月亮和六便士 第二十六章(2)

 Though his means were adequate to the needs of himself and his wife, he certainly had no money to waste; 尽管他的收入一向只够维持夫妻两人的生活，从来就不宽裕，

but now he was wantonly extravagant¹ in the purchase of delicacies², out of season and dear, which might tempt³ Strickland's capricious appetite. 现在他却大手大脚，购买时令已过、价钱昂贵的美味，想方设法叫思特里克兰德多吃一点东西（他的胃口时好时坏，叫人无法捉摸）。

I shall never forget the tactful patience with which he persuaded him to take nourishment⁴. 我什么时候也忘不了他劝说思特里克兰德增加营养的那种耐心和手腕。

He was never put out by Strickland's rudeness; 不论思特里克兰德对他多么没礼貌，他也从来不动火。

if it was merely sullen⁵, he appeared not to notice it; if it was aggressive, he only chuckled⁶. 如果对方只是郁闷懊丧，他就假装看不到；如果对方顶撞他，他只是一笑置之。

When Strickland, recovering somewhat, was in a good humour and amused himself by laughing at him, 当思特里克兰德身体好了一些，情绪高起来，嘲笑他几句开开心，

he deliberately⁷ did absurd things to excite his ridicule⁸. 他就做出一些滑稽的举动来，故意给对方更多讥笑的机会。

Then he would give me little happy glances, so that I might notice in how much better form the patient was. Stroeve was sublime⁹. 他会高兴地递给我几个眼色，叫我知道病人已经大有起色了。施特略夫实在是个大好人。

But it was Blanche who most surprised me. 但是更使我感到吃惊的还是勃朗什。

She proved herself not only a capable, but a devoted¹⁰ nurse. 她证明了自己不仅是一个能干的、而且是一个专心致志的护士。

There was nothing in her to remind you that she had so vehemently¹¹ struggled against her husband's wish to bring Strickland to the studio. 你再也不会想到她曾一度激烈地反对过自己的丈夫，坚决不同意把思特里克兰德带回到家里来。

She insisted on doing her share of the offices needful to the sick. 病人需要照料的地方很多，她坚持要尽到自己一部分责任。

She arranged his bed so that it was possible to change the sheet without disturbing him. She washed him. 她整理病人的床铺，尽量做到在撤换床单时不惊扰病人。她给病人洗浴。

When I remarked on her competence¹², she told me with that pleasant little smile of hers that for a while she had worked in a hospital. 当我称赞她的能干时，她脸上露出惯有的微笑，告诉我她曾经在一家医院做过一段事。

She gave no sign that she hated Strickland so desperately¹³. 她丝毫不让人看出来，她曾经那样讨厌过思特里克兰德。

She did not speak to him much, but she was quick to forestall¹⁴ his wants. 她同他说话不多，但是不管他有什么需要，她都很快地就能知道。

For a fortnight it was necessary that someone should stay with him all night, and she took turns at watching with her husband. 有两个星期思特里克兰德整夜都需要有人看护，她就和她丈夫轮班守夜。

I wondered what she thought during the long darkness as she sat by the bedside. 我真想知道，在她坐在病床旁边度过漫漫长夜时心里在想些什么。

1 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

2 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

3 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

4 nourishment   

n.食物，营养品；营养情况

参考例句：

• Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
• He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。

5 sullen   

adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的

参考例句：

• He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
• Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。

6 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

7 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

9 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

12 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

13 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

14 forestall   

vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止

参考例句：

• I left the room to forestall involvements.我抢先离开了这房间以免受牵累。
• He followed this rule in order to forestall rumors.他遵守这条规矩是为了杜绝流言蜚语。