The (so-called) Vallambrosa Apartment-House is not an apartment-house. —
所谓的瓦兰布罗萨公寓并不是一座公寓楼。 —

It is composed of two old-fashioned, brownstone-front residences welded into one. —
它由两个老式的棕石前立面住宅组合而成。 —

The parlor floor of one side is gay with the wraps and head-gear of a modiste; —
其中一个侧面的客厅摆满了时装设计师的外套和头饰，非常华丽； —

the other is lugubrious with the sophistical promises and grisly display of a painless dentist. —
另一侧则是一位技术高超的牙医用许诺和可怕的展示充斥的阴森氛围。 —

You may have a room there for two dollars a week or you may have one for twenty dollars. —
你可以在那里租到每周两美元的一个房间，也可以租到每周二十美元的房间。 —

Among the Vallambrosa’s roomers are stenographers, musicians, brokers, shop-girls, space-rate writers, art students, wire-tappers, and other people who lean far over the banister-rail when the door-bell rings.
瓦兰布罗萨的住客包括文员、音乐家、经纪人、店员、稿费按字计费的作家、艺术学生、窃听器以及其他当门铃响时都会跑到楼梯栏杆处探头的人。

This treatise shall have to do with but two of the Vallambrosians– though meaning no disrespect to the others.
这篇论文只涉及瓦兰布罗萨的两个人，不过并不是对其他人不尊重。

At six o’clock one afternoon Hetty Pepper came back to her third-floor rear $3.50 room in the Vallambrosa with her nose and chin more sharply pointed than usual. —
一个下午6点，海蒂·佩珀带着比平时更尖锐的鼻子和下巴回到了瓦兰布罗萨公寓的三楼后侧价值3.5美元的房间。 —

To be discharged from the department store where you have been working four years, and with only fifteen cents in your purse, does have a tendency to make your features appear more finely chiseled.
被解雇于你已经工作了四年的百货公司，只身带着15美分的钱包，不免让你的面容显得更加精致。

And now for Hetty’s thumb-nail biography while she climbs the two flights of stairs.
现在，让我们来看看赫蒂上楼梯时的简要介绍。

She walked into the Biggest Store one morning four years before with seventy-five other girls, applying for a job behind the waist department counter. —
四年前的一天早晨，她和其他75个女孩一同走进了最大的商场，申请在衬衫部门的柜台后工作。 —

The phalanx of wage-earners formed a bewildering scene of beauty, carrying a total mass of blond hair sufficient to have justified the horseback gallops of a hundred Lady Godivas.
这个赚工资的群体形成了一个令人困惑的美丽场景，承载着足够让一百位格黛娃女士骑马的金发头发的总质量。

The capable, cool-eyed, impersonal, young, bald-headed man whose task it was to engage six of the contestants, was aware of a feeling of suffocation as if he were drowning in a sea of frangipanni, while white clouds, hand-embroidered, floated about him. —
那位年轻、充满能力、冷眼、超然自得、光头的男人，他的任务是招聘六位竞争者。他感到一种窒息的感觉，仿佛他在一片芬芳扑鼻的海洋中溺水，而白色的云朵在他周围飘动，上面还刺绣着图案。 —

And then a sail hove in sight. Hetty Pepper, homely of countenance, with small, contemptuous, green eyes and chocolate-colored hair, dressed in a suit of plain burlap and a common-sense hat, stood before him with every one of her twenty-nine years of life unmistakably in sight.
然后一帆远远地出现了。 Hetty Pepper，貌相朴素，嘲笑的小绿眼睛和巧克力色的头发，穿着一套普通的麻布衣服和一顶实用的帽子，在他面前，她二十九岁的一切都显而易见。

“You’re on!.” shouted the bald-headed young man, and was saved. —
“你答应了！”光头年轻人大喊一声，逃过了一劫。 —

And that is how Hetty came to be employed in the Biggest Store. The story of her rise to an eight-dollar-a-week salary is the combined stories of Hercules, Joan of Arc, Una, Job, and Little-Red-Riding-Hood. You shall not learn from me the salary that was paid her as a beginner. —
这就是Hetty来到最大的商店工作的经过。她晋升到每周八美元薪水的故事是海格力士、贞德、乌娜、约伯和小红帽的融合。你不会从我这里得知她作为初学者的薪水。 —

There is a sentiment growing about such things, and I want no millionaire store-proprietors climbing the fire-escape of my tenement- house to throw dynamite bombs into my skylight boudoir.
这样的事情正在滋生一种情绪，我不希望有亿万富翁商店老板们爬上我公寓楼的防火梯，在我天窗的闺房里投掷炸药。

The story of Hetty’s discharge from the Biggest Store is so nearly a repetition of her engagement as to be monotonous.
Hetty从最大的商店被解雇的经历几乎与她的雇佣经历重复，以至于让人厌烦。

In each department of the store there is an omniscient, omnipresent, and omnivorous person carrying always a mileage book and a red necktie, and referred to as a “buyer.” The destinies of the girls in his department who live on (see Bureau of Victual Statistics)–so much per week are in his hands.
商店的每个部门都有一位无所不知、无所不在、无所不能的人，身上总是带着一本行程表和一条红领带，并被称为“买手”。 生活在他所在部门的女孩们的命运，每周所得（见食品统计局）都掌握在他手中。

This particular buyer was a capable, cool-eyed, impersonal, young, bald-headed man. —
这位特殊的买手是一位能干、冷漠、年轻、光头的男人。 —

As he walked along the aisles of his department lie seemed to be sailing on a sea of frangipanni, while white clouds, machine-embroidered, floated around him. —
当他走过部门的过道时，他似乎在一片浓郁花香的海洋上航行，而白色的云朵，绣着机器制作的花纹，围绕着他漂浮。 —

Too many sweets bring surfeit. He looked upon Hetty Pepper’s homely countenance, emerald eyes, and chocolate-colored hair as a welcome oasis of green in a desert of cloying beauty. —
太多的甜食会令人厌烦。他将赫蒂·佩珀朴实的面容、翠绿的眼睛和巧克力色的头发视为甜美美丽中的一片绿洲。 —

In a quiet angle of a counter he pinched her arm kindly, three inches above the elbow. —
在柜台的一个安静角落里，他友善地捏了捏她的手臂，离肘部三英寸远的地方。 —

She slapped him three feet away with one good blow of her muscular and not especially lily- white right. —
她一记有力的拳击，用她粗壮并非常纯白的右手，将他打飞了三英尺远。 —

So, now you know why Hetty Pepper came to leave the Biggest Store at thirty minutes’ notice, with one dime and a nickel in her purse.
现在，你知道为什么赫蒂·佩珀在半小时内只带着一枚十分硬币和一个镍币离开了最大的商店了。

This morning’s quotations list the price of rib beef at six cents per (butcher’s) pound. —
今天早上的行情报价把肋骨牛肉定价为每磅六美分（肉店计算）。 —

But on the day that Hetty was “released” by the B. S. the price was seven and one-half cents. —
但是在赫蒂被巴斯公司“解雇”的那天，价格是七又半美分。 —

That fact is what makes this story possible. —
这个事实使得这个故事成为可能。 —

Otherwise, the extra four cents would have–
否则，多出的四美分就会—

But the plot of nearly all the good stories in the world is concerned with shorts who were unable to cover; —
但是世界上几乎所有好故事的情节都与无法支付欠款有关； —

so you can find no fault with this one.
所以你对这个故事不应该挑剔。

Hetty mounted with her rib beef to her $3.50 third-floor back. —
赫蒂把她的肋骨牛肉带到了她3.5美元的三楼后备室。 —

One hot, savory beef-stew for supper, a night’s good sleep, and she would be fit in the morning to apply again for the tasks of Hercules, Joan of Arc, Una, Job, and Little-Red-Riding-Hood.
晚餐可以烹制一份热辣美味的牛肉炖菜，一个晚上的好睡眠后，她明天就能恢复体力，再去应聘类似大力士、圣女贞德、优娜、约伯和小红帽这样的工作。

In her room she got the granite-ware stew-pan out of the 2x4-foot china–er–I mean earthenware closet, and began to dig down in a rats’-nest of paper bags for the potatoes and onions. —
她从2x4英尺的瓷器柜里拿出花岗岩炖锅，在一堆纸袋中寻找土豆和洋葱。 —

She came out with her nose and chin just a little sharper pointed.
她走出来时，她的鼻子和下巴变得稍微尖尖。

There was neither a potato nor an onion. Now, what kind of a beef- Stew can you make out of simply beef? —
既没有土豆也没有洋葱。没有土豆和洋葱，你能做出什么样的牛肉炖汤呢？ —

You can make oyster-soup without oysters, turtle-soup without turtles, coffee-cake without coffee, but you can’t make beef-stew without potatoes and onions.
你可以做无蚝牡蛎汤，无海龟龟汤，无咖啡咖啡蛋糕，但是没有土豆和洋葱，你无法做出牛肉炖汤。

But rib beef alone, in an emergency, can make an ordinary pine door look like a wrought-iron gambling-house portal to the wolf. —
但是，紧急情况下，光有肋骨牛肉就足够让一扇普通的松木门看起来像一扇铁艺赌场的大门，让饿狼大开眼界。 —

With salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of flour (first well stirred in a little cold water) ‘twill serve–‘tis not so deep as a lobster a la Newburg nor so wide as a church festival doughnut; but ‘twill serve.
加上盐、胡椒和一汤匙面粉（先在一点冷水中搅拌均匀），它就能应付过得去——它没有龙虾新堡奶油汤那么深，也没有教堂节日圆甜甜面团那么宽；但是还算凑合。

Hetty took her stew-pan to the rear of the third-floor hall. —
海蒂把她的炖锅拿到三楼走廊的后面。 —

According to the advertisements of the Vallambrosa there was running water to be found there. —
根据Vallambrosa的广告，那里有流动的水。 —

Between you and me and the water-meter, it only ambled or walked through the faucets; —
在你和水表之间，水只是缓慢流过水龙头； —

but technicalities have no place here. There was also a sink where housekeeping roomers often met to dump their coffee grounds and glare at one another’s kimonos.
但是在这里，技术细节无关紧要。还有一个洗脸盆，房客经常在那里倾倒咖啡渣并互相盯着对方的和服。

At this sink Hetty found a girl with heavy, gold-brown, artistic hair and plaintive eyes, washing two large “Irish” potatoes. —
在这个洗脸盆里，Hetty发现了一个头发浓密、金棕色、有哀怨眼神的女孩在洗两个大的“爱尔兰”土豆。 —

Hetty knew the Vallambrosa as well as any one not owning “double hextra- magnifying eyes” could compass its mysteries. —
Hetty对Vallambrosa的了解不亚于任何没有“双倍超大放大镜眼睛”的人可以掌握它的奥秘。 —

The kimonos were her encyclopedia, her “Who’s What?” her clearinghouse of news, of goers and comers. —
和服是她的百科全书，她的“谁是什么？”她的新闻发布中心，了解人来人往。 —

From a rose-pink kimono edged with Nile green she had learned that the girl with the potatoes was a miniature-painter living in a kind of attic–or “studio,” as they prefer to call it–on the top floor. —
从一件带有尼罗绿边的粉红和服上，她得知洗土豆的女孩是住在顶层的一位迷你画家，她的房间有点像阁楼，或者他们更喜欢称之为“工作室”。 —

Hetty was not certain in her mind what a miniature was; but it certainly wasn’t a house; —
Hetty在她的脑海里不确定什么是迷你，但它肯定不是一个房子； —

because house-painters, although they wear splashy overalls and poke ladders in your face on the street, are known to indulge in a riotous profusion of food at home.
因为油漆工，尽管他们穿着花哨的工作服在街上晃着梯子冲着你的脸，但在家里已经众所周知地大吃大喝；

The potato girl was quite slim and small, and handled her potatoes as an old bachelor uncle handles a baby who is cutting teeth. —
土豆女孩非常苗条和娇小，她像一个年迈的单身舅舅抚摸着一位正在长牙的宝宝一样处理着她的土豆； —

She had a dull shoemaker’s knife in her right hand, and she had begun to peel one of the potatoes with it.
她右手拿着一把钝钝的皮匠刀，已经开始用它削其中一颗土豆的皮；

Hetty addressed her in the punctiliously formal tone of one who intends to be cheerfully familiar with you in the second round.
Hetty用一种礼貌而正式的口气对她说话，就像那些打算在第二轮时与你开开心心亲近的人一样；

“Beg pardon,” she said, “for butting into what’s not my business, but if you peel them potatoes you lose out. —
“对不起，”她说，”我插了你的事，但是如果你削土豆，你就会失去一些东西； —

They’re new Bermudas. You want to scrape ‘em. Lemme show you.”
他们是新的百慕大土豆。你需要刮掉它们的皮。让我来给你示范一下；

She took a potato and the knife, and began to demonstrate.
她拿起一颗土豆和刀子，开始示范；

“Oh, thank you,” breathed the artist. “I didn’t know. —
“哦，谢谢你，”艺术家轻声说道。”我不知道。 —

And I did hate to see the thick peeling go; —
我真的不希望看到厚皮剥落； —

it seemed such a waste. But I thought they always had to be peeled. —
这似乎太浪费了。但我想土豆皮总是要剥的。 —

When you’ve got only potatoes to eat, the peelings count, you know.”
当你只有土豆可吃时，皮也算数的，你知道的。

“Say, kid,” said Hetty, staying her knife, “you ain’t up against it, too, are you?”
“嘿，孩子”，Hetty说着停下了她的刀子，”你也遇到了困难吗？

The miniature artist smiled starvedly.
这位微型艺术家饥饿地微笑着。

“I suppose I am. Art–or, at least, the way I interpret it–doesn’t seem to be much in demand. —
“我想是的。艺术-或者至少是我理解的方式-似乎不太受欢迎。 —

I have only these potatoes for my dinner. —
我只有这些土豆作为晚餐。 —

But they aren’t so bad boiled and hot, with a little butter and salt.”
但是煮熟加点黄油和盐，它们还是不错的。

“Child,” said Hetty, letting a brief smile soften her rigid features, “Fate has sent me and you together. —
“孩子，” Hetty说着让她僵硬的面容稍微柔和了一下，” 命运将我们放在了一起。 —

I’ve had it handed to me in the neck, too; —
我也被它狠狠地击中过。 —

but I’ve got a chunk of meat in my, room as big as a lap-dog. —
但我房间里有块像腿听一样大的肉。 —

And I’ve done everything to get potatoes except pray for ‘em. —
而且我为了得到土豆什么都做过，除了为它们祈祷。 —

Let’s me and you bunch our commissary departments and make a stew of ‘em. —
让我们把我们的食品部门合并起来，一起炖一锅。 —

We’ll cook it in my room. —
我们在我房间里做。 —

If we only had an onion to go in it! Say, kid, you haven’t got a couple of pennies that’ve slipped down into the lining of your last winter’s sealskin, have you? —
如果我们只有一个洋葱，该多好啊！说实话，孩子，你没有那些从你去年的海豹皮大衣里滑落到里衬的几个便士吧？ —

I could step down to the corner and get one at old Giuseppe’s stand. —
我可以走到街角，找老吉塞佩那儿买一个。 —

A stew without an onion is worse’n a matinee without candy.”
一个没有洋葱的炖菜简直比没有糖果的下午电影还糟糕。

“You may call me Cecilia,” said the artist. “No; I spent my last penny three days ago.”
“你可以叫我塞西莉亚，”艺术家说。”不好意思，我上个星期花掉了最后一便士。

“Then we’ll have to cut the onion out instead of slicing it in,” said Hetty. “I’d ask the janitress for one, but I don’t want ‘em hep just yet to the fact that I’m pounding the asphalt for another job. —
“那么我们只能把洋葱切掉，而不是切片了，” 赫蒂说。”我本来想向女佣借一个的，但我不想让她们提前发现我正在找另一份工作。 —

But I wish we did have an onion.”
但我希望我们确实有一个洋葱。

In the shop-girl’s room the two began to prepare their supper. —
在店员的房间里，两个人开始准备他们的晚餐。 —

Cecilia’s part was to sit on the couch helplessly and beg to be allowed to do something, in the voice of a cooing ring-dove. —
塞西莉亚的任务是无助地坐在沙发上，并像鸽子一样温柔地请求被允许做些什么。 —

Hetty prepared the rib beef, putting it in cold salted water in the stew-pan and setting it on the one-burner gas-stove.
赫蒂准备了肋骨牛肉，将其放入带有盐水的炖锅中，并将其放在单口燃气灶上。

“I wish we had an onion,” said Hetty, as she scraped the two potatoes.
「我希望我们有一个洋葱。」Hetty说道，她刮了两个土豆。

On the wall opposite the couch was pinned a flaming, gorgeous advertising picture of one of the new ferry-boats of the P. U. F. F. Railroad that had been built to cut down the time between Los Angeles and New York City one-eighth of a minute.
沙发对面的墙上挂着一幅火红辉煌的广告图片，展示了P.U.F.F.铁路公司建造的一艘新渡轮，它可以将洛杉矶和纽约之间的时间缩短八分之一分钟。

Hetty, turning her head during her continuous monologue, saw tears running from her guest’s eyes as she gazed on the idealized presentment of the speeding, foam-girdled transport.
Hetty不断说着话，转过头去，看到客人的眼睛里流下了泪水，她凝视着那个速度奇快、被泡沫环绕的交通工具的理想化呈现。

“Why, say, Cecilia, kid,” said Hetty, poising her knife, “is it as bad art as that? —
「喂，Cecilia，孩子，」Hetty说，停下了刀子的动作，“真的是那么糟糕的艺术吗？ —

I ain’t a critic; but I thought it kind of brightened up the room. —
我不是评论家；但我觉得它给房间带来了点亮色。 —

Of course, a manicure-painter could tell it was a bum picture in a minute. —
当然了，有一个修指甲的画家马上就能看出它是一个糟糕的画。 —

I’ll take it down if you say so. I wish to the holy Saint Potluck we had an onion.”
「如果你说可以的话，我就把它拿下来。我真希望我们有一个洋葱。」

But the miniature miniature-painter had tumbled down, sobbing, with her nose indenting the hard-woven drapery of the couch. —
但那位微型画家已经哭倒在沙发上，她的鼻子印在了结实编织的窗帘上。 —

Something was here deeper than the artistic temperament offended at crude lithography.
有一种东西深藏其中，比起粗劣的石版印刷更让艺术气质感到冒犯。

Hetty knew. She had accepted her role long ago. —
海蒂知道。她早就接受了自己的角色。 —

How scant the words with which we try to describe a single quality of a human being! —
我们试图描述一个人的一种品质时，所用的词语是多么的不够。 —

When we reach the abstract we are lost. The nearer to Nature that the babbling of our lips comes, the better do we understand. —
在我们达到抽象的时候，我们迷失了。越接近大自然，我们的口舌就越能理解。 —

Figuratively (let us say), some people are Bosoms, some are Hands, some are Heads, some are Muscles, some are Feet, some are Backs for burdens.
比喻地说，有些人是胸脯，有些人是手，有些人是头脑，有些人是肌肉，有些人是脚，有些人是背脊肩膀。

Hetty was a Shoulder. Hers was a sharp, sinewy shoulder; —
海蒂是一只肩膀。她的肩膀又尖又有力量。 —

but all her life people had laid their heads upon it, metaphorically or actually, and had left there all or half their troubles. —
但是她一生中，无论是象征性地还是真实地，人们都把他们的头靠在她肩膀上，并在那里留下了所有或一半的烦恼。 —

Looking at Life anatomically, which is as good a way as any, she was preordained to be a Shoulder. —
从解剖学的角度看，这是一种很好的方式，她天生就注定要是一只肩膀。 —

There were few truer collar-bones anywhere than hers.
很少有比她更真实的锁骨了。

Hetty was only thirty-three, and she had not yet outlived the little pang that visited her whenever the head of youth and beauty leaned upon her for consolation. —
赫蒂只有33岁，她还没有摆脱每当年轻和美丽的人依靠她寻求安慰时所带来的细微痛苦。 —

But one glance in her mirror always served as an instantaneous pain-killer. —
但是只需朝她的镜子里瞥一眼，立刻就能缓解痛苦。 —

So she gave one pale look into the crinkly old looking-glass on the wall above the gas-stove, turned down the flame a little lower from the bubbling beef and potatoes, went over to the couch, and lifted Cecilia’s head to its confessional.
于是她朝墙上的皱巴巴的老镜子中望了一眼，将煤气炉上炖着的牛肉和土豆的火焰转小了些，走到沙发旁，扶起了塞西莉亚的头。

“Go on and tell me, honey,” she said. “I know now that it ain’t art that’s worrying you. —
“继续告诉我，亲爱的，”她说。”我现在知道困扰你的不是艺术。 —

You met him on a ferry-boat, didn’t you? —
你是在渡轮上遇见他的，对吧？ —

Go on, Cecilia, kid, and tell your–your Aunt Hetty about it.”
继续吧，塞西莉亚，亲爱的，告诉你的-你的赫蒂阿姨吧。

But youth and melancholy must first spend the surplus of sighs and tears that waft and float the barque of romance to its harbor in the delectable isles. —
但是青春和忧郁必须先消耗掉那些将浪漫之舟飘向乐土之岛的叹息和眼泪。 —

Presently, through the stringy tendons that formed the bars of the confessional, the penitent–or was it the glorified communicant of the sacred flame–told her story without art or illumination.
现在，通过形成告解室的纤细肌腱，忏悔者——或者说是那神圣火焰的光荣交流者——毫无技巧地讲述了她的故事，没有任何启发。

“It was only three days ago. I was coming back on the ferry from Jersey City. Old Mr. Schrum, an art dealer, told me of a rich man in Newark who wanted a miniature of his daughter painted. —
“只是三天前。我从泽西市坐渡船回来的时候。老舒伦姆先生，一位艺术品经销商，告诉我纽瓦克有个富人想要为他女儿画一幅小肖像画。 —

I went to see him and showed him some of my work. —
我去见了他，并向他展示了我的一些作品。 —

When I told him the price would be fifty dollars he laughed at me like a hyena. —
当我告诉他价格是五十美元时，他像土狼一样嘲笑我。 —

He said an enlarged crayon twenty times the size would cost him only eight dollars.
他说，一个放大二十倍的蜡笔画只需要八美元。

“I had just enough money to buy my ferry ticket back to New York. I felt as if I didn’t want to live another day. —
「我只有足够的钱买个返纽约的渡船票。我觉得好像再也不想活下去了。 —

I must have looked as I felt, for I saw him on the row of seats opposite me, looking at me as if he understood. —
我一定看起来像我感觉的那样，因为我看到他坐在对面的座位上，看着我，好像他理解一样。 —

He was nice-looking, but oh, above everything else, he looked kind. —
他长得不错，但最重要的是，他看起来很善良。 —

When one is tired or unhappy or hopeless, kindness counts more than anything else.
当人疲倦、不快乐或者绝望时，善良比其他任何事情都重要。

“When I got so miserable that I couldn’t fight against it any longer, I got up and walked slowly out the rear door of the ferry-boat cabin. —
当我变得如此痛苦以至于再也无法对抗时，我站起身慢慢走出渡船舱的后门。 —

No one was there, and I slipped quickly over the rail and dropped into the water. —
那里没有人，我迅速地从栏杆上滑下，跳入水中。 —

Oh, friend Hetty, it was cold, cold!
噢，亲爱的赫蒂，那水真是冷啊，冷啊！

“For just one moment I wished I was back in the old Vallambrosa, starving and hoping. —
“就在那一刻，我一瞬间希望自己还在旧的瓦拉姆布罗萨，忍饥挨饿并满怀希望。 —

And then I got numb, and didn’t care. And then I felt that somebody else was in the water close by me, holding me up. —
然后我麻木了，不再在乎了。接着我感到有人在我附近的水中扶持着我。 —

He had followed me, and jumped in to save me.
他跟着我，跳下水来救我。

“Somebody threw a thing like a big, white doughnut at us, and he made me put my arms through the hole. —
“有人向我们扔了一个像个大白面团一样的东西，他让我把手伸过洞口。 —

Then the ferry-boat backed, and they pulled us on board. —
然后渡船倒退，他们把我们拉了上来。 —

Oh, Hetty, I was so ashamed of my wickedness in trying to drown myself; —
噢，赫蒂，我为自己企图自杀的邪恶感到羞愧； —

and, besides, my hair had all tumbled down and was sopping wet, and I was such a sight.
而且，我的头发全部散开湿漉漉的，我看起来太糟糕了。

“And then some men in blue clothes came around; —
“然后几个穿着蓝色衣服的人走了过来； —

and he gave them his card, and I heard him tell them he had seen me drop my purse on the edge of the boat outside the rail, and in leaning over to get it I had fallen overboard.
他给他们递了他的名片，我听到他告诉他们他看到我把钱包掉到了船舷外的水下，我为了去捡它，在倾斜时掉进了水里。

And then I remembered having read in the papers that people who try to kill themselves are locked up in cells with people who try to kill other people, and I was afraid.
然后我想起来报纸上说那些试图自杀的人会被和那些试图杀人的人一起关进牢房，我感到害怕。

“But some ladies on the boat took me downstairs to the furnace-room and got me nearly dry and did up my hair. —
“但是船上的一些女士把我带到地下室的锅炉房里，让我几乎干了，还帮我理了头发。 —

When the boat landed, he came and put me in a cab. —
船靠岸时，他过来把我送进了一辆出租车。 —

He was all dripping himself, but laughed as if he thought it was all a joke. —
他全身湿透了，但笑得好像觉得这一切都是个笑话。 —

He begged me, but I wouldn’t tell him my name nor where I lived, I was so ashamed.”
他求我，但我不肯告诉他我的名字和住址，我太羞愧了。”

“You were a fool, child,” said Hetty, kindly. —
“你真傻，孩子，”海蒂友善地说道。 —

“Wait till I turn the light up a bit. I wish to Heaven we had an onion.”
“等我把灯打亮一点。真希望我们有个洋葱。”

“Then he raised his hat,” went on Cecilia, “and said: ‘Very well. But I’ll find you, anyhow. —
“然后他举起帽子，”塞西莉亚继续说道：“说：‘好吧。但是我肯定会找到你的。 —

I’m going to claim my rights of salvage.’ Then he gave money to the cab-driver and told him to take me where I wanted to go, and walked away. —
我要主张我的打捞权。”然后他给了出租车司机钱，并告诉他带我去我想去的地方，然后走开了。 —

What is ‘salvage,’ Hetty?”
“什么是‘salvage’，赫蒂？”

“The edge of a piece of goods that ain’t hemmed,” said the shop-girl. —
“没缝脚的物品的边缘，”店员说。 —

“You must have looked pretty well frazzled out to the little hero boy.”
“你一定看起来疲惫不堪，对那个小英雄男孩来说。”

“It’s been three days,” moaned the miniature-painter, “and he hasn’t found me yet.”
“已经过去三天了，”小画家抱怨道，“他还没找到我。”

“Extend the time,” said Hetty. “This is a big town. —
“延长时间，”赫蒂说。“这是个大城市。” —

Think of how many girls he might have to see soaked in water with their hair down before he would recognize you. —
想想他之前可能会见到多少个头发散乱、浑身湿透的女孩才能认出你。 —

The stew’s getting on fine–but oh, for an onion! —
炖菜做得挺好——但是哦，多么希望有个洋葱啊！ —

I’d even use a piece’of garlic if I had it.”
我连一块大蒜都会用的。

The beef and potatoes bubbled merrily, exhaling a mouth-watering savor that yet lacked something, leaving a hunger on the palate, a haunting, wistful desire for some lost and needful ingredient.
牛肉和土豆在欢快地冒着泡，散发着令人垂涎欲滴的香味，但却还缺少一些东西，让味蕾上产生一种饥渴的渴望，对一种失去且必需的成分产生一种萦绕的神秘欲望。

“I came near drowning in that awful river,” said Cecilia, shuddering.
“我几乎在那个可怕的河里淹死了。”塞西莉娅颤抖着说。

“It ought to have more water in it,” said Hetty; “the stew, I mean. I’ll go get some at the sink.”
“这应该加更多水，”赫蒂说；“我是说炖菜。我去水槽那边拿一些。”

“It smells good,” said the artist.
“艺术家说：“闻起来很好闻。”

“That nasty old North River?” objected Hetty. “It smells to me like soap factories and wet setter-dogs–oh, you mean the stew. —
“海蒂反对道：“那个恶心的北河？对我来说闻起来像是肥皂工厂和湿透的狗儿子-哦，你是指炖肉。” —

Well, I wish we had an onion for it. Did he look like he had money?”
“嗯，我希望我们有洋葱才好。他看起来像有钱的人吗？”

“First, he looked kind,” said Cecilia. “I’m sure he was rich; but that matters so little. —
“首先，他看起来很友善，”西西莉亚说。“我肯定他很有钱；但这一点无关紧要。” —

When he drew out his bill-folder to pay the cab-man you couldn’t help seeing hundreds and thousands of dollars in it. —
“当他拿出账夹付给驾驶员时，你不禁看到里面有数百万和上千万的美元。” —

And I looked over the cab doors and saw him leave the ferry station in a motor-car; —
“我从出租车门上往外看，看到他坐上了一辆汽车离开了渡船站；” —

and the chauffeur gave him his bearskin to put on, for he was sopping wet. —
“而司机还给他递了一顶熊皮帽子戴上，因为他浑身湿透了。” —

And it was only three days ago.”
“而且这才只有三天前。”

“What a fool!” said Hetty, shortly.
“真傻！”海蒂不耐烦地说道。

“Oh, the chauffeur wasn’t wet,” breathed Cecilia. “And he drove the car away very nicely.”
“哦，司机可没有湿透，”西西莉亚喃喃自语着。“他非常漂亮地开走了汽车。”

“I mean you,” said Hetty. “For not giving him your address.”
“我指的是你，”海蒂说。“你怎么没有给他你的地址呢？”

“I never give my address to chauffeurs,” said Cecilia, haughtily.
“我从不把我的地址给司机，”西西莉亚高傲地说。

“I wish we had one,” said Hetty, disconsolately.
“我希望我们有辆车，”海蒂失望地说。

“What for?”
“为什么呢？”

“For the stew, of course–oh, I mean an onion.”
“为了炖肉，当然是洋葱啦-哦，我是说洋葱。”

Hetty took a pitcher and started to the sink at the end of the hall.
Hetty拿起一个水壶，朝着走廊尽头的水槽走去。

A young man came down the stairs from above just as she was opposite the lower step. —
一个年轻人从楼上走下楼梯，正好当她走到下面的台阶对面。 —

He was decently dressed, but pale and haggard. —
他穿着得体，但面色苍白而憔悴。 —

His eyes were dull with the stress of some burden of physical or mental woe. —
他的眼睛因为某种身体或精神负担而显得无光。 —

In his hand he bore an onion–a pink, smooth, solid, shining onion as large around as a ninety-eight-cent alarm-clock.
他手里拿着一个洋葱 - 一个粉红色、光滑、坚实的洋葱，像一个98美分的闹钟那样大。

Hetty stopped. So did the young man. There was something Joan of Arc-ish, Herculean, and Una-ish in the look and pose of the shoplady– she had cast off the roles of Job and Little-Red-Riding-Hood. The young man stopped at the foot of the stairs and coughed distractedly. —
Hetty停下了脚步。年轻人也停下来。店员的眼神和姿势中有些乔安·达克（Joan of Arc-ish）、海克力斯（Herculean）和尤娜（Una-ish）的意味 - 她已经摆脱了约伯（Job）和小红帽（Little-Red-Riding-Hood）的角色。年轻人停在楼梯脚下，干咳了几声。 —

He felt marooned, held up, attacked, assailed, levied upon, sacked, assessed, panhandled, browbeaten, though he knew not why. —
他感到被困住，受阻，受到攻击，遭受盘剥，被评估，被乞讨，被威胁，尽管他不知道为什么。 —

It was the look in Hetty’s eyes that did it. —
正是Hetty眼中的神情起了作用。 —

In them he saw the Jolly Roger fly to the masthead and an able seaman with a dirk between his teeth scurry up the ratlines and nail it there. —
在他眼中，他看到了乔利·罗杰在樯顶上飘扬，一个身穿海员服，嘴里叼着一把匕首的能干水手匆忙地爬上绳梯，并将其钉在那里。 —

But as yet he did not know that the cargo he carried was the thing that had caused him to be so nearly blown out of the water without even a parley.
但他还不知道，他所携带的货物正是导致他差点被击败而没有一点交涉的东西。

“Beg your pardon,” said Hetty, as sweetly as her dilute acetic acid tones permitted, “but did you find that onion on the stairs? —
“请问，” Hetty甜美的嘶哑声音说道，“你在楼梯上找到那个洋葱了吗？ —

There was a hole in the paper bag; and I’ve just come out to look for it.”
纸袋上有个洞，所以我刚刚出来找它。”

The young man coughed for half a minute. The interval may have given him the courage to defend his own property. —
年轻人咳嗽了半分钟。这段时间也许给了他勇气来捍卫自己的财产。 —

Also, he clutched his pungent prize greedily, and, with a show of spirit, faced his grim waylayer.
此外，他贪婪地抓住他刺鼻的战利品，并带着一种决心面对他可怕的袭击者。

“No,” he said huskily, “I didn’t find it on the stairs. —
“不，”他声音嘶哑地说：“我没有在楼梯上找到它。 —

It was given to me by Jack Bevens, on the top floor. —
这是杰克·贝文斯给我的，在顶楼的时候。 —

If you don’t believe it, ask him. I’ll wait until you do.”
如果你不相信，就问问他吧。我会等你相信为止。”

“I know about Bevens,” said Hetty, sourly. —
“我知道贝文斯，” Hetty酸溜溜地说道。 —

“He writes books and things up there for the paper-and-rags man. —
“他在那里给报纸和废品商写书和东西。” —

We can hear the postman guy him all over the house when he brings them thick envelopes back. —
当邮递员把那些厚厚的信封带回来的时候，我们可以听到他在整个房子里走动。 —

Say–do you live in the Vallambrosa?”
打听一下，你住在Vallambrosa吗？

“I do not,” said the young man. “I come to see Bevens sometimes. —
“不，”年轻人说道，”我有时去看贝文斯。 —

He’s my friend. I live two blocks west.”
他是我的朋友。我住在西边的两个街区。

“What are you going to do with the onion?
“你打算用洋葱做什么呢？

–begging your pardon,” said Hetty.
“请原谅，”海蒂说道。

“I’m going to eat it.”
“我准备吃掉它。

“Raw?”
“生吃吗？

“Yes: as soon as I get home.”
“是的，我一回到家就会生吃。

“Haven’t you got anything else to eat with it?”
“你没有别的东西可以一起吃吗？

The young man considered briefly.
年轻人考虑了一下。

“No,” he confessed; “there’s not another scrap of anything in my diggings to eat. —
“没有，”他承认道，”我的住处没有其他一丝一毫可以吃的东西。 —

I think old Jack is pretty hard up for grub in his shack, too. —
我觉得杰克的小屋也缺吃的。 —

He hated to give up the onion, but I worried him into parting with it.”
他不愿意放弃洋葱，但是我不停地纠缠他，最终他让了。

“Man,” said Hetty, fixing him with her world-sapient eyes, and laying a bony but impressive finger on his sleeve, “you’ve known trouble, too, haven’t you?”
“人啊，”海蒂用睿智的目光看着他，用瘦削但有力的手指点了点他的袖子，” 你也经历过麻烦，是吗？”

“Lots,” said the onion owner, promptly. “But this onion is my own property, honestly come by. —
“很多，”洋葱主人迅速地回答道。“但这个洋葱是我自己的财产，是诚实获得的。 —

If you will excuse me, I must be going.”
若你不介意，我得告辞了。”

“Listen,” said Hetty, paling a little with anxiety. “Raw onion is a mighty poor diet. —
“听着，”海蒂说着，有点焦虑地脸色发白。“生洋葱是个很糟糕的饮食。 —

And so is a beef-stew without one. Now, if you’re Jack Bevens’ friend, I guess you’re nearly right. —
就像没有洋葱的肉汤一样糟糕。现在，如果你是杰克·贝文斯的朋友，我想你差不多对了。 —

There’s a little lady–a friend of mine–in my room there at the end of the hall. —
我房间的那个角落里有个小姐──是我的朋友。 —

Both of us are out of luck; and we had just potatoes and meat between us. They’re stewing now. —
我们俩都运气不佳；我们之间只剩下土豆和肉。现在正在炖着。 —

But it ain’t got any soul. There’s something lacking to it. —
但他只是缺乏灵魂。它有些不足之处。 —

There’s certain things in life that are naturally intended to fit and belong together. —
生活中有些东西天生就是要搭配在一起的。 —

One is pink cheese-cloth and green roses, and one is ham and eggs, and one is Irish and trouble. —
其中一个是粉红色的纱布和绿色的玫瑰，另一个是火腿和鸡蛋，再一个就是爱尔兰人和烦恼。 —

And the other one is beef and potatoes with onions. —
还有另一个是牛肉、土豆和洋葱。 —

And still another one is people who are up against it and other people in the same fix.”
还有一个是处境困难的人和其他处于同样困境的人。”

The young man went into a protracted paroxysm of coughing. —
这年轻人陷入了长时间的咳嗽发作之中。 —

With one hand he hugged his onion to his bosom.
他用一只手抱紧洋葱贴在胸前。

“No doubt; no doubt,” said he, at length. “But, as I said, I must be going, because–”
“毫无疑问; 毫无疑问,“他终于说道。”但是,正如我说的，我必须走了，因为–”

Hetty clutched his sleeve firmly.
Hetty紧紧抓住他的袖子。

“Don’t be a Dago, Little Brother. Don’t cat raw onions. —
“不要当个意大利人, 小兄弟。别吃生洋葱。 —

Chip it in toward the dinner and line yourself inside with the best stew you ever licked a spoon over. —
放进晚餐里，用最好的炖菜填饱自己内心的空虚。 —

Must two ladies knock a young gentleman down and drag him inside for the honor of dining with ‘em? —
难道两个女士非得打倒一个年轻绅士，拽着他进去吃饭？小兄弟， —

No harm shall befall you, Little Brother. —
不会有任何伤害发生在你身上。 —

Loosen up and fall into line.”
放松一点，加入我们。

The young man’s pale face relaxed into a grin.
年轻人苍白的脸上露出了笑容。

“Believe I’ll go you,” he said, brightening. —
“我接受你的挑战，”他开心地说道。 —

“If my onion is good as a credential, I’ll accept the invitation gladly.”
“如果我的洋葱可以作为证明，我欣然接受邀请。”

“It’s good as that, but better as seasoning,” said Hetty. “You come and stand outside the door till I ask my lady friend if she has any objections. —
“它可以作为那个，但是作为调味品更好，” Hetty说道。”你跟着我到门外，等我问问我女朋友是否有异议。 —

And don’t run away with that letter of recommendation before I come out.”
在我出来之前别带走我的推荐信。”

Hetty went into her room and closed the door. The young man waited outside.
Hetty进了自己的房间，关上了门。年轻人在外面等候。

“Cecilia, kid,” said the shop-girl, oiling the sharp saw of her voice as well as she could, “there’s an onion outside. —
“赛西莉亚，小孩，” 店员边给她的声音抹上了油，边说道，“外面有一个洋葱。” —

With a young man attached. I’ve asked him in to dinner. —
旁边还有个年轻人。我邀请他一起来吃晚餐。 —

You ain’t going to kick, are you?”
你不会发火吧？”

“Oh, dear!” said Cecilia, sitting up and patting her artistic hair. —
“哦，亲爱的！” 赛西莉亚坐起身来，轻拍着她那富有艺术感的头发。 —

She cast a mournful glance at the ferry-boat poster on the wall.
她伤心地望了一眼墙上的渡轮海报。

“Nit,” said Hetty. “It ain’t him. You’re up against real life now. —
“算了吧，”海蒂说，“那不是他。你现在面对的是真实的生活。 —

I believe you said your hero friend had money and automobiles. —
我记得你说你的英雄朋友有钱又有汽车。 —

This is a poor skeezicks that’s got nothing to eat but an onion. —
这是一个可怜的无所寄托的人，只有一个洋葱可吃。 —

But he’s easy-spoken and not a freshy. I imagine he’s been a gentleman, he’s so low down now. —
但他说话很容易相处，不像一个新手。我猜他以前是个绅士，现在变得如此卑微。 —

And we need the onion. Shall I bring him in? —
而且我们需要这个洋葱。我应该把他带进来吗？ —

I’ll guarantee his behavior.”
我担保他的行为举止。”

“Hetty, dear,” sighed Cecilia, “I’m so hungry. —
“Hetty，亲爱的，”Cecilia叹了口气，“我太饿了。 —

What difference does it make whether he’s a prince or a burglar? —
他是王子还是小偷有什么区别吗？ —

I don’t care. Bring him in if he’s got anything to eat with him.”
我不在乎。如果他带了东西来吃，就让他进来。”

Hetty went back into the hall. The onion man was gone. —
Hetty回到大厅。洋葱男人已经不见了。 —

Her heart missed a beat, and a gray look settled over her face except on her nose and cheek-bones. —
她的心跳了一下，脸上带上了灰色，除了鼻子和脸颊骨。 —

And then the tides of life flowed in again, for she saw him leaning out of the front window at the other end of the hall. —
然后生活的潮流再次涌现，因为她看到他正倚在大厅另一端的正窗户外。 —

She hurried there. He was shouting to some one below. —
她匆忙走到那里。他正在向下面的人喊话。 —

The noise of the street overpowered the sound of her footsteps. —
街上的噪音盖过了她脚步的声音。 —

She looked down over his shoulder, saw whom he was speaking to, and heard his words. —
她从他肩上俯视，看到他在和谁说话，并听见他的话。 —

He pulled himself in from the window-sill and saw her standing over him.
他从窗台上拉回身子，看到她站在他上方。

Hetty’s eyes bored into him like two steel gimlets.
Hetty的眼睛像两把钢钉般盯着他。

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, calmly. “What were you going to do with that onion?”
“不要对我撒谎，”她平静地说道。“你打算用那个洋葱做什么？”

The young man suppressed a cough and faced her resolutely. —
这个年轻人抑制住咳嗽，坚定地面对着她。 —

His manner was that of one who had been bearded sufficiently.
他的举止表现出已经受够了被人挑衅的样子。

“I was going to eat it,” said he, with emphatic slowness; “just as I told you before.”
“我打算吃它，”他以强调的缓慢语速说道。“就像我之前告诉你的一样。”

“And you have nothing else to eat at home?”
“你家里没有其他东西可以吃吗？”

“Not a thing.”
“一点都没有。”

“What kind of work do you do?”
“你做什么工作？”

“I am not working at anything just now.”
“现在我没有做任何工作。”

“Then why,” said Hetty, with her voice set on its sharpest edge, “do you lean out of windows and give orders to chauffeurs in green automobiles in the street below?”
“那么，”Hetty以尖锐的语调说道，“为什么你要伸出窗户，对着街上绿色汽车的司机下达指令？”

The young man flushed, and his dull eyes began to sparkle.
年轻人脸红了，他平淡的眼睛开始闪闪发光。

“Because, madam,” said he, in accelerando tones, “I pay the chauffeur’s wages and I own the automobile–and also this onion–this onion, madam.”
“因为，夫人，”他的语调加快，“我支付司机的工资，我拥有那辆汽车，也拥有这个洋葱—这个洋葱，夫人。”

He flourished the onion within an inch of Hetty’s nose. —
他把洋葱在Hetty的鼻子前晃动。 —

The shop-lady did not retreat a hair’s-breadth.
这位女店员毫不退缩。

“Then why do you eat onions,” she said, with biting contempt, “and nothing else?”
“那你为什么只吃洋葱呢？”她带着蔑视的语气说道。

“I never said I did,” retorted the young man, heatedly. —
“我从没说我吃洋葱啊。”年轻人激动地反驳道。 —

“I said I had nothing else to eat where I live. —
“我说我在我住的地方别无选择。” —

I am not a delicatessen store- keeper.”
我可不是个熟食店老板。”

“Then why,” pursued Hetty, inflexibly, “were you going to eat a raw onion?”
“那你为什么要吃生洋葱呢？”海蒂固执地追问道。

“My mother,” said the young man, “always made me eat one for a cold. —
“因为我妈妈，”年轻人说，“总是让我感冒时吃一颗洋葱。 —

Pardon my referring to a physical infirmity; —
对不起，我指的是身体上的毛病； —

but you may have noticed that I have a very, very severe cold. —
但你可能已经注意到我得了一场非常严重的感冒。 —

I was going to eat the onion and go to bed. —
我本来准备吃洋葱然后上床睡觉。 —

I wonder why I am standing here and apologizing to you for it.”
我不知道我为什么站在这里向你道歉。”

“How did you catch this cold?” went on Hetty, suspiciously.
“你是怎么感冒的？”海蒂猜疑地继续问道。

The young man seemed to have arrived at some extreme height of feeling. —
年轻人似乎情绪已经达到了极点。 —

There were two modes of descent open to him–a burst of rage or a surrender to the ridiculous. —
他有两种方式可以做出反应——爆发出愤怒或者陷入荒谬之中。 —

He chose wisely; and the empty hall echoed his hoarse laughter.
他明智地选择了后者，并且他的沙哑的笑声回荡在空荡荡的大厅中。

“You’re a dandy,” said he. “And I don’t blame you for being careful. I don’t mind telling you. —
“你真是个花花公子，”他说，“我不怪你小心谨慎。我不介意告诉你。 —

I got wet. I was on a North River ferry a few days ago when a girl jumped overboard. Of course, I–”
我弄湿了。几天前我乘坐一艘北河渡轮时，一个女孩跳下船。当然，我…- “

Hetty extended her hand, interrupting his story.
海蒂伸出手，打断了他的故事。

“Give me the onion,” she said.
“把洋葱给我，”她说。

The young man set his jaw a trifle harder.
那个年轻人略微咬紧了下颌。

“Give me the onion,” she repeated.
“把洋葱给我，”她重复道。

He grinned, and laid it in her hand.
他笑了笑，把洋葱放在她手中。

Then Hetty’s infrequent, grim, melancholy smile showed itself. —
然后海蒂罕见的、阴郁的微笑出现了。 —

She took the young man’s arm and pointed with her other hand to the door of her room.
她抓住年轻人的胳膊，用另一只手指向她房间的门。

“Little Brother,” she said, “go in there. —
“小兄弟，”她说，“进去吧。 —

The little fool you fished out of the river is there waiting for you. Go on in. —
你从河里钓出来的那个傻瓜在那里等着你。进去吧。 —

I’ll give you three minutes before I come. —
在我进来之前，给你三分钟的时间。 —

Potatoes is in there, waiting. Go on in, Onions.”
土豆在里面等着。进去吧，洋葱。”

After he had tapped at the door and entered, Hetty began to peel and wash the onion at the sink. —
在他敲门并进入之后，海蒂开始在水槽里剥去洗洋葱。 —

She gave a gray look at the gray roofs outside, and the smile on her face vanished by little jerks and twitches.
她对着外面的灰色屋顶瞥了一眼，脸上的微笑逐渐消失了。

“But it’s us,” she said, grimly, to herself, “it’s us that furnishes the beef.”
“但是我们，”她冷静地对自己说，“是我们提供牛肉的。”