美国语文第五册 第142期:遗嘱(5)

 　　What is all this? You don't mean that we are humbugged? In trust! How does that appear? Where is it?  究竟怎么回事？你不是说，我们都被蒙骗了吧？托管？“托管”这两字在哪？究竟在哪里？

　　There; in two words of as good old English as I ever penned.  喏，在这，这两个漂亮的古英语单词，差不多为我迄今为止最好的拼写。

　　Pretty well, too, Mr. Squire¹, if we must be sent for to be made a laughingstock of.  书写倒确实不错。法官大人，老夫人每次外出租借我马车费用，能够支付给我吗？

　　She shall pay for every ride she has had out of my chaise, I promise you.  这样我们就两不相欠了。这点，我可以向你保证。但我们是否令人耻笑呢？

　　And for every drop of my beer.  老夫人还得为她喝我的每滴啤酒付账，

　　Fine times, if two sober, hard-working citizens are to be brought here to be made the sport of a graceless profligate².  那该多少次！我们两位严谨辛劳的好市民居然被带到这里让人说成不知羞耻或不检点，

　　But we will manage his property for him, Mr. Currie; we will make him feel that trustees are not to be trifled with. That we will. 反过来，我们还要为弗兰克管理财产，柯里先生，我们要让他感到，作为他的委托人，我们可不是轻易好打发的。一点不错。

　　Not so fast, gentlemen; for the instrument is dated three years ago;  别急，先生们，因为这份契约签字时间是三年前，

　　and the young gentleman must be already of age, and able to take care of himself. Is it not so, Francis?  因此那位年轻人已到了规定年限，也就是说，他已经能独自经营资产，是吗？弗朗西斯？

　　It is, your worship.  是的，法官阁下。

　　Then, gentlemen, having attended to the breaking of the seal, according to law,  那么，先生们，既然你们已目睹遗嘱打开，依据法律，

　　you are released from any further trouble about the business. 接下来，你们与该遗嘱将不会有任何关系或纠葛。

1 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

2 profligate   

adj.行为不检的；n.放荡的人，浪子，肆意挥霍者

参考例句：

• This young man had all the inclination to be a profligate of the first water.这个青年完全有可能成为十足的浪子。
• Similarly Americans have been profligate in the handling of mineral resources.同样的，美国在处理矿产资源方面亦多浪费。