“AUNT ELLEN,” said Octavia, cheerfully, as she threw her black kid gloves carefully at the dignified Persian cat on the window-seat, “I’m a pauper.”
“艾伦姑姑，”奥塔维亚愉快地说道，将她的黑色绵羊皮手套小心地扔向窗座上庄严的波斯猫，“我是个穷人。”

“You are so extreme in your statements, Octavia, dear,” said Aunt Ellen, mildly, looking up from her paper.
“你说话总是太极端了，亲爱的奥塔维亚，”艾伦姑姑轻声说着，放下手中的报纸。

“If you find yourself temporarily in need of some small change for bonbons, you will find my purse in the drawer of the writing desk.”
“如果你暂时需要一些零钱买糖果，你可以在写字桌抽屉里找到我的钱包。”

Octavia Beaupree removed her hat and seated herself on a footstool near her aunt’s chair, clasping her hands about her knees. —
奥塔维亚·波普里脱下帽子，坐在她姑姑椅子旁的一个脚凳上，双手紧抱着膝盖。 —

Her slim and flexible figure, clad in a modish mourning costume, accommodated itself easily and gracefully to the trying position. —
她修长而柔软的体型，穿着时尚的丧服，轻松而优雅地适应了这个令人费劲的姿势。 —

Her bright and youthful face, with its pair of sparkling, life-enamoured eyes, tried to compose itself to the seriousness that the occasion seemed to demand.
她明亮而年轻的脸上，闪耀着一双富有生气的眼睛，试图使自己安静下来，以应对这个看起来需要严肃态度的场合。

“You good auntie, it isn’t a case of bonbons; —
“你真是个好姑姑，不是为了糖果的事； —

it is abject, staring, unpicturesque poverty, with ready-made clothes, gasolined gloves, and probably one o’clock dinners all waiting with the traditional wolf at the door. —
这是一种悲惨、令人注目、不美丽的贫穷，有现成的衣服、带汽油味的手套，可能还有晚上一点钟就吃饭的传统，所有这些都在等着那只经典的狼来敲门。 —

I’ve just come from my lawyer, auntie, and, ‘Please, ma’am, I ain’t got nothink ’t all. —
我刚从我的律师那里来，阿姨，“请，夫人，我一无所有。” —

Flowers, lady? Buttonhole, gentleman? Pencils, sir, three for five, to help a poor widow?’ Do I do it nicely, auntie, or, as a bread-winner accomplishment, were my lessons in elocution entirely wasted?”
花朵，夫人？鸟笼花，先生？铅笔，先生，三支五块钱，帮助一位可怜的寡妇？阿姨，我这样做得好吗，还是作为一个养家糊口的本领，我的口才课完全被浪费了？

“Do be serious, my dear,” said Aunt Ellen, letting her paper fall to the floor, “long enough to tell me what you mean. —
“亲爱的，说正经的，”埃伦姑妈说着，把报纸掉在地上，“足够长的时间告诉我你是什么意思。” —

Colonel Beaupree’s estate – “
贝普里上校的地产——

“Colonel Beaupree’s estate,” interrupted Octavia, emphasizing her words with appropriate dramatic ges- tures, “is of Spanish castellar architecture. —
“贝普里上校的地产，”奥塔维亚打断道，用适当的戏剧性手势强调她的话，“是西班牙城堡式建筑。 —

Colonel Beaupree’s resources are – wind. Colonel Beaupree’s stocks are – water. —
贝普里上校的资源是——风。贝普里上校的股票是——水。 —

Colonel Beaupree’s income is – all in. The statement lacks the legal technicalities to which I have been listening for an hour, but that is what it means when translated.”
博普里上校的收入是–全都是。这个陈述没有我听了一个小时的法律技术术语，但是当被翻译后，这就是它的意思。

“Octavia!” Aunt Ellen was now visibly possessed by consternation. “I can hardly believe it. —
“Octavia！” 艾伦姨妈显然被困惑所折磨。”我真难以相信。” —

And it was the impression that he was worth a million. —
而他给人的印象是价值一百万。 —

And the De Peysters themselves introduced him!”
他们德佩斯特家族亲自把他介绍给我们！”

Octavia rippled out a laugh, and then became properly grave.
Octavia发出一声轻笑，然后变得认真起来。

“De mortuis nil, auntie – not even the rest of it. —
“关于死人，亲爱的姨妈，没有什么好说的 — 尤其是其他的东西。 —

The dear old colonel – what a gold brick he was, after all! —
亲爱的老上校 — 不管怎样，他算是一个靠不住的人！ —

I paid for my bargain fairly – I’m all here, am I not? – items: —
我公平地为我的交易支付了代价 — 我在这里完整无缺，是吧？——列个清单： —

eyes, fingers, toes, youth, old family, unques- tionable position in society as called for in the contract no wild-cat stock here.” Octavia picked up the morning paper from the floor. —
眼睛，手指，脚趾，青春，古老的家族，无可质疑的社会地位，合约规定一切都没有冒险（不是野猫股票）。 Octavia从地板上拾起了早报。 —

“But I’m not going to ‘squeal’ – isn’t that what they call it when you rail at Fortune because you’ve, lost the game?” She turned the pages of the paper calmly. “‘Stock market’ – no use for that. —
“但我不会发牢骚——难道这就是你们称之为因为输掉了游戏而对命运大发牢骚吗？” 她平静地翻阅报纸上的页面。”股票市场”——对此没什么用。 —

‘Society’s doings’ – that’s done. Here is my page – the wish column. —
“社交活动”——已经结束了。这里是我要的页面——许愿专栏。 —

A Van Dresser could not be said to ‘want’ for anything, of course. —
当然，一位范德雷瑟无法说需要任何东西。 —

‘Chamber- maids, cooks, canvassers, stenographers-”
“女仆、厨师、推销员、速记员——”

“Dear,” said Aunt Ellen, with a little tremor in her voice, “please do not talk in that way. —
“亲爱的，”艾伦阿姨语气微颤地说道，“请不要这样说。” —

Even if your affairs are in so unfortunate a condition, there is my three thousand – “
即使你的事情处于如此不幸的状态，有我的三千——”

Octavia sprang up lithely, and deposited a smart kiss on the delicate cheek of the prim little elderly maid.
Octavia灵巧地跳起来，亲了一下那个精致的老女佣的脸颊。

“Blessed auntie, your three thousand is just sufficient to insure your Hyson to be free from willow leaves and keep the Persian in sterilized cream. —
“亲爱的阿姨，你的三千足够确保你的山碧春茶不会掺柳叶，而且还能提供灭菌的奶油给波斯猫。 —

I know I’d be welcome, but I prefer to strike bottom like Beelzebub rather than hang around like the Peri listening to the music from the side entrance. —
我知道我会受欢迎，但我宁愿像魔王贝尔谷布一样触底，也不愿像洒门口的精灵一样在一边听着音乐。 —

I’m going to earn my own living. There’s nothing else to do. I’m a – Oh, oh, oh! —
我打算自谋生计。没有其他办法了。我是一个——哦，哦，哦！ —

– I had forgotten. There’s one thing saved from the wreck. —
——我忘了。从残局中还有一件东西保留下来。 —

It’s a corral – no, a ranch in – let me see – Texas: —
这是一个牧场——不，是个养马场，在——让我想想——德克萨斯州： —

an asset, dear old Mr. Bannister called it. —
一个资产，亲爱的老班尼斯特先生称之为。 —

How pleased he was to show me something he could describe as unencumbered! —
他多高兴啊，能给我看个没有负债的东西。 —

I’ve a description of it among those stupid papers he made me bring away with me from his office. —
那是他让我从办公室带走的那些愚蠢文件之一的描述。 —

I’ll try to find it.”
我会尽力找到它的。

Octavia found her shopping-bag, and drew from it a long envelope filled with typewritten documents.
Octavia找到了她的购物袋，从里面拿出一个装满打字文件的长信封。

“A ranch in Texas,” sighed Aunt Ellen. “It sounds to me more like a liability than an asset. —
“德州的一个牧场，”Ellen阿姨叹了口气。“对我来说，听起来更像是个负债而不是资产。 —

Those are the places where the centipedes are found, and cowboys, and fandangos.”
那些是蜈蚣出没，牛仔和土风舞的地方。”

”‘The Rancho de las Sombras,’” read Octavia from a sheet of violently purple typewriting “‘is situated one hundred and ten miles southeast of San Antonio, and thirty-eight miles from its nearest railroad station, Nopal, on the I. and G. N. Ranch, consists of 7,680 acres of well- watered land, with title conferred by State patents, and twenty-two sections, or 14,080 acres, partly under yearly running lease and partly bought under State’s twenty- year-purchase act. —
Octavia从一张紫色打字纸上读道：“《梦影牧场》位于圣安东尼奥东南110英里，并距其最近的火车站诺帕尔（Nopal）38英里，拥有7,680英亩水源充足的土地，有州证颁发的所有权，以及二十二个区块或14, 080英亩的土地，部分按年度租赁，部分按州的二十年购买法买入。 —

Eight thousand graded merino sheep, with the necessary equipment of horses, vehicles and general ranch paraphernalia. —
有八千头等级化的美利奴羊，配备有必要的马匹、车辆和一般牧场装备。 —

Ranch-house built of brick, with six rooms comfortably furnished according to the requirements of the climate. —
这是一栋用砖砌成的牧场别墅，根据当地气候的要求舒适地布置了六个房间。 —

All within a strong barbed-wire fence.
牧场周围被强固的铁丝网围栏包围。

”‘The present ranch manager seems to be competent and reliable, and is rapidly placing upon a paying basis a business that, in other hands, had been allowed to suffer from neglect and misconduct.
“目前的牧场经理似乎很能干可靠，并且正在迅速将这个生意恢复到盈利状态。如果交由别人，这个生意会因为疏忽和不当行为而受损。”

”‘This property was secured by Colonel Beaupree in a deal with a Western irrigation syndicate, and the title to it seems to be perfect. —
“该物业是由Beaupree上校通过与西部灌溉联合会的交易获得的，所有权似乎完全合法。” —

With careful management and the natural increase of land values, it ought to be made the foundation for a comfortable fortune for its owner.’”
“通过精心管理和土地价值的自然增长，它将成为业主舒适财富的基础。”

When Octavia ceased reading, Aunt Ellen uttered something as near a sniff as her breeding permitted.
当Octavia停止阅读时，Ellen阿姨发出了一个在她的教养允许范围内最接近的哼声。

“The prospectus,” she said, with uncompromising metropolitan suspicion, “doesn’t mention the centipedes, or the Indians. —
“这份计划书没有提到蜈蚣或印第安人。”Ellen阿姨带着不妥协的大都市怀疑说，“Octavia，你从这里能得到什么好处呢？这里是沙漠。” —

And you never did like mutton, Octavia. I don’t see what advantage you can derive from this – desert.”
你从这里得不到任何好处，Octavia。而且你一直不喜欢羊肉。我不明白你为什么要选择这片荒漠。

But Octavia was in a trance. Her eyes were steadily regarding something quite beyond their focus. —
但是Octavia陷入了恍惚状态。她的眼睛稳定地看着某些超越焦点的事物。 —

Her lips were parted, and her face was lighted by the kindling furor of the explorer, the ardent, stirring disquiet of the adventurer. —
她的嘴唇微微张开，她的脸上洋溢着探险家的激情和冒险家的激动不安。 —

Suddenly she clasped her hands together exultantly.
突然，她兴高采烈地双手紧紧地抱在一起。

“The problem solves itself, auntie,” she cried. —
“问题解决了，姑姑，”她喊道。 —

“I’m going to that ranch. I’m going to live on it. —
“我要去那个牧场。我要在那里生活。 —

I’m going to learn to like mutton, and even concede the good qualities of centipedes – at a respectful distance. —
我要学会喜欢羊肉，甚至承认蜈蚣的好品质——保持距离的尊敬距离。 —

It’s just what I need. It’s a new life that comes when my old one is just ending. —
这正是我所需要的。这是新生活的开始，而我的旧生活正在结束。 —

It’s a release, auntie; it isn’t a narrow- ing. —
姑姑，这是一种解脱，不是一种狭隘。 —

Think of the gallops over those leagues of prairies, with the wind tugging at the roots of your hair, the com- ing close to the earth and learning over again the stories of the growing grass and the little wild flowers without names! —
想象一下在那些广阔的草原上狂奔，风在你的头发根部拽动，接近大地，重新学习生长的草和没有名字的小野花的故事！ —

Glorious is what it will be. Shall I be a shepherdess with a Watteau hat, and a crook to keep the bad wolves from the lambs, or a typical Western ranch girl, with short hair, like the pictures of her in the Sunday papers? —
光辉将会降临。我要成为一个戴着瓦托帽的牧羊女，手里拿着拐杖，保护小羊免受恶狼的侵害，或者像周日报纸上那些照片中的典型西部牧场女孩，留着短发。 —

I think the latter. And they’ll have my picture, too, with the wild-cats I’ve slain, single-handed, hanging from my saddle horn. —
我想选择后者。他们会印上我的照片，我独自一人斩杀野猫，挂在我的马鞍上。 —

‘From the Four Hundred to the Flocks’ is the way they’ll headline it, and they’ll print photographs of the old Van Dresser mansion and the church where I was married. —
“从贵族到田野”这将是他们的头条新闻，他们会刊登旧范德瑟庄园的照片和我结婚的教堂。 —

They won’t have my picture, but they’ll get an artist to draw it. —
他们可能没有我的照片，但他们会请一个艺术家来画。 —

I’ll be wild and woolly, and I’ll grow my own wool.”
我会变得狂野而粗犷，我将自己种植羊毛。

“Octavia!” Aunt Ellen condensed into the one word all the protests she was unable to utter.
“Octavia！”艾伦姨妈用这一个词来表达她无法说出的所有抗议。

“Don’t say a word, auntie. I’m going. I’ll see the sky at night fit down on the world like a big butter-dish cover, and I’ll make friends again with the stars that I haven’t had a chat with since I was a wee child. —
“别说话，阿姨。我要去。我要看到夜空像一个大黄油盖子一样覆盖在世界上，我要重新与自从我还是个小孩子时就没有聊过天的星星们成为朋友。” —

I wish to go. I’m tired of all this. I’m glad I haven’t any money. —
我希望离开。我厌倦了这一切。我很高兴我没有任何钱。 —

I could bless Colonel Beaupree for that ranch, and forgive him for all his bubbles. —
对于那座牧场，我可以祝福比奥普里上校，并原谅他的一切泡沫。 —

What if the life will be rough and lonely! I – I deserve it. —
就算生活艰难孤独！我——我配得上。 —

I shut my heart to everything except that miserable ambition. —
我心灵封闭，除了那无望的抱负之外什么都不理会。 —

I – oh, I wish to go away, and forget – forget!”
我——哦，我想离开，忘记——忘记！

Octavia swerved suddenly to her knees, laid her flushed face in her aunt’s lap, and shook with turbulent sobs.
奥克塔薇亚突然跪下，将潮红的脸埋在姑姑的膝盖上，颤抖着痛苦地哭泣。

Aunt Ellen bent over her, and smoothed the coppery- brown hair.
艾伦姑姑弯下腰，轻抚着红黄色头发。

“I didn’t know,” she said, gently; “I didn’t know – that. Who was it, dear?
“我不知道，”她柔声说道，“我不知道——是谁？亲爱的。”

When Mrs. Octavia Beaupree, née Van Dresser, stepped from the train at Nopal, her manner lost, for the moment, some of that easy certitude which had always marked her movements. —
当范德瑟夫人奥克塔薇亚贝奥普里从火车上下来时，她的态度瞬间失去了一直以来标记她行动的自信。 —

The town was of recent estab- lishment, and seemed to have been hastily constructed of undressed lumber and flapping canvas. —
这个镇子是最近建立起来的，似乎是匆忙用未经加工的木材和晃动的帆布建造起来的。 —

The element that had congregated about the station, though not offensively demonstrative, was clearly composed of citizens accustomed to and prepared for rude alarms.
虽然这些聚集在车站周围的人不会粗鲁地表现出来，但显然他们习惯了和准备好了粗暴的警报。

Octavia stood on the platform, against the telegraph office, and attempted to choose by intuition from the swaggering, straggling string, of loungers, the manager of the Rancho de las Sombras, who had been instructed by Mr. Bannister to meet her there. —
绿林牧场经理，奥克塔维亚尽力通过直觉从挤在一起的懒散人群中挑出来。梅花电报局是她们的对面，梅尔文接到先生班尼斯特的指示要在那里接她。 —

That tall, serious, looking, elderly man in the blue flannel shirt and white tie she thought must be he. —
她觉得那个高个子，看起来认真的老人，穿着蓝色法兰绒衬衫和白色领带的，一定就是他。 —

But, no; he passed by, removing his gaze from the lady as hers rested on him, according to the Southern custom. —
但是，不对，他走过了，不像南方的风俗那样，当她注视着他时，他把目光从女士身上移开。 —

The manager, she thought, with some impatience at being kept waiting, should have no difficulty in selecting her. —
她心急地想，经理应该毫不费力地认出她才对。 —

Young women wearing the most recent thing in ash-coloured travelling suits were not so plentiful in Nopal!
在Nopal地区，穿着最新款的灰色旅行服的年轻女性并不多！

Thus keeping a speculative watch on all persons of possible managerial aspect, Octavia, with a catching breath and a start of surprise, suddenly became aware of Teddy Westlake hurrying along the platform in the direction of the train – of Teddy Westlake or his sun- browned ghost in cheviot, boots and leather-girdled hat – Theodore Westlake, Jr., amateur polo (almost) champion, all-round butterfly and cumberer of the soil; —
因此，奥克塔维亚眼观六路，耳听八方，突然察觉到泰迪·韦斯特莱克急忙沿着站台往火车方向走来——或者说是他那被阳光晒得棕色的鬓发、靴子和皮带固定的帽子所化身的鬼魂——泰奥多尔·韦斯特莱克，业余马球（差不多）冠军，出色的花枝蝶摆客和困扰园艺的家伙。 —

but a broader, surer, more emphasized and determined Teddy than the one she had known a year ago when last she saw him.
但是他比她一年前上次见到他时更加宽敞、更加确定、更加突出、更加明确，更加决心。

He perceived Octavia at almost the same time, deflected his course, and steered for her in his old, straightforward way. —
他几乎同时看到奥克塔维亚，改变了方向，径直走向她。 —

Something like awe came upon her as the strange- ness of his metamorphosis was brought into closer range; —
她感到一种敬畏之情，他的蜕变带来的陌生感更加清晰。 —

the rich, red-brown of his complexion brought out so vividly his straw-coloured mustache and steel-gray eyes. —
他红褐色的健康肤色更加生动地显示出他的浅黄色胡子和铁灰色的眼睛。 —

He seemed more grown-up, and, somehow, farther away. —
他似乎长大了，而且，不知怎么地，更加疏远。 —

But, when he spoke, the old, boyish Teddy came back again. —
但是，当他说话时，老旧的、孩子气的泰迪又回来了。 —

They had been friends from childhood.
他们从小就是朋友。

“Why, ‘Tave!” he exclaimed, unable to reduce his perplexity to coherence. —
“哎呀，泰迪！”他惊呼道，无法将困惑的心情归纳成连贯的话语。 —

” How – what – when – where?”
“怎么了 – 什么 – 什么时候 – 在哪里？”

“Train,” said Octavia; “necessity; ten minutes ago; home. —
“火车，”Octavia说，“情况紧急，十分钟前，回家。” —

Your complexion’s gone, Teddy. Now, how – what – when – where?”
“你的面色苍白，泰迪。现在，怎么了 – 什么 – 什么时候 – 在哪里？”

“I’m working down here,” said Teddy. He cast side glances about the station as one does who tries to combine politeness with duty.
“我在这里工作，”泰迪说。他扫视车站周围，像那些试图将礼貌与职责结合起来的人一样。

“You didn’t notice on the train,” he asked, “an old lady with gray curls and a poodle, who occupied two seats with her bundles and quarrelled with the conductor, did you?”
“你没注意到在火车上有一个留着灰色卷发、带着一只贵宾犬的老太太，她用她的包裹占据了两个座位，还与售票员争吵了，是吗？”

“I think not,” answered Octavia, reflecting. —
“我想没有，”Octavia回答着，反思着。 —

“And you haven’t, by any chance, noticed a big, gray-mustached man in a blue shirt and six-shooters, with little flakes of merino wool sticking in his hair, have you?”
“那你偶尔没注意到一个有着浓密灰色胡须、穿着蓝色衬衫、脑袋上沾满羊毛的小碎屑的高个子男人，带着两把手枪，你注意到了吗？”

“Lots of ‘em,” said Teddy, with symptoms of mental delirium under the strain. —
“有很多，”泰迪说着，似乎在心理压力下出现了精神错乱的症状。 —

Do you happen to know any such individual?”
“你随便认识这样的人吗？”

“No; the description is imaginary. Is your interest in the old lady whom you describe a personal one?”
“不；这个描述是虚构的。你对你所描述的老太太感兴趣是出于个人原因吗？”

“Never saw her in my life. She’s painted entirely from fancy. —
“我一辈子都没见过她。她完全是想象出来的。” —

She owns the little piece of property where I earn my bread and butter - the Rancho de las Sombras. —
“她拥有我谋生的那块小地产——Rancho de las Sombras。” —

I drove up to meet her according to arrangement with her lawyer.”
“我按照与她的律师的安排前去见她。”

Octavia leaned against the wall of the telegraph office. Was this possible? And didn’t he know?
Octavia靠在电报办公室的墙上。这可能吗？他岂不知道吗？

“Are you the manager of that ranch?” she asked weakly.
“你是那个农场的经理吗？”她虚弱地问道。

“I am,” said Teddy, with pride.
“是的，”泰迪自豪地说道。

“I am Mrs. Beaupree,” said Octavia faintly; —
“我是贝奥普里太太，”Octavia虚弱地说道； —

“but my hair never would curl, and I was polite to the conductor.”
“但我的头发从来就不卷，而且我对售票员很有礼貌。”

For a moment that strange, grown-up look came back, and removed Teddy miles away from her.
那种奇怪的、成熟的表情又一次出现，将泰迪从她身边遥远的地方带走了。

“I hope you’ll excuse me,” he said, rather awkwardly. —
“我希望你能原谅我，”他有些局促地说道。 —

“You see, I’ve been down here in the chaparral a year. I hadn’t heard. —
“你知道，我在这片灌木丛里呆了一年。我还没有听说过。” —

Give me your checks, please, and I’ll have your traps loaded into the wagon. —
请把你们的行李交给我，我会把它们装上马车。 —

José will follow with them. We travel ahead in the buckboard.”
何塞会后来把它们跟上来。我们会乘着铰链板前行。”

Seated by Teddy in a feather-weight buckboard, behind a pair of wild, cream-coloured Spanish ponies, Octavia abandoned all thought for the exhilaration of the present. —
坐在一辆轻盈的一对野生奶油色西班牙小马驾驶的轻型马车中，Octavia完全沉浸在当下的兴奋中。 —

They swept out of the little town and down the level road toward the south. —
他们飞驰出小镇，沿着向南的平坦道路前行。 —

Soon the road dwindled and dis- appeared, and they struck across a world carpeted with an endless reach of curly mesquite grass. —
不久，道路逐渐变窄消失了，他们穿越了一片铺满无尽弯曲的肾叶豆草的世界。 —

The wheels made no sound. The tireless ponies bounded ahead at an unbroken gallop. —
车轮没有发出声音。不知疲倦的小马一直在飞奔。 —

The temperate wind, made fragrant by thousands of acres of blue and yellow wild flowers, roared gloriously in their ears. —
温和的风经过成千上万英亩的蓝色和黄色的野花，发出芳香，如雷般地在他们的耳边呼啸。 —

The motion was a?rial, ecstatic, with a thrilling sense of perpetuity in its effect. —
运动感觉如空中飞行，狂喜，带着持久感。 —

Octavia sat silent, possessed by a feeling of elemental, sensual bliss. —
Octavia静静地坐着，沉浸在一种基本的、感性的幸福感中。 —

Teddy seemed to be wrestling with some internal problem.
Teddy似乎在与某个内心问题搏斗。

“I’m going to call you madama,” he announced as the result of his labours. —
“我要叫你madama，”他在思考后宣布。 —

“That is what the Mexicans will call you – they’re nearly all Mexicans on the ranch, you know. —
“这是墨西哥人将会叫你的—你知道，农场上几乎都是墨西哥人。 —

That seems to me about the proper thing.”
“我觉得那是恰当的事情。”

“Very well, Mr. Westlake,” said Octavia, primly.
“很好，威斯特莱克先生，”奥克塔维娅拘谨地说道。

“Oh, now,” said Teddy, in some consternation, “that’s carrying the thing too far, isn’t it?”
“哦，现在，”泰迪有些恐慌地说道，”这样做有点过分了，对吧？”

“Don’t worry me with your beastly etiquette. I’m just beginning to live. —
“别用你可恶的礼节来烦我。我只是开始享受生活。 —

Don’t remind me of anything artificial. If only this air could be bottled! —
“别提任何人为的东西了。要是这种空气能装瓶就好了！ —

This much alone is worth coming for. Oh, look I there goes a deer!”
“仅仅这一点就值得来了。哦，看，有只鹿飞奔而过！”

“Jack-rabbit,” said Teddy, without turning his head.
“野兔，”泰迪不回头地说道。

“Could I – might I drive?” suggested Octavia, pant- ing, with rose-tinted cheeks and the eye of an eager child.
“我可以吗 - 我可以开车吗？”奥克塔维亚喘着气，带着玫瑰色的脸颊和一个急切孩子的眼神建议道。

“On one condition. Could I – might I smoke? “
“有一个条件。我可以吗 - 我可以抽烟吗？”

“Forever!” cried Octavia, taking the lines with solemn joy. “How shall I know which way to drive?”
“永远！”奥克塔维亚庄严地喊道，愉悦地接过缰绳。“我要怎么知道该往哪个方向开？”

“Keep her sou’ by sou’east, and all sail set. —
“朝着正南偏东方向航行，全帆展开。 —

You see that black speck on the horizon under that lowermost Gulf cloud? —
你看见地平线上那个黑点了吗，就在最下方的墨西哥湾云下方？ —

That’s a group of live-oaks and a land- mark. —
那是一片活栎树林和一个地标。 —

Steer halfway between that and the little hill to the left. —
在那个地标和左边的小山之间一半的位置驾驶。 —

I’ll recite you the whole code of driving rules for the Texas prairies: —
我将为您背诵德克萨斯州大草原的整个驾驶规则代码： —

keep the reins from under the horses’ feet, and swear at ‘em frequent.”
保持缰绳不要在马脚下，经常咒骂它们。”

“I’m too happy to swear, Ted. Oh, why do people buy yachts or travel in palace-cars, when a buckboard and a pair of plugs and a spring morning like this can satisfy all desire?”
“我太幸福了，无法咒骂，泰德。噢，为什么人们要买游艇或者坐宫车旅行呢，当一辆马车，一对马匹和这样一个春天的早晨可以满足所有欲望呢？”

“Now, I’ll ask you,” protested Teddy, who was futilely striking match after match on the dashboard, “not to call those denizens of the air plugs. —
“现在，我问你，”泰迪抗议道，他在仪表盘上徒劳地一次又一次地划火柴，“不要称呼那些空中的居民为马匹。 —

They can kick out a hundred miles between daylight and dark.” At last he succeeded in snatching a light for his cigar from the flame held in the hollow of his hands.
它们可以在天亮至黄昏之间奔驰100英里。”最后，他成功地从手中的火焰中点燃了一根雪茄。

“Room!” said Octavia, intensely. “That’s what produces the effect. —
“空间！”奥克塔维亚激动地说。“那才产生了这种效果。” —

I know now what I’ve wanted – scope – range – room! “
我现在知道我想要的是什么 - 范围 - 空间！

“Smoking-room,” said Teddy, unsentimentally. “I love to smoke in a buckboard. —
“吸烟室，”泰迪直接地说。 “我喜欢在一辆马车上抽烟。 —

The wind blows the smoke into you and out again. —
风吹进你身体里，然后又吹出去。 —

It saves exertion.”
这样可以省力气。”

The two fell so naturally into their old-time goodfellow- ship that it was only by degrees that a sense of the strange- ness of the new relations between them came to be felt.
两人自然而然地重拾过去的友好关系，直到新关系的陌生感逐渐产生。

“Madama,” said Teddy, wonderingly, “however did you get it into your bead to cut the crowd and come down here? —
“Madama，”泰迪惊讶地说，“你怎么想到走开，来到这里？ —

Is it a fad now among the upper classes to trot off to sheep ranches instead of to Newport?”
现在上流社会的时尚是跑去绵羊牧场，而不是去纽波特吗？”

“I was broke, Teddy,” said Octavia, sweetly, with her interest centred upon steering safely between a Spanish dagger plant and a clump of chaparral; —
“泰迪，我一文不名，”Octavia甜蜜地说，她的注意力集中于在一株西班牙匕首植物和一丛灌木之间安全地驾驶。 —

“I haven’t a thing in the world but this ranch – not even any other home to go to.”
“我除了这座牧场什么都没有 - 甚至没有其他可以去的家。”

“Come, now,” said Teddy, anxiously but ineredu- lously, “you don’t mean it?”
“来吧，现在说真的，”泰迪焦虑却不可信地说，“你不是认真的吧？”

“When my husband,” said Octavia, with a shy slurring of the word, “died three months ago I thought I had a reasonable amount of the world’s goods. —
“当我丈夫去世了，”奥克塔维亚害羞地说道，“三个月前我以为我在这个世界上有相当多的财产。 —

His lawyer exploded that theory in a sixty-minute fully illustrated lecture. —
他的律师在一场持续六十分钟的图文并茂的演讲中完全推翻了这个理论。 —

I took to the sheep as a last resort. Do you happen to know of any fashionable caprice among the gilded youth of Manhattan that induces them to abandon polo and club windows to become managers of sheep ranches?”
我以养羊作为最后的手段。你是否知道曼哈顿的富有年轻人中有什么时髦的奇想，使他们放弃马球和俱乐部窗户，去当养羊场的经理？”

“It’s easily explained in my case,” responded Teddy, promptly. “I had to go to work. —
“在我这种情况下很容易解释，”泰迪迅速回答道。“我不得不去工作。 —

I couldn’t have earned my board in New York, so I chummed a while with old Sandford, one of the syndicate that owned the ranch before Colonel Beaupree bought it, and got a place down here. —
在纽约我也找不到工作，所以我和老桑福德呆了一段时间，他是贝奥普里上校买下农场之前的联合企业的一员，然后我找到了这个工作。 —

I wasn’t manager at first. I jogged around on ponies and studied the business in detail, until I got all the points in my head. —
起初我不是经理。我骑小马四处跑，详细研究这项业务，直到把所有的要点都弄懂了。 —

I saw where it was losing and what the reme- dies were, and then Sandford put me in charge. —
我看到了哪里出了问题，以及解决方法是什么，然后桑福德让我负责了。 —

I get a hundred dollars a month, and I earn it.”
我每个月拿一百美元，我是挣得的。”

“Poor Teddy!” said Octavia, with a smile.
“可怜的泰迪！”奥塔维亚笑着说。

“You needn’t. I like it. I save half my wages, and I’m as hard as a water plug. It beats polo.”
“你不需要。我喜欢这个。我把一半工资存起来，我和水龙头一样坚硬。这比马球厉害。”

“Will it furnish bread and tea and jam for another out- cast from civilization?”
“它会提供面包、茶和果酱给另一个被文明遗弃的人吗？”

“The spring shearing,” said the manager, “just cleaned up a deficit in last year’s business. —
“春季修剪，”经理说，“刚好弥补了去年的亏损。” —

Wastefulness and inattention have been the rule heretofore. —
浪费和不注意过去一直都是规则。 —

The autumn clip will leave a small profit over all expenses. —
秋季修剪将在所有费用支出后留下一小笔利润。 —

Next year there will be jam.”
明年将有果酱。

When, about four o’clock in the afternoon, the ponies rounded a gentle, brush-covered hill, and then swooped, like a double cream-coloured cyclone, upon the Rancho de las Sombras, Octavia gave a little cry of delight. —
当下午约四点钟，迎面而来的小马绕过一个小丘，然后像一阵双色奶油色龙卷风一样，冲向了“拉斯索姆布拉斯牧场”，奥塔维亚发出一声惊喜的叫喊声。 —

A lordly grove of magnificent live-oaks cast an area of grateful, cool shade, whence the ranch had drawn its name, “de las Sombras” – of the shadows. —
一片傲然的壮丽橡树林在一片令人感到凉爽的阴影区域中形成，从那里牧场得到了其名字“de las Sombras”——阴影之地。 —

The house, of red brick, one story, ran low and long beneath the trees. —
这座由红砖建成的一层楼的房子在树下低矮而长。 —

Through its middle, dividing its six rooms in half, extended a broad, arched passageway, picturesque with flowering cactus and hanging red earthern jars. —
一条宽敞的拱形通道从中间穿过，将其六个房间一分为二，通道上挂满了盛开的仙人掌和悬挂的红陶罐。 —

A “gallery,” low and broad, encircled the building. —
一座低矮而宽敞的画廊围绕着建筑物。 —

Vines climbed about it, and the adjacent ground was, for a space, covered with transplanted grass and shrubs. —
藤蔓缠绕其间，相邻的地面上种满了移植的草坪和灌木。 —

A little lake, long and narrow, glimmered in the sun at the rear. —
一片狭长的小湖在后方阳光的照耀下闪烁。 —

Further away stood the shacks of the Mexican workers, the corrals, wool sheds and shearing pens. —
更远处是墨西哥工人的小屋、牲畜栏、羊毛棚和剪毛栏。 —

To the right lay the low hills, splattered with dark patches of chaparral; —
右边是低矮的山丘，上面布满了茂密的坚果灌丛。 —

to the left the unbounded green prairie blending against the blue heavens.
左边是无边无际的绿色草原与蓝天融为一体。

“It’s a home, Teddy,” said Octavia, breathlessly; that’s what it is – it’s a home.”
“这是一个家，泰迪，”奥克塔维亚喘着气说道，“就是一个家。”

“Not so bad for a sheep ranch,” admitted Teddy, with excusable pride. —
“对于一个养羊场来说还不错，“泰迪带着合情合理的自豪承认道。 —

“I’ve been tinkering on it at odd times.”
“我在零碎时间里对它进行修葺。”

A Mexican youth sprang from somewhere in the grass, and took charge of the creams. —
一个墨西哥青年从草丛中蹿了出来，接管了驾车的工作。 —

The mistress and the manager entered the house.
女主人和经理走进了屋子里。

“Here’s Mrs. MacIntyre,” said Teddy, as a placid, neat, elderly lady came out upon the gallery to meet them. —
“这是麦金泰尔夫人，”泰迪说道，一位宁静、整洁、年长的女士走出门廊来迎接他们。 —

“Mrs. Mac, here’s the boss. Very likely she will be wanting a hunk of ham and a dish of beans after her drive.”
“麦金太太，这位是老板。她可能在驾车后会想要一块火腿和一碗豆子。”

Mrs. MacIntyre, the housekeeper, as much a fixture on the place as the lake or the live-oaks, received the imputation of the ranch’s resources of refreshment with mild indignation, and was about to give it utterance when Octavia spoke.
麦金泰尔太太，这位管家，像湖泊或常青树一样是这座庄园上难以取代的一部分，她对庄园的休憩资源的指控感到强烈愤怒，并且正要表达出来，这时奥克塔维亚开口了。

“Oh, Mrs. MacIntyre, don’t apologize for Teddy. Yes, I call him Teddy. So does every one whom he hasn’t duped into taking him seriously. —
“哦，麦金泰尔太太，不要替泰迪道歉。是的，我叫他泰迪。每个没有被他忽悠得认真对待的人都这么叫他。 —

You see, we used to cut paper dolls and play jackstraws together ages ago. —
你知道，我们以前一起剪纸人和玩乱七八糟的东西。” —

No one minds what he says.”
别人都不在意他说什么。”

“No,” said Teddy, “no one minds what he says, just so he doesn’t do it again.”
“是的，”泰迪说，“没人在意他说什么，只要他别再这么做了。”

Octavia cast one of those subtle, sidelong glances toward him from beneath her lowered eyelids – a glance that Teddy used to describe as an upper-cut. —
奥克塔维亚从低垂的眼皮下斜眼瞥了一下他，这种瞥视泰迪曾形容为上勾拳。 —

But there was nothing in his ingenuous, weather-tanned face to warrant a suspicion that he was making an allusion – nothing. —
但是他那张直爽的、晒得黝黑的脸上没有任何可疑之处，说明他在暗示什么 - 没有。 —

Beyond a doubt, thought Octavia, he had forgotten.
毫无疑问，奥克塔维亚想到，他已经忘记了。

“Mr. Westlake likes his fun,” said Mrs. Maclntyre, as she conducted Octavia to her rooms. —
“威斯特莱克先生喜欢开玩笑，”麦金太太边带领奥克塔维亚去她的房间边说。 —

“But,” she added, loyally, “people around here usually pay attention to what he says when he talks in earnest. —
“但是，”她忠诚地补充道，”这里的人通常会注意他说话时的认真态度。 —

I don’t know what would have become of this place without him.”
我不知道如果没有他，这个地方会变成什么样子。

Two rooms at the east end of the house had been arranged for the occupancy of the ranch’s mistress. —
房子东端的两间房间已经准备好了，供牧场的女主人居住。 —

When she entered them a slight dismay seized her at their bare appearance and the scantiness of their furniture; —
当她走进这些房间时，她对它们的空旷外观和家具的稀缺感到稍微失望； —

but she quickly reflected that the climate was a semi-tropical one, and was moved to appreciation of the well-conceived efforts to conform to it. —
但她很快想到，这里的气候是半热带的，并且对这些努力遵循气候的巧妙安排表示赞赏。 —

The sashes had already been removed from the big windows, and white curtains waved in the Gulf breeze that streamed through the wide jalousies. —
大窗户的窗扇已经移除，白色的窗帘在从宽阔的风琴窗流过来的墨西哥湾海风中飘动着。 —

The bare floor was amply strewn with cool rugs; the chairs were inviting, deep, dreamy willows; —
光秃秃的地板上铺满了凉爽的地毯；椅子深邃而诱人，像梦幻中的柳树； —

the walls were papered with a light, cheerful olive. —
墙壁上贴满了一种轻快、愉悦的橄榄色壁纸。 —

One whole side of her sitting room was covered with books on smooth, unpainted pine shelves. —
客厅的一整面墙上摆满了光滑未涂漆的松木书架，上面摆满了书籍。 —

She flew to these at once. Before her was a well-selected library. —
她立刻飞快地走向书架。她面前是一个精选的图书馆。 —

She caught glimpses of titles of volumes of fiction and travel not yet seasoned from the dampness of the press.
她隐约看到了一些小说和旅行书籍的题名，这些书籍还未完全干透。

Presently, recollecting that she was now in a wilderness given over to mutton, centipedes and privations, the incongruity of these luxuries struck her, and, with intuitive feminine suspicion, she began turning to the fly-leaves of volume after volume. —
不久之后，意识到自己现在身处一片放养着羊肉、蜈蚣和苦难的荒原上，这些奢侈品的不协调感冲击着她，她下意识地开始翻开一本又一本的封面页。 —

Upon each one was inscribed in fluent characters the name of Theodore Westlake, Jr.
每一本书上都用流畅的字体书写着西奥多·韦斯特莱克小说。

Octavia, fatigued by her long journey, retired early that night. —
由于长途旅行的劳累，奥克塔薇娅早早地就睡着了。 —

Lying upon her white, cool bed, she rested deliciously, but sleep coquetted long with her. —
躺在她凉爽的白色床上，她感到非常舒服，但入睡却很久才和她打起了嬉戏。 —

She listened to faint noises whose strangeness kept her faculties on the alert – the fractious yelping of the coyotes, the ceaseless, low symphony of the wind, the distant booming of the frogs about the lake, the lamentation of a concertina in the Mexicans’ quarters. —
她聆听着微弱的声响，这些奇怪的声音使得她的神智一直处于警觉状态——郊狼娇吠的急躁声、无休止的低音风管交响乐、湖边青蛙的远处轰鸣声、墨西哥人住处里手风琴的哀叹声。 —

There were many conflicting feelings in her heart – thankfulness and rebellion, peace and disquietude, loneliness and a sense of protecting care, happiness and an old, haunting pain.
她心中充满了矛盾的感情——感激和叛逆，平和与不安，孤独和一种保护性的关怀，幸福和一种旧的、萦绕心间的痛苦。

She did what any other woman would have done – sought relief in a wholesome tide of unreasonable tears, and her last words, murmured to herself before slumber, capitulating, came softly to woo her, were “He has forgotten.”
她像其他女人一样，寻求了一场健康的、毫无道理的泪水潮流来获得安慰，在她入睡之前，低声对自己说的最后一句话是“他已经忘记了”。

The manager of the Rancho de las Sombras was no dilettante. He was a “hustler.” He was generally up, mounted, and away of mornings before the rest of the household were awake, making the rounds of the flocks and camps. —
拉尼奥德拉斯索姆布拉斯牧场的经理可不是个业余爱好者。他是一个“刻苦耐劳的人”。通常在一大早，其他人家开始醒来之前，他已经起床了，骑上马，巡视羊群和临时营地。 —

This was the duty of the majordomo, a stately old Mexican with a princely air and manner, but Teddy seemed to have a great deal of confidence in his own eyesight. —
这是总管的职责，他是一位气度非凡的墨西哥老人，他的举止和态度都像一位王子，但是泰迪对自己的视力似乎非常有信心。 —

Except in the busy seasons, he nearly always returned to the ranch to breakfast at eight o’clock, with Octavia and Mrs. Maclntyre, at the little table set in the central hallway, bringing with him a tonic and breezy cheerfulness full of the health and flavour of the prairies.
除了繁忙的季节外，他几乎总是在早上八点回到庄园，与奥克塔维亚和麦金太太一起在中央走廊上的小桌子上吃早餐，带来一种充满健康与草原风味的充满活力和愉快。

A few days after Octavia’s arrival he made her get out one of her riding skirts, and curtail it to a shortness demanded by the chaparral brakes.
奥克塔维亚到达几天后，他让她拿出一条骑行裙，并根据灌木丛的要求把它剪短。

With some misgivings she donned this and the pair of buckskin leggings he prescribed in addition, and, mounted upon a dancing pony, rode with him to view her posses- sions. —
她戴上这件裙子，并穿上他额外推荐的一双鹿皮裤腿，骑在一匹躥跳的小马上，跟着他一起去看她的财产。 —

He showed her everything – the flocks of ewes, muttons and grazing lambs, the dipping vats, the shearing pens, the uncouth merino rams in their little pasture, the water-tanks I prepared against the summer drought – giving account of his stewardship with a boyish enthus- siasm that never flagged.
他向她展示了一切——羊群，羊肉，吃草的小羔羊，浸泡池，剪毛笼，那些在小牧场里神秘的美利奴绵羊公羊，以及我为夏季干旱准备的水箱，他用少年的热情向她描述着他的管理工作，这种热情从未减退。

Where was the old Teddy that she knew so well? —
那个她熟悉的老泰迪在哪里？ —

This side of him was the same, and it was a side that pleased her; —
他的这一面和以前一样，这一面让她满意； —

but this was all she ever saw of him now. —
但这已经是她现在唯一看到的他了。 —

Where was his sentimentality – those old, varying moods of impetuous love-making, of fanciful, quixotic devotion, of heart-breaking gloom, of alternating, absurd tenderness and haughty dignity? —
他的感性呢？那些旧的，多变的情感，冲动的爱，异想天开的奉献，令人心碎的忧郁，交替出现的荒谬柔情和傲慢尊严？ —

His nature had been a sensitive one, his temperament bordering closely on the artistic. —
他的性格一直敏感，他的气质接近艺术家。 —

She knew that, besides being a follower of fashion and its fads and sports, he had cultivated tastes of a finer nature. —
她知道，除了追求时尚和它的流行和运动，他还培养了更高尚的品味。 —

He had written things, he had tampered with colours, he was something of a student in certain branches of art, and once she had been admitted to all his aspirations and thoughts. —
他写过东西，他擅于调色，他在艺术的某些领域还是一个学生，曾经她曾是他所有的期望和思想的一部分。 —

But now – and she could not avoid the con- clusion – Teddy had barricaded against her every side of himself except one – the side that showed the manager of the Rancho de las Sombras and a jolly chum who had forgiven and forgotten. —
但现在 - 她无法避免得出结论 - 泰迪已经用他的每一面都对她进行了封锁，除了一个 – 显示着Rancho de las Sombras经理和一个原谅和遗忘的快活的朋友的那一面。 —

Queerly enough the words of Mr. Bannister’s description of her property came into her mind – “all inclosed within a strong barbed-wire fence.”
有趣的是，珍妮弗先生对她的财产的描述的话想起来了 - “全部都被一道坚固的铁丝网围起来了”。

“Teddy’s fenced, too,” said Octavia to herself.
“泰迪也有保护栏，”奥克塔维亚对自己说。

It was not difficult for her to reason out the cause of his fortifications. —
她很容易推理出他设防的原因。 —

It had originated one night at the Hammersmiths’ ball. —
这是源于一天晚上在汉默史密斯举办的舞会上。 —

It occurred at a time soon after she had decided to accept Colonel Beaupree and his million, which was no more than her looks and the entrée she held to the inner circles were worth. —
这发生在她决定接受伯普里上校和他的百万财产的不久之后，这百万财产不过是她的外貌和她在内部圈子中的准入价值而已。 —

Teddy had proposed with all his impetuosity and fire, and she looked him straight in the eyes, an said, coldly and finally: —
泰迪充满冲动和热情地向她求婚，而她直视着他的眼睛，冷酷而坚决地说道： —

“Never let me hear any such silly nonsense from you again.” “You won’t,” said Teddy, with an expression around his mouth, and – now Teddy was inclosed within a strong barbed-wire fence.
“再也不要让我听到你这样愚蠢的胡言乱语。””你不会这样的，”泰迪说着，面部带着一种表情，现在他被囚禁在一个坚固的铁丝网篱笆内。

It was on this first ride of inspection that Teddy was seized by the inspiration that suggested the name of Mother Goose’s heroine, and he at once bestowed it upon Octavia. —
正是在这次第一次巡视中，泰迪受到了灵感的启发，想到了鹅妈妈的女主角的名字，并立刻给奥克塔维娅取了这个名字。 —

The idea, supported by both a similarity of names and identity of occupations, seemed to strike him as a peculiarly happy one, and he never tired of using it. —
这个想法得到了相似的名字和职业身份的支持，似乎对他来说非常幸运，他从不厌倦地使用它。 —

The Mexicans on the ranch also took up the name, adding another syllable to accommodate their lingual incapacity for the final “p,” gravely referring to her as “La Madama Bo-Peepy.” Eventually it spread, and “Madame Bo- Peep’s ranch” was as often mentioned as the “Rancho de las Sombras.”
该牧场上的墨西哥人也接受了这个名字，为了适应他们语言上对于最后一个 “p” 的无能，在她的名字后加了一个音节，郑重其事地称她为 “拉·马达玛·博皮皮”。最终这个名字传播开来，” 马达夫人的牧场” 和 “拉·斯延布拉斯牧场” 一样经常被提及。

Came the long, hot season from May to September, when work is scarce on the ranches. —
五月到九月，大热天来临，农场的工作变得稀少。 —

Octavia passed the days in a kind of lotus-eater’s dream. —
奥塔维亚过着一种像莲花食者梦境般的日子。 —

Books, hammocks, correspondence with a few intimate friends, a renewed interest in her old water-colour box and easel – these disposed of the sultry hours of daylight. —
书籍、吊床、与几个亲密朋友的通信、对旧水彩盒和画架的重新兴趣就占据了炎热的白天时间。 —

The evenings were always sure to bring enjoyment. —
傍晚总能带来乐趣。 —

Best of all were the rapturous horseback rides with Teddy, when the moon gave light over the wind-swept leagues, chaperoned by the wheeling night-hawk and the startled owl. —
最美妙的是与泰迪一起骑马，当月亮照耀着被风吹过的广袤土地时，夜鹰和惊慌的猫头鹰作为保镖。 —

Often the Mexicans would come up from their shacks with their guitars and sing the weirdest of heart-breaking songs. —
墨西哥人经常带着吉他上来唱最悲伤的怪异歌曲。 —

There were long, cosy chats on the breezy gallery, and an interminable warfare of wits between Teddy and Mrs. MacIntyre, whose abundant Scotch shrewdness often more than overmatched the lighter humour in which she was lacking.
长时间在有微风的走廊上闲聊，泰迪和麦金太尔太太之间无休止的智斗，后者丰富的苏格兰机智常常胜过她所欠缺的轻松幽默。

And the nights came, one after another, and were filed away by weeks and months – nights soft and languorous and fragrant, that should have driven Strephon to Chloe over wires however barbed, that might have drawn Cupid himself to hunt, lasso in hand, among those amorous pastures – but Teddy kept his fences up.
夜晚一个接着一个来临，被星期和月份慢慢拨走 – 那些柔软、慵懒、芬芳的夜晚本该让斯特雷芬无视那带刺的铁丝网而去找克洛伊，本该让丘比特亲自来到这些充满爱意的牧场上，套索在手 – 但泰迪却始终守着自己的围栏。

One July night Madame Bo-Peep and her ranch man- ager were sitting on the east gallerv. —
一个七月的夜晚，波琵姆女士和她的牧场经理坐在东边的走廊上。 —

Teddy had been exhausting the science of prognostication as to the proba- bilities of a price of twenty-four cents for the autumn clip, and had then subsided into an anesthetic cloud of Havana smoke. —
泰迪一直在努力预测秋季羊毛价格是否会达到2.4美元/斤，然后沉浸在一团古巴雪茄的麻醉烟雾中。 —

Only as incompetent a judge as a woman would have failed to note long ago that at least a third of his salary must have gone up in the fumes of those imported Regalias.
只有一名像女人一样无能的评判者才会忽视很久以前他一半的薪水肯定都烟消云散了。

“Teddy,” said Octavia, suddenly, and rather sharply, “what are you working down here on a ranch for?”
“泰迪，”奥克塔维亚突然、有点尖锐地说，“你为什么在这个牧场工作？”

“One hundred per,” said Teddy, glibly, “and found.”
“每个月一百美元，包食宿，”泰迪流利地说。

“I’ve a good mind to discharge you.”
“我真想炒了你。”

“Can’t do it,” said Teddy, with a grin.
“我办不到，”迈蒂笑着说道。

“Why not?” demanded Octavia, with argumentative heat.
“为什么不行？”奥克塔维亚带着争论的热情质问道。

“Under contract. Terms of sale respect all unexpired contracts. Mine runs until 12 P. m. —
“因为合同。销售条款尊重所有未到期的合同。我的合同到午夜12点结束，就是十二月三十一日。如果你在那天午夜之前解雇我，我会采取法律诉讼措施。” —

, December thirty-first. You might get up at midnight on that date and fire me. —
奥克塔维亚似乎在考虑打官司的前景。 —

if you try it sooner I’ll be in a position to bring legal proceedings.”
“但是，”迈蒂高兴地继续说道，”我一直在考虑辞职呢。”

Octavia seemed to be considering the prospects of litigation.
“如果你试图提前解雇我，我将有能力提起法律诉讼。”

“But,” continued Teddy cheerfully, “I’ve been think- ing of resigning anyway.”
奥克塔维亚似乎在考虑打官司的前景。

Octavia’s rocking-chair ceased its motion. There were centipedes in this country, she felt sure; —
萨维娅的摇椅停止了晃动。她确信这个国家有蜈蚣; —

and Indians, and vast, lonely, desolate, empty wastes; all within strong barbed-wire fence. —
还有印第安人，广阔、孤寂、荒凉、空无一人的荒地;所有这些都被坚固的铁丝网围起来。 —

There was a Van Dresser pride, but there was also a Van Dresser heart. —
范德莱斯家族有一个骄傲的家族传统，但也有一颗爱心。 —

She must know for certain whether or not he had forgotten.
她必须确切地知道他是否忘记了。

“Ah, well, Teddy,” she said, with a fine assumption of polite interest, “it’s lonely down here; —
“啊，好吧，泰迪，”她装出一副礼貌感兴趣的样子说道，”这里很孤独； —

you’re longing to get back to the old life – to polo and lobsters and theatres and balls.”
你渴望回到过去的生活——马球、龙虾、剧院和舞会。”

“Never cared much for balls,” said Teddy virtuously.
“我从来不喜欢舞会，”泰迪虔诚地说道。

“You’re getting old, Teddy. Your memory is failing. —
“你老了，泰迪。你的记忆力在衰退。 —

Nobody ever knew you to miss a dance, unless it occurred on the same night with another one which you attended. —
除非有其他舞会和你同时举办，不然没人见过你错过舞会。 —

And you showed such shocking bad taste, too, in dancing too often with the same partner. —
而且你和同一个舞伴跳舞太多次也太缺乏品味。 —

Let me see, what was that Forbes girl’s name – the one with wall eyes – Mabel, wasn’t it?”
让我想想，那个福布斯姑娘叫什么名字——玛贝尔，是吧？”

“No; Adéle. Mabel was the one with the bony elbows. —
“不；那是阿黛尔。梅贝尔是那个拥有瘦长胳膊的人。 —

That wasn’t wall in Adéle’s eyes. It was soul. —
在阿黛尔眼中那不仅仅是墙壁，那是灵魂。” —

We used to talk sonnets together, and Verlaine. —
“我们曾一起吟诗，和勒尔万。” —

Just then I was trying to run a pipe from the Pierian spring.”
“就在那时，我正在试图从培里亚之泉引水到这里。”

“You were on the floor with her,” said Octavia, unde- flected, “five times at the Hammersmiths’.”
“你和她在地板上做了五次，” Octavia毫无所动地说道， “在哈默史密斯家。”

“Hammersmiths’ what? ” questioned Teddy, vacuously.
“哈默史密斯家怎么了？” Teddy空洞地问道。

“Ball – ball,” said Octavia, viciously. “What were we talking of?”
“舞会 - 舞会，” Octavia恶毒地说道， “我们刚才在谈什么来着？”

“Eyes, I thought,” said Teddy, after some reflection; “and elbows.”
“我记得是在说眼睛，” Teddy经过一番思考后说道， “还有胳膊。”

“Those Hammersmiths,” went on Octavia, in her sweetest society prattle, after subduing an intense desire to yank a handful of sunburnt, sandy hair from the head lying back contentedly against the canvas of the steamer chair, “had too much money. —
“那些哈默史密斯家，” Octavia以最甜美的社交口吻继续说道，之前她控制住了一股强烈的冲动，不去拽住躺在躺椅的帆布上，满脸满足的头上的一撮晒黑的沙发发， “他们太有钱了。” —

Mines, wasn’t it? It was something that paid something to the ton. —
“矿山，是吗？是某种按吨计算的付费。” —

You couldn’t get a glass of plain water in their house. —
“在他们家你连一杯普通的水都买不到。” —

Everything at that ball was dreadfully overdone.”
“那个舞会上的一切都过度了。”

“It was,” said Teddy.
“没错，” Teddy说道。

“Such a crowd there was!” Octavia continued, con- scious that she was talking the rapid drivel of a school- girl describing her first dance. —
“真是一大群人啊！”奥克塔维亚继续说道，意识到自己的口齿如同一个学生描述她的第一次舞会时的狂言。 —

“The balconies were as warm as the rooms. I – lost – something at that ball.” The last sentence was uttered in a tone calculated to remove the barbs from miles of wire.
“阳台和房间一样温暖。我在那个舞会上–失–落了–一些东西。”最后这句话是以一种旨在消除数英里长的电线上的刺刺声地语调说出的。

“So did I,” confessed Teddy, in a lower voice.
“我也是，”泰迪以低沉的声音承认。

“A glove,” said Octavia, falling back as the enemy approached her ditches.
“一个手套，”奥克塔维亚说道，当敌人接近她的壕沟时，退后了几步。

“Caste,” said Teddy, halting his firing line without loss. —
“级别、”泰迪说道，不失分地停下了他的射击线。 —

“I hobnobbed, half the evening with one of Hammersmith’s miners, a fellow who kept his hands in his pockets, and talked like an archangel about reduction plants and drifts and levels and sluice-boxes.”
“我和一个哈默史密斯的矿工整晚都在一起喝酒，一个总是把手放在口袋里，讲述着还原厂、巷道、水管箱等等的话语的人。”

“A pearl-gray glove, nearly new,” sighed Octavia, mournfully.
“一双几乎都是新的珍珠灰手套，”奥克塔维亚悲伤地叹息着。

“A bang-up chap, that McArdle,” maintained Teddy approvingly. —
“那个麦卡德尔真是个了不起的家伙，”泰迪满意地说道。 —

” A man who hated olives and elevators; a man who handled mountains as croquettes, and built tunnels in the air; —
“一个讨厌橄榄和电梯的人；一个将山峰像炸薯泥一样处理，空中修建隧道的人； —

a man who never uttered a word of silly nonsense in his life. —
一个从未说过一句愚蠢胡话的人。 —

Did you sign those lease- renewal applications yet, madama? —
你签了那些续租申请了吗，女士？ —

They’ve got to be on file in the land office by the thirty-first.”
它们必须在三十一号之前存档在土地办公室内。

Teddy turned his head lazily. Octavia’s chair was vacant.
泰迪懒洋洋地转过头，奥克塔维亚的椅子是空的。

A certain centipede, crawling along the lines marked out by fate, expounded the situation. —
一只特定的蜈蚣，沿着命运划定的轨迹爬行，阐述着这一情况。 —

It was early one morning while Octavia and Mrs. Maclntyre were trim- ming the honeysuckle on the west gallery. —
一天早晨，奥克塔维亚和麦金泰尔夫人正在修剪西廊上的忍冬花。 —

Teddy had risen and departed hastily before daylight in response to word that a flock of ewes had been scattered from their bedding ground during the night by a thunder-storm.
泰迪在天亮前匆匆起身离开，因为有人通知他一群母羊在昨晚被一场雷暴从它们的栖息地驱散了。

The centipede, driven by destiny, showed himself on the floor of the gallery, and then, the screeches of the two women giving him his cue, he scuttled with all his yellow legs through the open door into the furthermost west room, which was Teddy’s. —
蜈蚣，被命运推动，出现在廊道的地板上，然后，在两位女士的尖叫声下，他用黄色的腿跑到那个最远的西边房间，那是泰迪的房间。 —

Arming themselves with domestic utensils selected with regard to their length, Octavia and Mrs. Maclntyre, with much clutching of skirts and skirmishing for the position of rear guard in the attacking force, followed.
凯旋大街和麦金泰尔太太一起拿着家用器具，根据器具的长度选择，裙子紧紧抓住，争夺进攻部队中后卫位置。

Once outside, the centipede seemed to have disappeared, and his prospective murderers began a thorough but cautious search for their victim.
一出门，蜈蚣似乎已经消失了，准备行凶的人开始仔细但谨慎地搜索他们的目标。

Even in the midst of such a dangerous and absorbing adventure Octavia was conscious of an awed curiosity on finding herself in Teddy’s sanctum. —
即使在这样一个危险而吸引人的冒险中，奥克塔维亚还是意识到自己对于进入泰迪的圣所感到一种敬畏的好奇心。 —

In that room he sat alone, silently communing with those secret thoughts that he now shared with no one, dreamed there whatever dreams he now called on no one to interpret.
在那个房间里，他独自坐着，默默地与那些他不再与任何人分享的秘密思考相通，那里他做着他现在不再需要任何人来解释的梦想。

It was the room of a Spartan or a soldier. In one corner stood a wide, canvas-covered cot; —
这是一个斯巴达式或士兵式的房间。一个角落里有一张宽大的铺有帆布的小床； —

in another, a small bookcase; in another, a grim stand of Winchesters and shotguns. —
另一个角落里是一个小书架；另一个角落里是一排Winchesters和猎枪。 —

An immense table, strewn with letters, papers and documents and surmounted by a set of pigeon- holes, occupied one side.
一张巨大的桌子，上面散落着信件、文件和文件夹，旁边有一套信鸽宿舍。

The centipede showed genius in concealing himself in such bare quarters. —
这只蜈蚣在如此简陋的地方隐藏自己，显示出了天才。 —

Mrs. Maclntyre was poking a broom-handle behind the bookcase. Octavia approached Teddy’s cot. —
麦金太太正用扫帚柄戳向书柜后面。奥克塔维亚走向泰迪的摇篮。 —

The room was just as the manager had left it in his hurry. —
房间里正如经理匆忙离开时的样子。 —

The Mexican maid had not yet given it her attention. —
这位墨西哥女仆还没有处理它。 —

There was his big pillow with the imprint of his head still in the centre. —
泰迪的大枕头上还留着他的头形印记。 —

She thought the horrid beast might have climbed the cot and hidden itself to bite Teddy. Centipedes were thus cruel and vindictive toward managers.
她觉得那只可怕的虫子可能爬上了摇篮并隐藏起来咬泰迪。蜈蚣对经理们是如此残忍和报复。

She cautiously overturned the pillow, and then parted her lips to give the signal for reinforcements at sight of a long, slender, dark object lying there. —
她小心地翻转了枕头，然后张开嘴唇，准备在那里看到一根长长的、细长的、黑色的物体时发出增援信号。 —

But, repressing it in time, she caught up a glove, a pearl-gray glove, flattened – it might be conceived – by many, many months of nightly pressure beneath the pillow of the man who had forgotten the Hammersmiths’ ball. —
但是，她及时压住了自己，拿起了一只手套，一只珍珠灰色的手套，它被压扁了，也许可以想象成，经历了很多个月每晚都被压在那个忘记了汉默斯密斯舞会的男人的枕头下面。 —

Teddy must have left so hurriedly that morning that he had, for once, forgotten to transfer it to its resting-place by day. —
泰迪那天早上匆匆忙忙地离开，以至于他这一次竟然忘记将它转移到白天的休息地。 —

Even managers, who are notoriously wily and cunning, are sometimes caught up with.
即使是出了名的狡猾和狡诈的经理，有时也会陷入困境。

Octavia slid the gray glove into the bosom of her sum- mery morning gown. It was hers. —
奥克塔维娅将灰色手套塞进她的夏日晨装的胸口。它是她的。 —

Men who put them- selves within a strong barbed-wire fence, and remember Hammersmith balls only by the talk of miners about sluice- boxes, should not be allowed to possess such articles.
把自己关在一根坚固的带刺铁丝网围栏之内，只通过矿工们谈论拍卖的聚会来了解哈默史密斯球会的人，不应该拥有这样的物品。

After all, what a paradise this prairie country was! —
毕竟，这片草原国家是一个天堂！ —

How it blossomed like the rose when you found things that were thought to be lost! —
当你找到被认为已经失去的东西时，它如何像玫瑰一样绽放！ —

How delicious was that morning breeze coming in the windows, fresh and sweet with the breath of the yellow ratama blooms! —
那清晨通过窗户进来的微风是多么美妙，带着黄色‘瑞特玛花’的气息，新鲜而甜美！ —

Might one not stand, for a minute, with shining, far-gazing eyes, and dream that mistakes might be corrected?
一个人是否可以站在那里，闪烁着远眺的眼睛，梦想着错误会得到纠正？

Why was Mrs. Maclntyre poking about so absurdly with a broom?
为什么麦金泰尔太太如此荒谬地用扫帚四处乱扫呢？

“I’ve found it,” said Mrs. MacIntyre, banging the door. “Here it is.”
“我找到了，”麦金泰尔太太说着，砰地一声关上门。“在这里。”

“Did you lose something? asked Octavia, with sweetly polite non-interest.
“你丢了什么东西吗？”奥克塔维亚非常客气地问道，没有任何兴趣。

“The little devil!” said Mrs. Maclntyre, driven to violence. “Ye’ve no forgotten him alretty?”
“可恶的小鬼！”麦金太太愤怒地说道。“你都忘了他吗？”

Between them they slew the centipede. Thus was he rewarded for his agency toward the recovery of things lost at the Hammersmiths’ ball.
在他们两个人的合作下，他们杀死了那条蜈蚣。这样，他就因为帮助找回了在哈默史密斯家舞会上丢失的东西而得到了回报。

It seems that Teddy, in due course, remembered the glove, and when he returned to the house at sunset made a secret but exhaustive search for it. —
泰迪最后终于想起了手套，在夕阳西下时，他偷偷做了一次彻底的搜寻。 —

Not until evening, upon the moonlit eastern gallery, did he find it. —
直到晚上，在月光照耀下的东边走廊上，他找到了它。 —

It was upon the hand that he had thought lost to him forever, and so he was moved to repeat certain nonsense that he had been commanded never, never to utter again. —
它正放在他一直以为永远失去的那只手上，所以他不禁重复了一些从前被命令永远、永远不要再说的胡说八道。 —

Teddy’s fences were down.
泰迪的屏障已经倒塌了。

This time there was no ambition to stand in the way, and the wooing was as natural and successful as should be between ardent shepherd and gentle shepherdess.
这一次没有野心阻碍，求婚就像热情的牧羊人和温柔的牧羊女之间自然而成功的事情一样。

The prairies changed to a garden. The Rancho de las Sombras became the Ranch of Light.
大草原变成了一个花园。拉斯松布拉斯庄园变成了光之牧场。

A few days later Octavia received a letter from Mr. Bannister, in reply to one she had written to him asking some questions about her business. —
几天后，Octavia收到了来自Bannister先生的一封回信，回复了她之前写给他的关于自己生意的一些问题。 —

A portion of the letter ran as follows:
“信中有一部分内容如下：

“I am at a loss to account for your references to the sheep ranch. —
“你提到养羊牧场的事情，我对此感到困惑。 —

Two months after your departure to take up your residence upon it, it was discovered that Colonel Beaupree’s title was worthless. —
“在你离开两个月后，人们发现了Colonel Beaupree的产权无效。 —

A deed came to light showing that he disposed of the property before his death. —
“一份文件显示他在去世前转让了房产。 —

The matter was reported to your manager, Mr. Westlake, who at once repurchad the property. —
“此事向你的经理Westlake先生报告了，他立即重新购买了该房产。 —

It is entirely beyond my powers of conjecture to imagine how you have remained in ignorance of this fact. —
“我无法想象你竟然不知道这个事实。 —

I beg you that will at once confer with that gentleman, who will, at least, corroborate my statement.”
“我请求你立即与那位先生进行交谈，他至少会证实我的说法。”

Octavia sought Teddy, with battle in her eye.
Octavia怒目而视地找到了Teddy。

“What are you working on this ranch for?” she asked once more.
“你为什么还在这个牧场工作？”她再次问道。

“One hundred – ” he began to repeat, but saw in her face that she knew. —
“一百——”他开始重复，但看到她的脸色，他知道她已经知道了。 —

She held Mr. Bannister’s letter in her hand. —
她手里拿着班尼斯特先生的信件。 —

He knew that the game was up.
他知道局势已经不利。

“It’s my ranch,” said Teddy, like a schoolboy detected in evil. —
“这是我的牧场。”泰迪说道，像一个被发现做邪恶事的学童一样。 —

“It’s a mighty poor manager that isn’t able to absorb the boss’s business if you give him time.”
“如果给他时间，我这个经理能够完全掌握老板的业务。”

“Why were you working down here?” pursued Octavia still struggling after the key to the riddle of Teddy.
“你在这里工作是为什么？”奥塔维娅继续追问，仍然在努力寻找解开泰迪之谜的关键。

“To tell the truth, ‘Tave,” said Teddy, with quiet candour, “it wasn’t for the salary. —
“说实话，‘泰’，”泰迪以平静的坦率说道，“并不是因为薪水的原因。” —

That about kept me in cigars and sunburn lotions. I was sent south by my doctor. —
这勉强够我买雪茄和防晒霜。我是按照医生的指示来南方的。 —

‘Twas that right lung that was going to the bad on account of over-exercise and strain at polo and gym- nastics. —
右肺因马球和体操过度运动而受损。 —

I needed climate and ozone and rest and things of that sort.”
我需要温暖气候、臭氧和休息等等。

In an instant Octavia was close against the vicinity of the affected organ. —
瞬间，奥塔维娅靠近受影响的部位。 —

Mr. Bannister’s letter fluttered to the floor.
班尼斯特先生的信纸飘落到地上。

“It’s – it’s well now, isn’t it, Teddy?”
“泰迪，现在没事了吧？”

“Sound as a mesquite chunk. I deceived you in one thing. —
“像打破一个木块一样结实。我在一件事上蒙蔽了你。” —

I paid fifty thousand for your ranch as soon as I found you had no title. —
“当我发现你没有所有权时，我立即以五万美元购买了你的牧场。” —

I had just about that much income accumulated at my banker’s while I’ve been herding sheep down here, so it was almost like picking the thing up on a bargain-counter for a penny. —
我在这里放羊的时候，我在我的银行家那里已经积攒了差不多这么多的收入，所以它几乎就像在廉价柜台上花一美分买到它一样便宜。 —

There’s another little surplus of unearned increment piling up there, ‘Tave. I’ve been thinking of a wedding trip in a yacht with white ribbons tied to the mast, through the Mediterranean, and then up among the Hebrides and down Norway to the Zuyder Zee.”
那里还有一点点未经努力获得的增值在积累，Tave。我一直在想着要和白丝带系在桅杆上的游艇做一个婚礼之旅，穿过地中海，然后到希伯里底群岛，再经过挪威到祖德尔湖。

“And I was thinking,” said Octavia, softly, “of a wedding gallop with my manager among the flocks of sheep and back to a wedding breakfast with Mrs. Mae- Intyre on the gallery, with, maybe, a sprig of orange blossom fastened to the red jar above the table.”
“而我在想着，”Octavia轻声说道，“我想和我的经理一起在羊群中进行个婚礼奔跑，然后回到露台上和Mae-Intyre夫人一起吃婚礼早餐，桌子上或许还会别一朵橙花束。”

Teddy laughed, and began to chant:
Teddy笑了笑，开始唱起来：

“Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,And doesn’t know where to find ‘em. —
“小波皮丢了她的羊，不知道去哪找它们。 —

Let ‘em alone, and they’ll come home,And – “Octavia drew his head down, and whispered in his ear, But that is one of the tales they brought behind them.
“让它们自己待着，它们会回家的，并且. …..”Octavia低声对他耳语道，但那是他们背后带来的故事之一。