Old Anthony Rockwall, retired manufacturer and proprietor of Rockwall’s Eureka Soap, looked out the library window of his Fifth Avenue mansion and grinned. —
老人安东尼·洛克沃尔 (Anthony Rockwall) ，退休的制造商和洛克沃尔尤里卡肥皂店 (Rockwall’s Eureka Soap) 的所有者，从他位于第五大街豪宅的图书馆窗户向外看，并咧嘴笑了笑。 —

His neighbour to the right–the aristocratic clubman, G. Van Schuylight Suffolk-Jones–came out to his waiting motor-car, wrinkling a contumelious nostril, as usual, at the Italian renaissance sculpture of the soap palace’s front elevation.
他右边的邻居——贵族俱乐部成员G·范·斯库利特·萨福克·琼斯(G. Van Schuylight Suffolk-Jones)——走出门口，像往常一样，对着肥皂宫殿正面的意大利文艺复兴雕塑皱起轻蔑的鼻子。

“Stuck-up old statuette of nothing doing!” commented the ex-Soap King. “The Eden Musee’ll get that old frozen Nesselrode yet if he don’t watch out. —
“自命不凡的无趣小雕像！”这位退休肥皂巨头评论道，“厄甸博物馆(Eden Musee) 最终会得到那个冷冻的尼希罗德 (Nesselrode)，要是他不小心的话。 —

I’ll have this house painted red, white, and blue next summer and see if that’ll make his Dutch nose turn up any higher.”
我明年夏天会把这座房子涂成红、白和蓝的，看看那会不会让他那荷兰鼻子翘得更高一些。”

And then Anthony Rockwall, who never cared for bells, went to the door of his library and shouted “Mike!” in the same voice that had once chipped off pieces of the welkin on the Kansas prairies.
然后，从不喜欢按铃的安东尼·洛克沃尔走到图书馆的门口，大声喊道：“迈克！”他用在堪萨斯州大草原上曾经震破天际的声音喊道。

“Tell my son,” said Anthony to the answering menial, “to come in here before he leaves the house.”
“告诉我儿子，”安东尼对接电话的仆人说，“在他离开屋子前来这里。”

When young Rockwall entered the library the old man laid aside his newspaper, looked at him with a kindly grimness on his big, smooth, ruddy countenance, rumpled his mop of white hair with one hand and rattled the keys in his pocket with the other.
当年轻的罗克沃尔走进图书馆时，老人放下报纸，用他宽大、光滑、红润的容颜亲切地看着他，用一只手抓乱他一头的白发，用另一只手摇晃着口袋里的钥匙。

“Richard,” said Anthony Rockwail, “what do you pay for the soap that you use?”
“理查德，”安东尼·罗克沃尔回答道，“你用的肥皂你花了多少钱？”

Richard, only six months home from college, was startled a little. —
理查德，刚刚毕业回家半年，有点吃惊。 —

He had not yet taken the measure of this sire of his, who was as full of unexpectednesses as a girl at her first party.
他还没有完全了解他的父亲，他像一个初上派对的女孩一样充满了意外。

“Six dollars a dozen, I think, dad.”
“我想是六美元一打，爸爸。”

“And your clothes?”
“那你的衣服呢？”

“I suppose about sixty dollars, as a rule.”
“我想平均大概六十美元。”

“You’re a gentleman,” said Anthony, decidedly. —
“你是个绅士，”安东尼断然说道， —

“I’ve heard of these young bloods spending $24 a dozen for soap, and going over the hundred mark for clothes. —
“我听说这些年轻人花二十四美元一打的肥皂，花上一百美元的衣服。 —

You’ve got as much money to waste as any of ‘em, and yet you stick to what’s decent and moderate. —
你有足够的钱来随便浪费，但你还是坚持做一个体面而适中的人。 —

Now I use the old Eureka–not only for sentiment, but it’s the purest soap made.
现在，我用古老的尤里卡牌——不仅因为情怀，而且它是最纯净的肥皂。

Whenever you pay more than 10 cents a cake for soap you buy bad perfumes and labels. —
每当你为肥皂支付超过10美分的价格时，你就会购买劣质的香水和标签。 —

But 50 cents is doing very well for a young man in your generation, position and condition. As I said, you’re a gentleman. —
但对于你这代人，处境和条件来说，50美分已经很优秀了。正如我所说，你是个绅士。 —

They say it takes three generations to make one. —
他们说要经过三代人才能造就一个人。他们错了。 —

They’re off. Money’ll do it as slick as soap grease. —
钱就像肥皂油一样，会把这个过程变得轻而易举。 —

It’s made you one. By hokey! —
它已经让你成为一个人了。天哪！ —

it’s almost made one of me. —
它几乎也让我成为一个人。 —

I’m nearly as impolite and disagreeable and ill-mannered as these two old Knickerbocker gents on each side of me that can’t sleep of nights because I bought in between ‘em.”
我变得几乎和我身旁这两个无法入眠的纽约贵族一样粗鲁、易怒和没有教养，就因为我买在了他们中间。

“There are some things that money can’t accomplish,” remarked young Rockwall, rather gloomily.
“有些事情用钱是办不到的，” 年轻的洛克沃尔沉闷地说道。

“Now, don’t say that,” said old Anthony, shocked. —
“现在别这么说，”老安东尼表示震惊。”我打赌， —

“I bet my money on money every time. —
无论什么时候，我都会把钱押在钱身上。 —

I’ve been through the encyclopaedia down to Y looking for something you can’t buy with it; —
我已经翻遍了百科全书，一直找到字母Y，寻找用钱买不到的东西； —

and I expect to have to take up the appendix next week. —
而且我预计下周还得翻阅附录。 —

I’m for money against the field. —
我以钱对抗其他一切。 —

Tell me something money won’t buy.”
告诉我有些东西钱买不到吧。

“For one thing,” answered Richard, rankling a little, “it won’t buy one into the exclusive circles of society.” “Oho! won’t it?” thundered the champion of the root of evil. —
“首先，” Richard有点愤怒地回答道，“钱是不能让人进入社交圈子的。” “哦！是吗？”“罪恶之根的捍卫者”怒吼道。 —

“You tell me where your exclusive circles would be if the first Astor hadn’t had the money to pay for his steerage passage over?”
“你告诉我，如果第一个阿斯特尔没有钱支付他的舱位费，你们的社交圈子将会在哪里？”

Richard sighed.
Richard叹了口气。

“And that’s what I was coming to,” said the old man, less boisterously. “That’s why I asked you to come in. —
“这就是我要说的话，”老人说得不那么吵闹了。“这就是我请你进来的原因。 —

There’s something going wrong with you, boy. —
有什么问题困扰着你，孩子。 —

I’ve been noticing it for two weeks. —
我注意到已经有两个星期了。 —

Out with it. —
说出来吧。 —

I guess I could lay my hands on eleven millions within twenty-four hours, besides the real estate. —
我想我能在二十四小时之内拿到一千一百万，还有房产。 —

If it’s your liver, there’s the Rambler down in the bay, coaled, and ready to steam down to the Bahamas in two days.”
如果是你的肝脏出了问题，那么海湾那儿有一艘名叫Rambler的船，已经装上了煤，准备在两天内开往巴哈马。”

“Not a bad guess, dad; you haven’t missed it far.”
“爸，你猜得还不错，只是差了一点点。”

“Ah,” said Anthony, keenly; “what’s her name?”
“啊，”安东尼敏锐地说道，“她叫什么名字？”

Richard began to walk up and down the library floor. —
Richard开始在图书馆的地板上来回走动。 —

There was enough comradeship and sympathy in this crude old father of his to draw his confidence.
他粗犷老父亲的同伴关系和同情心足以引起他的信任。

“Why don’t you ask her?” demanded old Anthony. —
“为什么不去问她？”老安东尼要求道。 —

“She’ll jump at you. You’ve got the money and the looks, and you’re a decent boy. —
“她会对你充满兴趣。你有钱有长相，而且你是个不错的男孩。” —

Your hands are clean. You’ve got no Eureka soap on ‘em. —
你的手很干净。上面没有尤里卡肥皂。 —

You’ve been to college, but she’ll overlook that.”
你上过大学，但她会忽视这一点。”

“I haven’t had a chance,” said Richard.
“我没有机会，”理查德说道。

“Make one,” said Anthony. “Take her for a walk in the park, or a straw ride, or walk home with her from church Chance! Pshaw!”
“创造一个机会，”安东尼说。“带她去公园散步，或者坐稻草车，或者陪她从教堂回家。机会！胡说八道！”

“You don’t know the social mill, dad. —
你不了解社交圈子，爸爸。 —

She’s part of the stream that turns it. —
她是社交圈子的一部分。 —

Every hour and minute of her time is arranged for days in advance. —
她的每个小时和分钟都提前安排好了。 —

I must have that girl, dad, or this town is a blackjack swamp forevermore. —
爸爸，我必须追求那个女孩，否则这个城镇永远都是一个无聊的地方。 —

And I can’t write it–I can’t do that.”
我不能写信。我不能那样做。

“Tut!” said the old man. “Do you mean to tell me that with all the money I’ve got you can’t get an hour or two of a girl’s time for yourself?”
呸！老人家说，“你是在告诉我，我有那么多钱，你却不能购买到一个女孩的几小时时间？”

“I’ve put it off too late. —
我耽搁得太晚了。 —

She’s going to sail for Europe at noon day after to-morrow for a two years’ stay. —
她后天正中午将要动身去欧洲，要在那里呆两年。 —

I’m to see her alone to-morrow evening for a few minutes.
明天晚上我将独自与她见面几分钟。

She’s at Larchmont now at her aunt’s. I can’t go there. —
她现在在拉奇蒙特，在她阿姨那里。 —

But I’m allowed to meet her with a cab at the Grand Central Station to-morrow evening at the 8.30 train. —
我不能去那里。但我可以坐出租车去车站，在明天晚上8点30分的列车上见她。 —

We drive down Broadway to Wallack’s at a gallop, where her mother and a box party will be waiting for us in the lobby. —
我们沿着百老汇飞奔到瓦拉克剧院，她妈妈和一个包厢派对将在大厅等待我们。 —

Do you think she would listen to a declaration from me during that six or eight minutes under those circumstances? —
你觉得在那种情况下，她会听我说的那六到八分钟的宣言吗？ —

No. And what chance would I have in the theatre or afterward? None. No, dad, this is one tangle that your money can’t unravel. —
不会的。而且我在剧院或之后有什么机会吗？没有。不，爸爸，这是一个你的金钱解决不了的纠结。 —

We can’t buy one minute of time with cash; —
我们无法用现金购买一分钟的时间； —

if we could, rich people would live longer. —
如果可以的话，富人就能活得更久了。 —

There’s no hope of getting a talk with Miss Lantry before she sails.”
在她启航之前，没有希望和兰特里小姐谈话。

“All right, Richard, my boy,” said old Anthony, cheerfully. —
“好吧，理查德，孩子”，老安东尼高兴地说道， —

“You may run along down to your club now. —
“你现在可以去你的俱乐部了。 —

I’m glad it ain’t your liver. —
我很高兴这不是你的肝脏问题。” —

But don’t forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss house to the great god Mazuma from time to time. —
但别忘了定期在财富庙燃烧几根香火，给金钱之神马祖玛。 —

You say money won’t buy time? —
你说金钱不能买时间吗？ —

Well, of course, you can’t order eternity wrapped up and delivered at your residence for a price, but I’ve seen Father Time get pretty bad stone bruises on his heels when he walked through the gold diggings.”
当然，你不能付钱让永恒被包裹起来并送到你的住处，但我在金矿中见过时间之父的脚跟被石头踩伤的情况。

That night came Aunt Ellen, gentle, sentimental, wrinkled, sighing, oppressed by wealth, in to Brother Anthony at his evening paper, and began discourse on the subject of lovers’ woes.
那天晚上，温文尔雅、多愁善感、皱纹满布、叹息不已、富有压力的艾伦阿姨来找安东尼兄弟，他正在看晚报，开始讨论恋人们的痛苦。

“He told me all about it,” said brother Anthony, yawning. —
“他告诉我了所有的事情，”安东尼兄弟打了个哈欠说道，” —

“I told him my bank account was at his service. —
我告诉他我的银行账户随他处置。 —

And then he began to knock money. Said money couldn’t help.
然后他开始抨击金钱。说钱无法帮上忙。

Said the rules of society couldn’t be bucked for a yard by a team of ten-millionaires.”
说社会的规则即使是千万富翁也无法打乱一寸。”

“Oh, Anthony,” sighed Aunt Ellen, “I wish you would not think so much of money. —
“哦，安东尼，”艾伦阿姨叹息道，” 我希望你不要太过看重金钱。 —

Wealth is nothing where a true affection is concerned. —
财富在真挚的感情面前微不足道。 —

Love is all-powerful. If he only had spoken earlier! —
爱是无所不能的。如果他早点开口就好了！ —

She could not have refused our Richard. —
她不会拒绝我们的理查德。 —

But now I fear it is too late. —
但现在我担心为时已晚。 —

He will have no opportunity to address her. —
他将没有机会和她交谈。 —

All your gold cannot bring happiness to your son.”
你所有的金子也不能给你的儿子带来幸福。

At eight o’clock the next evening Aunt Ellen took a quaint old gold ring from a moth-eaten case and gave it to Richard.
第二天晚上八点，艾伦姑姑从一个破烂的盒子里拿出一枚古老的金戒指，送给理查德。

“Wear it to-night, nephew,” she begged. —
“侄子，今晚戴着它，”她恳求道， —

“Your mother gave it to me. —
“你妈妈给我这个戒指。 —

Good luck in love she said it brought. —
她说这是为了幸运之爱。 —

She asked me to give it to you when you had found the one you loved.”
她让我在你找到心爱的人后把它给你。”

Young Rockwall took the ring reverently and tried it on his smallest finger. —
年轻的洛克沃尔虔诚地接过戒指，试了试戴在他最小的手指上。 —

It slipped as far as the second joint and stopped. —
它滑到第二个指关节就停下来了。 —

He took it off and stuffed it into his vest pocket, after the manner of man. —
他摘掉戒指，按照男人的习惯塞进背心口袋里。 —

And then he ‘phoned for his cab.
然后他打电话叫了辆出租车。

At the station he captured Miss Lantry out of the gadding mob at eight thirty-two.
在车站，他在八点三十二分的人群中找到了兰特里小姐。

“We mustn’t keep mamma and the others waiting,” said she.
“我们不能让妈妈和其他人等太久，”她说。

“To Wallack’s Theatre as fast as you can drive!” said Richard loyally.
“尽快开到华莱士剧院！”理查德忠诚地说。

They whirled up Forty-second to Broadway, and then down the white- starred lane that leads from the soft meadows of sunset to the rocky hills of morning.
他们沿着白星璀璨的大道从日落的柔和草地驶向早晨的岩石山丘。

At Thirty-fourth Street young Richard quickly thrust up the trap and ordered the cabman to stop.
在第34街，年轻的理查德迅速地拉起了陷阱，命令马车夫停下来。

“I’ve dropped a ring,” he apologised, as he climbed out. —
“我掉了一个戒指，”他道歉地说道，他爬下来的时候。 —

“It was my mother’s, and I’d hate to lose it. —
“那是我妈妈的，我不想丢了它。” —

I won’t detain you a minute–I saw where it fell.”
“我不会耽搁你一分钟——我知道它掉在哪里了。”

In less than a minute he was back in the cab with the ring.
不到一分钟，他就带着戒指回到了马车里。

But within that minute a crosstown car had stopped directly in front of the cab. —
但就在那一分钟内，一辆横贯城市的电车就停在了马车的前面。 —

The cabman tried to pass to the left, but a heavy express wagon cut him off. —
马车夫试图从左侧超车，但一辆沉重的快递马车挡住了他的去路。 —

He tried the right, and had to back away from a furniture van that had no business to be there. —
他试图从右侧超车，却不得不避开一辆没有理由在这里的家具货车。 —

He tried to back out, but dropped his reins and swore dutifully. —
他试图倒车，但掉落了缰绳，然后发誓了一声。 —

He was blockaded in a tangled mess of vehicles and horses.
他被一堆堵在一起的车辆和马匹挡住了。

One of those street blockades had occurred that sometimes tie up commerce and movement quite suddenly in the big city.
一个偶尔会突然妨碍城市商业和交通的街道封锁事件发生了。

“Why don’t you drive on?” said Miss Lantry, impatiently. “We’ll be late.”
“为什么不继续开？”兰特里小姐不耐烦地说道，“我们会迟到的。”

Richard stood up in the cab and looked around. —
理查德站在出租车里站起身来四周看了一眼。 —

He saw a congested flood of wagons, trucks, cabs, vans and street cars filling the vast space where Broadway, Sixth Avenue and Thirly-fourth street cross one another as a twenty-six inch maiden fills her twenty-two inch girdle. —
他看到卡车、出租车、货车、货车和有轨电车拥堵在一起，填满了百老汇、第六大道和三十四街交叉的广阔空间，就像一个26英寸的少女穿上了她的22英寸束腹带一样。 —

And still from all the cross streets they were hurrying and rattling toward the converging point at full speed, and hurling thcmselves into the struggling mass, locking wheels and adding their drivers’ imprecations to the clamour. —
然而，从所有的横街上他们仍然以全速匆匆而来，冲向这个交汇点，并将自己扔进奋力争斗的人群中，车轮相互纠缠，司机们的咒骂声与喧嚣声交织在一起。 —

The entire traffic of Manhattan seemed to have jammed itself around them. —
曼哈顿的整个交通仿佛被堵在了他们周围。 —

The oldest New Yorker among the thousands of spectators that lined the sidewalks had not witnessed a street blockade of the proportions of this one.
在成千上万观众排列在人行道上的人群中，没有人见过如此规模的街道封锁。

“I’m very sorry,” said Richard, as he resumed his seat, “but it looks as if we are stuck. —
“很抱歉，”理查德重新坐下时说道，” 但看起来我们被困住了。 —

They won’t get this jumble loosened up in an hour. —
他们一个小时内不会解开这个混乱。 —

It was my fault. If I hadn’t dropped the ring we–“Let me see the ring,” said Miss Lantry. —
这是我的错。如果不是我掉了戒指，我们–“让我看看戒指，” 兰特丽小姐说道。 —

“Now that it can’t be helped, I don’t care. —
“既然无可奈何，我也不在乎。 —

I think theatres are stupid, anyway.”
反正我一直觉得戏院很愚蠢。”

At 11 o’clock that night somebody tapped lightly on Anthony Rockwall’s door.
那天晚上11点，有人轻轻敲响了安东尼·洛克沃尔的门。

“Come in,” shouted Anthony, who was in a red dressing-gown, reading a book of piratical adventures.
“进来吧，”安东尼大喊道，他穿着一件红色睡袍，正在读一本海盗冒险的书。

Somebody was Aunt Ellen, looking like a grey-haired angel that had been left on earth by mistake.
来的人是埃伦阿姨，看起来像一位被错误地留在了地球上的灰发天使。

“They’re engaged, Anthony,” she said, softly. —
“安东尼，他们订婚了，”她轻声说道。” —

“She has promised to marry our Richard. —
她答应要嫁给我们的理查德。 —

On their way to the theatre there was a street blockade, and it was two hours before their cab could get out of it.
在去剧院的路上遇到了街道封锁，他们的车被困了两个小时才能继续前行。

“And oh, brother Anthony, don’t ever boast of the power of money again. —
“哦，安东尼兄弟，别再夸耀金钱的力量了。 —

A little emblem of true love–a little ring that symbolised unending and unmercenary affection–was the cause of our Richard finding his happiness. —
一个小小的真爱象征——一个象征着永恒和无私的戒指——是我们的理查德找到幸福的原因。 —

He dropped it in the street, and got out to recover it. —
他把戒指掉在了街上，下车捡起来。 —

And before they could continue the blockade occurred. —
然后封锁发生了。 —

He spoke to his love and won her there while the cab was hemmed in. —
他向他心爱的人说了些话，在车陷入封锁的时候赢得了她。 —

Money is dross compared with true love, Anthony.”
“安东尼，相比真爱，金钱不值一文。”

“All right,” said old Anthony. —
“好吧，”老安东尼说道， —

“I’m glad the boy has got what he wanted. —
“我很高兴孩子得到了他想要的。我告诉他， —

I told him I wouldn’t spare any expense in the matter if–”
如果……我会毫不吝啬地在这件事情上花费。”

“But, brother Anthony, what good could your money have done?”
“但是，安东尼兄弟，你的钱能有什么用呢？”

“Sister,” said Anthony Rockwall. —
“姐姐，”安东尼·洛克沃尔说道， —

“I’ve got my pirate in a devil of a scrape. —
“我的海盗陷入了麻烦之中。” —

His ship has just been scuttled, and he’s too good a judge of the value of money to let drown. —
“他的船刚刚被击沉，他可是很懂钱的价值，不会让自己淹死。” —

I wish you would let me go on with this chapter.”
“希望你能让我继续写下去。”

The story should end here. —
故事应该在这里结束。 —

I wish it would as heartily as you who read it wish it did. —
我衷心希望它会像你们读者一样结束。 —

But we must go to the bottom of the well for truth.
但是，我们必须去底井找到真相。

The next day a person with red hands and a blue polka-dot necktie, who called himself Kelly, called at Anthony Rockwall’s house, and was at once received in the library.
第二天，一个叫凯利、红手和蓝点领带的人来到安东尼·洛克沃尔的家，并立刻被引到图书馆。

“Well,” said Anthony, reaching for his chequebook, “it was a good bilin’ of soap. —
“好吧，”安东尼说着，伸手拿起支票簿，“这是一次不错的洗脸行动。 —

Let’s see–you had $5,000 in cash.”
让我看看——你有5,000美元的现金。”

“I paid out $3OO more of my own,” said Kelly. “I had to go a little above the estimate. —
“我付了另外300美元，”凯利说。“我必须稍微超出预算。 —

I got the express wagons and cabs mostly for $5; —
我主要花了5美元租用快车和出租车； —

but the trucks and two-horse teams mostly raised me to $10. —
但卡车和双马车租金大多涨到了10美元。 —

The motormen wanted $10, and some of the loaded teams $20. —
电车司机要求10美元，一些装载队伍要求20美元。 —

The cops struck me hardest–$50 I paid two, and the rest $20 and $25. —
警察是我最大的负担——我给了两个50美元，其余的20美元和25美元。但是， —

But didn’t it work beautiful, Mr. Rockwall? —
这一切都进行得很顺利，洛克沃尔先生。 —

I’m glad William A. Brady wasn’t onto that little outdoor vehicle mob scene. —
我很高兴威廉·A·布雷迪没有参与那场小型室外演出。 —

I wouldn’t want William to break his heart with jealousy. —
我不想让威廉因嫉妒而伤心。 —

And never a rehearsal, either! —
而且从未排练过！ —

The boys was on time to the fraction of a second. —
孩子们都准时到达，刚好履行了约定。 —

It was two hours before a snake could get below Greeley’s statue.”
直到两个小时过去，蛇才从格里利的雕像下面溜走。”

“Thirteen hundred–there you are, Kelly,” said Anthony, tearing off a check. —
“这是一千三百美元，凯利，”安东尼撕下一张支票。 —

“Your thousand, and the $300 you were out. —
“还有你欠的300美元。 —

You don’t despise money, do you, Kelly?”
你不会看不起钱，对吧，凯利？”

“Me?” said Kelly. “I can lick the man that invented poverty.”
“我？”凯利说。“我可以打败发明了贫穷的那个人。”

Anthony called Kelly when he was at the door.
安东尼在凯利走到门口时叫住了他。

“You didn’t notice,” said he, “anywhere in the tie-up, a kind of a fat boy without any clothes on shooting arrows around with a bow, did you?”
“你没有注意到，”他说，“在混战中，并没有一个赤身裸体用弓射箭的胖男孩，对吗？”

“Why, no,” said Kelly, mystified. “I didn’t. —
“嗯，没有。”凯利感到困惑地说道。 —

If he was like you say, maybe the cops pinched him before I got there.”
“如果他像你说的那样，也许警察在我到达之前抓走了他。”

“I thought the little rascal wouldn’t be on hand,” chuckled Anthony. “Good-by, Kelly.”
“我就知道那小家伙不会在那里的，”安东尼笑道。“再见，凯利。”