and send a message in by the maid asking Mrs.Strickland if it was convenient for her to see me.  先叫使女进去问一声，思特里克兰德太太方便不方便会客。

　　This would give her the opportunity to send me away.  如果她不想见我，就可以把我打发走了。

　　But I was overwhelmed with embarrassment when I said to the maid the phrase I had prepared,  尽管如此，在我对使女讲起我事前准备的一套话时，我还是窘得要命。

　　and while I waited for the answer in a dark passage I had to call up all my strength of mind not to bolt.  当我在幽暗的过道里等着回话的当儿，我不得不鼓起全部勇气才没有中途溜掉。

　　The maid came back.  使女从里面走出来。

　　Her manner suggested to my excited fancy a complete knowledge of the domestic calamity. 也可能是我过于激动，胡乱猜想，我觉得从那使女的神情看，好象她已经完全知道这家人遭遇的不幸了。

　　Will you come this way, sir? she said. "请您跟我来，先生，"她说。

　　I followed her into the drawing-room.  我跟在她后面走进客厅。

　　The blinds were partly drawn to darken the room, and Mrs. Strickland was sitting with her back to the light.  为了使室内光线暗淡，窗帘没有完全拉开。思特里克兰德太太背着光坐着。

　　Her brother-in-law, Colonel MacAndrew, stood in front of the fireplace, warming his back at an unlit fire.  思特里克兰德太太的姐夫麦克安德鲁上校正站在壁炉前面，在没有燃旺的火炉前边烤自己的脊背。

　　To myself my entrance seemed excessively awkward.  我觉得我闯进来是一件极其尴尬的事。

　　I imagined that my arrival had taken them by surprise, and Mrs.Strickland had let me come in only because she had forgotten to put me off.  我猜想我到这里来一定很出他们意料之外，思特里克兰德太太只是忘记同我另外约会日子才不得不让我进来。

　　I fancied that the Colonel resented the interruption. 我还想，上校一定为我打扰了他们非常生气。

　　I wasn't quite sure if you expected me, I said, trying to seem unconcerned. "我不太清楚，你是不是等着我来，"我说，故意装作一副若无其事的样子。

　　Of course I did. Anne will bring the tea in a minute. "当然我在等着你。安妮马上就把茶拿来。"

　　Even in the darkened room, I could not help seeing that Mrs.Strickland's face was all swollen with tears.  尽管屋子里光线很暗，我也看出来思特里克兰德太太的眼睛已经哭肿了。

　　Her skin, never very good, was earthy. 她的面色本来就不太好，现在更是变成土灰色了。

　　You remember my brother-in-law, don't you? You met at dinner, just before the holidays. "你还记得我的姐夫吧？度假以前，你在这里吃饭的那天和他见过面。"

　　We shook hands.  我们握了握手。

　　I felt so shy that I could think of nothing to say, but Mrs.Strickland came to my rescue.  我感到忐忑不安，想不出一句好说的话来。但是思特里克兰德太太解救了我；

　　She asked me what I had been doing with myself during the summer, and with this help I managed to make some conversation till tea was brought in.  她问起我怎样消夏的事。有她提了这个头，我多少也找到些话说，直捱到使女端上茶点来。

　　The Colonel asked for a whisky-and-soda. 上校要了一杯苏打威士忌。

　　You'd better have one too, Amy, he said. "你最好也喝一杯，阿美，"他说。

　　No; I prefer tea. "不，我还是喝茶吧。"