At ten o’clock the next morning Nana was still asleep. —
第二天上午十点，娜娜还在睡觉。 —

She occupied the second floor of a large new house in the Boulevard Haussmann, the landlord of which let flats to single ladies in order by their means to dry the paint. —
她住在大型新房子的二楼，位于奥斯曼大道，业主租给单身女性以便让油漆干。 —

A rich merchant from Moscow, who had come to pass a winter in Paris, had installed her there after paying six months’ rent in advance. —
一位来自莫斯科的富商，来巴黎过冬，在提前支付六个月租金后为她安排了这个住处。 —

The rooms were too big for her and had never been completely furnished. —
房间对她来说太大了，从未完全布置过。 —

The vulgar sumptuosity of gilded consoles and gilded chairs formed a crude contrast therein to the bric-a-brac of a secondhand furniture shop–to mahogany round tables, that is to say, and zinc candelabras, which sought to imitate Florentine bronze. —
布置的低俗奢华与镀金台式和镀金椅子形成了粗糙的对比，仿佛是二手家具店的摆设——也就是说，与红木圆桌和锌烛台相比，后者试图模仿佛罗伦萨青铜。 —

All of which smacked of the courtesan too early deserted by her first serious protector and fallen back on shabby lovers, of a precarious first appearance of a bad start, handicapped by refusals of credit and threats of eviction.
这一切都带有太早被第一个认真的保护者抛弃的风尘女子的气息，重新沦为寒酸情人的不稳定的初次亮相，受到信用被拒和驱逐威胁的阻碍。

Nana was sleeping on her face, hugging in her bare arms a pillow in which she was burying cheeks grown pale in sleep. —
娜娜趴在脸上睡觉，用赤裸的胳膊抱着一条枕头，把脸颊埋在里面，睡得苍白无力。 —

The bedroom and the dressing room were the only two apartments which had been properly furnished by a neighboring upholsterer. —
卧室和更衣室是唯一两个由邻近的装饰家具商家精心布置的房间。 —

A ray of light, gliding in under a curtain, rendered visible rosewood furniture and hangings and chairbacks of figured damask with a pattern of big blue flowers on a gray ground. —
一束光线从帘子下闪进来，照亮了红木家具、窗帘和椅背，椅背上有一种大蓝花纹在灰色的地面上。 —

But in the soft atmosphere of that slumbering chamber Nana suddenly awoke with a start, as though surprised to find an empty place at her side. —
但在那个沉睡的房间的柔和氛围中，娜娜突然惊醒了，好像惊讶地发现她身边有一个空位子。 —

She looked at the other pillow lying next to hers; —
她看着另一条靠在她旁边的枕头； —

there was the dint of a human head among its flounces: it was still warm. —
在它的褶皱中间有一个人头的凹痕: 它还保持着温暖。 —

And groping with one hand, she pressed the knob of an electric bell by her bed’s head.
她摸索着，用一只手按住床头的电铃钮。

“He’s gone then?” she asked the maid who presented herself.
“他走了?“她问走进来的女仆。

“Yes, madame, Monsieur Paul went away not ten minutes back. —
“是的，夫人，保罗先生刚刚走了不到十分钟。 —

As Madame was tired, he did not wish to wake her. —
因为夫人很累，他不想叫醒她。 —

But he ordered me to tell Madame that he would come tomorrow.”
但他命令我告诉夫人，他明天会来。

As she spoke Zoe, the lady’s maid, opened the outer shutter. A flood of daylight entered. —
她说话的同时，女仆佐伊打开了外面的百叶窗。一片日光涌入室内。 —

Zoe, a dark brunette with hair in little plaits, had a long canine face, at once livid and full of seams, a snub nose, thick lips and two black eyes in continual movement.
佐伊，一位黑色头发梳成小辫子的深色人种女仆，脸长如狼，肤色苍白且布满皱纹，鼻梁短，嘴唇厚实，两只黑眼睛不停地移动。

“Tomorrow, tomorrow,” repeated Nana, who was not yet wide awake, “is tomorrow the day?”
“明天，明天，”娜娜重复道，她还没有完全清醒，“明天就是那天吗？”

“Yes, madame, Monsieur Paul has always come on the Wednesday.”
“是的，夫人，保罗先生总是在周三来的。”

“No, now I remember,” said the young woman, sitting up. “It’s all changed. —
“不对，我记起来了，”年轻女子坐起身来说道，“情况都变了。早上我想告诉他这个情况，不然他会与那个黑鬼撞上！那该咋办呢！” —

I wanted to tell him so this morning. He would run against the nigger! —
“夫人没告诉我，我不可能知道。要是夫人改变日子的话，最好告诉我一声，这样我才能知道。所以那个吝啬鬼不再在星期二来了吗？” —

We should have a nice to-do!”
我们应该做好准备！”

“Madame did not warn me; I couldn’t be aware of it,” murmured Zoe. “When Madame changes her days she will do well to tell me so that I may know. —
“夫人没有告诉我，我不可能知道。要是夫人改变日子的话，最好告诉我一声，这样我才能知道。所以那个吝啬鬼不再在星期二来了吗？” —

Then the old miser is no longer due on the Tuesday?”
“夫人没有告诉我，我不可能知道。要是夫人改变日子的话，最好告诉我一声，这样我才能知道。所以那个吝啬鬼不再在星期二来了吗？”

Between themselves they were wont thus gravely to nickname as “old miser” and “nigger” their two paying visitors, one of whom was a tradesman of economical tendencies from the Faubourg Saint-Denis, while the other was a Walachian, a mock count, whose money, paid always at the most irregular intervals, never looked as though it had been honestly come by. —
他们之间惯于严肃地给予他们两个付费访客如“老吝啬鬼”和“黑鬼”的绰号。其中一个是来自圣丹尼斯区具有节俭倾向的商人，而另一个是一个嘲笑的瓦拉克亚伪贵族，他的钱通常在不规则的时间支付，从未看起来是通过正当手段获得的。 —

Daguenet had made Nana give him the days subsequent to the old miser’s visits, and as the trader had to be at home by eight o’clock in the morning, the young man would watch for his departure from Zoes kitchen and would take his place, which was still quite warm, till ten o’clock. —
Daguenet让娜娜留给他在那个老吝啬鬼访问后的几天，而因为这个商人必须在早上八点之前回家，这个年轻人会监视他从佐伊的厨房离开，并坐到他刚离开的位置上，位置还是很暖的，一直到十点钟。 —

Then he, too, would go about his business. —
然后，他也会去忙自己的事情。 —

Nana and he were wont to think it a very comfortable arrangement.
娜娜和他认为这是一个非常舒适的安排。

“So much the worse,” said Nana; “I’ll write to him this afternoon. —
“那就更糟了，”娜娜说，“我会在今天下午给他写信。 —

And if he doesn’t receive my letter, then tomorrow you will stop him coming in.”
如果他收不到我的信，明天你就阻止他进来。”

In the meantime Zoe was walking softly about the room. She spoke of yesterday’s great hit. —
与此同时，佐伊正在房间里轻声走动。她谈论昨天的一次巨大成功。 —

Madame had shown such talent; she sang so well! Ah! —
夫人表现出如此才华; 她唱得太好了！啊！ —

Madame need not fret at all now!
夫人现在不需要担心了！

Nana, her elbow dug into her pillow, only tossed her head in reply. —
娜娜，她的手肘深深地埋在枕头里，在回答时只是摇了摇头。 —

Her nightdress had slipped down on her shoulders, and her hair, unfastened and entangled, flowed over them in masses.
她的睡衣滑落到肩上，她的头发散乱地纠缠在肩膀上。

“Without doubt,” she murmured, becoming thoughtful; “but what’s to be done to gain time? —
“毫无疑问，”她喃喃自语，变得思考起来； “但怎么才能赢得时间呢？ —

I’m going to have all sorts of bothers today. —
今天我要遇到各种烦恼。 —

Now let’s see, has the porter come upstairs yet this morning?”
现在看看，门房今天早上上楼了吗？

Then both the women talked together seriously. Nana owed three quarters’ rent; —
然后两个女人一起认真地交谈。娜娜欠了三个季度的房租； —

the landlord was talking of seizing the furniture. —
房东正在谈论要查封家具。 —

Then, too, there was a perfect downpour of creditors; —
此外，债主们更是层出不穷； —

there was a livery-stable man, a needlewoman, a ladies’ tailor, a charcoal dealer and others besides, who came every day and settled themselves on a bench in the little hall. —
每天都有一辆马车店主、一名女裁缝、一名女装裁缝、一名炭商和其他一些人坐在小门厅的长凳上等待。 —

The charcoal dealer especially was a dreadful fellow–he shouted on the staircase. —
尤其是那个炭商，简直可怕——他在楼梯上大声喊叫。 —

But Nana’s greatest cause of distress was her little Louis, a child she had given birth to when she was sixteen and now left in charge of a nurse in a village in the neighborhood of Rambouillet. —
但是Nana最大的困扰是她的小路易斯，她在十六岁时生下了这个孩子，现在把他托付给了一个在Rambouillet附近村庄的护士照顾。 —

This woman was clamoring for the sum of three hundred francs before she would consent to give the little Louis back to her. —
这个女人坚持要求拿到三百法郎才肯把小路易斯还给她。 —

Nana, since her last visit to the child, had been seized with a fit of maternal love and was desperate at the thought that she could not realize a project, which had now become a hobby with her. —
自从上次看望孩子以来，Nana突然产生了一种对母爱的渴望，想到无法实现自己现在已经成了一种爱好的计划，她感到绝望。 —

This was to pay off the nurse and to place the little man with his aunt, Mme Lerat, at the Batignolles, whither she could go and see him as often as she liked.
这个计划是支付护士的费用，并把小男孩送到巴提尼奥尔的姨妈Mme Lerat那里，这样她可以随时去看望他。

Meanwhile the lady’s maid kept hinting that her mistress ought to have confided her necessities to the old miser.
与此同时，女仆一直在暗示她的女主人应该向那个守财奴倾诉她的困境。

“To be sure, I told him everything,” cried Nana, “and he told me in answer that he had too many big liabilities. —
“那是当然的，我把一切都告诉他了，” Nana喊道，”他回答我说他有太多的大笔负债。” —

He won’t go beyond his thousand francs a month. The nigger’s beggared just at present; —
他一个月不会超过他的一千法郎。现在这个黑鬼简直就是乞丐； —

I expect he’s lost at play. As to that poor Mimi, he stands in great need of a loan himself; —
我猜他在赌博中输了。至于可怜的米米，他自己急需贷款； —

a fall in stocks has cleaned him out–he can’t even bring me flowers now.”
股票下跌使他一无所有了——他现在连给我带花都做不到了。

She was speaking of Daguenet. In the self-abandonment of her awakening she had no secrets from Zoe, and the latter, inured to such confidences, received them with respeciful sympathy. —
她在谈到达格尼时。在她觉醒的自我放纵中，她对佐伊没有秘密，而佐伊对这种信任已习以为常，以尊敬的同情接受了这些信任。 —

Since Madame condescended to speak to her of her affairs she would permit herself to say what she thought. —
既然夫人心甘情愿地与她谈论自己的事情，她将允许自己说出自己的想法。 —

Besides, she was very fond of Madame; she had left Mme Blanche for the express purpose of taking service with her, and heaven knew Mme Blanche was straining every nerve to have her again! —
此外，她非常喜欢夫人；她为了专门为夫人效劳而离开了布兰奇夫人，而上天知道布兰奇夫人正竭尽全力重新雇用她！ —

Situations weren’t lacking; she was pretty well known, but she would have stayed with Madame even in narrow circumstances, because she believed in Madame’s future. —
工作机会并不缺乏；她相当有名，但即使在困境中，她也愿意和夫人呆在一起，因为她相信夫人的未来。 —

And she concluded by stating her advice with precision. —
她最后明确陈述了她的建议。 —

When one was young one often did silly things. —
年轻的时候常常做些傻事。 —

But this time it was one’s duty to look alive, for the men only thought of having their fun. —
但这次有义务要看起来生气勃勃，因为这些男人只想着玩乐。 —

Oh dear, yes! Things would right themselves. —
哦，亲爱的，是的！事情会自然而然地解决的。 —

Madame had only to say one word in order to quiet her creditors and find the money she stood in need of.
夫人只需说一句话，就可以安抚债权人并找到自己所需要的钱。

“All that doesn’t help me to three hundred francs,” Nana kept repeating as she plunged her fingers into the vagrant convolutions of her back hair. —
“这一切都不能帮我弄到三百法郎。”娜娜一遍又一遍地重复着，她的手指深深插入杂乱的发髻中。 —

“I must have three hundred francs today, at once! —
“我今天，马上就要三百法郎！” —

It’s stupid not to know anyone who’ll give you three hundred francs.”
不认识谁能借给你三百法郎真是愚蠢。

She racked her brains. She would have sent Mme Lerat, whom she was expecting that very morning, to Rambouillet. —
她绞尽脑汁。她本来会派那天早上等着的勒拉夫人去拉穆叭山。 —

The counteraction of her sudden fancy spoiled for her the triumph of last night. —
突如其来的幻想反而破坏了她昨晚的胜利。 —

Among all those men who had cheered her, to think that there wasn’t one to bring her fifteen louis! —
在所有为她欢呼的男人中，居然没有一个人能给她十五路易斯！ —

And then one couldn’t accept money in that way! Dear heaven, how unfortunate she was! —
而且不能这样接受钱！天哪，她是多么不幸啊！ —

And she kept harking back again to the subject of her baby–he had blue eyes like a cherub’s; —
她一直回想起她的宝宝，他有着像天使一样的蓝眼睛； —

he could lisp “Mamma” in such a funny voice that you were ready to die of laughing!
他能用一种有趣的声音咬哑着说“妈妈”，让你笑得要死！

But at this moment the electric bell at the outer door was heard to ring with its quick and tremulous vibration. —
但就在这时，外门的电铃传来了急促而颤动的声音。 —

Zoe returned, murmuring with a confidential air:
佐伊带着一种亲密的神态回来了，嘀咕着：

“It’s a woman.”
“是个女人。”

She had seen this woman a score of times, only she made believe never to recognize her and to be quite ignorant of the nature of her relations with ladies in difficulties.
她曾经见过这个女人二十多次，只是装作不认识她，对她与有困难的女士们的关系一无所知。

“She has told me her name–Madame Tricon.”
“她告诉我她的名字——特里康夫人。”

“The Tricon,” cried Nana. “Dear me! That’s true. I’d forgotten her. Show her in.”
“特里康夫人，”娜娜喊道。“天哪！我都忘了她了。让她进来。”

Zoe ushered in a tall old lady who wore ringlets and looked like a countess who haunts lawyers’ offices. —
佐伊引入了一个戴着卷发、看起来像个经常出入律师办公室的伯爵夫人的高个老太太。 —

Then she effaced herself, disappearing noiselessly with the lithe, serpentine movement wherewith she was wont to withdraw from a room on the arrival of a gentleman. —
然后她退避了，以她习惯于在男士到来时从房间中轻松、灵活地消失的蛇形动作来消失了。 —

However, she might have stayed. The Tricon did not even sit down. —
然而，她本可以留下来的。特里康夫人甚至没有坐下。 —

Only a brief exchange of words took place.
只有简短的交谈发生了。

“I have someone for you today. Do you care about it?”
“今天我有一个人给你。你在意吗？”

“Yes. How much?”
“是的。多少钱？”

“Twenty louis.”
“二十路易斯。”

“At what o’clock?”
“几点？”

“At three. It’s settled then?”
“三点。沟通好了？”

“It’s settled.”
“沟通好了。”

Straightway the Tricon talked of the state of the weather. It was dry weather, pleasant for walking. —
Tricon随即谈论起天气状况。天气干燥，适合散步。 —

She had still four or five persons to see. —
她还有四五个人要见。 —

And she took her departure after consulting a small memorandum book. —
咨询完一小本备忘录后，她离开了。 —

When she was once more alone Nana appeared comforted. —
当她再一次独自一人的时候，娜娜显得安心了。 —

A slight shiver agitated her shoulders, and she wrapped herself softly up again in her warm bedclothes with the lazy movements of a cat who is susceptible to cold. —
一阵轻微的颤抖让她的肩膀动了起来，她像一只感受到寒冷的猫一样轻轻地把自己重新包裹起来。 —

Little by little her eyes closed, and she lay smiling at the thought of dressing Louiset prettily on the following day, while in the slumber into which she once more sank last night’s long, feverish dream of endlessly rolling applause returned like a sustained accompaniment to music and gently soothed her lassitude.
渐渐地，她的眼睛闭上了，她躺在温暖的床单上微笑着，想着明天要把路易塞穿得漂亮，而在她再次沉入昨晚那个漫长、发热的梦境时，无休止的掌声像音乐的持续伴奏一样轻柔地安抚着她的疲倦。

At eleven o’clock, when Zoe showed Mme Lerat into the room, Nana was still asleep. —
十一点钟时，当佐伊把勒拉夫人带进房间时，娜娜还在睡觉。 —

But she woke at the noise and cried out at once:
但她被声音吵醒了，立刻喊道：

“It’s you.You’ll go to Rambouillet today?”
“是你，你今天要去兰布伊呢？”

“That’s what I’ve come for,” said the aunt. —
“我就是为此而来的，”那个阿姨说。 —

“There’s a train at twenty past twelve. I’ve got time to catch it.”
“十二点二十分有一班火车。我有时间赶上。”

“No, I shall only have the money by and by,” replied the young woman, stretching herself and throwing out her bosom. —
“不，我一会儿才会有钱，”年轻女人答道，一边伸懒腰，一边伸出胸脯。 —

“You’ll have lunch, and then we’ll see.”
“你先吃午饭，然后我们再看看。”

Zoe brought a dressing jacket.
佐伊拿来一件晨衣。

“The hairdresser’s here, madame,” she murmured.
“理发师在这里，夫人，”她轻声说道。

But Nana did not wish to go into the dressing room. And she herself cried out:
但娜娜不想去化妆间。她自己喊道：

“Come in, Francis.”
“弗朗西斯，进来。”

A well-dressed man pushed open the door and bowed. —
一位穿着入时的男士推开门，鞠躬道。 —

Just at that moment Nana was getting out of bed, her bare legs in full view. —
就在那一刻，娜娜正在下床，她光着腿完全暴露在外。 —

But she did not hurry and stretched her hands out so as to let Zoe draw on the sleeves of the dressing jacket. —
但她并不着急，伸出双手，让佐伊穿上晨衣的袖子。 —

Francis, on his part, was quite at his ease and without turning away waited with a sober expression on his face.
弗朗西斯则非常自在，面无表情地等待着，没有移开目光。

“Perhaps Madame has not seen the papers. There’s a very nice article in the Figaro.”
“也许夫人还没有看到报纸。《费加罗报》上有一篇非常好的文章。”

He had brought the journal. Mme Lerat put on her spectacles and read the article aloud, standing in front of the window as she did so. —
他拿来了那份报纸。勒拉夫人戴上眼镜，站在窗前大声朗读这篇文章。 —

She had the build of a policeman, and she drew herself up to her full height, while her nostrils seemed to compress themselves whenever she uttered a gallant epithet. —
她的身材像个警察，每当她说出一个殷勤的词语时，她会挺直身子，鼻孔似乎也会收缩。 —

It was a notice by Fauchery, written just after the performance, and it consisted of a couple of very glowing columns, full of witty sarcasm about the artist and of broad admiration for the woman.
这是福什利写的一篇通告，是在演出后写的，它由两列非常夸张的段落组成，充满了对艺术家的风趣讽刺以及对女性的广泛赞美。

“Excellent!” Francis kept repeating.
“太棒了！”弗朗西斯一直重复着。

Nana laughed good-humoredly at his chaffing her about her voice! —
纳娜开心地笑着，他戏弄她的声音！ —

He was a nice fellow, was that Fauchery, and she would repay him for his charming style of writing. —
那个福什利是个好人，她要回报他迷人的写作风格。 —

Mme Lerat, after having reread the notice, roundly declared that the men all had the devil in their shanks, and she refused to explain her self further, being fully satisfied with a brisk allusion of which she alone knew the meaning her in an income of six hundred francs a year. —
勒拉夫人重新阅读了通知后，断然宣称这些男人都是恶魔，拒绝再做进一步解释，因为她对这个暗指意义非常满意，而她每年只有600法郎的收入。 —

Nana promised to rent some pretty little lodgings for her and to give her a hundred francs a month besides. —
娜娜向她承诺会为她租一间漂亮的小房子，并每月给她一百法郎。 —

At the mention of this sum the aunt forgot herself and shrieked to her niece, bidding her squeeze their throats, since she had them in her grasp. —
一提到这笔钱，姑姑忘了礼貌地尖叫着让侄女掐住他们的喉咙，因为她掌握了他们的命脉。 —

She was meaning the men, of course. Then they both embraced again, but i. —
当然，她是指那些男人。然后他们再次拥抱，但我… —

Francis finished turning up and fastening Nana’s hair. He bowed and said:
弗朗西斯收拾好并扎好娜娜的头发，他点头说：

“I’ll keep my eye on the evening papers. At half-past five as usual, eh?”
“我会关注晚报的。五点半像往常一样，好吗？”

“Bring me a pot of pomade and a pound of burnt almonds from Boissier’s,” Nana cried to him across the drawing room just as he was shutting the door after him.
“给我从博伊西尔店带一罐发蜡和一磅烤杏仁，”娜娜在他关上门后大声对他喊道，越过客厅。

Then the two women, once more alone, recollected that they had not embraced, and they planted big kisses on each other’s cheeks. —
然后两个女人再次独处时，回想起她们没有拥抱，并在彼此的脸颊上亲吻了大大的吻。 —

The notice warmed their hearts. Nana, who up till now had been half asleep, was again seized with the fever of her triumph. —
这个通知温暖了她们的心。奶奶，之前还半睡半醒，又被自己的胜利狂热所抓住。 —

Dear, dear, ‘twas Rose Mignon that would be spending a pleasant morning! —
亲爱的，亲爱的，罗丝·米尼翁要过一个愉快的早晨了！ —

Her aunt having been unwilling to go to the theater because, as she averred, sudden emotions ruined her stomach, Nana set herself to describe the events of the evening and grew intoxicated at her own recital, as though all Paris had been shaken to the ground by the applause. —
她的阿姨因为不愿去剧院，理由是突然的情绪会破坏她的胃，所以她开始描述当晚的事件，沉醉于自己的叙述中，仿佛整个巴黎都被掌声震撼。 —

Then suddenly interrupting herself, she asked with a laugh if one would ever have imagined it all when she used to go traipsing about the Rue de la Goutte-d’Or. Mme Lerat shook her head. —
突然中断自己的话，她笑着问，当她还在哥特多尔街四处溜达时，有谁能想象到这一切。莱拉夫人摇了摇头。 —

No, no, one never could have foreseen it! —
不，不，当初是无法预料的！ —

And she began talking in her turn, assuming a serious air as she did so and calling Nana “daughter.” —
然后她轮到自己说话，摆出一副严肃的样子，并称呼娜娜为“女儿”。 —

Wasn’t she a second mother to her since the first had gone to rejoin Papa and Grandmamma? —
难道她不是她的第二个母亲，因为第一个母亲已经去和爸爸和奶奶团聚了吗？ —

Nana was greatly softened and on the verge of tears. —
娜娜非常感动，眼泪就快要流出来了。 —

But Mme Lerat declared that the past was the past–oh yes, to be sure, a dirty past with things in it which it was as well not to stir up every day. —
但莱拉夫人宣称，过去就是过去，嗯，是的，确实是一个肮脏的过去，里面有些事情最好不要天天提起。 —

She had left off seeing her niece for a long time because among the family she was accused of ruining herself along with the little thing. —
她已经很长时间没见过她的侄女了，因为在家人中间，她被指责和那个小东西一起毁了自己。 —

Good God, as though that were possible! She didn’t ask for confidences; —
天哪，好像那是可能的！她并不要求得到什么秘密； —

she believed that Nana had always lived decently, and now it was enough for her to have found her again in a fine position and to observe her kind feelings toward her son. —
她认为娜娜一直过得很体面，现在能够在很好的位置上找到她并且看到她对儿子的善意已经足够了。 —

Virtue and hard work were still the only things worth anything in this world.
在这个世界上，道德和努力仍然是唯一有价值的东西。

“Who is the baby’s father?” she said, interrupting herself, her eyes lit up with an exhad crossed two knives on the table in front of her. —
“孩子的父亲是谁？”她说着打断了自己，眼睛里闪烁着已经在桌上交叉放了两把刀。 —

Notwithstanding this, the young woman defended herself from the charge of superstition. —
尽管如此，那位年轻女子还是为自己被指控为迷信进行了辩护。 —

Thus, if the salt were upset, it meant nothing, even on a Friday; —
因此，即使周五撒盐也没有意义； —

but when it came to knives, that was too much of a good thing; that had never proved fallacious. —
但是，一旦涉及到刀子，那就太过分了；这个还从来没有被证明是错误的。 —

There could be no doubt that something unpleasant was going to happen to her. —
毫无疑问，她将要发生不愉快的事情。 —

She yawned, and then with an air, of profound boredom:
她打了个哈欠，然后装作非常厌倦的样子说道：

“Two o’clock already. I must go out. What a nuisance!”
“已经两点了。我必须出去。真烦人！”

The two old ladies looked at one another. The three women shook their heads without speaking. —
两位老妇人相互看了看。三位女人默默地摇了摇头。 —

To be sure, life was not always amusing. —
当然，并不是生活总是有趣的。 —

Nana had tilted her chair back anew and lit a cigarette, while the others sat pursing up their lips discreetly, thinking deeply philosophic thoughts.
娜娜重新倾斜着椅子，点燃了一支香烟，而其他人则低声思索着，深深地思考着哲学问题。

“While waiting for you to return we’ll play a game of bezique,” said Mme Maloir after a short silence. —
“等你回来之前，我们来打一局贝兹克牌吧，”玛丽·马洛瓦夫人在短暂的寂静后说道。 —

“Does Madame play bezique?”
“夫人会打贝兹克牌吗？”

Certainly Mme Lerat played it, and that to perfection. —
当然，莱拉夫人打得一流。 —

It was no good troubling Zoe, who had vanished–a corner of the table would do quite well. —
找不到已经消失了的佐伊，所以桌子的一个角落就可以。 —

And they pushepression of acute curiosity.
他们推开好奇心的压抑感。

Nana was taken by surprise and hesitated a moment.
娜娜感到惊讶，犹豫了一会儿。

“A gentleman,” she replied.
“一个绅士，”她回答道。

“There now!” rejoined the aunt. “They declared that you had him by a stonemason who was in the habit of beating you. —
“看吧！他们说你被一个石匠打过。” —

Indeed, you shall tell me all about it someday; you know I’m discreet! —
实际上，你以后可以告诉我关于这件事的一切；你知道我很慎重！ —

Tut, tut, I’ll look after him as though he were a prince’s son.”
唉，唉，我会照顾他，就像他是王子的儿子一样。

She had retired from business as a florist and was living on her savings, which she had got together sou by sou, till now they broughtn the midst of her rejoicing Nana’s face, as she led the talk back to the subject of Louiset, seemed to be overshadowed by a sudden recollection.
她已经从做花店的生意上退休了，现在靠她省吃俭用攒下的积蓄过活。而此刻正当她欢欣鼓舞之际，娜娜的脸上似乎被突然想起的一丝阴影笼罩。

“Isn’t it a bore I’ve got to go out at three o’clock?” she muttered. “It IS a nuisance!”
“真烦人，我三点钟得出门。”她嘟囔道，”真是麻烦！”

Just then Zoe came in to say that lunch was on the table. —
就在这时，佐伊走进来说午餐已经上桌了。 —

They went into the dining room, where an old lady was already seated at table. —
他们走进餐厅，一位老太太已经坐在桌子旁边了。 —

She had not taken her hat off, and she wore a dark dress of an indecisive color midway between puce and goose dripping. —
她没有摘下帽子，穿着一件颜色有些犹豫不决的暗色连衣裙，介于淡紫和煨鹅色之间。 —

Nana did not seem surprised at sight of her. —
娜娜见到她时似乎没有感到惊讶。 —

She simply asked her why she hadn’t come into the bedroom.
她只是问她为什么没有进卧室。

“I heard voices,” replied the old lady. “I thought you had company.”
“我听到有人说话，”老太太答道。“我以为你有客人。”

Mme Maloir, a respectable-looking and mannerly woman, was Nana’s old friend, chaperon and companion. —
马卢瓦夫人是个看起来正派而有礼貌的女人，是娜娜的老朋友、保姆和伴侣。 —

Mme Lerat’s presence seemed to fidget her at first. —
起初，勒拉夫人的出现似乎使她不安。 —

Afterward, when she became aware that it was Nana’s aunt, she looked at her with a sweet expression and a die-away smile. —
后来，当她意识到这是娜娜的姑姑时，她带着甜蜜的表情和温顺的微笑看着她。 —

In the meantime Nana, who averred that she was as hungry as a wolf, threw herself on the radishes and gobbled them up without bread. —
与此同时，娜娜声称自己饿得像只狼，她扑上来吃萝卜，不加面包地狼吞虎咽。 —

Mme Lerat had become ceremonious; she refused the radishes as provocative of phlegm. —
勒拉夫人变得拘谨起来，她拒绝吃萝卜，因为它容易产生痰。 —

By and by when Zoe had brought in the cutlets Nana just chipped the meat and contented herself with sucking the bones. —
不久之后，当佐伊端来猪排时，娜娜只是轻轻地咬了一口肉，然后满足地啃起了骨头。 —

Now and again she scrutinized her old friend’s hat out of the corners of her eyes.
时不时地，她斜着眼角审视着她老朋友的帽子。

“It’s the new hat I gave you?” she ended by saying.
“这是我送给你的新帽子吗?” 她最后说道。

“Yes, I made it up,” murmured Mme Maloir, her mouth full of meat.
“是的，我自己做的，” Mme Maloir说，嘴里还塞满了肉。

The hat was smart to distraction. In front it was greatly exaggerated, and it was adorned with a lofty feather. —
这顶帽子太漂亮了。前面夸张至极，并且还饰有一根高高的羽毛。 —

Mme Maloir had a mania for doing up all her hats afresh; —
Mme Maloir有一个重新打理她所有帽子的癖好； —

she alone knew what really became her, and with a few stitches she could manufacture a toque out of the most elegant headgear. —
只有她自己知道什么样的帽子真正适合她，只需几针缝合，她就能将最优雅的帽子制作成礼帽。 —

Nana, who had bought her this very hat in order not to be ashamed of her when in her company out of doors, was very near being vexed.
Nana为了不让自己在外面和她在一起感到尴尬，正是买给她这顶帽子的，所以她几乎要生气了。

“Push it up, at any rate,” she cried.
“至少把它往上推一下，”她喊道。

“No, thank you,” replied the old lady with dignity. —
“不，谢谢，”老太太带着尊严回答。 —

“It doesn’t get in my way; I can eat very comfortably as it is.”
“它不会妨碍我，我可以舒舒服服地吃东西。”

After the cutlets came cauliflowers and the remains of a cold chicken. —
排骨后是花椰菜和剩下的一只冷鸡。 —

But at the arrival of each successive dish Nana made a little face, hesitated, sniffed and left her plateful untouched. —
但是每上一道菜，Nana都会做个小脸，犹豫一下，嗅嗅闻，然后把盘子推开，不动一口。 —

She finished her lunch with the help of preserve.
她在保鲜剂的帮助下完成了她的午餐。

Dessert took a long time. Zoe did not remove the cloth before serving the coffee. —
甜点花了很长时间。Zoe在端咖啡之前没有拿走桌布。 —

Indeed, the ladies simply pushed back their plates before taking it. —
事实上，女士们只是将盘子推开，然后拿起了咖啡。 —

They talked continually of yesterday’s charming evening. —
她们不断地谈论着昨晚迷人的晚会。 —

Nana kept rolling cigarettes, which she smoked, swinging up and down on her backward-tilted chair. —
Nana一直在卷烟，她一边抽烟，一边在向后倾斜的椅子上摇摆。 —

And as Zoe had remained behind and was lounging idly against the sideboard, it came about that the company were favored with her history. —
由于Zoe留下来懒散地靠在餐具柜上，因此大家得以了解到她的故事。 —

She said she was the daughter of a midwife at Bercy who had failed in business. —
她说她是一个在Bercy的助产士的女儿，她的父母生意失败了。 —

First of all she had taken service with a dentist and after that with an insurance agent, but neither place suited her, and she thereupon enumerated, not without a certain amount of pride, the names of the ladies with whom she had served as lady’s maid. —
首先，她曾在一家牙医诊所工作过，之后又在一家保险公司工作过，但都不适合她，于是她引以为傲地列举了自己曾担任女仆的女士们的名字。 —

Zoe spoke of these ladies as one who had had the making of their fortunes. —
Zoe谈论这些女士们的时候，表现得仿佛她一直是她们财富的创造者。 —

It was very certain that without her more than one would have had some queer tales to tell. —
毫无疑问，如果没有她，会有不止一个人有一些奇怪的事情要讲述。 —

Thus one day, when Mme Blanche was with M. Octave, in came the old gentleman. What did Zoe do? —
因此，一天，当布兰奇夫人和奥克塔夫先生在一起时，老绅士走了进来。佐伊做了什么？ —

She made believe to tumble as she crossed the drawing room; —
她假装摔倒，穿过客厅； —

the old boy rushed up to her assistance, flew to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water, and M.Octave slipped away.
老爷子冲上去帮她，跑到厨房里给她拿了杯水，奥克塔夫先生溜走了。

“Oh, she’s a good girl, you bet!” said Nana, who was listening to her with tender interest and a sort of submissive admiration.
“哦，她是个好姑娘，你可以打赌！”娜娜说着，听她说话时充满了温柔和一种顺从的崇敬。

“Now I’ve had my troubles,” began Mme Lerat. And edging up to Mme Maloir, she imparted to her certain confidential confessions. —
“现在我也有了麻烦，”勒拉夫人开始说。她挤到玛洛瓦夫人身边，向她倾述了一些秘密的自白。 —

Both ladies took lumps of sugar dipped in cognac and sucked them. —
两位夫人都喝下了蘸过白兰地的糖块。 —

But Mme Maloir was wont to listen to other people’s secrets without even confessing anything concerning herself. —
但是玛洛尔夫人常常听别人的秘密，却连自己的事情都不肯说。 —

People said that she lived on a mysterious allowance in a room whither no one ever penetrated.
人们说她靠着一笔神秘的津贴生活在一个没有人进得去的房间里。

All of a sudden Nana grew excited.
娜娜突然变得兴奋起来。

“Don’t play with the knives, Aunt. You know it gives me a turn!”
“姑姑，别玩刀子了，知道那会让我感到害怕！”

Without thinking about it Mme Lerat d back the tablecloth over the dirty plates. —
没多想，勒拉太太把桌布盖在脏盘子上。 —

But as Mme Maloir was herself going to take the cards out of a drawer in the sideboard, Nana remarked that before she sat down to her game it would be very nice of her if she would write her a letter. —
但是当玛洛瓦太太正要从餐具柜的抽屉里拿出扑克牌时，娜娜说如果她坐下来玩牌之前能给她写封信就太好了。 —

It bored Nana to write letters; besides, she was not sure of her spelling, while her old friend could turn out the most feeling epistles. —
娜娜讨厌写信；而且，她不确定自己的拼写是否正确，而她的老朋友却能写出最感人的信。 —

She ran to fetch some good note paper in her bedroom. —
她跑到卧室去拿一些好的信纸。 —

An inkstand consisting of a bottle of ink worth about three sous stood untidily on one of the pieces of furniture, with a pen deep in rust beside it. —
一个价值大约三个硬币的墨水瓶座落在家具上，旁边有一支深深生锈的钢笔。 —

The letter was for Daguenet. Mme Maloir herself wrote in her bold English hand, “My darling little man,” and then she told him not to come tomorrow because “that could not be” but hastened to add that “she was with him in thought at every moment of the day, whether she were near or far away.”
这封信是给达盖尼的。玛洛瓦夫人亲自用她大胆的英文手写了“我亲爱的小男人”，然后告诉他明天不用来，因为“那不可能”，但她赶紧补充道“无论她离近还是离远，她在每一天的每一刻都与他同在”。

“And I end with ‘a thousand kisses,’” she murmured.
“而我以’千次吻’结束，”她低声说道。

Mme Lerat had shown her approval of each phrase with an emphatic nod. Her eyes were sparkling; —
勒拉太太用重重的点头表示对每个词句的赞许。她的眼睛闪烁着，她喜欢置身于爱情中。 —

she loved to find herself in the midst of love affairs. —
她被一种想要加上自己的一些话的欲望所抓住，她装出温柔的样子，像鸽子般咕咕地说道： —

Nay, she was seized with a desire to add some words of her own and, assuming a tender look and cooing like a dove, she suggested:
“千次吻在你美丽的眼睛上。”

“A thousand kisses on thy beautiful eyes.”
“就是这个：’千次吻在你美丽的眼睛上’！”

“That’s the thing: ‘a thousand kisses on thy beautiful eyes’!” —
娜娜重复道，两位老太太面带喜悦的表情。 —

Nana repeated, while the two old ladies assumed a beatified expression.
佐伊被叫来，被告知把信交给一个特派员。

Zoe was rung for and told to take the letter down to a commissionaire. —
她刚刚与剧院信使交谈过，他带给女主人当天的演出广告和排练安排，但他早上忘记了。 —

She had just been talking with the theater messenger, who had brought her mistress the day’s playbill and rehearsal arrangements, which he had forgotten in the morning. —
娜娜让这个人进来，等他回来时让他把信交给达格内。 —

Nana had this individual ushered in and got him to take the latter to Daguenet on his return. —
然后她问了他几个问题。噢，是的！博尔德纳夫先生非常高兴； —

Then she put questions to him. Oh yes! M. Bordenave was very pleased; —
人们已经在接下来的一周里订了座； —

people had already taken seats for a week to come; —
“That’s the thing: ‘a thousand kisses on thy beautiful eyes’!” —

Madame had no idea of the number of people who had been asking her address since morning. —
夫人早晨以来询问她地址的人数，她毫不知情。 —

When the man had taken his departure Nana announced that at most she would only be out half an hour. If there were any visitors Zoe would make them wait. —
当那个男人离去后，娜娜宣布她最多只能外出半小时。如果有访客，佐伊会让他们等待。 —

As she spoke the electric bell sounded. It was a creditor in the shape of the man of whom she jobbed her carriages. —
她一边说着，电铃响了。是一个债权人，他是她租车的人。 —

He had settled himself on the bench in the anteroom, and the fellow was free to twiddle his thumbs till night–there wasn’t the least hurry now.
他已经在前厅的长椅上安顿好了，这个家伙可以闲得发慌，直到晚上——现在一点也不急了。

“Come, buck up!” said Nana, still torpid with laziness and yawning and stretching afresh. —
“加油！”娜娜依然懒散地说着，打着哈欠，又伸了个懒腰。 —

“I ought to be there now!”
“我现在应该到那里了！”

Yet she did not budge but kept watching the play of her aunt, who had just announced four aces. —
然而，她不动弹，继续观察着她的姑姑的表演，姑姑刚刚宣布了四个A。 —

Chin on hand, she grew quite engrossed in it but gave a violent start on hearing three o’clock strike.
手托着下巴，她完全投入其中，但听到三点钟敲响时，她猛地一跳。

“Good God!” she cried roughly.
“天哪！”她粗声喊道。

Then Mme Maloir, who was counting the tricks she had won with her tens and aces, said cheeringly to her in her soft voice:
然后，玛洛瓦夫人（Mme Maloir），她正在计算她用十和A赢得的牌技，用温柔的声音激励着她说道：

“It would be better, dearie, to give up your expedition at once.”
“亲爱的，最好立即放弃你的探险。”

“No, be quick about it,” said Mme Lerat, shuffling the cards. —
“不，快一点”，勒拉夫人说着从牌堆中划出卡片。 —

“I shall take the half-past four o’clock train if you’re back here with the money before four o’clock.”
“如果你在四点之前回来并带回钱，我就赶上四点的火车。”

“Oh, there’ll be no time lost,” she murmured.
“哦，不会浪费时间的，”她嘟囔着。

Ten minutes after Zoe helped her on with a dress and a hat. —
十分钟后，佐伊帮她穿上了一条裙子和一顶帽子。 —

It didn’t matter much if she were badly turned out. —
她的打扮并不重要。 —

Just as she was about to go downstairs there was a new ring at the bell. —
就在她准备下楼的时候，门铃又响了一声。 —

This time it was the charcoal dealer. Very well, he might keep the livery-stable keeper company–it would amuse the fellows. —
这次是炭匠来了。好吧，他可以和马厩的人一起玩–会让那些家伙开心的。 —

Only, as she dreaded a scene, she crossed the kitchen and made her escape by the back stairs. —
只是，由于她害怕场面，她穿过厨房，通过后楼梯逃了出去。 —

She often went that way and in return had only to lift up her flounces.
她经常走那条路，只需要扬起衣襟就可以回来了。

“When one is a good mother anything’s excusable,” said Mme Maloir sententiously when left alone with Mme Lerat.
“当一个好妈妈时，什么都可以原谅，”在勒拉夫人离开后，玛洛伊夫人庄重地说道。

“Four kings,” replied this lady, whom the play greatly excited.
“四个国王，”这位女士回答道，玩得非常兴奋。

And they both plunged into an interminable game.
然后他们两个都陷入了一场无尽的游戏。

The table had not been cleared. The smell of lunch and the cigarette smoke filled the room with an ambient, steamy vapor. —
桌子上没有被清理。午餐的味道和香烟的烟雾充满了房间，弥漫着一种环境般的蒸汽。 —

The two ladies had again set to work dipping lumps of sugar in brandy and sucking the same. —
两位女士又开始了他们的工作，将块糖蘸入白兰地里吮吸。 —

For twenty minutes at least they played and sucked simultaneously when, the electric bell having rung a third time, Zoe bustled into the room and roughly disturbed them, just as if they had been her own friends.
至少有二十分钟他们同时吸着糖和玩着牌，就在电铃第三次响起的时候，佐伊粗暴地闯进房间，就好像她认识她们一样。

“Look here, that’s another ring. You can’t stay where you are. —
“你看，又响了。你们不能留在这里。 —

If many foiks call I must have the whole flat. —
如果有很多人来电，我得给整个公寓使用。 —

Now off you go, off you go!”
现在你们走吧，走吧！”

Mme Maloir was for finishing the game, but Zoe looked as if she was going to pounce down on the cards, and so she decided to carry them off without in any way altering their positions, while Mme Lerat undertook the removal of the brandy bottle, the glasses and the sugar. —
马洛瓦夫人想要把游戏玩完，但佐伊看起来好像要扑下来拿走牌，所以她决定把它们带走，而不改变它们的位置，与此同时，勒拉夫人负责拿走白兰地瓶子、玻璃杯和糖。 —

Then they both scudded to the kitchen, where they installed themselves at the table in an empty space between the dishcloths, which were spread out to dry, and the bowl still full of dishwater.
接着他们俩就匆匆走到厨房，在一个空闲的位置上坐到桌子旁边，桌子上还有摊开晾干的抹布和一个装满洗碗水的碗。

“We said it was three hundred and forty. It’s your turn.”
“我们说的是340。轮到你了。”

“I play hearts.”
“我出红桃。”

When Zoe returned she found them once again absorbed. —
当佐伊回来时，她发现他们再次沉浸其中。 —

After a silence, as Mme Lerat was shuffling, Mme Maloir asked who it was.
沉默了一会，当Mme Lerat在洗牌的时候，Mme Maloir问是谁。

“Oh, nobody to speak of,” replied the servant carelessly; “a slip of a lad! —
“哦，没什么好说的人，”仆人漫不经心地回答道，“一个年轻小伙子！ —

I wanted to send him away again, but he’s such a pretty boy with never a hair on his chin and blue eyes and a girl’s face! —
我本来想把他打发走的，但他是个长得很漂亮的小子，脸上从没有胡子，还有一双蓝眼睛和一个女孩子一样的脸！ —

So I told him to wait after all. He’s got an enormous bouquet in his hand, which he never once consented to put down. —
所以我还是告诉他等一下。他手里还拿着一束巨大的花，从来没有肯放下。 —

One would like to catch him one–a brat like that who ought to be at school still!”
真想抓住他，一个像他那样应该还在上学的小家伙！”

Mme Lerat went to fetch a water bottle to mix herself some brandy and water, the lumps of sugar having rendered her thirsty. —
Mme Lerat去拿了一个水瓶，准备给自己调一些白兰地和水喝，这些糖块让她口渴了。 —

Zoe muttered something to the effect that she really didn’t mind if she drank something too. —
Zoe低声嘟囔着，大概是说她真的不介意喝点什么。 —

Her mouth, she averred, was as bitter as gall.
她断言，她的嘴像苦胆一样苦。

“So you put him–?” continued Mme Maloir.
“所以你把他放在……？”玛洛瓦夫人继续问。

“Oh yes, I put him in the closet at the end of the room, the little unfurnished one. —
“啊，是的，我把他放在屋子尽头的壁橱里面，那个小的没有家具的房间。 —

There’s only one of my lady’s trunks there and a table. —
那里只有我女主人的一个箱子和一张桌子。 —

It’s there I stow the lubbers.”
我把那些笨蛋都藏在那里。”

And she was putting plenty of sugar in her grog when the electric bell made her jump. —
当她往她的酒里加了很多糖时，电铃声吓了她一跳。 —

Oh, drat it all! Wouldn’t they let her have a drink in peace? —
哎呀，真是讨厌！他们难道不会让她安心喝一杯吗？ —

If they were to have a peal of bells things promised well. —
如果他们要来一阵钟声，事情前景可喜。 —

Nevertheless, she ran off to open the door.
然而，她跑去开门。

Returning presently, she saw Mme Maloir questioning her with a glance.
不久之后，她回来时，看到玛洛瓦夫人用眼神询问她。

“It’s nothing,” she said, “only a bouquet.”
“没事，”她说，“只是一束花。”

All three refreshed themselves, nodding to each other in token of salutation. —
三人都喝了口东西，点头示意问候。 —

Then while Zoe was at length busy clearing the table, bringing the plates out one by one and putting them in the sink, two other rings followed close upon one another. —
等Zoe终于忙着清理桌子，把盘子一个一个拿出来放在水槽里时，又接连响起了两声门铃。 —

But they weren’t serious, for while keeping the kitchen informed of what was going on she twice repeated her disdainful expression:
但他们并不认真，因为在厨房里告知他们发生的事情时，她两次重复了她鄙视的表情：

“Nothing, only a bouquet.”
“没什么，只是一束花。

Notwithstanding which, the old ladies laughed between two of their tricks when they heard her describe the looks of the creditors in the anteroom after the flowers had arrived. —
尽管如此，当听到她描述花束送到之后债权人在门厅里的样子时，老太太们还是在她们的戏谑之间笑了起来。 —

Madame would find her bouquets on her toilet table. —
夫人会在她的梳妆台上找到她的花束。 —

What a pity it was they cost such a lot and that you could only get ten sous for them! —
可惜花束的价格如此之高，而你只能以十个苏的价格卖掉它们！ —

Oh dear, yes, plenty of money was wasted!
天哪，是的，浪费了好多钱！

“For my part,” said Mme Maloir, “I should be quite content if every day of my life I got what the men in Paris had spent on flowers for the women.”
“就我个人而言，”马卢瓦夫人说，”如果我一辈子每天都能得到巴黎男人们为女人花费的数目，我会很满足的。

“Now, you know, you’re not hard to please,” murmured Mme Lerat. “Why, one would have only just enough to buy thread with. —
“现在你知道了，你并不是很难取悦，”莱拉夫人低声说道，”噢，那样的话我们只能刚刚够买线线。 —

Four queens, my dear.”
四个皇后，亲爱的。

It was ten minutes to four. Zoe was astonished, could not understand why her mistress was out so long. —
快到四点的时候了。佐伊感到惊讶，不明白为什么她的女主人出去这么久。 —

Ordinarily when Madame found herself obliged to go out in the afternoons she got it over in double-quick time. —
通常情况下，当夫人发现自己不得不在下午出去时，她总是迅速地完成。 —

But Mme Maloir declared that one didn’t always manage things as one wished. —
但马洛瓦夫人声称，人们并不总能按照自己的意愿来安排事情。 —

Truly, life was beset with obstacles, averred Mme Lerat. The best course was to wait. —
确实，生活充满了阻碍，勒拉夫人说。最好的办法就是耐心等待。 —

If her niece was long in coming it was because her occupations detained her; wasn’t it so? —
如果她的侄女迟迟不来，那是因为她的工作占用了她的时间，不是吗？ —

Besides, they weren’t overworked–it was comfortable in the kitchen. —
此外，她们并没有过度劳累——厨房里很舒适。 —

And as hearts were out, Mme Lerat threw down diamonds.
当勒拉夫人把红心扔下时，钻石起了作用。

The bell began aga in her small gloved hands.
铃声再次响起，回荡在她那只小巧的手上。

It was too late now–Mme Lerat would not go to Rambouillet till tomorrow, and Nana entered into long explanations.
现在已经太晚了——勒拉夫人明天才会去兰布伊，娜娜进一步解释。

“There’s company waiting for you,” the lady’s maid repeated.
“有人在等你”,女仆重复道。

But Nana grew excited again. The company might wait: —
但娜娜再次变得兴奋起来。不管那些人等多久，她都会在适当的时候去见他们。 —

she’d go to them all in good time when she’d finished. —
当她的姑妈开始伸手要钱时： —

And as her aunt began putting her hand out for the money:
娜娜会在完成之后会适时去见他们。

“Ah no! Not all of it,” she said. “Three hundred francs for the nurse, fifty for your journey and expenses, that’s three hundred and fifty. —
“啊不! 不要全部都给,” 她说。“给护士三百法郎，你的旅行和费用五十法郎，加起来是三百五十。 —

Fifty francs I keep.”
我留下五十法郎。”

The big difficulty was how to find change. There were not ten francs in the house. —
最大的困难是找零钱。房子里没有十法郎。 —

But they did not even address themselves to Mme Maloir who, never having more than a six-sou omnibus fair upon her, was listening in quite a disinterested manner. —
但他们甚至没有找到马卢瓦夫人，她手头从来没有超过六索巴士车费，所以她没有多大兴趣地听着。 —

At length Zoe went out of the room, remarking that she would go and looin, and when Zoe reappeared she was burning with excitement.
Zoe最后离开了房间，说她要出去闲逛一下，当Zoe再次出现时她充满了兴奋。

“My children, it’s fat Steiner!” she said in the doorway, lowering her voice as she spoke. —
“孩子们，是胖史坦纳!” 她在门口压低声音说。 —

“I’ve put HIM in the little sitting room.”
“我把他放在小客厅里了。”

Thereupon Mme Maloir spoke about the banker to Mme Lerat, who knew no such gentleman. —
然后马洛伊小姐对不认识这位绅士的勒拉女士说了一番话。 —

Was he getting ready to give Rose Mignon the go-by? Zoe shook her head; —
他准备甩掉罗丝·米纳昂吗？佐伊摇了摇头；她知道一些内幕。 —

she knew a thing or two. But once more she had to go and open the door.
但她又得去开门。

“Here’s bothers!” she murmured when she came back. “It’s the nigger! —
“麻烦了！”她回来时低声嘀咕道。”是黑人！ —

‘Twasn’t any good telling him that my lady’s gone out, and so he’s settled himself in the bedroom. —
对他说我的夫人出去了也没用，他就在卧室里安顿下来了。 —

We only expected him this evening.”
我们只是预计到今晚他才会来。

At a quarter past four Nana was not in yet. What could she be after? It was silly of her! —
四点一刻时，娜娜还没回来。她到底在搞什么？真傻！ —

Two other bouquets were brought round, and Zoe, growing bored looked to see if there were any coffee left. —
又有两束花被送过来，佐伊有点无聊地看看还有没有咖啡。 —

Yes, the ladies would willingly finish off the coffee; it would waken them up. —
是的，女士们愿意喝完剩下的咖啡；它会让她们清醒些。 —

Sitting hunched up on their chairs, they were beginning to fall asleep through dint of constantly taking their cards between their fingers with the accustomed movement. —
她们坐在椅子上一动不动，不停地用手指拿着牌，已经开始因为经常这样做而打瞌睡了。 —

The half-hour sounded. Something must decidedly have happened to Madame. —
半个小时过去了。玛达一定出了什么事。 —

And they began whispering to each other.
他们开始低声交谈。

Suddenly Mme Maloir forgot herself and in a ringing voice announced: —
突然，马瓦尔夫人忘记了自己，用响亮的声音宣布道： —

“I’ve the five hundred! Trumps, Major Quint!”
“我有五百分！主牌，昆特少校！”

“Oh, do be quiet!” said Zoe angrily. “What will all those gentlemen think?” —
“哦，闭嘴！”琢儿生气地说道。“那些绅士们会怎么想呢？” —

And in the silence which ensued and amid the whispered muttering of the two old women at strife over their game, the sound of rapid footsteps ascended from the back stairs. —
在接下来的寂静中，在两位老妇人为了游戏而争吵的低语声中，迅速的脚步声从后楼梯传来。 —

It was Nana at last. Before she had opened the door her breathlessness became audible. —
娜娜终于来了。在她打开门之前，她的喘息声就已经能听到了。 —

She bounced abruptly in, looking very red in the face. —
她突然冲了进来，脸色通红。 —

Her skirt, the string of which must have been broken, was trailing over the stairs, and her flounces had just been dipped in a puddle of something unpleasant which had oozed out on the landing of the first floor, where the servant girl was a regular slut.
她的裙子，可能是被打开的腰带绊住了，拖在楼梯上，她的饰边刚刚沾上了一滩从一楼走廊渗出的不好闻的东西，那个女佣就是个彻头彻尾的懒婆娘。

“Here you are! It’s lucky!” said Mme Lerat, pursing up her lips, for she was still vexed at Mme Maloir’s “five hundred.” —
“你来了！真赶上了！”勒拉夫人嘴唇紧抿，因为她对马瓦尔夫人的“五百分”仍然感到生气。 —

“You may flatter yourself at the way you keep folks waiting.”
“你可以自愧不如，谁给你们这些人等那么久的权利啊。”

“Madame isn’t reasonable; indeed, she isn’t!” added Zoe.
“Madame不讲理，真的不讲理！” Zoe补充道。

Nana was already harassed, and these reproaches exasperated her. —
Nana已经很受困扰了，这些责备使她恼火。 —

Was that the way people received her after the worry she had gone through?
经历了这么多困扰，人们是这样对待她的吗？

“Will you blooming well leave me alone, eh?” she cried.
“你就不会离开我，是吗？”她喊道。

“Hush, ma’am, there are people in there,” said the maid.
“嘘，夫人，里面有人。”女佣说道。

Then in lower tones the young Woman stuttered breathlessly:
然后，年轻女人用低沉的声音结结巴巴地喘息着说：

“D’you suppose I’ve been having a good time? Why, there was no end to it. —
“你以为我过得很愉快吗？哪儿都没有个完。” —

I should have liked to see you there! I was boiling with rage! I felt inclined to smack somebody. —
“我真希望你当时在那里！我怒火中烧！我都想扇人一耳光了。” —

And never a cab to come home in! Luckily it’s only a step from here, but never mind that; —
“连辆出租车都没有来！幸好离这儿只有一步之遥，但不管那个；” —

I did just run home.”
“我跑回家了。”

“You have the money?” asked the aunt.
“你有钱吗？”姑姑问道。

“Dear, dear! That question!” rejoined Nana.
“亲爱的，亲爱的！这个问题！”Nana回应道。

She had sat herself down on a chair close up against the stove, for her legs had failed her after so much running, and without stopping to take breath she drew from behind her stays an envelope in which there were four hundred-franc notes. —
她坐在离火炉很近的一把椅子上，因为跑了这么多腿也不行了，连喘口气的功夫都没有，便从紧身衣后面掏出一个信封，里面有四张一百法郎的钞票。 —

They were visible through a large rent she had torn with savage fingers in order to be sure of the contents. —
她用凶残的手指拉扯出一个大口子，以便确定内容物，它们能够清晰地被看见。 —

The three women round about her stared fixedly at the envelope, a big, crumpled, dirty receptacle, as it lay claspedk in her box, and she brought back a hundred francs in hundred-sou pieces. —
她的箱子里放着一个又大、折皱、脏兮兮的信封，她捧着它，三个围在她旁边的女人目不转睛地看着它，她带回了一百法郎，都是一百个一法郎的硬币。 —

They were counted out on a corner of the table, and Mme Lerat took her departure at once after having promised to bring Louiset back with her the following day.
这些硬币在桌子一角被数了出来，Lerat夫人立刻离开了，她承诺第二天会带路易赛回来。

“You say there’s company there?” continued Nana, still sitting on the chair and resting herself.
“你说那边有客人？”纳娜继续坐在椅子上，休息着。

“Yes, madame, three people.”
“是的，夫人，有三个人。”

And Zoe mentioned the banker first. Nana made a face. —
然后佐伊首先提到了那位银行家。纳娜皱了皱眉头。 —

Did that man Steiner think she was going to let herself be bored because he had thrown her a bouquet yesterday evening?
斯泰纳那个人以为昨晚给她送了束花，她就会容忍自己无聊吗？

“Besides, I’ve had enough of it,” she declared. —
“况且，我已受够了。”她宣称。 —

“I shan’t receive today. Go and say you don’t expect me now.”
“今天我不收客。去告诉他们现在不用等我。”

“Madame will think the matter over; Madame will receive Monsieur Steiner,” murmured Zoe gravely, without budging from her place. —
“夫人将仔细考虑此事; 夫人将接见斯坦纳先生，”佐伊庄严地说道，一动不动地站在原地。 —

She was annoyed to see her mistress on the verge of committing another foolish mistake.
她看到女主人正快要再次犯一个愚蠢的错误，感到非常烦恼。

Then she mentioned the Walachian, who ought by now to find time hanging heavy on his hands in the bedroom. —
然后她提到了那个瓦拉凯人，那个现在应该闲得无聊透顶的人。 —

Whereupon Nana grew furious and more obstinate than ever. —
于是，娜娜变得愤怒起来，比以往更固执。 —

No, she would see nobody, nobody! Who’d sent her such a blooming leech of a man?
不，她不想见任何人，任何人都不愿意！是谁给她派来了这么一个可恶的吸血鬼？

“Chuck ‘em all out! I–I’m going to play a game of bezique with Madame Maloir. I prefer doing that.”
“都给我滚出去！我——我要和玛丽·马洛尔夫人玩一局斯派克游戏。我更喜欢那样做。”

The bell interrupted her remarks. That was the last straw. Another of the beggars yet! —
门铃打断了她的发言。那是最后一根稻草。又来了一个乞丐！ —

She forbade Zoe to go and open the door, but the latter had left the kitchen without listening to her, and when she reappeared she brought back a couple of cards and said authoritatively:
她禁止佐伊去开门，但后者根本没听她的，离开厨房。当她回来时，她带回了两张名片，并权威地说道：

“I told them that Madame was receiving visitors. The gentlemen are in the drawing room.”
“我告诉他们夫人正在接待客人。两位先生在客厅等着呢。”

Nana had sprung up, raging, but the names of the Marquis de Chouard and of Count Muffat de Beuville, which were inscribed on the cards, calmed her down. —
娜娜气得跳了起来，但是卡片上刻着的尚尔阁爵士和比乌维尔伯爵的名字平息了她的怒火。 —

For a moment or two she remained silent.
她默默地沉思了一会儿。

“Who are they?” she asked at last. “You know them?”
“他们是谁？” 最后她问道。 “你认识他们吗？”

“I know the old fellow,” replied Zoe, discreetly pursing up her lips.
“我认识这位老人，”佐伊回答道，嘴唇得体地紧闭着。

And her mistress continuing to question her with her eyes, she added simply:
当她的女主人继续用眼神询问时，她简单地补充道：

“I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“我在某个地方见过他。”

This remark seemed to decide the young woman. —
这句话似乎让年轻女子下定了决心。 —

Regretfully she left the kitchen, that asylum of steaming warmth, where you could talk and take your ease amid the pleasant fumes of the coffeepot which was being kept warm over a handful of glowing embers. —
她很遗憾地离开了厨房，这个充满蒸汽温暖的避难所，在那里你可以闲聊并在一把闪亮的炭火上保持咖啡壶的温暖中舒适地居住。 —

She left Mme Maloir behind her. That lady was now busy reading her fortune by the cards; —
她把马洛伊夫人留在了身后。那位女士现在正忙着用牌读她的命运； —

she had never yet taken her hat off, but now in order to be more at her ease she undid the strings and threw them back over her shoulders.
她从来没有摘下过帽子，但为了更自在一点，她解开了绳子，将它们甩在肩膀上。

In the dressing room, where Zoe rapidly helped her on with a tea gown, Nana revenged herself for the way in which they were all boring her by muttering quiet curses upon the male sex. —
在更衣室里，佐伊迅速地帮她穿上了一件茶袍，娜娜为他们所有人都让她厌烦的方式报复着，轻声咒骂着男性。 —

These big words caused the lady’s maid not a little distress, for she saw with pain that her mistress was not rising superior to her origin as quickly as she could have desired. —
这些高大上的词语让这个女仆非常痛苦，因为她痛苦地看到她的女主人没有像她希望的那样迅速超越自己的出身。 —

She even made bold to beg Madame to calm herself.
她甚至大胆地请求夫人冷静下来。

“You bet,” was Nana’s crude answer; “they’re swine; they glory in that sort of thing.”
“当然，”娜娜粗鲁地回答道，“他们都是畜生，他们以那种事情为荣。”

Nevertheless, she assumed her princesslike manner, as she was wont to call it. —
然而，她还是采取了公主般的举止，就像她所称呼的那样。 —

But just when she was turning to go into the drawing room Zoe held her back and herself introduced the Marquis de Chouard and the Count Muffat into the dressing room. —
但就在她转身走向客厅时，佐伊拦住了她，并亲自将乔阿尔侯爵和马法特伯爵引入了更衣室。 —

It was much better so.
这样更好。

“I regret having kept you waiting, gentlemen,” said the young woman with studied politeness.
“对于让你们等待，我很抱歉，先生们，”年轻女子客气地说道。

The two men bowed and seated themselves. A blind of embroidered tulle kept the little room in twilight. —
两个男人鞠躬并坐下。一块刺绣薄纱的帘子使小房间处于微光中。 —

It was the most elegant chamber in the flat, for it was hung with some light-colored fabric and contained a cheval glass framed in inlaid wood, a lounge chair and some others with arms and blue satin upholsteries. —
这是公寓里最优雅的房间，因为它挂有一些浅色的织物，里面还摆放着一个用镶嵌木框架装饰的立式镜子、一张有扶手和蓝色缎面衬垫的躺椅，以及其他一些家具。 —

On the toilet table the bouquets–roses, lilacs and hyacinths–appeared like a very ruin of flowers. Their perfume was strong and penetrating, while through the dampish air of the place, which was full of the spoiled exhalations of the washstand, came occasional whiffs of a more pungent scent, the scent of some grains or dry patchouli ground to fine powder at the bottom of a cup. —
在梳妆台上，花束——玫瑰、丁香和风信子——看起来像是残破不堪的花朵。它们的香气浓郁而独特，而在这个空气潮湿的地方，弥漫着洗脸台散发出的刺鼻之臭，偶尔还飘来一阵更浓烈的香味，那是一些谷粒或干燥的广藿香研磨成细粉后留在杯底的香味。 —

And as she gathered herself together and drew up her dressing jacket, which had been ill fastened, Nana had all the appearance of having been surprised at her toilet: —
当她整理好自己，拉起她穿得不好的晨衣时，娜娜看起来像是被她的梳妆所惊讶了。 —

her skin was still damp; she smiled and looked quite startled amid her frills and laces.
她的皮肤还湿润着；她笑着，看起来在她的花边和蕾丝之间相当惊讶。

“Madame, you will pardon our insistence,” said the Count Muffat gravely. “We come on a quest. —
“夫人，对于我们的坚持，您会原谅的，”穆法伯爵庄重地说道。“我们来找您有要事。” —

Monsieur and I are members of the Benevolent Organization of the district.”
我先生和我都是该区仁慈组织的成员。

The Marquis de Chouard hastened gallantly to add:
夏尔德侯爵迅速有礼地补充道：

“When we learned that a great artiste lived in this house we promised ourselves that we would put the claims of our poor people before her in a very special manner. —
“当我们得知这栋房子里住着一位伟大的艺术家时，我们承诺会以非常特殊的方式将我们贫困人民的要求提前考虑。” —

Talent is never without a heart.”
才华从来都不会没有一颗善良的心。

Nana pretended to be modest. She answered them with little assenting movements of her head, making rapid reflections at the same time. —
娜娜假装谦虚地回答他们，同时用头微微点动表示同意，并快速思考着。 —

It must be the old man that had brought the other one: he had such wicked eyes. —
肯定是老人把另一个人带来的：他的眼睛如此邪恶。 —

And yet the other was not to be trusted either: —
然而另一个人也不能被信任： —

the veins near his temples were so queerly puffed up. He might quite well have come by himself. —
他太阳穴附近的静脉异常肿胀。他可能完全可以自己过来。 —

Ah, now that she thought of it, it was this way: —
啊，现在她想起来了，是这样的： —

the porter had given them her name, and they had egged one another on, each with his own ends in view.
门卫给他们她的名字，他们相互鼓动着，各有各的目的。

“Most certainly, gentlemen, you were quite right to come up,” she said with a very good grace.
“先生们，你们上来是完全正确的，”她非常亲切地说道。

But the electric bell made her tremble again. —
但是电铃又让她颤抖起来。 —

Another call, and that Zoe always opening the door! She went on:
另一个电话，还是那个总是开门的佐伊！她继续说：

“One is only too happy to be able to give.”
“有机会帮助别人，实在是太高兴了。”

At bottom she was flattered.
实际上她感到受宠若惊。

“Ah, madame,” rejoined the marquis, “if only you knew about it! there’s such misery! —
“啊，夫人，”侯爵回答道，”如果您知道其中情况的话！这里有那么多的苦难！ —

Our district has more than three thousand poor people in it, and yet it’s one of the richest. —
我们所在的地区有三千多贫困人口，却是最富裕的地方之一。 —

You cannot picture to yourself anything like the present distress–children with no bread, women ill, utterly without assistance, perishing of the cold!”
您无法想象目前的困境——孩子们没有面包，妇女生病了，没有任何帮助，冻得要死！”

“The poor souls!” cried Nana, very much moved.
“可怜的灵魂啊！”娜娜动容地说道。

Such was her feeling of compassion that tears flooded her fine eyes. —
她的同情心如此之深，以至于眼泪涌上眼眶。 —

No longer studying deportment, she leaned forward with a quick movement, and under her open dressing jacket her neck became visible, while the bent position of her knees served to outline the rounded contour of the thigh under the thin fabric of her skirt. —
她不再学习仪态，用一个快速的动作向前倾斜，露出了她敞开的外套下面的脖子，而她弯曲的膝盖的姿势则勾勒出了裙子薄薄的面料下圆润的大腿轮廓。 —

A little flush of blood appeared in the marquis’s cadaverous cheeks. —
尸体一般的脸颊上浮现出一丝血色。 —

Count Muffat, who was on the point of speaking, lowered his eyes. —
马夫塔伯爵正要开口，他低下了眼睛。 —

The air of that little room was too hot: it had the close, heavy warmth of a greenhouse. —
这个小房间的空气太热了：它有着温室般的密闭而沉重的热度。 —

The roses were withering, and intoxicating odors floated up from the patchouli in the cup.
玫瑰花正在凋谢，混合补草根的香气从香包中飘上来。

“One would like to be very rich on occasions like this,” added Nana. “Well, well, we each do what we can. —
“人们希望在这样的场合下拥有很多财富，”娜娜补充道。“嗯，嗯，我们都尽力而为。 —

Believe me, gentlemen, if I had known–”
相信我，先生们，如果我早知道——”

She was on the point of being guilty of a silly speech, so melted was she at heart. —
她差点说了一个愚蠢的话，她的心已经化成了水。 —

But she did not end her sentence and for a moment was worried at not being able to remember where she had put her fifty francs on changing her dress. —
但她没有说完这句话，一时间她为自己记不起把五十法郎放在更换衣服时放在哪里而担心着。 —

But she recollected at last: they must be on the corner of her toilet table under an inverted pomatum pot. —
但最后她想起来了：它们一定在她的梳妆台上，一个倒过来的发脂罐下面。 —

As she was in the act of rising the bell sounded for quite a long time. Capital! —
当她正要起身时，铃声响了很久。太好了！ —

Another of them still! It would never end. —
又来一个！永远不会停止。 —

The count and the marquis had both risen, too, and the ears of the latter seemed to be pricked up and, as it were, pointing toward the door; —
伯爵和侯爵也都站了起来，后者的耳朵似乎竖了起来，仿佛指向门口；无疑他认识那种铃声。马法特看着他，然后互相避开视线。 —

doubtless he knew that kind of ring. Muffat looked at him; then they averted their gaze mutually. —
他们感到尴尬，又重新恢复了冷漠的样子，一个看起来方方正正、稳如磐石，头发浓密；另一个则将瘦削的肩膀稍稍往后缩，头发薄而白。 —

They felt awkward and once more assumed their frigid bearing, the one looking square-set and solid with his thick head of hair, the other drawing back his lean shoulders, over which fell his fringe of thin white locks.
“我是相信的，”娜娜说着，拿出十枚大银币，决心笑一笑，“我要委托给你们，先生们。这是给穷人的。”

“My faith,” said Nana, bringing the ten big silver pieces and quite determined to laugh about it, “I am going to entrust you with this, gentlemen. —
她的下巴上露出了可爱的酒窝。 —

It is for the poor.”
说完这句话，“信仰”拿出大银币，有准备地要笑一笑，“为了穷人。”

And the adorable little dimple in her chin became apparent. —
她的下巴上露出了可爱的酒窝。 —

She assumed her favorite pose, her amiable baby expression, as she held the pile of five-franc pieces on her open palm and offered it to the men, as though she were saying to them, “Now then, who wants some?” —
她摆出了她最喜欢的姿势，有着可爱的婴儿表情，她把一堆五法郎的硬币放在手心上，向男士们递了过去，仿佛在对他们说：“现在，谁要一些呢？” —

The count was the sharper of the two. He took fifty francs but left one piece behind and, in order to gain possession of it, had to pick it off the young woman’s very skin, a moist, supple skin, the touch of which sent a thrill through him. —
两人中的计较更厉害。他拿了五十法郎，但却把一枚硬币留了下来，为了取得它，不得不从年轻女人的皮肤上拿掉它，那是一种湿润、柔软的皮肤，触摸它使他激动不已。 —

She was thoroughly merry and did not cease laughing.
她十分开心，笑个不停。

“Come, gentlemen,” she continued. “Another time I hope to give more.”
“来吧，先生们，”她继续说道，”下次我希望能给更多。”

The gentlemen no longer had any pretext for staying, and they bowed and went toward the door. —
这些先生们已经没有任何借口再留下，他们鞠躬向门走去。 —

But just as they were about to go out the bell rang anew. —
就在他们要出去的时候，门铃又响了起来。 —

The marquis could not conceal a faint smile, while a frown made the count look more grave than before. —
司令看不住地微微笑了起来，而男爵的表情更加严肃了。 —

Nana detained them some seconds so as to give Zoe time to find yet another corner for the newcomers. She did not relish meetings at her house. —
娜娜停留了一些时间，让佐伊有足够的时间为新来的人找到另一个角落。她不喜欢在她的房子里碰面。 —

Only this time the whole place must be packed! —
这一次整个地方必须挤满人！ —

She was therefore much relieved when she saw the drawing room empty and asked herself whether Zoe had really stuffed them into the cupboards.
因此当她看到客厅空无一人时，她感到非常宽慰，她问自己Zoe是否真的把他们塞进了橱柜里。

“Au revoir, gentlemen,” she said, pausing on the threshold of the drawing room.
“再见，先生们，”她说着，停在客厅门口。

It was as though she lapped them in her laughing smile and clear, unclouded glance. —
她仿佛用她的笑容和清澈的目光将他们拥抱。 —

The Count Muffat bowed slightly. Despite his great social experience he felt that he had lost his equilibrium. —
穆法伯爵微微鞠了一躬。尽管他有丰富的社交经验，但他感觉自己失去了平衡。 —

He needed air; he was overcome with the dizzy feeling engendered in that dressing room with a scent of flowers, with a feminine essence which choked him. —
他需要空气；他被那个带着花香、有一种令人窒息的女性气息的化妆间压倒了。 —

And behind his back, the Marquis de Chouard, who was sure that he could not be seen, made so bold as to wink at Nana, his whole face suddenly altering its expression as he did so, and his tongue nigh lolling from his mouth.
在他背后，尚尔侯爵知道他被看不见，于是冒失地对娜娜眨了眨眼，他的整张脸突然改变了表情，舌头几乎又要探出嘴外。

When the young woman re-entered the little room, where Zoe was awaiting her with letters and visiting cards, she cried out, laughing more heartily than ever:
当那个年轻女人重新进入小房间时，佐伊已经在那里等候她，手里拿着信和名片，她笑着大声喊道：

“There are a pair of beggars for you! Why, they’ve got away with my fifty francs!”
“看看这两个乞丐！他们竟然把我的五十法郎骗走了！”

She wasn’t vexed. It struck her as a joke that MEN should have got money out of her. —
她并不生气，她觉得这是个笑话，男人们竟然从她那里骗到了钱。 —

All the same, they were swine, for she hadn’t a sou left. —
尽管如此，他们真是畜生，因为她一文不名了。 —

But at sight of the cards and the letters her bad temper returned. —
但是她看到那些名片和信后，又开始发脾气了。 —

As to the letters, why, she said “pass” to them. —
至于那些信，她说不再理会它们。 —

They were from fellows who, after applauding her last night, were now making their declarations. —
这些信都是从昨晚在她演出后为她鼓掌的人们那里来的，他们现在都在表白。 —

And as to the callers, they might go about their business!
至于那些拜访者，他们可以滚蛋了！

Zoe had stowed them all over the place, and she called attention to the great capabilities of the flat, every room in which opened on the corridor. —
佐伊把他们都塞到了各个角落，她还指出公寓的每个房间都通向走廊，这些地方都可以用来收纳。 —

That wasn’t the case at Mme Blanche’s, where people had all to go through the drawing room. —
在白夫人的地方就不一样了，人们必须经过客厅才能去其他房间。 —

Oh yes, Mme Blanche had had plenty of bothers over it!
哦，是的，白夫人在这个问题上真是碰到了很多麻烦！

“You will send them all away,” continued Nana in pursuance of her idea. “Begin with the nigger.”
“继续把他们都赶走，”娜娜坚持着她的想法说。”从黑奴开始。”

“Oh, as to him, madame, I gave him his marching orders a while ago,” said Zoe with a grin. “He only wanted to tell Madame that he couldn’t come to-night.”
“哦，关于他，夫人，我已经给他下了命令，”佐伊得意地说道。”他只是想告诉夫人他今晚不能来。”

There was vast joy at this announcement, and Nana clapped her hands. —
这一宣布引起了极大的欢乐，娜娜拍着手。 —

He wasn’t coming, what good luck! She would be free then! —
他不来了，真是多么幸运！那么她就自由了！ —

And she emitted sighs of relief, as though she had been let off the most abominable of tortures. —
她发出如释重负的叹息，好像刚刚摆脱了最可怕的折磨。 —

Her first thought was for Daguenet. Poor duck, why, she had just written to tell him to wait till Thursday!
她首先想到的是达格奈。可怜的小家伙，她刚写信告诉他等到星期四！

Quick, quick, Mme Maloir should write a second letter! —
快，快，马洛瓦夫人应该写第二封信！ —

But Zoe announced that Mme Maloir had slipped away unnoticed, according to her wont. —
但是佐伊宣布马洛瓦夫人已经像往常一样悄悄离开了。 —

Whereupon Nana, after talking of sending someone to him, began to hesitate. She was very tired. —
于是，娜娜在谈论着派人去找他之后，开始犹豫了。她很累。 —

A long night’s sleep–oh, it would be so jolly! —
一个漫长的睡眠–哦，那会很愉快！ —

The thought of such a treat overcame her at last. —
这个想法最终战胜了她。 —

For once in a way she could allow herself that!
就这一次，她可以给自己这个待遇！

“I shall go to bed when I come back from the theater,” she murmured greedily, “and you won’t wake me before noon.”
“我从剧院回来后就上床睡觉，”她贪婪地喃喃自语道，“你不能在中午之前叫醒我。”

Then raising her voice:
然后她提高了声音：

“Now then, gee up! Shove the others downstairs!”
“现在，走吧！把其他人都赶下楼！”

Zoe did not move. She would never have dreamed of giving her mistress overt advice, only now she made shift to give Madame the benefit of her experience when Madame seemed to be running her hot head against a wall.
佐伊没有动。她从来不会想到给她的主人明示的建议，只是现在，当主人似乎在一头撞向墙壁时，她设法在经验上给予她一些帮助。

“Monsieur Steiner as well?” she queried curtly.
“斯坦纳先生也一样？”她短暂地询问道。

“Why, certainly!” replied Nana. “Before all the rest.”
“当然！”娜娜回答道，“在所有人之前。”

The maid still waited, in order to give her mistress time for reflection. —
女仆还在等着，给她的主人一些反思的时间。 —

Would not Madame be proud to get such a rich gentleman away from her rival Rose Mignon–a man, moreover, who was known in all the theaters?
要是Madame能成功拿下这样一个在所有剧院里都有名的富翁绅士，而且将他从她的竞争对手Rose Mignon手里抢走，Madame会不会感到骄傲呢？

“Now make haste, my dear,” rejoined Nana, who perfectly understood the situation, “and tell him he pesters me.”
“快点，亲爱的，”娜娜回答道，完全理解这种情况，“告诉他他在烦我。”

But suddenly there was a reversion of feeling. Tomorrow she might want him. —
但突然间情感发生了逆转。明天她可能还需要他。 —

Whereupon she laughed, winked once or twice and with a naughty little gesture cried out:
于是她笑了笑，眨了眨眼，配合一个淘气的小手势喊道：

“After all’s said and done, if I want him the best way even now is to kick him out of doors.”
“毕竟说到底，如果我现在想要他，最好的办法还是把他踢出门外。”

Zoe seemed much impressed. Struck with a sudden admiration, she gazed at her mistress and then went and chucked Steiner out of doors without further deliberation.
Zoe似乎深受感动。突然产生的钦佩之情，她注视着主人，然后毫不犹豫地把斯坦内尔赶出了门外。

Meanwhile Nana waited patiently for a second or two in order to give her time to sweep the place out, as she phrased it. —
与此同时，娜娜耐心地等了一两秒钟，以便给她时间打扫一下房间，正如她所说的那样。 —

No one would ever have expected such a siege! —
没有人会预料到这样的围攻！ —

She craned her head into the drawing room and found it empty. The dining room was empty too. —
她把头伸进客厅，发现里面空无一人。餐厅也是空的。 —

But as she continued her visitation in a calmer frame of mind, feeling certain that nobody remained behind, she opened the door of a closet and came suddenly upon a very young man. —
但在更加冷静的心境下，她继续着她的访问，确信没有人留在后面，她打开了一个壁橱的门，突然看到一个非常年轻的男人。 —

He was sitting on the top of a trunk, holding a huge bouquet on his knees and looking exceedingly quiet and extremely well behaved.
他坐在一个旅行箱顶上，膝上放着一束巨大的花束，看起来非常安静和礼貌。

“Goodness gracious me!” she cried. “There’s one of ‘em in there even now!” —
“天啊！”她喊道。“那边仍然有一个！” —

The very young man had jumped down at sight of her and was blushing as red as a poppy. —
这个年轻小伙子一见到她就跳了下来，脸红得像一朵红罂粟。 —

He did not know what to do with his bouquet, which he kept shifting from one hand to the other, while his looks betrayed the extreme of emotion. —
他对着手里的花束束手无策，不知道该怎么办，他的表情流露出极度的激动。 —

His youth, his embarrassment and the funny figure he cut in his struggles with his flowers melted Nana’s heart, and she burst into a pretty peal of laughter. —
他的年轻、尴尬和拿这花做出的滑稽动作融化了娜娜的心，她发出了一阵美丽的笑声。 —

Well, now, the very children were coming, were they? Men were arriving in long clothes. —
好吧，现在就连孩子们都来了，是吗？男人们穿着长衣赶来了。 —

So she gave up all airs and graces, became familiar and maternal, tapped her leg and asked for fun:
她放弃了一切姿态和风度，变得熟悉和母性，拍了拍腿，开心地问道：

“You want me to wipe your nose; do you, baby?”
“宝贝，你想让我帮你擦鼻子吗？”

“Yes,” replied the lad in a low, supplicating tone.
“是的，”小伙子低声恳求道。

This answer made her merrier than ever. He was seventeen years old, he said. —
这个回答让她更开心了。他说他十七岁。 —

His name was Georges Hugon. He was at the Varietes last night and now he had come to see her.
他叫乔治·休贡。昨晚他在歌剧院，现在他来看她了。

“These flowers are for me?”
“这些花是给我的？”

“Yes.”
“是的。”

“Then give ‘em to me, booby!”
“那就给我，笨蛋！”

But as she took the bouquet from him he sprang upon her hands and kissed them with all the gluttonous eagerness peculiar to his charming time of life. —
但当她从他手中接过花束时，他突然扑上去亲吻她的手，带着他那迷人时代特有的贪婪渴望。 —

She had to beat him to make him let go. There was a dreadful little dribbling customer for you! —
她不得不打他一顿才能让他放手。真是个可怕的小顽童！ —

But as she scolded him she flushed rosy-red and began smiling. —
但当她责骂他的时候，她脸红了，开始笑了起来。 —

And with that she sent him about his business, telling him that he might call again. —
然后她让他滚蛋，告诉他可以再来。 —

He staggered away; he could not find the doors.
他蹒跚着离开了，找不到门了。

Nana went back into her dressing room, where Francis made his appearance almost simultaneously in order to dress her hair for the evening. —
娜娜回到她的化妆室，弗朗西斯几乎同时出现了，为她晚上的发型打扮。 —

Seated in front of her mirror and bending her head beneath the hairdresser’s nimble hands, she stayed silently meditative.
她坐在镜子前，低下头，让发型师灵活的双手打理着，默默沉思着。

Presently, however, Zoe entered, remarking:
不过，佐伊进来了，说道：

“There’s one of them, madame, who refuses to go.”
“有个人，女士，他不肯走。”

“Very well, he must be left alone,” she answered quietly.
“好吧，他就让他待着吧，”她平静地回答道。

“If that comes to that they still keep arriving.”
“如果别的人也这样的话，他们还在继续来。”

“Bah! Tell ‘em to wait. When they begin to feel too hungry they’ll be off.” —
“哼！叫他们等着。当他们开始感到太饿的时候，他们就会离开的。” —

Her humor had changed, and she was now delighted to make people wait about for nothing. —
她的幽默感发生了变化，现在她很高兴让人们无缘无故地等待。 —

A happy thought struck her as very amusing; —
她突然想到一个快乐的想法，觉得很有趣； —

she escaped from beneath Francis’ hands and ran and bolted the doors. —
她挣脱了弗朗西斯的双手，跑开了，然后将门反锁了。 —

They might now crowd in there as much as they liked;
现在他们可以尽情挤在那里；

they would probably refrain from making a hole through the wall. —
他们可能会克制住不在墙上开洞。 —

Zoe could come in and out through the little doorway leading to the kitchen. —
佐伊可以从通往厨房的小门进出。 —

However, the electric bell rang more lustily than ever. —
然而，电铃比以往任何时候都响得更响了。 —

Every five minutes a clear, lively little ting-ting recurred as regularly as if it had been produced by some well-adjusted piece of
每隔五分钟，清脆动听的叮铃声如同由一个调好的机械装置发出一样，如此规律而频繁。娜娜边数着这些铃声，消磨时间。

mechanism. And Nana counted these rings to while the time away withal. —
但突然，她想起了什么。 —

But suddenly she remembered something.
“喂，我的烤杏仁在哪？”

“I say, where are my burnt almonds?”
弗朗西斯也忘记了烤杏仁。

Francis, too, was forgetting about the burnt almonds. —
但现在，他从大衣上的一个口袋里掏出了一个纸袋，并以绅士离谱的举止将其递给她，如同男士向女士馈赠礼物一般。 —

But now he drew a paper bag from one of the pockets of his frock coat and presented it to her with the discreet gesture of a man who is offering a lady a present. —
然而，无论什么时候他结账，他总是将烤杏仁写在账单上。 —

Nevertheless, whenever his accounts came to be settled, he always put the burnt almonds down on his bill. —
娜娜将纸袋放在膝盖间，开始啃咬她的甜食，不时转动头部，从发型师轻柔的触碰中随意地移动。 —

Nana put the bag between her knees and set to work munching her sweetmeats, turning her head from time to time under the hairdresser’s gently compelling touch.
“该死的，”她在沉默片刻后喃喃自语，“来一大队啊！”

“The deuce,” she murmured after a silence, “there’s a troop for you!”
三次，快速而连续地铃声响起。召唤声变得频繁而狂乱。

Thrice, in quick succession, the bell had sounded. Its summonses became fast and furious. —
其念头变得频繁而狂乱。 —

There were modest tintinnabulations which seemed to stutter and tremble like a first avowal; —
有一些谦逊的叮当声，仿佛是第一次表白般结巴地颤抖着； —

there were bold rings which vibrated under some rough touch and hasty rings which sounded through the house with shivering rapidity. —
还有一些大胆的铃声，被粗鲁的触摸激发出振动，快速而颤抖地在屋子里响起； —

It was a regular peal, as Zoe said, a peal loud enough to upset the neighborhood, seeing that a whole mob of men were jabbing at the ivory button, one after the other. —
正如佐伊所说，这是一次规律的钟声，足够大声以惊动整个街区，因为一群人不断地按动那个象牙按钮； —

That old joker Bordenave had really been far too lavish with her address. Why, the whole of yesterday’s house was coming!
那个老小丑鲍登纳夫确实把她的地址泄露得太过慷慨。嗨，昨天的整个聚会的人都来了！

“By the by, Francis, have you five louis?” said Nana.
“顺便说一下，弗朗西斯，你有五路易斯吗？”娜娜说。

He drew back, looked carefully at her headdress and then quietly remarked:
他退后一步，仔细地盯着她的头饰，然后平静地说道：

“Five louis, that’s according!”
“五路易斯，这视情况而定！”

“Ah, you know if you want securities…” she continued.
“啊，你知道如果你需要抵押品的话…“她继续说道。

And without finishing her sentence, she indicated the adjoining rooms with a sweeping gesture. —
而没有说完她的话，她用一挥手示意了一下邻近的房间。 —

Francis lent the five louis. Zoe, during each momentary respite, kept coming in to get Madame’s things ready. —
弗朗西斯借给了五路易斯。佐伊在每一个短暂的歇息间都会进来给夫人准备东西。 —

Soon she came to dress her while the hairdresser lingered with the intention of giving some finishing touches to the headdress. —
很快，她过来给自己穿衣服，而理发师则耽搁在给发饰做最后的修饰上。 —

But the bell kept continually disturbing the lady’s maid, who left Madame with her stays half laced and only one shoe on. —
但是门铃不断地打扰着女仆，她只穿了一半的衣裙，脚上只有一只鞋子就离开了夫人。 —

Despite her long experience, the maid was losing her head. —
尽管经验丰富，女仆也有点慌乱了。 —

After bringing every nook and corner into requisition and putting men pretty well everywhere, she had been driven to stow them away in threes and fours, which was a course of procedure entirely opposed to her principles. —
在利用每一个角落和地方，并把人们安排得到处都是之后，她不得不将他们分成三四个人一起安排，这完全违反了她的原则。 —

So much the worse for them if they ate each other up! It would afford more room! —
如果他们互相吃掉，那就更好了！这样会有更多的空间！ —

And Nana, sheltering behind her carefully bolted door, began laughing at them, declaring that she could hear them pant. —
娜娜躲在她紧锁的门后，嘲笑着他们，声称她能听到他们的喘息声。 —

They ought to be looking lovely in there with their tongues hanging out like a lot of bowwows sitting round on their behinds. —
他们应该在里面好好表现，像一群坐在屁股上，舌头都掉出口的狗一样。 —

Yesterday’s success was not yet over, and this pack of men had followed up her scent.
昨天的成功还未结束，这群男人一直在跟踪她的气味。

“Provided they don’t break anything,” she murmured.
“只要他们不破坏什么东西，”她低声说道。

She began to feel some anxiety, for she fancied she felt their hot breath coming through chinks in the door. —
她开始感到一些焦虑，她觉得他们热气透过门上的缝隙传来。 —

But Zoe ushered Labordette in, and the young woman gave a little shout of relief. —
但是佐伊让拉伯德特进来了，年轻女人松了一口气。 —

He was anxious to tell her about an account he had settled for her at the justice of peace’s court. —
他急于告诉她一个他已经为她在公正法庭上解决的事情。 —

But she did not attend and said:
但是她没有出席，并说道：

“I’ll take you along with me. We’ll have dinner together, and afterward you shall escort me to the Varietes. —
“我会带上你。我们一起吃晚饭，然后你陪我去看杂耍。 —

I don’t go on before half-past nine.”
我九点半以后才上场。”

Good old Labordette, how lucky it was he had come! He was a fellow who never asked for any favors. —
好老的拉伯德特，他来了真是太幸运了！他从来不求任何好处。 —

He was only the friend of the women, whose little bits of business he arranged for them. —
他只是女人们的朋友，帮他们处理一些小事务。 —

Thus on his way in he had dismissed the creditors in the anteroom. —
因此在来的路上他已经把债主们打发走了。 —

Indeed, those good folks really didn’t want to be paid. —
实际上，那些善良的人们真的不想要钱。 —

On the contrary, if they HAD been pressing for payment it was only for the sake of complimenting Madame and of personally renewing their offers of service after her grand success of yesterday.
相反，如果他们一直在催付款，那只是为了恭维夫人，并亲自在她昨天的大获成功之后重新提供他们的服务。

“Let’s be off, let’s be off,” said Nana, who was dressed by now.
“我们走吧，我们走吧，”娜娜说，她现在已经穿好了。

But at that moment Zoe came in again, shouting:
但就在那时，佐伊又冲进来喊道：

“I refuse to open the door any more. They’re waiting in a crowd all down the stairs.”
“我拒绝再开门了。他们都在楼梯上等着。”

A crowd all down the stairs! Francis himself, despite the English stolidity of manner which he was wont to affect, began laughing as he put up his combs. —
楼梯上挤满了人群！弗朗西斯本人，尽管他习惯装出的英国冷静态度，还是开始笑了起来，他整理着自己的梳子。 —

Nana, who had already taken Labordette’s arm, pushed him into the kitchen and effected her escape. —
娜娜已经拉着拉博代特的胳膊，把他推进厨房，然后逃走了。 —

At last she was delivered from the men and felt happily conscious that she might now enjoy his society anywhere without fear of stupid interruptions.
终于她脱离了这些男人，幸福地意识到她现在可以到任何地方与他享受交谈，不再担心愚蠢的打扰。

“You shall see me back to my door,” she said as they went down the kitchen stairs. —
“你会把我送到家门口的，”他们下楼的时候她说。 —

“I shall feel safe, in that case. Just fancy, I want to sleep a whole night quite by myself–yes, a whole night! —
“那样我会觉得安全。想象一下，我想一个晚上完全一个人睡觉——是的，整整一个晚上！” —

It’s sort of infatuation, dear boy!”
这只是一种迷恋，亲爱的男孩！