Cranford — Page 5
例如，当福雷斯特太太在她那玩具屋般的住所里举办聚会时，那个小女仆打扰了坐在沙发上的女士们，请求她们让她把茶盘从沙发底下取出来，所有人都把这个新奇的举动当作世界上最自然不过的事情，继续谈论着家务礼仪和规矩，仿佛我们都相信女主人有一套完整的仆人厅、二桌席，配有管家和总管，而不是只有那一个慈善学校来的小女仆——她那短短的红润的手臂，若没有女主人私下帮忙，根本不可能有足够的力气把茶盘端上楼去。而此刻女主人正端坐着，假装不知道送上来的是什么点心，尽管她心里清楚，我们也心里清楚，她知道我们清楚，我们也知道她知道我们清楚——她整个上午都忙着做茶点面包和海绵蛋糕呢。
When Mrs Forrester, for instance, gave a party in her baby-house of a dwelling, and the little maiden disturbed the ladies on the sofa by a request that she might get the tea-tray out from underneath, everyone took this novel proceeding as the most natural thing in the world, and talked on about household forms and ceremonies as if we all believed that our hostess had a regular servants' hall, second table, with housekeeper and steward, instead of the one little charity-school maiden, whose short ruddy arms could never have been strong enough to carry the tray upstairs, if she had not been assisted in private by her mistress, who now sat in state, pretending not to know what cakes were sent up, though she knew, and we knew, and she knew that we knew, and we knew that she knew that we knew, she had been busy all the morning making tea-bread and sponge-cakes.
这种普遍而不为人承认的贫困，以及这种被大力标榜的体面，带来了一两个并不坏的结果，这些结果若引入许多社交圈子，或许大有裨益。例如，克兰福德的居民们早早就结束活动，在提灯人的引导下，穿着木屐，叮叮当当地于晚上九点左右回到家中；整个小镇在十点半之前便已熄灯安睡。
There were one or two consequences arising from this general but unacknowledged poverty, and this very much acknowledged gentility, which were not amiss, and which might be introduced into many circles of society to their great improvement. For instance, the inhabitants of Cranford kept early hours, and clattered home in their pattens, under the guidance of a lantern-bearer, about nine o'clock at night; and the whole town was abed and asleep by half-past ten.
Vocabulary
- Mrs
- 已婚女性的称谓，相当于"太太"或"夫人"
- instance
- 例子；常用于"for instance"，意为"例如"
- party
- 聚会；为社交目的举办的活动
- baby-house
- 极小的房子，形容居所像玩具屋一样小
- dwelling
- 居所；人居住的地方
- maiden
- 年轻未婚的女子；少女
- disturbed
- 打扰；使某人感到不安或被打断
- sofa
- 沙发；供多人坐的软质长椅
- request
- 请求；礼貌地要求某事
- might
- 情态动词，表示可能性或许可
- tea-tray
- 茶盘；用来放置茶具的托盘
- underneath
- 在……下面；位于某物的下方
- novel
- 新奇的；与众不同的，令人觉得不寻常
- proceeding
- 行为；正在进行的某种做法或举动
- natural
- 自然的；正常的，理所当然的
- household
- 家庭的；与家务管理相关的
- forms
- 形式；固定的惯例或规矩
- ceremonies
- 礼仪；正式的礼节或仪式
- hostess
- 女主人；负责接待宾客的女性
- regular
- 正规的；固定的，按常规的
- servants'
- 仆人们的；属于家仆的（所有格形式）
- hall
- 大厅；房间或通道，此处指仆人用餐区
- housekeeper
- 管家；负责管理家务的人
- steward
- 男管家；负责管理家庭事务的男性雇员
- instead
- 代替；用于表示替代关系
- charity-school
- 慈善学校；为贫困儿童提供教育的机构
- ruddy
- 红润的；形容皮肤健康的红色
- tray
- 托盘；用于端放物品的平板器具
- upstairs
- 往楼上；朝向或在楼上的方向
- assisted
- 被帮助；得到协助
- private
- 私人的；不对外公开的
- mistress
- 女主人；掌管家庭的女性
- state
- 威严的状态；此处指摆出正式庄重的姿态
- pretending
- 假装；表现出并不真实的样子
- though
- 虽然；尽管，引导让步状语从句
- tea-bread
- 茶点面包；搭配茶饮食用的糕点
- sponge-cakes
- 海绵蛋糕；一种质地松软的蛋糕
- consequences
- 后果；由某原因导致的结果
- arising
- 产生；由某情况引发或出现
- general
- 普遍的；广泛存在于大多数情况中
- unacknowledged
- 未被承认的；不被公开承认的
- poverty
- 贫穷；缺乏金钱或物质资源的状态
- acknowledged
- 被承认的；公开被认可的
- gentility
- 绅士风度；注重体面的上流社会礼仪
- amiss
- 不当的；有问题的，不合适的
- introduced
- 被引入；被带到某地或某情况中
- circles
- 圈子；有共同兴趣的社交群体
- society
- 社会；人们共同生活的群体
- improvement
- 改善；变得更好的过程或结果
- inhabitants
- 居民；居住在某地的人们
- clattered
- 发出哗啦声地走动；带噪音地快步行进
- pattens
- 木底鞋；旧式防泥防湿的厚底外套鞋
- guidance
- 引导；在某人或某物的指引下
- lantern-bearer
- 提灯人；为他人举灯照路的人
- abed
- 在床上；指人已经躺在床上
- asleep
- 睡着的；处于睡眠状态
- half-past
- ……点半；表示某时刻过了三十分钟
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