月亮和六便士 第十二章(2)

 　　You don't mind my talking to you frankly¹? “我说话不同你转弯抹角，你不介意吧？”

　　He shook his head, smiling. 他笑着摇了摇头。

　　Has she deserved that you should treat her like this? “你这样对待她说得过去吗？”

　　No. “说不过去。”

　　Have you any complaint to make against her? “你有什么不满意她的地方吗？”

　　None. “没有。”

　　Then, isn't it monstrous² to leave her in this fashion, after seventeen years of married life, without a fault to find with her? “那么，你们结婚十七年，你又挑不出她任何毛病，你这样离开了她不是太岂有此理了吗？”

　　Monstrous. “是太岂有此理了。”

　　I glanced at him with surprise.  我感到非常惊奇，看了他一眼。

　　His cordial agreement with all I said cut the ground from under my feet. It made my position complicated, not to say ludicrous. 不管我说什么，他都从心眼里赞同，这就把我的口预先箝住了。他使我的处境变得非常复杂，且不说滑稽可笑了。

　　I was prepared to be persuasive³, touching⁴, and hortatory, admonitory and expostulating, if need be vituperative⁵ even, indignant and sarcastic;  本来我预备说服他、打动他、规劝他、训诫他、同他讲道理，如果需要的话还要斥责他，要发一通脾气，要把他冷嘲热讽个够；

　　but what the devil does a mentor⁶ do when the sinner makes no bones about confessing his sin?  但是如果罪人对自己犯的罪直认不讳，规劝的人还有什么事情好做呢？

　　I had no experience, since my own practice has always been to deny everything. 我对他这种人一点也没有经验，因为我自己如果做错了事总是矢口否认。

　　What, then? asked Strickland. “你还要说什么？”思特里克兰德说。

　　I tried to curl my lip. 我对他撇了撇嘴。

　　Well, if you acknowledge that, there doesn't seem much more to be said. “没什么了，如果你都承认了，好象也没有什么要多说的了。”

　　I don't think there is. “我想也是。”

　　I felt that I was not carrying out my embassy with any great skill. I was distinctly nettled⁷. 我觉得我这次执行任务手腕太不高明。我显然有些冒火了。

　　Hang it all, one can't leave a woman without a bob. “别的都不要说了，你总不能一个铜板也不留就把你女人甩了啊！”

　　Why not? “为什么不能？”

　　How is she going to live? “她怎么活下去呢？”

　　I've supported her for seventeen years. Why shouldn't she support herself for a change? “我已经养活她十七年了。为什么她不能换换样，自己养活自己呢？”

　　She can't. “她养活不了。”

　　Let her try. “她不妨试一试。”

　　Of course there were many things I might have answered to this.  我当然有许多话可以答辩。

　　I might have spoken of the economic position of woman, of the contract, tacit and overt⁸, which a man accepts by his marriage, and of much else;  我可以谈妇女的经济地位，谈男人结婚以后公开或默认地承担的义务，还有许许多多别的道理，

　　but I felt that there was only one point which really signified. 但是我认为真正重要的只有一点。

　　Don't you care for her any more? “你还爱她不爱她了？”

　　Not a bit, he replied. “一点儿也不爱了，”他回答。

　　The matter was immensely serious for all the parties concerned, but there was in the manner of his answer such a cheerful effrontery⁹ that I had to bite my lips in order not to laugh.  不论对哪方面讲，这都是一件极端严肃的事，可是他的答话却带着那么一种幸灾乐祸、厚颜无耻的劲儿；为了不笑出声来，我拼命咬住嘴唇。

　　I reminded myself that his behaviour was abominable¹⁰. I worked myself up into a state of moral indignation. 我一再提醒自己他的行为是可恶的。我终于激动起自己的义愤来。

1 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

2 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

3 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 vituperative   

adj.谩骂的；斥责的

参考例句：

• He is often the victim of vituperative remarks concerning his wealth.他经常因为富有而受到辱骂。
• I was really taken aback by their vituperative animosity toward the Soviet Union.他们对苏联如此深恶痛绝，着实令我吃惊。

6 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

7 nettled   

v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• My remarks clearly nettled her. 我的话显然惹恼了她。
• He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 他刚才有些来火，但现在又恢复了常态。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

8 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

9 effrontery   

n.厚颜无耻

参考例句：

• This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.这是一个可耻的骗局. 他竟然有脸说这样的话。
• One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.那人十足的厚颜无耻让人们吃惊得无话可说。

10 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。