遲到的情書（四）
As I grew older I found, rather to my surprise, that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt. But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her, before I had confided in another living soul, of our engagement. To my astonishment, she was delighted.
讓我感到吃驚的是，隨著我逐漸長大，我發(fā)現(xiàn)打心眼里喜歡起我那位孤伶伶的老姑姑來。至今我仍不知道那是一種什么樣的奇異動(dòng)力，使我在還沒有透露給別人之前就把喬治領(lǐng)去看望姑姑，告訴她我們已經(jīng)訂婚的消息。不成想，聽到這個(gè)消息以后，她竟非常高興。 "An Englishman,"she exclaimed."But that is splendid, splendid. And you,"she turned to George,"you are making your home in this country? You do not intend to return to England just yet?"
"是英國人！"她驚訝地大聲說道，"好極了。你，"她轉(zhuǎn)向喬治，"你要在南非安家嗎？你現(xiàn)在不打算回國吧？"
She seemed relieved when she heard that George had bought a farm near our own farm and intended to settle in South Africa. She became quite animated, and chattered away to him.
當(dāng)她聽說喬治已經(jīng)在我們農(nóng)場附近購置了一片農(nóng)場并打算定居下來時(shí)，好像松了一口氣。她興致勃勃地和喬治攀談起來。
After that I would often slip away to the little cottage by the mealie lands. Once she was somewhat disappointed on hearing that we had decided to wait for two years before getting married, but when she learned that my father and mother were both pleased with the match she seemed reassured.
從那以后，我常常到那所位于玉米地邊的小屋。有一次，當(dāng)斯蒂菲娜老姑聽說我們決定再過兩年結(jié)婚時(shí)，露出了失望的神色，但一聽說我的父母親都對這門親事滿意時(shí)，她又放寬了心。
Still, she often appeared anxious about my love affair, and would ask questions that seemed to me strange, almost as though she feared that something would happen to destroy my romance. But I was quite unprepared for her outburst when I mentioned that George thought of paying a lightning visit to England before we were married."He must not do it,"she cried."Ina, you must not let him go. Promise me you will prevent him."she was trembling all over. I did what I could to console her, but she looked so tired and pale that I persuaded her to go to her room and rest, promising to return the next day.
但她對我的婚姻大事還是經(jīng)常掛在嘴邊。她常常問一些怪怪的問題，幾乎像擔(dān)心我的婚事會(huì)告吹一樣。當(dāng)我提到喬治打算在婚前匆匆回一趟國時(shí)，她竟激動(dòng)了起來。只見她渾身哆嗦著大聲嚷道："他不能回去！愛娜！你不能放他走，你得答應(yīng)我不放他走！"我盡力安慰她，但她還是顯得萎靡不振。我只得勸她回屋休息，并答應(yīng)第二天再去看她。
When I arrived I found her sitting on the stoep. She looked lonely and pathetic, and for the first time I wondered why no man had ever taken her and looked after her and loved her. Mother had told me that Great-aunt Stephina had been lovely as a young girl, and although no trace of that beauty remained, except perhaps in her brown eyes, yet she looked so small and appealing that any man, one felt, would have wanted to protect her.
我第二天去看她時(shí)，她正坐在屋前的門廊上，流露出抑郁孤寂的神情。我第一次感到納悶：以前怎么沒有人娶她、照料和愛撫她呢？記得母親曾經(jīng)說過，斯蒂菲娜老姑以前曾是一個(gè)楚楚可愛的小姑娘。盡管除了她那褐色的眼睛尚能保留一點(diǎn)昔日的風(fēng)韻之外，她的美貌早已蕩然無存。但她看上去還是那樣小巧玲瓏、惹人愛憐，引起男人們的惜香憐玉之情。
She paused, as though she did not quite know how to begin. Then she seemed to give herself, mentally, a little shake. "You must have wondered ", she said, "why I was so upset at the thought of young George's going to England without you. I am an old woman, and perhaps I have the silly fancies of the old, but I should like to tell you my own love story, and then you can decide whether it is wise for your man to leave you before you are married."
我走到她的跟前。她拍著身邊的椅子，淡淡一笑。"坐下吧，親愛的，"她說，"我有話要告訴你。"她欲言又止，好像不知道話從何說起似的。接著，她仿佛振作了起來。她說："我聽你說喬治要回國，又不帶你走，心里非常不安。我這份心事你是不明白的。我是一個(gè)老婆子了，大概還懷著老人們的那顆癡心吧。不過，我想把自己的愛情故事講給你聽。這樣你就能明白在你們結(jié)婚之前讓你的未婚夫離開你，是不是一個(gè)明智之舉。"
"I was quite a young girl when I first met Richard Weston. He was an Englishman who boarded with the Van Rensburgs on the next farm, four or five miles from us. Richard was not strong. He had a weak chest, and the doctors had sent him to South Africa so that the dry air could cure him. He taught the Van Rensburg children, who were younger than I was, though we often played together, but he did this for pleasure and not because he needed money.
"我第一次遇見理查德?威斯頓時(shí)還是一個(gè)年輕姑娘。他是一個(gè)英國人，寄宿在我家附近四、五英里一個(gè)農(nóng)場上的范?倫斯堡家里。他身體不好，胸悶氣短。醫(yī)生讓他去南非讓干燥的氣候治好他的病。他教倫斯堡的孩子們念書，他們都比我小，盡管我們經(jīng)常在一塊玩。理查德是以教書為樂，并不是為了賺錢。
"We loved one another from the first moment we met, though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday. All our friends and relatives had come to my party, and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn. Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs, and we danced together as often as we dared, which was not very often, for my father hated the Uitlanders. Indeed, for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him, but afterwards he got used to the idea, and was always polite to the Englishman, though he never liked him.
"我和理查德是一見鐘情，盡管直到我18歲生日那天我們才表示彼此的愛慕之情。那天晚上的舞會(huì)上，我們的親友都來了。我們在倉房里鋪上一條寬大的舊毛毯，翩翩起舞。我和他壯起膽子頻頻起舞。但事實(shí)上，沒有多少次，因?yàn)槲业母赣H很討厭'洋人'。有一次，他曾抱怨說倫斯堡先生不應(yīng)該讓理查德寄住在他的家里，為此還跟他吵過一場，他后來就習(xí)以為常了。雖談不上喜歡，但對這個(gè)英國人以禮相待。"那是我一生中最快樂的一個(gè)生日，因?yàn)槔聿榈略谔栝g歇將我領(lǐng)到外面清涼的月光中，在點(diǎn)點(diǎn)繁星之下對我傾訴愛慕之情，并向我求婚。我二話沒說答應(yīng)了他的要求，因?yàn)槲以缫研淖砩衩裕氩坏礁改赣H會(huì)說什么。我的心中除了理查德和他的愛情，什么也顧不上了。
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