly room under the roof.
我一到达，她就让我拿上暖脚器坐在上面，这样我就不会在这个大而寒冷的阁楼里着凉了。

“That draws the blood from your throat,” she said to me.
“那会把你喉咙里的血吸出来，”她对我说。

She told me stories, whilst mending the linen with her long crooked nimble fingers;
她一边修补着布匹，一边给我讲故事，她那双弯曲、灵巧的长手指。 —

her eyes behind her magnifying spectacles, for age had impaired her sight, appeared enormous to me, strangely profound, double.
她戴着放大镜式的老花眼镜，因为年岁已高，她的视力受损，对我来说，她的眼睛显得巨大，奇怪的深邃，会出现双重的感觉。

She had, as far as I can remember the things which she told me and by which my childish heart was moved, the large heart of a poor woman.
她有着我还记得的和让我这个孩子心动的事情，一个贫穷女人的宽大心脏。 —

She told me what had happened in the village, how a cow had escaped from the cow-house and had been found the next morning in front of Prosper Malet’s windmill, looking at the sails turning, or about a hen’s egg which had been found in the church belfry without any one being able to understand what creature had been there to lay it, or the story of Jean-Jean Pila’s dog, who had been ten leagues to bring back his master’s breeches which a tramp had stolen whilst they were hanging up to dry out of doors, after he had been in the rain.
她告诉我村子里发生的事情，比如一头牛从牛舍逃出来，第二天早上被发现站在普罗斯珀·马莱尔的风车前，看着叶片转动；或者教堂钟楼里找到的鸡蛋，谁也无法理解是什么动物下的蛋；还有简简·皮拉的狗的故事，当一个流浪汉偷走它主人晾晒在户外的裤子后，狗走了十个里程回来找回裤子，当时正下着雨。 —

She told me these simple adventures in such a manner, that in my mind they assumed the proportions of never-to-be-forgotten dramas, of grand and mysterious poems;
她以如此方式讲述这些简单的冒险故事，使得它们在我的脑海中变成了令人难以忘怀的戏剧，宏大而神秘的诗篇。 —

and the ingenious stories invented by the poets which my mother told me in the evening, had none of the flavor, none of the breadth or vigor of the peasant woman’s narratives.
母亲晚上给我讲的诗人们编造的巧妙故事，没有乡村妇人叙述的故事那样的味道、广度和活力。

Well, one Tuesday, when I had spent all the morning in listening to Mother Clochette, I wanted to go upstairs to her again during the day after picking hazelnuts with the manservant in the wood behind the farm.
好吧，有一天星期二，当我整个上午都在听Mother Clochette时，我想在白天和男仆一起在农舍后面的树林里摘榛子后再次上楼找她。 —

I remember it all as clearly as what happened only yesterday.
我记得这一切就像昨天发生的一样清晰。

On opening the door of the linen-room, I saw the old seamstress lying on the ground by the side of her chair, with her face to the ground and her arms stretched out, but still holding her needle in one hand and one of my shirts in the other.
打开衣间的门，我看到老裁缝躺在椅子旁边的地上，脸朝下，双臂伸开，但还紧握着针在一只手中，另一只手拿着我的一件衬衫。 —

One of her legs in a blue stocking, the longer one, no doubt, was extended under her chair, and her spectacles glistened against the wall, as they had rolled away from her.
她的一条腿穿着蓝色的袜子，比较长的那条，无疑是伸在椅子下，她的眼镜在墙上闪光，因为它们从她滚落下来。

I ran away uttering shrill cries. They all came running, and in a few minutes I was told that Mother Clochette was dead.
我吓得尖声大叫着逃走。大家都跑过来，几分钟后我被告知Mother Clochette去世了。

I cannot describe the profound, poignant, terrible emotion which stirred my childish heart.
我无法描述那种激动人心、尖锐而可怕的情感，它激动着我的幼稚心灵。 —

I went slowly down into the drawing-room and hid myself in a dark corner, in the depths of an immense old armchair, where I knelt down and wept.
我慢慢走进客厅，躲在一个黑暗的角落里，深藏在一把巨大的古老扶手椅的深处，跪下来哭泣。 —

I remained there a long time, no doubt, for night came on.
我在那里待了很长时间，想必是夜晚到了。 —

Suddenly somebody came in with a lamp, without seeing me, however, and I heard my father and mother talking with the medical man, whose voice I recognized.
突然有人拿着灯进来，但没有看见我，我听见父亲和母亲跟医生谈话，我还能认出医生的声音。

He had been sent for immediately, and he was explaining the causes of the accident, of which I understood nothing, however.
他是立刻被派来的，他正在解释这起事故的原因，但我对此一无所知。 —

Then he sat down and had a glass of liqueur and a biscuit.
然后他坐下来喝了一杯利口酒，吃了一块饼干。

He went on talking, and what he then said will remain engraved on my mind until I die!
他继续说着，他那时说的话将会永远铭记在我的脑海中，直到我死去！ —

I think that I can give the exact words which he used.
我想我可以给出他当时使用的确切措辞。

“Ah!” said he, “the poor woman!
“啊！”他说，“可怜的女人！ —

She broke her leg the day of my arrival here, and I had not even had time to wash my hands after getting off the diligence before I was sent for in all haste, for it was a bad case, very bad.
她在我到达这里的那天摔断了腿，而我甚至连下车之后洗手的时间都没有就被紧急召唤了，因为情况很糟糕，非常糟糕。

“She was seventeen, and a pretty girl, very pretty! Would any one believe it?
“她只有十七岁，一个漂亮的女孩，非常漂亮！有谁会相信呢？ —

I have never told her story before, and nobody except myself and one other person who is no longer living in this part of the country ever knew it.
我从未讲述过她的故事，只有我和另一个不再生活在这个地区的人知道。 —

Now that she is dead, I may be less discreet.
现在她去世了，我可能会不再那么谨慎了。

“Just then a young assistant-teacher came to live in the village;
“就在那时，一个年轻的助教搬到了村子里， —

he was a handsome, well-made fellow, and looked like a non-commissioned officer.
他长得英俊，身形匀称，看起来像个下士。 —

All the girls ran after him, but he paid no attention to them, partly because he was very much afraid of his superior, the schoolmaster, old Grabu, who occasionally got out of bed the wrong foot first.
所有的女孩都追着他跑，但他对她们毫不在意，部分原因是他非常害怕他的上司，那个偶尔会拿错脚起床的校长，老格拉比。

“Old Grabu already employed pretty Hortense who has just died here, and who was afterwards nicknamed Clochette.
“老格拉比已经雇佣了后来被称为克洛谢特的漂亮女孩霍丽耶斯。 —

The assistant master singled out the pretty young girl, who was, no doubt, flattered at being chosen by this impregnable conqueror;
助教挑选出这个漂亮的年轻女孩，她无疑被这个坚不可摧的征服者的选择所激励； —

at any rate, she fell in love with him, and he succeeded in persuading her to give him a first meeting in the hay-loft behind the school, at night, after she had done her day’s sewing.
无论如何，她爱上了他，并成功地说服她在晚上完成她一天的缝纫后，在学校后面的干草仓约会。

“She pretended to go home, but instead of going downstairs when she left the Grabus’ she went upstairs and hid among the hay, to wait for her lover.
“她假装回家了，但她离开格拉布一家时没有下楼，而是上了楼，躲藏在干草中，等待她的恋人。 —

He soon joined her, and was beginning to say pretty things to her, when the door of the hay-loft opened and the schoolmaster appeared, and asked:
他很快加入了她，并开始对她说甜言蜜语，就在这时，干草棚的门打开了，学校校长出现了，问道： —

‘What are you doing up there, Sigisbert?’ Feeling sure that he would be caught, the young schoolmaster lost his presence of mind and replied stupidly:
“你们在那里做什么，西吉斯伯特？”年轻的教师确信自己会被抓到，失去了镇定，愚蠢地回答道： —

‘I came up here to rest a little amongst the bundles of hay, Monsieur Grabu.’
“我上来休息一下，躺在干草捆上，格拉布先生。”

“The loft was very large and absolutely dark, and Sigisbert pushed the frightened girl to the further end and said:
“阁楼非常大而且完全黑暗，西吉斯伯特把受惊的女孩推到了更远的地方，说道： —

‘Go over there and hide yourself.
“到那边去躲起来。 —

I shall lose my position, so get away and hide yourself.’
我会丢掉工作的，所以赶紧走开，藏起来。”

“When the schoolmaster heard the whispering, he continued:
“当校长听到窃窃私语声时，他继续说道： —

‘Why, you are not by yourself?’ ‘Yes, I am, Monsieur Grabu!’ ‘But you are not, for you are talking.’ ‘I swear I am, Monsieur Grabu.’ ‘I will soon find out,’ the old man replied, and double locking the door, he went down to get a light.
“你不是一个人来的吧？”“不，格拉布先生，我是一个人！”“但是你却是，因为你正说话。”“我发誓我是，Grabu先生。”“我很快就会知道的。”老人回答道，然后双重锁好门，下楼取火。

“Then the young man, who was a coward such as one frequently meets, lost his head, and becoming furious all of a sudden, he repeated:
“然后，这个年轻人，他是一个经常遇到的懦夫，突然失去了理智，变得非常愤怒，他重复道： —

‘Hide yourself, so that he may not find you.
“躲起来，这样他就找不到你。 —

You will keep me from making a living for the rest of my life;
你会让我在余生中无法谋生， —

you will ruin my whole career.
你会毁了我整个事业。 —

Do hide yourself!’ They could hear the key turning in the lock again, and Hortense ran to the window which looked out on the street, opened it quickly, and then said in a low and determined voice:
快躲起来！”他们听到锁里的钥匙再次转动，Hortense跑到窗户边，迅速打开，然后以低沉而坚决的声音说道： —

‘You will come and pick me up when he is gone,’ and she jumped out.
“他走后你会来接我，”然后她跳了下去。

“Old Grabu found nobody, and went down again in great surprise, and a quarter of an hour later, Monsieur Sigisbert came to me and related his adventure.
“Grabu老人没有发现任何人，然后非常惊讶地再次下楼，15分钟后，Sigisbert先生来找我，并讲述了他的遭遇。” —

The girl had remained at the foot of the wall unable to get up, as she had fallen from the second story, and I went with him to fetch her.
那个女孩还躺在墙边无法站起来，因为她从二楼摔下来了，我和他一起去把她接回来了。 —

It was raining in torrents, and I brought the unfortunate girl home with me, for the right leg was broken in three places, and the bones had come trough the flesh.
雨下得很大，我把那个可怜的女孩带回了家，她的右腿断了3处，骨头穿透了肌肉。 —

She did not complain, and merely said, with admirable resignation:
她没有抱怨，只是说着可敬的顺从之辞：“我受到了惩罚，很好的惩罚！” —

‘I am punished, well punished!’
我找来了帮手和工人的亲属，并告诉他们一个编造的故事，说是一辆脱缰的马车撞倒了她，在我门外伤了她的腿。

“I sent for assistance and for the work-girl’s relatives and told them a made-up story of a runaway carriage which had knocked her down and lamed her outside my door.
他们相信了我的谎言，而警察们整整一个月都没有找到这个事故的肇事者。 —

They believed me, and the gendarmes for a whole month tried in vain to find the author of this accident.
这就是全部！我说这个女人是一个英雄，属于那些完成伟大历史壮举的人种。

“That is all! And I say that this woman was a heroine and belonged to the race of those who accomplish the grandest deeds of history.
这是她唯一的恋爱经历，她去世时还是个处女。她是一个烈士，一位高尚的灵魂，一位无私奉献的女人！

“That was her only love affair, and she died a virgin.
这是她唯一的一次爱情故事，她去世时还是个处女。 —

She was a martyr, a noble soul, a sublimely devoted woman!
她是一位烈士，一个崇高的灵魂，一个极为无私奉献的女人！ —

And if I did not absolutely admire her, I should not have told you this story, which I would never tell any one during her life;
如果我对她不是非常崇敬，我就不会告诉你这个故事，这个我在她还活着的时候从不会告诉任何人的故事； —

you understand why.”
你明白为什么。

The doctor ceased. Mamma cried and papa said some words which I did not catch;
医生停下了说话。妈妈哭了，爸爸说了些我听不到的话； —

then they left the room and I remained on my knees in the armchair and sobbed, whilst I heard a strange noise of heavy footsteps and something knocking against the side of the staircase.
然后他们离开了房间，我留在扶手椅上跪着啜泣，听到了怪异的沉重脚步声和有什么东西敲击着楼梯的侧面。

They were carrying away Clochette’s body.
他们正在运走克洛什特的尸体。